A hug is all we need!

Divya Dutta

And I saw my little nephew come into his room howling... he had burst his green balloon. His father instantly got up and asked which colour balloon he would like and he would get it immediately for his son. Rahul instantly got all the balloons for him. The little one was all smiles again...

I looked at him, amused that his world of problems was toys and balloons and here the grown up us were busy dealing with anything and everything!

But yes, for that little child, his joy and sorrow were those balloons and getting them or losing them mattered a lot to him.

And for the grown-up us, achieving bigger things and getting them becomes the centre of our lives. We keep running around to get the object of our ambitions, desires etc. They take over our lives and yes, these are our battles. No parents coming in to blow the balloons for us. But be it kids or grown-ups, I wonder if running around really matters!

Life, I realized, is so unpredictable. Last few weeks got me so many pieces of news that startled not only me but everyone around. Sridevi passing away was a huge jolt. Unexpected and shocking. A healthy, super successful star just gone.

This week we were promoting our film Blackmail starring Irrfan Khan. But he wasn’t at the event. His sudden rare illness shook all his friends and fans too. I wondered one fine day we were shooting for the promotion song and a week later he was diagnosed with a tumor. Life just had a major twist. I am sure he will be back fit and fine because he’s a warrior. But life intrigues me.

The other day I scolded someone on the sets for not doing their job well and then it hounded me again. Did it really matter? Could I have dealt with the situation differently? Could I just be warm instead of these petty tensions which didn’t really matter? I called that designer again and told her sweetly what was bothering me. This time she seemed very apologetic. I just hugged her tight. That smile on her face changed my attitude. Same problem dealt with a positive attitude made all the difference. That’s when I also realized the power of a touch. A warm positive hug or a tight reassuring handshake, trust me we all need one. We are all running after our balloons of different colours and asking father God to get them for us. Till then we cry. In that process if someone holds a hand or gives a warm hug, that’s exactly what the soul requires.

A few days back, organizers of an event management company came to meet me. A young girl in the team was quiet throughout the meeting. I did notice that. When they all got up to leave, she shook my hand. And I gave her a hug, what I saw was heartwarming. The girl had tears in her eyes. I wondered what had gone wrong. She mustered, “I totally adore you, so I was dazed to even open my mouth but when you hugged me, it felt beautiful and I was overwhelmed hugging my favourite actor.”I had tears in my eyes too. We all walk our paths keeping a strong front and brave masks, but inside all of us are those little kids, yearning for love, craving for affection and warmth. And in everyone’s journey of looking for their balloons, if a jadu ka jhapphi can make a difference, why not? In the crazy unpredictable times we live in, when you don’t know what’s going to happen next, just bring a smile to someone.

I saw my nephew howl again for the balloon. Yes, I had to go find mine too, but this time not crying, or angry or irritated but with a smile. Because today is what matters, and today has to be beautiful. Kal kya hoga kisko pata abhi zindagi ka le le maza...

(Dutta is a Bollywood actress)