Hello Zindagi

The mention of “Zindagi”; immediately brings to “life”; a wide array of ideas. Our understanding of ‘Zindagi’ entirely depends upon our perception of it. Life, the way we know it, is sheer magic because its understanding is open to infinite possibilities. Mankind is still trying to understand the fundamental question associated with its existence i.e. ‘why do I exist?’

The beauty of life is simply the fact that it is. It is, and therefore we are! Each and every life is a microcosm associated with the macrocosm of the universe. In the contemporary context, Zindagi would remind most people of the movie ‘Dear Zindagi’ which is based on celebrating the joy of living. Life by itself is meaningless if not lived well. This movie and a lot of other works in a similar theme represent that we are always trying to grapple with and understand life. Our understanding of life has dramatically evolved over time. Initially, life by itself was extremely uncertain during the times when the ruling class literally had the right to annihilate its citizens at their whims and fancies.

Gradually with the introduction of the principles of democracy, freedom, and sovereignty, people began to perceive their lives as a long term affair wherein the concept of wanting a ‘better future’ emerged. This has certainly transformed the way life has been looked at. One of the drawbacks of this is that we have begun to compromise with the present in order to fashion a ‘better future’. It becomes imperative, therefore, to break the pattern once in a while and say ‘hello’ to ‘Zindagi’!

‘Zindagi’ is shayar’s version of the life. Linguistically the word ‘Zindagi’ finds its origin in the Urdu language; a language that is known for its ‘tehzeeb’ and culture. It could be argued that ‘Zindagi’ is more than life. Perhaps, that is what makes the most sense in ‘Zindagi Jeena’ – ‘living larger than life!’

While Zindagi represents a single life, no life by itself is single. Everything in our universe is interconnected with everything else, and so all lives are the components of the same matrix. This makes it important for us to celebrate life because when we are happy, the world also grows happier. This is an empowering thought because we tend to struggle with the daily challenges of life and the circumstances it presents to us, however, it becomes important to look at life as something larger than the mere challenges it presents; and this way we realize that ‘we are not alone’.

The topic ‘hello Zindagi’ in fact hits one with the desire to stop and think, and be mesmerized with something that defines our very existence. Life is contained within the breaths that we take. We often do not acknowledge it, which is why we are unable to cherish it as much as we should! When one thinks of life, it evokes a feeling similar to that of standing in the middle of a vast expansive infinite stretch, with no beginning and no end.

This is, in fact, a very significant aspect of our lives – the fact that our lives are continuous. Because all our lives are energy, and energy can neither be created nor be destroyed, so our lives are wider than the wildest of our imaginations. While there is no conclusion to our life itself, one could safely conclude this essay with the thought ‘Love you, Zindagi!’