Its the Right choice baby!!!

It’s the right choice baby…

Interesting catchline from Pepsi now that I sit and think about the current situation I am in, and my life… Will we ever know whats the right choice, or in fact whats our choice? Nah… I don’t think so.. We are always dictated by so many forces and extremes in life that our decision is always a merger or a marriage between the wisdom of world and worldly pleasure, never do we actually or have we actually considered or made a choice by our wisdom and pleasures union… Each of our decision is at some level aimed to bring peace with some notions, standards or desires of the world and the society… Which I wouldn’t say is wrong, but then that means living your life like the one and sundry, no difference between you and your beloved half, or you or your friendly neighbour, or the hostile landlord… It’s like reading a Mills and Boon book, you can predict the end, the names in all the books are similar, the challenges the characters go through are always a dime and a dozen, just the settings change, the places change, the names change (only to be repeated in some other series)… At the end its always happy ever after for the two people in question, and we get inspired and assume our playing in the puppet galleries of the world has made us happily ever after…

Are you happy, contented or satisfied? Am I? We think so, but then why the seeds of doubt at the time of dusk? Why the feeling of discontentment in your sleep, why the lack of adrenalin and excitement when the dawn breaks, why the feeling of reaching out and hugging somebody when we feel alone, why the continuous frenzied activity and tiredness when satisfaction or happiness brings with themselves a blanket of peace and contentment?

These questions were raised in the darkest corners of my mind a few days back when I was having a conversation with a friend of mine, and a guide of mine… My friend always told me my studying Chartered Accountancy- a drudgery subject, didn’t suit me much, but nevertheless since I (thought) Wanted to do it, that person was all motivational and the works… But one fine day on a long session of exchange of idea and gossip, I happened to tell him that when I was in the 10^th standard, my Dramatics or Theater sir was convinced that the future for me lies in being a dramatization, and that I would make an immensely gifted director, and I should try for drama courses after class 12… Even though it came from one of the most successful and respected theater personalities of Calcutta, I had just laughed it off, and never even considered it… (ya ya I know the heights of arrogance or should I say stupidity of mine…). My friend was speechless for a few moments and then reacted as if I had lost my mind and wits to have if not pursued the choice, but then at least given it a serious thought… It was then when we started discussing the so called irony of my ‘right choice’ and how I acted like a total kid (read baby for the heck of the tagline) while making a career choice. Then a conversation with another friend, philosopher and guide made me actually sit and think what were my strength, my dreams and passion… (Yikes this is also a topic for my speech on Monday!!!!!!!!) and I realised I could tabulate a list of careers I could make, I wanted to make, people thought was ideal for me, and I am doing something, which ironically, no one, absolutely no one in the world saw me doing, or thought was my genre or sphere….

Let me first make a list of them and why people think that could be a career choice for me…

1# The first being what I have already discussed- A Director and direct some plays… Sir’s logic was that I give so much attention to detail, and make the story more closer to real life by setting the story with impulsive and spontaneous reactions and action… At that time I hadn’t understood a word, I never even considered it because at that time I was set on doing cardiology, so I had laughed it off…

2# Cardiology/ Doctor- My family doctor is convinced that I have ruined my life acting to the demands of my ‘conservative marwari business mind’ and not taking up medicine, and all this why? Just because I could measure blood pressure, or take pulse rates, or check the heart beats for their normality or take an ECG test… and a little more knick knacks…??!!?? Well I had wanted to do cardiology probably all my life, but when I wasn’t allowed it was taken in a positive spirit by me…

3# Then came my friends suggestion that I take up psychology… Their reasons were that I ‘understood human mind and its complexities’ so well, that I should probably make it my bread and work as a human resource head for my butter, if not vice-versa… Till Date a lot of people are convinced that I’d be the perfect counselor…( God! This one was actually funny… because for one I am not mature enough myself, and two me and understanding? Since when???)

4# Then people were convinced that since I wasn’t studying medicine, I’d be studying political science, and then take up law and specialise in criminal…( Hello!! Lawyer? Me why?) Oh Ido! For the simple reason you can convince a person dying that it’s the best thing that could happen (eeeks! I hate this analogy) and your political mind helps o second guess every thing, you are so cautious and you clear your tracks so well that ou can prove any crime…( Guys was that intended to be a praise??)

The next two are actually close to my heart, These are something I’d always wanted to do but couldn’t, which doesn’t go to say wouldn’t…

5# Then I decided that fine I’ll do Mass-communication now, and study journalism… The story of people not expecting or wanting or suggesting I would make writing as a career dates back to my school… Class IV if my memory doesn’t fail me, was when my class teacher called up mom to school and asked her to read the paragraphs I wrote, or the sentences I constructed, she was sure that one day she’d be proud to have a writer like me… Surprisingly I didn’t remember this until yesterday (ya ya one incident even I am allowed to forget..!!!) till I met that teacher of mine somewhere… and she asked me do u still write…!!! Then I used to write poems till I was 12 or 13, but then I gave it all up, cause it took too much of my computer time…( well guilty as charged, I have been a pc addict since then…) Then I started writing again at 17 or 18, but this time it was a medium of expression and defiance… My views were a little less appreciated or sought at places, so I captured them and formed them in words… Then since last year I started writing a blog… I still don’t really believe I write well, though I have so many of you contradicting that for me, but though I’d never planned to be serious about it, now I do give it a thought… (the thanks for the motivation will go individually J )

6# I have discussed this once before- Cooking… Its not just a hobby, it’s a passion for me.. My mom will claim that I was an L'Enfant Terrible in the kitchen, I used to give my shot at cooking as early as 4 or 5… The irony is that I never taste what I cook… :D (you people are there for me to food poison!!!) but for me food is the best analgesic for all troubled souls, because when you sit with good food, you don’t think about your problems any more, you are not lonely anymore cause food is your company, you take delight in every taste that explode on your buds, and that moment of sheer happiness on someones face is priceless for me… So making my restaurant is not about the money, its about that careless smile… :) Hopefully I’ll get you guys to come to it soon… :D (as in soon is in the next 20 years ;) )

The other Irony of my life is that I am doing something no body wanted, expected or suggested I do and would be good at and that’s Chartered Accountancy… It was a fancy of my family that I am pursuing…

So coming back after such a lengthy discussion, you can never say whats the right choice baby!! Because there are no right or wrong choices, its just guided with expectations…

:)