Page 81 - Love Story of a Commando

activities that the school offered them. They idolized us teachers and
followed our instructions earnestly. That is the beauty of young minds, they
accept what comes their way. It is up to the older generation to offer them a
world they truly deserve, away from hatred, politics and war.
For them we were the angels sent by Allah, for us it was them!
Life had never been this fulfilling and enriching. Each interaction
with those kids would bring me closer to life. I started calling my parents
every day because I realized how fortunate I was to have them. Sometimes,
my heart would fill with sadness—I would wonder ‘Why them?’ But it was
healing to be around the kids. Participating in their daily lives and solving
their cute little problems that did not matter to anybody else was therapeutic.
Sometimes the dean, Mr Khan, would organize a trek or a picnic and
that day would be a happy day for all of us. We would all stuff ourselves into
a compact van, look out of the glass windows happily and await our
destination. The picnic spot would mostly be at a bucolic setting in the
valley. Campfires would be lit and the surrounding would be engulfed by
some of the most exotic aromas of chicken and rice. The swaying trees and
the gurgling rivers would seem very welcoming. The magnificent wilderness
in its virgin beauty would mesmerize the senses. The overjoyed children, in
their new-found freedom, would not leave a single stone unturned in the
area. The barriers of civilization ceased to exist in those moments.
There was a time when I would be overjoyed to shop—embellished
capes, Calvin Klein ripped jeans or Michael Kors leather tote bags. The
swirling sticks of Bobbi Brown lipsticks or the smell of Chanel perfumes
would lift me up. Happiness, back then, lived at the cozy corner of Starbucks
or at a high end restaurant in Bandra.
How naïve I was! I never actually knew true happiness. There, in
those shabby pherans, I found sterling joy radiating everywhere, while
slurping chicken stew or doing absolutely nothing!
Happiness is when you realize that it is within you and not outside.
Then we would return to our humble accommodation. The exhausted
kids would snooze in the van, only to be hustled back into their hostel rooms
later.
Life was blissful during those days.
I could feel peace all around me in its most unadulterated form. The
sunrays radiating across the mountains would fill my room with warmth on
cozy Sundays when I snuggled into my pillow some more. Adrakwali chai
had totally replaced the dark espresso in my life and kahwa replaced cold-
drinks.
Life is really simple. We make it complicated with our desires and
loathing. Nothing is ever enough for us and we keep wandering into the
jungles of wanting more and instigating the karmic cycle.