Summer Occasions

 Come summer and I dread,partly the unbearable heat but more so the number of auspicious ceremonies that need to be attended.Not that I am an anti-social animal but to attend parties and functions in hot summer, especially in humid coastal region like mangalore is  a different story all together. 

It all begins at the wake of summer, people seem to get good muhurthams only on the hottest days of the season.Pretty and colorful invitation cards arrive from various places in many different ways, by post, in person and now the "in thing " -facebook  watsapp , and what not. 

The preparation starts.To begin with, silk saree's have to be found from the depths of the wardrobe,ignored until now and all covered with cobwebs. Next,the blouses seem to shrink year after year,not that i am gaining weight. I have to remove a stitch or two and even then I am barely able to breath. Finally, comes the gold,I get all of it from the bank.The heavier your saree and gold more the people seem to be impressed.You may ask what if they are not impressed? Then I am the target  for the day and will be stared at as if I am an animal from a different planet.People shoot comments left, right and center. Why take all this trouble?I choose to bear the torture of wearing the saree than get shot by the high caliber verbal bullets. I always envy the opposite sex who can wear a cotton shirt and trouser and get away with it.

Finally, the D-Day is here. I take longer than usual to drape the nine (ty?) yard saree and get ready. The car is like an oven already and I am all drenched in sweat by the time I wade through the traffic and reach the venue. As I sit and try to make small talk, I see only bored and sleepy faces all around. I wonder how many people gather to speak to friends and family and to watch the rituals? What is the real purpose of these costly affairs? Why can we not show off and have a fun filled function with just a few close friends and relatives.Suddenly, I see a long queue for presentations and photo sessions.So I join the queue and the heady mix  of sweat,jasmine fragrance and various perfumes make me so nauseated that I am in no mood to eat the pompous feast that follows. The mad scramble continues as all the 500-600 people throng to the food hall at once to try and leave as soon as possible.

As I finally make my way out to the car, I see dark clouds gathering and heave a sigh of relief that the monsoon is almost here....I can just relax in my easy chair with tea and pakodas and not worry about it all until next summer.  

Virtual World

When i see the happenings around me i ponder ,What is most important thing in the world ?

For some people your country is the most important and you are ready to give your life for it, but for others borders are just lines drawn by some bureaucracies ,you just have to go places, cross borders to survive ,get food ,provide for your family.

For few religion is god, they even go to extend of killing people just because he is of other religion. For others in orphanage would not know their parents let alone their religion.

For few working endlessly ,getting promotions and  securing the highest post is what they live for, others who work as laborers would not have seen the face of office  and would not even know what promotions means, For them most important would be that days wages so that they could eat stomach full and sleep peacefully.

For a few keeping the house spic and span is the whole purpose of their life ,and will get really stressed just in case a single crumble of paper is left on the floor ,but  for a child  it is a bliss to have all mess around him and play innumerable games with bits and pieces of paper.

Few ladies cannot venture out of the house without making their face and body look flawless with beauty products . Making a person look beautiful itself has become a profession and lot of its branches like preparing perfect wedding gowns ,perfect cake, perfect decoration for the ceremony ....but many would be ignorant of the fact that there are so many brands and products to make you look gorgeous.

For few calculating  and saving money even after they have enough and more is their craze , rest love to borrow and spend .

For few travelling to places is the purpose of life , others would not have stepped out of their town.

Each one has their own craze , their own version  of what is important to him/her  , i call it the "Virtual World" .Every person gets peace of mind when they achieve  what they consider is their  most important thing in their world ,and they justify every action of theirs to achieve the virtual world they are craving for.

Each person thinks the other person is not right , the way they are and the things they do....
 for each their own ...that's how the world is....

But at the End of the day all these different bodies having different ideologies , goals becomes part of the same soil.