Time and again

There are several Hindi films with a "lost and found family" as the basic plot. One such classic is the 1965 Yash Chopra directed Waqt. The story can be summarized as follows. In the aftermath of a severe earthquake Lala Kedarnath's (Balraj Sahni's) family gets separated. His eldest son Raja finds himself in an orphanage from where he flees after being mistreated by the manager. He grows up to become a thief (Raj Kumar). The second son Ravi gets adopted by a couple who find him on a road, hurt. Under their wings he (Sunil Dutt) goes on to study law. Kedarnath's wife Lakshmi (Achala Sachdev) faces many hardships to raise their youngest son Vijay (Shashi Kapoor). In the meanwhile Lala is sentenced to jail when in his anger he kills Raja's orphanage manager. Years go by and the three brothers cross paths. Seeing a childhood photo of Ravi, Raja recognizes him but does not reveal his identity. When Raja is falsely implicated in a murder case Ravi comes to his defense. Both Vijay and Lala Kedarnath are key witnesses in this trial. After many twists and turns Ravi succeeds in proving Raja's innocence. Wanting to hear the final verdict Lakshmi also comes to the court. In this manner the whole family is brought face to face and gets ultimately reunited. Towards the end Lala Kedarnath says to his wife:

"Lakshmi... aisa maaloom hota hai jaise kuch hua hi nahi. Guzarne se pehle waqt kitna lamba maloom hota hai, kaate nahi kat-ta. Lekin guzarjaane ke baad sadiyan pal ban jaati hain, jaise koi sapna dekha ho."

meaning "Lakshmi... it appears as if nothing has happened. Before time passes by it appears so long, difficult to spend. But after it passes by centuries seem like moments, as if it was a dream we had seen."

As each day ends I tell myself that time is slipping away and gliding by. I am thankful for this as it brings me that much closer to the kind of life I am longing for. But as I am no way near the stage where the mega (centuries) transforms into nano (moments), there is still a lot left to endure. The uncertainity springs all kinds of doubts and when my spirits sway and sag I wonder if there is light at the end of the tunnel. To people who are in a similar boat Emily Dickinson gives the message:

"Time does go on
I tell it gay to those who suffer now
They shall survive
There is a sun
They don't believe it now"
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PS: At what speed has 2011 been going for you so far? You'd rather it moved slower or faster?