I was just chilling at my home after a long night shift — watching TV.
The kind that stretches time and leaves you half awake even after you reach your bed.
Then suddenly, the power’s gone.
Just like that.
Though power cuts like these are not unusual in my area, little did I knew that this one was not.
It was infact, is going to be one of the most memorable ones I have ever experienced — and perhaps ever will.
And that, I was soon going to be figuring out in a few moments.
Anyway, I did what any bachelor might do on a hot day like this with no electricity.
I took my scooter and went out for a small ride around the city.
It was a short round. Just enough to feel the warm air and escape the stillness of the house.
When I returned, a kulfi cart was passing by my building.
For those who are not from India, kulfi is a traditional kind of ice cream made from slowly concentrated milk, frozen into a conical mould on a stick. It’s simple, old-fashioned, and perfect for a hot summer day just like this one.
I bought one.
Twenty rupees.
And I sat on my parked scooter eating it slowly.
It tasted awful.
A hot summer day.
A power cut.
And a cold kulfi that tasted bad.
But in a strange way, all these felt good enough.
At that moment, it felt like a small luxury.
While I was finishing it, I casually turned my head to the right.
That’s where the electricity meter board of my building is placed.
And suddenly I was frozen, like the kulfi.
Every meter was running.
All of them.
Except one.
Room 203.
My Room.
In that instant, a realization rushed through me.
I hadn’t paid the electricity bill for three months.
So this power cut wasn’t random.
It was personal.
And strangely enough, I started laughing.
Not because the situation was funny — but because the reason behind it was.
For the past few months I had been busy with many things. Planning, building, thinking about the future. Setting up things, like this Blog. Trying to shape something that did not yet exist.
But in doing all that, I had quietly forgotten something simple that already did.
The present.
The electricity bill was small.
Paying it wasn’t the problem.
Remembering it was.
And maybe, that is how life quietly slips past all of us.
And honestly, the irony here is this;
If the electricity had not gone, I would probably still be inside watching television.
I would never have taken the scooter ride.
And the kulfi cart would have quietly passed by my building without me ever noticing it.
We all chase what is coming next — the future, the plan, the bigger picture — while the small things in front of us wait patiently to be noticed.
A passing cloud.
A flower on the roadside.
A quiet evening.
Or a kulfi cart on a hot summer day.
If happiness ever hides anywhere, it is probably in these small moments.
So if you ever catch yourself rushing past them, it might be worth slowing down for a minute.
And simply enjoying them.
Perhaps with a cup of tea!