Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Deviant Truth

As a part of a large family I have come to realize that certain family members sometimes adopt using the “deviant truth” to clarify their position on certain matters / events and they repeat it sufficient number of times to different people of consequence that the deviant factor seems to reduce.

I now wonder, considering they are in a better position of influence than you, is it a sensible idea to point out that you noticed that what they are saying is not entirely true.

I wonder how much will it hurt your relation with them if you are the whistle-blower on their statements – even if they in a moment of magnanimity say all is forgiven and forgotten, don’t people continue to hold against the whistle-blower.

I wonder if you are right in feeling indignant and hurt by their actions (if you are the aggrieved party), even if you cannot let them know you know?

I wonder if it will it hamper your relations with your close-ones considering they are closely related to the offender, if you decide to call the bluff?

I wonder because I have no answers to all I ask.

You are new to Mumbai...

1. When sweat trickles down your face, your back, behind your knees when everyone around manages to look cool and composed.

2. When you emerge from the station (any local station in Mumbai) for the first time and assume a national calamity of mammoth proportions has occurred. Why else would there be so many people in one place at the same time?

3. When on emerging from the station you are immediately “lost” is left unattended by the person accompanying you for a single minute. You realize you have been consumed by the calamity.

4. When Chowpatty & Gateway of India are the places you want to visit because your 4th std social studies book said so.

5. When despite being told by many different, unrelated people that chowpatty is “crowded” on the weekends (11pm staurday) you are not able to comprehend the true meaning of “crowded”. No wonder they say “seeing is believing”. And after seeing chowpatty your desire to see Gateway of India is suddenly extinguished.

6. When you crane your neck to peer inside every car at every traffic junction to see if Salman Khan is in the car beside you :)

7. When while traveling by auto, you of ask a well dressed lady at a traffic junction speaking to an auto driver if she can be dropped somewhere only to realize its an eunuch making his/her living.

8. When you are one of the few eagerly awaiting the rains because you fail to understand what can be worse than the heat - The never-ending rains which drown everything they come in contact with.

9. When collecting water in every bucket, vessel is suddenly your new purpose in life, and you realize you are slowly turning into those mean village-women who would scream murder over a bucket of water.

10. When you are unable to buy an egg for miles around your house. Woila, you are in a pure vegetarian, gujju locality. You are convinced the extreme-purity will now atone you of your past sins.

11. When irrespective of how you dress you cannot stick out – because there is always someone better or worse dressed than you, irrespective of the location / occasion.

12. When you smile at people walking by on the roads only to not have them smile back. They are too busy to notice and life is way too fast.


Ps: the above comments are based on the writer's real-life experience of moving to the city for the first time.