International Days I Missed

My past week has been busiest week of my life. Running for classes and preparing for the exams, walking between the college and my apartment. In the heat and in the dust, I had the most terrifying days. Therefore I missed celebrating some of the the most important international days. 

First international day I missed was the International day of Happiness. I was so caught up with my exams that I barely had enough time to update my Facebook.  However in the evening, I saw many Facebook wall flooded with happiness wishes. Here is one from our Prime Minister:

"My Dear Friends,

The world today comes together for the first time to celebrate the International Day of Happiness. It is for the first time that human beings all over the world will be united in thought and reflection on this universal aspiration that sets us apart from all other forms of life on earth. We are the only kind that knows the meaning and purpose of life to be higher than survival and well-being.

Happiness is not just a desire; it is our only true need. Without it, we are empty, unfulfilled and sad. Without it, our life has no purpose. Yet, it is seldom that we pause to ask ourselves: am I doing what makes me happy? Is my pursuit of money, status and fame what I really need? Is being better off than my friend, neighbor or peer what will make me happy? Am I focused on the right things in life or am I a twig drifting in the stream of mindless acts? Am I allowing myself to be swept away on to the shores of unhappiness?

May you have a great day of reflection and be blessed with understanding! May you have a Happy Day with family and friends!

Just like our PM, I tried with all my emotion to extol happiness. I thought I would write about what happiness means to me and how each individuals can find happiness in  their own ways. Did the world really come together that day or was there a real need for such a day. These were some of the questions I asked myself that day. But for now International Happiness day is over. But rest of the days are not sad days. So lets move on. 

The second International day I missed was the international poetry day. Although I like poetry head over heels, I was never able to write a good poem so far. The last time I remember trying poetry was in the year 2000. I was in class twelve then. I recall experiencing the best of my poetic feeling those days. I may have written over hundred poems, but not a single poem read like a poem. Later when I read about Marine Moore's lesson on Poetry, I felt embarrassed to the core. Her poetry told me not to attempt poetry anymore. And hence all my poetry remained hidden at the bottom of my trunk. Then came the results of my English paper. I think I scored the lowest. My English teacher mocked at me. Well that was it. I think his words were the bullet that killed my poetry for good. That winter I lost my entire poetry book. So that was the end of my poetry note book too. 

The other International day I missed this week was the international water day. All I know about water resources is that more than 72% of our earth is water. Looks like lot of water on this planet though! But what most people miss to see is that only a marginal 1.6% is fresh water. With rising population, the pressure on that marginal amount of drinkable water is increasing every day. This scarcity might some day push people to go for a war. Its alarming but some people have already predicted it. So there is a genuine need for all of us to save water. I think our collective act will make a difference here. Hence I do not see forgetting to take bath ( which I often do) as a regrettable affair. I feel I am contributing positively in saving water!

Finally, we have world earth hour coming tomorrow. I am being told that this is an initiative to create awareness about the need to take action on climate change. So come 8:30 PM, I am going to switch off all the lights in my room. With the heat of Gujarat, I am preparing for a  sauna bath in my room tomorrow.