Peanut

I came across this peanut comic strip in the Times of India. Just felt I should post here..

He: I think there is something that you should know.
She:Whats that??
He:The world does not revolve around you..
She:................................
She:You are kidding!!!!

If you are someone who is now rolling on the floor laughing.. be assured.. you belong to my world.

Is this what is called love??

Its been so long since I tried blogging. Been in Bangalore for nearly a month now. It is very much better than the last time, leaving out the fact that I spend nearly 4 hrs everyday commuting. Initially it was really horrible. Waking up at 5 in the morning,bus at 6 and reach only by 7.30.Evenings are worse. It takes nearly 3 hrs!! But now, I've come to terms with it. Generally I try to listen to some music. But then how long can I go with it!! So now.. its observing the world around me.

Four hours in bus everyday, you are bound to see loads of interesting scenes. You just enjoy the spectacle for the moment and forget it the very day. Yet, there are a few which stayed with me. One of them is this.

I had just boarded the bus for the second part of my journey. A man came running to the bus. Entered in and went near the driver and asked him if it goes to some particular place. The driver nods in agreement. The man got down from the bus and ran again. I was wondering what was happening when I saw at a distance, him bringing a lady. She was finding it too difficult to walk and this man was helping her and almost carrying her, though she looked pretty heavy for him. To make her board the bus was another task which he did happily. He even managed to get a seat for her. You should have seen the smile on their faces after they sat down!!!! She was challenged physically, could not walk properly nor climb stairs, but, he was always there, doing all that she had wanted to, all that she could not. This might be something very trivial. May be my way of describing it had made it lose its flavor. But, this gave me just one thought.. That bond which those two shared. That feeling of being together. That assurance of having someone. Those unspoken words. That heartfelt thoughts. That genuine affection. That caring smile. That I-don't-know-what-to-call-it feeling.......
May be this is what is called love!!

Yet another sem.. No.. Not really..

I just got off with my exams yesterday. Sixth semester is over. Three years of Engineering done. Three fourths of an Engineer, my friends call it. Just one more year and I should be ready for the world. I need to get a job. Start earning my living. But forgetting all that.. This has been, I can say, one of the best of all my six semesters.

Yes, this was. My friends and classmates who are in hostel tell me loads of stories about how they have come to enjoy this life best. There was always fun and frolic in the hostels. People enjoyed being there. All this feeling of oneness, a special bonding, their home away from home. They talk of birthday celebrations, late night chat sessions, songs, movies and so much more. But being a day scholar I never had the chance to enjoy any of it. May be it would not have been my kind of enjoyment even if I had been there.But still, I never got to experience it.

This semester was different. I had good times.. though a lot of bad ones too. But I lived with it all. I realized, college can be fun too. Being a day scholar is not bad at all, even considering the fun part of college life. It all depends all how you make it. My idea of fun is anyway so different that it took so long to make it happen. And so, instead of dragging me out of bed and pulling myself into classes I really took some interest in it. It was never this " Why did this class get canceled!! I could as well finish it and go home for good." Everything was fine. Classes postponed, its cool. Next class is 3 hours away, it still was cool.

Moreover this has been one of the most casual of the exams I have had. I don't really think I was this cool about my exams since, say, my standard 11. Starting from my cycle tests to my final exams I was so very casual. This was the way I had always wanted it to be. But somehow, in the mean time, things got changed. But again its normal now. I was not badly tensed. I could afford to spend a lot of time with people even during exams. I stopped worrying and was comfortably chatting with friends 2 hours before the exam. I came out of the exam hall half of an hour earlier than the duration. I was sending sms right after I got out of the hall which went on for an hour. I slept all afternoon. I was online in the evening. I go to bed at the most by 11. On the whole, it was so much like my good old days. But my grades....... God save my soul. I will post it after I get them. Hope it wont be pathetic. I just expect it to be bad.

Now, leaving out all that, this semester was too good which i really enjoyed. It was very different in so many ways.I am so happy to have had it. I really want to make the last two left with me as good as this, if not better.

