pARODy of aSSUMPtioN

“If you think you are indispensable, go to the nearest graveyard and read the tombstone. He had also said so.”

My secondary school English teacher once told us the above lines. Though I have completely forgotten the context of her saying the above, I remember the line vividly. Even after living with the line for years and mentioning it in many a consolation speeches to people, it is today that the brutality of the line’s truth is haunting me.

Many theories have faced flaks and battled brickbats of criticism because of the fallacious assumptions they base their premises on. The assumptions are sometimes too idealistic to be real, often too utopian to be practical or just too expectant. Theorists are not ignorant men, rather all men of wisdom and intellect. Yet, they err because they assume. The paradox of assumption is that lack of it makes the formulation of a theory impossible, and it makes the theory impractical.

The most FAQ again- to DO or NOT to DO…?

To assume or not to assume. It’s a hard choice between the deep sea and the devil. But, then isn’t it all about making choices ?

I made mine. I chose to assume. I assumed that I was difficult to dispense off. I faulted. They need me as much as I needed them. I erred. But, then the assumption was sine qua non for me to embark upon my march towards my goal. When I started off, it was bright and sunny. Everything around was warm and embracing. Only if that day had hinted of today, probably I would have revised my assumption. But then, there would be nothing left to critique. It is with criticism alone that theories are revised, corrected and reworked to pave way for newer and better theories. The new theories never repeat the mistake of their predecessors. They promise better explanation and fetch more nods in agreement. So, “yesterday” veiling the hint of “today”, though has ruined “today”, but is a boon for a possible brighter “tomorrow”.

Again I make an assumption. I assume a better tomorrow. It’s definitely fallacious for the unseen holds no guarantee, nor assurance of its success. But, I still make it. For my theory of happiness today bases its premises on that assumption. For today’s sake, I take the risk of being ridiculed for my assumption tomorrow. But, then it was a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

I couldn’t agree more with Annie Dillard when she says-

“If we listened to our intellect, we'd never have a love affair. We'd never have a friendship. We'd never go into business, because we'd be too cynical. Well, that's nonsense. You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down.”

I jumped…and survival was dear for the sake of dear ones. So, I’m building my wings to touch the ground again.

I am a nerd( wtf ???)

Never before had a single, short sentence remain etched in my memory for so long. It has been many many days since I read it somewhere. I still distinctly remember where I had read it. With no colorful word used, no intellectual meaning conveyed, this sentence (I wonder if it fits the bill of English grammar to be called a sentence at all but I shall refer to it as the same in the absence of any suitable substitute to the contrary) does not have any of the quintessential requisites to keep it in memory for so long. Probably, it has something beneath.

I don’t exactly know who is a nerd or who ought to be called a nerd. As per the popular perception, a stereotypical nerd is a bespectacled geek who is invariably a bookworm drowning forever in a sea of books with a smile, an undisputed class topper in academics, and most importantly one with no or few friends. The rest of the herd comprising of the non-nerds , better referred to as “cool” dudes and dudettes on the other hand are smartly dressed, popular students of the class who excel in activities “non-academic” and are always in company of a battery of friends.

I wonder if this stereotype holds true reflection in subjective reality, why on earth would someone label him/herself as a nerd. It would repel people and one would hardly have company of friends. Won’t it amount to demeaning one’s own self???

Swap sides….

The girl who included this sentence in her introduction on a social networking site(which is from where I read it and registered it in my memory book) was not in the least a “nerd” by stereotypical barometers. She is pretty, sexy, gorgeous…in short she was GOOD looking. She isn’t bespectacled and has a long list of friends. She excels in extra-curricular activities like singing and dancing…which are not remotely academic. And besides every other adorable quality of hers, she is a student extraordinaire. She tops her class and loves reading. She is a regular in attending classes and is extremely passionate about her career.

But she is different, or at least she dares to be. She has shed hypocrisy and is audacious enough to stand up and scream-

“I am a nerd. Wtf???”

