Find your Laila

Arjun suffered from thalassophobia.

Or at least, that is what he told himself.

Thalassophobia, for those who still haven't googled the term, is an irrational fear of deep water, such as the sea or a large and deep swimming pool. In Arjun's case, this fear stopped him from exploring the ocean. He would sit on the beach with his laptop while his friends took a swim in a cool waters on a perfect warm day.

That fear was also responsible for his outburst, when he realised that his friends had tricked him into taking a scuba diving class.

Sounds familiar ?

Are you fretting bec you think that I am plagarising someone's story?

Relax. Breathe.

I am describing ZNMD.

I know it. I know that you know it now.

But that isn't the point of this story.

So stay with me for now.

So back to Arjun & his 'unkind' friends. And the scuba diving lesson.

Enter Laila.

Laila (or Katrina Kaif, as you see her in your head now) is a certified scuba diving instructor. But she doesn't do this for a living, not full time anyway. Instead, she uses it as an excuse to travel the world and teach part time at some of the world's best diving sites.

Now, if you can get the Katrina image out of your head, picture Laila.

Laila is awesome at what she does. She is professionally trained. She has helped and guided many through their first scuba experiences. She has met 'enthu cutlets' like Imran and 'scary cats' like Arjun.

Her craft remains the same.

The way she handles each one of them, differs.

I wont bother you with the details. But she manages to guide them through their training. She holds Arjun's hand (literally sometimes) and gets him through all aspects of the whole journey. She helps him face his fear, on land and then in the ocean. Laila ensures that he experiences everything- first the fear of stepping into the water, then the discomfort of having to go under it, then the absolute panic of having to hold his breath on the ocean floor.

Arjun emerges out of the water like a greek god.

It helps that he looks like Hrithik, but don't hold that against him. He looks like someone who has faced his fears and emerged victorious. When asked the secret, he even manages to share the secret like a quotable quote - "Aasaan hai. Bus Saans lete raho".

Arjun is the hero of this story. He is the one, who conquers the dark, deep recesses of his mind. And he is the one who also quotes the philosophy.

And yet,

none of this would have happened without Laila.

She understood his situation. Perhaps even better than he did. She had seen others like him ( may not have looked as good as HR!). She had seen that fear in others and she had helped them through it.

Without a coach like Laila, Arjun would not have experienced this transformation. And yet, she wasn't even in the frame, when he gave his gyaan about how to conquer that fear.

I hope you find your fear.

I hope you are able to break through.

I hope you find a coach who can hold your hand through it all.

I hope you find your Laila!