The Good Ol’ Unrequited Love

“May those who love us, love us and for those who don’t, may God turn their hearts! If he doesn’t turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles, so we will know why they are limping.” If this bartender’s dialogue from (my newfound favourite) the movie ‘Keeping the Faith’, was to hold true we will find more than half of us limping, giving brisk business to our dear orthopedic docs around the planet.

The unrequited love has been a favourite with writers and filmmakers for centuries. Whether it is the hopeless romantic Florentino Ariza in Marquez’s ‘Love in the Times of Cholera’ or our very own Devdas (or Dev D now), they have all experienced it’s bitter agony. Florentino never lost hope and finally got love of his life in his end years (giving some hope to the hopeless souls). Devdas lacked courage and tried to drown his suffering in the endless supply of alcohol.

The famous comic strip, Peanut’s character Charlie Brown suffers from unrequited love for the little Red-Haired girl, as Peppermint Petty does for him. Now, Betty Cooper from Archies has also joined the loser gang. Archie Andrews has finally proposed to Veronica Lodge after 68 years of fooling around, adding weight to the popular notion of nice girl/guy loosing the game. Even if he realizes his faux pas later, poor Betty is already down in the dumps.

Bollywood Betties are no less popular. Be it Karisma in ‘Dil to Pagal Hai’ or Kajol in ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’. We had all done our share of sympathizing with these luck-less souls. Even while being aware of the fact that it’s all fiction, we end up praying for them in our hearts. Few end up being ‘just good friends’ (like Karisma aka Nisha) helping the guy/girl get his soul mate. Others (like Kajol aka Anjali) get their share of a ‘happily ever after’, even if it comes lil late in life.

There is no end to Betties and Devdases, not only in ‘reel’ life but also in ‘real’ life. Most of us have been in their shoes at least once in our lives. Whether it’s the love in the times of cholera or love in the times of swine flu, the rules of this game haven’t changed much with time (excuse the masks please!).

May God superglue all those broken hearts out there. Amen!

How Can I help u?

The person manning the reception desk or any other salesman at a shop repeats this question a thousand times (or may be more) in their lifetime. I wonder how many times they actually come to our rescue.

Our everyday lives are filled with so many questions and crucial decision-making. Since, childhood diverse thoughts cross our minds giving way to ceaseless row of queries. Most of these are left unanswered. Others, which are supposedly answered, have mere assumptions and justifications for answers. These are governed by our biases.

To do or not to do, making the right decision in tangled situations is exhausting. We find ourselves stuck in such situations at times, where one decision can alter your complete life. There’s not much others can do for your rescue, other than giving suitable advice.

Had God provided us with ‘How Can I help u?’ service life would be much simpler (too bad if u r an atheist). Our questions would be answered (I mean the ‘real answers’) in a jiffy. You would always end up choosing the best (decision) with God’s thumbs up sign flashing.

You can have a counter argument by saying he is providing us with signs all the time. But what’s the point when most of us cant read them or else interpret them wrongly (making it all the more worse). It makes more sense to have direct answers than signs that confuse us.

I am sure we will all be at much more peace with ourselves with our doubts and queries resolved. How about signing a petition to God requesting such a service?  

Dreams for Sale….

I mean it quite literally here. Imagine a world where dreams could be sold. Then daydreamers like me would end up making a lot of moolah!

Daydreaming is not everybody’s cuppa tea. It is a creative process that involves lot of imagination and a keen vision. One looses complete track of reality. You tend to float on the surface of real life things, while being immersed deeply in the glorious dreamland.

Often, seen as an excuse for laziness, daydreaming is a vital practice. Somebody has to visualize the unattainable for it to be accomplished (doesn’t matter if the latter is done by another soul!). It holds the key to all sorts of great discoveries and innovations on the planet.

A small thing lacking in a dreamer is the potential or the motivation of turning these dreams into reality. That’s where the trading part comes in! Selling these dreams to contenders with the required capability (physical, mental and of course financial!) for their realization could do lots to serve the humanity.

Such visionaries are not so hard to find. They are scattered in all the walks of life (creative fields being the most privileged). The lost look on their face and a detached demeanor, are the most apparent traits. Don’t get offended if they are not (mentally) with you in the conversation. Their gifted brains are working persistently on something of greater significance.

That day is not far when auction houses will be overflowing with bidders for the most splendid dreams. We will be well respected for our art and have distinct place in the society. ( I guess that's a lot of wishful thinking! ;) )

Dreams for sale. Any takers?

A wish on an eyelash

Wishing is a very deeply ingrained characteristic found in almost every earthling. We all keep wishing all the time, whether it is for a new car, a better job or a bigger house and yes of course for the hottest hunk (or chick) around the corner. There is always an insatiable longing for more and better, with a never-ending wish list.

Being free of cost, wishing is an important ritual in our everyday life. There are indefinite ways of wishing with every culture and religion having zillions of them.

A glance at few of the wishing ways left me puzzled. The common childhood practice of wishing on an eyelash is quite ironical. How can a miniscule thing like an eyelash, carry the heavy burden of a wish. That too, it has the big responsibility of taking it to the heavens, for it to be delivered right at God’s doorstep.

Not very different, the second one being blowing a dandelion flower after wishing on it. In comparison with the eyelash, agreed that its little bigger but still it is delicate and fragile. Trusting it as a suitable carrier for our treasured wish is still questionable.

Broken milk tooth takes the third spot. It makes me wonder why would something as unappealing and useless as a broken tooth be chosen for wishing. On top of that there is a special fairy (our dear tooth fairy) assigned for the collection and granting of wishes on them.

The fourth one is the Bollywood favourite, a falling star or a meteor (Maybe that’s the starry connection!). Our sky is filled with bright shining stars but we choose a falling star to wish upon! Why wish on something that is moving away from God’s abode instead of approaching it.

The list is endless and I can go on adding to it. There are other ways like blowing the candles on a birthday cake, dropping coins in a wishing well, spotting a mail van etc etc. But I leave the rest for someone else to analyse. I guess one thing that makes them wishable is their rarity and that’s the common factor in all of them.

So, there you go, pick up your favourite and pull out that wish list under your pillow. Close your eyes and make a wish. But remember do not tell anyone or the wish will not come true. Happy Wishing!