This is July again, and therefore,
Simi’s birth-month. Caught up in my own life, I had completely forgotten about the
significance of this month until only a few days back. Simi would not have
approved – either of how so full-of-activities our lives have become or, of how
easily we seem to gloss over the importance of relationships. As I look at my
own unorganized life, I recall the words of Sissy Spacek playing Loretta Lynn
in the film ‘Coal Miner's Daughter’ as she gazes over an expectant audience and
says; “Things is moving too fast in my
life...they always have….. Patsy always told me 'Lil girl, you gotta run your
own life', but my life...it's a'runnin' me."
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I feel that way a lot these days,
and I am sure it is not a good feeling to have. So, I shall hunker down here and
attempt to talk of Simi again. Our existence perpetually throws us onto paths
of newer experiences and fresh acquaintances; it becomes difficult to recall
our past ties and hark upon the memories of days gone by. So it is through my
own words and borrowing the words of our batch-mates that I shall essay another
pen-picture of my dear friend.
You come across this character in
many a movie – the loud, absolutely energetic guy or girl who exults in the
present, laughs off worries and starts waltzing at the slightest sound of a trumpet. While doing so, this character of course, teaches the others in the
movie (most of them inevitably complicated
and too caught up in life’s little problems) a thing or two about living. As
movie characters go, this guy or girl is nearly omnipresent in all narratives,
sometimes passing off as the protagonist’s best buddy, or a bubbly parent or
sometimes even as a stranger from a chance encounter. In real life however,
such characters are very, very difficult to come across – life instead chooses
to burden us with acquaintances more reminiscent of the afore-mentioned complicated
and calculative kind. So, it is a classic case of real not following reel. So,
it is with some amount of self-pleasure I declare that my life has been
populated by atleast one sample of this rare breed. This blog calls Simi the ‘the
confetti girl’ not without reason; so many of us were desirous of being like
her. Geetika our batch-mate announced this in the testimonial that she wrote
for Simi in our year-book. Another batch-mate Aman, unabashedly credits her
with changing the way he lived his life. All our batch-mates were thrown onto
the wondrously shining path of Simi for only little less than a year and yet
she has managed to cast her unique magical perspective onto our minds even
within such short a time.
It is in very recent times that I
have unearthed yet another realisation about Simi that pains me slightly in my
more unaware moments, but is a secret source of glee in my more contemplative
thoughts. Since I have left IMI – that wonderful place which remains and shall remain
the harbinger and old steward of so many full memories - I have
loved and lost, have fell and rose, have started and discarded so much that the
signs of all those times have left their mark upon me. Similarly, when I see my
friends, I see them as they actually are today – some are happy, some are not
so happy – but every one of us manifests the toll that time has taken upon us. But
when I think about Simi, I still see her in that green top of hers, and always with
that smile on her face. She looks so young!
As we go on through life, we will
inevitably be marked and scarred with the passage of time. But Simi will always
be that beatific, smiling angel which she was and still is. Perennially grinning,
making friends everywhere she goes and cocking a snook at life’s complexities
with a mischievous glint in her eyes – we shall always see Simi in this
wondrous light.
