Adventure of a Lifetime: A Head Full of Dreams: My Coldplay Story

It all accelerated in November 2016.

NOVEMBER 2016
British band 'Coldplay' performed in India as apart of 'Global Citizen' initiative. It was about the hopeful goal of eliminating poverty in coming years and the band (along with many other artists) performed to raise charity to attain the same. For this concert, the show tickets were earned by doing various social and charity-related tasks. The cause is heart melting and the diligent effort of the band generated a lot of interest. This was the first time Coldplay was performing in India and I missed this as I was too busy (lost in daily mythical routines of life) to even get the clue that it's happening somewhere near me.

I was busy with my job, working hard and in the leftover time, I was trying studying, dancing, sometimes cooking and trying to make sense out of my life as it was happening. In other words, I was feeling desolated in life for the last five years and those were my attempts to put timestamps on my life in order to remember it as out of those five years, I couldn't properly recall three years of my life.

DECEMBER 2016
As I was in touch with my studies, I thought of applying to one of the colleges I had wanted to get into. I wrote the entrance exams for the same and it didn't go well, not good enough to qualify. That was another breaking point and the critical self-analysis brought me towards more disappointment and it brought along anxiety. I was dealing with this silently and in the process of coping, I started missing my loved ones more and so I requested my sister to visit me. She visited my place and eventually, we planned to be with each other till New years at least. She didn't have exact information (and I also didn't reveal anything) but she knew that there is something not right with me and with 'no questions asked' understanding, she just stayed. One day we were sitting and having the evening tea, discussing music and poetry (my sister has a natural talent for poetry writing) we decided to see the recording of the Coldplay concert which happened in the earlier month.

 Artists started performing one after another, there was dancing, singing, poetry recitation, beautiful speeches about the cause and how it will affect India, It was all very beautiful and meaningful. After all these acts, finally, Coldplay came. When they started playing, that immediate moment I felt as if the wind was knocked out of me and I realized that I have missed something and I stopped the recording even before the first song performance was completed. Some kind of force just punched my heart and I felt that I was supposed to be there, at that concert and its just I was not sure that why I was not there! I was so confused about all these feelings that started pouring in. I felt a vacuum in my soul.

From there, I just went into a zone wherein I recovered all my Coldplay song from my earlier song collections and made various Coldplay playlists for various occasions, sad, happy, triumph, travel, sleep, flight, walk, run, read, study... everything!

My husband was observing me for some time of my this unusual behavior, unusual because I suddenly had a presence, a sense of calm and peace which was lost for so many years. Earphones have become an integral part of my life and Coldplay was always on... he even said that he didn't know that I was such a big fan.. and I thought... even I forgot.. I forgot how to express, how to feel, how to say things. I used to listen to their songs back in time when I was dealing with some heavy emotional stuff in my life but then as I learned to live with the way things were... I realized not only I ignored the life but also my music and all other forms of joys in life. In transition, I had become this cynical person who used to feel that she is ready to fight the world but all I was doing was fighting within myself by suppressing everything.

JANUARY 2017
With music back in my life.. things started taking shape in a better way. I had an amazing time with my sister at Christmas and New Years and she tolerated me with all my obsession, craziness and this new found attitude where I was always high on music. We danced, we bonded on a spiritual level, lots of laughs and dreaming, lots of talks, stories, sometimes fights but we were (and are) each other's person. After the new year, she went back to her place and I was again back to being myself, afraid to be all alone and scared.

FEBRUARY 2017
As my earlier college application didn't work out, I applied again and this time I got the call. My first round (written) went fine and I was one of those lucky few to reach the interview round. I was feeling all excited that finally its happening and I am on my way to do something I had wanted, something better. The night before the interview, I again had this nervous energy and I couldn't understand why. As expected, it affected my next day and the moment I came out from my interview, I knew it was not sufficient. On my way back home I broke into tears and my heart knew it's not going to happen anyway. I remember listening to "The Scientist" the entire day and many more coming days.

