About me
A bachelor living in Delhi, a city he loves and loathes, documents his experiences on this page. He is erratic, opinionated and lazy, loves his women, wine and song - what more do you need to know?
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Saturday, August 30
I like going to Reunions. You see so many faces after so long and then play the game of putting names to those faces. Some lanky fellow would have put on more weight than any VLCC can purge, another cleanshaven guy would have nurtured a French-beard, the babe with those horn-rims would look totally different in her contact lenses - and then the astonished "Oh my God!! Its you??" followed by a hug/ handshake/ wink depending on your level of intimacy with the person!
Yesterday was my engineering college alumni meet. Its been only 9 years since I passed out of those hallowed portals but it seems to be ages. I was eagerly waiting for the day, as I expected to meet some folks I hadn't met since campus...I wasn't disappointed.
There was R, with whom I had my first Rum-and-coke, and H, who was my first dope partner, and M, who used to sing those melancholy ghazals everytime he was turned down by a girl! We drank, smoked, sang, reminisced about days gone by, exchanged visiting cards and then parted with promises to keep in touch.
But the highlight of the evening was my meeting P, who I had not expected to be present. (I have described my relationship with her in a post on my old blog . In a nutshell, we had a symbolic relationship: I liked her but thought she was too good for me, she liked me and though I was too good for her, but we never approached each other!! We only came to know of this mutual liking after we had left the campus and then we never met again.).
She was equally surprised to see me, and I guess a bit embarassed too as she was with her husband and a small kid (who has the same name as me...it may sound filmi to you but its true). I had already had a double scotch and was feeling light in the head, so I asked her for a dance. Now, those who know me also know that I have two left feet. She does. Yet she agreed and out we went.
Will I meet her again? Should I meet her again? How much does marriage change things?
Posted at 8/30/2003 4:20:13 am by Ranjan
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Thursday, August 28
Ask anyone you know this question and, nine times out of ten, the answer will be NO, how can you even think so?
Go to the next level of questioning and you will discover that the person will be reasonably well-off, not stretched for any need and decently educated. If s/he is not, s/he is the tenth person.
How is the man on the traffic signal trying to sell you flowers/ magazines/ combs/ assorted screwdrivers different from you? Lets count the ways....he is not educated (though we see some educated folks selling such stuff too), has a large family with few bread-earners, has had a tough, unsheltered childhood and/ or has lost his livelihood due to some catastrophe. Ask him this question and he will say Of course, it is. And remember, we are NOT talking of beggars here; we are discussing people who show at least some enterprise.
The fate of a person is mostly decided the day they are conceived. The story of Abhimanyu in the Mahabharata is symbolic in many ways. Had he been in some other lady's womb, he would not have overheard the conversation regarding the Chakravyuha, nor would he have grown up to be in a situation where he needed that skill. And we would have had one story less in our mythology.
Imagine you were not born to your current parents, but to some fishermen in Koliwada or to some acrobats in a circus. Do you still think you would be reading this blog at this time in your life? Most likely you would be out fishing in the sea or over in the arena performing the fantastic tricks you had learnt. You might indeed have been the best fisherman in the worldor the most creative acrobat ever but you would not be reading this blog.
So, where does money fit in my hypothesis? Am I not saying that parentage is everything?
Now, think of any tailor or maid or plumber or fisherman or acrobat you have ever spoken to. Have you ever talked to them about what they would really really want in life? If you have, they must have told you that they would like their children to study in a good school, wear clean clothes, grow up with good habits and never ever become a tailor, maid, plumber, fisherman or acrobat. But that's something they would really really want....so, whats stopping them from realising this desire?
Now, what about people with money, you may ask. From what I have seen, even those who have it in plenty do everything to protect it and then to get some more. There is hardly ever enough for them. Those who have a bicycle want a scooter then a Maruti 800 (second hand?) then a new car, then a bigger car and then an even bigger car. Those whose children study in municipal schools want to send them to a convent then a public boarding and then abroad.
On a recent trip to Kathmandu (to be described in another post later) I found a colleague who earns over Rs. 4 million a year haggling over a 200 rupees statue! I have seen rich businessmen travelling second-class on long journeys. All this to save that rupee for a 'rainy day'!
