Choices

The ‘Westside’ 50% off sale is on. I happened to be at Kala Ghoda last weekend and of course, could not let go the chance of shopping. Unfortunately, only 1 rack of kurtas was on sale merchandise (cheaters!). But there I had a chance of experiencing human psychology in the event of making a choice, even as simple as that of a kurta…

With just 1 rack of sale kurtas, most women were crowded around that rack itself. I had already gone through the stuff and found them to be strictly ok, and hence was perusing through the new stuff (which was not on discount). One round of the store done, I started walking around aimlessly towards the sale rack. There I saw a dark brown n blue kurta being checked out by a lady. Somehow, in her hands and the way she was looking at it, I suddenly felt the kurta is lovely. I felt that it would suit me, even tough I had seen it earlier but not really taken to it then. Soon, I found myself wishing that she would drop the kurta. And, surprise! She actually dropped the kurta to move on. Bang, I was there and the kurta was in my hands. Then, just like me, that lady too seemed to have second thoughts. She turned around and, yes!, saw that the kurta has already been claimed! Seeing her expression I realized that, just like me a few minutes back, she is finding that the kurta is good, now that it is in my hands. But I was not in the mood of dropping it as she had done. I bought it!!!

Why is it that the human mind always covets something that is somebody else’s? I had no liking for the kurta till I saw it catch the fancy of another lady. And she realized she wanted the kurta only when she saw that some one else (me!) had already taken it… funny na. We both had a fair chance at the item, but couldn’t make a choice till someone else made it!!!

We never truly think of ourselves only while making choices, how it will be taken by the people around us is also important to us. Come to think of it, all the major choices we make in our lives, be it what we study, what we do, where we work, whom we marry, these are hardly made without consultation with people around us. Consensus is what is important, not what we alone think, right?

So neighbour’s Chhutku goes to X college, you go to Y, and suddenly you feel Y would have been a better option!! Else you see ur Kaka’s son doing well in a CA firm and feel u should have done CA instead of Engineering… Things like this are regular happenings in our lives.

The only possible solution is, think that u and u alone have it great. Maybe the canteen in Y college sucks (whereas ur X college canteen is great!). Maybe Kaka’s son is never at home to spend time with his family (whereas u reach home by 10 pm and have weekends off!). What is good for them might not work for u n vice versa…Bottom line is, these choices are yours. Make them and then, don’t worry about them! Who knows, you urself might be the object of envy for others as much as they are for u…!!!