Love - The most hated emotion in the world!

Note: All ideas expressed here under are my very personal opinions. If it happens to hurt any reader's sentiments, I beg your pardon. I love love and I would love to be in love.

Teenagers in love -"Is this the time for love?"

College goers in love- "No love till you stand on your feet"

Love at work - "How could you? at your WORKPLACE? :o "

Intercommunity love- You probably have to do a Chetan Bhagat 250 page drama for this.

Older woman- younger man - She practices black magic and he is the victim

Younger woman - Older man - Whats wrong with Amitabh Bacchhan? Arey umar ka toh lihaaj karo?!!

I m not even going to touch the last and the most dangerous territory, extramarital escapades..

In 2 States, Chetan Bhagat focuses on the problems faced by people from different communties in love but I wont BEG to differ the problem is not the different communties, its love. Whether we like it or we dont, love is a bigger taboo than sex in India.

Valentine's day sees dramatic tod phod by certain self declared guards of Indian culture, beating up of people of opposite sex walking with each other. The deeper psychology I think is the hatred towards love not the culture erosion.

If you are in love, you will be termed characterless. Love is described with derogatory phrases like Unka toh kuch chakkar chal raha hai or Tum dono ka scene kya hai boss? or the word affair is prefixed by "alleged". Why not call them criminals and hang them to death? Sadly, even heinous acts like those are rampant in the remote parts of country.

Although love marriages are common in the country all the gossip hungry aunties will emphasize on the word love in a way that every letter will get its due phonetic respect preceeded by a large snake mouthed "O". And I m sure these aunties paid 100 bucks and sobbed till they blew their nose in the pallu watching Kajol and SRK's highly dramatic unison in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Even secretly envied to have a love story of their own but these aunties will still come home and tell their daughters "Dont be too friendly with boys"..

But wait, dont we still have couples all around us, of course most of them being clandestine affairs except for the celebrity love stories which are discussed by pan waalas and elite kittie party aunties alike. "Why does she like HIM? He has two kids no?" "When is Rani getting married? Isnt she 32 already?" but celebrities also enjoy societal liberties when it comes to the settling down age bar. They can have triplets at 42 but no one will give a damn about it but If pados ki ladki is single and over 28 then she is seen as a 50 year old and "no suitable matches" anymore. Love is 'bad' but "Why dont they get her married?". What are we? Stock market shares? Today market up, tomorrow down?

And if she is earning her bread and doesnt want to get married yet, she is either lesbian or "too independant" or worse mentally retarded. Sigh. Why does society have to stand up for meaningless rights and wrongs when there are much more troublesome rights and wrongs to look after? Why cant you go and advice an 18 year old about whom to vote instead of how much distance he/she should maintain from the opposite sex?

Oh yes, coming back to love (digressions I tell you!), it is one of purest emotions in this planet and deserves an equal share of respect like the motherly, brotherly, cousinly and all the other kinds of love you can think of. But I conclude saying , If friendship is intermediate with BiPC, Love is PHD. in Oral Cancer. (Thank my bio passion for the similies)

You either do a Chetan Bhagat to win the love of your life or literally FALL in love!

The phone call..

"Your father told me you have become the Bank Manager of SBI. So I thought I'll have a few words with Madam Banker" said my grandfather on the phone. FYI I recently opened an account in SBI and the news reached my grandpa through obvious sources.

I just laughed out loud at the banker joke. It was strange but this particular joke suddenly broke the ice between us and for the first time in my life I FELT for my grandpa. A strange connection. Not that I hated him before but I was never close to him. In fact I was thought him to be a cold, irritable man. As a kid whenever I visited Gorakhpur (A place in U.P where my granparents have been living for 47 years now) he came across as the one who'd always have a problem with everything. "Dont go to the terrace, you'll create a mess" "Why cant you children just sit peacefully in one place?" "Dont eat too many sweets its not healthy" etc etc and naturally I had an unusual bend towards his wife, my late grandmother, who was exactly the opposite. Full of life, food loving, "let the children do what they do best, shaitani" she used to tell.

But today was a different. "I thought for 20 minutes before making this call. Whether I should make it or I shouldnt. You know, I never really got to know my grandparents but you all are so lucky we are there.Anyway, call me tomorrow morning around 9:30 and tell me details of your account. I'll try my best to help you. See all your cousins are working. If you want to pursue higher studies you need money no? " he said continuing to specify the purpose of his call. I dont care about the money grandpa its your concern that touches me, I wanted to say but sometimes its best if you keep the sentiments to yourself. "What happened to that 10,000 I had sent last time? You have deposited it all no?" he continued, I didnt want to say I shopped for 5000 bucks for Durga Pooja and had no idea where the rest of the amount was but I had no choice but to lie. "Yes yes of course Dadu!"

I dont know whether it was Kailash's songs or the food in Chilly's which made me so emotionally charged but yes, for the first time in my life I had 100 gm lump in my throat as grandpa spoke these words. "A man who used to speak for 8-9 hrs a day in his 12 hrs of duty has no one to talk to for 20 minutes at a stretch now.(Sighs) Its very lonely you know. I m 80+ now and there are lots of problems. My eye sight is decreasing. I think its cataract! " he said with another sigh. "Why dont you come here and stay with us. See grandma is here and she is very happy. So many people to talk to, so many things to do, I m sure you'll like a bit of change" I said meaning every word whole heartedly. I saw the negative response coming but I still waited for his response. "Travelling is out of question mitu (my pet name). You see I had a reservation that time but I fell sick. My health wont permit travel now" he finished. As this point the lump in my throat doubled in size. Even I'll be 85 one day, will it be really lonely? Why am I so self- centered? Why cant I think beyond myself and my life? I have to visit granpa I thought to myself as the conversation almost came to an end.

"Now give the phone to your baba and dont forget to call me tomorrow ok?" he said with that typical caring grandpa tone.

...... The phone call stirred my inside. I made two resolutions:

1. Call him atleast once a week and listen to him talk. (Granpas love that! Infact everyone does)

2. Visit him ASAP. The old man needs this the most.

Clichés and me

Dont try too hard
"Why do I feel I m trying too hard?"

Just be yourself
"I think I m blabbering more than I should"

Dress well and dress comfortable
"That top is gone for a wash dearie"

Make sure your hair is neat
"Wtf?!! Why a bad hair day today?!"

Less is more
"Omg! Dont I look like a christmas tree?!"

Be confident
"Can I please bite my nails?"

Observe the body language
"Shit! How did I forget that?"

If it is destined it will happen
"DO something you moron!"

Smile
"Um.. Well.. The chocolate sauce is still stuck to your front tooth"
"Yeah? Thanks!"(a forced embarrased half smile)