Why do guys like me work over 12 hours a day sacrificing the best part of our lives? Why are we not out there working with needy children or visiting that seashore we have dreamt of or spending more time with our loved ones?
Isn't money everything?
Posted at 8/28/2003 9:45:24 pm by Ranjan
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Wednesday, August 27
Imagine being at the Gateway of India, wetting your feet in the waves of the Arabian Sea, taking in the afternoon sun, munching the peanuts sold to you by the innocent-looking urchin. Imagine your loved one, sitting next to you, pointing out the silhouette of a ship coming on to anchor. And, then, imagine a loud bang as you are thrown up 100 feet, stung by the sharpnels of an RDX device. As you hit the concrete with a back-breaking thud, imagine seeing your loved one charred beyond recognition, the only way to identify her being the packet of peanuts she is clutching for dear life.
What would I do if I was one of the people at the site of the blast? If I was and if I died, it would be simple. If I had serious injury which would not allow me to move, maybe I would just lie there and wait for someone to come and help....easy again.
What if I suffered a minor injury or no injury at all?
Let me confess my first reaction might be to be transfixed. The shock would be too much to describe. And once I have gathered my bearings, most likely I would start to run as fast as I can, and want to be as far away from the scene as possible. Then, once I am a little distance away, I would be filled with guilt at my cowardice. I would stop, and look back, and start having an intellectual intercourse with my conscience. My rational mind will say "Run away, your family is waiting for you" and my conscience will say "You have let me down...how can you run away from where so many innocent people have lost their lives, and there maybe some who could live if they got prompt attention?"
This would go on for a while before I would run back and start offering help to the dying and the injured. I would have lost precious minutes during which I could have helped more people. But my initial reaction of personal safety would come in the way.
I am ashamed to admit this, but I guess this is what I would do. And, that's why I salute all those hawkers and parking attendants who risked their lives to proffer help immediately; I admire the taxi-drivers who ferried the injured to the hospitals; I appreciate everyone who put forward a helping hand. I wish I could be like you.
Posted at 8/27/2003 6:27:24 pm by Ranjan
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I quietly turned 30 last fortnight.
Celebrating birthdays with aplomb has never been a family tradition for us, thank God. So, I waited up for the call from parents which came on the dot, received their blessings and then slept.
When I woke up there were a dozen SMSs from friends spread across the globe. It felt great, even though the much touted mobile revolution has taken the fun out of occasions. I mean, here are the friends who are really special to me, and who care to remember my birthday every year. They would come to my place to wish me when we were younger. When we went our own ways to study, they would write letters and send birthday cards. Once we started working and had some more money to spare, there would be calls at midnight and we would chat for hours. Now, some laboured punches on the keypad and *whoosh* I have an SMS saying Happy Birthday, ole chum!
I share my birthday with two ex-Presidents: Shankar Dayal Sharma and Bill Clinton. So, I do nurse a dream of doing what they did
. Becoming President like the former and putting cigars to ingenuous uses like the latter! I renew the dreams every year, lets see when they come true ;)
But seriously, this birthday was very different from the others. I was not excited at all, was very introspective the whole day and was kind of glad when the date changed. Maybe its the realization that I am no longer 20-something, maybe its the fact that I am not married yet while most of my friends are proud parents, maybe its the truth that a birthday is after all just another marker on the turf of time.
I am looking forward to the next year for the following reasons:
- I have decided on losing 5 kilos and 2 inches around my waist.
- My parents have decided that they need to get me married off ASAP.
- My landlord has decided to extend the lease for another year.
Its been a bumpy ride from the womb to here
here's to the next 30!!
Posted at 8/27/2003 1:09:55 am by Ranjan
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Tuesday, August 26
New beginnings....new tales
Its not a good feeling when you have to stop sharing with your friends. But my previous blog had made my life really difficult. I could not post anything I wrote and then I simply lost interest.
But how long can you keep an addict out of the habit?
So, here I am at my new blog, thanks to my pal, Gorgeous and also to the pep-up by old Richa .
Welcome!!
Posted at 8/26/2003 8:00:24 pm by Ranjan
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