It's Everywhere!

A few days back, my friends and I where talking about few clubs that we can join in college. Our seniors said that participation in clubs were very important for placements in the final year. Apart from that, It's fun to be a part of club activities. We can get good friends only when we socialize and clubs are the only means to do so in a small town like this. There are about 15 clubs in our college. After the discussion, I had n club that I could join. Not because I don't have the talent, but because there is so much politics everywhere!

The literature club of our college is very good (from what I know) and they do quite a good job with conducting events and stuff. I wanted to join it because that is one and only way to improve and maintain my language. Back in school I as talked in english because my best friend was a north indian. But that isn't the case in college. I simply had to find a way to keep talking and that seemed to be the only way. But then I need influence to get in. I'm not hawte or something. There is this girl who is the sister of the club member and she is already into the club when club activities aren't for first years! She is dumb as bark But she does look pretty from the standard 'standard'. I got pissed. From where I come these things happen only in political parties and in colleges in movies but not in real life. Guess I was wrong.

With all hope lost I decide to get into another club which is as good as the literature club. And there comes another harsh reality. Influence again! The club is meant to bring up leaders and use their leadership qualities. But the criteria to get in is "Either you look pretty and act all girly-girly or have a friend who is already in the club." Shit! Isn't it? And yeah, there is of course one more criteria - Being rich. So that they'll get sponsor for the events that will be conducted.

With every club being discussed about, the only thing that we concluded was that you need influence, money or use make-up to get whatever you want in life. Only when you have money you can get into a good college. Only when you have influence, you can get a room in the hostel. Only when you look pretty (not the kind of beauty that comes form heart, but the artificial kind which is the result of wasting too much time with creams and face pack) you stand out of the crowd.

At the end of the day all I could think about is Anna Hazare. Poor guy! How can he remove corruption by just passing the Bill when it is in our blood? We have been dealing with this everywhere for the so many years and a Bill will change everything? I don't think so.

-Shreeji

Model United Nations (MUN)

         "Model United Nations is basically a simulation of the United Nations where students represent a country to discuss and find solutions for global issues. The above explanation may seem boring but trust me it's loads of fun! In fact the best 3 days since college started where those which I spent participating in K-MUN. Since my participation in it, I'm not able to stop talking about to my friends. I didn't speak much. I hardly prepare for it. I wasn't as good as those law students who are born to debate and win and yet I had the time of my life."

         I had written that almost a year back and stands true even today. I still can't stop talking about MUNs and the kind of people I meet there. But there came a time, when everyone asked what the whole point of it was? Participating in MUNs were costly, and mom started asking questions which were unanswerable. She was like you don't win also, so why do you attend? I'm sure a MUNer would know better that it is not about winning, in fact, it's never about winning.

           This became even more clear recently. I attended this Coimbatore Circuit Model United Nations which was conducted by PSG CAS. I won Honorary Mention but it didn't matter to me! It of course did matter to my mom and others but not me. I was more stuck on the memories. I met some after a very long time. I made new friends. I was thinking of how better the resolution could have been. I was thinking if I would be mentioned in the newsletter. I was thinking whether they had taken profile-picture-worthy photos. I know they are all silly things, but you're kidding yourself if you deny this.

          At the end of the day, it becomes more than just a competition for us so called MUNners. We become a family. The agenda becomes more personal than you can think. (Although it shouldn't be that way) It becomes more than just a Model United Nations.

-Shreeji

Why this kolaveri di?!

      My goodness! Such hype for such a simple song! What is there in that song to become so famous? I found nothing great about it the first time I heard the song. I heard it a second time due to the enormous number of posts in facebook but even then found nothing great about it. My aunt in UK heard it from a Bengali friend of hers and called me up to know what it was all about. But here are few reasons why I think it has become famous all over the world.

