Shocks and aftershocks

Disastrous Earthquake

A few important topics or news spread like wildfire. Slowly it becomes a major issue and gets on the lips of most people in the world. 

A recent example can be seen in the disastrous earthquake in Nepal. It has claimed thousands of people and injured uncountable number of the residents. It is said to be the most disastrous earthquake after the Nepal-Bihar earthquake in 1934.

I was stunned when I heard about it. I couldn’t stop thinking about the people who lost their lives and children separated from their parents. I wanted to do something but except praying, I couldn’t do anything.

However, I am happy that many countries are sending relief material after supporting Nepal in rescue operations. India and China, the two immediate neighbours, have been helping Nepal. Similarly, the UAE and many other countries too are making all efforts to provide relief material to the survivors.

The best thing I have felt was that many schools in the UAE have also launched a drive to collect relief material to send to Nepal. 

The drive has motivated students to get involved in bringing relief to their brethren in Nepal, for whom it is quite difficult to get out of the shocking incident.

Talking about the shocks, people in various parts of India were terrorised more by the aftershocks. The fear increased to such a level that many people were found relating normal happenings in their daily lives with an earthquake.

A few days back, when one of my neighbours in India felt dizzy, he thought there was an earthquake and started shouting ‘Everyone get out of the house’.

One of my close friends also narrated a similar incident. The fan of her house back in her native place was creaking very badly. Seeing this, her grandmother fainted. On coming back to her senses she said that she thought there was an earthquake.

(Published in The Gulf Today on May 9, 2015)

Something unusual

Many people are there, who just keep walking on the road without noticing anything.

Sometimes even if their relatives or friends turn up, they will just cross them without seeing them.

They wouldn’t even realise whether a person they just passed by was looking peculiar or not because they do not observe much.

I too thought it to be weird going on noticing people.

I thought it would not help in any way.

Thus I concluded it was useless.

But I had to change my thoughts after I viewed the special website or blog, Humans of New York (HONY).One of my close friends had suggested me to visit this website once.

When I asked the reason for visiting this particular blog, she kept mum.

It made me curious, when I visited the site, found the content quite surprising.

The blog was about different people either visiting or living in New York.

He had asked everyone the reason of visiting this great city and if they had a special experience in their life that can be shared.

The author of the blog is a photographer who roams around the city, meeting people whose photos are taken and put up on the site along with their stories.

It was interesting.

Whoever the author found unusual, he asked them about the reasons.

For example, a man featured on the website was laying bricks on the pavement by himself because he loved to do work with his own hands.

My friends and I were greatly inspired by it. Obviously, having more than eight million followers is not a piece of cake.

There must be something unusual about it.

And he found that new concept.

(Published in The Gulf Today on May 2, 2015)

Nature’s law

Birth and death define the lifecycle. Whoever comes to this world, sooner or later, has to leave this mortal world. Despite being aware of this fact, everyone celebrates birth of a human being. Birth gives us joy, while death of a person makes us sad.

Today, I am writing about life and death because I have realised that expatriates live twice in the same lifecycle. An expat’s arrival into a foreign land brings joy to the family, and for the person it is like born again. Everything is new for him and he struggles to adjust himself/herself in a new place just like a growing child.

Similarly, his/her return to his native country makes his fellow expatriates sad, as if he had come to settle down in the foreign land and no one had expected his return to the native land. I used to wonder why, because everyone who goes to a country for work or business knows he has permission to stay for a limited period and he has to return, sooner or later.

But, I came across this situation recently when my uncle’s family returned to India after spending about 20 years in this country. It was painful to part with them, although I knew that they are here for a limited period, just like me. And there was hope to see them again during my visit to India.

Yesterday I was at the airport to receive my aunt, who has come here to work with a multi-national company. It was a joyous occasion. I celebrated it like addition of a new member in the family. I promised her all the help in settling down in a new place.

I was wondering at the nature’s law, if it takes something, it gives something back, too.

(Published in The Gulf Today on April 25, 2015)

Growing up

Birthday celebrations are an occasion for enjoyment and excitement. It is the time when our relatives and friends gather to wish us and offer their blessings with a special present. My special day was Friday (April 17). It is a day that I look forward to every year because birthday teaches me the essence of growing older.

After the cake-cutting, when everyone was chatting on different issues, my cousin started a discussion on birthdays. 

