Masala World……not a cookery show….

I kept struggling to decide on a topic for my first ever Blog post….looking for inspiration... I was channel surfing....and lo! I happened to catch the movie BOMBAY on TV… I decided to watch it for the nth time, an all time favorite of mine. A love story between a Hindu and a Muslim set in the backdrop of the Mumbai violence following the Ayodhya – Babri Masjid issue. I remember watching this movie on the big screen....the craze of Dolby sound spreading in all theaters, I still don’t know what it means…..I think in 1996-97. A controversial issue, AR Rahman’s feet tapping Humma Humma..and Mani Ratnam’s heartening scenes were a perfect mix for a super success at the box office. The most memorable scenes for me from the movie was when the rioters try to burn the twins and pour fuel all over them….with them being totally petrified, their father running in from one side to save them and screaming …their mother running in from another direction….the rioters trying to light up a match that wont burn…and worse the cops are lining up to fire bullets!! Jeezuz!! I think this is worse that Catch 22…is there a Catch 222? By the way they escape the ordeal with minor dirt on their clothes and body that a good bath cannot take care off. Total Masala….that’s probably why I still remember the scene. Well 13 Years on and the movie still works…and had a lot of commercials during breaks, that too at 10 AM in the morning on a week day!
I remember writing a review on the movie in college for an English assignment and received a lot of appreciation for it. It was even put on the 'notice board that no one read'. Well atleast until my article got in there….I stood there for full 10 minutes, for the first and the last time at the 'notice board no one read' and re read my article from the notice board. Waited and acted as though I was engrossed reading the article, but I was actually looking at the reflection on the notice board glass, at each person passing, especially pretty girls, who bothered to take a glance. I hoped they would stop and read the article so I can tell them “That’s my article…”. Well high hopes…. I never saw that notice board ever in college after that…oh wait! I saw it once more, cause someone managed to slide in some hot gossip about a happening girl in college.
I was trying to read the content wading through a crowd that was assembled... mainly guys, trying to read it. Gosh! It was more crowded than when the results were put up on notice boards. Remember...those boards when you tried to see if you managed to pass and someone in the crowd would say "SHIT I failed...." and you almost fainted or another shrill girly voice saying..."Yippeee...Distinction!!" And all you wanted to do was stuff her face into the notice board.

I was angry with this crowd….my article which I spent a week and a lot of feelings to write; an article which I dreamt would have a 'full house' notice board reading it and friends patting my back on what a good article it was....being POPULAR in college and all! Alas...I think I found may be one or two readers, and here an article someone just wrote….well I can’t say “wrote”, I think he just puked on the page, was getting so much attention. I just wanted to see what the hell was it that he wrote...and honestly, also what and who the gossip was about. I continued jumping and pushing to read it….I could see a picture of the gal also….oh man, I had to see this, just then I turned and saw our student welfare officer….a popular guy in college and a math genius…BOSCO…was shoo'ing everyone to try and open the notice board and pull the article out. He caught my eye…and I could see the words in his eyes…”You too Brutus…” Oops I meant "You too Vinod...?" I had this fizzled out smile..."Chammal Smile" as they say in malayalam...and made me realize "he thought I was a good student...", until now atleast. Well, he quit the role of a student welfare officer the following year...he is still one of my favourites, we even have a group in Orkut "Bosco Sir Fan Club". His classes were really interesting...to all...I think cause he made it hilarious...so we'd never doze off even if we dint understand calculus...did I spell it correct? I remember, he once told an NRI student, who failed to answer a question...."You GELF fellows have an extra tail, put it inside the hole near the tail when you come to class"....Masala again....
Masala works…and that’s the fact…Om Shanti Om was a greater hit than a meaningful movie like Swades. 20-20 Cricket draws larger crowds that Test cricket…or for that matter even one day cricket. Stardust and cine blitz pay their reporters more than most reporters in some of the most read Indian Magazines. Come on…dint you notice the comments written on your Toilet walls than the “No Entry” Sign on the road…or the "Keep the premises clean" sign where you just dropped a chocolate wrapper. I mean...I still remember some of the comments on my college wall – 13 years later- but not a single math formula! My favorite one, exclude the perverted ones, was that of a vertical scale drawn with a pencil…and the top most metric line was darkened with a comment that said… “If you can piss above this you are wanted in the FIRE Department!” Or another one that said “Shake Well after use!!” Masala simply works…..
So, when my wife said…I need to start writing and hone that skill before I look at going on to the big league....I decided to start by blogging. I am sure she would be disappointed at my choice of the first article…but am positive she will still read the article a coupla times atleast….'cause Masala simply Works!!

Thanx for your time…if you liked what you read, please tell your friends and keep comin back…..