The Kannadian Stage
Saturday, April 8, 2006 at 02:49PM Well, I have probably proven to myself and those of you who read this blog that I am incapable of keeping a diary. I just wish that Bridget Jones was more like me and we all were not subjected to a PART II of her diary. (Digression: I have no idea how that girl can gain and lose weight faster than any other human being, she can probably make more money writing a book on how to make a belly disappear than by acting in movies) Back to the topic, I guess I did well in reporting on 10 days of my month-long trip to India. But then Tom Sawyer happened! True, blogging has always been "play" for me, but the moment I missed a day and felt that I had to catch up, the diary made a dramatic turn from play into "work". Infact it presented itself so dominantly as work that it made me stay away from my own site for around two months. Mark Twain probably unveiled one of the greatest psychological diagnosis of human behavior in calling everything we are not compelled to do as play, and everything we must, as work!
The next 20 days of my trip were nevertheless even more entertaining than the first ten.
I made a little trip to Bangalore to meet one of my closest friends from Roorkee, Gaurav. Around a year ago, Gaurav gave me a buzz and said " Hey by the way I am getting married". We spoke for 20 minutes after that where I consistently just repeated "I am shocked," "This is amazing!" Unfortunately , I missed the wedding and this was my chance to meet his girl, Nidhi for the first time. My mom came with me too to pay a visit to Sai Baba, a religious figure I had heard tons about but knew nothing about at the same time. On reaching B'lore we dropped Miku to the ashram and rushed over to IIB's campus to watch the legendary band, Jethro Tull perform at the IIMB fest. Bangalore is home to the classic rock bands of yore! If you left India to watch rock shows while studying in the US, oooops. Tull was amazing, a bit monotonous at times, but none the less brilliant and extremely well received by the natives, at least better than I received them. That nite was a trip down to the bottom of a bottle of scotch with lot of catching up on lives. Nidhi knew everyone of our stories, it was like I had been there with them all this while. In fact it was the first time in my life that I saw a young married couple who looked like they were having the time of their lives and it sprayed stench on visions of single, frivolous life while it shone hope and beauty on the possibilities that married life may just be more fun than anything that precedes it, just if the two people belong together. And of course, Nidhi was simply amazing! I had heard tons about her from T, but she was all that and more. Full of life, full of beauty, smiles pouring out, and anyone could see that she absolutely adores Gau, and loves him in spite of his rather large ears!
The following day involved us old people dealing with the evils of hangovers but also visiting an amazing restaurant named Samarkhand where the menu was in the form of a newspaper, and the kababs oh the kababs! That nite Jal, a band that has swooped young hearts with their music, showed off their skills on stage and did a remarkable job if it despite their slight lack of lyrics. (wo ho wo ho consitutes 80% of the vocal sounds) Was a great time, as one of my best friends, Emily joined us and we were catching up after 2 years. Sunday was amazing fun too, as I was thrown in front some of the most amazing malls I have ever seen in my life. After visiting a million malls in the US, thanks to all the girls I hang out with and my secret desire to buy tons of clothes, I dint expect to be taken aback by a mall in India. But was I wrong. The malls that had sprung up, along with the restaurants, were nothing short of creative genius! And when you think about it, it all makes sense. Malls are not a luxury in America, everyone goes there, most people can afford it. However in India, only the chosen few can avail a pricey mall, and its existence and their spending capacity sets them apart from the other billion people in the country. In a land of a billion people, everyone is striving to differentiate themselves from the others, and for the wealthy luxury is the simplest way to hop on the a higher pedestal.
That night, lying awake on a bed, with a day left in the trip, I felt awesome about a rather hectic journey. I had met Gaurav, who even after knowing about all the pain I went through in the last year, with words managed to make sure everything was all right, and yet not delve into it far enough to revive it in my mind. Also, I was totally inspired by a friend who used to be as much of a cowboy as me, and maybe, just maybe seeing Gaurav and Nidhi would make an even bigger difference in my life than I could tell that nite!
In the Mood
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