Monologue: September 2008

Really, is virginity so important? Why can guys get away with being obsessed with it? Does it really matter in a relationship? Or can you tell a person's behaviour in association with his/her sexual past? Is virginity only for girls? Seriously, is virginity overrated?

A email conversation with a school friend of mine who has no access to the internet in her boring office except for the official mail and she always mails me on my official ID. (obviously, i changed phone numbers in signatures and the email IDs. But conversations are real).

From: Pritha [mailto:pritha@in.com]

Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 4:35 PM To: Aditi Subject: Are you alive? Importance: High

Hi Aditi

Wanted to chk if you are alive. If yes, mail back. If not, don’t bother.

Regards Pritha

From: Aditi [mailto:Aditi@mycompany.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 4:38 PM To: 'Pritha' Subject: Re: Are you alive?

Not bothered.

What kind of a person doesn’t invite friends on her wedding anyway?

Cheers!

Aditi

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aditi Mathur | Account Manager | My Company | Phone: 9899999999

From: Pritha [mailto:pritha@in.com]

Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 4:42 PM To: Aditi Subject: Re: Re: Are you alive? Importance: High

What wedding? I only said that the arranged marriage scene was kinda working out with some guy (finally), no?

Regards Pritha

From: Aditi [mailto:Aditi@mycompany.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 4:51 PM To: 'Pritha' Subject: Re: Re: Re: Are you alive?

Well yes. But since you disappeared, stopped spamming my official ID, didn’t reply to my 2 and a half mails (2 genuine mails and one forward), and stopped showing up in any FaceBook update, I assumed you are in a relationship. No?

Cheers!

Aditi

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aditi Mathur | Account Manager | My Company | Phone: 9899999999

From: Pritha [mailto:pritha@in.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 4:57 PM To: Aditi Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Are you alive? Importance: High

Nooooooooooo. I was busy. It did come to a wedding talk eventually until I realized he was an asshole and I said a no to him. Your friend is still single.:)

Regards Pritha

From: Aditi [mailto:Aditi@mycompany.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 5:04 PM To: 'Pritha' Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Are you alive?

Oh. Busy with what? And when/how did u realize he was an asshole?

Cheers!

Aditi

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aditi Mathur | Account Manager | My Company | Phone: 9899999999

From: Pritha [mailto:pritha@in.com]

Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 5:11 PM To: Aditi Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Are you alive? Importance: High

Busy with anger management. Did you know there are even books on the subject? I found out at various points during out 2 months of ‘get-to-know-each-other’ thing, but I thought it was a general guy thing, until one day. You don’t want to know what, really.

Regards Pritha

From: Aditi [mailto:Aditi@mycompany.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 5:16 PM To: 'Pritha' Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Are you alive?

I want to know.

Cheers!

Aditi

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aditi Mathur | Account Manager | My Company | Phone: 9899999999

From: Pritha [mailto:pritha@in.com]

Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 5:19 PM To: Aditi Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Are you alive? Importance: High

He wanted a virgin wife!

Regards Pritha

From: Aditi [mailto:Aditi@mycompany.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 5:22 PM To: 'Pritha' Subject: Are you Serious?????

Honey, but you ARE a virgin!

(the last I knew)

Cheers!

Aditi

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aditi Mathur | Account Manager | My Company | Phone: 9899999999

From: Pritha [mailto:pritha@in.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 5:29 PM To: Aditi Subject: Re: Are you Serious????? Importance: High

I am a virgin. But that’s not the point Adi!!!! He was a hipocrite!! He is one of those men who, throughout their bachelorhood, will make sure there is no virgin girl left on the continent, and then will want to get married to a virgin. How lame is that? This is principally not okay with me.

Regards Pritha

From: Aditi [mailto:Aditi@mycompany.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 5:31 PM To: 'Pritha' Subject: Re: Re: Are you Serious?????

Hmmm....

Cheers!