Perhaps her audacity that was so evident in her writing…..or the sense of pride that I felt for her on reading that. May be she just glorified “nerds” by calling herself one…

Cheers to her !!!

For all nerds who are reading this….the next time someone calls you a “nerd”, don’t forget to thank him. C’mmon he gave you a compliment.

For all “non-nerds” who think they are cool, brush up…..there’s competition for you….there are cooler “nerds” in the making.

p.s.: for all those who find this write-up biased in favour of nerds……yours truly would like to clarify……it indeed is a write-up FOR the nerds. An attempt to give the miniscule minority a dignified position among us. I think they deserve one and it’s long due.

When the storm blew past

The scorching summer heat has finally surrendered to the monsoon magic. The trumpets have been blown announcing the beginning of the reign of the rain. The rains are strange in our country, queer are its ways. While some lips part to smile at their arrival, some brows twitch at their very onset. When the summers were on, their heat was killing and every breath awaited the rain. Now as june beckons, their time of arrival is nearing …….they have boarded the train already and the lady at the station has announced the arrival of the train of rain.
Today was a bad day.
Raison de tre - Another mundane defeat in one of the many rat races that we partake so often in the current times. It’s amazing how I can now dispel it as oh….not a big deal after all” while I was fretting on the very same issue throughout the day. It’s as if the sun went setting and with it my foolishness too drowned gifting me a new found wisdom that ultimately empowered me to laugh it off.( C’mmon, you can’t be believing it……I was kidding !!!!)
Okay…so that was the backdrop. The story follows….
It was one of those recurrent windy evenings. Cool winds came dashing all of a sudden throwing everything into a dizzy. It was as if everything went into a trance, all men and other beings, both living and non-living were under the spell of the storm. Twas short-lived. It came and went. Its tenure was marked by no significant happening or even mishappening.
BUT unlike so many evenings when such storms came during summers, this evening was different. There was no cocoon of home, no warmth of love, no sense of security. It was all barren all round. And I was all alone and I was trapped. I knew my way but suddenly the way I so often traveled and knew so very well looked scary and strange. I don’t know how but I was both afraid as well as excited of accidentally landing up with the opportunity of facing it all alone by myself and for myself. It is paradoxical but I did feel it. Both excitement and fright. I was out running errands for mama when it struck.
The lights went off.
Thanks to parity in wealth distribution in our country, the bungalows remained lit while the kiosks and smaller houses were left in the dark. While I always thanked Benjamin for gifting us electricity and wrote essays an “Electricity as boon”, today(technically, toevening….but I guess the lexicographers are yet to coin it ) was different. I wished it was darker and scarier.
As I rode my scooty back home, the scene around was signified nothing but chaos and pandemonium. People were running faster home, vehicles had sped up, even the dogs and cows on road looked panic-struck.Apart from the living humans and animals, the non-living beings too were affected. The dried leaves were all over the road, in the air they flew as if just been unleased from bondage. There were leaves of all sizes, that fell from all different trees around. The winds had liberated them and they were rejoicing their freedom. There were polythens and empty plastic bags in the air as well. They had been jolted from their slumber by the winds. Perhaps coaxing them to wake up and admit their fault that they are the culprits of corruption. The dusk had just set in.
The kids had returned home after playing, but the naughtier ones were still on their way. Urchins, they may be but kids they still are. Scared of the dark and fearful of getting lost, they were running home. The storm had come without warning, had they known they would have returned early. They regretted disobeying mother. While I was looking at the kids, a horn pierced my eardrums. Twas a big car, hurrying home like all others. I gave way and wondered why he was so worried. The rich brat was in an air-conditioned car with roof overhead and which certainly won’t be blown away by the minor storm. But I guess he still is “flesh and blood” like the rest of us. A motorcycle too sped past me almost trampling me. The uncle was so confused that he couldn’t see my indicator flashing.While I had to take a right , he was to go straight and he saw only straight. Not to the right, not to the left either. He saw straight ahead where he was heading. No wonder he missed my scooty’s indicator. I was wondering if this was the first time he saw such a sandy storm. Chances seemed bleak. He looked above forty and our area being a delta was frequented by such storms. But then maybe, he might have kids outside. He must be a responsible family man.
As I drove further, the bylanes leading to my home were empty. It was a residential area and all residents were comfortable in their houses. Since the lanes were deserted, I sped up not because I was in a hurry but because I felt like feeling the wind at its best. No opportunity could be as golden.
Empty lanes and no lights.WoW!!!
The neighborhood aunties won’t find out that it was me driving so fast. They always complain Mama about how I drive fast and how I should not be given the scooty. I wonder how slow is “slow” for them. Just then I saw a shadow of a bicycle. I soon discovered it was a young girl riding her bicycle home with a bag on her back. Evening tuitions. Bicycles don’t have lights and so she was even more scared. I know it was difficult cycling in the dark. I have often faced it as a kid, always blaming my cycle for not having lights. I didn’t know her and neither did she. But I rode beside her showing her way from my scooty’s lights. She found her way and as she stopped infront of her house. I rode past, while turning back to smile. I don’t know why I smiled but may be because I felt like. I was happy.It’s certain she didn’t see me properly nor did I see her. But it felt good. We gave each other company in a dark, stormy night when we had none by our side.
I reached home only to find them all worried. While Ma asked me to hurry and park my scooty in the garage and I was about to do so, I saw a couple on a motorbike. They were in all probability new to our locality and had no doubt lost their way. Our so called planned township usually baffles visitors. I felt pity on them, and wished they find their way soon. There couldn’t be a more worse time to get lost in an unknown locality.
While I was still looking at the petrified duo, Mama shouted-“Beta, quick. It’s stormy”. “But Mama, I’m home already. Relax.”
The storm infected all with “worry” virus. It didn’t spare my Mama either….
And yes, the storm subsided soon after leaving no traces of any harm to any being, living or non-living.

