Alladin Ka Chirag

I met Pratyush today. During our school days, Pratyush and I had acted in a drama called ‘Alladin Ka Chirag’. I was Alladin and because of his chubby bulky stature, Pratyush suited to be a Jinee. Since then, Pratyush always used to fantasize about the story and dreamt of getting all world pleasures. He used to try and rub every lamp or lamp like structure that he came across. His obsession grew to such an extent that he always used to walk along side the guttars, nalas, garbage boxes and so on, just with a hope that he would find a lamp someday and that lamp would produce a Jinee, when rubbed. He changed his school and eventually we lost contact. I have no idea whether his quest for that lamp was still on.

When I met him today (We got in touch with each other through some alumni site and then planned to meet), nothing much had changed - same bulky physique, searching eyes and noisy presence. To my surprise, even today he hunts for a lamp and jokes about it – ‘Never lose hope’. However, the desperation had reduced to a significant extent. We got nostalgic about the drama and how we read a lot of Alladin stuff collected from books, teachers, grand parents and so on (good that Internet was a distant reality then). We laughed thinking of the times when Pratyush would walk near the garbage boxes. I used to tease him – ‘Tu bada hokey bhangaarwala banega (You will be a rag picker when you grow up)’.

While coming back home I kept thinking about Pratyush and his search for lamp. Some random flashed across my mind and realized that there are lot of Jinees around you, only if you comprehend it properly. People around you give you a lot, possibly all the pleasures and happiness that you could have ever thought of. Alteast, I have been lucky to find such real life Jinees who have cherished my life and made it a wonderful experience. My family, wife, friends, teachers, colleagues all at some point in time have helped me walk through some memorable moments of satisfaction and pleasure. Everything else that a Jinee from the lamp could offer seems very materialistic. At end of the day, I feel happier recounting the number of smiles I have had, than the gold, wealth, riches that a Jinee could have offered – and all this without rubbing a lamp.

If only Pratyush could realize that Jinees are all around, he does not need a lamp (which he may never find) to rub his hands on, but just needs to open his eyes.