People Are Strange! So Long, Olympics!

Living in Bombay, known for its crowds, the streams of people flowing like water, you pause before acknowledging a former colleague, a former classmate, wondering if it’s the same person, or someone different. You see how they have changed, how their faces have a drawn look, how their laugh lines have turned in worry lines, how they seemed to have lost control over their lives.

But naturally, since people of all persuasions, facial structures, racial features, vocations (a big influencer in how people look, e.g., accountants never smile and salesmen always smile, because their jobs demand that they do), and caste creed and colour prejudices. It’s a huge melting pot, the ladle of which, too, is so huge it requires many hands to stir it. You also see amazingly beautiful faces, faces that make you want to follow them, just to see where they go, what they do, what charmed lives they lead.

No, never been a stalker in my life, nor have any intention to be. But I know of many girls who have become the unwanted centre of people’s attention, and been stalked. Some stalkers even have won their prey with their persistence. Remember “Chotti Si Baat” the Amol Palekar, Vidya Sinha starrer? Amol is a stalker, until he musters courage to speak to Vidya and then – lo and behold – he wins the pretty damsel.

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So the Olympics have come to an end in Beijing. So sad. I didn’t see all the events I wanted to. Blame it on bad programming, and the fact that none of the major news channels had teams covering the events. They all featured bought footage, which is bad for our sporting channels. Shows how they are run on re-runs of old cricket matches where India won and insignificant others.

I watched an amazing beach volleyball match between Belgium and Norway. The scores went 11-12, 12-12, 13-12, 13-13, with each serve turning into a tussle of nerves between the players, and the playing teams. It was such a joy to watch because both teams were equally good and competed in the spirit of competition. I guess that’s what the Olympics have become a paragon of over the years.

Alas that’s gone and is now past. That guy Michael Phelps stole the show I guess. By the next Olympics I will be four years older. That sure brought a tear to my eye.