Taiyari kiski?

So Bournvita has come up with a couple of ads like this, where the kid is taking part in some kind of sport, where he is testing his own limits by more and more practice.  The children are constantly practicing, either as a gymnast or a basketball player and their mother is looking on.  After falling or missing the baskets a couple of times, the kid would say something like to the effect of how they are not tired of practicing, because their mummy tells them how they must be persistent in practicing and should not give up till they succeed.

Now, this idea is a bit disturbing.  The more I see these ads on tv, the more disturbed I get, because a brown powder, which in my opinion just changes colour of milk and makes it taste little chocolatey and sugary, is talking how important winning is.  Being an average person is not acceptable in society, being an achiever is not good enough, and how everyone should be an overachiever.

Assuming grown ups are not fond of milk and how this product's target audience is children *and* their mothers, I think it is unfair to be asking for too much from children like that.

I did not have an exceptional childhood.  It mostly consisted of coming home from school at 4, watching tv till 6, finishing homework, watch more tv and sleep.  When I was a kid, our place was considered outskirts of city, and we had very few neighbours, and hardly anyone my age.  Sister had already discovered internet and I was just the annoying younger sister.  But I went cycling, played chess with grandma (where she let me win because I have always been cute, and no one wants to see a cute girl cry) and read "champak".  I have also been an average performer till 10th, and scored well in boards and have done better ever since.  But I don't remember my parents telling me how I *need* to excel in everything I do.

Yes, dad did get upset once when I scored 44/100 in social studies once in 8th, which I am not proud of, but after telling me, 'take care next time', he let me be, and I scored 71/100 in finals, because I tried hard. (in my defense, highest marks in former exams in entire class was 51, and our school was strict in that way, highest scorer hardly scored more than 65/100, because they wanted to keep us grounded. whatever logic)  I scored the highest in that term.  There was no pressure on me from parents to score.  I did it because I knew I could have, it was just that I was lazy.  C'mon, you are 14 years old, big deal if you score less, no? not the end of world.

Today, when I see my younger cousins I feel sad.  Not only because they are Hannah Montana fangirls and want to show cleavage at 13, and put on loud make up, but also because their parents want them to be the first in their class.  If the mother is expecting her daughter should score 90 marks in maths, and if she scores 84, the mother requests for rechecking of paper to class teacher because she believes that her daughter should have scored 90 only.  My parents never fought with the teacher, mostly because they trusted the teachers know what they are doing, and if i didn't get marks, it was perhaps because I was wrong.

Today, parents don't want to accept their child could go wrong, that way, they end up putting the pressure on the kid that they have to live up to their parents' expectations.

Is it that important to win, always? Is it so bad to fail? Is it that bad to be average?

Open Letter to Delhi Boy

Dear Rickkkyy,

Few days back I wrote a blog, which was mainly to write something so that it pushes down my previous post that made me cringe every time I read it.

While I do agree it read more like a boring journal, your comment on the same totally pwned me.  I woke up and read that comment first thing in the morning and I could not stop grinning.  That was perhaps one of the best comments anyone has ever written on my blog.  (and I've been around since a few years now)

Now while the comment was absolutely brilliant, you did not leave any hint about you.  You also did not leave any mail address so I could get back to you.  And it has driven me up the walls not knowing who you are.  In fact, I check mails only to see if you have come back to leave another comment and I desperately hope you come back again and say hello.

So what do you say?

Lassi in Delhi or Coffee in Bangalore? (or, if you prefer, Chai in Ahmedabad?)

♥_♥

Anyone?

I'd like a nice cup of coffee right now.  Well, not now, but in some next thirty minutes or so.  Maybe a nice ride on the empty streets of bangalore.  I'll probably tie my hair in a braid.  Because the wind will make my hair fly in all direction and untangling them will be a pain. 

I don't want to change my clothes either, I'm wearing my very comfortable old cotton dress, where first button has come off and I have not bothered to get it fixed.  It's my comfort outfit, the one I want to wear to sleep because it has become smooth with all the washes and it smells wonderful.  It's just the smell only you can associate with things that belong to you.  So I'd really like to be around someone who doesn't mind seeing me at my worst.

I may or may not have much to talk about, so the silence between us should not be make either of us uncomfortable. Just sit, stare at the sky, sip our coffee conversations that are not forced.

I wouldn't mind watching a movie either.  Love Actually? Bridget Jones' Diary? And the scene where Mark tells Bridget how he likes her, "just as she is". Or Serendipity?  And take sides for or against the concept of chance encounters depending on the mood at that time.

And maybe follow it up with a blueberry cheesecake.  Or I may in one of the moods where I am craving a pineapple cake! For a die-hard chocolate fan, craving pineapple cake is funny.  But then, everything about human nature is funny.  Just that some of us have learnt to laugh on ourselves.

