Category: Social Commentary

  • Some secondary thoughts

    A few days back, i was reading a discussion online on the evolution of what is popularly called Web 2.0, in an Indian context… No, dont go away, this is not becoming a business blog , not yet 😀
    Anyway, the discussion was about what kind of web 2.0 models would succeed in India.. And Orkut being one of the top ten sites accessed by Indians (according to Alexa), it, alongwith the others in the ‘me too’ category like yaari, minglebox, desimartini etc became one of the topics of discussion…
    And that set me wondering..the succcess of orkut in an american context is not surprising… the absence of a ‘real’ social network with relatives and family, at least as compared to India, makes it a very interesting concept… but even with the increasing nmbr of da txt drvn generation which is born with a technological silver spoon, and the omnipresent guys who want to do friendships,it seems way too popular to be just a passing fad..
    so, if i have to put the too and too together, are we seeing the start of a new generation whose dependency on real life relatives will be much lesser than their dependence on the virtual life.. with second life becoming primary and real life beoming secondary..
    until next time, does second life give second chances?

  • The Fast and the Curious

    There was a time when ads at the end of music casettes was the only way to listen to future music releases.. times have changed and a deluge of new media has ensured that nothing is kept a secret for long… and in any case, who wants to keep it a secret..
    with an audience that lives a fast paced life and devours content as if there’s no tomorrow, entities across the board from tv channels and radio stations to newspapers and internet are in a race with each other to get it to the audience first…
    and so we have the making of the movie, and if the ex mrs federline had her way, perhaps we might even see the making of the star in future..and maybe a little bit of this impatience and curiosity is rubbing on to our personal lives also – in the way we make and break relationships, and the way we deal with other people.
    and in all this, perhaps an important virtue is being lost – it used to be called patience, and is now kept in hiding for fear of contempt.

    until next time, quick, comment!! 🙂

  • Conformity

    From the time of birth, you are expected to conform – the way you behave, where you learn, what you learn, how you dress, who you are seen with, what you buy and how you use it, what you eat, where you eat it and how you eat it, and so on and so forth…
    some of us conform and live our entire life based on the rules that have been already set without our permission…
    and then there are some of us, who refuse to walk the trodden path, who refuse to conform to the set standards, and evolve our own… and we behave, eat, learn, mingle, buy and do things exactly the way we like it… and over a period of time become part of a set of others, who we identify with…. until the time we feel that we are conforming…

    until next time, i’m a non conformist, is that okay? 😉

  • Faster, honey, faster….

    Is that what its come to now…. love, that is? the romantics are an endangered species… gone are the days of roses and chocolates and the slow romance. from what i see around, its gone faster and faster and faster until its now come down to speed dating…
    no, i dont want to do a moral policing act here, wouldnt do good to sound like a prude and tarnish the otherwise hep nature of this blog…hehe.. so let me just write about it… I thought that it was merely a Valentine Day phenomenon, or in the case of the next weekend, a hangover, but apparently not.. because i have been informed of at least 3 separate events happening over this weekend and the next, and whats more, these are sponsored by brands ranging from chewing gum to fashion brands…
    Since i havent been attending any, i’m guessing the agenda based on what i have seen in movies, and heard from others.. rows of guys/girls sitting in a fashion similar to their regular office cubicle existence and getting around 10-15 minutes with someone from the opposite gender before he/she moves on to the next… me thinks thats exactlywhat is needed after the pressures of a ‘perform or perish’ existence at work… but i guess to each their own…
    You think they have the speed daters have a customised lingo of sorts? like say, “Take off your clothes” means remove your inhibitions an be open
    “Don’t worry, i have protection” means that the person is well settled in life, has a good bank balance and is insured etc
    But like i said, to each their own, for there might be people having fun when their partner at speed dating reacts to their attempts to make an impression by looking at the watch and saying, “faster, honey, faster, if you do it well, i just might come with you !! “
    until next time, that title was a fast one 🙂

  • In reality

    Pooja Bedi got up from the couch and tried to dance, but the man in black and his two co-judges didnt fancy it, and in the end it was another case of ‘Jassi jaisi koi nahi’..
    Some sales guy in BPL, Mumbai landed up with a bonus because a particular couple decided to buy 200 SIMs and tried rigging their chances. of course now they are dancing to the tune of the Mumbai police…
    In case you have no clue of what i am talking about, you, my friend, are out of touch with reality,shows that is, because i’ve been referring to the two desi versions of ‘Dance with the Stars’..
    For a whole lot of TV stars and celebrity chefs and bollywood directors, the last few days have been a dance..and after the chronicles of one abhijeet sawant, life’s been a song even for some kids..and the latest one, which started off last weekend is one thats featuring Arshad Warsi for the desi version of Big Brother… 13 celebrities under one roof for 3 months, with no outside communication – har daily soap ka baap, so says apna circit and all their movements are going to be followed by closed circuit cameras..bole toh, privacy ki to vaat lag gayi, mamu!! the part thats most interesting is that this blog’s favorite celebrity is going to be one of the participants – the one, the only, Rakhi Sawant.. if she can create a controversy out of an ordinary birthday party, imagine the havoc she can cause, when she knows the public is watching..just imagine the possibilities :))
    and going by the SIM card fiasco, i wonder whether the line between real life and reel life is getting even more blurred.. and maybe its not just for the celebrities, but the ordinary folk – and again, not just those who take part in it, but the ones who watch it…
    until next time, surreal..