I read the following poem by Ayodhya Singh Upadhyaya in school and was very much inspired by it. It paints a beautiful picture of the fears and worries one goes through while taking the first step out of one's "home". It ends on a note that stepping out is a must for achieving anything. You can see an English translation of the poem here - http://bbepositive.blogspot.com/2011/11/story-of-dew-drop.html
ज्यों निकल कर बादलों की गोद से
थी अभी एक बूँद कुछ आगे बढ़ी।
सोचने फिर-फिर यही जी में लगी,
आह ! क्यों घर छोड़कर मैं यों कढ़ी ?
देव मेरे भाग्य में क्या है बदा,
मैं बचूँगी या मिलूँगी धूल में ?
या जलूँगी फिर अंगारे पर किसी,
चू पडूँगी या कमल के फूल में ?
बह गयी उस काल एक ऐसी हवा
वह समुन्दर ओर आई अनमनी।
एक सुन्दर सीप का मुँह था खुला
वह उसी में जा पड़ी मोती बनी ।
लोग यों ही हैं झिझकते, सोचते
जबकि उनको छोड़ना पड़ता है घर
किन्तु घर का छोड़ना अक्सर उन्हें
बूँद लौं कुछ और ही देता है कर ।
Most of us can relate to the anxieties painted in the poem very well. I myself can distinctly remember facing similar anxiety while leaving home to go to IIT Roorkee, or going to Bombay for my first job, or going abroad for the first time, or relocating back to Delhi after a prolonged stay in Bombay. Looking back, it is clear now that each of these steps have helped me move forward in life.
Hence, this poem is a constant reminder to me now, that I should remember the example of ek boond whenever I tend to resist a change that challenges me to come out of my comfort zone. (i.e. "home").
Listen to me singing this poem in the Youtube video below:
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Story of a dew drop