The tune: I must say the tune is rather catchy and stays in your head for a really long time, just like Chammak Challo. Although both songs have not so great and not so new tunes they do stay in your heads. The tune is simple enough to be sung by all. One doesn’t need to know singing to do that song justice. Where it for the great singers, I really doubt they would call it singing at all. Hence it is easily enjoyed by the non-singing community.

The language: The whole song is written in a Tamil dialect of English, Thanglish. This use of English words has made even those who don’t understand Tamil to easily grasp the words and sing along with it. No wonder it being played in Mtv, 9xm and many other Hindi music channels. It’s for the same reason that Chetan Baghat’s books also became famous – easy to understand and relate to.

The theme: The song is dedicated to ‘soup boys’ who are apparently those who failed in love. I wouldn’t really say that meaning is one of the main responsibility of the song becoming famous and all. ‘Cause if that was the case then ‘Oda Oda Oda’ song of the movie Mayakkam Enna is funnier. But I guess it was the medium of language through which its meaning was conveyed that really made the song go viral.

The phrase ‘Why this kolaveri?’: Is it really that catchy? I find the word kolaveri at least once in the comments for every post in facebook. WTF has now officially become WTK. I heard my north Indian classmate who doesn’t know Tamil say to his other friend ‘ho gaya na tera kolaveri’. Huh? That was like, completely out of context. I remember my friends and I using the Tamil version of it ‘yen intha kolaveri’ back in school as part of our daily language. I guess Dhanush was just lucky for that phrase being used everywhere.

      But is it really a good ‘song’? I don’t think so. It definitely is not a song that will be remembered over years. It’ll be forgotten when the next catchy thing comes around. Until then for those who don’t like it will just have to bear with its omnipresence. 


-Shreeji

Nostalgia

    Diwali has come and gone but I didn't have the excitement and the fun that I usually did. I didn't want to wake up early, didn't want to burst even a single cracker (which can be considered good and Eco-friendly) and didn't feel like wearing new clothes! Diwali used to be so much better.

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   A few years back when all my neighbors were there, Diwali was all about bursting as many bombs and walas as possible and wearing new clothes. We would wake up as early as possible and burst crackers so that we would be the first in our street to burst them. We never got bored of them. Never! We would burst crackers all morning and collect all the paper around the place, burn it and make it look like some kind of a bonfire and dance around it. Crazy times it were! We would try different tricks every year. One year it was bursting bijili on the wire post. Another year it was lighting the bijili in hand and throwing it in the drainage at the right time so that the waste water will splash on the person right next to it! Disgusting right? But we found it fun and I still do.


   Then we would change to a more traditional clothing and give sweets to everyone. There would be a hidden of competition of who wore the best clothes and the most number of clothes. I know it sounds childish now but then we were children back then. Lunch (or should I say sweets) and then a short nap in the afternoon so that we would be fresh enough for the next round of bursting crackers.

     This was how Diwali used to be. But now things have changed. All my friends are in a different place. Two of my friends did come to my house but it wasn't as much fun. Things have definitely changed! This Diwali all we did was remembering all that we did and hoping for a Diwali with everyone in one place. After all Diwali is the festival of lights and joy and whats is joy without people to enjoy with?

-Shreeji

Why blog?

    When I tell someone that I write a blog, all they ask me is what is a blog?. One or two person is fine but then most of them? I'm surprised! It makes me wonder why people blog when no one reads it.

   

    I met this person recently who has been blogging for over a year now with more than 20 posts but just one follower. And it seems that, that follower is his brother and he is following him just because he had to. So I asked him if he wouldn't feel frustrated or annoyed to see that no one is reading their blogs for which he replied with a mere 'Not really'. We simply changed to another topic and didn't discuss it anymore. 

   I gave it a lot of thought to why people blog. There are people who earn money from blogging. Such are people who write really good blogs which are useful for others unlike mine. There also people who blog just for the sake of it and others who blog just because they wanna express what they feel. That's it. 

  Blogs has become more like a substitute to the good old leather bound diary in which people put their thoughts in words. Of course it has the major difference that diaries aren't meant for people to read it. But then those were the days when people where too shy to express and admit what they feel.

