Ahem

Since I'll have to do this sometime, I thought today should be as good as any other. Please get your popcorn, take your seat, make yourself comfortable and have the pleasure of watching me eat my words. This is going to take a while.

So like I said I would, I went to 'Bengaluru' for the weekend. Now, as most of you know, I'm not a big (or a small) fan of the city and have never been the one to actually understand what the mighty fuss was all about. This time though, in the two days that I was there, I caught a glimpse of the city I'd so blindly missed in all my previous trips there.

It was like I was seeing it for the first time; a completely different city emerging from the underneath the shadows of it's seemingly boring veneer. It had a pulse of its own that was almost throbbing in its intensity. Suddenly, I understood why they would despise, so fervently, every other place except their own. And why, they would find any other city, especially a one like Hyderabad, so lifeless.

Around four to five years ago, with my first trip to Mumbai, I had finished seeing every metro in the country. I decided then, that though I liked all of them equally, I'd never want to live in any of them. This trip changed that. For some reason, I could imagine living in that place, meeting 'the One' there, making it my home.

Of course, I squashed all these thoughts even before I could revel in 'em. Even as I'm writing it, my conscience is screaming bloody murder. I think I'll just stop here and move on to another track.

Yeah, so, the trip in itself was kickass fun. I did things I would never have thought myself capable of doing. We were on the streets the whole time we were there, shopping. Until I went broke. For the third time. Food was good. Ate goo at Koshy's, Momos at Tibetian and incredible hot fudge at Corner House. Bought grey market stuff at something-or-the-other plaza. Got seduced by the I Store and madly besotted with Blossoms. And missed going to Pecos!

But to give credit where its due, none of this would have been half as much fun if it hadn't been for Ha and Pink Panther. They were absolutely great. I couldn't have gotten better friends if I'd asked.

I can't wait to go again.

But before that, Chennai beckons. And so does my bed.

Sayonara.

Note to Self

Three simple rules to sanity.

1. Don't lose sleep.

2. Don't lose temper.

3. Don't lose mind.

Should blogs be regulated?

Hmmm. Let's see. As a blogger, “I object”. As a student of journalism I say "Definitely not." And, as a citizen of a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic, I say "F*** you!"

Why? For one reason and one reason only. Because I can!

That is what a blog is about. It’s about you. Being able to say what you please. You’re not claiming it’s factual. Or that it’s legit. You’re not persuading, forcing or coercing people into agreeing with you. You’re simply exercising your fundamental right to express a personal opinion.

In a public forum, yes. That changes things, sure. We need to be careful about what we say, Yoo Hoo. Responsible publishing, that’s what we need. Agreed. Here’s my question but – What is it and where can I find it? Books? I don’t think so. Newspapers? Chuckle. TV? Yeah, right. So what then? Nothing, that's what.

Okay. For a moment, let’s be imaginative and suppose that we do agree upon the regulations bit. Another of my annoying questions – How does one suggest we implement it? From what I read somewhere, there are more than forty thousand active bloggers in India. And about ten times that, have registered blog accounts. So, how then is content amounting to at least a million pages (and counting) in web space going to be regulated? More importantly, by whom is it going to be done? Who gets to decide what or what not to put on my blog? Finally and most importantly, what is objectionable content?

Will all of us bloggers be given a list of taboo topics we can’t post on? Here's another one. Have a censorship body that has their illiterate geniuses scour our blogs to “regulate” them? Or better. Send us to blog rehabs so that we are cured out of the very urge to blog? Dude, I have to admit. Sounds like a plan, it does.

So, I ask again, should blogs be regulated?

Sure. I'd like to see them try.