Published by Aparna on 02 Jul 2008 at 11:23 am
Papers
Books & Papers - These are two things that I always handle with utmost care. I hate seeing books/notebooks having wrinkled pages. There is nothing more annoying than seeing somebody crumple the pages while turning the pages of a book, that too a new book. Ask my friends who used to borrow my record or graph sheets in college and they will tell you how I used to ask them to take care not to kasakkify my record or graph sheets.
Another thing that I can’t stand is seeing papers & books strewn carelessly on the floor. One of the things that I do regularly while taking a break from work is to read the newspapers. The newspapers will be there in the lounge that’s near the entrance of the building. There are times when every time the door to the building is opened, wind blows and the papers on the table get strewn away. It irritates me when I see most people sitting coolly reading the newspapers and not caring to pick up the newspaper that is blown away by wind. Why can’t they do it?? At those times, the scene that comes to my mind is the one from ‘Swades’ where Gita (Gayathri Joshi) shouts at another customer at the bookshop when she is picking up the fallen books from the floor. 
Writing about picking up papers lying on the floors, I am now reminded of an incident that happened when I was in college. If I hate seeing papers lying on the floor, seeing people walk stamping it is even worse. That too when the piece of paper happens to be the national flag! In my college, for the Independence Day or Republic Day celebrations (I don’t remember which one), rectangular-shaped flags were hung on strings for decorating the space near the stage. After a few days, since nobody had removed those, the flags had fallen off from the string and those were lying all over the place with shoe marks on many of those. Even though those flags were used only for decorative purposes, shouldn’t one still give it respect that should be given for the flag and take care not to step on it?? Seeing what was happening, I picked up all the flags that were lying on the ground. The thing that surprised me the most was, forget about others helping me, there were some who even sarcastically commented about my ‘patriotism’. 
What prompted me to write this post was seeing people not picking up the newspapers blown away by wind and now see what I am writing about! I am ending this rant right here!
puranjoy on 02 Jul 2008 at 12:21 pm #
Erm, I don’t support commenting sarcastically about your patriotism. However, I do think you handled the issue nicely. Instead of forcing others to not stamp on the flags[1], you chose to pick them up yourself since you fell strongly about it. Kudos to you.
Gayatri Joshi reference always works(isn’t she drool worthy!), but I am not sure how appropriate this is in the situation. She berates the guy because he had bumped against her causing the books to fall down, and thus it was his duty to help her with the books.
Newspapers getting strewn about and people not picking them up is actually the optimum situation under the circumstances[2], I think. Those who are not interested don’t spend effort collecting strewn papers, those who want to read the papers will pick it up from the floor if they want to. If enough people feel bad about it, they will probably get the lounge shifted, or the papers shifted, or get the management to buy a paper rack–either of which will be a better solution than expecting people to go about collecting strewn papers.
Yeah, I am in a weird mood today.
[1] [3] Obviously, it’s their right to treat a flag whatever way they want to. Imposing our feelings on them and forcing them to act according to our expectations is immoral. Unfortunately, our constitution contains mad provisions to punish such stuff.
[2] This takes my goat along with the ritual of keeping the toilet seat down. If there are equal number of people using the toilet, it’s basic probability that the optimum solution is to keep the toilet seat the way you end it with. Gah!
[3] Is there some way to make these footnotes actually look like footnotes?
Sami on 02 Jul 2008 at 2:43 pm #
I second your thought on one should keep the paper nicely. It is good but we cant complain about others doing the same thing. It is a kind of self discipline one should learn, maximum we can tell them and leave it.
//What prompted me to write this post was seeing people not picking up the newspapers blown away by wind //
That depends on the person to person. You can go ahead and pick it up and keep it safe but if the wind is strong enough and the papers are blown again, how many times u wll pick it and keep it again. First you can question him/her about not doing that and do that but if wind blows again, no body will collect. If second aparna comes there, then she might think the way you are thinking now
Aparna on 03 Jul 2008 at 11:22 am #
Puranjoy,
I don’t believe in forcing people to do something that they don’t wish to.
>and thus it was his duty to help her with the books.
The point there was that he didn’t help her with the books and I don’t know why but I get reminded of it when nobody cares to pick up the papers when it is lying on the floor. Maybe the lazy me wishes that I don’t have to bend and pick the papers up
>> Obviously, it’s their right to treat a flag whatever way they want to.
And that is the reason why I started picking up the flags and didn’t care about what others were telling me.
Sami,
>>how many times u wll pick it and keep it again.
When I pick it up and place it on the table, I re-arrange the papers so that the heaviest one is on top and the papers again don’t get blown away again.
>>First you can question him/her about not doing that
I am least interested in asking anybody why they are not doing it. Since this is the space where I can write my thoughts, I wrote it. If I don’t like to see the papers lying on the ground, I pick it up.
puranjoy on 03 Jul 2008 at 11:29 am #
@aparna,
perchance, do my comments give the impression that I am criticizing the post? I mean, rarely is the case that I don’t get what you are trying to say; what happens is I write what comes to my mind triggered by a specific point in your post, and I refer to that point–not criticize that. Which was my intention with the Gayatri Joshi reference.
Entirely possible you got what I wanted to write, and your reply reflects a similar extension of thought, and I am reading too much into your reply and thinking that you are somehow being defensive because of my comment–thus proving myself the fool in a circular way.
Aparna on 03 Jul 2008 at 12:10 pm #
Puranjoy,
>>do my comments give the impression that I am criticizing the post?
Nope it didn’t.
>>Entirely possible you got what I wanted to write, and your reply reflects a similar extension of thought
As you have rightly inferred, I did get what you had written.
The thing is I just felt like writing something and since I wasn’t able to think of anything to write a post on, I just decided to write whatever came to my mind while replying to your comment! That’s how much I was in a bored state! Re-reading my comment now, even I feel it reflects as though I was being a bit defensive, which I was not. Look how lengthy this comment too has turned out to be now! Boredom continues!
Sathej on 03 Jul 2008 at 12:30 pm #
As for kasakkified papers I don’t mind them too much
Even records, I don’t attach too much vitality. Infact, I hate the concept of record-writing 
There ought to be the practice of you just doing experiments in the lab, writing reports there and being done with it.
Flags, no matter, for what purpose they are, lying on the floor!? Oh I cannot stand that for sure.
As for all other points like papers lying strewn on the floor, I am in full concurrence
Sathej
puranjoy on 03 Jul 2008 at 7:48 pm #
@aparna,
“I just decided to write whatever came to my mind while replying to your comment! That’s how much I was in a bored state!”–touche. And point very much taken, comments henceforth will be short and sweet
arvind on 03 Jul 2008 at 8:16 pm #
well,i appriciate what u did..
hard to find people like u..
even i would have ignored that to be honest..
and about kasakifying of the records..
well ,i was the most irresponsible feloow of my class in this regard not to mentione how shabbily i write..
Aparna on 07 Jul 2008 at 12:06 pm #
Sathej,
Neither am I a fan of record writing.
Puranjoy,
That was not what was intended to be conveyed
Arvind,
How you write doesn’t matter. You can still take care not to crumple the pages