Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Just another 'blog' in the wheel...

I remember the first time I heard the word 'web-log' was sometime in '97. I'd arrived in Bangalore, fresh out of post-graduation, and landed a job with my cousin who ran a small multimedia outfit back then (the company's long since wound up). The net had just about picked up - we used to hook up with a dialup; remember the familiar long 'beeeeeeep', and then a series of 'bip-bop-bip-bop'...and then the lights on the modem would turn steady, and we were ready to go. 56kpbs line. Great connection. Wow! The page loads in half a minute. That was fast, man! And while researching some web designs, I stumbled upon this guy (forget his name now), who had designed this very cool (for those days, these days you get all kinds)website he called his 'weblog'. I decided to save it for later and when I found time, just went through his site. It looked more like a day-to-day account of what he did, who he met - he was a designer himself, so it was more of his sketch works, rough drafts, designs, interactions with visualizers, ad guys and such. But he had a knack of making the mundane so interesting, I kind of got hooked to his page. I remember religiously opening his site every morning, just to read what he'd done that day.

That was then. Over the next few years, when Internet started making its way into everybody's home, weblog had turned to a crisper, dittier 'blog', and hey, you and I could have one. I heard about the new avatar sometime in 2000-2001, but I still didn't have that easy an access to the net to be able to blog myself. And not many people had begun blogging, anyways.

When I entered the software industry, and found that the Internet was as easy as a click, it opened a whole new world for me. And it was then a colleague invited me to read his 'blog'. I'd shown him a couple of my printed short stories, so he encouraged me to have a blog of my own.

So, finally in May 2003, I signed up for my very own blog - at blurty. I'd to give it a name. That was a problem. I'd not seen a lot of blogs and this colleague who'd shown me his, had something very simple like 'meandering thoughts' or some such. That wasn't much inspiration. So I went back in time, digging from favorite movie characters, comic book heroes etc. Nothing caught my eye. And then, one day over lunch I cribbed lightly about this to a friend. And he said, 'yaar, tu itna emotional kyoon ho raha hai?' (why so emotional over such a trivial matter?). And it struck! Of course. I'd found my name! I remember long back in school I had this favorite TV show 'Phatichar', and that character had stayed on in my mind for long. Phatichar would always console himself with that line 'yaar phatichar, tu itna emotional kyun ho raha hai?'. I liked it. So I named myself 'Phatichar' on my new blog.

Phew! It's been a great journey so far. I know five years isn't such big a deal. And I've been in and out of here far too many times. But whatever the frequency, it's always consoling to know that whatever happens in the outside world, there's always a place in cyberspace, where I can take refuge. A place I can go to without having to worry about what I am, who I am, about being politically correct. It's my space. Our (us bloggers) space.

Here's to bloggers all over the world. Cheers. :-)

18 comments:

RustyNeurons said...

that felt so good to read.... Glad to see you are back blogging, i had not really checked your blog for a long time...

phatichar said...

rusty: welcome back.. :) I still go to 'two a day' hoping to see something.. :)

Pinku said...

hmmm....blogs are addictive and they help develop friendship amongst such diverse people...its hard to think these people would be in each others company in real life.

I think its coz its one place where we drop the pretences and really be ourselves...infinitely more likable than the wooden exteriors of the real world.

Keep blogging.

Priya Iyer said...

blogging is a wonderful thing that happened to me... it brought about a lot of changes in me, all for the best.. and i did meet a lot of wonderful people out there, and got a lot of new ideas.. got to read ur wonderful stories.. :) happy blogging.. may your journey continue for a lonnnnnnnnngggggg time to come...

here's a big YAY for all the bloggers... cheers! :)

phatichar said...

pinku: right said.. :-)

what's that pic doing there? ;-) (kidding..ok? kidding)

priya: yep. yep. :-)

RustyNeurons said...

thanks for visiting, actually that eggs me to write more, but of late, things havent been moving at all.. so there is a huge writing block.. Will get back soon.
And, btw, its your stories that inspired me to write some horror of my own!! :)

phatichar said...

rusty: really now? :) well, glad could be of some help

Anonymous said...

Well said that!

You know it's good to have you blogging again :)

phatichar said...

purely-narcotic: :) thanx..yeah feels good to be back..

a million different people said...

In '97, I was class monitor, complaining to the class teacher about that girl who ate snot. Gawd, so silly.

Vushooo, you are a blog veteran. :P

shub said...

Five years IS a big deal :) Congrats, and cheers.

Hope you guys are safe...read about the blasts..

PARRY said...

Hey you are an exceptional good writer. And yes I too remember the doordarshan days and serials like phatichar starring pankaj kapur. Mr yogi, Nukkar, etc etc .Oh who can forget those days. :)
I bet you r not that emotional. R u?:)
Keep blogging.

Mampi said...

Yeah, it is a creative world, though I do get to see some scary things. No, I dont mean yours or Pinku's stories, LOL. I happened to read an account of a blog-plagiarisation today and I was worried. I dont know why I m sharing it with you. Possibly because you would understand it far better than me.
Good to read your words, they are simple and straight, yet so emphatic.

Priyanka said...

Five years is a huge thing!! Especially if you blog such great stuff as you do and have such a ardent fan following...You rock!!

phatichar said...

thanatos: heheh..well, that phase of life was good as well; why call it silly?

Veteran? naaaah..I know people who've been blogging (except under a different term 'weblog') the last 10 - 11 years like I said in this post..so, am still young, huh? :-)

shub: you're close behind at 4 years..And u'r one of the early bloggers who I visited - so same pinch! ;)

Yeah, we were safe that day, thanks for the concern.

Parry: Oh, am honored, sir. I've read ur verses, and you're so good. Glad to see you here (makes mental note to thank 'mitra' ma'am) :-)

mampi: true, true.. thanks again for the kind words, ma'am.

priyanka: Thanks, girl! :)

Nirav said...

Sniff, sniff! Yaar phatichar, tu kitna emotional ho jaata hai

:)

I have myself been an infrequent, almost non-existent, blogger. But yes, it feels great that we can be ourselves, without the fear of "log kya sochenge?"

phatichar said...

nirav: haha.. yeah, 'log kya sochenge' plays largely on our minds most times, doesn't it?

SEV said...

You have your older posts anywhere ?

A fiction blog, something I've long wanted to do.. but am just not motivated enough.