"Friends"...

Normally, I am not the overly sentimental type nor do I gush about the good things in life, even if I like them a lot (except bookstores, maybe). And for those who know me, it might seem a little out of character for me to post this piece. But, I shall risk it...

I wonder what it is about the TV series "Friends" which makes it so evergreen? I have been watching it for many, many years (more years than I care to admit) now... rerun after rerun after rerun, but I just don't seem to tire of it.


And I cannot think of any other TV series that I can watch endlessly without getting at least a little bored of it, not even "Malgudi Days" (based on RK Narayan's novel by the same name).

The six friends whose lives revolved around a coffee shop and their New York apartments - Phoebe (eccentric, masseuse, ex-street thug), Rachel (fashionista), Monica (chef with an OCD for cleanliness), Chandler (witty, no one is really sure what his job is), Ross (paleontologist) and Joey (womaniser, out-of-work actor) - have kept me entertained many an evening. Bored or need a break from ploughing through studies/ work or just to pass time, watch "Friends"!

Sometimes even when more than one channel on TV aired the show with episodes which were many years apart (as per storyline), I have happily watched them. If one channel had Monica and Chandler married and living in the same apartment, two hours later on another there would be Monica in a relationship with a man old enough to be her father. But was I disoriented, fazed?...no way...not me! I lapped it all up even if I was watching it for the 'n'th time, even if it was to watch Phoebe sing "smelly cat" again or Joey ham through another audition or Rachel & Ross in their on-off relationship...

Well... yes... I am a die hard fan. Enough said. :)

(pic courtesy: www.amazon.com)

Rishikesh 2010 A.D.

My first trip to the hills immortalised in the writings of Ruskin Bond and my geography lessons in school, was one of shock and awe.

It was towards the end of March 2010 and I was eager to see the hills that were said to be thick with forests, wild animals and the hillsides dotted with remote, picturesque villages. Instead, I encountered landslides and brown hills devoid of forests. There were trees, yes, as brown as the hills, so much so that they seemed to be in camouflage.

It was a short 3 day trip, mainly spent river-rafting down the Ganges. All along the 50 km stretch of river the scene was the same. Brown and myriad shades of the same. The only green you could see was closer to the river at it's edge.

Dehradun, the town made famous because of its salubrous climate, proximity to the national capital and its numerous schools was busy & crowded. In certain areas that I drove through, it still retained a semblance of old world charm one hears of hillside towns but they were few and far between. The main street boasted of a Nirula's, pizza places, MNC brands like Bossini, UCB and more. I guess, free-market India had sunk its root wide & deep into this Himalayan town. Not to mention the boarding schools provided ample customers for these outlets.

The Rajaji National Park just outside of Dehradun had...good guess... brown trees. The few rivers or streams I drove past along the highway were dry and the beds were parched, thirstily awaiting the monsoon rains. It appeared to me (though I didn't check on it further) that these rivers might have either been dammed or the river waters diverted into canals, else it was hardly likely that snow-fed rivers would be completely bereft of any water.

While I loved the river-rafting, the dips in the icy-cold Ganges, the gleaming white beaches along the river bank, I realised that the Ganges was perhaps the only draw to this piece of (erstwhile) paradise. Over-harvested forest and hills seem to have given up the struggle and why not? Now more work-gangs are employed just to wall the hillsides so sudden landslides don't endanger roads and motorists along the heavily travelled route from Haridwar to Rishikesh, Devprayag and beyond.

It made me wonder if, Ruskin Bond's poem would hold true for Dehradun & its hills in the years ahead or is it already too late? (I would like to believe it isn't and the people of Uttarakhand will once again restore to its pristine glory, the valleys, hills and forests of the state.... if not for the fear of the Gods in these "holy" environs but at least for the fear of Global Warming!)

Living with Mountains
Once you have lived with mountains
under the benedictory pines
And deodars, near stars
And a brighter moon,
With wood smoke and mist
Sweet smell of grass and dew smoke
......
You will return,
You will come back,
To touch the trees and grass,
And cimb once more the windswept pass
~Ruskin Bond

Post-it Notes tell a story

Post-it notes are cool again (if they ever were before). They've played a starring role in several recent videos, from the romantic one-upmanship of this love story to the basic yellow background for illustrator Arthur Jones. With their sticky backs, absolute squareness and bright colors, Post-its also make perfect pixels for a new wave of stop-motion animation.
(source: www.time.com)