I've hardly slept 8 hours in last 2 days.  I've had terrible cold, don't remember the last time I was down with cold, and since I refuse to take medicines, hardly any relief.  So I may be delirious.  In fact, I know I am not making any sense in this blog either, just like rest of the blogs, and I did start writing restaurant experience blog in bangalore, but then changed my mind. Because I'm awesome like that.

Anyway, if any of you is up for it, do let me know, I'm here for two more weeks, let's have a night out on the streets of bangalore one of these days?

untitled

Disclaimer: Dude, completely fiction. 

I was taking a 2 week vacation to visit my sister and brother in law in Bangalore.  With exams behind me, I felt like taking a break to go to another place and try to figure things out.  Career, relationships, which direction was life moving in.

It was a 2 hour flight, and another two hours to reach the city from the village where Bangalore airport is situated.  I checked in my baggage and asked for a window seat.  I usually prefer aisle, but today I wanted to see the sunset and the clouds.  One of those days when looking into distance helps in sorting things out in your mind.

The security check was a breeze.  Not many people taking a flight out at this hour on a thursday.  There was only one common line for hand baggage screening.  After picking up the laptop from the tray, I walked over to the coffee day counter and picked up a coffee.  Having skipped lunch, I was surviving only on a mug of milk since morning.  Coffee wasn't one of the best ideas, I guess.

Finally, boarded.  I had my copy of Immortals of Meluha in my hand but I could not concentrate.  Mind was way too preoccupied with other things.  The uncertainty of chartered accountancy exams and the vicious cycle.  It's interesting how some people have their career all sorted out and planned.  Even if I clear the exams this time, I have no clue what I want to do after that.  When I see people around me with chalked out career paths, I feel stupid.

And then the relationships.  How come it is always that the person you like ends up liking someone else? Why can't the cupid strike the two of us together? Am I the only one with messed up relationships? But then, I have realised, over period of time, that those who appear all calm and composed are more messed up than us, who are actually messed up.

I did not realise when the two hours passed by and we touched down the Bangalore airport.  Another two hour bus ride before I reach 'home'.  Ow, I was starving.  Unpacked the stuff I got for sister from Ahmedabad.  As my mother likes to call it, it was a Ram-Bharat milaap, where I am the faithful Bharat who cannot bear to hear anything negative for elder sister.

While sister and brother in law called it an early night, for having to go to work the next day, and I was not sleepy, and was watching tv, and turned on the laptop to check mails surf internet. I turned on the laptop and the login screen came up. I don't have my laptop password protected.  Strange.  It said, username: vikjain. What new hell was this, I wondered.  Who is this vikjain, and why is his name the username? Oh my god.  The laptop got exchanged at the Ahmedabad airport.  Where is this vikjain who has my laptop! how in the heaven's name am I supposed to contact him! Panic attack.

I looked blankly at the login screen with no thoughts crossing my mind. Few minutes later, my phone rang.  It was an unknown number.  I picked up the phone, "Hello?". "Hello? Am I talking to Shreya?" said the voice on the other end. "Yes", I asked, "who's this?" "Hi, Shreya, Vikram here, I think we exchanged our laptops at Ahmedabad airport" he said.

A thousand questions ran through my mind.  "Oh, wow, how did you get my number? And where are you? I mean, I am in Bangalore, which city are you? How will we exchange our laptops back?" I fired without a pause.  "Surprisingly, I am in Bangalore too", he said. I could hear him stifle his laughter.  "Let us meet tomorrow and exchange it back?" he asked.  "Yes, let us meet first thing tomorrow", I added.  "Tomorrow morning I am a bit tied up, what about evening? Around 7ish?" he asked. "Okay, tomorrow at 7 pm, Kalmane coffee at Forum Mall?" I suggested. "It's a date", he said.  I could almost hear him grin.  What was so amusing? Does he lose his laptop so frequently not to get panicked by all this?


Next day, I reached there at 6:45 in anticipation.  One of the few things I lack is patience.  7:00 and no sign of him.  Fought my urge to call Vikram to ask his whereabouts.  At around 7:10, a tall guy with a mop of dark black hair walked in.  He looked familiar.  Of course he looked familiar, we took the same flight the previous evening.

"Hi, Shreya", he said, "here is your laptop", he handed me my laptop from his bag.  I returned him his laptop.  "Coffee?", he asked.  "Umm. Sure", I said.  We ordered our coffees and sat down.  "So how did you get my name and number?", I asked. "Your laptop is not password protected, and your resume is on the desktop", he grinned. 'How dare you go through my files without my permission', I thought. "I figured at least that would have some details about the rightful owner of the laptop", he smiled, as if reading my mind.

Our talks over coffee lasted for over two hours, and would have probably continued further had my sister not called to ask my dinner plans.  Since it was Friday night, we had planned a quick bite followed by the new men in black movie that was released that day.  I had completely lost track of time.

We checked laptops one final time to ensure there are no goof ups this time.  After an awkward handshake, we parted ways.

Five minutes later, I got a new message alert.

"Vikram: Coffee tomorrow?"