Toh sabse pehle, a little context about who I am...
Main hoon Hardik. Born in India, brought up in Nepal.
Kahani shuru hoti hai uss waqt se jab main bachpan se adulting ki taraf dheere-dheere badh raha tha. Woh ek aisa time tha jab no gadgets, no mobile phones, no timers, no nothing. School jaana, shaam ko ghar aana, bag phekna aur seedha khelne nikal jaana.
Life was good at that moment.
Matlab aisi koi shaam nahi guzri hogi jahan mummy ki daant ke bina main ghar aaya hoon. Phir thoda homework, aur back to TV. Aur tab ke TV channels bhi genuine the. Subah Motu Patlu se din shuru hota tha, Doraemon dekhte-dekhte pata hi nahi chalta tha din kab nikal gaya, aur shaam ko Pokémon. Kitna simple tha life jeena.
Phir jaise-jaise main bada hua, maine apne aas-paas ke bachchon ko observe karna shuru kiya. Aajkal phone ke bina bachche kuch kar hi nahi paate. Khana khaana ho, bathroom jaana ho, chup rehna ho — phone chahiye.
Aur parents bhi kya kam hain? Bachcha ro raha hai? Phone pakda do. Bachcha shaitani kar raha hai? Phone pakda do. Bachcha chup nahi ho raha? Phone pakda do.
Humare zamaane mein mujhe khud Grade 4 mein mere papa ne Galaxy Grand 2 jab li thi usmai bhi (KitKat tha ya Jelly Bean, woh bhi mushkil se yaad hai). Aur aaj ke bachchon ko paida hote hi pata hota hai ki Apple ka latest model kaunsa hai.
Kabhi-kabhi genuinely sochta hoon — inko shock nahi chadhta kya? Bahar khelne-phirne ki samajh nahi aati?
Lekin phir main apni hi kahani par wapas aata hoon. Jaise-taise +2 complete kiya Corona ke zamaane mai. Tab tak ek naya keeda duniya mein aa chuka tha — ChatGPT ke naam ka. Aur bhai, isne toh human thinking capacity ki watt laga di.
Ek insaan ka ghanton ka kaam 10 minute mein aasaan ho jaata hai. Kisi ko ek task assign karo aur kuch hi der mein kaam complete. Main technology ya AI ke against nahi hoon. In fact, advancement achhi cheez hai. Agar koi machine ya AI humara boring kaam aasaan bana sakta hai, toh why not? Lekin kahin na kahin mujhe yeh thought disturb karta hai ki hum un cheezon ke liye bhi technology par depend karne lage hain jo kabhi humari apni thinking, patience aur skills ka part hua karti thi. Basic cheezein jo humari apni capacity se honi chahiye, unke liye bhi humein AI chahiye. Mujhe abhi bhi yaad hai jab main chhota tha, papa mujhe tables padhate the. 20 tak ke tables. Aaj agar kisi bachche se 13 ka table pooch lo, toh unke fat k char hojatehai.
Lekin baat sirf technology tak limited nahi hai. Rahi baat bahari duniya ki — sala koi khush nahi hai. Sab dikhawa karte hain. Chahe aapki kisi ke saath kitni bhi achhi relationship ho, ek point aayega jahan bina uski koi na koi silwate nikaale bina aapka guzara nahi hoga. Matlab proper Indian cinema ki 'SAAS' ban gaye hain hum sab.
5-star hotel le jao, toh bolenge, “Khaane mein oil kam hai.” Ya phir, “Iska colour alag hai.” Bhai, koi insaan aisa kaise ho sakta hai? matlab phir wahi baat agai ismai yeh joh garib hona insaan yeh apne adat sae garib ho!
Sab kuch sahi chal raha ho, tab bhi woh tab tak satisfied nahi rahega jab tak kisi cheez mein ek kami na nikaal de.
Bahar ghumne le jao — “Yeh jagah theek nahi hai.”
Aur wahi aadmi Instagram story par reel daalega:
“Want to escape to the mountains.”
“Beach therapy.”
“Need a break.”
Abe ghanta.
Khane ke liye jao toh jagah top-class chahiye, taaki baaki log Instagram story dekh kar bolein, “B***nch**, iss jagah gaya hai.” Matlab yar, aap itne ameer nahi ho jitna aap pretend kar lete ho. Sab log ek hi slogan prove karne mein lage hue hain:
“Gand phate-toh-phate, lekin nawabi na ghate.”
Lekin jab khud kamaane ki aayegi na, sabki nawabi nikal jayegi. Aur yeh sirf khaane ya ghoomne tak nahi hai.
Maine recently ek aisi situation bhi dekhi jahan kisi gareeb ke bowl se paise tak liye ja rahe the. Aur genuinely uss moment par laga — seriously? Is this what humanity has come to? Cool banne ke chakkar mein hum sab khud ki hi aura maar rahe hain. Aajkal ek aur ajeeb trend hai.
Hum aksar uss cheez ki value tab samajhte hain jab woh humare paas nahi hoti.
