Musafir

Midnight. A moving train. I was figuring out where to light a smoke when a 19-year-old stranger walked in and stayed. Small talk turned into life talk.

Sports, esports, AI automation, freelancing. Strict parents. Big dreams. Bigger confusion. He wanted to be first at everything, but wasn’t sure at what.

I didn’t have answers about AI. But I knew confusion. So I told him what I wish someone had told me at his age:

It’s okay to not know. Compete with yourself, not the world. Draw a blank map. No deadlines. No labels. Just keep moving upward, one point at a time.

I told him he’s already doing better than he thinks. To slow down. To live a little. Because I didn’t and I missed things I can’t get back.

He listened. Quietly. Honestly. Before leaving, he came back, hugged me, and said, “Thanks, bhaiya.”

Sometimes, on a journey, you don’t meet destinations, you meet mirrors. And maybe become the person you once needed. ✨