A life to be called one's own??

Dear Diary,

I've been going through all the entries over here and really makes me wonder that despite our different nature we all are so very similar to our core. At each and every step in the past two and a half decade a little bit of our innocence has been taken away, a price to be paid for growing up... oh should you wonder, let me enlighten you do not have an option unless fate has decided to slam you cruelly.

But then at times the mind wanders into the domain and really feels that the ones who never really grew up, mentally retarded, the special ones..... as someone said long ago, God's own, are perhaps the happiest. They do not go through the feelings of helplessness, betrayal, dashed hopes, pain, sorrow..... or may be they do but then just how much of a shadow can a sliver of cloud cast on a sunny morning.

I digress.... or did I?? Rambling along as I was I guess i can never digress. In fact, may be this is the path I was supposed to take. Struggling, pushing, shoving my way through to reach my goal. I haven't the faintest bit of idea what my ultimate goal is. It's just that, I'm never satisfied with what I'm doing. In that case, what is it that I'm meant to do?? I don't think I have the faintest clue.

Honestly, what is it that I seek??

What is it that everyone who has scribbled in your heart seek??

A corner to call ones own??

A moment to cherish for the self??

The satisfaction of a job well done??

Someone to hold on to at the end of a tiring day??

A moment to scream out and vent all the frustration that is pent up inside the heart, mind, body and soul??

A life to be called one's own??

What is it??

I think I'll put the pen to rest now.... I need to sleep... my eyes are hurting!!!

Adios

Confused Sam!!

The idiot box and ads!!

Click!!

“And there is Sreesanth running in…..”

Click!!

“What a delivery!! Simply rocked his…”

Click!!

“$#%$#%$#^” (some soapy crap… didn’t bother to listen!!)

Click!!

“Ek uncha lamba kad…”

Click!!

“Alright XXX, are you ready for the task??”

Click!!

“And Khali….”

Click!!
Click!!
Click!!

Is this what happens when you switch on you TV everyday??
At times, which is about every 15-20 minutes, the idiot box bugs me like no one else. I mean, every time I switch on it’s either the IPL these days, or some crappy soap opera, or some reality show, or some talent show…. I mean... GAWD!! Is that there is?? And then is a particular insufferable news channel which continues showcasing the life and happenings of a wrestler named Khali… to an extent, I really am afraid to switch to that channel. The movie channels… well not always good but then comparatively palatable?? May be!! Let’s now include them in this rant now!!

Hmmm… now where was I?? Oh yeah!! For souls like me who are living far from their family, there’s only so much that you can chat on the phone and to top it all if you have no internet connection… no wait… no computer, the TV is the only respite that you might have to shrug away the few hours after you return from work till the time you turn in. So, handicapped with these situations, I plopped down on the bean bag, to surf through (really that all you can do... the fingers thus are quite strong!! :P). And then I get barraged with the usual stuff. In between all this I try to observe the ads and finally decided more often that not its perhaps the ads which are worth watching. Imagine a Ranbir Kapoor thinking on his feet and concocting a “Youngistan”, and then in a subsequent ad actually speaking out about “Youngistan” and what it really does imply, (instead of a license to fool a space crazy bro to get into the house of your girl.. dats outright stupid!!) and finally ending it with a smart alecky answer!! Well, the idea that I’m trying to drive home is may be these ads are for just 30 sec, but the entire work that goes in conceptualizing and creating is way too cool!!

Sample the Max New York Life Insurance ad: Wife walks in, couldn’t find husband (who by the way is happily snoring away on the terrace), and when finally sees him sprawled on the chair her mind flips for the worst. He does wake up much to her relief… but then the idea conveyed is so simple – Life is unpredictable, so take care of your near dear ones before time runs out on you!! Can you think of something better?? Of course, you can!! See, that’s the advantage of good ad-films – they connect to you.

Another beautiful ad that is being nowadays is the Frankfinn one. It really showcases what the young ladies today think, whether they really abhor customs or do they respect it and yet want to carve a niche for themselves.

