All that Glitters...

The other morning while on my way to work I saw a beautiful Audi A4 Sedan pacing in my direction in an amazing speed; breathtakingly smooth with a reflection of green fields on its silver sides. As is the third world norm I tried to focus my eyes hard, allowing my pupils to dilate and contract to perfection, in order to gawk at the driver operating the beauty. He must have been in his mid twenties; both hands resting on the variable North axis of the steering wheel, one of which flaunted a black strapped sports watch, and eyes covered under a pair of tainted shades. I was about to enter the second stage of virtual hobnobbing by categorizing him as a young brat feeding on his father’s deluge of money when I noticed something tender and familiar at the back seat slightly tilting out at the window.

At the first wink of the eye I could make out rich blonde fur. It could have been a golden retriever or a golden lab or maybe even a beagle, but as the car came closer I saw strands of fair hair flowing in the air so I guessed maybe a cocker spaniel or a long haired dachshund; an Afghan hound was a remote possibility but you can never guess what these Audi owners narrow down their fancies to. Being a hard core dog lover I forgot all about the car and the driver and the middle class consciousness, and waited stiffly for the car to pass by me so that I could have a closer look. I was surprised to a stupor to discover what I saw and it took me some time to take it in. At the back of the seat the tender object was not a cute dog but a young lady with painted hair. Talking of deceptive appearances! But this was not the only turn off. She held a blue-white wrapper of an Oreo in her hand and let it flutter in the wind as they passed, subjecting the horns blazon environment to a funny plastic noise. I knew what was going to happen next yet I craned my neck backwards at the pacing vehicle to see her hand launch that mighty wrapper into the air, and close that open window with a manoeuvre of a finger.

Chance is a word void of sense, and by that nonsensical prospect I happened to meet the same batch of bountiful Audi legatees in a party the same evening. When the host introduced us I was sinfully aware that the discussion had been on Starbucks coffee, and I didn't want the subject to be somehow changed to academia or anything that they thought would suit my taste, so I took an excited plunge into the coffee beans that had been floating in the air before me. The buoyant young lady convinced me to Thank God not because it was Friday but for Starbucks were here; that this was the best thing that had happened so far this year, and that it was now hard to imagine how pathetically we were struggling to live in India that did not serve Starbucks coffee. I was also updated on the downmarket status of Mc Donald’s before we careened off to movies.

My spirits, raised to a tremendous high, were further promoted on hearing about The Great Gatsby. This was one of the favourite books during college and the second movie adaptation of a Fitzgerald classic that I had loved. We would have elaborate debates on the commodification of society and relationships back then. Eyes were opened by the young couple with a new standpoint that Gatsby was a stud and threw amazing parties, and that they wished they could host something like that. I was having the time of my life on the expense of their coquetry and light-headedness when the conversation came to an abrupt termination with the music of Pitbull in one of their phones. Their car was being towed somewhere outside the parking lot and the guy had to rush out. I wished them adieu for the night and returned dazzled.

I come from and speak for the same generation as these two, but my pidgin differs slightly from their vastly popular dialect of a polished countenance of surficial brilliance. Questions of morality and their utilitarian position in the society are being addressed with invariable indifference. The credit rests not on singular shoulders but remains balanced upon those of all generations that co-exist today. General directives that once used to be, “You must never tell a lie”, “You must never throw garbage on the road”, “You must help others”, “It is more important to participate than to win” are rapidly falling into a ditch with one tagline “Screw rest. Just get on the on top. MATERIALISTICALLY!” and to be on top you don’t need to feel guilty about maybe pushing some people down.

What is the harm, after all, in telling a student eating a Mc Aloo Tikki burger that he is eating ghetto food, while sipping chic Starbucks coffee yourself! I have undergone a change of heart and now deeply respect all those things that glitter, for they contain our future. A lot of such incidences had happened around me before but there is always one special one that manages to push you to the other side; it provided me with the escape velocity that freed me from the gravity I had maintained so far. If there were more converts like me our country could soon step out of its Third World status and walk around in full freedom; freedom from dogmas, traditions and shackling values of bygone morals. I have all my fingers and toes crossed in hope.