I officially removed the song ‘Lonely’ from my playlist. Whenever Akon crooned that number, it filled me with an intense despair and hopelessness. It was almost like life comes to a jarring halt if you ever end up being lonely. But today, I am considering adding that song to my playlist once again. Because, as I just realized, being lonely is not that hopeless after all…
Today, by some weird twist and turn of events, it just so happened that things didn’t work out and by the time it was evening, I had no idea where or with whom I was going to dine. I, like the innumerable Pune-hostelites-and-sick-of-the-mess students, recognize the greatness of the mess being closed on Sunday evening, giving us some much needed relief. It’s a custom in almost all mess in Pune and therefore, Sunday dinner is a genuine cause of celebration. And as it an be well predicted, away from the shackles of that disgusting food, its another custom for kids here to meet up their friends and load their stomachs with as much McD fries and Dominoes Pizzas as possible; at least enough to help them sustain till the next glorious Sunday. And this has been my routine as well, for as long as I can remember. That is, until today…
I think it goes without saying that I wasn’t thrilled to spend a Sunday evening all by myself. So, I killed time watching ‘You’ve got Mail’, until the rats in my stomach started with the usual trapeze routine. It signaled dinner, so changing into something more presentable than pyjamas, I left the room. The destination? FC Road, of course. It’s always filled to the brim with people and clothes and sandals and ice-cream stalls. It’s just so hard to feel lonely there. And true to its reputation, FC made me feel like a part of a huge crowd.
What surprised me is the number of things I noticed today. They’ve always been there, every time I’ve been to that place. But they never caught my attention. They never seemed noteworthy. I had never been aware of the conspiratory smile the guy from Iceberg soda gives when you ask for a Fruit Beer… of the young girls, who in the middle of a perfectly normal conversation, suddenly notice a clip or a bangle and realize that life is incomplete without that little thing… of the fact that majority of the people sitting in the Chocolate Room wear XL clothes… of the couples, who are like duplicates of each other, sharing ice-creams or holding hands, but still manage to look cute… of the people who are perfectly well-to-do but will still haggle over ten bucks with the roadside vendor… of the momo guy, who has more customers than all the multiplex momo centres put together but never loses his chinki smile… of the weird mentality of people because of which they prefer cheap clothes over cheap books… of the ladies, who are so busy looking at the shoe display on the walls that they often bump into each other… of the fact that people will get hyper irritated in billing lines in malls but are ready to stand for the better part of an hour when it comes to a chocolate toast… of the simple, little things, like paani-puri and chaat stalls will never be passé or go out of business…
I know it’s hard for you to not think that I had a miserable time and I am trying to pass it off as a wonderful day by writing this piece. Truth be told, it’s more like the Pune traffic… If you stand on the side waiting for the traffic to stop so that you can cross the road, you’ll probably end up stranded on the side the entire night. You’ve to have faith and take the plunge. You’ve to start walking and you’ll see the vehicles making way for you. Same way, you’ve to let go of the comfort of your close knit group and spend a day alone. Maybe, like me, you’ll end up seeing the things that were always in front of your eyes but never really made it to your retina…
So now I know, Akon has overrated the fears of being lonely. It’s not even halfway as bad as he makes it sound. Give up the security of your little group and give yourself a chance to become a part of the city, the society and the world as a whole… Because, the most amazing things happen when you are least expecting them…
Hold that thought!!
