Zero, Yet Not Out

IPL 2018- Chennai Vs Hyderabad. Chennai to score 177 off 80 balls to win the match. Opening batsman out with 53 runs. Second batsman out with 25 runs. The cool captain walks in at 3rd position. First ball to MS Dhoni, LBW. I had ants in my pants. MS Dhoni to walk off with zero runs? Tension develops. The bowler screams OUT OUT. The third umpire decision comes up – NOT OUT. That loud clap and relief. Have you ever come across such situations in cricket? Zero yet not out? My parents were happily married. They lived in a perfect joint family. Their marriage life started from zero. Slowly they progressed and had their first baby girl. They progressed even better and had their second baby girl. They further progressed with an intent of having a baby boy, unfortunately I was born. A house full show with 5 kids, grandparents, parents, uncle and aunt is a paradise definitely, isn't it? It was a beautiful house surrounded with natural garden adding to its charm-the curry leaves plant, the neem tree, the mango tree, the pink flowers and the puppies tied at the gate. Sometimes, I was tied too.

I still cherish the morning love of my paternal grandparents feeding me special pancake with gravy before leaving for school. I always carried all books to school irrespective of the timetable. The maid servant picked me up after school. Barging into neighbors house uninvited as soon as I came home was my routine. The evening homework under my mom’s strict assistance was a nightmare. The pat on my back by my grandfather on seeing the report card was motivating. Without a shadow of a doubt, my paternal grandfather is the single most influential person in my life. Our family visit to temples was blissful. My dad’s service to my broken legs is an unpleasant memory. He played cheat of cutting my nails when I was asleep. Only such were the instances when I had spoken to my dad in childhood for I feared him.

One morning, my grandfather did not buy me pancake and gravy for breakfast. So I ate some chocos biscuits and hurried for school. Surprisingly I left home the science book. It was on that day, while I waited for the maid servant to pick me up after school, that I was surprised to see my dad already waiting to receive me. I ran with all excitement and hugged his legs. I was in 5th standard then. As he walked me to the school gate, I was again surprised to see an auto waiting. As I got into the auto, I was even more surprised to see my mom and my sisters already in.Surprise after surprise.I wondered if it was a surprise family outing. Nobody spoke a word. I did not dare ask questions in presence of my dad. I simply enjoyed the ride. And when the auto stopped, I saw my maternal grandparents waiting to receive us.

I was surrounded with a cloud of confusion. But I played with my cousins. Time passed. It became dark. My parents did not start home. It became darker. They did not move. As I eavesdropped, I got to know that we were no more going back to that home.The home where I was born and enriched doubly, by double the experience, double the love, twice the fun and two times the values and guidance. For a mere financial argument between my dad and my grandfather, we left home. My dad had to undergo a heart surgery, the lump amount which he wanted to share with my grandfather. My grandfather refused to share the money instead shared a piece of advice “You are mature enough to lead your life independently”. No food, no shelter, no clothing, no money. We reached financial bankruptcy . What we wore on that day was the only dress we owned. A life that was progressing had fallen back to zero. I feared about school. I left my science book in that home. My favorite chocos biscuits? Left it in that home. And the puppies? Left them in that home.

While the bowler screamed out loud "out out!", thinking it was a LBW for Dhoni, a closer look at his batting resulted in not out. He scored zero yet he was not out.Likewise,we had no basic entities for living as we reached financial bankruptcy,but a closer look at our desire for living resulted in a not out. We scored zero yet we were not out. My grandfather's piece of advice worked indeed. You are mature enough to lead your life independently. If you have ever lost something in life or have ever scored a zero, then take a closer look at your desire. I am sure you will not be out.