Two Episodes: Chris Dickerson and Charu Hasan

This is about online friendships, about people whose writing you read and don’t know if you will ever meet - Chris Dickerson and Charu Hasan - whose messages touched me in disparate but significant ways today.

Episode I – Chris Dickerson

Read this awesome account of the “I Have Often Walked Down This Street Before” march in Los Angeles by my Facebook friend Chris Dickerson and read about how the peaceniks and beatniks of the sixties screwed up the message of peace and brotherhood we (yeah, I too was in the periphery of this movement, long hair and all) should have sown with courage and foresight:

“Man, thirty-some years ago, it was all us young punks. We were gonna change the world. Yeah. Then Vietnam ended and Nixon bailed. We couldn't wait to hightail it to the nearest disco, coke up, party down and get laid. Job done, world changed, nothin' but good times ahead.

“Like hell.

“We left the job undone, the world little better off. Nothing we did held fast.”

Yes nothing those idealistic youth of my teen and adult years did stick or were built into anything solid. Our peace movement petered out and was taken over by religious bigotry and greed and to present anarchy. Today’s youth doesn’t even care to change the world seeing as to how their older generation failed so miserably. They prefer greed over idealism.

Episode II – Charu Hasan

Picked up the threads of a net-friendship I started some years ago with the venerable actor and lawyer Charu Hasan brother of superstar Kamal Hasan. He wrote to me recently, “Yet to be honest, I have never been happier in life as I am today. Keep writing to me. Who knows? It might be useful when you reach my age. I.” I hope I am like him – ebullient, warm and caring – when I am his age. His presence of mind is awesome and, pray, look at his humour. May God bless you and grant you lots of happiness!