NO STARS IN THE SKY

PEOPLE SAY THEY HAVE FOUND EVERYTHING IN THIS BIG CITY, AND THEY MEAN EVERYTHING, MONEY, FAME, LOVE, EVERYTHING, IN THIS BIG CITY. THIS BIG CITY ATTRACTS MILLIONS OF EYES FILLED WITH AMBITIONS, WHO WANT TO MAKE IT BIG, WHO WANT TO DO SOMETHING GREAT, WHO WANT TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING BIG IN LIFE. BUT THERE IS ONE THING WHICH THEY WILL NOT FIND HERE IN BIG CITIES, THERE ARE NO STARS IN THIS BIG MUMBAI.

WHEN I WAS YOUNG I USED TO LIVE IN A SMALL TOWN, SOMEWHERE NEAR BANARAS, I USED TO PLAY WITH FRIENDS, HAD FUN, WAS GOOD IN STUDIES, USED TO SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH FAMILY. WE USED TO WATCH TV TOGETHER, AT THAT TIME THERE WAS NO CABLE CONNECTION SO WE USED TO WATCH FRIDAY NIGHT MOVIE, AND ON SUNDAY MORNING RANGOLI ON DD1. AS THEY SAY FAMILY THAT EATS TOGETHER STAYS TOGETHER, WE USED TO PREPARE SPECIAL MEAL ON SUNDAYS, AND USED TO GO OUT ON PICNICS. BUT THE BEST TIME OF THE DAY WAS WHEN ME MY FATHER AND MY YOUNGER BROTHER USED TO SLEEP ON THE ROOF WHOLE NIGHT WTCHING THE BLUE SKY TWINKLING ABOVE US. AND WE USED TO SPOT THE VARIOUS STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS. WELL THOSE WERE THE BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE.

ONE FINE DAY WE SHIFTED TO DELHI AND ALL THAT I HAD WAS LOST. THAT BIG CITY HAD EATEN UP ALL THE TIME WE HAD. I NEVER SAW THE SAME SKY AGAIN, SAME STARS AGAIN AND SAME MOON AGAIN. EVERYTHING WAS LOST IN THE BUSY LIFE, PEOPLE RUNNING OUT THERE FOR VARIOUS MATERIALISTIC THINGS. AT FIRST I LIKED THE NEW BIG CITY, I GOT NEW THINGS, CABLE TV WITH HUNDREDS OF CHANNELS, VIDEOGAMES, SHOPPING COMPLEXES, MALLS, MULTIPLEXES, AND ALL THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE BROUGHT UP ON THE NAME OF DEVELOPMENT. NOW AFTER 10 YEARS, I AM IN MUMBAI, THERE IS NOT MUCH DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE TWO CITIES, PEOPLE ARE BUSY HERE TOO, RUNNING AFTER MATERIALISTIC THINGS.

SOMETIMES I LOOK AT MYSELF STANDING IN A MIRROR, AND THINK ABOUT MY PAST AND PRESENT, AND I FIND THAT EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED. YESTERDAY I WENT OUT, IT WAS AROUND 2:30 MIDNIGHT AND LOOKE UP TO SKY, THERE WERE NO STARS THERE, ONLY DARK CLOUDS, JUST LIKE DEVIL LOOKING AT ME IN DISGUISE, SAYING 'EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED, AND THAT TIME WILL NEVER COME BACK'.