He said that birthdays also remind us of our responsibilities that come along while growing older.

Just then one of my uncles got up and replied, “It is true. But in order to take care and fulfill such responsibilities, one should not only grow older but grow up as well.”

We all were surprised as what was the difference between growing up and growing older.

I had often heard people telling children, “You can keep growing older but you need to grow up” or “Grow up,” but couldn’t ask anyone to explain the difference. 

Since it was my special day, I asked him to explain the difference between the two.

He said that growing older by age is not in our hand. But we have to grow up by becoming more sensible. As the time passes, we have to become more mature than before.

I agreed with him. I realised that until and unless we grow up, we cannot realise the purpose of life.

It is rightly said: “Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.”

(Published in The Gulf Today on April 18, 2015)

A farewell ode

An ode to my cousins, also my best friends, who are relocating to India for a better future... Going to miss them

You were here for so long

And now you have to leave

So I thought of writing a song

For which, the words I had to weave

You have been with us

For so many years

Will you be comfortable in India?

Is one of my fears

Such people are hard to find

Who are hospitable and kind

You are one of the few

We all will miss you 

Hope you live happily there

Can’t wait to see you again here

Do not forget us, be in touch

We will remember you very much

Best Wishes...

Saamia Mujeeb

Skype is the limit

Are you on WhatsApp?

With the advancement of technology, the world has become a global village. People have come closer as you can virtually meet people living in a distant place anytime, anywhere, and that too for free. Thanks to Apps like WhatsApp and Skype, no distance has remained a distance between two persons.

But this is not the whole truth. No technology can bridge the distance between a mother and her daughter. I realised this during the past few days as my mother has gone to India to see her ailing mother.

I could not accompany her, as I have to attend school. Since this was the first time she had left me alone with my father, I was a bit nervous. I was confident that I would be accompanying her virtually with the help of modern gadgets. I was wrong. 

However, it has helped me realise the importance of mother. Mother is only a six-letter word but it has a very broad meaning. It defines eternal love. Without mother, we are nothing. Mothers are God’s gift to us. We should take good care of that special present.

These electronic gadgets have made it easy to talk to my mother yet the closeness is missing. I miss the way my mother advised me before taking every step. I miss the delicious dishes she used to prepare just for me. I miss her when I wake up early in the morning for school, as she used to get up much early to help me get ready for school. Even after coming back from school, I used to find her there for me.

I just wonder how she manages each and every household chore without any complaint. She surely is a super-woman, because despite everything, she keeps smiling. I miss it all. It is difficult to see her heart-warming smile through a phone. These devices cannot transmit the warmth and affection that I am habituated to receiving every now and then.

I have realised not to rely too much on technology.

(Published in The Gulf Today on April 11, 2015)

Missing melody

Do you like melodious songs?

Listening to good music is one of the best ways to relax or de-stress. It helps in lifting our mood and enjoy the pleasant atmosphere it creates in the immediate surroundings.

Perhaps that is the reason, why in India lyrics and melody are much more cherished, be it classical, semi-classical or film music. We still love to hear the melodious songs of evergreen singers such as Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar. It has been 35 years since Mohammed Rafi passed away, while Kishore Kumar left this mortal world over three decades ago. 

Similarly, the Queen of Indian film music, Lata Mangeshkar, has not recorded a new song for years. Yet their songs are still popular with the masses.

But in recent times, rapper Honey Singh has become very popular. In fact, he even claims to be changing the music industry of Bollywood. He has attracted many children and adults alike, who have become a fan of him. 

Many of my friends too claim to be big fans of him. They consider Honey Singh the best singer of Bollywood and say that no movie can be a hit without a rap in it. They also believe that this is the future of Indian music and raps will continue forever.

But I don’t think that rap music can last longer, simply because it doesn’t help in de-stressing. Instead it causes stress sometimes. I still remember a popular rap song, “Meri Laundry ka Ek Bill” from Farhan Akhtar’s movie, “Rock On.” It was the first time I had heard an Indian rap song, yet I did not like it as it neither had good lyrics nor melody. I cannot understand why anyone would be interested in someone losing his laundry bill.

Someone may say that I do not like raps because I grew up listening to melodious songs. Whatever be the reason, I hope that it is just a passing phase and that the era of melodious music will return soon.

(Published in The Gulf Today on April 4, 2015)