One day, a distant memory
began in my life, yet another story
it began with three letters
which eventually became a mission
Soon, it became a vision, and I,
a visionary,
walking along a dreaded path
unknown, unraveled, unsearched
I was the first to walk on it
a path, which changed a life
or many lives, I should say
a path in life, I shall never forget.
It began, it began some time ago
it began and I began to grow
for my first hurdle soon faced me
when I was left alone,
alone in the crowd of unknown friends
How quick I learned to live it, I wonder!
and remember, of the distant place I call home
And it doesn’t seem distant to me, I carry it with me
in my heart, and I am not alone
still sometimes, memories cry
I then ask myself why?
Why am I, away from people I love?
“Because it will get you, what you deserve”
comes a beautiful reply
It reminds me of a destiny, that is mine
Waiting for me, to take it away
I will, I promise, one day
Here also I saw,
what I call, ‘the real world’
each man uncaring rough and selfish
with no dreams and scanty wishes
I see the fear in their hearts
I see the light in their souls
But, I cannot do anything,
for it is their destiny to row
for I have also seen, the best of humankind here
and felt endless love for them
in the end, I think, all people are the same
With differences in their natures,
true to diversity in creatures
but without this I would not have become
what I am today, better than my past
and this is the destiny, of more and many more like me
who, in future, will come here, and learn
about how the world goes round
and this is the destiny of this city
for whom, I feel infinite hatred
and every ounce of this hatred
makes me respect this city more and more
for it gave me a smile, and the way to keep it
it gave me wisdom, and taught me how to use it
it gave me a career, and taught me how to pursue it
it gave me a legacy, and taught me how to live it.
But, it is not that it only gives
as nature easily shows, anything cannot be accumulated anywhere
it scatters and falls and radiates and transmits
While I got a new life here
it meant I had to leave the old one behind
Old friends, old school, old teachers, old laughs
everything forgotten, you radiate what you absorb
but in these tides of times, I carry with myself
a heart which stays with me
which took birth with me
and carries all my memories for me.
It maintains my character, made long ago
by sheds and threads of childhood
which still tells me what is bad and what is good.
To continue, I left an old life behind
which sometimes I miss
but then again, I am reminded
that life flows on,
and on day, everything is back together
together, evolved, better and wiser.
So again, the ancient question arises
“Do you like Kota?”
I can solve a physics problem
or can write theories with eyes closed
but this loaded question, I cannot answer
Because I do not know the answer.
I hate this hell and cant wait to get out of here
But it gives me so much each day, so I can easily bear
the hardships upon me
thrown like bricks and bats and pots and pans.
Sometimes I feel, it has even taken out the fire out of me
but to fuel ourselves is what we need
to fuel ourselves is what we need.
-Vishal Gupta
