I just want to know one thing... yaar why aren't there no more good serials on the telly? I am getting so thoroughly bored in the vacations, and cant even see TV jus bcz there's nothing on it except than tear jearking sagas like kyunki, kahani, bidaai n all d similar crap. And they are supposed to "serve d masses"... arn't d youngsters a part of d masses? Where's d cult catering to our needs? Who d hell gives a shit to kitchen politics? Or whether u hav some "secret" in ur family or not? Dead wives, loony grandmoms, wicked in-laws, married aunts who stay at their parents' houses along with their husbands and children and their spouses, men who dont work n stay at home to listen to women's useless banters, doctors who just play basketball or hav bike racing or indulge themselves in 'pyar, ishq n mohabbat'... (stupid all of them, but damn gud looking) kidnappings whose ransom runs into a few hundred crores, bussiness deals of again a few thousand crores, generations of relatives living together under one roof, any newcomer welcomed in d family as their own n then married off to some member of d family itslf, one bussiness loss n voila u r in a chawl (yet wearing sarees n jewellery worth crores), artificial heavy make up, men n women marrying scores of times, murders, rebirths, plastic surgeries, revenge, ahhhhh i m BORED of these.... plz give me somthng new.... and refreshing....
When Star One was introduced a few yrs ago, it had such a huge variety of serials serving d youth like remix, sarabhai vs sarabhai, dil kya chahta hai, pyar ki kashti me, hotel kingston, siddhanth, special squad, laughter challenge.... but after these got over (atleast they did, unlike many others on Star Plus n Sony which run longer than Mahabharata n Ramayana) no serial could cum up to their levels.... sadly bt true.... And we have to b hooked on to english serials like Friends to pass our times. For d past one month i hav nt watchd a single hindi channel, but faithfully swithched from AXN to Star World to Zee Studios n others, watching an occasional flick on HBO or Star Movies or Zee Cafe or Bindaas... Hey i forgot to mention abt d 3 new channels of Bindaas... they r gud.... actually.... but not upto d mark.... not evn NDTV Imagine (they hav all d funny sounding serials... thats d best part!!! d only best part)
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
STRANGE !!!
Had a very eccentric experience today morning. And the strangest part about the whole experience was that it was not strange at all. No no, I haven’t lost my mind. It’s just that I heard a few children shouting in my neighbour’s backyard, and felt like joining them. So you might ask wats so strange in this? Yap a 20 year old thinking like this might sound a wee bit weird, but we all sometimes think on such similar terms. But that’s the whole point. It’s just that I felt so happy, that I wished to join them. It kind of reminded me of my childhood days when I used to shout in the same way and spend hours in the sun playing with my cousins. Making marble houses with my sis, running after each other threatening to eat up some or the other body parts, trying to fly kites (which won’t fly even over our heads), sneaking out in the afternoon to have a bottle of fanta or ice creams, playing houses or ghosts… those days were such fun. Living in joint families has their own benefits. And the added attractions were always the coming over of cousins; those were the times I used to actually go completely wild. My cousins used to call me a sumo wrestler (because I was extremely over weight) and I had to fight like a one and we also had dummy WWF matches. Rolling over each other to fight was actually the best part. We used to run away from our houses and press the door bell of all our neighbours, and disturb their afternoon naps, celebrate diwali after two days and irritate everybody and start playing holi from a week in advance (only and only water allowed, we used to be soaked up to our skins.) The throwing competitions were so much fun as well (we used to snatch up other’s things and then play catch-and-pass; I used to only enjoy if the things did not belong to me.) As we grew up, our childish games replaced the more serious “personal talks” that included our latest crushes, school bullies, colony ‘dadas’ and school toppers. How we used to ‘plan’ to hang our respective school toppers, or rather do something that would make them a lesser nerds than they were actually, or thrash up the school bullies and seniors (though we never got over the stage of planning and did NOTHING of the sort.) I still remember our pillow fights and blowing of bubbles from tooth pastes. Nothing can replace those carefree days of childhood. Now I regret growing up, and also that we all cousins have scattered to different parts of the world.