Koi XYZ college ya university mein padh raha hai, toh jab tak woh wahan hai, usse woh insaan bhar bhar k gaali dega aisa hai waisa hai Bhai, kahan jail jaise jagah par aa gaya hoon. Aur jis din wahan se nikalta hai, wahi insaan bolta hai Yar, pata hi nahi chala kab khatam ho gaya. College ho, school ho, job ho, relationship ho, city ho — jab tak cheez humare paas hoti hai, hum uski kamiyaan ginne mein busy rehte hain. Aur jab woh chali jaati hai, tab humein uski value samajh aati hai. Maybe that's what satisfaction has become for humans.
A word we understand only after losing something.
Kabhi-kabhi lagta hai satisfaction naam ki cheez humans ke operating system mein hi nahi rahi. 99% kaam perfect ho, 99% effort diya gaya ho, 99% cheezein sahi hui ho, Lekin galti se 1% mein error aa gaya? Bas Bawaal. Poora focus uss 1% par. Jo 99% effort kisi insaan ne diya, woh suddenly invisible ho jaata hai. And this is where I genuinely have a problem.
Can't we be a little kinder? Can't we acknowledge the 99% before disrespecting someone for the 1%?
Kyun har cheez mein yeh mentality aa gayi hai ki, “Dekho isme kya galat hai?” Insaan ki kabiliyat nahi dekhi jaati. Usne kitna effort diya, woh nahi dekha jaata. Bas dekha jaata hai ki aur kya nikala ja sakta hai.
Aur phir aati hai competition. Aajkal har jagah competition hai. No matter what, ek race chal rahi hai; Main usse kam nahi hoon. Usne naya iPhone liya hai?
“Kaunsa?”
Agar uske paas iPhone 15 hai, toh bhai main tere se kam hoon kya? Main iPhone 16 lunga. Chahe EMI par loon, loan par loon, lekin main kam nahi hoon. Ghar? Uska ghar bada hai.
Car? Uski car better hai. College? Uska college better hai. Har jagah ek silent competition chal raha hai. Tu sher hai? Main sawa sher hoon. Aur sabse funny baat?
Kabhi-kabhi humein khud pata bhi nahi hota ki hum kis race mein bhaag rahe hain. Bas bhaag rahe hain. Kyunki koi aur bhaag raha hai. Lekin itna Ramayan bolne ke baad ek sawaal mujhe khud se bhi poochna padta hai:
"Maybe I'm not observing a problem in society. Maybe I'm observing a problem in myself".
We all know we have flaws. Har insaan mein flaws hote hain. Lekin hum apne aap ko dominate karke yeh convince kar dete hain; Bhai, mere mein toh koi kami hi nahi hai. Aur wahi galti hai. Acceptance ka matlab yeh nahi ki hum apni shortcomings ko celebrate karein. Acceptance ka matlab hai — haan, mere mein bhi kami hai.
Main perfect nahi hoon, Tum perfect nahi ho, Koi bhi perfect nahi hai.
Aur shayad jis din humne yeh accept kar liya ki humein har waqt kisi se better hone ki zarurat nahi hai, uss din yeh race thodi slow ho jayegi.
Hum technology use karein — bilkul karein, AI use karein — obviously karein, Modern banein — kyun nahi? Lekin modernization ke chakkar mein apne roots ko mat bhoolo.
Har convenience ko apni capability ka replacement mat banao. Har achievement ko comparison ka reason mat banao. Har mistake ko kisi insaan ki worth ka measurement mat banao. Aur har moment ko improve karne ki itni koshish mat karo ki tum usse enjoy karna hi bhool jao. Shayad life ka matlab har cheez ko perfect banana nahi hai.
Shayad kabhi-kabhi khaana thoda oily ho sakta hai, Hotel perfect nahi ho sakta, Trip mein kuch bakwaas moments ho sakte hain, College mein kuch cheezein pasand nahi aa sakti, Tumhara phone latest model ka nahi ho sakta, Tumhari life Instagram-worthy nahi ho sakti, "And that's okay". Because life was never supposed to be a competition. It was never supposed to be a checklist. It was never supposed to be an endless search for what's missing. Hum itna kal ka soch rahe hain ki aaj ko jeena bhool gaye. Itna better banne ki race mein hain ki jo already hai, uski value bhool gaye. Itna modern banne ki koshish mein hain ki apne roots tak bhool gaye.
Aur sabse important — itna kuch prove karne mein lage hain ki khud ko hi prove karna bhool gaye. Toh kal ki fikar chhodo aaj ko jiyo jitna ho sake, kind raho. Chahe saamne wala rude ho, chahe duniya tumhare saath achhi na ho — apni humanity mat khona. Aur haan, life mein sab kuch karna.
Galtiyan bhi karna.
Risk bhi lena.
Fail bhi hona.
Lekin ek din peeche mudkar dekhte waqt tumhare dimaag mein ek sentence nahi aana chahiye:
“I shouldn't have done that.”
Because regret is one of those things that arrives when the moment to change something has already passed. Maybe we don't need a better life, Maybe we just need to get better at living the one we already have.
Live life. Live free.