Experiences and observations-- Part 1
Today
Maybe this is not the right time and the right world for me. I should have been born way back in the 14th century, when men went on voyages across oceans and continents on conquests that would change course of history, conquests that would make them richer in monetary terms and also in life's experiences. Conquests where they would observe and accumulate knowledge of hitherto unknown. Conquests that would yield, nothing but would still be worthwhile and fun for someone with a keen sense of observation.
But gone are those days. Voyage has taken the shape of a high speed flight plan, or a cruise with well chalked out routes and no surprises in store. The world has become one big city and the whole earth can be watched and unraveled in detail on a puny 14 inch monitor, using google maps or wikimapia with the latest addition of street views and 3D imagery.
Lest there is too less to discover, still lesser to know that might need one to go out of the confines of his abode.
But experiences abound and there is so much to observe.
I observe those four years in Pune living with people who could never fathom me nor could I fathom them, in the same house in perfect camaraderie (except for some occasions that could not be helped).
For once, as I look back I see the days when I got that phone call from onsite late after midnight and sat in drawing room talking. Lucky came out asking why was I not asleep and I should not work that hard, for that was a concern. Still cannot understand what bound us, for we were two completely different people, different in any aspect we could think of. And then the fun part when he said that we had no smoke and without a minute being wasted, I picked up my bike and we were riding on Pune's streets at 0100 hrs in late December, with Lucky riding pillion wearing a half sleeve shirt unbuttoned to his chest, as he was our body builder, searching for a pan shop. That was an experience.
The other night when I returned with Ridz, back from Lush and just forgot that she was riding with me. Was riding a good 80 Kmph while she sat behind, unperturbed. I would have been scared to death if I was riding pillion. It was only when she said that she was feeling cold due to the wind, that I remembered her being there and slowed down. And then we laughed ourselves out when I told her that I had forgotten that she was with me.
Observation: Riding at night is always fun...
The house in Pune was a veritable conspicuousness of oddities. As different people came in and went out over a period of time, it had become a hostel where men existed without any social connections. Still we lived well. I remember how everyone would put up with my eccentric need of watching X Files and The Wonder Years on Saturday afternoon, putting off anything else that might be playing on the TV. The very reason for putting up was a simple idea that I rarely watched anything on TV during normal hours. Still we always fought over the control of the Remote. How beautiful is the idea that the control of the remote implied Remote control of the TV.
But despite our differences we all became ardent fans of Bear Grylls, never missing him on the TV, no matter we might be having our meals while he chewed on live frogs. We "collectively" liked him.
And then the movie "Shooter". No matter when it might be running on TV, it was one we always watched. Well almost always, leaving out the replay of the movie on HBO once in the night and again in the afternoon of the following day. But we watched one show for sure.
Observation: A remote control does not control everything. It cannot control people when they develop common tastes.
P.S Observation 2: Few men do not have taste and they just scan through channels, not sure what they want to watch. A remote control in their hands, very much controls the tempers of others.
Maybe this is not the right time and the right world for me. I should have been born way back in the 14th century, when men went on voyages across oceans and continents on conquests that would change course of history, conquests that would make them richer in monetary terms and also in life's experiences. Conquests where they would observe and accumulate knowledge of hitherto unknown. Conquests that would yield, nothing but would still be worthwhile and fun for someone with a keen sense of observation.
But gone are those days. Voyage has taken the shape of a high speed flight plan, or a cruise with well chalked out routes and no surprises in store. The world has become one big city and the whole earth can be watched and unraveled in detail on a puny 14 inch monitor, using google maps or wikimapia with the latest addition of street views and 3D imagery.
Lest there is too less to discover, still lesser to know that might need one to go out of the confines of his abode.
But experiences abound and there is so much to observe.
I observe those four years in Pune living with people who could never fathom me nor could I fathom them, in the same house in perfect camaraderie (except for some occasions that could not be helped).
For once, as I look back I see the days when I got that phone call from onsite late after midnight and sat in drawing room talking. Lucky came out asking why was I not asleep and I should not work that hard, for that was a concern. Still cannot understand what bound us, for we were two completely different people, different in any aspect we could think of. And then the fun part when he said that we had no smoke and without a minute being wasted, I picked up my bike and we were riding on Pune's streets at 0100 hrs in late December, with Lucky riding pillion wearing a half sleeve shirt unbuttoned to his chest, as he was our body builder, searching for a pan shop. That was an experience.
The other night when I returned with Ridz, back from Lush and just forgot that she was riding with me. Was riding a good 80 Kmph while she sat behind, unperturbed. I would have been scared to death if I was riding pillion. It was only when she said that she was feeling cold due to the wind, that I remembered her being there and slowed down. And then we laughed ourselves out when I told her that I had forgotten that she was with me.
Observation: Riding at night is always fun...
The house in Pune was a veritable conspicuousness of oddities. As different people came in and went out over a period of time, it had become a hostel where men existed without any social connections. Still we lived well. I remember how everyone would put up with my eccentric need of watching X Files and The Wonder Years on Saturday afternoon, putting off anything else that might be playing on the TV. The very reason for putting up was a simple idea that I rarely watched anything on TV during normal hours. Still we always fought over the control of the Remote. How beautiful is the idea that the control of the remote implied Remote control of the TV.
But despite our differences we all became ardent fans of Bear Grylls, never missing him on the TV, no matter we might be having our meals while he chewed on live frogs. We "collectively" liked him.
And then the movie "Shooter". No matter when it might be running on TV, it was one we always watched. Well almost always, leaving out the replay of the movie on HBO once in the night and again in the afternoon of the following day. But we watched one show for sure.
Observation: A remote control does not control everything. It cannot control people when they develop common tastes.
P.S Observation 2: Few men do not have taste and they just scan through channels, not sure what they want to watch. A remote control in their hands, very much controls the tempers of others.
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