My Shangri-La

I had always detested my room....for it is a dungeon,a dimly lit architecture surrounded by four walls & a roof atop.....that was all that made the structure qualify as a "ROOM"! It stands in the farthest corner of the house,adjacent to my balcony.

No A.C, no cooler, just a simple fan rotating overhead & making a "GRR-GRR" sound. The room gets heated up like a brick kiln during the sweltering summers & becomes the Arctic pole during the harsh arid winters! The walls are damp & hence the paint falls off as flakes & lies scattered all over the floor.I broom & dust it all off at-least thrice a day....."PHEW!!!!!"

I've a wooden table & a gigantic cupboard where all my books & other paraphernalia are dumped. I spend half the day clearing away the clutter & the very next day,the clutter magically re-appears!:-|

The colossal bed occupies most of the space in my small room & therefore,there ain't any area(not even the minutest) to make any more additions.

The only thing that I like about my room is it's WINDOW. A ridiculously over sized window that helps me view the world. However, the window for the most part of the day remains tightly shut & the curtains are drawn over. It's only in the evenings when I open the window with full throttle & the pneumatic hinge makes a squeaky,irritating sound....."churrrrrrrrr" .

I've always loved the window view , that shows a dreary,old lane running amidst the houses & I always watch it for as long as I can.

My parents have asked me a myriad times to shift in a bigger & a better room but I always decline their alluring offer saying "There are so many things that need to be shifted! It will take a long time & I do not have the patience ,so Ma,Papa let it be!"

Besides the window, I loved nothing about my room,until yesterday,when after a tiring day at college,I came back home, dragged my feet to my room & ensconced on the bed.The scorching sun had drained out all my energy & I had succumbed to weariness. As soon as I closed my eyes,I found myself floating on the clouds of slumber. I slept like a baby for around 2-3 hours ,then woke up.....refreshed & rejuvenated.

I changed my clothes,splashed my face with water & felt recharged. I entered my room with gratitude in my heart.

I had never missed a single opportunity to curse my room but yesterday,I realized it's importance in my life. I thought about the people who don't have roofs overhead,stay bare or in tatters & live a crippled life on streets like stray animals.....people who consider themselves fortunate to have found a single morsel of food to combat their groaning hunger..... kids who gambol with fervor if they find a dried loaf of bread to appease their Hunger pangs ........ "DEPLORABLE,isn't it?"

I felt my eyes moist & thanked God for all the prerogatives that he had bestowed on me! My perception about my room has completely changed. It's indeed my world,my Utopia where there's no filth, no ostentation but just a ray of positivity that lingers throughout. :)