Recently I re-activated my facebook account after a gap of few months. This was the second time I was doing so. I like this control option of facebook because it lets me disappear from public eye and what I like more is every time I re-activate I hardly notice any change. Some 'friends' and their wall updates just remain the same which almost implies our social behaviour and the image we project to the world by sharing links, views hardly ever changes. This gives me a sense of permanency in the world where everything is so fleeting and transient.
Social media has made it possible to live out our lives in open. We can choose any mask to hide our ugly spots and create an illusion that we are what we project to be. But there are many brazen and bold people who just let their thoughts and ideas flow freely in public domain. I had one such 'friend' on facebook. A New York based blogger shared even little moments of his routine life on facebook. I was a not keen follower of his blog, website nor an active friend on facebook or twitter. I don't think i ever interacted with him except for accepting his friend request. But still through his regular updates he let me have a glimpse of his life, his thoughts and his amazing essays. It was extremely generous of him. His social media skills were awesome because he had more than 2000 friends and followers on facebook and blogs. He was one of the friends whose updates I subconsciously expected but didnt really look forward to. His presence was so distant that when I re-activated my facebook I really didn't miss his updates for few days, but someone really seemed missing from my facebook.
Two days ago I was 'editing' my friends list and I saw his name. Even when I clicked on his name I was thinking he must have put up link of his new essay on art, literature or an update about his daily walk to bookstore to read New York Times. But what I saw on his profile page numbed me. His wall was full of condolence messages and obituary links. It took me a while to comprehend that he had died. I went back in time to look for his last update and it was indeed about his regular walk for coffee and New York Times. After that there were messages confirming his death. It was so unexpected and I really wanted to reach out to know what had happened and I had no other option but to send a message to his facebook account itself. I really hoped someone had access to his account but now it seems highly unlikely.
It is a new reality that our virtual personas and identities will outlive all of us. There is no way to know about death in advance and we won't even get time to de-activate our accounts or put up a farewell note. These social media accounts and walls will be our tombstone and epitaphs, which we will not be around to see or read. Ofcourse human memory is short and a person does get erased but still we can leave behind our virtual footprint if we want to.
Now I have a non-existent person on my friends list and it really seems absurd to delete him. His virtual footprints on social media sites and most importantly his thoughts, ideas, writings have remained and they have made him immortal. I admire his family, friends and colleagues efforts to maintain his websites. Everything is there except him.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Sacrificial Lambs - A Quiet Journey to the Platter
Last night I took a tram ride with my son and as it passed through the old part of the city, under a flyover, we saw goats, lambs and cows in large numbers huddled together. The place was crowded and it looked like Sunday cattle market.
As the tram passed close to them, I saw their brilliant dark eyes and innocent faces. Did they know their fate? None of them struggled desperately to be free. Maybe they trusted their masters. Sometimes price of trust is too high!
I felt weird to be witness to their last moments of life. Some of them were fidgeting for no reason, others were calling out, some were looking for a tiny blade of grass on that concrete roadside. They were all very much alive, almost defining Life. My son wanted to bring one home as pet. I glanced helplessly at hundreds of them. Did I see or imagine fear in their eyes?
As the tram passed close to them, I saw their brilliant dark eyes and innocent faces. Did they know their fate? None of them struggled desperately to be free. Maybe they trusted their masters. Sometimes price of trust is too high!
I felt weird to be witness to their last moments of life. Some of them were fidgeting for no reason, others were calling out, some were looking for a tiny blade of grass on that concrete roadside. They were all very much alive, almost defining Life. My son wanted to bring one home as pet. I glanced helplessly at hundreds of them. Did I see or imagine fear in their eyes?
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Cinderella
These days I spin luxury blogs for some websites. It is certainly not easy to spin a yarn about luxury yachts, top fashion brands, top luxury hotels and all the extreme indulgences of the rich. But its work and a good escape too - I get to go on a virtual trip. I walk down fashion streets of best cities where brands open new stores and I can go sea faring too.
Yesterday I was amused to read and write about some super luxury shoe brand's plan of opening a new store in Beijing and not only that, they are planning to change designs to suit tastes of the east. Yes, China is opening doors to them all but it still has iron walls. Hong Kong, Shanghai are leaving Japan, US behind in luring investments and brands. What do we call communists in power with capitalist wealth? No wonder China is furious about Nobel Peace price being given to jailed human rights activist, even countries need to maintain brand images and reputations these days.