I don’t know but something has gone terribly wrong with the kids of my colony as well. They just don’t play in the evening. Hardly can I see a soul or two playing badminton or cycling. Whatever happened to the games like cricket, cycle racing and pittoo and marbles? I used to spend hours (up till my tenth standard) playing in the evening. Maybe these kids have become more interested in indoor games or TV; or rather their parents have become more concerned about studies and decided that tuitions are more important than playing. Whatever it is, but I am certainly missing the tempo of summer holidays, when I used to play out till dark, and after that badminton under street lights and curse the uncles who used to park their cars or aunties gossiping in our playground( ie on the streets). It was only at dinner time that my parents could persuade me to return home. I used to go for morning walks as well during holidays ( I guess I wasn’t so lazy after all). But seriously I am missing that environment… actually wondering has there developed a kind of generation- gap between us? ( By the way, mind you, I am just 20 and they can’t be more than 7-8). But things have definitely changed, maybe for the worse. (funda thoda jyada ho gaya hai na? Am I sounding like an aunty? Whatever. Period. )
I don’t know but something has gone terribly wrong with the kids of my colony as well. They just don’t play in the evening. Hardly can I see a soul or two playing badminton or cycling. Whatever happened to the games like cricket, cycle racing and pittoo and marbles? I used to spend hours (up till my tenth standard) playing in the evening. Maybe these kids have become more interested in indoor games or TV; or rather their parents have become more concerned about studies and decided that tuitions are more important than playing. Whatever it is, but I am certainly missing the tempo of summer holidays, when I used to play out till dark, and after that badminton under street lights and curse the uncles who used to park their cars or aunties gossiping in our playground( ie on the streets). It was only at dinner time that my parents could persuade me to return home. I used to go for morning walks as well during holidays ( I guess I wasn’t so lazy after all). But seriously I am missing that environment… actually wondering has there developed a kind of generation- gap between us? ( By the way, mind you, I am just 20 and they can’t be more than 7-8). But things have definitely changed, maybe for the worse. (funda thoda jyada ho gaya hai na? Am I sounding like an aunty? Whatever. Period. )
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
TAGGED!!!!
Here i am doing my first tag... tagged by Ashu!!!! Thank u dear... this one's for you....
Though the things are not necessarily in any particular order....
EIGHT THINGS I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT
1) Chocolates and Coffee: I have a very major sweet tooth and can devour atleast five chocolate bars in a single go. Also from the beginning of this year I have developed a major attraction for coffee (me being such a big patron of tea, this is a major development in my life!!!) Now I can’t spend a single day without having my cuppa of coffee.
2) Teddy bears: I just love cuddling to teddy bears; sizes, shapes, colours, and make no bar. I already have a collection of three big and several small teddies. I know that’s a small collection considering my liking for it, but if you are the eldest child even in your extended family, you are touted as the most ‘mature’ and ‘responsible’ one… so living up to that image requires certain sacrifices on your part.
3) Sleeping, listening to music, reading novels: This should have been at number one but never mind… my days can easily be categorised in these three activities… they are the numero uno activities I indulge in ie in sleeping (I can beat the world record holder, touch wood), in listening to music (my dad often complains that my room looks like a pan corner because its always so dirty and always so noisy. If I am not doing anything else I am listening to radio.) And of course since childhood I have been a big reading buff. (I have read everything, from serious to crap fiction, poetry, dramas etc. all genres included, and not to forget newspapers and magazines.)
4) Talking on the phone: Man I have got stamina for this. I can go on and on and on and on…. For hours together. Therefore according to my mum, the best choice for my profession will be a call centre job.
5) Walking: I enjoy taking long walks in the park or just moving around aimlessly. That’s the best time of the day.
6) Meeting friends: Being an extrovert that I am, I enjoy going out, exploring new places and meeting new people. And yes my friends list includes not just my friends, but their friends’ n their friends as well.
7) Dancing: Generally people are bathroom singers, but I am a bathroom cum bedroom dancer ie I dance only when nobody’s watching me. It helps to relieve my stress.
8) Internet: My latest addiction ie internet. Since I am at home nowadays, doing nothing, I have started spending hours and hours on the net.
EIGHT THINGS TO DO BEFORE I DIE
1) Travel: I want to travel, not only to far off places, but also travel around India, especially Kerela, Pondicherry, Goa, Karnataka. (South India) I have this desire of witnessing the grandeur of pyramids before I finally close my eyes.
2) Buy a house and a car: I want to buy a swanky sports car and a modest house for myself, with my own earned money. But the house would be on a secluded island, and not in any metropolitan city.
3) Own a pet: I am a huge dog lover, and since the time I remember I have always wanted a pet for myself. So that’s the first thing I am going to do with my first salary… buy a pup.
4) Understand people: I seriously need to master the art of understanding people, their psyche and their mood swings. I have had so many fights with my friends on this topic (touch wood the fights could not change a thing between us).
5) Lead a satisfactory life: I may not be having every material thing, but if I have my peace of mind, I would consider myself lucky.
6) Lend my name to a noble social cause: Though I am not a big social activist, but the humanitarian part of me insists on doing something good for the underprivileged kids, maybe in the field of education.
