A Puchka Story

Kalap was stuck in traffic, a typical life of an IT guy, work for 9 hours a day and dedicate 4 hours for being in traffic. Kalap had everything going in his life - a good job with nice salary, great friends and family. He loved gadgets - be it mobile phones, gaming device, music system, sports gear - any new gadgets on the market, he will pounce on it.  But he felt he always missed something, there was feeling of emptiness in his life .

Monday mornings are never easy and Kalap wasn't an exception. He punched his ID card and logged into his laptop to start of the day as usual. His manager walked up to him to introduce his new team mate - Vithika. Vithika had joined recently and carried a good reputation from her previous job. Kalap & Vithika were assigned to work on a new project by their manager.

Kalap didn't have great an impression of Vithika during first few weeks but everything changed during their first project kick off meeting. Vithika walked in with no-bullshit attitude and Kalap was surprised - she was still nice and polite with everyone but she didn’t come into the meeting to chat people up, she came to get things done, and Kalap was blown away by her attitude. When the meeting ended, their manager came up to both of them and congratulated them for being precise on everything. Kalap decided it was time to know more about Vithika:

Kalap: "Hey.. That was some work! Congrats! I was honestly blown away!"

Vithika with a smile: "Thank you!"

Kalap: "You know this is just kick meeting, right? I mean half the people in that room didn't know what hit them. They would have expected a boring presentation and a distant tentative project end date. But you… they were in a shock, when they saw the work was cut out for them!"

Vithika: "Yeah.. You know, if we don't hit them on the first round, you will never get a second chance"

Kalap: "That's true.. Coffee break?"

Vithika: "Sure.. I need one!"

As they entered the cafeteria, Vithika asked Kalap: "Do you want to have Puchka?"

Kalap was smiling: "What is that?"

Vithika with a sheepish smile: "It is Pani Puri or Golgappa.. I had this Bengali friend who told me it was called puchka in their hometown!"

Kalap: "ah okay. Sure lets have some!"

Vithika: "Great! Oh, may be tomorrow let's try out Sulaimani Tea!"

They started having their Puchka and the look on Vithika's face was totally different. She could barely conceal her delight, she was smiling all the way and enjoying every bit of the puchka she had.

Kalap started noticing more and more about Vithika, she wasn't beautiful in a classical way and she didn't dress up either. She was all about simplicity and her emotions were not easily hidden on her innocent face. When she smiled and laughed you couldn't help but smile along too, even if it was just on the inside. To be in her company was to feel that you too were someone. As the days passed, Kalap and Vithika had become good friends - things became a routine - Puchka Mondays, Sulaimani Tuesdays, Batata vada Wednesday, Misal Pav Thursdays, Aloo tikki Fridays. Kalap realized that going to beach made her more happy than a fancy restaurant. The empty feeling in Kalap's life was diminishing.

Time flew, as it does during good phases of life, their project had come to an end and it had become one most successful projects. Vithika has been assigned to another project but it also meant she would be working in different campus. It was puchka day, one last time, Kalap was feeling despair, he did not want the feeling of emptiness back again. He kept looking at Vithika.

Vithika: "What happened? Everything okay?"

Kalap: "You know.. I have bought so many gadgets, gone to many fancy restaurants, visited crazy locations and yet here you are.. Getting happiness in doing these small-small things."

Vithika: "Meaning?"

Kalap: "Puchka.. Batata vada.. Beach.. All these small-small things.. It makes you so happy.. I can see it in your eyes..!"

Vithika: "But isn't that how life is supposed to be? "

Kalap was listening silently

Vithika: "You don't have to take a trip around the world to have happiness, it is easier to find it in small things, watching a sunset, giggle of a small child, listening to ARR over a cup of tea, having your favorite dish….! It is these things that makes happy moments, not the grand events. Joy comes in sips, not in gulps."

Kalap was beginning to understand more.

Vithika: "We are so wrapped up with egotistical things, career, family, having enough money, paying loans, buying new things, fixing broken things - we are involved in millions of these little acts just to keep our days going. And we don't have an habit of standing back and taking a look at ourselves with a question, is that really life about? Isn't there something missing?

I once read: Every experience is actually an experience of self-realization and our soul is sum of all our experiences. It occurred to me how this meant that every experience I have is going to be added to my soul. And it made me realize that every day to day small things which I do with anger and grudge is being added to my soul but if the same small things I can do with love and happiness then it is going to benefit my soul. May be we are inclined to think that self-realization happens as dramatic experience in biographies of great masters. But in hope of better experience, we might be overlooking the importance of present moment experience which have in hand.

These thoughts provoked me to change the way I looked at life. Your outlook on life is a direct reflection of how much you like yourself."

Kalap was surprised on the new perspective of life, each time he recollected the conversation, things were even more clear. Vithika had joined the new project and that meant Kalap didn't see her daily. But he no longer felt the emptiness in life, he had realized - it is better to enjoy the puchka and be happy in that moment as it is an experience which enriches the soul.