In midst of all this gloom and dejection, I still see the ray of hope
All is dark and is unlighted , I still see the gleam of hope

Hatred and abhorrence is being spewed everywhere all the same , I still have a glimmer of hope
Despair and despondence is visible on faces all around yet , I am still optimistic of finding a smiling face.
Heartbreaks and breakup seem to be a norm, still I am still a hardcore romantic.

Authoritarian and strong nationalism seem to have taken hold of all just the same, I still believe in the Indian idiom of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.
Forests, rivers are getting denuded and polluted all the same , I still get soothed by the plants in the balcony.
Traditions, values , beliefs , culture, sanskaar all seem to get twisted and turned still , I still get Goosebumps when M S Subbhalakshmi music wafts through the wind in the morning.

When writing letters and landlines have become a relic nevertheless , I still keep on having these monologues with self ..
When communication seems to be happening only through messages and social media gratification seem to be a norm, I still continue to call and meet up my loved ones as much as possible .
Where everything is divided either happening online or offline even so, I still am confused and crave for the pre 2019 era.

Celebrities are dime to dozen despite this , I still have a Bollywood film star photo (who was my first teenage crush) with his autograph as an exquisite irreplaceable.
Kindle and all audio books are a great buy nevertheless , I still find the fragrance of my old books irresistible.
The Spotify and the Gaana apps of the world have all the possible genre, moods and language songs you can wish for , yet the joy I get when I am listening to radio is unparalleled as my head bursts with the joy of the unknown song and my heart expands a thousand folds .

Big baskets, Dmarts discount and fancy packaging are a great value for money, nonetheless they cannot replace the personal touch and the elation I feel when I negotiate with my sabjiwala or my age old grocery shop .
Fine dining restaurants with all its spread on a buffet and cutlery cannot recoup the incredibility of eating a dosa or dal khichdi with my own hands

Shopping malls and cinema experience in multiplexes are entertaining to say the least, despite that shopping on crowded bustling Laxmi road in Pune or Linking road in Mumbai will always be close to my heart .
Air travel is a necessity now and one cannot imagine life without it, however none of them can replace the old world charm and contentment one gets travelling by Deccan Queen even today.
Banking is at our finger tips and we rarely go to banks although , I remember waiting anxiously and straining my ears for my token no to be called out for a princely amount of 100 ₹.

Where online classes are a common place still , I miss the constant giggles and the continuous chatter of a class.
Online games are an addiction for millennials but how many of us remember the Circus, the Giant Wheel or Merry Go Around in the fairs which would happen every summer or on some festive occasions.
Investment in bourses get much more returns, the hustle and bustle associated of visiting a post office for paying your recurring deposit still seemed a epochal event every month.

Exotic vacations seem to be the vogue now, however the sheer pleasure and joy associated with summer vacations spent with grand parents still feels so treasured and valuable.
Airport security is so tight now with one being asked to even remove belts and shoes, can someone still hope for those days when we could drop relatives till the tarmac ?
Fitness, fitness influencers are dishing out fitness tips every minute, do we wonder why our forefathers still seemed more fitter and healthier than us .
Electricity and light around us we take for granted, yet the candlelight dinners is in a to do list for all couples.

Cricket seems to be happening all year round, with IPL the cherry on the top not withstanding , why is it that the brave knock of Kapil Dev in 1983 world cup still stirs so much of emotions and pride in me

OTT and the various Televisions channels are a galore , uncountable and even unmissable I guess, although I wonder why I miss the no-nonsense Doordarshan shows like Hum or Buniyaad.

There seems to be opulent array of luxuries, an ostentatious and conspicuous good life and a tawdry display of newly acquired wealth everywhere all the same , I wonder why our happiness quotient index has not gone up

However the world changes , actually nothing really changes
Yes we have progressed technologically, economically, reached the moon and have triumphant over many diseases but the core of a human being is value system of hope , of positivity, of hoping for the night of darkness to end and a new Twilight of dawn is a given reality .