7) Do something for which the world will remember me after my death: I want to be a successful entrepreneur, and lead the company from the front.
8) Always make the people happy: Actually all that I desire can be encapsulated in a single sentence ie I want to make people happy (not only my loved ones, but everybody…. I want to touch the heart of the people who have ever had anything remotely to do with me.)
Also I want to learn guitar n speak French ( did not add to the list because I am going to start doing these from this year onwards.)
EIGHT THINGS I OFTEN SAY
1) Hey wassupp? :: That’s how I greet everyone, may it be through messages, or mails or personally.
2) How can you irritate me so much? :: This line is reserved for my brother, and my very close friends only.
3) I did not mean to say this :: People often misinterpret me, so this is a oft repeated phrase in my vocabulary.
4) I am truly, sincerely sorry :: This line means I am actually sorry, otherwise I am just being sarcastic, nothing else.
5) Shoooooo :: Again reserved for my bro and very close friends, though said with a wink.
6) Ya ya… go on, jhooth pe tax thodi na lagta hai :: That’s when people praise or flirt with me.
7) Achha? Huh huh huh!!! :: This shows the intensity of my sentence.
8) Ohhhhhhhh :: Shows surprise in my vocab.
EIGHT BOOKS I READ RECENTLY
1) The monk who sold his Ferrari: Totally avoidable. Very high on philosophy, in short very boring!!! Some may like it, but I did’nt.
2) The life of Pi: Again did not like it. Some of the parts should have been edited and others needed better expression. The middle part was absolutely disgusting.
3) To kill a mocking bird: Absolutely, absolutely loved it. No two ways about it. I don’t think anybody can actually not like it. Have already read it over a dozen times. In a single word, brilliant!
4) The kite runner: Again loved it. Cried with it too. Absolutely heart rendering, simply fabulous. Plainly told, it made a huge impact. Could not help but think about it for several weeks after I read it.
5) A thousand splendid suns: Good but considering I read it directly after ‘The kite runner’, it could not held on its own. Extremely repetitive.
6) Men are from mars, women are from venus: Did not help me. Period. Instead had a huge fight with one of my friends. Cautionary Warning: If you had a fight and want to make up again, do not send any letters, mails or text messages. Simply pick up the phone and place the call.
7) Taslima Nasrin’s Lajja: Brilliant. But overhyped.
8) Next on my list are Lolita and Opel Mehta.
SONGS I CAN LISTEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN
1) Sabse peeche hum khade by Silk Route.
2) Don’t expect me to be your friend by Lobo.
3) I’ll have to say I love you in a song by Jim Croce
4) Kuch is tarah by Atif
5) Lonely by Akon
6) Chal chale of Woh Lamhe
7) Jeene ke ishare of Phir Milenge
8) Soona soona of Krishna Cottage
EIGHT QUALITIES THAT ATTRACT ME TO MY BEST FRIEND
1) Honesty and straight forwardness.
2) The individuality and uniqueness in each.
3) Ability to understand me and support me.
4) Transparency in relationships.
5) Put up with my mood swings happily.
6) Can laugh as well as cry with me.
7) Fight in a while, yet cannot live without me.
8) Can honestly tell me my mistakes, and not try to impress me.
EIGHT PEOPLE I WANT TO TAG
Actually no one. Since I am new to this blogging world, so I don’t have too many friends who own a blog, and others have already been tagged and done it.
Though the things are not necessarily in any particular order....
EIGHT THINGS I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT
1) Chocolates and Coffee: I have a very major sweet tooth and can devour atleast five chocolate bars in a single go. Also from the beginning of this year I have developed a major attraction for coffee (me being such a big patron of tea, this is a major development in my life!!!) Now I can’t spend a single day without having my cuppa of coffee.
2) Teddy bears: I just love cuddling to teddy bears; sizes, shapes, colours, and make no bar. I already have a collection of three big and several small teddies. I know that’s a small collection considering my liking for it, but if you are the eldest child even in your extended family, you are touted as the most ‘mature’ and ‘responsible’ one… so living up to that image requires certain sacrifices on your part.
3) Sleeping, listening to music, reading novels: This should have been at number one but never mind… my days can easily be categorised in these three activities… they are the numero uno activities I indulge in ie in sleeping (I can beat the world record holder, touch wood), in listening to music (my dad often complains that my room looks like a pan corner because its always so dirty and always so noisy. If I am not doing anything else I am listening to radio.) And of course since childhood I have been a big reading buff. (I have read everything, from serious to crap fiction, poetry, dramas etc. all genres included, and not to forget newspapers and magazines.)
