LET THERE BE LIGHT.

I was working on a lot of concepts on what to write. I have not been that honest to my blog in the past few weeks. I was kind of stuck with a writer’s block. Even though I know it is a common condition among many writers but, I get pretty upset when I cannot write.In despair and devastated times miracles happen. Sometimes, life brings you to some discoveries when you least expect it to bring you to them. Something similar happened with me. A friend of mine was suffering from Post- break up stress. I was not able to find any way to break into her dilemma and get her out of that depression. I had tried many of my out of the box ideas to get her out of it and I always failed. With ample time in hand and nothing to write I thought of trying another out of the box idea to help her. She has a condition called Nyctophobia. Though, not an extreme condition, but her depression had triggered its symptoms recently. I thought of using this fear as a weapon to help her.I packed my backpack and went to her house. It is a huge villa. I have often been to the place and always have been mesmerized with the huge architecture it is. I knew this place had a basement. It was the exact place to try my experiment. However, my friend had never stepped in the basement owing to her fear of darkness. The basement of this place though has a light is pretty dark actually. I had to somehow convince her to step into the basement.

With depression victims one thing is always easy, the convincing part. Especially if they are so depressed that they turn suicidal. So the convincing part was easy. I just told her, “If you really wanna die then the basement is the best place. I will show you some ideas and you can die in peace once I leave. Today I am not going to counsel you neither I would to scold you for thinking about death all the time. Just come with me to the basement and I will tell you what to do next.” The moment I used the word death she agreed to it immediately.

We entered the basement. She was hesitant, even though she wanted to die. Humans are always reluctant to overcome their fears even when they wanna die. I took a small stool and sat down on it. She turned around and asked me, “What next?” I looked at her and replied, “Just stand there with your eyes closed and do not open them till I tell you to.” She did as I told. I turned the lights off. I then spoke, “Open your eyes and find something to kill yourself.” The room was pitch- dark. The moment she opened her eyes she was scared. She screamed loudly. I told her to relax calm down and find something. “Kunal what kind of friend are you? I am not at all in any mood to be a part of your stupid pranks here. You know I am scared of darkness.” “I know you are scared of darkness, but then why fear it when you wanna die. Just find something to kill yourself. Go ahead I am not going to stop you at all. Life is not at all precious to you. Your family, your friends, me none of us is at all important to you so go ahead kill yourself. I am just being a good friend and aiding you in it. It would be easy to kill yourself in the dark because the light will ask your soul that are you ready to die for a petty reason called love. Love isn’t life, but you have to love your life. So go ahead kill yourself.” “Kunal please turn on the lights I cannot see a single thing here. Please I beg you. You are my friend.” She was now crying. “I am your friend. I will always help you, but not here. This basement is like your life. You store everything here, the memories, unwanted events, your childhood and your tears. You have turned this life into darkness. Only you can switch on the light here. I cannot switch on the light. You are the one who knows where the switch is so go ahead and switch it on. You know exactly why your life is dark and you know where the switch is, the only problem with you is that you want to use the petty reason like a broken heart to lay around like a lazy person and let there be darkness. Hearts break, people walk away and it does hurt, but you cannot turn off the lights forever. There is a purpose to each life and till the purpose is fulfilled no one dies. I am not going to switch on the light. Find the switch. Think deeply where it lies.”

She kept struggling in the dark, crying and stumbling upon things. I was a little worried. Did not want my friend to injure herself, but I had to do it for her to be alive again. I had to give her that kick on her ass to be back on her track. This was my way of giving that kick. She kept on crying and begging to me again and again to switch on the light but I silently sat on the stool.

After sometime I could not hear her crying. She spoke, “I loved him a lot Kunal. I was so much into him that I have never imagined life without him ever. What will I do without him?” “You will live.” was all I replied.

There was silence again. She then said, “Kunal it is not that easy.” “Yeah right, as if I have never been on that lane before. Nothing is easy in life at first; soon you learn it and master it in a manner that you become an example. You will master it but for that you have to take the effort. No one among us can do that for you. I loved someone a lot. I could have bargained the last drop of blood in veins with God to get her happiness if the need be. I always worked hard to get happiness on her face. I used to make up jokes out of all my serious and tensed situations everyday just to make her laugh. I never let her know even a bit of the difficulty I went through in life because all I wanted her to see is that smile on my face and that laughter in my spirit. She walked away. She broke that small universe that I had created around her. And you know what happened next? I became depressed. I lost friends. I lost my charm. I forgot that I was Kunal; I forgot the promise I had made to myself, and that I will never give up on life. My family was hurt because of my sadness. I lost everything precious to me. I had switched off the lights and started blaming God, my destiny and myself for everything.” There was silence again. “Then, how did you get out of it, Kunal who helped you?” She asked “No one. As I told you no one does. I just stood up and switched on the lights in my life. I knew I had that switch somewhere. I just found it and turned it on. I took up all my passions and romanced them; they made me a new human being all together. I again stood up from the ground, dusted myself and started walking again. Do it. Find your passions. Find your dreams again. If not him there will be someone else to share them with and he will be happier to be with you. Create that magic that you have within you and show yourself that nothing can put you down my friend, nothing at all. When you frown to the mirror the mirror will frown back at you, try giving a smile and even better try laughing out loud and you will see the difference. Life is the same my friend.”

She was again struggling to walk in the darkness of the basement. She found the switch and turned on the light. I was now smiling. “So you see finding the switch was easy. Isn’t it?” She saw me sitting right at the side of the switch and smiling. “You idiot, you were sitting so close to the switch why didn’t you switch on the lights.” She said. “Well, I told you it is not my job to do that. It is yours and with me you can always be sure there would be pranks and practical jokes.” We both had a hearty laugh and she hit me playfully. I hugged her and said, “Welcome back to the light my friend. Just remember whenever you again relapse or think there is darkness try finding the switch. The switch is always there. Turn on the light and let there be light.” She smiled at me.

Really just turn on the switch and let there be light.

Signing off ------------ The Miracle Maker (Kunal Dhiren Patrawala)