Sometimes I wonder, how much do these walls know.

From walking into the building as a fresher to walking out as a pass-out, every MECian have had his own share of hating these walls. Even I did. “How am I gonna survive four years in this cage? Even my school is bigger than this!” was my first thought as I walked into the college, on 1st August 2017. 2 years 7 months past that day, here I am, counting my quarantine days and missing that “cage” like hell.

Be it the mini concerts at the last bench during lectures or the often-successful attempts to call a proxy and the teachers with their universal dialogue that “this is the worst batch I have seen in my teaching career”, there is always something that would make anything, that sucks, bearable. Reminds me of the three hour lecture at communication lab and how we all were talking and planning about an IV, that never happened! *thanks to corona*

Every year we have some events that get cancelled. A college day, an Onam celebration and finally an IV.

With some mishap coming up every year, looks like the probability of our plans getting cancelled and the exponential rise in our disappointment graph has no chance of decay.

But no matter what happens, there are always some constants I can look onto. The walls I can always lean on and the mates that joins me there! Leaning on to the walls of fifth floor, you can always find at least one familiar face in the floors below. Walking through these corridors you come across the same faces every now and then that you know almost all of them. May be that’s the thing about this single building.

Huddled to a corner of these walls and sharing our top-secrets with each other for no one to hear, leaning on to these walls and stalking the one standing right across the building, circling the topper, in front of the exam hall, who is explaining the sure-question for exam; Sometimes I wonder, how much do these walls know?

Lectures are definitely boring. Labs are fine but lab records are NOT. Assignments suck! And don’t even get me start on note submissions! But no matter what, few days away from it has made me miss that five-storey building. If I miss college this bad, what about the soon-to-leave seniors who have lost one of their last few months at college to corona?

With nothing to do at home (well it’s said that we’re gonna have online classes but let’s not talk about that), all I want is to be there on the fifth floor leaning on to that wall and watch my friends laugh over something or someone!

Sometimes I wonder if this is the same person, who said “How am I gonna survive four years in this cage?” talking! Well, as I said, we’ll have had our own share of hating these walls.

From hating it at the very first sight

To loving it with all its might

College grew within us!

Thank you for peeping in. But if you wanna read the rest of my random musings, then you ought to know my family! The Thaazhekandam family. If you don’t, don’t worry, go through my previous article, Just Thaazhekandam Matters.

I don’t go to college! Nor did I ever go to school! Not that I never wanted to. I have longed for a school life but never got one!

Why, you may ask! Let me tell you!

(whispers) Because this family sucks! Yeah that’s true! Although I told you all nice things about my family members in the previous chapter, they are not all that good! They can be very very bad!

I would like to tell more but I don’t have time. It’s time for me to cook food for Sarammachi who’s watching TV.

Ah not only for Sarammachi, Molykutty, Stella and Sulu, but also two others guests.

Remember, in the previous chapter, I told you about Stella, Sarammachi’s second youngest sister who got married to Sahadevan and complains about her sister-in-law’s tortures? Well the torturous sister-in-laws are visiting. I don’t know the intentions of their visit but I do know that it has something to do with Stella taking their ornaments to wear for a wedding (more like stealing it to get gold loan).

So presenting to you, the two sister-in-laws, Susheela and Shyamala.

Let me get to a quick intro.

Susheela is the greatest stalker in the universe! If you wanna know details about any person just ask Susheela. She would refer to her personal encyclopedia that contains information and pictures of the person you need! Married to some guy whose name is still unrevealed, she is the mother of two kids called as Appu and Kittu! I have never seen them but I have seen Susheelamma playing with two mickey toys and calling them Appu and Kittu. So I’m not sure whether she really has kids or is just a mad woman who believes that her toys are her kids!

Shyamala is the so called kudumbini. The perfect housewife. The perfect mother. The perfect sister. The perfect in everything. I think she was married to some guy called Bhaskaran but I’m really sure about their story. People say that she likes women! I don’t know. I’m okay with it, I told her once and she had shouted at me for unnecessary talks. So I think people were lying. No one knows!

