Column | Window Seat

Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee

Cloud-watching

Clouds take different forms. It is fascinating to see the sea of clouds from an air-plane. At times it looks like a sea of milk, at times it looks like tons of cotton spread till the horizon. At times it looks like white sheep playing on a field, whose colour has mysteriously changed from green to blue. Different layers accord it a weird and mystic look. Sunlight in different times of the day gives it a completely different look.

Whenever I travel by air, I insist on a window seat in airplanes only to gaze at the clouds.
Cloud-watching is one of the best pastimes for a lazy weekend, if the sky is clear. Just stretch out on the grass or on a chair on the terrace and let your imagination wander as you spot the faces and images in the clouds. Now you see a dog, now a lion. Suddenly that lion turns into a demon and in a minute it changes its shape into a ball of fire. You relive your childhood.

I learnt that our tendency to see faces or images in random objects is called 'pareidolia'. Renowned astrophysicist Carl Sagan theorized that this hard-wired tendency evolved as a way to quickly identify faces at a split-second (even in poor visibility), allowing us to identify them and judge their emotional state in the blink of an eye.

Forget theories, just look up and gaze at the clouds and discover faces and figures. Boy, it is fun.

Virushka

So they got married. Yes, I am talking about Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma.

They got married in a picturesque town in far off Italy. And our celebrity-obsessed media went crazy reporting the marriage. Even Gujarat election took a back seat.

In the next couple of days of the marriage we were almost forced to learn every small details of their marriage, except probably which contraceptive they were using. Everybody remotely associated with the marriage and his/her uncle and aunty were interviewed. The designer, who designed their dresses, the firm which organised their marriage- everyone had his/her fifteen minutes of fame. There were astrological predictions about, whether the marriage would work. There were reviews about their wedding attire, including the beard Virat was wearing. Media even came up with a word combining their names: Virushka.

Are we turning into a nation of celebrity-crazy people? Or, we are made one?

Gujarat Elections

As I am writing this, the exit poll in Gujarat has just predicted another victory of BJP, although by lesser margin and a victory in Himachal Pradesh. Congress, predictable is not happy about the predictions. It does not augur well for the newly elected President Rahul Gandhi.

Media pundits have started analysing how BJP has overcome the anti-incumbency factor in Gujarat and how it can impact the already plummeting future of Congress Party and particularly Rahul Gandhi’s political future. BJP cadre and leadership are in buoyant mood.

Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh results favouring BJP might have an impact on Odisha and West Bengal elections. In both these two Eastern states BJP has been trying to make an inroad for a long time now with limited success. A BJP victory in Gujarat and HP will leave Navin Pattnaik and Mamata Banerjee worried about their stock.

Technology Update 1

There is a device in market which converts your ‘thoughts’ into ‘speech’. It is called alcohol.

Technology Update 2

There is another device which converts your ‘speech’ into ‘silence’. It is called ‘wife’.

Tailpiece: Good News

Just heard the good news that if your Aadhar Card is not linked with your marriage certificate before 31^st December 2017 you will be considered single.

(Courtesy: Social Media)

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Mrinal Chatterjee, a journalist-turned media academician lives in Central Odisha town of Dhenkanal. He also writes fiction. His novel Shakti has just been translated into Assamese.

This weekly column is published every Sunday in Sikkim Times and posted in www.orissadiary.com