Six Degrees of Separation

Did you know that if you stood a step away from all the people you know and they in turn did the same and the sequence continued, then you would be at most 6 steps away from EVERY SINGLE PERSON on EARTH...? Of course, for all practical purposes this theory has not been tested, so we’ll never know its veracity for sure. But, nonetheless, it is a theory that has never ceased to fascinate me...

Six degrees of separation... Imagine that!

It is no wonder then that at the most unexpected (and sometimes unfortunate) moments you run right into someone who knows you... or worse still is a friend of your mother!!
Think about the times when...

... You complained about an aunt’s nasty habit of gossiping and you turned around to find her glaring right at you... No points for guessing who the target of the next malicious rumour will be!

... You cribbed about how bad the food was, the day AFTER the party, only to find out that the person you’ve been cribbing to is the host’s sister... Well, you won’t be on another invite list for a while, but at least that will save you from dangerous cooking!

... You bitched about a classmate only to realise that she is sitting right beside you... You definitely won’t be exchanging cards over Christmas!

My story, well, THAT could be potentially more detrimental than these... And, for those of you concerned for my well-being, here’s the story...

I am in the train... I am with my best pal and we are both bursting with news... Gossip and girl talk... What better place than the Ladies Compartment, right?! (Or, so I thought!)

My friend begins... Juicy gossip first...
“Guess who broke-up... Oh, and... Guess who just got engaged... AND! You will never guess who still HASN’T found a guy... I mean, come on, her parents have been looking out for an eligible bachelor FOREVER!!”

And then, she smiles wickedly and lets me in on her story... She has a secret admirer. His only identity – his 10 digit phone number. And they flirt over SMS!! Naughty!!
She shows me a few of the messages which bring back some funny memories of my own. I warn her, like a good friend should, “Stay away! He reminds me of McCheesy!!”

And, now it’s my turn... I smile demurely...
“I talked to HIM for about 2 hours... And it was a GOOD conversation... But, we’re Just Good Friends! Well, I said... and then he said... and then I said, “It was disapPONTING that Australia lost the match”... And he thought the joke was funny...!!” (Dreamy sigh)

And, at that instant my friend needed a tissue. (No, not to wipe her tears at my sweet love story, but to wipe her chocolate-stained hands.) So, I dutifully fish for tissues in my seemingly-small-but-surprisingly-large hand bag... And, then I thoughtfully also dig out my hand-sanitizer... My friend, in the meanwhile, spies my new perfume and asks to try it... And as I pull out the bottle, the lady opposite me comments, “You have EVERYTHING in that bag don’t you...?!” And, as I fake-smile at her, I think to myself, “This woman sure is nosy!”

Undeterred, she goes on... “Are you by ANY chance so-and-so’s daughter?”
I am mortified, and embarrassed, and bewildered, and shocked, and stunned, and astounded and amazed, and SPEECHLESS...
Slowly, I reply, “Yes, I am!” and think... “Oh! Sweet Lord! I wonder how much she has heard... WHO is this nosy woman... AND how on earth does she know ME... More importantly she knows MY MOTHER???!!!”

My latter doubts were cleared as she offered me explanations... But I don’t think I will ever know the answer to my first question. I hope I NEVER have to find out...

Well, don’t worry, my disbelief and embarrassment did not last very long... As soon as I had gotten off the train (and away from “Aunty”), I found the whole situation quite hilarious... And, I couldn’t stop laughing till I reached home.
I even greeted my mum with a silly grin as I entered... When she asked me the reason, I thought it best to tell her... Of course she received lesser details than even what I have revealed in this post!
I expected an outburst... “Hai Daiyya! Log kya sochenge... Kalmoohi, Namakool... Tumne hamare khandaan ka naam mitti mein mila diya...”

But none came... She seemed to have gotten over it quite quickly and seemed to be more interested in the colour of “Aunty’s” saree and the number of bangles she had worn...
Well, I was lucky... You might not be... So, true or not, it would do you good to remember “Six Degrees of Separation”.

Beware!!

A Reflection of the Real You...

The sparkling twinkle your mirth does reveal
And your anger in the gaze as cold as steel

The closed, drawn look mirrors your fears
And sorrow reflects in the hint of tears

The earnest look lets your sincerity shine through
And when you look away, your lies are evident too

With every look you draw inspiration
Memorising images that fuel your imagination

And when, at the horizon, you dreamily stare
You envision your future, send out a silent prayer

Your emotions, wishes and worries clear for all to see
Through this window to your soul
Because a reflection of the real you lies
in the never ending depth of your eyes...

Carpe Diem - Seize the Day!

These are rules I hope I am strong enough to live by:

Take a chance
Try a whirlwind romance,
Learn a new recipe, language, dance...

