Life through laughter!

For those who haven’t seen or can’t recollect, there is a comedy routine by Goundamani which is about a husband complaining about how he can’t beat his wife anymore, how the few people in the neighborhood (society) find reasons to stop him. He explains how they say initially, it’s wrong to hit a newly wed wife, then that she’s pregnant and how dare he hit a new mom, and later in life how could he hit his wife when his son is old enough to understand the situation. While this post is in no way appreciating the content exhibited in the video (It is very wrong to hit your partner, no matter what they do how much ever you wish to, just don’t. It hurts and your partner is people too, Unless you’re into that kind of stuff, then it’s your personal wish), this is about the way that I’ve related to this video more than a video of a irresponsible arrogant man talking about hitting his wife should.
But..but how would this be any relevant to me nor anyone in their right mind or how could such a low act be extrapolated to other life situations. Well , that’s where the genius of Counter Mani a.k.a Goundamani works.

1. I want sit at home and do absolutely nothing productive when my parents are around.
Class X (Before that one doesn’t stay quite in one place or appreciate the awesomeness of general nothing-to-do-ness) : How can you be doing nothing, study class X properly and you’ll cruise your life after that. [ Helps you get into class XI in some popular school in your locality which in my case was the same and thus, obsolete]

Class XII : This is the most important part of your life, if you study now and get into a good college, your life would be swell.

Under Graduation : Do you know how bad the job market is out there, put in your effort now and get into IT and you’ll be in the US of A within the next two years.

Post Graduation : You can’t study anymore, so unless you want to do a PhD and become a Professor in a B-School, you can’t afford to waste time doing nothing.

At Work – Do you think I pay you for this incompetence?

When you get to a point where you retire, you can’t do anything else so it isn’t fun anymore.

[Cue the video]

2. I want to spend money on some mundane stuff which for some obvious reason is of value only to me and not anyone around me.
Student Life : ARE YOU KIDDING ME? YOUR PARENTS ARE PAYING FOR YOUR FEES AND YOU’RE ASKING FOR THIS? THIS? WHATEVER THIS IS..

Right Before Work : You’re only going to start work and you’re spending on THIS? If I was you, I’d worry about my future than spend lavishly like this. Kids these days and their lifestyle. IT has paid them too much money and they don’t understand the value of it.

At Work : You should be saving money now for your student loans, marriage, kid’s education (well, I’m not married yet) and your retirement plans (DUDE, I just started working).

When you’re old enough to spend without worrying about anything else – Is this the age to buy THIS?

[Cue the same video]

You get the picture? One has to appreciate the underlying tone of the video which speaks about the interference of society in our personal lives, the extent we let other people control our lives and seeking constant approval from people who probably don’t even care. While I’m not implying this is rule written on a stone and is universal, it does exist to a major extent everywhere around us. This only goes to show the genius that is Goundamani who’s more than once portrayed life lessons through unorthodox, crass and sometimes absurd ways, most of which would remain unparalleled by the successors. If I was any less informed, I might have dropped the “Underrated” word in his description but he isn’t. I’m understanding more in those than I did when I watched them as a wee kid. Yeah, it does takes age to appreciate his comedy. And one that should be truly appreciated.

Ps. I don’t recollect the exact movie name and I’m not able to find the video yet. Will add it to the post as soon I find it.

IMO

Speech – The thoughts which arise in the brain and put to words by a bunch of neurons which is converted into sound waves through the mouth and is sent out.

Conversation –  A form of two way communication. When one person speaks, their thoughts are put into words. Their thoughts are their personal ideas and opinions from their own experiences which are relevant or irrelevant to the situation prevalent. The receiver of the message is passive if they chose to only listen or active if they say their opinion on the matter.

Insult – A derogatory term where the person is compared to some lower level activity or being which is generally accepted by the society.

Subject – In a conversation, the subject can be the people themselves or a third party. Anything which refers the other has the word ‘you’ in it and anything which refers the third party generally has they or it or the name in the speech.