Shades of Gray

We the people are- good, bad and ugly. What do you think you are?

Well…..i’m good (i can’t label myself as a bad person).but then, you are my dear friend ofcourse n to be honest……I ain’t think I’m good nuf to be called “a good person”. You know I’m so bad at PR ?(always prone to being misunderstood u see….), acads(well had almost screwed up my career till SLS saved it),……temper(how often I lose it for no reason).

But I think you are simply a lovely person……a great friend …..a good student(you always score tons more than me)……in a nutshell…..you are not good ……you are one the best I’ve ever come across…..

They are both describing the same qualities of the same person. But their representations couldn’t be more different. Raison de’ tre : The two are two different persons with two different pair of eyes , which plausibly share little in common apart from their anatomy(making it easier for the ophthalmologists), their creator(whose existence though without any evidence to support still remains prima facie unquestionable)….It’s strange how with the same near point and far point (assuming that all those eyes suffering from myopia and hypermetropia have got ‘em corrected)…..men(include us….women folks as much as men)can see such myriad aspects of the same thing. But then that’s what we call the enigma of human nature(so enigmatic, sophisticated and in short so very intriguing is the variety in the behavioural pattern of homo sapiens that we have an entire subject dedicated to it…”psychology”).

So…I guess we’ve had enuf beating about the bush (did I jst hear that we almost covered the entire forest).
The answer to all variety is that no man…..or no woman is all black or all white…he who appears white to this pair of eyes appears black to that .So, with no bias…we can safely conclude that all homosapiens are gray(albeit in different shades )

P.S.: All those who just accused me of being a colourless n dull personality must hereby note that colours , black and white have been used as analogies merely for the sake of convenience and their usage has no connection , real or apparent with yours truly’s personality. She loves colours and they will enfold subsequently as she knows you better.