zeitgeist, 21st century, as I see it

the defining note of the 21st century in human terms has to be hype.
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everything is a product, a spin-off of the great hype machine. good, bad, doesnt matter...as long as you/it are talked about and earn your soundbytes and mugshot on media, you/it are It. paris hilton, rakhi sawant, the iPhone, global warming, posh beckham, going green, mumbai floods, somebody's wedding, obama's take, somebody's shrine, somebody's trash, somebody's scandal. the great unwashed and washed gorge on what they are fed by the rabid media.

the collective unconscious has never been more automaton-like, originality discarded for what the gurus say is cool, hip, It or uncool-cool. this mind-state transcends races and continents. follow the leaders...labels, brands, icons, cults, the buzz.

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soft note

theres something sadsweet abt knowing that you won't probably ever meet some of the random people [strangers another label] you meet when you do...es muss sein. polaroids in the mind, fading away to silhouettes, and then just vague smudgy outlines of what once was, for a minute, hour, day, days...like a whiff of a forgotten corner...poignant and beautiful.

my attic's full of these. am a collector of these. more in the moment, the immediate than in the extended, stretched.

still, sadsweet. ships passing in the night.

Kashmir, vignettes

came back with a monstrous tan!

now that was a trip.

Kashmir again, after 19 years....still Paradise...the scenic landscape and the beautiful people as usual, punctuated this time by soldiers...beauty and sadness, supreme.

had an amazing road trip to srinagar from jammu...visited the usual suspects, shikara-ed, gulmarg...friendly faces....the setting almost normal again...tourists by the bucket...from all over the country...the magnificent mountains surveying human folly....ageless, timeless

our driver...a crazy character...drove like a maniac through the mountains, hairpin bends and all...colourful chap...an original. tall, strapping, long hair and the occasional habitual eccentric gestures while overtaking another vehicle on a turn that can accomodate half with a gorge staring us in glee...Shaitani Naala, the spot on the highway where many have tumbled down to meet the One.

the lil kids who wanted their pics taken as I went shutter-crazy...posing for me. :-) the security forces, tough yet human, from different parts of the country, guarding a jewel.


Amazing time....memories now...forever.

bungee-jumping and some

have I chomped off more than I can digest. maybe, maybe not. I get a kick out of throwing me a dare, pushing the limits just a tad. No safety net.

Have always landed on my feet, this should not be an exception. With somebody up there indulging me of course, pretty please. :-D

Life is such a BS thing, isnt it...we're all making up excuses, wearing roles, making a mess till the Exit sign lights up. And the funniest thing is we take it all so bloody seriously. Like it will matter when there is nothing left.

Some bits will remain in this dimension but I wouldnt be interested. Maybe.

Oh well, back to prodding the slacker.