Walter said it

Watched Band Baaja Baraat again today. This time on TV. Enjoyed it just like the first time. Some movies just get the ensemble that goes into making a movie right. It couldn't have revolved around a more loved topic than what else but weddings. Somehow for a long time I have been eluding The Wise One. My elusion wasn't to last for long. Recently I happened to attend a get-together with my ex-colleagues from my first job. Towards the end I was sitting by myself and enjoying the ice-cream when my state of solitary bliss was interrupted by a friends' husband. He asked me if I got married or if am still single. I told him I am (still) single. To which he asked, "No boyfriend" (neither). I told him I am single in every sense. Friends' husband, "Arey get settled yaar. Celebrate karne ka mauka do." I couldn't help laughing and said, "Settled toh already hoon, par celebrate karne ka mauka bhi doongi. Don't worry." At my reassurance I was allowed to go back to the ice-cream induced blissful state. It's funny how being settled is associated with marriage. Why the assumption that if one is not married one is unsettled. I look around and see scores of unsettled married people. What about them? Its like every person is an amorous nomad, who at some point has to be tied down to some person and bingo! the person is settled. I have never been able to buy into this meaning of 'settled'.

I see it the way the character Walter sees it in the movie 'Sleepless in Seattle'. When finally Annie tells him that she couldn't possibly marry him, he says, "I don't want to be someone that you or anybody else settles for. Marriage is hard enough without such low expectations. Isn't it?" Followed by a very cliched retort by Annie, "Walter, I don't deserve you". Once again Walter gets to rise above the caricatured portrayal of his character in the movie by saying, "No, I wouldn't put it that way." For me Walter ended up being the protagonist in the movie. Yes, the lead characters meet and may be all the talk of destiny and such may come true for them or not, a movie doesn't allow one to know the entire story. One is to make assumptions based on how a movie ends. Whatever the course of stories for a Walter it will always end on a truer note.

The other day there was a report in one of the news papers that children (up to six years of age) these days greet each other with a kiss on the lips. An educational institute has decided to take this up as a serious issue . I will come to the school later, before that, the headline was quite interesting for its intended sensationalism. It uses the phrase 'locking lips' to describe the act of affection between these children. Parents and any adult (sensible of course) who happen to see children of kindergarten age on a regular basis must have at some point seen a child greet another by kissing on the lips. Who in their wildest imagination can describe it as 'locking lips'?

The school in question plans to do a workshop with parents to teach them how to alter this behavioural pattern in children. Not surprising that they find it questionable as one teacher put it as "an unusual adult-like behaviour". To alter this behaviour pattern they will be sitting down 4 & 5 year olds and somehow without alarming them explain to them why their behaviour is inappropriate. It will be interesting to see how this will be done without explaining the adult perspective to the children. What the children are displaying is not adult-like behaviour but child-like behaviour which is uninhibited by adult perverseness. It never ceases to amaze me how adults who were once children seem to lose the ability to look at and understand things from a child's perspective. It is not the children but the adult (teachers, parents, educators) perception that needs to change.

It reminds me of possibility of shameful punishment that teachers in my school used to threaten us with. To make us maintain discipline in the class they would give us a warning that if anyone was found talking, in case of a girl she would be made to sit between 2 boys and vice versa in case of a boy. I could never understand what was the big deal in sitting with boys. We studied and played together. What was the harm in sitting together? That was then. Educators now have to realise that children are changing. Children of now start making eye contact, indentifying/recognising people and generally taking in the world around them moments after they are born. They are smarter, mature and evolved much more than expected at their age. They are manifestation of evolution in human consciousness. Who knows, this workshop might just about turn out to be a learning experience for the educators in child-like behaviour.

Midnight's whatever

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. --Bill Vaughan


The pragmatist gets a good night's sleep and wakes up the next morning, the first day of the new year, fresh and happy. --Yours Truly

Grab your towel we are getting hitched

You got to recognise serendipity when it comes knocking. My friend did and now she is getting hitched. Yesterday she was telling us about her chance meeting with this guy. The sort of weird connection people make, when your antennas start resonating with another pair of antennas and for your life you can't figure out why. Something like that happened with my friend. Before she embarks on the intergalactic trip called marriage, though she has not asked for any advice, I will still say 'DON'T PANIC', Serendipity is here to stay.

You know it's love when...

Your friend who made you pillion ride from Mulund to Malad, Mulund to town and where not, says to you that he took a train today. You ask him why he did not take the bike and he says it would have been uncomfortable for her, the distance was too long. I point to him that he never thought of the discomfort when I had to ride with him. (I had to always argue with him to take a cab or train) He says the roads have become bad. I say yes of course, the roads went bad like two-three days back. They were smooth as halwa all this time. To which he sheepishly says, now you will take my case.


anjaane hi tere naino ne vaade kiye kayi saare hain