'When it's difficult to choose between two things Alike, choose the Middle Way.'
Now this is a very obvious sentence one gets as a piece of advice when there is a Dilemma in a person's life....!!
"Choose the Golden Way....Take the middle path...."
So how does one define a Middle Path??
Is it choosing both the things simultaneously?? Or is it choosing neither of them?
Does it mean that the contest between two things should be ended??
Or it simply means abandon the thought of choosing either of them and go for something which involves neither of such a 'Dilemma'??
A third interpretation that I have often come across is to take the best features from both the things and make something...that suits all your requirements.....!!!
Different situations......different people......different meanings.....
But which is the correct way of explaining "the middle way"??
And is it applicable in all the situations???
It's confusing.....It's so difficult to choose the middle way....!!
I know....people with clear minds may find this very silly.....
But try to be in the shoes of the "confused" and you will realize what it takes to actually find the 'Golden-Middle-Way'.....!!!
It all started with Indian Idol, three years back, when the music reality shows gained popularity among people. Then taken as a strong medium for the common people to appear on television and enjoy their 10seconds of fame, today reality shows are meant to serve a different purpose.
Considered to be an introduction to the glamour world, most of the reality shows, today, focus not only on finding out the hidden and extraordinary talents of the nation but also polishing them to be fine artists, rather than just making them the familiar faces with their audiences. They are an excellent platform for all those people hidden in different corners of India to showcase their talent to the whole world.
Be it singing, dancing, acting, performing extraordinary stunts, record-making, stand-up comedy or even indulging in adventure-activities, Reality Shows have tried to explore every possible way of bringing out the exceptional talents of the country, who otherwise would have been lost in the crowd of the common.
Talking about the myriad of musical shows being aired on number of Indian TV channels, it can be said that they are all good shows of entertainment.
Musical contests like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Voice of India, Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar, K for Kishore and many more have now created a new trend of 'music-learning' among the people.
Along with the new Hindi hip hop music, classical music is now-a-days also being revered by the youth. The quality of singing given by young participants like Rahul Vaidya, Abhijeet Sawant, Vineet Singh, Raja, Toshi, Prajakta Sukre, Nihira Joshi, to list a few, has created an interest among the people to understand and know more about the fineness of this art. Such television shows don't talk of sheer entertainment but concentrate also on the growth of this music culture.
The best examples to support this point are the musical contests like Chote Ustaad and Little Champs where school going kids too are fighting hard to sing each and every note of their song in the perfect 'sur'.
When 14 year olds like Aishwarya and Anwesha are given a break to do playback for our leading Bollywood actresses, doesn't that suffice to say that reality shows are doing their bit to enahance and encourage the talents of our country??
When it comes to talent shows, dance competition show like Boogie-Woogie has to be given all credits for bringing out some of the best dancing talents of India. Though it doesn't particularly fall in the reality show segment, yet it is an excellent platform for kids, youngsters and the aged to tap their feet on the popular filmi tunes and still show to the world that they are Talented...!
Another genre of reality show is 'Comedy'.
After the successful first season of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, many similar comedy shows were telecasted on different Indian channels. Today, this form of art, also known as Stand-up Comedy, is so popular that each and every Indian family channel is having atleast one such new show on air and the previously existing ones have already entered into their third or fourth seasons.
Standing with a mike in one's hand in front of a live audience and putting them into splits with spontaneous wit and comedy is not as easy as it sounds. But it's good to see such hard work being appreciated just through the medium of reality shows.
Apart from these 'sole entertainment' reality talent shows, there are also shows like Shabash India and MTV Roadies which,though may not make their audiences enjoy what the participants are doing but atleast make them sit glued to their television sets in amazement.
Particularly talking about MTV Roadies, though people feel it may have a negative impact on today's youth in the way things are being portrayed in the entire show, yet to think from the other perspective, it is a show about the youth focussing on how today's generation is so energetic and enthusiastic, that for them nothing seems to be 'Impossible'. The youth is always prepared to face the challenges of life and willing to experiment. The only need is that these qualities should be used in their best ways.
These are some of the reality shows which, according to me, stand out from the rest, though there are a plethora of them being shown on the vast number of Indian regional channels also.
However reality shows don't go without plenty of commercialization. Like other services, reality shows are a form of business in the service industry providing us with entertainment.
So, when basic necessities of life like food,clothes and house don't come without paying money for it, how could entertainment come Free.....??