   Everyone has to let out what they think one way or the other. We update status in Facebook, tweet, some gossip, etc. to do just this. I blog just so I can let the world know what I feel. I don't care if people read it or not. I have let it out of mind and it is up to the rest of the world to listen.

-Shreeji

iNQUEST

What's wrong with the world?

Or Is something wrong with me?
Is it how it is?
Or Is it how it appears to be?

I look around to find;
That things have changed.
I see not my friends;
But images that are arranged.

Is this the universal truth?
Or Is it just a case?
Is this how it's gonna be?
Or Is it just another phase?

I keep asking these questions,
And I find not n answer.
I keep searching for them,
But i haven't got any closer.

-Shreeji

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    She imagined the scene over and over again in her mind. They both would be sitting on a bench on a pleasant evening, talking about general stuff like college. At one point of time when they would have nothing else to speak about and when there is this awkward silence she would break the ice. In a shy and soft way she would ask him "Do you still like me?". And then he would ask "What do you mean?" for which she would reply "You know what I mean." Her imagination would stop right there. Her only wish was to hear a yes but isn't sure if that would be the reality.

   It all started four months back. They were really good friends. One night all of a sudden he said "I need to tell you something private. Promise me you 'll keep this conversation discreet". With all excitement she said a yes thinking he was gonna tell about one of his past girlfriend or someone she could tease him with. He went on saying that he doesn't want the result of that conversation to put their friendship in jeopardy. Confused, she said "Sure. It won't". After a short pause he said "Over the years I have developed feelings for you. I have kept them bottled up inside me because I didn't know how to say it. But now the load has got unbearable and I needed to get it off. I will respect your opinion on this". The words struck her mind like a spear. She just cut the call and switched her phone off. She didn't know what to say. She never thought about him that way. She couldn't sleep that night.
    
   The next morning she got a few text messages from him but decided not to reply for any of it. That night after giving a long thought to what had happened she text him asking not to have contact with her. She wanted some time to forget what had happened and like that the days went. She hadn't spoken to him for more than a week. She started liking him for respecting her wishes. The very thought of him gave her a smile. Days went by like this and at one point of time they started talking as if there were no such conversation between them.

   One night, she asked him "You didn't say anything for what I said that day". A very vague question it was but they both very well understood what it meant. She knew that they would be really good friends if she said a no but if she told that she liked him too things may get really weird. And she didn't want that.  She said "I just want us to be friends. Nothing more, nothing less". And just as he promised he never spoke another word about it again.

   But now things have changed. She knows for a fact that he is interested in a girl of his own college. If only she had said a different answer that night. She doesn't like what she did but neither does she know if its opposite is what she wanted.

-Shreeji

P.S. This is my first imaginative piece. Please let me know how it is. :)

Har Ek Friend Zaroori Hota Hai..!!!

    Such a nice phrase. But gen X don't understand it. For the past few months I've been going out with a different set of friends every weekend. This weekend I was supposed to go out with my new "college" friends. But mom didn't let me. She was like "I don't understand your concept of friendship! How many friends can a person have? And I don't think they will be with you forever. But the knowledge you gain at this age will help you forever." I, on  the other hand didn't understand any of her questions. I socialize a lot and I want to have fun. I don't care if they 'll be with me till doomsday but I just wanna enjoy as long as it lasts. But for a moment I thought if my mom was right. Was it right to have a huge gang of just friends and no one intimate? A few days later I caught this really good song in an ad for airtel. The song starts like this "chai ke liye jaisa toast hota hai, vaise har ek friend zaroori hota hai" (every friend is important just like we have toast with coffee). Who was I kidding when I thought if it wasn't right to have so many friends? It fits just fine!