I think I can’t put it any more simpler when I say anything that comes out of my mouth is my own personal opinion and I’m entitled to it.

When I speak of someone in a not so pleasant way, I’m responsible for my words and I will accept any backlash from THAT person only.

When I mention my dislike about something, it means I DISLIKE THAT. It no way implies that I like the exact opposite of it.

How hard is all of this to understand?

I can understand the whole fanboyism and getting obsessed over something but getting to a point where any word against the thing you love is taken as a personal insult is beyond me. Either you are an immature jerk or a dumbass who cannot look through the conversation to see what was really meant. (btw, this is a personal insult, see the mention of the word ‘YOU’?)

Understanding the fact that every word that comes out of someone’s mouth has ‘in their opinion’ implied to it and realising most of the times, words are meant to be taken literally can make life so much easier.

Gap at the end of the universe!

Now that I commute to work these days, I find this gap a lot. This dynamic empty space that is created either by the movement of the object from the point or an over sized object trying to fit in the limited space. By the latter, I mean a Mitsubishi Outlander trying to get into a space where a Nano has to squeeze in (and extra points if the Outlander has only one person, as big as a mini bus to carry one person. ONE PERSON). I mean, come on man! I could have easily gone in there. That’s what commuting is today. Filling the gap in the road from starting point to destination. That’s how I see a typical commuter today. There is this obsession to fill in the gap. Why? That’s how you show your domination. I’ve seen the stares through the helmet after denying me the chance to fill the gap. That’s the look you see in Discovery Channel when one animal wins a fight. In this fight though, the prize is to get stuck in the same traffic just a little closer to the signal than before. And everyone seems to be in a hurry as if it’s the end of the world, the ground is falling apart behind them and the only way to survive is to move forward whatever it takes. But to my eyes, the more you want to fill the gap, the more crazier you are. The crazy scale starts with ten points for “I want to beat that guy who is near to the gap when I’m 10m away” and probably kazillion points for “there is a gap which can fit one bi-cycle between two fast moving container trucks and I’m going to fit my bike though it”. Maybe it doesn’t end there, I hope it does. But that’s the craziest I’ve seen. I can’t get my mind into a situation where I’m in such a hurry that I’ll do something like that. I’ve heard some old phrase which says “It’s better to be Late Mr, than to be Mr. Late”, I’d say it’s better to be a little late than to not reach at all. Right?
If one person’s anger can lead to a war, then forget water, traffic would be lead to world war 3.
More money = can buy more water. The problem is solved.
But more money = more vehicles = more traffic = more chaos = more anger = you fill the rest yourself.

Another rant!

I used to wear helmet even before they made it mandatory in Chennai. Not exactly to protect myself against the reckless driver, but a filter to protect my face against all the dust in the road back home. Every bike ride has a story, exploring the roads never taken before, living life on the edge and some amazing adventures on the highway. The feeling of breeze hitting the face. What would I know? How long have I travelled in my bike? The Story of my bike rides are different. It involves speeds less than 80 (touching 80 would be an achievement), it involves infinite traffic signals and the traffic grand prix between them. It sometimes is more stationary than movement. The best thing about it is the conversations with the helmet. I can say, my helmet knows more about me than a lot of people. It’s a time when I can talk to myself without having to worry about other people watching. I’ve had concerts, key note addresses, hell I’ve taken a few life decisions during an everyday bike ride back home. The helmet doesn’t answer any questions, it listens. It listens to you without its own prejudice. It doesn’t laugh at your stupidity. It doesn’t put off your ideas even before you deliver them. It doesn’t butter you when you win traffic GPs. And you find the answer to your question within yourself. It was always there and we look into others. And the answer is never complicated. It is always in your face but your face is somewhere else to notice. Isn’t it what we always wanted, someone or something to listen to us? A bike ride an experience in itself and a helmet just makes it better for me.