The Love That Never Was

Regret (Haiku)

Most of us live with a regret about something that we did or left undone. If we could, we would go back in time and change it for the better ( who know ?? ) but usually it is too late. Even for a 'Sorry'.

Image credits : girlsmagpk.com

" Glazed Sheath of sorrow, 

Unforgiving shards of pain.

Regret! Rears it's head."

Not-so-ideal Idols !!!

Image courtesy : youaregodsbeloved3.com

One of the biggest tragedies of growing up has been the loss of idols. And I am not talking about those stone/metal or even terracotta ones. They abound in plenty and crop up at every nook and corner, even in places where you have least expected it. Such that it becomes too tedious to pay obeisance to them every time you pass one. But fear not for I am talking about those flesh and blood ones. The folks that we looked up to in our younger days.

Sadly, they have been falling off the pedestal faster than I can manage to install their successor. Nothing as spectacular like the 'Fall of the Titans' but a fall from grace nonetheless. Maybe I expected too much or maybe they were much too affected. It feels strangely empty though not very uncomfortable. I guess as Anand Neelakantan puts it, each one of them is "too human to be considered a God".

None of their follies can be considered anywhere near criminal. One of of them might have just been plagued by something as minor as complacency to the point that it appeared a violation of ethics while another could not resist the lure some moolah ( which I felt he should have denied on principle). Yet others have turned out to be manipulators, sycophants and even worse. Maybe it is just my fault that I had considered they guys to be above petty things such as money and status.

On seconds thoughts, all of these folks who had achieved some greatness must have worked hard to get there. It is very much possible that they made mistakes. But the momentum of success is such that it snowballs one's achievements and blinds others to any signs of failure. But once the momentum is lost, the failures look stark and even glaring. Of course, these folks try every trick in the book to hold onto their position/power and in the process, appear even more deplorable.

While I did feel a little lost initially when all my idols did their vanishing act, I realized that there is an idol in each one of us. Our everyday struggles, the trials and tribulations for survival, the small but significant success stories, all of it add a little bit of sheen that can only be discerned by our near and dear ones. We may not shine as much as a few amongst us, but that does not make us anything lesser. For now, I am going to enjoy my freedom from the shackles of aspiring greatness that I got in exchange of my idol worship . Maybe I will just pray to the inanimate ones for a change. Atleast till the next one comes along.

Stepping out of the Food Blogger Mould

It feels liberating to step out of the food blogger mould. Though I have been associated with food blogging for close to six years now, the blogosphere has undergone a sea change. While it was a close group of individuals in those initial days who appreciated and encouraged each other while learning and growing simultaneously, the current scene is dominated ambitious folks who are not content with just writing about recipes. They keep adding tags like foodie, food critic, restaurant reviewer and other such stuff in order to stand out amongst each other. It seems that suddenly enough everyone has morphed into experts on food though quite a few of then can just about manage to boil water. It has become more about social networking rather than being just about good food. No wonder a lot of my old blogger buddies have been pushed into retirement.

Another reason for  can also be the fact that my initial objective has now become obsolete. I started with the goal of making a name for Odia cuisine and keeping those native culinary traditions alive. But from being a handful, the community of Odia bloggers has now blossomed with a few dozens of blogs being added every month if not week.

On my part, I have never really warmed up to the title of food critic though I harbor a deep love for simple home cooked food . While I have explored the food and cuisine of at least ten cities, it hardly entitles me to write horrid stuff about a place. I prefer to call myself a reviewer at the best. My philosophy is simple. Good food will do the talking for itself while those horrid places need to be denounced. The competition seems to be among those mediocre joints and sadly enough, instead of the kitchen, the fight has been moved to the social media. ?????

While those six years have been wonderful and I have received a lot of appreciation, I now look to explore more. Being associated with a food blog, my literary contributions have always faced prejudice. Also it seemed unfair to serve my random musings to all those lovely folks who have subscribed to my food blog. They are most welcome to read my thoughts but I prefer to keep it optional. Hence the attempt to break free and carve a separate niche.

Wish me the best and keep the love alive !!


Note - All my book reviews, musing, stories, poems, reviews will be published on this blog.