Mediocrity

He had always been a mediocre child. Allan Burns, the youngest of the lot. His parents were doctors and taught medicine in A class university. His three elder brothers were achievers. Andrew the oldest was an athlete and played competitive hockey. Arthur had taken after his parents and was studying to get into the top medical school there was. Adam was an A grader and wanted to be a space scientist. But Allan was a mediocre. He had no ambitions, was an average student, played poor baseball, and lived a mediocre life. He was happy. 

As time went by and his siblings left one after the other to pursue their dreams, Allan stayed. Someone needed to look after his aging parents he would reason. It made sense because renting elsewhere was expensive. When the time came Allan took up a job because that was what everyone did. It was a mediocre job and paid decent. It was enough to pay his bills and save some. Allan loved his life. He neither felt the urge to achieve something extra ordinary nor felt the pressure because his siblings were going places. He called it contentment.

Soon his hormones raged, and Allan felt the need to have a partner to share his life with. A charming boy like him deserved a nice girl. A girl who could live a mediocre life with ease. It was odd to find someone though. Girls looked for go-getters and Allan was not chasing anything. He was happy.  But love is a funny thing. It certainly is.

Allan met Rhonda at a bar. She fell for his charm and he fell for her confidence. It was instant. They were spotted together often, and Allan loved her company. She made him laugh and he was always happy around her. Rhonda was pretty, intelligent, had a great career, and she loved with passion. But she was different too. Rhonda was a go-getter and she wanted Allan to make something of his life too.

Allan was motivated to dream big, to have an ambition. Taking Rhonda’s advice, Allan signed up for a certificate course in computers. He decided to take a break from his job and focus on his schoolwork. Software industry was growing, and a certificate would have given him that perfect start to a thriving career. He worked hard each day. Mornings became nights and fall turned into winter. Three months had passed. Rhonda was by Allan’s side supporting him. His family cheered for him. But something was strange.

Allan was not happy. Project work, coding, grades did not make him happy. He was suffocated. Trapped in a maze. He missed his old life. He missed his routine. He dropped out of the course and went back to his old job for an even lesser pay. He broke up with Rhonda because she did not make him happy anymore. His old ways made him happy and Rhonda did not fit in the puzzle anyway.

Breaking up did not hurt him and he moved on with ease. He met Madge his new co-worker. She seemed to love the mediocre job that he loved so much. She enjoyed the routine as much as he did. She had never been an achiever much herself. She was content as was he. She liked Allan and fell for his charm. They married. She fit the puzzle, perfectly.

Allan knew he did not love her, but he loved mediocrity.

PC - Rakesh Rana

Saree Challenge

Few weeks ago, I woke up to a few tags on Facebook inviting me to accept a challenge for a saree post. The challenge was to post one photo of myself dressed in a saree and tag other women and challenge them to do the same. I was reluctant. I have not participated in FB challenges ever. But I decided to accept it anyway because I was tagged by two wonderful women I absolutely admire. I followed the instructions and soon my FB page was filled with beautiful women draped in the most beautiful sarees I had ever seen. Happiness - that is what I felt.  

For once my news feed was not filled with hate posts. It was not filled with xenophobic, racist, and intolerant posts and comments. I was not waking up to see fake news from people shooting them from the comfort of their homes. I was evading fanatics who believed that the other was bringing the country down. And for once I was relieved to not see Facebook politicians shooting suggestions to the government without thought and logic. Instead all I saw was women draped in traditional, chic, modern, and / or ethnic sarees. Some like me dug up old pictures from their wedding albums and posted them. It was a relief.  

But with everything positive there are bound to be critics. Soon there were memes (some were hilarious though) showing how Indian women were more concerned about their sarees. There were sarcastic posts mocking women who participated in it. And some took it to another level by trolling women. Like several others I was trolled too. I laughed at these memes, and the people who threw it out there. That is the most they deserve. I wondered to myself where do these people hide when hate is spooned out on FB? I have never seen them shutting down racists or homophobics. They crawl back to their caves then (I am guessing). 

I also had friends who chose to not participate and politely asked me untag their names. I immediately did. To participate or not is a personal choice and we are absolutely free to choose. As long as the world does not judge / harm the other we can all chose to do or not do things that suit/don't suit us. But to be cruel and mock someone is unfair and needs to be called out. 

