Untitled

This post is dedicated to Rushabh Gandhi, from his perspective.



" As I stood in the crowded room, I could hear the constant chatter around me. I didn’t have to eavesdrop to know what people were talking about. There was just one thing that was on their minds. It was her, no doubt about it. She was the center of attention this evening and she deserved it. She had come a long way. And no one knew that better than me. And my best friends.

I still remember the day, years ago, when we met at our usual place to talk about her. It had been something that had been on our minds for a very long time. But she had taken her own time to materialize even in our heads. But lately, she was all we could think or talk about. We all wanted her very badly, but we also knew that it wouldn’t be easy. Bringing her into this world would mean a lot of changes in our lives. Taking care of her would be a huge responsibility and we didn’t know if we were ready to give up so much for her. We had our own inhibitions, and it scared us. I won’t lie about it. We were young guys- of about 17-18. You couldn’t expect us to be mature and responsible at that age. Even for her.

But then, she was a dream that we had had together, and we wanted to bring her to life. We loved her even before she had existed; only because she had been a part of our lives way before she became a reality. There was nothing that would stop us from getting her.

So our minds were set. We were ready to give up our time and childish ways for her. There wasn’t anything we wanted more from life. Just her.

After a lot of contemplation, discussions, fights, and hardships- she was finally born. And she was a beauty. Nothing compared to what we felt when we saw her for the first time. She was our little girl, and we were incredibly proud of her. She was still uncertain of what she was doing there, with these unsure boys crowding around her.

But no matter how scared we might have seemed, we couldn’t have been happier. She was here! Finally! And nothing could stop us now. Seeing her for the first time-looking as beautiful as she did- brought back all our excitement. This was it! She was with us at long last and we’d take care of her with all our being.

Things were difficult at first. Not many people understood the reason why she was here. They were unsure about her intentions and her existence. She was too young, and this made people doubt her. Our families found it hard to understand why their sons had suddenly chosen to grow up so fast and take care of another responsibility, when they themselves were just kids.

But we didn’t let this put us down. We knew why she was here and that was all we needed. We wanted her like we’ve never wanted anyone before.

We kept working. We put in everything we had and could, to help her grow. We had dreamt of her for so long that now that she was here, we knew exactly what we wanted.

As time went by, she grew up to be everything we had thought of and more. People began to take notice of her wherever she went. They had to stop and take a second look. She had the power to make people think about her, and without even trying. She didn’t persuade people or convince them to notice her. They just did. Because of who she was.

And it did wonders for us as well. We weren’t just boys trying our hand at something new. We were mature men (in some way) and people took us seriously. Because of her.

Years passed and she moved out of our home and stepped into the real world. She had made a place for herself, with help from all of us, and many more people who eventually joined in to take care of her.

She’d spread her wings far and wide, and traveled to places we had never thought of. Everyone knew about her and it brought them closer to her and to us. They all wanted to be a part of her life and this just reminded us, with each passing day, that our dreams for her were becoming a reality right before our eyes.

She had come so far. It was unbelievable. It felt surreal. And yet, sitting here in this room, I knew it was real. I looked around me, and people turned to me and smiled. They were proud of me. Of all of us. Of her. The people who were in this room were all important people: family, friends and each and every person who had helped us bring her this far.

I saw people gathering around the center table. A cake stood there, untouched. The icing on the cake had just two words written on it- Happy Birthday.

She had turned five today. Five years old. Our baby was growing up, and it was an amazing feeling. My eyes welled up with unexplainable joy and I watched a man pick up the knife to cut the cake.

I felt my heart swell with immense pride. The man was the former President of India, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, and he was here just for her.

I was out of words. I couldn’t feel anything more. She was all I had ever wanted. And more.

Happy Birthday Yuva Unstoppable… "