And then there is the Airtel ad featuring actors Madhavan and Vidya Balan. The conversations of a loving couple during roaming and on STD can be stretched and made without a worry of the costs to be incurred. The concept of the ad really makes one sit up and look. And then there’s the one about a kid talking to her father as he helps her draw a picture. Lovely isn’t it?

The world of ad-films is really amazing!! I mean, if you got a product you better make a good ad-film to make people talk about it. That I believe is part of marketing and may be product management, but then that qualifies for a different post altogether. I wish I could tell you how they go about making one, but then that is not my field. Hopefully, I can tell you one day what goes into making an ad-film.

Till then, cheerio!!

Nostalgia

How does it feel when you meet a friend from the days which you miss the most, after a long time?
How does it feel to take a trip down memory lane with someone who was there when you enjoyed life the most?
How does it feel to contemplate the future with someone who was there when you had dreamt of conquering the world?
How does it feel to meet a friend with whom you shared loads of stuff?
How does it feel to come across some with you spent 4 years of your life after a gap of 3 years?
How does it feel to know that in the rat race a friend of yours is lost forever…. Lost never to be found again?

I met Shiba after a gap of nearly 3 years. The last time was during our graduation days. With all my friends working in Delhi NCR, Bangalore or Kolkata and me being in Pune, I was kind of cut off, but then never totally. It was on Saturday evening that he calls up out of the blue and announces his arrival to Pune the next day. That sure made my day. The 4 years of college flashed by… the antics of different people… crazy jacks all of them!!! I met him yesterday evening and for the first time in 3 years I desperately wanted my college days back. Earlier it was a longing but now it’s a need. Strange isn’t it?? Thanks to him I got updated on so many things. Fortunately for all of us, the entire gang has managed a foothold in their chosen profession. Felt real good.

There was a long trip down memory lane. Guys, with weird traits… everyone had a signature there… everything!! Sharing four years of your life with some people simply forms an unbreakable bond. Life can throw at the farthest of distances and yet it is with those people that you may connect the best.

A couple of beers, soft music on the car stereo… and moments of reflection!!
And from there on the conversation drifted to the future and how one should really go about certain stuff (guys talk… chuck it!! :P)

We kept going back and forth in time…..
The times when used smuggle in alcohol to the hostel, the rotten food served on Tuesdays for dinner, the endless queue of biryani on Sundays, my roommate, Rajiv’s immense appetite (used to have close to 30 chapattis for dinner), nightlong music sessions, the way CD played his guitar… “Hey CD, c’mon man, play it properly!!” “Shut up… am playing… what else do you want??”, the we used to bug a junior Nilu to play the guitar.. he was our juke box.. we would think up the songs and he would’ve to play it then and there, Sas.. football crazy and well crazy about a few other things, Banta with his constant banter.. lol…, Tony, with his weird sleeping position and an apt foil Banta’s chatter… gave him a real run for his money…the list is endless!!

Let me recount an incident for you: There was this fella Souvik, a really simple bloke, someone you could easily take advantage of. So, now our dear friend was in crazy about dance. Being the devils that we were me and Sas convinced him that Tony was a damn good dancer and had won quite a few inter-school competitions. He did extract a treat out him for this. Tony was flabbergasted when he learnt about. Poor fellow he could never dance to save his life. Spurred by the new info on Tony, Souvik kept cornering him, until one day Tony, being the brat he was took Souvik to the café gave him bogus tips, had a sumptuous meal and made Souvik pay the bill!! And he has been avoiding Souvik ever since!! :D

Those were the days!! There are many such. Should I try to recollect them all… might end up writing another book about the engineering guys… and I hate being a repeat!! :)

A favourite song of mine to commemorate this occasion: Purano Shei Diner Kotha

Written by Rabindranath Tagore and set to the tunes of Auld Lang Syne, this song is somewhat a signature song for most Bengalis worldwide irrespective of their age.