Make a difficult choice,
Listen to your inner voice,
Let your hair loose, have fun, make some noise!

Do something new
Talk, listen, discuss, argue
Change your point of view

From the beaten path walk astray
Explore the little known, scenic way

Take a risk,
Life doesn’t always offer a quick fix...

Get a little crazy, do something unwise,
Drop that sensible guise,
Carpe Diem, Live Life King Size!!!

P.S.
Yeh world hai na world, is mein do tarah le log hote hai, ek woh jo saari zindagi mein ek hi kaam karte hai, aur doosre woh jo ek hi zindagi mein saare kaam kar dete hai...

Lines (from a movie, of course!) that made me realise that there is much more to life beyond the routine, words that inspired me to break free of the monotony, thoughts that made me aspire to LIVE my life... A dialogue that, at the time, inspired me to enthusiastically start off on yet another rhyme-spree...

Ironic as it maybe, this poem was left incomplete and almost forgotten, until I read the post of a fellow blogger and close friend. I suddenly recollected my unfinished verse as I commented on the well written, thoughtful post and I quote a favourite saying of mine -
“When you look back on your life, you will not regret the things that you did, but the things you did not do.”

And as I ended my comment with the words “Carpe Diem”, I knew I had to finish the poem... And so I did, so I might have no regrets... :-)

The Brilliance of a Hidden Diamond

Triumph shared, in defeat crushed alone
Praise for all, criticism is your own
Joys spread, sorrows singularly borne
Expectations of others, regrets to you only known

Efforts by many, passion yours alone
Moments spent with others, cherished memories your own
Doubts cast by all, hope in you sown
Dejection crippled many, ambition and dreams yours to hone

The world blind to the inner zone
The real side to all, but us, unknown
Stones everywhere, but a hidden diamond brilliantly shone
Lost in a crowd, a PERSON grown

Mama Told Me Don't Be Talking to a Stranger...

I met a stranger today. Since I don’t live in a sappy romantic movie, it wasn’t love at first sight with a tall dark handsome hunk. And, since I don’t live in an action packed thriller novel, my life wasn’t hurled into a series of unfortunate events. I live in fact in enchanting reality – a medley of emotions, a sequence of precious moments, a rollercoaster ride of highs & lows. I live in a reality where time is rare & trust rarer. I live in a reality where life often passes us by in a blur. I live in reality – and it is this fact that makes a chance encounter and polite conversation with an utter stranger noteworthy. And Reality looks something like this...

I wait for 20 minutes, amidst a weary crowd, for the local train to arrive so that the next 30 minutes of my travel are a tad more comfortable. And as I wait patiently, I watch 5 trains go by – all brimming with people. People alight and just as many board the train, all seem lost in their thoughts. All seem to look and none see, all hear but none listen... I wonder at this thought as I bound into my train. Here too hardly a word passes between strangers. Even when necessity forces people to talk to each other, the exchange has only precise words with measured courtesy. Marvelling at how we so literally took our mothers when they told us sternly, “Don’t talk to strangers”, I fall into a fitful sleep.

I alight half an hour later at the bustling suburb I call home. If you thought that siblings could only be separated at the Kumbh Mela, you obviously haven’t been here during “peak hours”. You can lose yourself in this crowd. Without any effort you will be propelled forward by the sheer energy in this throng of thousands (which is a euphemism for saying “you will be nudged and pushed until you have no option but to move with the crowd”). And here, even if you wish to disobey your mother’s instructions, you will be unable to do so!

As you finally step out onto the road, you barely have a minute to drag in a deep breath as you instantly have to begin dodging traffic. And as you, along with hundred others, vie for the attention of the auto drivers, all civility and common courtesy is lost.

And in a cruel world like this, to actually exchange a smile with a fellow fatigued traveller is as likely as Mumbai not getting flooded after even a drizzle. And in the rare mood that I was, I smiled sympathetically to another stranded victim of Mumbai’s transport system. The smile was returned and followed by a question, “Which way are you headed?” I answered and threw in a question of my own, “What about you?”

As it turned out we were headed in the same direction, so we decided that 2 is better than 1 when it comes to tackling the arrogant autowallahs. Our combined efforts paid off and soon we were on our way, relieved to be bumping over the familiar potholes rather than wading through them. The stranger heaved a sigh of respite and I grinned in response and then we were talking – what we do, where we live, work and studies, the pain of travelling in Mumbai till the stranger’s home arrives...

And after that spontaneous conversation I couldn’t help but smile... We may never see each other again, hidden in this mob of millions but if we do I know that we will at least stop to smile.

Now I marvel at the amazing feeling of sharing an instant connection with another person – a knowing smile, a kind word, an unexpected compliment, a helping hand, an encouraging look, a reassuring pat, or a conversation with a complete stranger...