Dear ‘Dangal’

Some key lessons that were beautifully interwoven in your narrative :

 

 

Relationships based on respect and trust rest on a foundation of deep love.
Arrogance and complacency gets you only this far and no further.
There is no joy in humiliating and defeating your mentor.
Perseverance, focus and hard work are the best route to success and fulfilment.
To teach and have any impact you need to inspire.
Choices define the direction your life takes but course correction is always possible.
Keep it simple.
Patriotism is potent and powerful stuff.
Be independent because at the most crucial juncture of your life you may find yourself alone.

To convey all of this and more without being sanctimonious is remarkable.

You are not just a good film. You are a warm, heartfelt and inspirational story of courage.

An appreciative filmgoer

Dear Veggies,

I’m torn between two choices. Should I pick you up from the vegetable vendor who has still not transitioned to cashless but needs the business and the cash to survive another day

OR

Should i order you online to be part of the self-congratulatory, cashless tribe?

Yours affectionately,

Confused but wanting to do the right thing

 

Code word, BLACK

Dear evasive 2k,

You double dholki, you! You’re clean and yet, you’re also black. You are the embodiment of social transformation, economic reform and the lighthouse of controversial change.

And yet, you are also dirty and found in numbers so huge that lone cars and hidden vaults are unable to contain you.

You were introduced so that terror would slink away with its tail between its legs.

You were revealed to the adulatory public as whitewash … washing black money and making it white, leaving a trace of pink behind.

But, you magically became black. The one thing you were meant to curb has now become a dirty river in full flow.

Not only has the earlier black become plywood. The current black, sorry pink, has become the most elusive little thing. The hottest. In demand. Ticket to survival. For the poor. What a fine reputation you’ve earned for yourself in 34 days.

You are the symbol of a ‘little inconvenience’ but an alchemic, gilt edged distant future.

The problem is this new black stain. It’s refusing to wash away.

Sincerely,

An unimpressed user

Dear Celebrity Obituaries,

I’m trying to choose the right outlet to express my loss for a beloved celebrity. On a social networking site.

R.I.P, the most often used, pithy and safe expression … it’s non-committal, on the fence and looking into the park with binoculars. No one sees you or notices you. You, however, notice it all with a token hands up in the air. A part of the tribe that wants to be part of the larger tribe. The Hail Mary #I’mwithit #IknowmyGK bandwagon. An apologetic meow.

Then, there are the quotable quotes. One step further towards committing to a stand. A neutral quote that allows you to wet your toe without getting into a provocative debate.

The forwarded article comes next. This one is a bit dicey. Is it safe enough to put your name to? Will it get the likes and will it position you as smart and up to date? Or will it give away your political ideology, your state of mind, your carefully cultivated personality type or upset friends and family? While you’ve wet your ankle by now, it still keeps you at the water’s edge. You are using someone’s views to position your own. The trolls are still distant.

Then there are the news clips and the documentaries and the audio-visual clips to share. The commentary may simper, be obsequious, surprisingly factual or just downright fake but there’s a choice to be made again. Will you associate with the genteel, intellectual, smart and factual or the frenzied, over the top and volatile editorials? Deep thought.

Then come the Originals. Downright direct, undiluted opinions. Fearless or foolish. Open to bouquets and brickbats. Expressing like or dislike of the person who has passed … may god rest his/her soul. Anything and everything is fair game to this opinionated soul. Measured, contradictory, rabid, dramatic, emotional, ridiculous, loving, angry, soulful, all embracing …. endless genres of expression. Loud roar.

So many choices. So much to weigh. My image is at stake. Definitely, my sanity. To be a fence sitter, observer, water temperature tester, ass licker, skinny dipper or just plain cussed … what will it be? Wary that the beasts on the social net whacking sites could troll. The cops could break down my door. Some jail time. Public apologies. Haters. Worshippers. Nothingness. Safe anonymity. What do I choose?

Worriedly,

A mourner.

Seriously, it’s not about me.