Confessions of a serial offender

Confessions of a serial offender

I confess- I am a (television) serial offender! Almost addicted. I say almost only because my frequent work travel to places that don’t air these channels prevents me from logging in the requisite number of hours for a “quantitative measure” to claim addiction! But I must gleefully add that they have factored for such absences rather well in their story maze and rarely take any major decisions while my status is BRB . I find them grappling still, with the same who should make the pudina chutney and kheer or what jewelry to wear for the party tonight or the jagrata tomorrow . Sometimes, they have leapt 20 years, and a fresh brigade of simpering goodies and sniggering badies has joined this existential battle . But no confusion here on who-is-who. Simple thumb rule- opposites attract. Bitch saas gets goat bahu . And vice-versa.(wow! I’ve always wanted to use this phrase in a sentence since I learnt it in 5th grade but never found the perfect occasion- some tits tatting yes, some going-ups coming down may be , but never the right vices versaing, if you know what I mean!)

But I have really learnt from the serials, been inspired and motivated by them, seriously! They provide invaluable lessons on attachment to possessions and on moving.

The current home that I am living in is my 19 th! not counting the one I was born in,same as my mother, maternal uncles and aunts, cousins and siblings in Rapaka-Andhra Pradesh. Each move has meant agonizing amounts of planning, work, decisions to throw and regrets thereof, and a huge drain on finances. Both by way of things one discards and re-purchases! (The last time around, I was offered INR. 30, yes, thirty only, for a good functioning water purifier acqua guard and INR 500 for a dining -table set with 5 -good and -1 -broken chairs).

And yet, in these serials that I watch, with fixed regularity some one is either thrown or walks out . And the movers just march to their palatial rooms, throw a strolley on their kingsize bed, open their princely wardrobes , dump a few things (with clothes hangers),pause for a last minute addition of a picture frame- and are ready to move! One carry on bag per person moving -man, woman or child . That’s it, not even a check-in bag.

The trick, I have figured is to identify and store at a single point (but most importantly limit) all that you want to fit into a handy strolley. I see an amazing co-branding opportunity here. What if Samsonite, VIP, or Delsey were to provide these cases- and a pop-up appears as they are wheeled to the door—“holds all that you will ever want”! of course, the legend must pop right before the thunderous “thairoo” or the remorseful “ruk jao”!

You know, a guy called Jib Fowls in his book “Why Viewers Watch” has advanced many theories for television viewing, among them the habit forming nature of television and likening it to a gentle brush, that removes the day’s cares and helps one unwind-suggesting that television is watched as much for what it takes out of you , as it is for what it might put into you! But driving home important life truths –travel light, shun excess baggage, just escaped him!! Perhaps his extensive research did not cover our serials.

But I am still working out the mystery of why women are being cajoled to rise up to an oft repeated challenge “tum jake taiyaar ho jao” from a mother, m-i-l or husband when it is clear for all to see that adding even another coat of lipstick will cause the face to crumble under its own weight and it would be hard to find a blingier outfit to change into, no matter where the outing is to!
Ah, yes, I also have to figure out what’s with the clothes hangers .

Any comments ?