“I had a
heart attack”, he said.
I stared at
him in disbelief.” I was not aware”, I muttered, apologetically.
“No, no,
not that kind of heart attack” he corrected me, “I mean my heart was broken”. I
heaved a sigh of relief; he was talking figuratively.
We were
meeting after many years. We were best friends during our college days. Even
after getting jobs in different cities,
we were in touch with our limited resources. However, after he migrated to Gulf
countries it was difficult for us to meet frequently. From whatever I knew, he
had a good job, small family, decent earnings and a satisfying life. That was
till the time he shared his story.
Though he
had whatever I mentioned above, what he was not having are those moments which
we consider more important in life. Due to his work schedule, he does not have
any meaningful friends. He has lost the habit of reading. Recreational
activities are almost nil. Though he earns quiet well, much of it is spend on
securing the future as job is highly insecure. Family get -togethers with
friends are rare and even when they meet the wave length is missing. In short,
he has everything but some good time in life. I realized the intensity when he
said he treasures these few hours we are spending together much more than many
things in life. I listened carefully when he poured out his woes, anguishes and
despairs. “For an outsider, I have everything in life. What I need is someone
to talk to whenever I am down”, his eyes where moist when he said that.
I felt
really guilty. It is true that we were physically far away. However, there were
various methods in which we could have connected with each other. Still, we
failed to do so.
It was
during that time when one of my neighbor informed me that their daughter is
undergoing depression. She was a vibrant and lively teenager, generally active in
everything. Suddenly she has withdrawn into a shell and has become taciturn.
Parents failed to understand the reason behind this sudden change and decided
to take her to a doctor. Before that they requested me to talk to her. I was
reluctant as I am not an expert in this matter. But I knew of the impact if she
is taken to a doctor. She was so close to us so I decided to spend some time
with her. Fortunately, she opened up to some extent. As she was growing, her
views, ideas and experiences about life were changing and naturally she was
confused. She was not confident of sharing her concerns with anyone so she
started scribbling it down. Those thoughts weighed her down a lot and she found
solace in her solitude. She was like a rudderless boat in the river, wandering
aimlessly. When she looked around there was no one with whom she can confide
with. I was successful in coaxing her to show me the notes she made. What she
wrote were really matured for her age. Eventually we were able to convince her
that we appreciate her concerns and it is quite natural to go through such
experiences at her age. Slowly and steadily, she regained her old self.
The suicide
of CCD owner Mr. Sidharth used to be a topic of discussion among my friends at
that time. We had failed to understand why a successful, intelligent and
positive person like him took such a drastic step. We wondered, how a person
with so much connection, network and relationships, was left alone when he took
such tragic decision in his life.
These are
just few instances. I am sure, all of us will be having our own share of such
stories. What is common about them is, somewhere deep down they were all lonely
and ached for someone to lovingly gaud them back to life. What I learned was
the real self of a person can be completely different from what we see. “Beneath
the apparent calmness there is turmoil”.
While these
thoughts were tormenting me, I read something very interesting. It seems, once
a huge whale swam into the Themes River, by mistake. Imagine the confusion and
torture it must have gone through finding itself in completely unfamiliar
surroundings. It was written that the Govt spend a huge amount of money to guide
the whale back to its natural habitat.
What
triggered my thoughts further was a recent incident where a young guy who went
for trekking along with his friends on a mountain, slipped and fell into a
cleft deep down. He could not move out of that place for a couple of days.
Government had to take the help of army to get him out. He had spent couple of
days without food and even water.
The fact
is, there are millions who have slipped from their lives and fallen to the deep
crevices. They stay there all alone with no one to rescue them. There are
millions who entered alien waters and are swimming listlessly. The reasons can be different-ill health, financial crisis, failed relationship, loss of dear ones and so on. But they all are broken and extremely lonely.
How many
lives must have failed or lost just because there was no one with them when
they desperately needed a healing touch. Most of us go through such moments and
need someone to reassure us; someone who can hold us close and give that
magical hug which may bring us back from those haunting black thoughts.
Unlike what
the poet said, people are really becoming islands. Deep within, we all need a
bit of compassion and a companionship. On one hand we are ashamed to ask for
it, and on the other we fail to recognize the need of the other person. It is
high time we kept our difference and hatred apart and loudly declare that we
are there for each other. If we could rescue a whale, will it be a herculean
task for us to salvage a fellow being?
