Following Orders !

I was walking on the beach today . I saw a beautiful white shell embedded in the sand . I washed it in the sea and picked it up to admire it. A few steps ahead I threw it back into the sea , as far as I possibly could. My friend screamed at me in exasperation " What was the point of picking and cleaning that dirty shell only to throw it back into the sea ?"

What was the point ? I can't explain it to you even if I tried . Except that I will never forget the pristine beauty of my shell on the beach . But in my hand the shell looked empty , beautiful but lonely and even though I wanted to keep that shell with me , I knew it would lie forgotten and forlorn in my room in a few days . And so I etched its beauty in my mind forever and threw it back into the sea where it belonged .

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3000 balloons = 3000 happy children

Why do balloons make children happy ? I was giving out free balloons on the Bandstand promenade for a vodafone promotion . And all these little street children came up to me for balloons , normally I would have given then the balloons quite happily except that my boss was around that day and he had kind of told me i couldn't. So i told some of the kids to come back a lil later when I could give them chocolates . And then this little kid looked up at me and said "didi chocolate nahin , balloon chahiye" And I tried my best to convince the kid to take the chocolate but he insisted on taking a balloon . And I dont understand why but his decision left me puzzled. I mean a chocolate is tangible .you eat it and you are satisfied . but a balloon is a fleeting moment of happiness before its gone . Because eventually it will go , float away into nothingness. The chocolate would make have filled that kids tummy , (he looked like he could do with food) and made him happy , but he chose the balloon !!!!

Is that how it is with human beings and love ? We choose to invest our energies in fleeting moments of happiness despite knowing that it will go eventually and in the process forgoing a more practical alternative ? Why do we forgo the rational for the irrational . Why does our happiness follow no logic or decipherable pattern ?Why does impulsiveness remain impractical ?

That little boy's decision was symbolic in so many ways . Symbolic of the way so many of us choose to live our lives - carpe diem quam minimum credula postero (Seize the day trusting little in the future ) Because when the nights are long , cold and rough, it wont be chocolate but the memory of that balloon reminding the boy of better days past and to come .

But maybe I am over analysing as I am wont to do lately . maybe the guy just dint like chocolate - as simple as that . But what if he did ?

What if ?


I was talking to someone today about my trip to Kerala. I was telling her about the time my DOP told me to go find some goats for the scene . And she said , "You should have just shown him the mirror " ..... Touche !