《Manan - Entangled》Part 19
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Manik changed his mind and continued to volunteer at the orphanage. He had joined the club for their own benefit, but he stayed back now for Nandini. Earlier he involved himself in the activities reluctantly, but now he did so willingly.
Manik's initial approach was to advice Nandini and change her mindset. He initiated the conversations by linking it to Nandini's actions or activities going on around them.
When he found Nandini helping someone,
Manik : "You always seem to be concerned about others and their well-being. Don't you think that you should take your well-being into consideration too?"
Nandini : "Why are you saying like that? .. I do take care of myself."
Manik : "I haven't seen any change in you since the time I have met you. Neither do you seem happy nor healthy."
Nandini : "In order to appear happy or healthy, the mind has to be at peace and it isn't easy to calm the mind."
Manik : "It may not be easy, but it isn't very difficult too. You can influence your mind by changing your surroundings if other things you have tried hasn't worked."
Nandini : "I have moved to a different city, what more can I do than that to change the surroundings?"
Manik thought for a while.
Manik : "Let's start with the clothes you wear .. it looks as though you are grieving someone. .. Are you grieving?"
Nandini didn't respond to that question.
Manik : "Even when someone loses a dear one, they are in such attire for a few days, but I myself have seen you wearing such pale clothes since many weeks. May be you should try something that will lift your mood."
Manik : "Also you are at the orphanage every day. If you look back at how things have been going on here, no doubt you are helping others, but is it helping you? You are stressing yourself. I am not saying that you should stop volunteering, but you can reduce it and replace it with something that will have a positive impact on you."
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On another occasion, when a group was practicing a song for the charity event,
Manik : "Being a musician myself, I am curious to know how you are able to stay away from music?"
Nandini : "I was under the impression that music would serve as one of the means to reach my destination. But then I realized that it was the root cause of everything that happened. Moreover, the destination was also not right, so it lost it's importance in my life."
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Manik : "I am not able to understand how music can cause a problem. It has helped me find a solution to my problem most of the time."
Nandini : "Did you forget? Music would have landed you in the hospital."
It wasn't only music that would have landed him in the hospital, he gave that as a reason because he couldn't tell the actual reason.
Manik : "How was music at fault? What wasn't right was how and where I used it. I will be careful next time, but I am not going to discard it from my life. It holds good for other things too, not just music."
Manik : "May be the destination wasn't right, but that doesn't mean that your journey or whatever you focused on during your journey has no importance. May be you only need to retreat a few steps and the same path or the means may lead you to a different and a better destination."
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It was just a few days before the charity event and they were putting everything together including the decorations.
Manik : "Everyone knows that it is an orphanage, so no one is going to expect much. So what is the need of all these decorations? It is a waste of time and energy, especially when it is going to be up only for a day. What difference will it make?"
Nandini : "So what if it is an orphanage? Don't people living here have the right to celebrate and enjoy like other people? The decorations lifts their mood and adds to their excitement for the event. It may be up only for a day, but the memory of the day will stay longer in their minds. It will also make the guests of the event feel more welcome."
Manik : "It is just a building, but adding colors and lights to it can influence the minds of people living in it as well as people coming from outside. It works similarly when it comes to us too."
Nandini listened to whatever Manik said and understood that he was trying to change her mindset, but his advice wasn't sufficient to dispel her viewpoint.
Nandini : "It isn't as simple as you say. Adding colors to life isn't as easy as adding it to a building."
Manik : "Adding colors to life may not be easy, but adding colors to your surroundings is. In fact changing your clothes from pale ones to colorful ones is more easier than adding colors to the building. Small changes can add up and make a big difference."
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It wasn't that easy for Nandini to let go of her issues or beliefs.
Nandini : "It is easy to advise but difficult to implement it. You have no idea how complicated things can be. You would be accustomed to an easier life, so you won't be able to comprehend."
Manik : "So tell me what the complication is?"
Nandini : "I can't."
Manik : "Alright, my life may not be as complicated as yours, but that doesn't mean that there are no issues at all. I am not advising you something that I don't follow. Whether the problems are small or big, one still needs to deal with it."
Manik thought for a while. He still had no idea what her issue was to give her the right advice. He could advice her only based on his experiences. In Mukti's case his advice hadn't worked as well as he had expected, but he didn't have much experience when it came to that matter. He knew that that wasn't the case with Nandini.
Manik : "I don't know if it will help you change your point of view, but I have a life long issue and there seems to be no solution to it. I have accepted the fact that there is nothing I can do to change it and I have learnt to live with it. I don't let it bother me and upset my well-being."
Manik was referring to his parents. When he was younger, he had asked his parents several times as to why they argued all the time. They never told him why, in stead they stopped doing so in front of him.
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Manik didn't notice any change in Nandini even after all his advice. He knew it would take time to implement, but he wasn't sure even if his advice had any effect on her. He wanted to see some change in her to ensure it worked, but he didn't want to continue volunteering after the charity event was over.
Manik continued to think what he could do for quick results, that's when he remembered what Nandini had mentioned once.
"Sometimes when people aren't ready to listen and understand what is right when you say politely, it becomes necessary to opt such means to make a point and show what is right."
Back then he had taken that point into consideration in a wrong sense, but now he felt that he could use the concept, and he acted upon it immediately.
Manik : "I finally figured out what's the reason behind you wearing pale clothes."
Nandini : "What?"
Manik : "You want to gain everyone's attention."
Nandini wasn't definitely trying to gain attention and even he knew it.
Nandini : "What makes you think so?"
Manik : "Wearing different type of clothes from others makes you stand apart. It gains attention irrespective of whether it very bright or very pale."
Nandini : "You are free to think whatever you want to, it doesn't matter to me."
Manik : "But it matters to me because you are my partner. Look at the contrast between us."
Manik took great care of his appearance, while Nandini was very careless when it came to it.
Nandini : "You didn't bring it up all these days, then why now?"
Manik : "It didn't matter as much, but an event is different compared to other days. What will happen to my image when I have to introduce you as my partner?"
In reality it didn't matter to him. He gave more importance to the way she was as a person than the way she looked. He wanted her to initiate making small changes and realize that it can make a difference.
Nandini : "You can talk to the president and change your partner."
Manik : "It's too late to change partners, that's why I am making an attempt to change you."
Nandini didn't have an immediate response.
Manik : "It is just a matter of a day. After this event, I won't be your partner anymore to bother you. Can't you fulfill my last wish before I leave?"
Nandini : "You are leaving after this event?"
Manik : "Yes."
Manik had tried a few options that came to his mind. He had to wait and see if it had worked or not.
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