Aditi

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aditi Mathur | Account Manager | My Company | Phone: 9899999999

From: Aditi [mailto:Aditi@mycompany.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 5:39 PM To: 'Pritha' Subject: Re: Re: Re: Are you Serious?????

(sorry, took some time to sink in)

Actually you did the right thing P. What is principally not okay, is NOT OKAY. Period. I am so proud of you.

Cheers!

Aditi

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aditi Mathur | Account Manager | My Company | Phone: 9899999999

From: Pritha [mailto:pritha@in.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 5:43 PM To: Aditi Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Are you Serious????? Importance: High

Thanks Adi. Mom is scandalized, but a woman’s got to do what she got to do. J

Coming to Kota this Diwali?

Regards Pritha

PS: You should blog about this. Change my name and ID obviously.

From: Aditi [mailto:Aditi@mycompany.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 5:49 PM To: 'Pritha' Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Are you Serious?????

Yup!

Lets meet at Convention and order the same greasy Chinese and you can tell me more about this Mr.Virgin Wife.

Love ya!

Cheers!

Aditi

PS: I will blog about it obviously. In the same format. Ding Ding Ding! =D

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aditi Mathur | Account Manager | My Company | Phone: 9899999999

Delhi.

13 Sept 2008

9:20 pm.

Serial Blasts in Delhi. 20 dead and over 90 injured. Indian Mujahiddin takes responsibility. No matter how weird it might sound, but I m teary eyed right now. I have goose bumps and i want to go do something – anything at all! What kind of life we are living? What kind of a world is this? What do people want to prove with this blood show? No, no one I know is injured or dead, thank god. I got numb after I heard the news of these blasts in delhi.A few friends are stuck in traffic and a colleague’s kid is in shock because she was in GK 3 M block and saw people shouting bomb and running. Apart from this, everyone I know is fine. But I am restless. I cannot do anything about it. No one can I guess. I purposely don’t have a television set at home because I get depressed with things like this. And the irony is I can’t do anything at all. This all will be washed a few days later, I know. New things will come.. New reasons to worry- - some new gimmick against the Bacchans or some dad killing his 14 year old daughter where the authorities take big bucks and remain shut. . New things to celebrate - US orders troops into Pakistan without its consent or an upcoming international game hosted by India at the cost of the Capital's basic infrastructures -roads for one.. Maybe a blockbuster-even-before-release will be made on the issue with strong patriotic sentiments. But what about right now? Even a lame person like me can figure out that they have struck back in the exact patter like last time - sarojini nagar blasts - targeting the crowed markets that attract a high number of people. Can’t we have a serious standard of security and alertness? Man, I cannot even type properly. A few days later the TV channels will run a story titled ‘Delhi spirit never dies’ or ‘Delhi is bouncing back to normal life’. Some might even come up with a chronology of Delhi Blasts – the history. Some will say this is terrorism, some might blame it straight away on Pakistan and some will be convinced that this is the government or the opposition. But you know what, this is not done. Not done at all. This will all settle down within no time. I can so much relate to GK M Block market, I can almost see it happening in front of my eyes. And CP? India Gate? Fuck man. I was out in a mall in Gurgaon when my panicky parents called me to break the news to me and wanted me to rush home and be safe. I called all my frnds and got crazy over a frnd who had switched his phone to avoid disturbances in his date. Whatever. I am bran fucked right now and I don’t know what to do. This is not just the blasts and terrorism; this is about the depletion of trust and emotions in people. Everywhere there is pain, loss, Broken Dreams, lost trust, exploited innocence. Can anyone trust anyone these days? I cannot. Hell, I cannot even trust my best friends because I’ve seen better. Whatever happened to faith? A hand that hold you and pulls out of all the shit? What happened to the undying belief in the fairy tales? Why are we not able to dream these days? Why is it that the fear of loss wins over the urge of trying? I hear about the power of dreams, of the common man, but does anyone believe in it anymore? I don’t know if someone thinks I am overreacting, but I am itching for some faith.