75 And Still Not Done

75 th post. Is that a milestone? I am still 25 short of a hundred, and eight months short of one full year of blogging. That's when bloggers -- as I've noticed -- write the summing-up sort of post: looking back and all that, thanking people and all that, do what not and all that.

But I don't have the patience to write 25 more posts (at least with the thought that I have to write 25 more to say whatever I am going to say now) or wait till next October (when my blog would complete one year). Moreover, as a journalist, I know how to invent a 'peg' (which means the purpose of telling a story, and not a peg of whisky). And if the 75th birthday of a person or an institution can be a big deal, why not the 75th post of a blog?

That reminds me of a rather depressing question: how many of the present-day bloggers would live to celebrate 75 years of blogging? Questions like these make me want to seek refuge in the arms of a fellow blogger, preferably a female. But none of the female bloggers I know will oblige because they would go by the interests I've mentioned in my profile: "Yoga, sex, scotch, travel, fountain pens, etc. etc." Which woman would like a man whose interests are sex and scotch?

But then, who doesn't like -- or love -- sex? And perhaps mind an occasional drink, unless you are a diehard teetotaller? But when you spell out such habits as your 'interests' in your blog profile, the image that goes out to the world is that of a man who has a woman on the right and on the left when he goes to bed every night and who, in between satisfying the urges of the women on either side, sips his scotch. Wow, I wish that happened for real. The reality is I've been sitting in front of my computer night after night for five months now, sucking the screen. "Screen sucking", according to Time magazine, means "wasting time online long after you have finished what you signed on to do."

True, I may have my wasted time. But I have also learned a lot. For one, it helps me practise writing. Two, it expands my horizons, especially when I read fellow bloggers.

When I started blogging in October last year, I had no idea my blog would be read. It is sheer good luck that it has been read by some of the best minds -- people who have been kind enough to leave comments as well. And the happiest bit is that their comments are usually spontaneous rather than just an act of obligation. So I would like to thank them, and while thanking them, I would also like to point what I like about them:

Akruti: For sharing the same passion for music, especially Pancham's music. She is supposed to have left Blogosphere but believe me, she will come back. Home is where the heart is.

Arundhati: The simplicity of her verses can put any professional and snooty poet to shame. If you want your day to be made, get to know Arundhati. She won't let you down: she has a truly large heart. Don't you, Rulda?

Atul: I am scared to read his posts. He writes stuff which compel me to comment, and I hate commenting. So I try to read his stuff on the sly and go away without being noticed. Amazing guy.

Baddy: That's the 'bad name', as opposed to the 'good name', of Baradwaj Rangan, who is a competent writer first and a friend later.

Deepa: She makes me feel jealous. She not only lives in a territory I've hardly explored -- Karnataka -- but also describes her travels to nearby places in a manner that makes me hang my head in shame. Deepa, can we trade places? Read her guys, and you will know what I mean.

Kornershop Girl: Go to her profile and read all her three blogs. Not very often will you come across people like her.

Leya: An engineering student who understands, more than the physics, the chemistry of life. Her latest piece, on Kovalam, is outstanding.

M T Saju: No comments, for he is a colleague and a friend, and I don't want to sound biased.

Maya: I hate you, Maya. When is your blog going to be updated? You know why I am looking foward to it -- because you write sofuckingwell!

Nina: Nina, please don't go away. Stay on and keep exposing the plagiarists of the world.

Sangeeta: Sangeeta, apart from playing the 'Miss' for your students, think of people who miss your posts. Do write.

Sanjeev: Quite a few women bloggers have asked me, in private, "Who is Sanjeev?" Check out for yourself.

Sharmishta: You have heard of the word 'honest.' But Sharmishta stands for 'honestest'. Read her blog and you will know what I mean.

Usha: She is kindness personified. One of the few people who you can take for granted and not say nice things just because you have to. She is nice anyway.

Visithra: Well, well, well... Well, if you want to sink into a well of emotions -- good, sad and happy -- read her blog. And read it carefully without being taken up by those hypnotic pair of eyes, and you will know what I mean.

And how can I forget Anil Shankar from Kerala and Ravi Juneja from Delhi? They have, on various occasions, made me feel very special; and I shall remain indebted to them.