4) Talking on the phone: Man I have got stamina for this. I can go on and on and on and on…. For hours together. Therefore according to my mum, the best choice for my profession will be a call centre job.
5) Walking: I enjoy taking long walks in the park or just moving around aimlessly. That’s the best time of the day.
6) Meeting friends: Being an extrovert that I am, I enjoy going out, exploring new places and meeting new people. And yes my friends list includes not just my friends, but their friends’ n their friends as well.
7) Dancing: Generally people are bathroom singers, but I am a bathroom cum bedroom dancer ie I dance only when nobody’s watching me. It helps to relieve my stress.
8) Internet: My latest addiction ie internet. Since I am at home nowadays, doing nothing, I have started spending hours and hours on the net.
EIGHT THINGS TO DO BEFORE I DIE
1) Travel: I want to travel, not only to far off places, but also travel around India, especially Kerela, Pondicherry, Goa, Karnataka. (South India) I have this desire of witnessing the grandeur of pyramids before I finally close my eyes.
2) Buy a house and a car: I want to buy a swanky sports car and a modest house for myself, with my own earned money. But the house would be on a secluded island, and not in any metropolitan city.
3) Own a pet: I am a huge dog lover, and since the time I remember I have always wanted a pet for myself. So that’s the first thing I am going to do with my first salary… buy a pup.
4) Understand people: I seriously need to master the art of understanding people, their psyche and their mood swings. I have had so many fights with my friends on this topic (touch wood the fights could not change a thing between us).
5) Lead a satisfactory life: I may not be having every material thing, but if I have my peace of mind, I would consider myself lucky.
6) Lend my name to a noble social cause: Though I am not a big social activist, but the humanitarian part of me insists on doing something good for the underprivileged kids, maybe in the field of education.
7) Do something for which the world will remember me after my death: I want to be a successful entrepreneur, and lead the company from the front.
8) Always make the people happy: Actually all that I desire can be encapsulated in a single sentence ie I want to make people happy (not only my loved ones, but everybody…. I want to touch the heart of the people who have ever had anything remotely to do with me.)
Also I want to learn guitar n speak French ( did not add to the list because I am going to start doing these from this year onwards.)
EIGHT THINGS I OFTEN SAY
1) Hey wassupp? :: That’s how I greet everyone, may it be through messages, or mails or personally.
2) How can you irritate me so much? :: This line is reserved for my brother, and my very close friends only.
3) I did not mean to say this :: People often misinterpret me, so this is a oft repeated phrase in my vocabulary.
4) I am truly, sincerely sorry :: This line means I am actually sorry, otherwise I am just being sarcastic, nothing else.
5) Shoooooo :: Again reserved for my bro and very close friends, though said with a wink.
6) Ya ya… go on, jhooth pe tax thodi na lagta hai :: That’s when people praise or flirt with me.
7) Achha? Huh huh huh!!! :: This shows the intensity of my sentence.
8) Ohhhhhhhh :: Shows surprise in my vocab.
EIGHT BOOKS I READ RECENTLY
1) The monk who sold his Ferrari: Totally avoidable. Very high on philosophy, in short very boring!!! Some may like it, but I did’nt.
2) The life of Pi: Again did not like it. Some of the parts should have been edited and others needed better expression. The middle part was absolutely disgusting.
3) To kill a mocking bird: Absolutely, absolutely loved it. No two ways about it. I don’t think anybody can actually not like it. Have already read it over a dozen times. In a single word, brilliant!
4) The kite runner: Again loved it. Cried with it too. Absolutely heart rendering, simply fabulous. Plainly told, it made a huge impact. Could not help but think about it for several weeks after I read it.
5) A thousand splendid suns: Good but considering I read it directly after ‘The kite runner’, it could not held on its own. Extremely repetitive.
6) Men are from mars, women are from venus: Did not help me. Period. Instead had a huge fight with one of my friends. Cautionary Warning: If you had a fight and want to make up again, do not send any letters, mails or text messages. Simply pick up the phone and place the call.
7) Taslima Nasrin’s Lajja: Brilliant. But overhyped.
8) Next on my list are Lolita and Opel Mehta.
SONGS I CAN LISTEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN
1) Sabse peeche hum khade by Silk Route.
2) Don’t expect me to be your friend by Lobo.
3) I’ll have to say I love you in a song by Jim Croce
4) Kuch is tarah by Atif
5) Lonely by Akon
6) Chal chale of Woh Lamhe
7) Jeene ke ishare of Phir Milenge
8) Soona soona of Krishna Cottage
EIGHT QUALITIES THAT ATTRACT ME TO MY BEST FRIEND
1) Honesty and straight forwardness.
2) The individuality and uniqueness in each.