The Wedding Bells

After all the radical ideas I come up with to post in this blog, you would really wonder what have I got up my sleeve now. Wedding bells?? Of all the things!! Sounds like its going to be too out of the way right. No. This time I am not in for anything like that. This is going to be a nice sweet post.

So.. Coming to it.. Y about wedding?? Two of my very good friends are engaged and are going to get married before the end of this year. One is going to be the proper Indian arranged marriage where mom and dad saw the guy, decided he would suit the family and then went on to inform the girl about it, the girl gets to know the guy, happens to talk once in a while over the phone and waits for the wedding day and more to know what life has in store for her. The other.. what is called with subtlety a self-arranged marriage. But i am sure both(all the four i mean) of them are going to have a nice life. I wish them all happiness.. forever.

Talking of weddings, one other thing that comes to my mind is the movie i watched lately. That movie which mom thought was very good and my grandmother badly wanted to see from the very day she came to my place. All of it just because they were showing the type of wedding that takes place in my clan. So, i was pestered much till i got the movie for them. But i was really happy. My grandmother seemed so happy about it and it looked like she was enjoying the movie, at least the beginning of it. They started commenting on every bit of it. From the house the movie was pictured in to the way people walked, talked, addressed their relatives. There were lot of rewinds and fast forwards and quite much of criticism. But the great disappointment came when that supposedly most hyped about wedding scene, that they wanted to watch the most, the very reason why the decided to watch the movie, ended in a sequence of a song.(Well.. did they think the movie was documentary on the wedding!!) Still, it was okay. The got to terms with it soon and then the fun started. Can you think of what would have happened!! No, they dint forget the sequence and continue with the movie, neither did they discontinue watching the movie then. They started looking for details in the song. Once, not enough. Twice, hey we missed out something. Thrice.. I was bugged and walked out. When i finally returned the movie was over and my brother told me the song sequence alone was played 11 times!!!! That one song. The movie could as well have lasted only that long.

Well.. Hearing all this the first things that i thought of.. How enthusiastic!! The way she got herself involved in it. It was just a movie, so be it. If she can be so interested to all those minute details even in a movie how good she must be at other areas. Not just her. But a lot of people of the past generation. They are always curious, very interested, always wanting to know things. They work on computers and Internet, they are so much at ease using mobile phones and above all they are so much fun to be with. Given the right opportunities my grandmother would as well have been 10 times better than my brother.

My goodness!! I am just too full of multifarious ideas now. So many unrelated thoughts which I guess only i can put together. No.. Not now.. I am saving it for yet another post.

Cast Away....

Cast Away.... The starting is pretty abrupt,for that matter the whole write up is going to be that, please do put up with it. Guess I just cant stop speaking things out or be very unscrupulous even for the sake of a public blog. But I sure will try my best to be as subtle as possible. For those of you who thought this might be along the lines of escaping from a ship or being stranded in an island, I am sorry but this is going to be a disappointment. I wanted the title to be "outcast" but then it was... it was not as subtle you see :) So it became this ethereal cast away. Now you must get some kind of idea of what this is going to be and for many of you who don't believe in the same things as I do, the demeanor might as well seem outrageous.So, I would suggest you rather stop here than continue and get to unsolicited opinions.

Thinking of the good old days, when i was in school, there was always this distinction between people. Distinction based on their distinction. Anyone who could muster up a 95+ in exam was very good. Anyone who tops the class is the best. He is the guy who is most sought after by everyone, be it the teachers or seniors or his fellow classmates. He would have this elite gang of friends. No one in the gang would score anything less than a 90. And, if by any chance they do, they are looked down upon and loose the status to be a part of the coterie. These guys would be the best in so many other things too be it books or sports or dramatics or oratory. Every other guy would be trying to get into that better part of the class. Of course, who did not want their names uttered by teachers every third minute of class or pampered by seniors or be the one looked up to by the peers. Many of us would have noticed that these guys would never want to be associated with this supposedly lower strata of the class. They don't have to even care to be nice to others, anyway people are all over them. You see, they are the cherished people.

