Tuesday, April 17, 2007

From Russia With Love

This is an impromptu post triggered by a chance letter that reached me this morning. Usually, I would have waited for all my regular readers (heh heh) to respond to my previous post. But, an exigency calls for some unforeseen measures. So on we go.

Letters always have this strange old world charm associated with them. Be it Papa sending you his wishes in the most unromantic monotones. Be it Didi sending you rakhi with nothing but a message like - "Sending in hurry, so unable to enclose chawal". Be it your best friend pouring his heart out. A hand-written account of even the simplest of things can never fail to move you. A smile is bound to grace that grumpy face. A memory is bound to be cherished. And the chitthi is bound to be read again and again.

It doesn't matter if you are the g33k G0d or n3rd p3rs0nifi3d. It doesn't matter if you swear by e-mail and Instant Relay Chat. That little chitthi will transform you (even if it's for a moment) into a teary-eyed fool (okay maybe that was an exaggeration). Like a flash, moments shared together are bound to, you know, just roll off. (Arrggh... I don't have the perfect expression for the feeling!)

We live in the age of emails and teleconferencing. Of flickr and orkut. So what is it that affects us in such a subtle way? Is it the personal touch? Is it the realization that the person took time out especially for you and not just forwarded the season's greetings? Or is it something beyond words? As always, questions like these can only have fuzzy answers. In the end, it's just the feeling. You feel strange (and good). So why the heck worry about the reason?

I, for one, used to enjoy writing letters. Believe it nor not, I used to write letters to my mum, while in school, pleading with her not to send me to that place the next morning. I even used to tell her that I was ready to clean utensils and all. "Mummy I am ready to even mop the floor. But I don't want to study!", I remember writing. Of course I was a lot more stupid and carefree back then. Those letters never fail to break me into peals of laughter even now.

But it's all telephonic conversations and emails now. "The old-world-charm is too slow a way to keep in touch", says the multitude. But it's not too much of a trouble to find time every now and then. On second thoughts, maybe it is. But take the time yaar. You might succeed in making someone smile today. And that is one good deed in your bahikhata. Start collecting the points now

13 comments:

  1. No wonder why chitthi is the catch word of many musicians!!

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  2. musicians are someone who play through their soul ..like children in dark make mistakes and vice versa ..letter gives a feeling of love...love leads to fear, fear leads to anger and anger leads to dark side of "force"..This feeling of love affection is the cause which leads a homo sapien to above vice versa condition. Like jagjeet singh rightly said "chhitthi naa koi sandes...", and pankaj udhas said "chtitthi aai hai .." and now its your turn to sing o mighty sid...

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  3. tht's bolt from the blue from the master.I never expected this ingenious to come up with the post full of sentis but this time he did it emphatically.This post is relevant
    as v are so much involved with worldly affairs that there is not time for the loved one's ."Faisle jaroor kam hue hai lekin dooriyan badh gayi hai..."

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  4. hahahahahha... sid ab tum bhi chiti bhej hi do :D\

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  5. @pinks

    I understood ur comment....hurrah

    @anopheles
    tumhare andar pinks ki aatma ghusi thi kya??
    kuch samajh mein nahin aaya kya likha??
    pehli baar lag raha tha tum mazaak nahin kar rahe ho

    @gravity
    the pensive posts far outnumber the humorous ones

    @ghalib
    we'll talk abt this!
    ;-)

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  6. wow at last someone who adores handwritten letters as much as i do :)

    the best part of letters: you can read and re-read AND re-read them under that famous lamp jst before going to bed. emails?phones (rolls eyes)? phlbt

    I love the drama associated with letters...you can cry over them (and spread the ink..damn ball pens though) you can burn them in anger, you can cherish handwritings, copy signatures blah blah blah
    there's just dis charm around letters that make them win hands down :)

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  7. and you can also sell them to raddiwallah ...if you have a good collection of letters..
    waise bhi raddi 5 rs kilo bikti hai bhai

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  8. @ harshal
    the time to mourn has arrived

    "Love-hatred ,truth-lie
    these feelings are not piece of pie.
    O dear harshal ,
    dont bumble,
    its time to be humble,
    because there are many dakus in ghati of chambal.
    Same apllies to you o sid
    now dont give me f*****g shit
    go to battle,
    Then write letters
    these letters are only one which matters
    other ones are like mosquito in gutters
    hence go to border to read n write letters
    Take ghalib with you
    Dont forget to take pinky too
    Shoot them whenever you get chance
    Then write me a letter,
    i dont want to loose the opprtunity to dance"
    --------
    WAITING ....

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  9. @saaransh
    :dhishoom:
    :dhishoom:
    :dhishoom:
    :dhishoom:

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  10. Good work, a nice blog , keep going

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  11. thanks avinash...do keep dropping in

    @anopheles
    kabhi to sudhar ja

    @gravity
    likhne ki jagah isko room pe aa kar peet

    @anon
    u r not tht anon anymore

    @med
    bahut kisse hain sunane ke liye!

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  12. @ saru....

    :X ruk abhi terre room ata hun....:@

    @ Sid.....

    Budhau... one more point on ma side ;)

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  13. "REFRESHING......."..the letters n this post (both)

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