Amazing Friendship!

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Dear Friend,

“The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it”… Hubert H. Humphrey.

Indeed Humphrey took my words; I meant I took his, as while turning fifty & the way my 50^th B’day was celebrated by my friends, these are exact emotions I lived through! And what was more important, it was total surprise to me till the party starts on that eve as all things planned by my friends’ only (forester group) along with my sister & cousin. They called my all friends right from child hood & guys thanks a ton you all responded as in these times when people hardly find even as hour for their own family, all of you took entire day & some of you have flown in from different cities just to surprise your friend & I am in debt of each of you for that! Best part was my younger genre i.e. sons as well nieces & nephews too were part & such display of emotions in the form of our get together was inspiring for them. As in the world where everything is business or deal, it’s only such friendships which keep us human at heart & what better example we could have laid in-front of them, than our togetherness! One thing I have learnt about friendship which has helped me in my life outside of friendship & that is luck can get you friends but you have to earn their friendship by your actions! And that doesn’t mean or need giving gifts & telling them how great friends they make but in smallest of the things as well letting them know they mean a lot to you & you will be ever available for them for most weird or craziest of the reason also! That day on 15^th Dec, when you all were looking at me from masks of my face I reminded myself how lucky I am as well responsible also for this great wealth you all have put in me in the form of your friendship! I will always try to make you proud for allowing me your friend is all I can assure… Here is something I wrote to the arranging committee, please know that the feelings are for each of you who could made to the party as well those who couldn’t yet your presence was very much there & will be ever in my mind! … Sanjay

16 12 18

“All goes to one & one goes to all”… Shouts of Nothingness; Zen Speaks.

Dear Hemangi, Aarti, Saleel,Shilpa, Sangeeta, Neeta , Anand & Vikrant…

You do know I am fan of Comics & Super Heroes but there is one more thing & that is the book named Zen Speaks. I got its copy in 1995 by a friend (well, every good thing happened to me is by some friend only) & that time I was way young, care free (now also, but maturely) & last thing I wanted was some philosophy, so kept (read threw) that book away. Then few years later I did SSY ( Sahaj Samadhi Yog) & it does made me able to make many changes about myself & needless to say going to SSY was also on insistence of a friend ( raja pawar)! After that I stared doing Pranayam & Meditation, a habit which I continued till now. In that SSY many stories were shared in lectures by Gurus’ & most related to Zen or Osho. So my curiosity made me find that book at home again & started reading it & then once again I realized what a fool I was not to give a try to that book! As whatever I was listening or reading that all was already in it. But like they say even if you have a key you need to find a lock first & that is very much applicable while you want to enter within you own self!

Now You must be wondering where this is going, well, by now in last nearly twenty years I have recited most of Zen Speaks as they are one page stories & can say I have understood it a bit rather tried to adopt few with my life, not much successful though! There is one story in it which is at start, its core or say base of all Zen Philosophy & it’s about one student asking his master to explain about human soul & Zen. The master takes him in open, under star lit sky & points his finger towards millions of star in sky & says human soul is like a star in infinite space,” all goes to one & one goes to all”. Story ends here & frankly with all so called reading & discussing I have never really got the meaning of all goes to one & one goes to all; as how it is possible? How can be one goes to all & if so how it can be still one or vice versa; so many years passed yet whenever I open Zen Speaks, my mind lingered on that page & like an unpregnantable fort that page refused entry in its core to me! And on 15th Dec 18, the moment in entered in Varatk Heritage Senate Hall & saw so many Sanjays’ looking at me through the masks all were wearing; that moment I got the meaning of Zen Speaks, “all goes to one & one goes to all”! And all credit goes to you for making this happen as then no more it was a surprise 50^th birthday party for me but it was like going back to the fifty years via all the faces which you only gathered! And then followed the Video covering this journey, good there was darkness in the hall as it helped me in hiding my tears of joy!

Later on for nearly six hours I relived my fifty years again meeting friends from childhood to college, recalling the moments we shared & during all the time I could feel the efforts you have taken to make this happen. Right from Invite, DJ Music, to Poster, to Masks, to Bar Tenders, to Photographer & yes the Video Presentation as well hours put in testimonies as well communicating with my friend circle spread across so much distance & getting them at venue as well keeping this  secret till last moment; I really lost words to express myself! Most important is, hemangi, aarti, shilpa, saleel & sangeeta  you all took care of every single guest like it’s your party, that’s something everybody appreciated & believe me, that night I again thanked God for making me so lucky to have friends like you! Usually such special occasion birth-day parties are arranged by some family members but then what better family than you all a boy who has been grown up by friends only, could have! Frankly I wasn’t much keen for this 50^th thing as I have come to a stage where every day is special but you made me realized, some days are more special & it’s the friends only which can make it happen! Indeed we all live in a world where even blood relations gets dilute over issues like money, power, position & such; rather most of the things are calculated on gain & loss scale & in such times the friendship of ours is like rainbow on the background of dark sky. It’s been wonderful journey just as hemangi says, we are like “Ice Age” pack, so different individually yet together we are so much fun; that is because we respect & love each others for what we are than thinking what we could be! Personally speaking my every friend has made be change a bit & always on better side each time, like  you foresters made be to say “Sorry” when I am at fault as well to  adjust myself for group rather than making  the group adjust to my whims! And let me tell you I started feeling much better when I started adjusting for others than my earlier attitude!

And this is best gift friends can give you as they make you a better human being than what you are & for that they charge nothing but a non-demanded, unsaid responsibility to stand for them as well whoever is in need, whenever they will need you in whatever form & so I will be always! To conclude will share a whats-ap message which I wrote to my younger genre about my friends, I think that says all I wanted to say…

Dear Rohit Sr & Jr, rohan, Nikhil, ketki, shruti…

Yesterday watching u all dancing & having fun suddenly i realized i hv really turned 50 up as i could see u all as kid & now here u are all so much  grown-up & watching u all speak about me as a person, well it was darkness so my tears of joy went unseen! One thing which i kept telling u since u all when u were kids that its easier to make friends when u hv everything but friendship is at its best when it happens when u got nothing as those friendships goes miles & what u saw yesterday were one such in the form of my friends! Another thing is to mage frds is easy when u hv everything but to know which out of them r ur real friends & to retain them is toughest part & for that u need to be wise. And wisdom comes only with knowledge thats why earn knowledge first! I was lucky to hv friends which transformed a town boy who wasnt having sense of even to speak few english words,  in to a man who could write english books & give lectures on many platforms!! Frds induced that confidence in me & yes kept me on track also whenever i started going off-track in process! I am in debt  of every my friend & the number is growing that of the friends also & my debts also & yes never ever forget the debt of friendship u carry as thats best way to keep urself grounded! U all were & are part of my 50 up journey & our sharing has made it wonderful…make proud  to urself as thats all ur parents would want!... your baba, mama & kaka

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Thanks for everything guys…

Sanjay