When I Just Stood Still!
Posted: Thursday, December 27, 2012 by Kratik in Labels: Grand Central, Guruji, Jai Gurudev, Madison Square Garden, New York, Penn Station, Sri Sri Ravishankar
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It’s crazy how He makes it happen...unconditionally crazy!
At times you just wonder if it’s a dream...unquestionably crazy!
You cannot but experience the adrenalin rush…unambiguously crazy!
When I just stood still…absolutely crazy!
Yes, I have worked as a journalist and I should write my
posts in the form of a conventional writing script, but just for this post, let me just express
myself, chucking the traditional and predefined ways to write.
December 22, 2012: It was past 1:30 PM and here I was, in
New York, walking out of Penn Station to have lunch with my friends from
Florida State – Yoko (Yi Lian) and Michael (Zhang Yi). Both, soon to get
married, down to earth, extremely caring - in all pretty decent - Chinese fellas,
were to meet me at Grand Central Terminal, New York City.
Okay, let me admit it, in spite of a million hoardings, it was difficult finding my way out of the Penn
Station; bloody hell, that place is huge! Also, it was my first time to New
York…and yes, that really was, literally, going through my head all along. After working my way
out of the station, climbing the staircase, I reached the 34th Street. As I
was on the pavement, I smiled, thinking to myself, this is so movie-like!
I stood there for a minute, looking at everything around; right
from cars, to yellow taxis, to the Christmas decorations, to the green-vested security guards, to
the tall buildings, the way people were dressed…everything, really. It was magical.
Okay…c’mon, for a year I was in Tallahassee! This was way too fancy for me!
So, after looking at everything around, having climbed up the Penn Station staircase, I started walking to left in order to
discover the way to Grand Central Terminal. I walked for a minute or two and
then, looked over the pavement, where I was walking, to see where I exactly was. As I looked up, the
structure said, “MADISON SQUARE GARDEN!!!” As I read MSG, the time stopped for
me. I mean, literally! I just looked on and on and on, in absolute disbelief. NY went numb at that moment.
Why? Well, well, well. I have always been a massive WWF/WWE
fan and over the years, time and time again, listening and reading that PPV WWE events – such as Wrestlemania – are often held
at MSG, visiting Madison Square Garden was certainly one of my dreams. 'Watching it' be for watching WWE or not, I just wanted to see what it was, and here I was,
standing right outside the structure, staring at it aimlessly, wondering if I
was in fantasy-land. I stood there for three, four, five, six or maybe even, ten
minutes, I have no idea. The only thing that can recollect is standing there, staring and thinking to myself, "wow!" I remember experiencing multiple
adrenalin rushes. In fact,, the whole prana
in my body was practicing repeated moonsaults. It was a divine feeling! Absolutely
unbelievable! It was like I was struck by an absolute wonder! Like I was touched by an
absolute angel! It was absolutely ridiculous, but outrageously beautiful!
As I walked from the 34th street on to the 42nd st,making my way on to the Park Avenue, I wore a smile that
could possibly not have shed; in fact, it was growing all the time. You know
what, even as I am writing this, my smile is so erect!
I, a decade back, use to dream of seeing Madison Square
Garden, New York and here I was, in 2012, unknowingly, standing outside it.
Frankly speaking, for all the time that I had been planning a trip to NY, until the
time I saw MSG, even the thought of visiting MSG hadn’t come into my mind; it
had been completely flushed out over the years. It was not until the time that I saw MSG when I realized that I
was nothing but living my dream.
A famous dialogue from a Shahrukh Khan movie is so reverberating round my head right now,
“Kehte hain, agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaho, to poori kaaynat use tumse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai.” Translating to: If you love something from your
heart, truly, then, the whole universe uses all its energy to unite you and
your love. That’s what happened in my case...it was a moment when I just stood still!
(Trying to do a Shahrukh and failing miserably! Let me make this clear, Shahrukh isn't my favourite actor, but Brooklyn Brige pe aa ke Shahrukh ka pose toh banta hai!)
The lesson that I learned was to never get feverish about
anything as God is watching every action of ours and monitoring every emotion that has arisen, and knows every feeling that we are or have experienced. He knows what's the best for us and when it needs to be given to us. So, chill and know that whatever you need, will be given to you and whatever you want, if it's good for you, someday, sometime, it will be given to you :)
Keep believing, do not get feverish, have faith and smile :)
Because call him Jesus, Krishna, Allah, Buddha, Universe or even Guru…call him whatever...He is
watching us and taking care of us every moment.
Jai Gurudev :)
Love,
Kratik
(With Yoko and Michael at the Grand Central Terminal)