I often think about Cinderella story, there was a Prince who went in search of her, but I doubt whether these luxury brands, super rich will ever go in search of poverty stricken beauties like Haiti. Of course luxury world and celebrities do a lot of charity work, they donate money and they mobilize lot of funds but it never really reaches the distressed. Money circulates only in certain orbits.
I watch rich people's world which has both means and ends and I glance at Haiti's news where earthquake victims still don't have a shelter. Rich business houses are the true winners - they make money, they create means to spend more money and thus money is kept in circulation within rich and if possible they siphon off more money from wannabe middle class, neo rich and even poor farmers. There is very little scope of trickling it down ever thanks to geopolitical and economic state of the world. The only hope for uneducated poor are the reality shows which can turn their life around. Yes, fairy tales do happen in this world where billionaires are important than the billions.
Have you ever tried traveling from Haiti to China via US and Europe without moving an inch? I am sorry, I have turned into a bad tired rambler...I must sleep.
Yesterday I was amused to read and write about some super luxury shoe brand's plan of opening a new store in Beijing and not only that, they are planning to change designs to suit tastes of the east. Yes, China is opening doors to them all but it still has iron walls. Hong Kong, Shanghai are leaving Japan, US behind in luring investments and brands. What do we call communists in power with capitalist wealth? No wonder China is furious about Nobel Peace price being given to jailed human rights activist, even countries need to maintain brand images and reputations these days.
I often think about Cinderella story, there was a Prince who went in search of her, but I doubt whether these luxury brands, super rich will ever go in search of poverty stricken beauties like Haiti. Of course luxury world and celebrities do a lot of charity work, they donate money and they mobilize lot of funds but it never really reaches the distressed. Money circulates only in certain orbits.
I watch rich people's world which has both means and ends and I glance at Haiti's news where earthquake victims still don't have a shelter. Rich business houses are the true winners - they make money, they create means to spend more money and thus money is kept in circulation within rich and if possible they siphon off more money from wannabe middle class, neo rich and even poor farmers. There is very little scope of trickling it down ever thanks to geopolitical and economic state of the world. The only hope for uneducated poor are the reality shows which can turn their life around. Yes, fairy tales do happen in this world where billionaires are important than the billions.
Have you ever tried traveling from Haiti to China via US and Europe without moving an inch? I am sorry, I have turned into a bad tired rambler...I must sleep.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Daily Life
Big Fish, Tiny Fish
Moving behind glass
Going in Circles
Watching
Room
People
Going in Circles
Daily Life
Goes on
No Beginnings
No Ends
Only New replacing
Old
Planet Spins
Goes in Circles
Moon Spins
And Goes in Circles too
Just like Thoughts
All Meaningless
But they
Exist
Daily Life
Goes on in Circles
Even after
Exit
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Human Relations and Schrodinger's Cat
I feel human relations are paradoxical like the hypothetical Schrodinger's Cat. The moment you want to make measurement and poke it you realize its either dead or alive. Maybe its best to let it be, know its there and feel its presence. Why open the box when one of the possibilities is definitely hideous?
Some courageous, curious souls often open the boxes only to find the cat dead and for some lucky souls it comes alive to give company and warmth. But then when is the cat ever real?
Some courageous, curious souls often open the boxes only to find the cat dead and for some lucky souls it comes alive to give company and warmth. But then when is the cat ever real?
My Daily Walk
For some reason and at times for no reason I have started stepping out everyday for a walk or a bus ride. I like watching life and seeing faces which hide their life history and stories. No, I don't even want to attempt reading minds or talking to strangers but still I like observing and connecting to life...
One day I did not get a seat in the bus and as I stood I felt someone moving closely behind me. I felt disgusted. I turned around with anger and was shocked to see this tall well built tough looking man sobbing and trembling. His body was shaking uncontrollably. He glanced at me for a second and moved away but yet his sobbing continued. I moved away too but I kept glancing at him. He was not answering calls, he didn't care where he was and who was around him and seemed really heartbroken. He answered only one call and said he was on his way and they should wait for him. Probably he had lost someone very close and dear. I looked away and let him have his private moment of grief in the over crowded bus. Sometimes crowd gives us privacy which privacy of home denies.
