If Only it Were Perception

  Today I heard from a person, “perception is everything”. I disagreed.

  My people were over at my place, and as usual i was expected to entertain. (That is another thing I’d like to blabber about, but then I’d be side-tracking the main agenda for now) I started of by informing them about my latest loss (look for a previous entry of mine to understand which one), got lectured a bit. That was the point though, giving free and unneeded advice is something Gen Y is really good at. Then it came to my college and marks, let’s not get into that ( murky waters, dangerous to venture there). Finally came the moment, “Varun play something on your Casio”.

  First of all, this pissed me off. Casio? CASIO? Who the fuck are they kidding? Seriously people, learn to call it the synthesizer or at least a keyboard. Secondly, do I look like some circus clown here to please everyone? No. Then why that tone?

  Anyway, I didn’t have the balls to say it to their face so i proceeded to play my “casio”. I start out with a really complex song i’ve been trying to learn by David Lanz. The look on their face wasn’t too encouraging! I thought maybe im playing it real bad. I wish it were that. No, what they said was play something funky! Or at least happy birthday! Had there been a hammer in the vicinity, Delhi papers would’ve had a field day reporting a brutal triple murder in Dwarka :D.

  I made an apologetic face and said no i don’t prefer music like that ( not to mention to my embarrassment, i didn’t know how to play happy birthday! :D ). Then Mr. X informed me that the best pianist was from deep purple or some band which sounded awfully similar. I informed him about the differences between popular and best, cheeky of me, but he had touched a nerve. That’s when the phrase i began with in the first place was uttered. And i couldn’t imagine why anyone would say that? How big an ignoramus some tend to be really shocks me. More than 80% of the artists ever borne by this world have gained recognition only in the twilight of their time. Most getting their worth generations later. Their talent, their skill being recognized finally but to its full extent. Many of these examples have greatly overshadowed their “popular” contemporaries. They have become legends, even though throughout their lifetime they might’ve struggled.

  Talent is something you do not measure with popularity, but with quality. Did it achieve its purpose? That is what counts.