Home > Author > Nidhie Sharma
21 " I’ve held on to those memories for the longest; neverletting them go because it takes time – sometimes years –to truly understand how a childhood adventure can impactyou.When I look back, I marvel at how surreal that day hadbeen. It was the kind of misadventure one had only seenin the movies and in all those stories the protagonists wereadults, some of whom did not make it. But we were justchildren, and this was happening to us. And this was as realas it could get.For years after, numerous existential questions racedthrough my head: Was God testing us? Were we handpickedfor it? Was it preordained? Th en the fog started to lift and Isaw it for what it was: a day in the jungle. Also, a day wheneverything went wrong. I’d read somewhere that adversitydoes not build character, it reveals it. We were tested, wewere pushed to the limits of our physical and emotionalendurance. We made it out alive, and it is important thatthis experience be shared. "
― Nidhie Sharma , INVICTUS
22 " Anyway, the MI-17 made for one hell of a ride. Itwas a monstrous chopper, more like an armoured tank inthe sky. Th e insides had a few metal seats on either side.First-come-fi rst-served, you sat wherever you found space.The mothers took the seats and the brats sat on the cold metal floor, among camouflage-green nets, wooden boxes and miscellaneous military cargo.As the chopper rose, I peered at myfather waving from the small helipad made by plateauing amountain top with the Army’s engineering expertise. Somemoments stay with you forever. Th is particular one hasstood the test of time.As we fl ew off to the safest military base, I stuck my noseagainst the tiny window and kept waving back till my father became an olive-hued speck on the concrete helipad. "
23 " The other gem was Tawang’s gift to us: A tiny purebredApso, whom we called Mickey. A beautiful ball of white fur, a hopping rabbit, with heart-melting puppy eyes hidden behind shaggy Apso hair, perfect in all ways, well almost. Except Mickey farted. Farts so potent and loud, it was hard to believe a pintsizeddog was capable of generating such toxic fumes. Strangely, he saved his best ones for the weekly ladies’ get-together at home. ‘Your dog is dangerous,’ one of the ladies said laughingly to my mother. ‘This fellow will break wind and run off and we’ll be left wondering which one of us did it.’ The modus operandiwas simple. He would come hopping into the living room for tasty treats and while the ladies were fawning over him, Mickey broke wind. There was a hushed silence as the fumes spread quickly, and the ladies silently wondered which one of them was the uncouth culprit. It took them a few visits to figure thisout, by which time Mickey the Fartonator had been confined to the veranda.My poor mother was always at the receiving end courtesy our dogs and, well, me! "
24 " Bhalu looked like an unkempt, wild version of the most majestic dog I had ever laid eyes on – her name was Grace. My Grace. A German shepherd, a monster puppy who grew up to be a lady. Forever remembered fondly (by me) for taking regular puppy-sized dumps in Neha’s slippers and shoes, for being the reason Neha and I would have to figure innovative ways to save ourselves and run for cover if she were in thevicinity, for chewing up our toes like her life depended on it, for shredding curtains, socks, shoes and anything she could get a hold of with rare delight, for a bark so fierce yet feminine that people feared pressing the bell at our gates. "
25 " As we continued walking, the pebbles by the bank made a pleasant crunching sound under our feet. Their edges were polished to perfection by the continual friction of the water – revealing their innermost colours like polished diamonds.A particular stone caught my attention. It was shiningamong a sea of smooth grey ones. Picking it up, I gaped at it. This one was grey in colour like all the others except it had bands of iridescent blue running across its width. Thebands were the same magnifi cent hue of blue as the skies above. Did it break and fall from the skies and soak up the grey from its common companions? Was this some kind of fall from grace, because it really didn’t seem to belong where I found it.I smiled at the treasure I had chanced upon and popped it in the bag on my shoulder. This was going back with me.A forever memory of this day. "
26 " Neha’s walk across the river felt excruciatingly long. Like a rubber band stretched to its limits.It is peculiar how moments of happiness and euphoria seem to pass over like greased lightning when compared to the ones filled with pain or anxiety. I often ask myself if happiness is genuinely fleeting or if we are hardwired to believe that human beings are born to suffer, and for that very reason tend to sadistically amplify and stretch our anxieties? Could our age old conditioning be in cahoots with Loki? Maybe, maybe not. I am still debating this, internally... "
27 " With my popped ears, I could only hear the muffled humming of the MI-17’s powerful blades, so I focused my attention on what I could see. As the chopper followedits regular flight path towards Tezpur, I saw snow-capped mountain peaks nestling azure water bodies between them. And since the water was just a few metres below us, therewas no mistaking it for something else. Water for the gods– some might’ve said – and while the peaks were covered in snow, the small lakes had dazzling blue water. That sight, thekind which often appears in heavily photoshopped pictures on Instagram these days, was indescribable. Breathtakingwould be an absolute understatement.I had never witnessed anything like that before or after, and from that summer on, I learnt to accept the mystifying miracles of nature and its inherent fury, in equal parts. Andby the time the summer ended, I finally understood what a paradox truly meant. "
28 " Maybe I broke too many hearts, maybe I crushed too many souls, maybe my own heart was too broken to give a damn about anyone else’s. Maybe the wise man was right, maybe life was like a boxing match. Tons of people cheered for you from the outside but you were alone in the ring to ght your own battles and deal with your own mess. Maybe I couldn’t deal with mine. "
― Nidhie Sharma , Dancing With Demons
29 " Am I going to be chained to my demons forever? Condemned to dance in the dark? Condemned to unrelentingly self-destruct? "
30 " Until that fateful moment, I did not quite understand the anatomy of fear. Creeping up surreptitiously, it could permeate your skin and, before you knew it, course through your veins like a tidal wave. A thumping heart and a parched mouth were classic symptoms of surrender. With the rational side of the brain hijacked, fear could paralyse you at will or compel you to jump out of your skin when you most need to stay calm. Standing in those raging waters, I learnt that fear most certainly could kill "
31 " An artist is ultimately remembered for creating an uncompromised body of work. Uncompromised, unfettered and fiercely passionate. "
32 " Sometimes, just sometimes, the Jungle that is designed to kill you, decides to make you instead. - INVICTUS-The Jungle that Made me "