If !

Reciting poems was something that I really interested in when I was at school. I think i managed to recite some Malayalam poems also, did not do much justice to these poems though. I don't remember all the poems I have recited, but I do remember reciting Rudyard Kipling's "If ".I remember randomly choosing that poem out of some book, because I found it a very powerful and emotional poem. But I never knew about what exactly Kipling was meaning when he wrote this poem.

History classes later on enlightened me on how incredibly racist and imperialistic he was. Who can forget the famous "white mans burden"? But I never did realise the connotations behind "If". An article by Shashi Tharoor in the Sunday supplement of the Hindu, dated 13th April '08 brought into light incredible truths about this poem.

That's when I realised something. You learn something everyday. You just have to open your eyes to the world around you. In school, you learn first that numbers start from 1, and then you discover 0, then negative numbers enter the picture together with decimal points. You realise then that numbers have no beginning and no end. Same with learning.

The learning curve. The pursuit of knowledge. Discovering facts and unearthing new truths. Realisation of the self. In a ever changing world. Who said life was boring!

I learnt yesterday that in spite of having two left feet, and if I don't think too much, I can actually dance and have an incredible fun time.

I've learnt that even the most seemingly happiest and successful of persons will have issues and their life will be just as complicated as any other.

I've learnt to accept change.

I've learnt to exist.

Wonder when I'll learn to live!