My bucket list: 10 things I wish to do before I die

After keeping all my years of clandestine desires tucked guardedly in my inner closet, today I have decided to strip my heart. This is a personal list of things that I always wanted to do, things that I have still not been able to do, and things which I wish to do before I die….yes, ladies and gentlemen, here comes my very own…bucket list.

1.      Getting published: I am a freelance writer by profession and a story-teller by choice and passion. So, there are no ifs and buts about this one. I have got to get published. It is one of my most ardent desires, and, of late, this desire has taken shape of a frenetic obsession. I hope one day you readers would hit the pillow with a copy of my book in your hand. And that day would come indeed, coz I refuse to die…until and unless I get published. After all, my legacy needs to be left behind ;)

2.      Owning a pet dog: As far back as my memories would take me to, I can easily remember nurturing this desire all the time. Even as a child, I would scurry off to a flat on the top floor of my building to fondle the pet dogs they had. My mom would never allow me to get a pet dog citing several reasons. She would quote financial problems and the usual worries about ‘who would potty train the dog and wipe off his shit’! But one day, I do intend to bring home a dog, perhaps sometime in the later stages of my life.

3.      Learning to play a violin: I’m not a big music buff and I hardly listen to songs. But I do have a penchant for melodious symphonies and have always nourished the desire to hold and play a violin. I do wish to take up a tutorial on it sometime during my remaining years.

4.      Parasailing: This is a desire which has taken birth in recent times. Of all the adventure sports, I am most fanatic about parasailing (I’m scared of bungee jumping, and do not have any swimming skills to go for scuba diving). I almost had this wish fulfilled on my recent trip to Digha and Mandarmani (beaches in West Bengal), but owing to adverse wind conditions, they denied permission. The next time I hit a beach destination, I would make sure to parasail.

5.      Visiting the Eiffel Tower with my loved one: Ever since I saw the Shammi Kapoor-Sharmila Tagore block buster ‘An Evening in Paris’ as a child, I have always craved to visit this so-called city of romance. Visiting the Eiffel Tower and standing/sitting/walking hand in hand with my loved one has always been a secret fantasy.

6.      Going on a wildlife trip or safari: Though I do not watch TV these days, except for an odd occasion or two, when I do feel like turning it on, my fingers instinctively begin to look for ‘Animal Planet’, ‘Discovery’ and ‘National Geographic’. I’m a wildlife buff, but have never been on a wildlife trip. It is my great yearning to visit some wildlife sanctuary. And if I can have it my way, I would opt for the Amazon Rain Forest. Ah, anacondas, so deliciously sinister…my eyes are hungry!!

7.      Marveling at the underwater world: I do have a strong fascination for the underwater world. And even though, scuba diving may not come easy to me, I am game for anything which can give me a glimpse of ‘what lies beneath’. May be through an aquarium or through some other means, I hope I will, one day, get a chance to witness what the oceans hold in their underlying bellies.

8.      Catching a comet or an asteroid: I remember having spent a couple of nights on the terrace during my earlier years when a comet or asteroid was expected to dazzle the sky. But I have never quite got a good view of such a spectacle. I do hope to catch it offguard one day when it is breezing past our planet and is unaware of my voyeuristic eyes.

PS- It is, of course, much more appealing to get hold of a piece of asteroid or to even land on extraterrestrial places like moon and Mars. But that would be fanciful and inanely unrealistic.

9.      Meeting Kritika and Rose: In the second half of the year 2011, I bumped into two most wonderful people in Kritika and Rose (her good name is Shweta) on Facebook. And I’ve found two most endearing friends in these two. We are, however, distanced by geography since they reside in different parts of the country. It is preposterous to even think of bidding the world adieu without meeting them at least once. Hopefully, the day is not too far away!

10.  Winning an IndiBlogger award: Though I have been regularly partaking in most of the contests organized by Indiblogger (a blogging platform for Indian Bloggers), I have never won any trophy. Either due to lack of quality or due to dearth of votes, I had to turn back dejected. But as is said, it is better late than never, and I do hope that one day I would have an IndiBlogger trophy to flaunt on my blog.  

~Ritesh Agarwal

Update: 

17th June, 2013: I have achieved #10. I have won an IndiBlogger prize today for the TressMe contest. It wasn't the big trophy though, but a secondary prize of Shopper's Stop Voucher.

29th June, 2013: I have achieved wish #1. I got published in an anthology called 'Lovelets'. My short story 'Love in the times of War' got selected. Today, I got hold of my author's copy and saw my name in print!

30th July, 2013: I have achieved wish#6. On 24th July, 2013, I visited Bharatpur Bird Park (Keoladeo National Park) in Rajasthan.

19th February, 2014: Achieved #9 partially. Met Rose (Swetha) in Goa during our trip.

27th March, 2014: Didn't technically achieve #2 coz I didn't get a dog. But brought home my first pets (rabbits Hunny and Bunny) on 27th March 2014 from my friend Mickey.