Khrietuonyü Noudi
I was in Delhi for five years (1999-2004) pursuing my post graduate studies and some other dreams. During this time there used to be a Nagaland police battalion stationed at Kingsway Camp, North Delhi. It was called Special Nagaland Armed Police (SNAP) battalion and this battalion had its own church within its premises. I used to regularly attend this church every Sunday as it was relatively very near to my rented house in Mukherjee Nagar.
So I became well acquainted with this police church and in due course I literally became a part of this church because of my regular attendance every Sunday. On one occasion, one of the police personnel there asked me if I could gather up some Naga friends and present a special song on a Sunday morning worship service. After thinking about it for some days I told him that he could count on me. So he put my name in the program to present a special song with my friends. But instead of presenting a group song, I had made up my mind that I would present a solo number. So I borrowed a guitar from a Manipuri friend, practiced a song for about 5 days and presented the song in the Sunday service.
After the service was over, some of the police personnel including the guy who initiated me to sing congratulated and complimented me on the song. They told me they were very impressed with the song and also that they were pleasantly surprised because they did not know that I could play the guitar and sing like I did that morning.
Though they were pleasantly surprised at my singing, I was not at all surprised. For me, it was just like stirring some old embers and ashes again. Now, why didn’t I feel nervous and intimidated at all to stand before a congregation and sing a solo number? It was simply because I had done it many times before and it was nothing new to me. Now, let me explain.
When I was in high school, I learnt to play the guitar and developed a habit for singing. Normally I sang at home only when I was free and bored. I never had any intention to sing to an audience or to record a song or album. It was just that I loved playing guitar and singing and so I would do it so frequently at home just to enjoy myself and have fun and not necessarily to impress anybody. Yes, when I picked up my guitar and sang, I always thoroughly enjoyed myself. I did not care whether I was in tune or out of tune. I did not care whether I was in-key or off-key. All that matter to me was that I enjoyed singing and the experience always took me to a dreamland of ecstasy and imagination. And I really did not care whether the listeners considered me a good singer or not. I was just enjoying myself. It was somewhat like driving a brand new SUV in an empty road. When you are driving a brand new SUV in an empty road you don’t care whether people consider you a good driver or not because you are fully immersed and engrossed in the enjoyment and experience and you are in a world of your own. And every time I picked up my guitar and sang, I experienced something like that.
So during my high school and early college years, while at home, playing my guitar and singing became a habitual routine for me. Then, someone instilled in me that I should sing in programs and in front of people. Yes, they told me that I could sing well but as for me I do not know how far this is true and in fact I did not care about the comments I got as long as I was enjoying myself. I had no intention to be known as a singer or to make a career out of singing.
However, at the encouragement and prompting of some people who had heard me singing at home, I did end up singing in front of people. During my early college years, I sang solo many times in my church youth services and also at devotional services and functions in my college. But I sang those songs just to thoroughly enjoy myself and not necessarily to impress anybody. Many said I was good at it but honestly I do not know how far those comments are sincere and genuine. In fact, on one occasion, I even won a price at a singing competition in my church and was applauded by many.
However, as time passed, my focus and priorities also changed and I diverted my attention and concentration to other more challenging issues and dreams. And in due course, I totally gave up singing even at home which I used to enjoy so much during my teenage years.
And so, when I decided to sing solo at the police church in Delhi, I had not stood in front of people and sang for over 6 years. But since it was something I had done many times before, I had the courage and the experience to do it again though I had not done it for almost half a dozen years.
It is said “once a person learns something in life he usually never forgets it in his lifetime”. It is also said that once a person learns to ride a bicycle in his childhood, he will be able to ride it again even in his old age even if he had not done it for 50-60 years. I guess this is why many educationists today are giving so much importance to the development of life skills amongst the students rather than focusing only on academic courses. And their argument may be very valid because these skills have the potential to sustain them in future.
Sometimes it may be hard to light a fresh fire using fresh firewood. But it may not be that hard to start the fire when a fire had already been started there before and the embers and ashes are still there. So my point is this: many of us are skilled and talented in many diverse things and there were also times when we pursued these activities with great zeal and enthusiasm. But in due course of time, the course of our lives changed and with it our focus and priorities also changed.
Maybe some were compelled to give up these hobbies because they never got the needed encouragement from their peers. Maybe some lost interest because they saw no job opportunities in pursuing these hobbies. Maybe some gave up these hobbies because they thought that they were growing too old for these hobbies. Maybe some has no more time to engage in these hobbies. Maybe some do not engage in their hobbies because they feel that these are a waste of time, resources and energy.
But whatever may be the reason, I believe the embers and ashes are still there inside us even though the fire itself might have gone out. And since the embers and ashes are still there, it will not take much effort to start a fresh new fire. And so we can always share these talents and hobbies again with our children and reignite sweet memories and dreams and enjoy life to the fullest once again.
I used to enjoy singing and playing the guitar so much. But I have not owned a guitar for years now. So I guess, one of these days, I need to go out and buy a guitar and start thoroughly enjoying myself again singing at home with my family and children….and I guess it would not be hard to reignite those old feelings and memories because the embers and ashes are still there inside me.
But during those years, if someone were to ask me, “Are you a singer?” my answer would have been a big ‘NO’. Or if somebody were to ask me, “Are you a musician?” my answer again would have been a big ‘NO’. I never considered myself a singer or a musician. It was just that I loved to play the guitar and sing. And whenever I picked up my guitar and sang I always thoroughly enjoyed myself. So it was more of a hobby and a passion.
Likewise, if today, somebody were to ask me, “Are you a writer?” my answer would be a big ‘NO’. I never consider myself a writer. I have not written a single book and I have no intention to write one. But I like to pen down my thoughts, ideas and reflections on paper and whenever I do that I always thoroughly enjoy myself … and so here I go again…
