PDA or PDD ???

Yipee...finally thought of something to write about. Dedicated to my good friend DS nd his 'statement of the Day' :-)

Well, this topic stems from the myriad discussions that arose after I had put a status message on my G-talk the other day- 'Too much PDA is a huge put off'. Had all sorts of friends questioning me about my sudden aversion to the obvious love scenes on display in our everyday life.

Every morning I see a young Muslim couple sitting on a bench on Nahur station- cooing, making calf eyes at each other, holding hands, whispering nothing into each others ears; totally oblivious to the stares of the peak-time harried office-going crowd. Some people look patronisingly at the blatantly romantic couple, some frown at them nd others are completey indifferent to their romantic ardour. But today, something different happened. An elderly lady finally decided that enough-is-enough & admonished the couple in front of a big crowd. And the guy had the courage to tell the lady to 'mind her own business'.

You are enjoying the movie but are suddenly distracted by the couple in front of you. They are getting more than frisky and you are uncomfortable for yourself nd the people accompanying you. Public displays of affection (PDA) are rampant just about everywhere. Take a walk to your neighbourhood mall, the local jogger's park, back-seat of a public vehicle or even the road….you see it everywhere. Granted it is the couple's private life nd if they want to put it on exhibition, well, to each one their own....but the moot point is 'How much is too much?' Do we have the right to politely say to them "Guys, cool it!" without risking a cold "Mind your own business?"

Personally, i am put off majorly by 'too much' PDAs. Not that i am a prude, unromantic, cynical person; but somehow the very idea of putting my private life on exhibition for all sundry lascivious eyes is a put-off. Holding hands, an arm around shoulder, a bear hug etc all is fine. The problem arises when the display becomes too sexual. And I am not touching on the topic of societal norms anywhere here. Remember guys, you are still in India, where most people lack the maturity to deal with such situations. I mean, you definately wouldn't want to be in the backseat making out, where u can have the rickshaw driver staring at u with filth-filled eyes, would you?

The most common argument that I encounter against my view-point is that these lovers lack places where they can express their privacy..Agreed, very valid. It may help if some places are ear-marked as 'private zones' without the law-makers butting in their privacy. Maybe the trick lies in striking a balance. That means, not going off limits but not being completely alienated too. Restraint is the name of the game guys! Lawmakers & elders for once can get a little more generous for a change and realise that the world is getting more expressive!

On reading my status message, DS came up with his gem, which had us both rolling with laughter..."Affection is such a good word to be used in PDA and what u see nowadays is much different than 'affection'. It should be called-
PDD- Public Display of Desperation!"

Serendipity

(picture from my private collection)

Stood on the shore yesterday staring afar
The sun settling down for the night,
The remnants of the disappearing pink sky
Casting its silhouette
on the endless queuing mile.

The gentle evening breeze,
Blew tendrils across my face.
Felt the calmness seep into me
Allaying my fears; the longed solace.

Borne from the greyed ripples
Traveling far & yore
The waves- sputtering, burgeoning, rising, falling,
Finally slipping into oblivion,
Beneath my tired sole.

As the dark encroached the horizon,
A thought approached my mind
Now nothing can keep apart
The sea & its beloved, the land.

And I stood there.
Watching the play of nature,
Trying to figure what it means.
And it came to me when I was turning back
The Maker’s greatest creation:
The Serendipity of Life.