a picture of the protagonist
One advice you would want to give to the younger generation?
"Laugh while you still have teeth, you can smile later". He said.
A man with more grief than joy in life.
I working on a project in college. It was a rather hot day. I landed up at a small cosy street which had these vintage vibes. I must have been there for 20minutes when I heard someone calling me. I looked back and there he was, sitting at the corner of the street which kind of looked like his home. I went towards him to ask if he needs some help. "Beta, dhoop bohot hai aapko paani chahiye, Khana khaaya na aapne? Itni dhoop me mat kaam karo bimaar hojaaoge." (It's really hot out here, do you want some water? I hope you ate something, don't stand in the heat, my child.") He said gently. I sat there with him till evening, completely engrossed in his stories. He was a man with a tale to tell. "My grand daughter must be your age I think, I haven't seen her at all since my son disowned me. But I think she must be like you. Well I hope she doesn't look like me now because that would be a total disaster." He laughed a little and then looked away. Who knows the hide and seek his heart played with his emotions everyday.
Watching him being so full of live at 87 with literally nobody to call a family, made me question everything. It made me think about every simple thing in life that I've been overthinking till date. The greatest thing in life isn't wealth, but being at peace with yourself.
Old people just want your attention. Sometimes they just want to be heard. Just like my grandmother, in her last days. She used to forget things and even people but what she really loved was to see me sit there watching her repeat her stories over and over again, laughing every time as if it was the first time I've heard it. Youth gets tired of the aged. Our grandparents are just children with a lifetime of stories and experiences. And if you ask me, I would die to have her repeat one of those stories again. One LAST time.💕