Anyway what can be concluded from these two sisters is that both of them are cunning like hell and lives on their brother, that’s Stella’s husband Sahadevan’s, money! Not earning a single penny for the house, they act as if they own the place and spends their brother’s hard-earned money like water!

So they are coming to visit!

I’m damn sure it’s about Stella stealing their gold for a gold loan. I did hear Sarammachi talking about it to the wall. Yeah, that woman still believes that her late husband is alive and talks to the wall because she sees him standing there! I never see him. So am I mad or is she mad?

So apparently I didn’t have to cook for the day!

Yayyyyy!

Okay, as if I was really gonna cook! I was thinking of ordering pizzas and telling Sarammachi that I made them. It’s easy to fool that woman!

As if reading my mind, the two seniors of the family had already ordered pizzas.

Right now, we’re sitting by the grand dining table (actually the smallest table you’ll ever find) with fruity poured into glasses that were once sponsored by the lovely Susheelamma, few candles lit to set up a vibe and yes, gems arranged as a letter J for apparently no reason (Actually we wanted to write K, for Kandams, but there wasn’t enough gems for that. So wrote the letter next to it, that’s J)

The reason for the visit was not Stella’s stealing, but yes they did mention it once or twice. The real reason is that Susheela and Shyamala are relocating to America. They got job in multinational companies, they said. Although it sounds fancy, I think they are appointed as sweepers. But who cares? They’re gonna be NRIs!

So it’s a farewell!

Although I’ve known them for a very short span of time, it hurts knowing that they are leaving.

Susheelamma was the sister I never had. From stalking people together on instagram to talking about crushes, she was that secret diary I so wanted! Shyamalamma was the mother hen of the group. She is that person whom you would turn to when you’re in distress and she would sit by your side and patiently listen to all your rants.

They were indeed the late entries of my life!

The late entries to the Thaazhekandam family.

I laughed at Molykutty who was taking her leisure time to chew the smallest piece of pizza. I had already finished mine and was kind of hoping her to give me the last piece, which she did. Oh you’re angel Molykutty!

The radio playing some song in the background was lighting up everyone’s mood and was taking us away from the fact that two among us are leaving. The truth that this was the last time we all are sitting together for a dinner kinda hurts!

Looking around at the table I smiled at the family I have. I chuckled recalling those new members we had in our family; the eldest brother of Shyamala, Susheela and Stella’s husband, who is a police officer and had come to visit Sarammachi; the long distant relative of Sarammachi, our neighbours, and much more!

Okay, my family is sometimes very bad. We have ups and downs. We do have some serious arguments and disagreements! But what family doesn’t have those! We can be very show off at times! Not many like us! But who cares!?

The best thing is that, no matter what happens, they are always there for me. There will be those shoulders I can always lean on, those laps I can always lie down and cry my heart out, those hearts I could always use as my secret keepers, those warm hugs I can always rely on and most importantly, their mere presence that would always lift up my spirits!

No matter who come and go, they stay forever!

May be that’s why I call them “My stress busters”

May be that’s why I call them “My Kandams”

May be that’s why I always say, “They aren’t friends. They are Family”

Even I have. Many people!

Many came in, many left. Many left painful memories. Many left memories that could rise up my spirits any time.

But for the first time, I’ve had two people coming into my life very very late and leaving very very soon with a huge bundle of memories and inspiration for me.

Well it started at YMCA Women’s Hostel, Kochi where I stay for the past two years doing my BTech. These two people I’m talking about have been living here for the past four years! Yeah that’s right, they are final years!

It’s quite surprising that we never met and talked even though one of them lives quite near to my place back in my hometown. Well, I believe that there is something called “Time”.

Time decides everything. Our future, our wounds that heals, our memories that fades everything…and so did time decide when and how we should meet!

The first time I talked to these ladies was when a friend of mine moved into their room. At first it was just the room of my friend and two seniors. But today, now, Room no. 10 means much more than that. It’s now the room of the three monkeys; or I should say, the official meet up place of Thaazhekandam family!

Elsa.

Athulya.

Back when I hear these names, nothing really crosses my mind. Oh yes, the name Elsa sometimes makes me think of icecream (I really don’t know why).

But now when I hear these names, I have these many things flashing before my eyes!