You grow up, come out of school, get into some reputed college or start to work and go on. Actually, you grow up, become more matured, get to see a lot of life, gain worldly knowledge, get seasoned and then you realize.. realize all that you had been led to believe when you were a kid was actually kiddish if not beguile. Yes, it is exactly the antithetical that happens. You are so used to being the Prince, for you always deserved to be that. You want to continue with it and you just sweat and slog your guts out to be it. But the response that you receive, would be nothing near appreciation or support, and so many times not even acknowledgment. Yes, you got it right. It would be pretty sass. That would be the same from so many people, be it your peer or higher. You get treated the very way you just don't deserve to be.Hardly does anyone recognize the magnanimity of what you did. You wont be able to find a rhyme or reason to why. You struggle again but it just does not work out. Then, after lot a dejection you come to terms with reality. You realize.... You are an outcast.

So, why does it happen? Why should it be the exact opposite of how it happened to you when you were a kid? Not because thats not what is expected of you any longer, nor because you went wrong, not because you did not toil enough, not because you did not get it right, not because you were bad to people. You did it right. You have been good to everyone. You got an outcome better than expected. Conquered something that has been a chimera to everyone.You have proved your might. You were wonderful, scintillating and much more. You got what you deserved when you were a kid because people around you were pure(come on.. notice the subtlety). Now.. the hostility is not because you were wrong, people are surly not because you missed something genial out on your way to success, people are inimical not because you made a mistake. All of it is because..
You just made them realize....What they can not be.......

Birbal to the rescue

Akbar was one of the greatest Mughal emperors who ruled over India in the 16th century. In his court were the most intelligent council of nine members, amongst whom was Birbal. Though all these men were learned Birbal is the most famous of them. Stories of Akbar and Birbal are extremely popular in India. There are several instances when Birbal uses his wit and intelligence to calm the ire of Emperor Akbar and amuse him at the same time. I grew up reading these stories. Guess most of us would have.

This evening i was reading a book when i came across this word granary with some explanation. It brought back a lot of memories. Me and my brother started talking about it. This must have happened something like 7 or 8 years ago when my brother was hardly 4 years old. He had this habit of listening to stories before going to sleep. Most children of that age do. But my brother never gets enough of it. The duty of telling him some story and getting him to sleep was on me as i read too many stories. So, everyday i had come up with something new to amuse him. There were times when i run out of stories to tell him and start giving him all my History and Geography lessons, which sounded like stories anyway. It was at this time that i came across this Birbal story and after that.. I had nothing to worry about. Every second day i tell him this till he got bored of listening to stories and got out of the habit. The story goes something like this...

Akbar was one of the greatest Mughal Emperors India had. People were very happy in his reign. But he had this one bad habit. He would not sleep without listening to a story. It was very soon that the Queens ran out of stories to tell him and so it was decided that the ministers would take turns and tell him stories till he sleeps. If anyone fails to please Akbar he faces severe punishments. It was not very long before the ministers too faced dearth of stories to tell Akbar. So, Birbal had to come up with some idea which would save the ministers and also change Akbar without getting himself into trouble. And, yes.. Birbal does come up with the solution. He waits for his turn and goes to Akbar, makes him promise he would listen to the complete story before he sleeps. Akbar readily agrees. Birbal starts the story.

" It was one of the wealthy villages in the kingdom which flourishes in agriculture. The people of the village had the custom of saving up the excess from harvest in a large granary for future use. As the village became more prosperous the grains started accumulating. One day there was storm and rains in the village that leads to a hole on one of the walls of the granary. A bird notices it and goes inside. It is so excited to see so much grains and plans to carry it back to its abode. But it realizes it can carry only two grains in its beak at any time. Yet, it is determined and starts the process. It goes inside the granary through the hole, takes two grains in its beak, comes out and carries it to its home. After depositing it safely the bird comes back, goes inside the granary through the hole, takes two grains in its beak, comes out and carries it to its home. Again returns, goes inside the granary through the hole, takes two grains in its beak, comes out and carries it to its home. The bird returns, goes inside the granary through the hole, takes two grains in its beak, comes out and carries it to its home.And then again..................... " The story goes on like this. You see.. its a huge granary and the bird is carrying just two grains at a time!!!!

