this picture speaks volumes to me

Last month, I completed 4 years living in the United States of America 🇺🇸. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be here. The western sit coms, superhero movies, New York high rise buildings, Californian coasts, breathtaking national parks, a melting pot of ideas - always fascinated me. And when I look back at these 3 years, I feel blessed. And content. Satisfied. The feeling you get after eating your favorite meal after you’ve been hungry for the entire day, and a glass of perfectly cold water to finish that meal. That feeling. I feel that whenever I think about my time here. How far have I come! Seven seas away!

Was it easy?

Hell no.

It took a lot of courage and sacrifices, in my own way, to leave behind everything in India and move countries. I had my own demons to slay, which is not the point of this write up. This blog is actually about a picture, which I distinctly remember hitting me emotionally, whenever I came across it. Something in me churned, I felt a strong sense of turmoil. It was this picture. Harry in his closet. (I had also wrote about this on Instagram a few years back)

This picture, still, speaks volumes to me. Here’s my interpretation of this picture:

Maybe, we all are waiting for our Hagrid to come, wish us a Happy Birthday and transform our lives by yelling, “get out of here, you are not true self here”. Think about it, under these stairs here, Harry is just another kid. In the muggle world, he is in fact a weirdo who speaks with snakes. But the moment he reaches platform 9 3/4, and boards the Hogwarts express, he is one of the GREATEST WIZARDS of the world.

If Harry would have never left that small attic under the stairs, he would have always felt worthless. He would have sulked, felt like a misfit and would have just survived. It’s important to know that your surrounding doesn’t define your true value and also, it does (wizarding world for Harry). In India, I felt that. I was that boy under the attic in a way. With the right surrounding, you can be a wizard.

Where your eccentricities can be valued.

Where you aren’t a weirdo.

Finding a place where you are a wizard, takes a lot of time and effort, it’s almost a probability game. But the first step is, get out of the attic. Your Hagrid will find you and wish you a Happy Birthday, because it would be the first day of your new life! The next time you feel like Harry in the attic, remember this picture. Go become the greatest wizard ever and make the world a better place by defeating Voldemort.

Thank you for reading!