In the recent past I got an opportunity to revisit the pristine hills of Arunachal Pradesh. Lots has changed for the better since the two decades back when I had visited Rupa, Bomdila, Dirrang and Tawang ! Roads were super, agricultural exports are amazing and one get’s to eat the best Kiwis in India there – sold by the kilo rather than the piece as in mainstream India … the road from Bomdilla to Sapper past Munna Camp was really great – super surface allowing one to cruise along with the river waters flowing in full force – would advocate a drive whenver possible.

However, an experience got me thinking one night.

We guys were bunked in together one night. All Good Nights done we were warm and tucked in. One of us switched on the light to use the loo. That, being a light sleeper, roused me from sleep. I lay in bed semi-awake to get him back to switch off the light. I guess everyone can empathise with the way I felt that time. We all have had such moments where we wish darkness and silence to engulf us to get us back to sleep!

After what seemed a lifetime, this guy gets back, shuts the door to the washroom and goes directly at some God forsaken 3.30-4 am time period to look at his SmartPhone for messages (!) and the light remained on !

My predicament

The basic and natural human emotion which would flow out is one of indignation, forcefulness and anger, maybe.

I controlled all this at great cost . Yet this ‘friend’ seemed oblivious of the stress he had caused to me due to a seemingly innocuous act of switching on a light bulb in the middle of the night with no abject concern for fellow sleepers just because of his ‘maybe’ immediate urge to visit the Washroom. Pardonable.

However, on silent and deep thinking about this one small incident, it got me thinking.

I thought about the times when my parents insisted that the Thank You on receiving something as incongruous as a glass of water from someone should be met with a ‘heartfelt’ Thank You! It should resonate to the recipient in a manner that the thanks proffered are received as such !

Here,in this new world where Congratulations is now Congrats to maybe C! due to the myriad times we are into, where we having no time in our hands which the new Gen (!) is not having or abbreviations conveying what I wrote pen to paper ?

Getting back to that night again – I coughed to draw the attention to the protagonist to switch off that intruding light. No deviation from his Smart Phone compelled me to ask – Any messages of National Importance  received ? He looked up and said – Why do you ask?

My answer to him and the conversation ahead is needless to pen down. 

I ask you to really sit down and think that in this extremely wired world where information is King do we really have to leave concerns of our fellow mates on their basic necessities and fall victim to one’s own irrelevant concerns? Where has basic upbringing and concern for your fellow mate gone?

 Being an early sleeper and an early riser I wake up to find messages from Contacts at 2 or 3 or even 4 in the morning ! What’s wrong with us ? Are we set to reversing the body clock ?

My way out

Having heard from my parents and family members post 8 pm I set the phone onto ‘Silent’, read and tuck myself into bed to wake up to another glorious and thankful morning in this journey called Life !

Ponder about it please? Would relish hearing from you all, dear friends.