Playing the culture vulture

(Apparently culture vulture is an overused expression in America. But it is rarely used here in India. )


I was doing exactly that today. I had to meet some people who were in central delhi. The meeting was at 7 in the evening. Since my cousin stays nearby I went very early. By 2’o clock I was there. But I found their house locked. And their phone was not working and I couldn’t contact them earlier to tell them I’m coming. Sometimes the phone works..i don’t know... it’s confusing…


I had lot of time to kill time. So I went to Connaught Place. I intially thought I will go to Coffee Day and sit there sipping something cold. But I thought why waste the money? Instead I opted for a fountain Pepsi from the road side. I sat on the roadside bench drinking it, I was completely oblivious to the people around. These days when I roam around I’m completely lost in thoughts--thoughts about myself…whether it is too much introspection or self obsession I don’t know. Then suddenly from out of the blue, the old Beatles’ song came to my mind—I hadn’t listened to it for a long time:

"Why don’t you help me brother,
I’m a stranger in your town,
Why don’t you help me brother,
May be i'll settle down. "

What terrific song! It never occurred to me that this song is song is so good. Yeah it suited well the situation that I’m in now.

I walked looked at the roadside books and and did window shopping. I went to Jain’s book depot there and sat there for more than an hour, reading book. The book store guy was giving a buy- it or- leave-it kind of look. I waded through politics to military and defence to economics.I was going through one of Ramchandra Guha’s book, India after Gandhi wondering about the time effort and skill these people have. I found Steve Coll’s The Bin Ladens is also very interesting. I also saw one of Arun Shourie’s book.. I don’t remember the name..I could make out from his writing that he is not a writer.

(Though he is BJP’s writer and was earlier working with Times Of India and Indian Express,his skill is not as honed as that of MJ Akbar's or Guha's or Coll’s. I'm not prejudiced, I'm just commeting about the writing skill, not the content--though it is better for me not to comment about people like them.I know it will be amusing to hear my comments)

Writing is a skill that has to be perfected over time with discipline. Good writers don’t just write. They entertain. This is something I knew earlier but it is here in Delhi that I’m understanding it from a close quarters.

Finally I chose to buy M.J Akbar’s Nehru..

My roomie on seeing the book said “gimme a break”

I think I’m becoming a Gandhi family admirer; most times my roomie feels I orthodoxly argue for the Congress.

Ramchndra Guha’s was a very thick volume..I promised myself that if I finished reading Nehru soon will buy it. From there I also picked up Tehelka and The Caravan—the magazine whose ad says—

"Weight that carry words" ...eh …I mean..." words that carry weight."

I really love that magazine…Anybody I see I talk about it…I have told it n number of times to my dad..he used to read it when he was in college.. a really text-heavy magazine. They are developing it on the lines of The New Yorker and The Harper. What its ad says is really cool and whacky:

"As a food for thought it’s (The Caravan) is the cerebral equivalent of full service, multi-course, sit down dinner; not a bun-on-the run for casual snacker."

Bun on the run… hehehe…

Then I checked out some music cds at music world which is right opposite the Jain Book Depot…I mentally selectd the cds I will buy when I get a job…Then I went to Fab India..checked out the shirts and even tried one..but left without buying..

Went to a tea shop and sat there having tea and reading caravan, and laughing to myself if found some articles that tickled the funny bone.One cartoon said:

“Rahul worked really hard for election. But his second name worked even harder!”

I laugh alone. I shout if I feel desperate or happy. And I sing aloud while taking bath..’

But I’m loving it.’Earlier I cribbed inside me being alone; now I scream:

"leave me alone."

“let me be a ‘lonesome crow’”,

"Leave me alone...Let me figure out”

I met the people and was returning in the bus, I was in I think it was the bus number was 640,hit a biker…the guy collapsed on the road.. . death and accidents are such a common place things here…I came home and saw the news that 200 odd people had died as Air France plane crashed over the Atlantic…the kind of accidents that happen around gives me jitters.

P.S: Does this post of mine look like a collage of ad captions?-- "words that carry weight," "lonesome crow," "i'm lovin it."