MARCH 2017
The moment passed and I was again busy with my travel plans to Pune to meet my sister who was leaving for Manchester (UK) later that week. While I was in Pune, the result of my interview came and I didn't get the final offer. Although somewhere I knew in my heart that I won't be getting the offer, still the reality left me more confused and I couldn't understand what's next. It was March 2nd and  I remember "Hypnotised" was released that day and I listened to that song in the loop while walking for 2 hours thinking what's next. I couldn't come up with anything concrete but one thing I had decided at that time, it was to justify that I have to do something this year so that all this makes sense. I didn't know how! but I know I have to!

On the day of my birthday, I was all alone but at peace. My husband was in Canada for his studies and my sister was on her way to the UK. Out of nowhere, I decided that this year I will travel to New York in July. Again I didn't know how, but I wanted to. I listed all the plans as per my budget and was looking at the websites offering accommodation around NYC. As I was scrolling the website, I found Coldplay's "A Head Full Of Dreams" concert was happening at Metlife Stadium NJ in Aug. I bought the New Jersey tickets silently. On March 31st, Coldplay announced their second show in Toronto for Aug 22 date and I silently put myself in the queue for that as well, without knowing how I will go to both the places.

JUNE 2017
I got a call from my sister asking me to visit her in the UK and the same day my best friend in Canada also invited me to visit her. It seems when my husband was in Toronto, he thought of meeting my best friend there and somehow they all made plans that I should visit her in Canada. I was told later about this and I remember feeling overwhelmed by the gesture. I remember it was an evening when I was on my way to my dance class when these invitation calls came and I decided in that instance only that I need to do this. I asked my office to give me four weeks leave and they instantly approved, which is uncanny as no-one gets so many leaves at a stretch. I asked them and they said that it's been long since I have taken any leaves and its time.

AUGUST 2017
It all came down to get the Visa for Canada and UK in such a  short time and after lots of adrenaline rushes and struggles, stars got aligned for me and I  managed to get the Visa's for both the countries just a day before my travel date which was Aug 18th. As I got my Visa, My Coldplay Toronto tickets also got confirmed and I was all set. Till date, it all feels unreal how things happened, I want to believe that it was all due to the power of universe which has guided me to that instance of my life.

I reached Toronto, Canada on August 18th and watched Coldplay on Aug 22nd at Roger's Centre with 45,000 other fans. It was a big party with all like-minded people, we all sang, cried, laughed, danced, jumped together. The moment my Xyloband glowed in the dark (Red was the first colour I saw), it became real for me. By the time the song 'Yellow' came (needless to say, my Xyloband was yellow at that time), I contained the realness of the moment, teared up and eventually cried. I was feeling so many emotions at that time, remembering all my loved ones and thanking the God. It was not only that I get to see/listen my favourite band Live, but also the happenings and feelings that led me to that particular moment made me believe that its possible to do the things you dream. If we really want something from our heart, we need to believe and keep on working towards it and the universe will lead us to that. Coldplay was my "Secret"! From that moment on, everything was beautiful. I was living with the spirits of "Something Just Like this" and each and every day was an "Amazing Day".

 I completed my UK journey (which was so beautiful, more beautiful than I could have ever imagined) with Coldplay by my side, always! I got to see my Harry Potter fantasies coming live in Scotland and it was truly Magical! I also visited the city of "The Beatles", Liverpool. I will be writing about my UK experience in detail separately. All I want to say that overall it was a musical and magical month for me. It was one of the most beautiful time of my life.

I have re-invented myself. Newfound me believes that success is not something written on papers..it's a state of mind..which requires an open mind to enjoy. Success was around me all the time, it was just I was not responding to it.. it doesn't mean that we always rush to get ahead in life., it means that we enjoy what we have and build our dreams and achievements on top of that rather than rejecting everything we have achieved. Starting fresh means to offload ourselves with bad experiences but at the same time keeping the learning from those experiences intact.

2018
I am still found with earphones in my ears all the time and Coldplay is always on! In 2018, I again applied and I got into the same college which I couldn't get into earlier. It all makes sense now. Even though I was not selected last year, I got to see my favourite band live which I couldn't have been able to, if at all I had got selected and joined the college in 2017. So it all makes sense now. I have joined my college and these days you can see me in the campus with my earphones on. Needless to say, 'Coldplay' is on... Always!

"Look at the Stars!"