Yesterday I was again in a bus and this time I was in no mood to glance at life around me. Suddenly a small girl broke my silence and cycle of thoughts. She was traveling with her mother and had no inhibitions and her round big eyes had lots of questions. She asked me, 'Where are you going?' I told her the place. She immediately corrected my pronunciation. Then she again demanded, "What is there in the place where you are going?" Next question was, "Where did you go?" "What was there in the place you went to?" I was getting annoyed but she was so full of joy and laughter that I didn't want to be rude to her. She kept on talking and smiling and I kept answering patiently. Suddenly she asked, "Don't you know how to get angry and show your big eyes to people who trouble you?" I told her, "No". Then she quickly turned to me and said, "Wait, let me teach you". She enacted range of emotions and showed me how to show anger and how to make scary faces to scare people away. In that crowded bus that little angel taught me an important lesson of life.
One day I did not get a seat in the bus and as I stood I felt someone moving closely behind me. I felt disgusted. I turned around with anger and was shocked to see this tall well built tough looking man sobbing and trembling. His body was shaking uncontrollably. He glanced at me for a second and moved away but yet his sobbing continued. I moved away too but I kept glancing at him. He was not answering calls, he didn't care where he was and who was around him and seemed really heartbroken. He answered only one call and said he was on his way and they should wait for him. Probably he had lost someone very close and dear. I looked away and let him have his private moment of grief in the over crowded bus. Sometimes crowd gives us privacy which privacy of home denies.
Yesterday I was again in a bus and this time I was in no mood to glance at life around me. Suddenly a small girl broke my silence and cycle of thoughts. She was traveling with her mother and had no inhibitions and her round big eyes had lots of questions. She asked me, 'Where are you going?' I told her the place. She immediately corrected my pronunciation. Then she again demanded, "What is there in the place where you are going?" Next question was, "Where did you go?" "What was there in the place you went to?" I was getting annoyed but she was so full of joy and laughter that I didn't want to be rude to her. She kept on talking and smiling and I kept answering patiently. Suddenly she asked, "Don't you know how to get angry and show your big eyes to people who trouble you?" I told her, "No". Then she quickly turned to me and said, "Wait, let me teach you". She enacted range of emotions and showed me how to show anger and how to make scary faces to scare people away. In that crowded bus that little angel taught me an important lesson of life.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The Haunted Old Mall
Like any other city of the world, Calcutta has undergone change and there are many new swanky shopping malls everywhere. These modern shopping malls have become a rage among young shoppers and why not? They offer best of brands and products at best prices and plus there are food courts, restaurants to hang out.
Any change is good but I feel very sad when I enter old shopping zones of the city which are probably more than hundred years old. The New Market is one such place which has shops selling almost everything including awesome bakery products. The old building with ancient architecture is very compelling but the emptiness there is so haunting. Just other day, couple of years ago it was difficult to step in to New Market during peak shopping seasons.
Yesterday out of pure impulse I walked into another old, once famous a.c market and my immediate urge was to run out of there. It was swanky and clean but very empty. It seemed as though I was the only shopper who had entered the place since morning and the very moment I stepped in all shop keepers starting shouting out loud to get my attention. There was an escalator which was not working, so I decided to take stairs to check out the other floors. But the moment I turned away from escalator it started moving and it took me a while to realize that there was a man sitting there to operate it every time a shopper stepped on it. It came across more as cost cutting measure than energy saving one. It was the same story on the first floor - many small shops and no buyers. Shopkeepers looked desperate to sell but it was scary and I felt like a prey being hounded by many predators.I ran out.
The emptiness, the sudden moment of escalator and voices calling out kept haunting me through the day.
Any change is good but I feel very sad when I enter old shopping zones of the city which are probably more than hundred years old. The New Market is one such place which has shops selling almost everything including awesome bakery products. The old building with ancient architecture is very compelling but the emptiness there is so haunting. Just other day, couple of years ago it was difficult to step in to New Market during peak shopping seasons.
Yesterday out of pure impulse I walked into another old, once famous a.c market and my immediate urge was to run out of there. It was swanky and clean but very empty. It seemed as though I was the only shopper who had entered the place since morning and the very moment I stepped in all shop keepers starting shouting out loud to get my attention. There was an escalator which was not working, so I decided to take stairs to check out the other floors. But the moment I turned away from escalator it started moving and it took me a while to realize that there was a man sitting there to operate it every time a shopper stepped on it. It came across more as cost cutting measure than energy saving one. It was the same story on the first floor - many small shops and no buyers. Shopkeepers looked desperate to sell but it was scary and I felt like a prey being hounded by many predators.I ran out.
The emptiness, the sudden moment of escalator and voices calling out kept haunting me through the day.
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