T.I.M.E

Only in time is time remembered. - T.S. Eliot.

How right Eliot was! Exactly eight years ago (WOW! That long already) I wrote my first blog post on Indian social system which I deleted after a few months. I have no inkling why I did that. It was about the Hindustan Times sponsored Advertisement 'Tum chalo toh hindustan chale,' roughly translated as 'Walk and India walks with you.' I distinctly remember writing it after getting worked up during a humanities class in school about social inequality in India. Strange that after eight odd years, I am studying Indian Polity. If I could see future, I would be proud for my stand in those humanities classes.

T.I.M.E- valued greatly and generally misused by all of us. I love journals and diaries that document our day to day lives. I am a big believer in writing as a therapy. Yes, it works far better than breaking objects. As a kid when I made mistakes, Dad would always reprimand me by asking me to remember the date and time when we were having that conversation. He would say, "Remember this day in your life and don't ever commit this mistake." I may not have remembered all those dates but I sure have learned and bettered myself over time. I remember telling a friend once while in primary school that we were all on earth for limited time and that she or me could live as long as we practised honesty. It sounds rather absurd to profess and preach such wisdom pearls in school. A very notorious prank that I was part of happened when I was in Class Three. Yes, rather young to have thought such a vile idea. Me and my bench partner scribbled on a notebook belonging to a girl who sat on the front bench in class. When the teacher called out for the culprits, the class went silent and suddenly my bench partner pointed at me and took my name. I don't remember what happened next- if I got punished or if my parents were notified. That portion seems to have mysteriously disappeared from my memories. All I remember now is that after ten long years when I met my bench partner, time had carefully erased all the bad memories and hatred towards him. This is why I appreciate and care about Time. It washes away all dirt and sadness.

We are taught importance of punctuality in school but sadly don't practise it in our lives. These are just some virtues that all of us already have imbibed in us, we just don't give them priority and importance. Time and Tide waits for none, is understood perfectly when we incur losses and suffer humiliation at the hands of time. It could break families, hearts, people. Everything. In fact, the most powerful and prestigious asset in our lives is Time, not money neither fame.

I have regretted so many events, mourned over lost opportunities while blaming myself and the time that I was in. It has taken me just a little while to realise that time is always in our hands. We have an absolute power that lies unused because of lack of trust in time. We trust our fate, not time. And it reminds us, sooner or later for good or for worse that nothing else matters above these calculated seconds of our lives. Every breath intake is valuable.