     I do accept that teenagers today don't have the "We'll be friends forever" type friends, although we do send everyone texts which says beautiful quotes sometimes boring ones too. I'm sure at least a few really good friend 'll stick with me till the end. But I'm also sure the whole lot won't have contact with me till the end. But who cares! When my mom on the one hand didn't understand the concept of  having a lot of friends, I didn't understand the concept of having just one friend. Isn't there a proverb which goes like this "The More The Merrier"? I have different friends with whom I share different interests with. With some I share the same taste of music, with some I share my secrets, with some I discuss stuff related to studies so on and so forth. We all have a hi-bye friend whom you just see everyday and just greet them but a friend none the less. And if that person throws a party for his or her birthday why shouldn't I go?

    This is the day's trend. The ad has rightly cited today's youth in the best possible way. I'm really addicted to the song! My mom gives me a stare every time I sing that song (which isn't because of my bad voice), but then har ek friend zaroori hota hai yaar! :)

-Shreeji

Disappointments...!!

        Its been only a week since my college has started and I do know its too early to tell anything about it. But I must say, my first impression wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. So to speak, all my friends were quite disappointed, at least those who have joined the same college as I have.

        I'm sure everyone has a dream of how their college life would be. It is something that higher secondary students, especially in tamil nadu, long for. But I guess things never happen the way one wants it to be. The following are few things that school students think how college life is gonna be...

       First thing what everyone thinks is that one need not study in college. But let me tell you people, its the biggest lie told by our parents and our teachers. Everyone from the dean of placement to your tutor will make you study. You 'll be surprised to see that students are actually willing to learn by referring books from the library! Everyone will be shy and reluctant to mingle. They will prefer to be with books rather than socialise and have friends. There wont be a single known face. Even if you did know people in your class they will act in a very unusual way which will make you think lonely or rebellious. One very disappointing thing would be that there is no ragging. I'm sure you think that I must be happy for that, but what is college life without some drama mixed with it? Seniors are almost scared of us.

      Remember this, college isn't like the ones they show in movies. First day you talk to a few people and they are your friends for life? No! Teachers won't be comedy pieces whom you can make fun of behind their back. You have to write records even here which actually carries marks. Its not all about innovation and smart work but also includes hard work. As the day breaks and I get ready to go to college once again, I can only hope it gets better or that my acceptance to what is there in front of me increases.

-Shreeji

 

(Hope I choose the right one)

What's with blogging?

    The first time I heard the word 'blog', I guess I was in my 7th grade. I asked some people what it was they would simply say its the clipped word of 'web' and 'log'. But that wouldn't satisfy me. So I looked up for the word in my Oxford Pocket Dictionary and obviously the word wasn't there. According to me any word that isn't there in my little dictionary is not at all used (which applies for me even today..). A couple of years back blog and blogging got really famous. I was not the internet kind of person so just let it go.


   The first time I really understood the meaning of 'blog' was when I watched the movie 'Julie & Julia' in which Julie creates a blog to document her progress in cooking every recipe of Julia Child's book. That was just a year back. Yes, I understood the word quite late in life.


  That was when my mom learnt about blogs and started reading them for recipes of brownies and muffins. (The result of which were luscious!) Reading all those blogs she wanted me to start one giving all sorts of reasons. I didn't lend her my ear giving the excuse that I have tutions to go to and I can't waste my time in this. (not that I fared well in my studies)


   Just before joining college, a student in tamilnadu gets almost 4 months of holidays. So at the start of it my mom said, "Anyway your gonna be bored with nothing to do, so y don't you start a blog." Just like all her other advises and suggestions, it went unnoticed.

   Just a few days back I read a rather interesting blog by a friend of mine and that’s when I understood the real deal with writing blogs. Dictionary.com defines blog as a website containing a writer's or a group of writers' own experiences, observations,opinions, etc. I would say that it expresses and explains simple things of daily life which are simply unnoticed. It’s just like one of those articles in a magazine except that it doesn’t need the approval of someone like an editor. It is an expanded version of facebook status and more importantly its fun both to read and to write. So here I am, done with my first blog, signing off for now.

-Shreeji


P.S. This is my first blog so please let me know how it is.