'the HOPE'

The stadium was getting filled in pretty fast. People from all walks of life were coming to witness this event. 

"All I asked was a leave, but no! Boss just needs an excuse to create trouble in my life. Now I'm here with this pass on which he was suppose to come. What a waste of my time" Rajesh was thinking sitting in the 2nd row from the front in the west wing of the stadium.

"High command has promised to look in my profile for next election. I may actually get a ticket and will of course win the election too. Ah, the bad days are about to go, will buy her the best home" Mr. Desai was thinking sitting in the VIP seats, sipping his soft drink.

"Good for nothing. Whole life I gave away for these children and now they don't have time to talk to their aging parents. I wish I had no children. These friends are much better with whom I can come to events like these" Mr. Contractor was cursing his 3 kids and sharing a good laugh with all the retired people who were his friends now.

"I have no reason to live, I must commit suicide. With these results I cant show my face to my parents. They work so hard and I disappointed them. After this event, next destination is the railway track" Sujoy was thinking after having collapsed his marks in two subjects in class 5.

"All these Bengalis, Biharis, North Indians are corrupting our state. I am sitting unemployed here and they have all the jobs. Our Neta is right, we must bash them out or else my community won't be able to survive" Deepak was thinking, sitting there after another disappointing interview in morning.

"So what if I die with this bomb, they will at least take care of my family. Ma, baba - I love you a lot. Now I've to wait till the event is about to finish and people are concentrated on the field. I'll be a martyr" Sukhalal was thinking after being selected to destroy this public place as a human bomb.

Everybody in those 25,000 people have their own thoughts. No one really wanted to be there, attending an event as low profile as this. Some came since their political party gave them their passes and its necessary to be known in social circle. Some came to pass their time, others have nothing else to do and some with specific reasons.

The event was about to begin. It was a race and the participants were on their tracks. Their faces were all brightened to see all those people who have come to see them running, to support them. They can't make out what the crowd was saying but it surely was making noise, Noise to cheer them up. They look ahead towards their goal till which they have to run. Then they look each other and smiled.

"Ladies and Gentleman. A very warm good afternoon to all. It's such a pleasure to see all you people to come and cheer them up. Now not taking much of your time, let's begin the race" was announced. The participants were ready, they took their position. Here goes the air gun, they all start running - like wind. 

Suddenly participant no.4  fall down. "Ooooh" goes the crowd. But what happened next, the crowd couldn't believe themselves. All the other 9 participants stopped. They started walking back to their friend which was on the ground. Participant 4 was not bleeding was still on the ground. All others went up to their friend and hold each other hands. Crowd was silent. All 10 started walking towards the finish line.

Yes you judged it correctly, this is the same story that we all might have read in some of the forwarded mails. These were young girls representing a school for mentally challenged. 

"How dumb am I. How well does my boss knows me, he is doing his job only and I'm doing mine. It was so nice of him that instead of giving just a day off, he make sure that it is useful. I am so selfish and stupid to think that it's somebody else's fault for the misery I have in my life, while I'm doing nothing for it myself" Rajesh was thinking after the event was over.

"Who are these kids, why they did what they did. They dunno much, yet how smart they are. And here I'm thinking how I can benefit myself when I've a responsibility to take care of " Mr Desai was deciding what is most important and what their responsibilities are.

"I am a failure, a true failure. I am cursing my own kids who have grown so big and successful. Who doesn't call us everyday but are taking care of us in every way possible. How can i forgot that even I was once married and young. Look at those parents of these kids, such a small decision and how proud there parents are." Mr. Contractor was thinking in silent as were all his other friends.

"They can't understand, they might not be able to read and write like me and they may not be able to enjoy so many things like me in the whole life. And in spite of all their flaws, which is not their fault, look at their parents. God has made me normal and with all working things, why can't I make my parents proud. I will, I will not give up, I will not be a loser" Sujoy got up with a spark in his eyes.

"Who knows to which caste, color, race or societies these kids belongs too. Helping each other out and forgetting the win. They are much better human being then me. I am cursing others for my failure, and that Neta, whose kids and cousins are well off working in collaboration with all others and asking us to bash my countrymen out of their own country. Instead of a solution, asking us to create more trouble. Had he been a real well-wisher, would have been working to get us employed and not police records" Deepak got up with confidence.

"What was I thinking. I cant kill innocent people and think myself as martyr. I have to stop these people who want to kill so many people just in order to prove a point of their which might not even be right. If these kids can win all together, so can I and so can I. I will not let the evil win today" Sukhalal thinks as walking towards the nearest police booth.

We all have witnessed these kind of  thoughts. Remember the first time you saw 'Rang de Basanti', our blood was pumping and we thought, that yes its the responsibility of me towards my nation. But these feelings are normally momentarily, we walk away from the movie hall and it vanishes.

Those kids know basic stuff and their mind cant do complicate thinking like us. But a message is there, you can see it, feel it and yes, these kids live it. Live the greater dream...

Who knows, we might be able to bring the change which we always wanted to see!!

'the RACE' , 'the BOUNDARY', 'the FEAR' and confusion between 'the RIGHT and the WRONG' makes it difficult for us, but the HOPE is still there. 'the HOPE' is in the spark of a new born baby, in our tears for someone we love, in the promise we always keep... We are not bad people, we just don't know it yet