Who am I?

May 2023 be peaceful and satisfying for all of you. This is my first blog of this year.

The question, ‘who am I?’ has been haunting me since long. In my opinion, this question is not meant to get an answer. It is meant to be dissolved by the examiner itself.

Here is a beautiful context to this question - “Who am I? I heard this story from a very close person on the first day of this year. And it kind of changed my opinion about life.

‘It was a normal day. Mira and her friends were returning from college. They were giggling and recalling how much fun they had that day. Mira waved a goodbye to her friends as she reached home. Mira’s father was sitting on the veranda. She waved a hi to him. But as a response, Mira’s father asked her - “who are you? I don’t know you.” In the beginning, Mira thought her father was joking. She said, “Papa, stop joking. I am your daughter. I had a tiring day at college today.” Yet again her father said, “I don’t remember having a daughter.” Mira was dazzled. Suddenly Mira heard her mother’s voice from the kitchen. She ran towards the kitchen. Her father tried to stop her from entering the house. She got the better of him and entered the kitchen to ask her mother what was happening to her father. Why was he not identifying his own daughter? Mira was expecting a positive response from her mother. But she was astonished to listen to her mother’s reply - “Wait a minute, who are you?” Mira’s mother turned towards her husband and asked him, “Who is she? And how did you let her in?”. Mira screamed, “I am your daughter. What is wrong with you both?” Meanwhile, Mira’s mother told her husband, “You better call the police.” This shocked Mira. She decided to run out of her house and go to her friends since they would not have gone so far. She ran towards her friends. She said, “Thank God you all are here. You know what happened at my house today? I feel so strange.” As a response, Mira’s friends said, “Hold on! Who are you?” Mira was shocked! A few minutes back, her friends and she were giggling and now even they were not recognizing her! Mira was confused as well as shocked. At that moment, she realized her boyfriend had asked her if they could meet that day. After having such an awful day, she thought of going and meeting him. Maybe she could share what strange things have been happening to her the whole day. She knew he would be at the nearby beach. Mira reached the beach where her boyfriend and she usually used to sit and spend some time. She said, “Hey. I am here. You know what strange things have been happening to me today?” But Mira got surprised when her boyfriend said, “I don’t know who you are.” After saying this, he stood up and went away. Mira was shocked. Firstly, her parents, then her friends, and now her boyfriend? Mira was devastated. She started walking towards the sea and stood in the water. She stared at the sunset for a while, and later she looked at her own reflection in the sea. She asked herself, “Who am I?” Like a flash of lightning, she realized the whole truth. She was more than someone’s daughter, someone’s friend, and someone’s girlfriend. She needs to trust and love herself and this will make her confident and positive to face life and its challenges. She took a deep breath and confidently walked towards her house. And lo, everything was back as usual. She heard her mother say, “Hey Mira. You might have had a tiring day, right? Quickly freshen up and come for dinner. I have prepared your favourite dinner today!” Mira and her parents enjoyed the meal together. The next day, Mira had no negative experiences with her college friends nor her boyfriend.’

This sweet little story made me realize that I am more than a daughter, a sister, or a friend. I have some unique qualities which make me special and different from others. And the same thing is applicable to you too! You are special in your own way. I have realized, I don’t need to compare myself to others or feel low when someone compares me with others. We are all different and unique in our own ways and this variety makes this world a beautiful place. Life is full of different types of experiences. In this way, we not only discover new people but also discover ourselves in different ways!! As we all grow up, our likes and dislikes might change. The way we look at life might also change. Who knows? Thus, the answer to the question, “Who am I?” might keep changing and this is a lifetime process.