It is to be accepted that commercialization is a part and parcel of each and every activity in today's world and Entertainment is no 'exception' to it. Although the amount of money people spend on sending votes for their favourite contestants via Calls and SMSes is too huge and so sometimes, unjustified, the results of such reality show contests makes it quite convincing to vote more than once for the deserving contestants.
Be it good or bad, reality shows are nowadays the best of the television shows with all the elements of fun, excitement, suspense, laughter, information and entertainment that once upon a time, people used to find in the daily soaps and weekly serials.
Inspite of being strategically designed to increase the TRPs of the TV channels and make larger profits out of people's money, they are still a 'Worth Watch' than those which only show their Protagonists clad in designer sarees and jewellery, still shedding buckets of water from their eyes which is nothing but an unnecessary wastage of glycerine....!!
Please don't mind Ms. Kapoor.....but as compared to your 'out of this world' tele-soaps, for me, 'only of this world' Reality Shows still rock......!!! ;)
Coming back to my own blog after more than two months gives me a mixed feeling....
On one hand, I feel happy that I have again got that enthusiasm to start expressing myself ......
But on the other hand, I am feeling a bit sad....that I had been neglecting my own blog for so many days....!!
However, this mixed feeling should not deter me from writing again....
So...here I go.......
I remember the day when I stepped out of my school and entered this new institution called 'College'.
It seemed as if I was entering a new World........!!!
Least to say, it was always a tough job for me to get admissions in one of the best and most reputed colleges of Mumbai.
But the hard work was already being done and what was expected was just a piece of 'luck'.......
And thankfully my 'luck' came into play and helped me sail through all these situations, just making the entire process of getting into this college so much simpler and smoother.
I was happy and finally proud to be called a......... 'Ruparelian'......!!!!!
The first purposeful dream of my life was now being realized.
It was really interesting to attend the initial days of my college with my new classmates......all with smiling faces and tremendous enthusiasm.......
There was so much fun around.....lots of New Faces (reflecting too much guts and confident attitudes.......!!!).............
New Styles (be it the flaunting of their fashionable, trendy or designer clothes, crazy yet cool hairstyles or even their stylish international accents........nothing went unnoticed!!!).........
New Topics of Conversations (some were interesting and royal while some were really whacky.....!!!).............
New Perspectives and some New Thoughts....!!!
It was a different atmosphere. Life for everyone was just moving as nicely as every student had dreamt of when in school....!!
But soon these fancy days were overtaken by the high competitiveness of the college studies......and with every approaching exam......the 'Rat Race' started to accelerate.
The class of 'New' students' now began to be called the class of 'Studious' and 'Non-Studious' students....
The initial days of intermingling had just been over. These few days were enough to make new friends and hence form new groups.......
And with all this...the curiousity and anxiety of this new world was soon satisfied and what was left was.......
Studies......Notes.........Exams........Marks.......Percentages......
and.....Ranks.......!!!!!
Life seemed to revolve around only these 6 words.....!!!!
But this was the story of an ordinary student who always thought that college is meant just for studies......books and marks........!!!!
However, there are always a number of other fun elements which, I am sure, everyone likes to play around with, when spending the crucial 5 years of their life in a college........
How can a person forget the..........
Bunking of lectures.......
Roaming in the college campus with friends......
Hanging out in the very famous 'Canteen', sipping a cutting 'chai' or enjoying the yummy(though not all....) canteen snacks.......
Signing proxies for friends in the college attendance........
Completing each other's notes.......
Playing pranks with each other.........
Discussing each other's 'crushes' in the college.........
Celebrating the madness of being able to pass the exam by just one mark or..........
Dancing with joy when unexpectedly topping the class..........
or just Consoling the friends who were unable to make it to the elite list of successful candidates.......!!!
Its all here......in this place called 'College'........!!!
They cannot be experienced any where else.........but just here..........!!!
Just as the School days are unforgettable....College days do have their own place in everyone's life.....!!!
For some, they remain to be the days of sheer hard-work, while for some others, they are the days of ultimate madness, fun and enjoyment.....!!!
I am happy that I have been able to taste and enjoy a tinge of both these flavours of my College life.......!!!!
But today, as I wait for the last day of my College....I look back at them...........those wonderful moments of joy and laughter, of a few tears......of tensions (specially on the day of results......)....of excitement......of hard-work.....of success and the sometimes accompanying failures........!!!
I look back at those days of my Life......all my college days.....
A journey that had begun 5 years back.......
A phase of life that had given way to all my desires of learning new things from this institution of knowledge and making myself capable of facing the upcoming challenges of my life.......!!
