A quote which defines you

In the Appletini, recently I had written about two women whose stories I felt were truly inspirational.

One was a young girl born to a single mother, so poor that she had to wear potato sacks for clothes. She was raped by her relatives at the age of 9, ran away from her home at 13, was pregnant at 14 and lost her infant at 15. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we would never have recovered from these many blows at so young an age. Well, not only did she recover but she scripted her own destiny going to become one not just a billionaire but more importantly, one of the most influential human beings of the 20th century.

The other woman was someone closer to home for us - a wannabe South Indian actress who was considered a jinx by a superstitious movie industry when the first movie she was due to appear in was shelved for production issues. She was immediately kicked out of 12 other movies and replaced in two more in the coming months. Rather than give up and head home, she had faith in her abilities and persevered till years later, she was finally chosen for a movie once more by Bollywood. She has never looked back, going on to win the National Award and wow audiences frequently with her bravura performances.

For those who haven't read the posts, do try to guess who these two women are before you head on over there.

I was personally very inspired by their stories when I heard it mainly because they refused to give up when the odds were so heavily stacked against them. They didn't take any easy route after being screwed over by prejudices, lust, loss or abject poverty but worked their way back to the top one step at a time.  They believed that all these setbacks were not the end but merely a roadblock on their journey to success.

In the days to come, I do hope to write a more detailed post on the personality who inspired me the most as a teenager. An actor very few among you would have ever seen, he's not as famous as our Bollywood superstars. If I was in awe of his onscreen persona, reading his book years later and realising his ideals as a human being made me respect him even more. 



For now, I want to share with you a quote I first read in a magazine as a child.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. 

Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” 

― Martin Luther King Jr   

Against all common-sense, in spite of being widely regarded as a non-confrontational type of guy, (a pansy, if you wish) my journey has often weaved innumerable ways to bring darkness (and even convicted criminals) into my life. There have been moments when it seemed only logical to strike back when you come face to face with the depth of betrayal and the burning desire for revenge but every time, I back down from taking that step into the gutter. It is not a field I will ever be a victor in, I know, fighting evil with evil. And rather than allowing the darkness within to consume me and be what defines my future, wouldn't I be better off just caring for those who are worse off than me and who actually need my help?

It's hard to maintain your ideals in today's world... today's India. I honestly don't have much faith in the country's future, to be frank, but I do have faith in individuals to light the path for others. And more than anything else, I honestly do believe that we are all capable of being that individual to somebody else. 

After all, helping people isn't always about donating to the poor, is it? It is also about the kind words that heal, the gentle smile that says I care and the ears that listen to what others don't seem to have time for. These are things everybody - 'everybody' - needs. And guess what? It's something that 'everybody' can give for free as well, if we choose to. 

If I were to ask you to write down/copy from Goodreads quotes page/Google just one quote which you feel inspires/defines your ideals, which one would it be? Do take a few moments off from work and share it in the comments section.