Juice

You know you're down and out when you google for inspirational quotes.

PS: They don't work.

The Abandoned

I’ve tried to recollect a few Indian actors who have, on more than one occasion, been hired to play the role of the guy who gets ditched by the heroine. Classic members of the L-Club. The ranking is based on certain parameters listed below. Higher points are given to the one who has:

a) More movies in which he has been ditched in

b) Box office insignificance of the movie in which he has been ditched

c) Hotness of heroine ditching him

d) The alternative chosen by the female being a bigger loser

And here is the list:

6. Shah Rukh

Devdas, Darr

The guy charges way too much to play the character who gets ditched. Even when he does, he is still the protagonist. Hence.

5. Salman Khan

Hum Dil Sanam, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam, Saajan

Admit it. He has style.

4. Tarun Arora

Jab we met, Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi, Hawas, Men Not Allowed

Loser. Total. But due credit must be given to the way he makes himself so forgettable in whatever role he plays. Actually he is the reason I thought of this post in the first place.

3. Tushar kapoor

Mujhe Kuch Kenha Hai, Gayab

Spoilt Brother. Loser. Gets ditched in movies. Makes Sense.

2. Akshaye Khanna

Hungama, Race, Humraaz

Somehow I don't see this guy fitting into any other role.

1. Saif Ali Khan

Yeh Dillagi, Kal Ho Na Ho(Yes, although he marries her, it’s a regretful one), Rehna hai tere dil mein, Na Tum jaano na hum, Kya Kehna, Arzoo, Imtihaan

The official Nawab of L-Club. Yes. I titled him so. Wins on account of sheer numbers and for actually being a momma's boy but pretending to be a tough dude.

Feel free to comment with your own nominations.

Delhi - From the eyes of a Southie

Extravagance redefined.

Needless Wants

For the past two academic years, we've been grilled about how marketing is all about converting human 'needs' into 'wants'. Apparently there reside, deep in the recesses of our mind, unstated needs that promotions prod us to acknowledge, want and satisfy. I beg to differ.

The human mind, to me, is too complex, irrational and in a constant state of confusion to know what we really need. But it wants everything. Wants are the essence of our character, behaviour and purpose. Needless as they might be, they explain lucidly a life wasted, and define our aspirations that we continue to foster after repeated let downs. So much for Pavlov's Classical Conditioning theory too. Seriously, the man used a dog to explain what I might do at the repeated ringing of a bell. WTF?

Anyhow, what I intend to describe is the futility of seeking reason to one's behaviour. There is a dense bright ball of madness that drives our mental faculty at any point. It wants us to break systems that cannot be broken, to walk the longer road home, to ceaselessly call out to that one person who wont turn back and because there is no need for it. To let that song playing randomly on shuffle to affect your mood and turn an erstwhile well structured blog post into meaningless babble. Yet, we refuse to learn.

Lesson: We're all mad. Admit it.

Inspiration

It's ironic that the recent Aman-ki Aasha campaign is coupled with the news of IPL teams abandoning Pakistani Players. It is also ironic that Iqbal (aka Allama Iqbal), who wrote Saare jahan se achcha hindustan hamara, was a key influence in Jinnah's decision for demanding a separate Muslim state. Seeking commonality in the two ironies, one of Iqbal's works, popularized by Junoon's song 'Khudi ko Kar', inspires me like nothing else:

Khudi(Self) ko kar buland(mighty) itna
ke har taqdeer(fate) se pehle
Khuda bandey(person) se khud pooche
Bata teri raza(agreement/wish) kya hai

Tu shaheen(Royal falcon) hai, Parvaz(flight) hai kam tera, kam tera
Tere samne Aasman aur bhi hain
Tu shaheen he Basera(dwell) kar
Pahadon(mountains) ki chattanon(rocks) par
Tu shaheen hai tu Shaheen hai tu shaheen hai

Song available here.

Passing out

Reflecting on what seem to be the last few days of my student life, I can't help seeing patterns from my past experiences of passing out of college.

Be it undergrad or postgrad, it's always the same. College seems to be a lot more dearer. All the things that you hated about your hostel are exactly what you can't stop raving about to your friends outside. Women seem prettier. Girls of the senior batch suddenly adopt straightened hair in a bid to pass out 'unsingled', while senior guys seem more keen on bagging a junior girlfriend.

Careers are discussed and so are failures. Failure of systems, aspirations and interviews. Parallels are drawn with peer institutes and faculty is dissected and blamed for. Reasons for education are questioned with a few interjections from reasons for existence. All this over experimental experiences of alcohol and other substances. And in this elevated state, resolutions are made: of a life that will be led the way it should be lived.

Getaways are planned with friends that have survived, singing antakshiri en route to boring destinations that never really were. The journey is all that will be remembered. And before you even begin to read all these patterns, your time runs out. Faster than you ever imagined. Damn I'll miss this place.