3) Ability to understand me and support me.
4) Transparency in relationships.
5) Put up with my mood swings happily.
6) Can laugh as well as cry with me.
7) Fight in a while, yet cannot live without me.
8) Can honestly tell me my mistakes, and not try to impress me.
EIGHT PEOPLE I WANT TO TAG
Actually no one. Since I am new to this blogging world, so I don’t have too many friends who own a blog, and others have already been tagged and done it.
ARE WE LOSING TOUCH WITH REALITY?
Case in point: Two people meet through Orkut, chat for a while in GTalk, seem to like each other a lot, decide to exchange phone numbers, talk some more, the length of calls extending to hours, even midnight calls, finally deciding to meet up at a nearby café… becoming very good friends, then something more than that, “special” friends, and finally boyfriend -girlfriend….. Two months down the lane they break up…. Reason? They realized they aren’t compatible. Very different from their virtual images, they find it difficult to adjust to each other. End result: Lots of pain and a broken relationship.
Does this scenario sound very familiar? As if it has happened to you, or to someone whom you knew/know? Shocking, isn’t it? But its true… all of us have somehow got trapped in the images we have created for ourselves. Personalities defined by “cute guys’ or “love gals”, they become the identity after a while. In the absence of face to face interactions between people, cell phones and internet taking the place of actual meetings, we have somehow become very recluse and shy in the presence of other people. No longer it’s the letters and cards that announce the oncoming of a festival or good news, but e- cards and e- mails that hound our inboxes. Invitations of marriages and birthday wishes are also send nowadays via scraps. But are they actually able to convey the warmth that hand written letters and cards are able to do? I think not. We have become so busy or rather I would say careless that a personal touch goes missing in all our dealings. Isn’t it fun to pounce upon friends on their birthdays with cakes and then muck their faces with it? Or meet old school buddies at those favorite hangouts instead of scrapping them once in two three months?
At all times it’s important to maintain that essential human contact and not entirely lose away to the virtual world. The aspect of trust also diminishes because imposters aren’t very uncommon on net. But on the flip side personally I have met so many wonderful people through the internet itself that I feel it would be entirely wrong on my part to blame others for spending too much time online. Also it becomes easy to remain in contact with all the long lost friends through internet. So be careful while dealing with strangers, and don’t restrict yourself to internet and encourage that friendship (to the people whom you know) to grow over time….
Does this scenario sound very familiar? As if it has happened to you, or to someone whom you knew/know? Shocking, isn’t it? But its true… all of us have somehow got trapped in the images we have created for ourselves. Personalities defined by “cute guys’ or “love gals”, they become the identity after a while. In the absence of face to face interactions between people, cell phones and internet taking the place of actual meetings, we have somehow become very recluse and shy in the presence of other people. No longer it’s the letters and cards that announce the oncoming of a festival or good news, but e- cards and e- mails that hound our inboxes. Invitations of marriages and birthday wishes are also send nowadays via scraps. But are they actually able to convey the warmth that hand written letters and cards are able to do? I think not. We have become so busy or rather I would say careless that a personal touch goes missing in all our dealings. Isn’t it fun to pounce upon friends on their birthdays with cakes and then muck their faces with it? Or meet old school buddies at those favorite hangouts instead of scrapping them once in two three months?
At all times it’s important to maintain that essential human contact and not entirely lose away to the virtual world. The aspect of trust also diminishes because imposters aren’t very uncommon on net. But on the flip side personally I have met so many wonderful people through the internet itself that I feel it would be entirely wrong on my part to blame others for spending too much time online. Also it becomes easy to remain in contact with all the long lost friends through internet. So be careful while dealing with strangers, and don’t restrict yourself to internet and encourage that friendship (to the people whom you know) to grow over time….
Its raining..... (not men stupid, but raindrops...)
Yups its raining again... after such a long time... n miraculously all of a sudden i have become very happy happy.... more like the Tashan song, "very happy in my heart, dil dance maare...".... perfect weather to go out n meet friends (yaar internship n article ship se ek din ki chutti maar lo... reason: *ahem* its a rainy day sir!!!), or just laze around sipping a cup of coffee... suddenly getting an urge to gorge on dark chocolates... yumm my mouth's already watering.... for sure will visit the park today evening n feed d ducks some popcorns.....
This week's been all full of khushi n gham 2gether.... bought a new laptop.... made me so very happy and excited.... n d very next day my PC crashed n all d programmes of my lappi dissapeared as well (no prizes for guessing i was behind all these mischiefs)... again d nxt day sab kuch theek (nw PC n lappi both in superb health n doin good by god's grace... not a single penny charged frm me... i m super duper lucky!!!!!) wooh!!!! that ws one helluva long week... (oops its jus wednesday.... n i already thinking abt winding it up.....)
