A Rich Life

I just finished reading Khushwant Singh’s “Women & Men in My Life’ an autobiographical recollection of the people he met, loved & parted ways with. The varied jobs he held from being a lawyer to a journalist to a bureaucrat to a writer & the diverse set of people he knew, from film makers to journalists to ministers to writers to socialites & therefore the different experiences he had. What a life.

One day, when I am old, I too would want to look back on my own life with pride & satisfaction, on a life well-lived; a life fully experienced & enjoyed. Not one where you’ve spent a lifetime buying & hording gadgets, cars, land & jewels; but a life that is colored by a series of completely different, once in a lifetime experiences; a life where I have ticked off most of the items on my “Things to Do before I Die” list.

My wish list includes: I want to scuba dive & snorkel. As for travelling, among Indian cities, I want to visit Rajasthan & Calcutta; among foreign cities, I dream of Scotland.


Also, love to visit at least one SNOW place (Kashmir/Switzerland/any other). My earliest recollection of snow was the image of Madhu playing in the snow from Roja. The beautiful track “Yeh Haseen Wadiyaan” hasn’t erased from my memory.

I also want to learn photography & speak at least 1 foreign language particularly German. I want to work for a newspaper, however briefly & in whatever capacity. I want to learn salsa & perform on stage. Want to work for an NGO in the area of child care.

I want to act in a play with a professional theatre group. At the very least, even if I’m the prop, say the lamp-post by the side, I think I wouldn’t mind!

I want to watch live a film crew shoot a complete scene. I want to handle at least one PR (Public Relations) assignment. I would love to watch an Opera. Want to teach in a nursery school – once, briefly.

I want to go on a Cruise & know what it feels like. I want to go to Ananda Resort at the foot of the Himalayas & experience their surreal spa treatments.

It sounds difficult, almost impossible. With the pressures of daily living & the struggle for sustenance & survival, somewhere along the way, priorities change, our desires take a backseat & we submit ourselves to the flow of life. 10 hours of work & 2 hours of commuting 6 days a week 26 days a month zaps that little spark of life within. Living becomes a vicious cycle of 1 salary day & 29 ‘dry’ days!