These college days are memorable just not for the share of fun they have given to me......
They have helped me Grow and Evolve as a Mature Individual.......Develop my Skills......Explore my New Talents........Recognize my Strengths.......Work upon my Weaknesses.........Brought in Confidence......!!!
Whatever experiences I have had......they have been my guiding chapters with Morals I would always remember for my life....!!!
And as I stand at end of the road to my college life......I get a mixed feeling......
A feeling of Nostalgia, trying to cherish those wonderful days in my memories.....
as also.......
A feeling of Excitement, trying to anticipate what is going to come after this.......
Once again.....I stand at the same junction of my life where I was standing 5 years back.......!!!
Again..............
It seems as if I am entering a New World..........!!!! :):)
Currently, there is this wonderful Airtel commercial which is being shown on almost every channel of our television sets.
Indeed, hats off to the creative head of this commercial who has come out with such a brilliant concept of highlighting the importance of communication.
The commercial simply shows two kids in a desert region talking in some really different ( though it's Moroccan French) language. This is it and there is no added extravaganza to it. It's simple, very ordinary, but very very powerful.
Perhaps this strange communication between the kids is the only thing which is conveying the true message of the commercial.
Whatever may be the language, it never acts as a barrier,only when two people decide to talk.
So, what is important is the willingness to talk, to speak up, to express oneself in whichever way it is possible.
Very often, people don't find the proper ways of expressing themselves. Either they don't have the words to express their views or simply they lack the confidence to bring it out. Some are also shy by nature which unable them to convey their viewpoints to the world.
As a result, they don't communicate and prefer keeping quiet.
However, it is observed that a majority of the misunderstandings in this world are created due to communication gap and silence.
Almost 90% of the new ideas and thoughts of people may also be going unshared just because of people's inability or unwillingness to express themselves or communicate.
Silence and lack of expression perhaps also becomes one of the main causes of loneliness and depression.
So what is the purpose of such a silence which is harmful to both : the individual himself and the world around him.....!!
It cannot be denied that,sometimes, Silence speaks louder than Words.....
But when language becomes a barrier to communication, perhaps it cannot be justified.
As the commercial ends saying :
"No barriers can keep us apart as long as we wish to talk...!"
In Economics, I have studied the life-cycle of a product....
The product is first being put for a TRIAL in the market....
When the results are good.....the product is being INTRODUCED into the market......
In a span of time, it gains momentum and starts capturing larger markets...and finally reaches its PEAK....it becomes Matured......and then if not handled strategically.....it begins to COLLAPSE......!!!
I know...this sounds very theoretical....
But this Theory finds its application in each and every act of our life......
Say for example the 'Life-cycle of Success'
Any individual who takes up a task, wants to complete it satisfactorily.....that's the TRIAL with success....
When the individual is successful with it......he/she wants to take up some more tasks with the confidence to complete them successfully......that's the INTRODUCTION of success......
New tasks continue to be undertaken and success keeps on following.....
In this phase....even if some tasks remain unsuccessful....it may not deter the confidence level of the individual......since it is the PEAK of success.......the success is going through it's Maturity Phase....
Now comes the critical phase of this life-cycle......
If the success achieved is not handled properly and carefully then it may just be lost in a matter of few seconds.....
It may reach its END.......!!!
( Well....here I remember what my mother always keeps on telling me...."Becoming successful is very easy...but Remaining successful is very difficult.....!!!" )
But there is always something interesting I find in the last phase of any product-cycle....
A Possibility...that the Product could be REVIVED.....
Yes......a complete possibility that it could be relaunched....with a number of innovations.....new aspects, new features, new appearances and new purposes.....!!!
The phase of Collapse may be critical....but it always has at-least ONE golden chance of Revival....
It's also interesting to realize that anything that comes to its end never actually ends there forever.
It always has something attached to it...and that's HOPE...
Hope of a restart.....Hope of a reappearance......Hope of a re-birth...[ just like Ekta's characters :) ]....
What is required here is a Change of Perception and Creativity....accompanied with Determination....!!!
So look carefully......
What seems to be the End of the Road may just be the Beginning of a new Path.....
And so the Cycle continues..........
"Life is not always about saying things.....Sometimes it's also about doing things......!!!"
Today...I create my first blog....just to put some of my (once upon a time) said words into reality.....
This is just the 'beginning'........a 'start' for a new journey.....in the world of thoughts.......My thoughts......Your thoughts......Our thoughts......!!!!
I welcome you all to the World of Expressions ........!!!! :):)