This week's been all full of khushi n gham 2gether.... bought a new laptop.... made me so very happy and excited.... n d very next day my PC crashed n all d programmes of my lappi dissapeared as well (no prizes for guessing i was behind all these mischiefs)... again d nxt day sab kuch theek (nw PC n lappi both in superb health n doin good by god's grace... not a single penny charged frm me... i m super duper lucky!!!!!) wooh!!!! that ws one helluva long week... (oops its jus wednesday.... n i already thinking abt winding it up.....)
Thursday, May 8, 2008
How much land does a man need?
How much land does a man require? That’s the question that our good, old English Literature (CBSE) book asked in standard 7. But I feel somehow the question has changed its meanings as we have grown up – its no more just the land needed to place the grave comfortably but “ MY PRIVATE SPACE” that people crave for.
As I was flipping through the pages of my text book, that being a yearly ritual for DU students a night before the main exams, I came across an interesting conversation between Bonnefoy and Ionesco (I did his ‘Rhinoceros’ this year) where Ionesco spoke about the need of solitude in today’s world. Reading his piece, it tickled me off thinking that in a way he was correct in assessing that the lack of solitude is one of the main problems of this age. Not ‘communal solitude’ which means isolation or alienation or estrangement from the world, but the solitude in which one is able to withdraw unto oneself so that a healthy analysis can be undertaken about our past actions, present circumstances and future decisions. For this everyone need sometime off for themselves { by the way everybody dread being ‘alone in a crowd’ yet desire it as the same time.} Have’nt we all at some point or the other in our lives wished to be left all alone? Switched off from every human contact and just stared at the distant sky searching for the entirety in our souls? Wished to silence the noise outside and listen to the music of the heart? Long solitary walks where no external force can disturb, silently sitting at the window pane watching the sorrow laden clouds unburdening themselves and then bright rainbows making the whole world pristine clear? Companionship is needed at all times, yet have we never desired to sit by the lakeside and see the sunset all by yourself… feeling as if everything, every beauty is present to soothe your senses alone, to make you believe you are the sole beneficiary of God’s benevolence? It is only at those times that one feels the presence of God by their side.
Again these above lines made me divert and think what has actually made the modern day man so recluse? Is it the societal pressure or the competition? Accepted that ‘survival of the fittest’ theory has never before found its true meaning as it has in the twenty- first century, but our elders too must have faced the same crux in their own ways. So why is it that only our generation has started demanding their “space” – not after life but for the very reason to live. I mean my parents never demanded it, and happily lived in a large joint family for their entire childhoods. Space never meant a luxury for them, but a thing of necessity. But me and my bro, each having our separate rooms, still crave for space and privacy. I wonder when this hunger for metaphoric - temporal space will satiate, and what all we will lose till then. For the time being, I am going to stay in my own, cocooned, Happy State of Solitude.
As I was flipping through the pages of my text book, that being a yearly ritual for DU students a night before the main exams, I came across an interesting conversation between Bonnefoy and Ionesco (I did his ‘Rhinoceros’ this year) where Ionesco spoke about the need of solitude in today’s world. Reading his piece, it tickled me off thinking that in a way he was correct in assessing that the lack of solitude is one of the main problems of this age. Not ‘communal solitude’ which means isolation or alienation or estrangement from the world, but the solitude in which one is able to withdraw unto oneself so that a healthy analysis can be undertaken about our past actions, present circumstances and future decisions. For this everyone need sometime off for themselves { by the way everybody dread being ‘alone in a crowd’ yet desire it as the same time.} Have’nt we all at some point or the other in our lives wished to be left all alone? Switched off from every human contact and just stared at the distant sky searching for the entirety in our souls? Wished to silence the noise outside and listen to the music of the heart? Long solitary walks where no external force can disturb, silently sitting at the window pane watching the sorrow laden clouds unburdening themselves and then bright rainbows making the whole world pristine clear? Companionship is needed at all times, yet have we never desired to sit by the lakeside and see the sunset all by yourself… feeling as if everything, every beauty is present to soothe your senses alone, to make you believe you are the sole beneficiary of God’s benevolence? It is only at those times that one feels the presence of God by their side.
Again these above lines made me divert and think what has actually made the modern day man so recluse? Is it the societal pressure or the competition? Accepted that ‘survival of the fittest’ theory has never before found its true meaning as it has in the twenty- first century, but our elders too must have faced the same crux in their own ways. So why is it that only our generation has started demanding their “space” – not after life but for the very reason to live. I mean my parents never demanded it, and happily lived in a large joint family for their entire childhoods. Space never meant a luxury for them, but a thing of necessity. But me and my bro, each having our separate rooms, still crave for space and privacy. I wonder when this hunger for metaphoric - temporal space will satiate, and what all we will lose till then. For the time being, I am going to stay in my own, cocooned, Happy State of Solitude.
