A GIFT TO ME FROM MYSELF...

Very often I pass though phases in life when everything becomes so routine and normal that life seems almost abnormal...Of course, I wouldn’t call the current phase that I'm going through "normal" or "boring" by any chance, for there're so many exciting things happening. So much to look forward to, so much to get enthu about, so much to get angry at, so much to cry about...I just love the pain! And amongst all this, a relatively uneventful weekend that just passed by looks very very strange to me :P. After Friday's nightout (I slept at 8:30 Sat morning, for about two hours) a large part of my Saturday went browsing through the week's newspapers, sleeping for half an hour every two hours, and reading this particular book called KANTHAPURA, which is a prescribed text for my Hukka! Nic-ish book, though stupidly funny and irritatingly descriptive at times, but I had to read it-firstly because I had no choice, and secondly because it is indeed a good insight into literature in India in 1938 when it was published, and read with that perspective, it immediately becomes interesting...

But Sunday being Friendship's day, was slightly better, though mainly because of two good matches of cricket I got to watch peacefully after so much of time. Yeah, India defeated the Windies, and Yuvi and Kaif batted splendidly so that now it's on to tomorrow's final, but for the sheer sake of cricketing delight and the pleasure of witnessing a good contest, England's narrow win over Australia was worth a watch! As they say, it really doesn't get bigger than the Ashes, and Flintoff's performance was as much worth an applause as the Aussie fightback. Needing 62 to win with one wicket to spare, they managed to get within two runs of victory, and the whole thing was quite incredible! There's hardly any other team in the world who'd have even attempted such a fightback after being 175-8 at stumps the day before. Two little, too much!!

Coming on to friendship day, well, I have never been able to figure out why there has to be something like a Friendship day (or Valentines' Day, or mothers' day, teachers' day, etc.etc. for that matter). No relationship is such that it becomes meaningful, or "extra-meaningful" for just one day all of a sudden, and if it does, there's something seriously wrong in the very basis and paradigm of existence of such a relationship. Still I was quite amazed at the way I was inundated with emails, offliners, SMSs and phonecalls right since the stroke of mid night on Sunday, almost as if it was a fashion rage. Of course I certainly appreciate and thank my friends who found me deserving enough to be called a "friend", to be wished, and to be extended the warmth from their hearts. The whole thing was quite humbling and heart-warming. But it kind-of amuses me when I reflect on how the long list of the people who remembered me included some long-lost acquaintances, or some very "freshly-familiar strangers", and how some of those I spend almost the whole day currently were missing! No, I'm not upset with the latter lot, infact I'm doubly pleased, because it just goes to show that real feelings are never slave to an expression or a declaration. Some things are best unsaid, and those are the things that are closest to your hearts...People asked me what all did you do yesterday, to "celebrate", and I just say, "why, the usual?" because the things that truly have any meaning did not become more significant yesterday with a friendship band, and neither did those that don't.

But then, perhaps, I’m ignoring the good side of it all. Perhaps, there is some merit in having a special day dedicated to a certain emotion, esp. one as precious as friendship, for it gives us an excuse to take a break from the maddening pace of life and sit back and remember those that maybe far from us at present but are/were near to our hearts anyway, because perhaps, an excuse is all we need! :)

I guess I sound like a hypocrite, an perhaps I'm one, for like every year did the only xclusive thing that I do on Friendship Day: Prayed for all my friends first thing in the morning, and then bought my closest friend a cute blue-coloured Friendship Band......

I somehow love pampering myself with all this. I now have seven bracelets saying FRIEND with me....

Oh BTW, HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY TO EVERYONE!!:)