[I have mostly liked friends who've said I am boring. For two reasons. A) For the element of frankness involved in their statement, which makes them genuine. B) And more importantly, for the ability of judgment of character. They can see truer sides to my character.
Actually add one more reason. C) Most importantly, for their lack of hunger for entertainment.]
To the world of so-called friends mostly, I am akin to their black and white television sets which they so keenly saw with their families in the 1980s. The whole family sat and was entertained by Hum Log, Ramayan and Gitanjali Aiyar's news reading in English.
And then consumerism happened. We made money, color came in, the cable TV did, Ekta Kapoor brought in the crooked non-existent sides of a family. Cut to 2000s, people had taken a fancy to watching bad-assery of the television. Every Hindi soap that you saw now needed to have a female who would be the epitome of all the bad that there is in the world. Women, wives of industrialists, roamed around in Kanjeevarams in their bathrooms, and plotted either how to get married twice, or poison another woman's milk. TRPs rose. People didn't care about innocence; they suddenly abhorred watching innocence on TV. There wouldn't be any Chitrahaar or Chandrakanta anymore. The sensible man said that such innocence in today's world was impractical. They wanted to watch slices of real life, like I have just mentioned.
But I guess I am digressing from the topic. With the ushering of color television entertainment, the black and white TV was backdated. Now you badly felt to have a remote to control your entertainer from afar. The Black and White TV remembered lines from Don McLean's Castles in the Air,
"I'm bowing out, I need a second chance".
The Black and White TV had not in fact ceased to be less entertaining. Yes, it was growing old and needed a bit of caring. But the viewer was too bored. "You cannot afford to be bored by a device meant to entertain!" said he. Newer, colorful, better looking models had taken its place. It was trash now, meant either to be dumped or sold.
It was not so much as even glanced at. Conscious attempts were made to forget the chapter of the black and white TV from human memory. How fickle human affection is! Just some years back, the black and white TV thought now, you had asked your hated neighbour at the cost of your prestige whether you could catch a glimpse of me. Now you avoided it, more vehemently than ever.
People had moved distances too. Not only did they have no time for their old friend, they didn't even have time for one another. There were separate entertainment devices. Like the one on which you are reading this blog right now.
I have not sold my old BPL television set. I have not 'bought' a new one. It shall leave me when it decides to end its life. But till then, it would continue to be my companion. I wish I could know what it felt like. I wish it could have feelings, and it could emote. I wish it would write a blog.
On second thoughts, I am glad it can't do any of the things I just mentioned.
I just remembered these lines from Mera Naam Joker:
"Kehta hai Joker, Saara Zamaana,Aadhi Haqeeqat, Aadha Fasaana,
Chashma Utaaro, Phir Dekho Yaaron,
Duniya Nayi Hai, Chehra Puraana."