P.S. The title is taken from Leo Tolstoy's short story by the same title.
All for you..... None for me......
You might not see me sometimes, but i have visions only for you.
You might not hear me sometimes, but i have sounds only for you.
You might not feel me sometimes, but i have sensations only for you.
You might not care for me sometimes, but i have feelings only for you.
You might not feel my presence sometimes, but i m there always for you.
I am your shadow, you are my vista.
I am what you want me to be for you.
You might not hear me sometimes, but i have sounds only for you.
You might not feel me sometimes, but i have sensations only for you.
You might not care for me sometimes, but i have feelings only for you.
You might not feel my presence sometimes, but i m there always for you.
I am your shadow, you are my vista.
I am what you want me to be for you.
Is it this easy to love her?
I may look at you, yet not see you.
I may listen to you, yet not hear you.
I may touch you, yet not feel you.
I may be near you, yet not smell your scent.
I may kiss you, yet not know the difference.
I may accompany you, yet not be with you.
You may think you know me, yet not understand me.
Sometimes a friend, sometimes a foe.
sometimes a soulmate, sometimes a stranger.
I may confuse you, yet interest you.
I may baffle you, yet enchant you.
I may be sweet, I maybe bitter.
And all you are left to wonder is,
Is it this hard to love her?
I may listen to you, yet not hear you.
I may touch you, yet not feel you.
I may be near you, yet not smell your scent.
I may kiss you, yet not know the difference.
I may accompany you, yet not be with you.
You may think you know me, yet not understand me.
Sometimes a friend, sometimes a foe.
sometimes a soulmate, sometimes a stranger.
I may confuse you, yet interest you.
I may baffle you, yet enchant you.
I may be sweet, I maybe bitter.
And all you are left to wonder is,
Is it this hard to love her?
A CHANCED ENCOUNTER
“ Baba I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. And ask Ma not to worry too. I have grown up. I can take care of myself.” This was maybe the tenth time in an hour that I was repeating this to my father. But still the more sincerely I said it, the more he doubted. Actually I was a bit skeptical myself too. I know that I am 18 now, I can atleast travel alone in a train. I was’nt going to travel through the proverbial Seven Seas, just a 5 hour journey to jethu’s place in lucknow. And that too in Shatabdi. But I was traveling alone for the first time, and their worries were understandable as well as justified. Truthfully I was feeling scared myself, but what the heck I was’nt going to express it.
As I settled comfortably in my seat, my luggage securely placed on the overhead rack, I noticed that the seat adjacent to mine was still empty. Thankfully I had brought Readers Digest along, otherwise I would have died of boredom. I started noticing the other people in the compartment – a young couple with an infant {Oh God! Now he’s going to cry all the way. Why do people have to bring their tiny tots along?}, a middle- aged uncle with his neice and nephew in tow, people on business or personal trips, two burqa- clad aunties {maybe they’ll disembark at Aligarh or Kanpur}… but not a interesting soul caught my attention { I have such a bad luck that no interesting person travels in the same compartment as mine, I am going to sue Bollywood directors for propagating the myth of fairy tale romances!} Anyways having nothing better to do at that moment, I started recollecting the events that propelled such a courageous act on my part – di n mine’s brilliant plans & their careful execution, mom’s fervent protests, refusals of other relatives, mitu and bomma’s pleadings, jethu’s insistence, baba’s final yet reluctant yes, oh hurried packings and plannings… I still cant believe I am in the train alone. “ Hi! I am Zulfia”. Waking me out of my reverie, I realized the seat next to mine was occupied by the lady who was holding out her hand for me to shake. It took me a moment to come back to my senses and all I could murmur was an embarrased hello. I noticed she was slightly on the bulkier side, aged between 25-30, had curly black hair and a vivacious smile. After I finished my breakfast, I saw she was busy on her laptop. So I got back to my book and after finishing it in 2 hours flat, I again turned towards her. She was still busy with her work. So I toyed with the idea of making her my muse and write a story about her. The plan was to create a fictional character and then spin a story about her, authenticate it with details and voila! u are a fiction writer. As I was working on her life story, her parentage and upbringing, I again realized she was intently observing me. Dunno how long it had been like that. But she did not say anything but smiled, and that gave me courage to strike up a conversation with her. Very soon I was teling her all the anecdotes of my school and college life. That’s the best part of talking to a stranger, they don’t perceive you with pre- conceived notions and it becomes easier to talk to them. Soon she started about her work too. Said she had been schooled and graduated in Mumbai and was also working as a Creative Director in a reality show in Mumbai. I listened to her in utter disbelief because her office did not sound a conventional one to me. I decided she was lying to spice it up. Decidedly an office is located in a confined space, or at the most in a studio, but on the roads? With a bunch of youngsters to accompany? How can people enjoy working? No complaints, nothing bad to say about bosses?
