To Be Or Not To Be....

That is the question ...as Shakespeare had very rightly written and Hamlet espoused. When one has formed certain ideas... certain beliefs and held on to certain principles... for sometime now, then when the situation comes... and it does come in ones lifetime, for some it comes sooner than later, the question ceases to be a mere literature specimen meant to inspire and impress... it takes on a very serious persona....and it almost sticks to you like a shadow... there it pops it head and winks at you when you are brushing your teeth... it passes by you on a motorbike turning back and nodding at you at the curve in the road....there it makes eye contact with you for a fleeting moment when you step out of the elevator and then it vanishes... .vanishes for a few days ... then it shows its intense but ugly face when you least expect it...especially when you are happy and gay with friends... it comes as a dampner.... suddenly in the drink one moment, then in the subtle touch of the hottie sitting at the bar next to you... oh... it doesnt go away.... its like gnawing at me through my open wounds... its mocking at me... saying that is this what you spend so much time and energy fighting off everyone... to just give it up in one instant... is this enough... this holding on to your belief for longer than most people but not for ever... if you cant believe in yourself...then who can... then dont go around saying that people let you down... they dont ... you do...

Life is dull these days... it must be if my frenz are reminding me that I haven't posted any thing new after the Pink Chaddi Campaign... its not that there has been no excitement in my life (really !) but that I have been too busy to write anything... I wrote a couple of scripts and was satisfied ... the lazy bum that I am.


Well... I can write about 2 major things that is keeping me occupied these days.. one is Shifu... the other is a space of 8 X 10 --- both are failed projects... so its better not to write about them...


lets delve into random musings... and stray thoughts that keep on filtering through my mind now and then... these thoughts range from the mundane to the metaphysical...


There is this whole phenomenon of 'Arranged Marriages' that is still prevalent in this country... where the families arrange the marriage between their children (correction - children of marriageable age... dont want the human rights commision on my back even if Balika Vadhu is in vogue). There is the ubiquitous panditji or mediator who plays the cupid ...although there is nothing remotely connected to love in these transactions... then the whole family schemes and plots to make the prospective bride and groom meet. The ackward couple meet under supervision and ask funny questions ....


Boy (sweating, wiping off the sweat and gulping down the sherbet and trying to be cool)- so you want to pursue a career?


Girl (nervous-at having to talk to someone who will be the pioneer of her future, scared - of saying something that would put her family name to shame, disgusted-at being treated like a peice of furniture and spoken to condeseedingly) - yes

Boy: Good good, I want a girl who works, double income will allow me to buy that Porsche that I have been eyeing...What are your interests?

Girl: (thinking in her mind ... As if I will let you use my money... I was thinking that I will be finally able to buy those Jimmy Choos without hampering my salon expenses) Interests... the usual... hanging out with friends, watching movies, etc...

Boy: Nice, dont you listen to music... I mean I love rock... I almost played in my college band

Girl: Really?? wow.... I listen to music but I like more of bollywood songs... when I go clubbing with my friends, I like to dance only on Bollywood numbers

Boy: Oh you go clubbing also?? With frenz... must be guys also... hmmm

Girl: what did that hmm mean?? Don't tell me you don't go clubbing... with girls as well

Boy: Oh I do... but those girls are different... I mean those short skirts and those carefree attitude is nice, but not for my wife...

Girl: (Accha saale, you can go have your fun and hang out with those girls but wont marry them) hmmm... well I have a lot of friends and some of them are guys and I love hanging out with them ... after a days hard work, it is kind of relaxing to meet your friends over few drinks and chill.... don't you think so...

Boy (so she drinks as well) yeah... we friends make it a point to catch up for drinks every saturday... I mean one is entitled for such things in the weekend... sometimes we go for a movie and then get together for drinks... what is your favorite movie??

Girl: Oh I like Jab We Met... really nice movie...

Boy: Oh I also liked it... it was very realistically potrayed... do you eat non-veg??

Girl: Only chicken... I like chicken wings that is served at Pop Tates... they really make it ...

Boy: Really... I also like chicken wings... wow we have some common tastes, literally... hehe

Girl: hehe... (and he thinks its funny...well not bad... maybe we can make it work...besides he is good looking and earns decently as well)

.......And so the match is made and the boy and girl get married and fumble through their relationship the first few years and try and be happy accepting the hiccups that come their way, etc... because society expects us to judge a person based on their behaviorial habits and follow its norms. Incase a person questions these norms the taq of eccentric and loose moraled person sticks on especially if she is a woman who knows what she wants.

Sample some common arguments/reason that is given by Parents and friends ....

1. You are running out of time

2. Your biological clock is ticking

3. Why you doing this to your parents

4. What will our relatives and society say

5. There is a time and age for everything

6. You will regret it later

Well the only that I cant understand about arranged marriages is the setup of the boy and girl ...I mean why do they have to meet up??? Its an arranged marriage for crying out loud... which means that parents will arrange it... they will see a family with similar values, a boy or girl with good upbringing and decent education. The job or work in hand and fix the date of the wedding... so why do the guy and girl have to meet and assess each other??? Arranged marriages are the responsibilty of the parents...why do parents want to share the responsibility with the children... why cant they make up their minds about it... is it because they dont know how it marriage is going to turn out... is that why they leave the final decision with the kids... so in that case why dont they leave the entire responsibilty to the kids itself....

well I have no answers.....help somebody.