Never thought me to be the lost soul,
Never thought me to be the one to lose soul.
Never thought to be happy, scared, confused and yet uncertain of every aspect!
Here is to finding solace with one’s heart, here is to finding love with oneself!
Faith unveils when one believes dawn will come when dusk leaves!
Whoever was the one to say, ‘ Zindigi ke hazaron rang hai, har rang ka apna alag maza hai’ translation, Life is full of assorted colors each of which represents and dictates a separate segment which may be full of happiness, craziness with a hint of sorrow and scary feeling of discomfort.
Growing up everything seemed like something out of a picture-perfect fairy tale. A place where wishes come true, where there is always light following the day. A place where pigs can fly, and birds can swim. A land of dreams and destiny, this is what childhood was for me.! I am sure many of us would agree that it was the best time of magic and mystic flair. To the days when nothing was impossible, and sky was where the wildest of the imagination took place. Clouds are just condensed water droplets, but they were dinosaurs, puppies floating around, trains, they were cotton candy when coupled with lightening it was the sky clicking our pictures!
It is tough to think where the time went by, when four lined notebooks of fun changed to single ruled line, when those fun and play time of evening masti changed to tuition timings, when which Pokémon is better changed to which course is better. Uffff………Where are the days when nothing in the world could go wrong and the biggest problem always was the missed cartoon episode.
Growing up I was the person who lived and breathe with Disney, be it following HAKUNA MATATA, imagining having a glass slipper like Cinderella, thinking of how tinker bell can do the best out of waste. Started from there and today I am a Post graduate student in Pharmaceutics, feels weird to think about the girl I was and the women I have become. Oh, how the dreams have changed, how the course of life taught me that it is not always all sparkles. The relationships while growing up, be it romantic or family, brought upon self-doubt and questions, I had become more worried about the result and not the preparation. I forgot that life is a journey and not a destination. Till today I cannot fathom to why I paid any heed to listen and comply to the judgement. The fear of rejection, the fear of not having a sense of approval, the sense of acceptance. Somehow the person who lived in her dream land and had her morals set to be in line with the fairy folks, adding empathy to the world living and letting others live. My existence become a write off to someone else’s approval. Which led me to fading away……. Losing my own spark…. It took it due course of time from hitting rock bottom to swimming back up, and it was not without help!!
In conversation with Mrs. Kamakshi Malik, CF-Certified Leadership Coach | Certified Soft skills trainer| State President WICCI Chandigarh Council of Empathy and Emotional wellbeing| Podcaster| Aspiring author| Multi-potentialite| PhD (Management) explained how and what this NGO means for her, how it has changed her perspective!
Pehchan means identity…...but what is identity? For a bird it’s the ability to fly, for a fish it’s the ability to swim. But what about us humans…. what is our identity…is it the way I look, is it the family I am born into, is it the career choice I make, and the list goes on and on. I realized the importance of this identity when I met some underprivileged kids from Snehalaya and believe me it changed my perspective of how we live.
These kids are not only super talented but also enthusiastic about learning and growing and that’s exactly what Project Pehchan does for these kids. It has given them the platform to prove their mettle, showcase their talent and make a mark for themselves. And they have used this meticulously, adding a new dimension to their existing identity. Be it Nisham who is an artist creating breath-taking portraits getting numerous orders from clients or be it Simmi, daughter of an acid attack survivor getting into a professional course despite all the struggles, these people have underscored that no matter what your circumstances are you can still be successful only if you have the will to do. With volunteers from Spreading Smiles always helping them in all possible ways, these people are shining. They have moved from fear to faith, from chaos to clarity and the mess of their lives have definitely become a message for others to follow. The message that ‘Ye safar bahut hai kathin magar, na udaas ho mere humsafar. Ye sitam ki raat hai dhalne ko, hai andhera gham ka pighalne ko, zara der ismein lage magar…na udaas ho mere humsafar.
Life in itself is such a beautiful journey, it might be tiring and stressful but what it leads to is pure bliss. And when we start focussing on that we forget all the miseries, the struggles and the hardships.
I was wondering whether it’s just them that benefitted from Pehchan and felt that I too have got a new Pehchan, that of being their mentor who has started valuing not things but moments, relationships, people and life at large. From being someone suffering from ‘the missing tile syndrome’ I am now a person who practices gratitude for every single breath I take because ye saanse hi hain jo mujhe zinda hone ka ehsaas karati hain aur ye saanse hi meri pehchan hai, and I am thankful to Spreading Smiles and Project Pehchan for making me realise this.
Reaching miles by spreading smiles ...!!
So nice 💐
Wonderfully described. Love to give helping hands. So true Dream works when the team works.
Feels great to be a part of spreading smile 💕💕