Time flew by and I did not even realize when the journey got over. After I said my good- byes, I never looked back upon her until after I saw her on the TV after three long years. Maybe chanced encounters are meant to be like that only, u meet a person, spend some time and then never look back as if they never existed in the first place. But there she was before my eyes, giving interviews on MTV in the capacity of the Producer of Roadies. Yups guys she’s the same Zulfia of Roadies fame, and at that time she was working on Roadies 2.0. Thank you Zulfia you made me believe that your office isn’t a conventional one, because the show isn’t conventional either.
P.S. 1) Baba in Bengali means father, Ma mother, di elder sister ( here my cousin), Jethu means paternal uncle, Bomma ( boro- ma) paternal aunt and Mitu is my little cousin.
2) I hope I have been able to successfully create a fictional character in Zulfia.
Enjoy reading!!!!
As I settled comfortably in my seat, my luggage securely placed on the overhead rack, I noticed that the seat adjacent to mine was still empty. Thankfully I had brought Readers Digest along, otherwise I would have died of boredom. I started noticing the other people in the compartment – a young couple with an infant {Oh God! Now he’s going to cry all the way. Why do people have to bring their tiny tots along?}, a middle- aged uncle with his neice and nephew in tow, people on business or personal trips, two burqa- clad aunties {maybe they’ll disembark at Aligarh or Kanpur}… but not a interesting soul caught my attention { I have such a bad luck that no interesting person travels in the same compartment as mine, I am going to sue Bollywood directors for propagating the myth of fairy tale romances!} Anyways having nothing better to do at that moment, I started recollecting the events that propelled such a courageous act on my part – di n mine’s brilliant plans & their careful execution, mom’s fervent protests, refusals of other relatives, mitu and bomma’s pleadings, jethu’s insistence, baba’s final yet reluctant yes, oh hurried packings and plannings… I still cant believe I am in the train alone. “ Hi! I am Zulfia”. Waking me out of my reverie, I realized the seat next to mine was occupied by the lady who was holding out her hand for me to shake. It took me a moment to come back to my senses and all I could murmur was an embarrased hello. I noticed she was slightly on the bulkier side, aged between 25-30, had curly black hair and a vivacious smile. After I finished my breakfast, I saw she was busy on her laptop. So I got back to my book and after finishing it in 2 hours flat, I again turned towards her. She was still busy with her work. So I toyed with the idea of making her my muse and write a story about her. The plan was to create a fictional character and then spin a story about her, authenticate it with details and voila! u are a fiction writer. As I was working on her life story, her parentage and upbringing, I again realized she was intently observing me. Dunno how long it had been like that. But she did not say anything but smiled, and that gave me courage to strike up a conversation with her. Very soon I was teling her all the anecdotes of my school and college life. That’s the best part of talking to a stranger, they don’t perceive you with pre- conceived notions and it becomes easier to talk to them. Soon she started about her work too. Said she had been schooled and graduated in Mumbai and was also working as a Creative Director in a reality show in Mumbai. I listened to her in utter disbelief because her office did not sound a conventional one to me. I decided she was lying to spice it up. Decidedly an office is located in a confined space, or at the most in a studio, but on the roads? With a bunch of youngsters to accompany? How can people enjoy working? No complaints, nothing bad to say about bosses?
Time flew by and I did not even realize when the journey got over. After I said my good- byes, I never looked back upon her until after I saw her on the TV after three long years. Maybe chanced encounters are meant to be like that only, u meet a person, spend some time and then never look back as if they never existed in the first place. But there she was before my eyes, giving interviews on MTV in the capacity of the Producer of Roadies. Yups guys she’s the same Zulfia of Roadies fame, and at that time she was working on Roadies 2.0. Thank you Zulfia you made me believe that your office isn’t a conventional one, because the show isn’t conventional either.
P.S. 1) Baba in Bengali means father, Ma mother, di elder sister ( here my cousin), Jethu means paternal uncle, Bomma ( boro- ma) paternal aunt and Mitu is my little cousin.
2) I hope I have been able to successfully create a fictional character in Zulfia.
Enjoy reading!!!!
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