Conversations of a Different Kind

“Can you know someone so well, it seems nothing can ever come between the two of you?”

“I don’t think so. And frankly, I don’t think I ever will. These are things you only dream about”

“I think so too.”

[timeframe]

“It’s weird. Sometimes I think the best things happen with you around. Sometimes I think I know you more than I know most people. And it’s not like we spend every day together…”

“It’s not weird. It’s just that we relate. To each other.”

“I guess you’re right. I hope it stays this way.”

“I hope so too.”

[timeframe]

“I know it’s true. And now I know for sure nothing can be wrong. And that nothing can go wrong. Nothing can come between us.”

“It’s true. And now it feels better knowing we both believe the same thing.”

“Absolutely.”

[timeframe]

“Things aren’t really the same, are they? What happened? What changed?”

“Does distance really make a difference? Didn’t we both believe it never could?”

“Beliefs change.”

“You did, too. So did I.”

“Is this the life we thought we would live? Is this how everything is supposed to end? Is this how you want it to be?”

“Is this how you want it to be?”

“Answer my question first.”

“I don’t want to.”

[timeframe]

“I feel I hardly know you anymore. I never thought it would come to this.”

“Neither did I.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

“I don’t know.”

[timeframe]

“I want things to be better with us.”

“So do I. So do I! What do we do about it?”

“Accept that life has changed. Accept that we have changed. That’s where we should start from.”

“We should. We will.”

[timeframe]

“Things are better now. A lot better.”

“They have to be. We’re better than to not let it be.”

“What if things go wrong again? How will we take it?”

“The same way we’re taking it now. The same way we realized that when we get back, it means much more than if things were always perfect. We’ll be all right.”

“Even if something goes wrong?”

“Even if everything goes wrong.”

Life's a road. Keep walking.

5 Minutes.

OK, I’ve never been a die-hard patriot… never made speeches about how much the motherland means to me, never told people about the nation and its glory, never talked about how I would give up my life for the country. None of that is even remotely me.

But then there are times.

The time when I made a fuss about the guy who thought it would be interesting to make faces when Jana Gana Mana was sung. The time when, along with the rest of the crowd, I booed the Britishers all through the cricket match of Lagaan. The time I ran out my hostel to make it in time for the Independence Day flag hoisting. The time I pitied our country in the hands of the politician who said the order of colours on the tricolour is green-white-saffron.

There are times.

But this is not about how patriotic I am. It’s about how, sometimes, a commercial film can bring about that feeling, even though you know there is nothing true about it. Swades started off for me as a normal, Shah Rukh movie in which all I would be able to do was sit through a boring (though novel) story for three hours. Now, when would those days come when Hindi movies would be worthy of the money spent!

And so these thoughts I kept repeating to myself, over and again, so that I could get everything across to the first person I met or called. This was going to be one bashing session! And then twenty minutes before the movie ended, the thoughts were no more. They just ceased to exist. All in five minutes:



Rahman magic? Art Direction? Camera work? Scene timing? I don’t know. Suddenly Mohan Bhargav was a hero. Suddenly the movie was a feeling. Suddenly India was a heartbeat.

In five minutes.

mydictionary.talk.pilani

Jul 26, 2001:
Surprisingly, what caught my attention most on entering BITS, Pilani was a yellow-white T-Shirt worn by a senior... and so much, that five years later, I'm still able to reproduce it here without getting a word wrong:

A to Z of BITS

Anc Bogs Crash Duck
Enthu Fundu Ghotu Hols Interface
Junta Kela Lacha Machi Niteout
Oht Psenti Qt Rod Stud Thadi
Uppi Vetti XCom Yo Zuk

I had no idea what those words meant, of course. But well, if this was what BITS was all about, I should find out soon, I made a pact with myself.

But I didn't need to, is what I realized. Less than a month later, these had replaced words that were part of my usual English vocabulary.

Aug 15, 2001, 0330:
A: Machchan, tomorrow's Independence Day celebs at C-Lawns da!
B: Sac it, machi. One day off and no way I'm giving up my crash!
A: Vetti b*****d, where's your patriotism da?
B: Yo India! Good enough?
A: But junta's gonna be there da!
B: Abe saale, lacha karke saade theen ho gaya... kal subah tera baap udaayega kya mujhe?

BITSian lingo comes with its realzations. Certain four-letter words, you discover, fit into every aspect of everyday speech and answers to everyday questions... and they can conver anything... happiness, sorrow, anger, amusement... you name the emotion, you get it!

Feb 3, 2002:
A: How the f*** was LinAl?
B: F***in bad da. Below av for sure machi.
A:Guss da. It's a f***ed course anyways.
B: Yea, but f***in grades matter man!
A: I've better things to worry about... have a f***in practice session today... gotta go.
B: F***in good da... enjoy!
A: Sure thing. You f***in take care OK?

Regional phrases are a rage as well. Never before was the desire to learn another language so strong:

Apr 2, 2003:
A: Kemonacho macha?
B: Ommala pee re. Got screwed at my seminar.
A: Guss podu machi... think about better things!
B: Kay kartoys tonight? Movie dekhe?
A: Illa dey. Ghotting to be done.
B: Anyaaaya over da. Sac out sometime!

So also, you're responsible for the evolution of the language. No one's content with using the hundred-odd words you already have. So you bring up your own, and then it's the rage of the wing then:

Oct 26, 2004:
A: How was OASIS macha?
B: Good shit da! Psenti OASIS and we really kicked butt!
A: Prof shows, the like?
B: Para good shit again... nothing like your psenti sem to freak out!

Now, what the HELL is good shit people ask. It's nothing, just a word coined up because the common variations like "sexy!" and "ommala god level macha!" seem to have slightly lost its charm over the years. And then you make efforts to make it a used word, and so now it's just goodshit, and no more good[space]shit.

Tough to get it unless you're a BITSian. But it would do well to keep a few words in mind... because when you're talking to one, he will invariable drop off a couple of these words. Now, this isn't thadi. It's just that he doesn't remember the actual words anymore :D

Gen: Generally. Simply. For no reason. Nothing special about it.
(usage) I'm gen sitting around. the movie's kinda gen, da. The grub was gen.

Da: More like a full stop. Tough to end a sentence without using this one.
(usage) Nothing, da. Fine, da. What's up, da? Take care, da. (basically any sentence has this added to this to give it a hint of concern)

Fuck: NOT an expletive. Used everywhere when you need to emphasize anything even remotely. It is understood there's no better alternative.
(usage) F***in' sexy morning da. F***in' good T-Shirt machi. F***in' irritating da.

Sac: Chill. Relax. Don't worry about it.
(usage) Am sacing out for a while now. That's sac da, just get the ropes tight. Sac out, I'll be there in a hour.

Hazaar: The set of all natural numbers excluding 1. The element from the set can be identified and picked out according to the needs of the speaker. Sometimes used in conjunction with junta, which carries a somewhat similar meaning, but more often refers to a crowd of people, or also to all people.
(usage)
How many people were there at the Kumbh Mela? Hazaar. [thousands]
How many people came for the RAF movie show? Hazaar. [hundreds]
How many people came to class today? Hazaar. [around 20-30]
How many answers can you think of to my question? Hazaar. [2 or 3]


Other variations include combining words or parts of words together so that their meanings change to suit the occasion... viz., goodshit means great or awesome, gen means nothing special... now pick out the shit from goodshit, and put it together with gen to make genshit, and now the word means hopeless/intolerable... or adding an "-ation" at the end of the word for better emphasis, viz., fuckation, sleepation, talkation and so on... but let's save further lessons for another time :D