Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Thoda Thoda Friendly and Strange Seeds

Always I thought that people are like those seeds in the bible.

One day Jesus told a story and pointed to a farmer in the distance who was planting a field. Everyone looked at the farmer as he was working. Jesus began his parable:
There was once a farmer who went out sowing seeds all around. Some of the seeds fell along the edge of a well-traveled pathway that was worn down and hard. The seeds bounced around on the hard soil and were eaten by birds. Other seeds fell on rocky ground and sprouted quickly but because there were no roots or water, the sprouts withered and died. And some other seed fell among thorns and as they grew, the thorns twisted around them and choked the life out of them. Finally, some of the seeds fell into good deep soil and the seeds sprouted and grew up producing crops that were 100 times more than were sown.



People in my opinion are like seeds sown in the soil and most people fell into good deep soil and grow up producing crops that were 100 times more than were sown and does not realise how lucky they are.If you are one of those seeds who has fallen among thorns then you will find that it is always easy to connect to a fellow seed who also fell among the thorns and no wonder I could easily connect when I met him for the first time.


We were from similar backgrounds and we ended up as roommates .

Scene 1: Archana Complex,Inside NDTV Studio
"Abbe, I want to appear on TV , I have told my mother that I will come on TV" ,
I looked at him and wondered how he will appear in TV . There were people shouting for the attention of Barkha Dutt inside the NDTV Studio.
"Ok , If you sponsor my dinner from Karim's then you will appear" .
He looked at me "But What to ask?".
Me:Abbe Sale , You dont even know what to ask and still want to come in TV
Hmm , all of us came here to appear in TV is it. Why did you come?
Him:Me :I came to check whether Barkha Dutt is as intelligent as she looks on TV
Him:"Chup Saale , I will sponsor your Karim's Dinner. Tell me a way"
Me:"Ok the topic is on tiger conversation. So you ask anything in english with three tigers and four conservatons in between and put two forests too"
Him:"What" and gives me that look
Me: Abbe , Dont worry half of these people who answer the questions never listen to what is being asked , they just keep on repeatig what they say .Wait , You are going to get the question next.
I knew I had two seconds. There is a two second breask between the bell and the NDTV Music. Two seconds and pindrop silence
"Barkha , We have a question?" , I shout loudly. Half the audience turn towards me and Barkha Dutt gives me an intelligent stare reserved for pseudo intelligent people and says Shhhh.
Second question and she comes to me and I motion to him. Obviously she thinks that we are the grandsons of Maneka Gandhi. He mumbles something with seven tigers and three consevrations and five forests and Brakha Dutt glares at me. No point is looking back . Chicken at Kareems is better than the glare of Barkha Dutt.Anyway I got the dinner at Karim's.


Scene 2:Hostel Room ,Love Struck Friend

He is love struck after seeing a girl suggested by his family. Ek Dam Dil Se Pyar Ho Gaya. The girl seems to be qualifed enough to become his partner after my analysis and he appears serious. What to do ?. There is no point in giving flowers , sharing ice creams and other goodies .All that is oldfashioned and girls anyway know that this is a sales pitch that is not going to be honoured after marriage . Once a guy wins a girl everything is over and it is boredom again :( . See there is a strategy. "THIS IS A SECRET" . (Guys , Please excuse as I cant write it in a blog. Gals , Please excuse this can be told only to guys)



Scene 3: 100 Feet Road , Bangalore , Italian Restaurant.

I wanted to escape from Mumbai and Bangalore seemed to be the only solace and again I ended up with him . Discovered that he is staying at 80 Feet road along with Bhabhiji the same gal who has become his wife now . Couldnt help but smile at him and his wife and I can see that he is enjoying his married life . Chubby Cheeks and Tummy and other signs of prosperity were quite evident.He discussed with me so many things like the new LCD TV , the EMI that is rising everymonth ,The career options , the slary hike , how he showed his parents around Bangalore when they came from the village in North India and so on.We discussed about the choices in front of our generation.

My friend is a perfect example of our generation who is trying to enjoy the present and is not worried about the future.


Scene 4: Bangalore Airport.

I had been drinking all the afternoon with some friends after leaving him. Hardcore Bachelors party and I cant even standup after 6 hours of drinking , forget about walking. Somebody drops me at the airport and I just goes inside and somehow makes it to the boarding gate.Suddely the young person near me shouts in Malayalam



See , Our father may most probably die next year , so let us try selling off the property now


I thought I had heard it wrong or may be drinking was having an effect, but no he says it again the same thing in Central Kerala accent .

I felt sad . Sad about my generation who is living for the present , who have enough money to splurge on anything and everything that is needed and not needed.

I felt sorry for that generation who always lived for the future , who saved to bring up people like me and the young man who was shouting over the phone . The generation who may have lost out the best years of their life in the license raj era and did not have the choices available to me , my friend and the young man who was shouting over the phone about the death of his father.

They gave us roots and made sure we have wings to fly and take on anything . But ?.....:( .

The young man - Is he a strange seed who cannot be classified among seeds or have they become too common?


Now I am worried about the generation of screenagers who are growing up and how they are going to treat my generation . Human Values seem to be dying with each generation.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wanted to comment about scene 2..but then after reading the last para, I couldn't :(

I feel like talking to my mom now :)

srijithunni said...

Nicely compiled, NC..! Twas fun reading..! especially Scene 1, and the one @ the Airport.. Funny, and then philosophical at the last.! Thanks for this enjoyable post..!

Have Fun, Take Care and God Bless!

With Best Regards,
Srijith.

Jo said...

Sad, but true.

Attribution said...

Some are so cruel that, while they forcefully take their thumb impression on stamp paper and then dump them in some old age home, at garbage dumps, or just leave them at some busy bus stop.

anish said...

i liked this post very much! esp the seed analogy. and its easy to relate with the stories you have shared. good one man! cheers!

N A R I YA L C H U T N E Y said...

@BIB : Hmm , Sad truth . May be all of us should speak to our parents regularly :).

@Srijith: Thanks , It is nice to know you enjoyed it :).

@Jo: Yups , Very much true :(

@Attribution: Hmm , Even I know stories like this . People forget about relationships in their pursuit of materialistic poleasures.

@Anish: Do I Know You ? LOL :)

mathew said...

you have pointed it right...the past generation lived for us..that was a sacrifice which our generation seems to have comfortably forgotten...!!!

The guy at the airport is a extreme case of how money has taken over relationships...sad!

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