Intoxication

Fill my days...fill my nights...

Fill my senses...fill my life…

Waves of intoxication overwhelm me.

A surreal rush of bliss sets me free.

In the grip of rapture I squirm and reel,

Tell me what is it that I now feel?

Feel my days...feel my nights...

Feel my senses...feel my life…

Antiques are priceless!!!

Indians have always been passionate about cricket and films. Any cricketer or actor of iconic status has to go through the following unjustified upheavals in their career.

Phase 1: Swimming against the tide

During the initial days when the legend is just a common person trying their best to make a mark society would try its best to put in all sorts of obstacles in their path. Every day society breaks their heart trying to prove to how incompetent they are and how impossible their dream is.

This is the phase when the person is most vulnerable and needs maximum support...this is the phase when they receive maximum criticism.

Phase 2: Race winning phase

The legend has started to win. Society begins to acknowledge the achievements. Suddenly every one takes a vocal U-turn and showers praises on the new star.

Now that the person has risen to stardom society wants behave like a soothsayer who always knew that this person is special.

Phase 3: Swan song phase

The legend is getting rusty...slowly but surely. Now is the time when society would show fanaticism for the legend. Now is the time when they would worship the veteran and beg them not to leave the arena. Now is the time when they would use his example to crush the confidence of the youngsters who are struggling in phase 1.

It’s futile because the legend has already earned his status and is above the immature pettiness shown by society.

In Bollywood when the Khan trio made their entry despite several hits society branded them “lollypop heroes” and was hung up on a visibly aging and tired Bachchan. Now that the Khans are aging they have risen above criticism, any movie they act in can garner an unrealistic amount of expectation and is guaranteed to be a big hit long before its release.

Similar criticize-accept-idolize cycle has been applied to cricketers like Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.

This pattern is observed not only in larger-than-life scenarios...there is very basic emotion that triggers such reaction. Love.

In love too people often show tendencies of going through the denial-acceptance-clinging cycle.

Why do we Indians suffer from this masochistic tendency of valuing something only after it’s gone??? Why not appreciate a flower in its full bloom instead of shedding tears before its picture once it has withered away?

May be it’s true...that tragedy appeals more to us than comedy...

The line between I can and I wish...

“I can” --- The statement effuses pride and confidence.

There are a lot of things that we can do with perfection and we can claim with a certain level of arrogance that “Yes I can do it...several times better than you.” Some people spell these words out and get labelled as egoistic and boastful...some others are clever enough to keep such inflated ego-stroking to a minimum.

A successful man is he who has chosen his career path in lines of the things he can do effortlessly and perfectly.

“I wish” --- The statement effuses insecurities and self-doubts.

There are a lot of things that we want to excel at but either we lack the courage to complete those tasks or the fear of failure acts as an insurmountable barrier.

A happy man is he who has chosen his personal life in lines of the things he wishes to do.

There’re a thousand things that we can do baby and a thousand more things that we wish to do...

Let’s get together to do the things we can and may be the things we wish will come true too...

Violent threats of Bengali mothers

If you are a Bengali or at least if your mom is Bengali you would know what I am talking about. Disciplining the kids is a routine that every mother has to perform all across the world and despite their wish to refrain from reprimanding the child they need to do it once in a while. But Bengali mothers take this disciplining-the-kid business to a whole new level.

Some common threats (all collected from real experiences)

1. Aj tor pa/haat bhenge debo

 Translates to “Today I will break your legs/hands.”

2. Mere rokto ber kore debo

 Translates to “I’ll punch you till you bleed.”

3. Ei lathi-ta tor pithe bhangbo

 Translates to “I’ll break this rod on your back.”

4. Tule achhar marbo

 Translates to “I’ll pick you up and smash you down to the ground.”

5. Chabke chhal chhariye debo

 Translates to “I’ll whip you and skin you.”

6. Matha phatiye debo

 Translates to “I’ll break your head”

7. Kaan tene chhire debo

 Translates to “I’ll box your ears and rip them off.”

All the threats are replete with promises of gory violence. It’s not that the kids are born with tendencies of destruction in this part of the world…nor are the mothers particularly cruel is this part of the world…but the mothers just love to use sanguine threats to scare the errant child.

I often interrupted my mommy while she was fervently hurling threats at me with requests for clarification. She often used the fourth threat on the list and I responded with “Smash me down? From what height?” or “But you never really pick me up…I think I’d like that.” Her reactions ranged from instant nullification of anger to instant conversion of anger to blind rage.

Mothers never can implement such threats on their kids…they know it, the indulgent fathers know it, even the kids know it. Then why do they dish out threats they don’t intend to carry out?

Actually in a subtle and sure way a lesson has been handed down for generations…limit the animal in you to the realm of anticipation and imagination and express only the delicate nurturer in you to the real world.