So, now you know how Akbar got out of his habit of listening to stories before going to sleep. And, of course my brother too. :)

Hip Hip Hurray

The first thing that would come to your mind when i say Hip Hip Hurray would be something like success, victory,cheering and the related. But i am sure to many Indians, about my age at least, it is sure to bring back loads of nice memories. Yes, what comes to my mind the moment i hear hip hip hurray is

aaj hamara kal apna koi maane ya na maane
apni hasti hai masti ke hasseen tarane
hip hip hurray
bachpan hai bhi gaya ka kab ki hai dur jawani
abhikuckatti si kuch meeti si hai alag kahani sabki
hum sabke dhuk sab ki khushiyaan
milkar hai jung banaathe hai
us rang mein rang ke hum sab ik rang ho jaathe hai
himmat aisi ki aasman choo jaathe hai
hip hip hurray
aaj hamara... hip hip hurray hip hip hurray

Hmmm.. Now i can see a smile on so many faces. Yes, i am talking about the very series we all enjoyed not too long ago(considering the re telecasts). I first saw it during my 8th class summer vacation. It was in the verge of ending. But i did see the last few episodes and it was great fun. Though i did not understand everything of it i did enjoy watching it. And then, it was re telecast. That was when i was in std 12 yet i watched it regularly(ya.. ya.. with the background of mom scolding me for wasting time)

Hip hip hurray is one of the best i have ever watched. Its been years but still there is nothing like it. Though new series are being tried in the Tamil channels, nothing can match it. Alisha, Rafey,John, Cyrus, Mona, Sam, Mehul... every one of them.. they were like a part of my real life. As i was about the same age as those depicted by the characters i could relate to everyone of them. The best part was, these guys were not all 25yr old people portraying school kids. They were kids and that made it more lively. Those day-to-day issues people face at that age, the problems with teachers, the nice ones, friends, crushes, attitude, changes...

I specially remember that episode when Alisha was going back to Delhi. Initially she finds it so hard to mingle with people but after she does, its always fun and when she had to go back. I felt really sad. Those conversations with Rafey. It was so touchy and true too. Though you always say you can stay in touch with people through mails and chat and calls and so many other new ways it can never compensate for them being present right before you. That very sense and physical presence brings in a secure feeling.

The other episode when Mehul tells them he has got a girl. It happens with a lot of people. Everyone around you has a girl/boy friend and everyone is going out, you tend to feel so left out. Those friends who were with you always hardly notice you now. To bring up his image amongst those friends, he comes up with a series of lies staring with having a girl friend, to their time together, and finally fight and breaking up. It always feels good to be so important to people and of course being the center of attention. Cant blame Mehul right...

Then there was this problem about parents opposing your ideas and ambitions. Everyone wants their children to be a doctor or an engineer. To most parents there is no other profession but that. I really liked those episodes when Vini sir supports Prishita (think that her) and helps her fulfill her aspirations to become a artist. And another was when they come up with the "each one teach one" idea. Its so good to see such young people coming up with it though it might have been in television. Another similar episode was when they go to the old age home. Yes, every episode has some meaning and moral.

Okay.. let me stop it for now. I can just go on forever with this because its the series that i enjoyed so much and hold close to my heart. Not like those which are on now, full of saas-bahu fights, entangled love stories, plots full of revenge, that you can never watch beyond 25 seconds. Hip Hip Hurray taught me a lot. I grew up with those people.I gained a lot from their experiences, from the way to go about your work to how to handle personal relationships. It was great in every front. How i wish i could watch them again.... Hip Hip Hurray.