Stepping into the unknown

I love to write! I just want to state it again today because this is a special post..more as a memoir. I am writing this post as I am on my way back from the much talked about Jaipur Literature Festival. The fact that it was one of those events that leave a mark on you forever could either mean I don’t go to enough of these or that I was probably at a stage of my life when I was so ready to receive what the event had to offer.

Having recently published my book, The Possibility of Balance, I was, of course, curious to know what it is like to be amongst authors and publishers. It was unimaginable to think of the names on the books we buy, as real people who are there, somewhere, like you and me. Each of the names have a life, a story, and are accomplished in many things other than what they are known for.

It got me thinking of how we all define a world for ourselves and live in our small bubbles unless another world catches our fancy or we step in it accidentally.

Stepping into an unknown world is somewhat like a trip to Mars I think. The rich getting a glimpse of what life is like for the poor, by staying in villages, or a programmer who has learnt the art of coding an application for the first time or a child stepping into a wonderland like Fun City for the first time – all of these offer the thrill of discovery. So much so, that for a fleeting moment, one might be tempted to shift one’s reality and change one’s world for good.

Some of us have probably experienced a change of worlds in the past, though it might have been with an anchor to get back to where we came from, whenever we want. It is like having a safety net. It is strange how this behavior of ours has deep implications on how we form relationships or meet people.

I am reminded of the beginning of the Bollywood movie Tamaasha, which appealed to me far more than most movies I have ever watched. When we meet someone, we choose to keep one foot in our existing world and only offer half or lesser, to the other person. In the movie, the actor, Ranbir Kapoor challenges this way of being. He states that he has chosen to not follow the norm. In fact, he is totally unaware of the person whom he is meeting, so decides to create a new world altogether. He makes a brilliant point, that, in that moment, he can choose to be anyone he pleases. The fact that he was in a different country and had no anchors holding him back, other than himself, perhaps made it easier for him to make that choice.

Do you remember meeting someone amd being totally fascinated by what they do or who they are? It is, perhaps, a desire you have, to experience their world, to step into it, even if for a moment.

I propose that the more worlds we experience, the wiser we become, the happier we become. This has many implications, depending on how long you choose to dwell in the worlds you step in.

Bored of life? Step into other worlds unknown to you..stay there for a while..or create a new one..wherever you are. What fun it would be!