Say what?

My wife thinks…

In Everyday on March 22, 2023 at 7:26 pm

…that I’m rather good with words. She believes that the choices I make while speaking often help me lead conversations, and in some cases ‘win’ in them. In other words, I create holes in an argument and can navigate myself out of difficult conversations.

I didn’t have much to do today and so decided to write my way out of ennui.

Normally I use too many words, but since I don’t really do this for a living, you’ll have to excuse the pointlessness of what you’re reading. On second thought, it probably doesn’t even matter. This is what us old-timers on the internet call a ‘blog’. Blogs have been and usually stuck to the format of simple words put together with the purposeful intention of not arriving at anything. Sometimes leaving the reader with the feeling of wanting more, but usually ending up with the fear of wasting time. A commodity that’s so scarce that you’re normally better off scrolling through Instagram and feeling fulfilled. Or better yet, creating something to post on Instagram. Those are the prolific ones of these times. Every era has them. Mine had forummers running rampant on several forums every day. Followed by bloggers, who were usually the same people that were on forums but here they could own their own space, and craft an identity unique to them (pro tip: look up stream of consciousnesses). This was soon followed by the video explosion. It’s not that video didn’t exist while forums ruled the world, it’s just that 3G and its successors were a science fiction subject and so obviously not meant to be taken seriously. Also, smartphones of yesteryear were actually feature phones with state-of-art technology like infrared and never-ending pixel loops known as games, more popularly referred to as Snake. This is well before the iPhone and the first Android. I remember the genuine fear of them taking over the world and enslaving humanity. Only to realize too soon that that’s an adult problem and not things that teenagers need to worry about. We were focused on our blogs and other artistic pursuits. Today we see the same passion in a new form. Coupled with the video explosion, these passions now manifest themselves as Vlogs. The relationship between Vlogs and Blogs can be understood by observing what exists between electric cars and cars. Futuristic, lesser understood and everyone’s promising of getting one. A part of me wishes that this was a vlog. But that’s a slippery slope. If this was a video, then the next thing I’d want to be would be an influencer. A real one who gets paid to create unlike me who’s answering phone calls from his wife while writing this and responding with ‘nothing’ to the world’s toughest question, What are you doing! This really is a messy one. It needs to be something smart, maybe even witty because that’s whom I identify as. It shouldn’t seem like too much fun and should leave the caller with so much awe that they reply with the intended outcome of ‘Cool’, and if you’re lucky, ‘what’s that!’. The explanation of which leaves you feeling true to your identity. Unless the conversion leads to a ‘fuck that’ or ‘bullshit’. That’s the feeling you’re probably having right now. I feel you. Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, and/or difficulty. I was in a difficult position when this began. I feel you. My wife thinks that I use words to my advantage, and to be honest, I’d rather be known for other things.

Photo Credit: Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

To My Oldest Living Grandmother.

In Everyday on March 15, 2022 at 3:00 am

14 March 2022

Ende Ammachi. You grew old, I grew up.
Never ever gave any thought to when your life would let up.

Fond of you as any quiet grandchild you see.
Eating away my childhood, naadan snacks, and your home’s TV.

Life is filled with pities like missing your send-off.
Today it’s been a year, but old memories can’t be walked off.

Tears are a bump for we live against a clock.
Why it only took until 2 am Monday, for these simple words I chalk.

Time is cruel, but with it, on me, you grew.
At first scared, especially when you pulled my tooth or two.

Out went the first one, and I knew that you were nice.
God knows that dentists aren’t that swift or precise.

Today was a mess, but so were your last days.
Memories and the mind you lost in many ways.

From knowing life’s experiences to becoming a child again.
Somehow I’m happy that you relived happiness through all your pain.

Now that you’ve gone, I feel like I should try my best.
Thus dared a boy to sit down and cry like the rest.

A year late, but that’s always been my fate.
Maybe later, even this day will just be a date.

Pranamam.

Ammachi

How to update the address on your Aadhaar Card, online – November 2021

In Everyday on November 30, 2021 at 8:49 pm

I’ll be honest. This was a task that I dreaded even before I actually got around to doing it.

You know the drill. Government documentation is all about knowing ‘what’ to do in a world where people suggest getting an ‘agent’ for everything. But things weren’t oh-so-bad. In fact, the process was quite simple and I did it all over again for my wife as well. Here’s what we did:

Step 1: Log onto https://myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in/ with your personal credentials

Step 2: Go to ‘Update Aadhaar Online’

Step 3: Then there are clear steps to follow. Take a look:

Step 4: You can then proceed to update your Name, Date of Birth, Gender or Address. They also mention the number of turns you have left. After which you may make the changes you need.

Step 5: Status Check. Now every time you log-in, there should be a Requests section that holds the latest update about your changes. It should say ‘Completed’

Printing a PVC Card version of your new Aadhaar is also possible similarly. Takes a fee of INR 50/-

That’s it!

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