The saree challenge was meant to divert our attention from all the negativity that surrounded us with the current climate. The war that is being fought out there. It was meant to make us smile. It was meant to bring our attention to the little joys of life while keeping our spirits high. And that it did. The fact that trolls and critics took notice of the challenge meant that it was a success. It made anger and hate filled individuals take cognizance that sarees had taken over Facebook and that they had little to no space for their hateful and divisive living room politics. 

Each post shut down avenues for negativity. It made FB a pleasant place instead. And it opened doors for more such happy challenges throwing hatemongers completely out of business. The pictures I saw had stories to them. Some filled with love and some with warm memories of loved ones. 

To everyone out there who participated and has been participating in any of those fun challenges - more power to you. Thank you for making this virtual world a happy place. This virtual world is what is keeping us sane in such desperate times. And if this is filled with negative posts and comments it makes a desperate situation much worse. Don't let trolls shame you. For each troll bring up a new happy challenge. Spread the cheer and be merry.

In case you are curious about the saree challenge, it painted the town red, purple, yellow, and in all colors of joy and hope. 

I had to dig out a decade old picture for the challenge. This is from a wedding ritual in 2008. 

Review - Panchayat Season 1 (Web Series)

As the world is locked down, many of us are privileged enough to have some time for ourselves, finally. Like millions of others my husband and I are surviving by pursuing our hobbies and doing things we otherwise found little time to do. It is during this time that I was recommended to watch a new web series by TVF (The Viral Fever) team called – Panchayat. It is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video and available to watch. I have been an ardent fan of good content and TVF has never disappointed me. My husband and I completed the series in one go and are charmed by this novel content, brilliant acting, and the simplicity of the set up. Hence, I decided that a series as wonderful deserves a review.

Cast: Neena Gupta, Raghuvir Yadav, Jitendra Kumar, Chandan Roy, and Faisal Malik.

Directed By: Deepak Kumar Mishra

Screenplay – Chandan Kumar

Verdict: 4.5 stars

Review: The plot opens with Abhishek Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar) whining about not being able to grab a well-paying job like his friend in a city. Instead he has a job as a Panchayat secretary in a remote village of Uttar Pradesh with a humble salary of INR 20,000. Suggested by his friend to take it up as a Swades challennge, Abhishek Tripathi pulls up his socks and starts on his adventure. What follows is a series of rib-tickling thought-provoking encounters that change Abhishek Tripathi in more ways than one. It lets him taste both success and failures with equal sweetness. 

Each episode picks up a theme and does it a great deal of justice. The backdrop is a typical village of India including greener fields, paint peeled government offices, muddy roads, small shanty shops, a hand pump, and palm greasing attitude.  The plot is neither preachy nor does it try hard to impress. The characters grow organically and cleverly convey the message. Several issues are highlighted albeit subtly and wittingly.

Several scenes are brilliantly crafted with an exceptional work of screenplay. Like the scene where the tantrum throwing, wrapped in dowry groom is shut down by Abhishek when the latter calls the former an asshole. Eventually Abhishek apologizes and loses a part of his self-respect. The scene where the Pradhan Pati considers the secretary a good match for his daughter because both belong to the same caste. The scene where the Pradhan (Neena Gupta) does not participate in any administrative responsibility due her lack of interest and education both. She later tries to learn things and starts by learning the national anthem of India. Hilariously a villager with 2 elder daughters and one young son is offended because the government’s slogan for 2 children calls any extra child “bawaseer” – Piles.

There is so much more that Panchayat offers. It offers an outstanding ensemble of actors, quirky dialogues that linger for long, lighthearted humor, and a story so new. Panchayat takes you to your own village through the bhootiya (possessed) pedh (tree), electricity that comes and goes at will, politics over implementation of government policies, and pethas served with a glass of water. It does this with ease. It offers hope, inspiration, and a warmth. Every actor has done justice to their character whether it be Raguvir Yadav as Pardhan Pati or the lead Jitendra Kumar himself as a frustrated urban boy stuck in a rural setting. Neena gupta is great as always but I wish she had more screen time. Two characters that stand out amidst these big names are Chandan Roy as Vikas – helper to the secretary and Faisal Malik as Prahlad – the Deputy Pradhan.  

All in all, Panchayat is a fresh breath of air that has opened new avenues for the makers and their audience alike. It is a must watch.

The trailer is shared below. Link courtesy – Youtube.