Now when I hear Room no. 10, I have these pleasant memories that could make me smile even at my worst!

Is it the heart-to-heart conversations we had? Or is it the fun we had by picking at eachother? Or the late night tea breaks? The snacks? The instagram stalking? The gossiping with the Bluetooth speaker setting up the vibe? Or, YES, it’s the late night ghost stories isn’t it?

What is it that makes me all emotional that these two idiots are leaving?

The truth is that Elsamma and Athulyechi (as I call them) came into my life, just two months ago. That’s true! Just two months and they have created an impact in me like no one ever has! It’s very rare that a person like me, who has “excellent” social skills, mingled with these hyper active ladies and got upto their level of weirdness, but yes, it happened!

Today, if I’ve something called an aim, if I wanna be someone in my life, if I wanna move on every single stuff I’ve been stuck on, then it’s all because of them.

Thank you for all those mentoring, advising, scolding and nagging to study.

Thank you for the Bluetooth speaker vibe and the late night snacks.

Thank you for listening to my weird ghost stories and yes, freaking out at every small noise that I make for an effect.

Thank you for the fun at room 10.

Thank you for all those crazy talks.

Most of all, Thank you for being there with me.

I’m not gonna say Goodbye, coz I’m not gonna let you both walk out of my life!

No matter where we are, how we are, we’re gonna stay as the ever strong Thaazhekandam family.

Coz no matter what it is and how it is, JUST THAAZHEKANDAM MATTERS!

Screen is lit!

Cushions backing me up and the keyboard waiting for me!

So here it is! GET SET GO!

Start the story!

Story?

Okayyyyy….story…let’s do it!

Seconds turned into minutes and then into hours. Finally with a thud I slam the laptop shut! “I quit!”, I proclaim to the blank screen.

For the past few months, this has been my routine. Sitting before a blank screen or a blank sheet of paper, wanting to pour my heart out, but not coming up with anything.

Wait!

Aren’t these the symptoms?

Yes they are!

The most dreadful thing that can happen to a writer…

The WRITER’S BLOCK!

A very common phenomenon that strikes established novelists and beginners alike at some point or the other.

Writer’s block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which a writer loses the ability to produce new work, or experiences a creative slowdown.

In simple words, it’s when your imaginary friends won’t talk to you!

There are many famous writers who have experienced a writer’s block in their careers. While there are some who took years to overcome it, some have never even faced it!

People say that you face trouble in writing when you’re too distracted or disturbed by something! But that confuses me. Why would it be hard to write when you’re disturbed? Or distracted? You could write about those distractions! In fact, you can write about anything!

Because everything and everyone around you has its own story to tell!

Writing isn’t just a hobby.

It’s not scribbling some words and making them rhyme with each other. It’s not making use of huge words that are hard to spell and making your sentence compete with Shashi Tharoor’s tweets. It’s not making complex sentences that anyone reading it can’t understand.

Writing, simply, is pouring your heart out.

If reading is like breathing in, writing is just breathing out.

A place where you can be yourself, where you needn’t fear anyone else, where you are not judged! Somewhere where you can make your dream fantasies come true through your characters! Somewhere where you can live the life you always wanted!

Writing, simply, is your world within the world.

There is no perfect time to write.

As Anne Tyler said, “If I waited till I felt like writing, I’d never write at all!”

As many say, bad writing is better than not writing at all.

There are many ways to overcome a writer’s block.

• First of all, try to eliminate the distractions that were keeping you away from writing. Try changing the environment you’re in, take a walk or listen to music. Have some coffee (my favourite).
• Dance or practice yoga. Move your body and the mind follows. Meditation and long breaths help because a relaxed mind is more open to creativity!
• Another thing that can be done is stepping away from what you are writing for and go for something creative. For example, drawing or gardening. Keep yourself busy for a few hours and then resume to writing. The key is keeping the creative part of your brain active and then resuming to the flow of writing.

But out of all of them, the best way to overcome a writer’s block is by writing.

Okay, you CAN write. Just stop thinking about everything else. Write something. Just few lines. No need to make it fancy or elegant. Just write what you feel right at that moment. And the rest will just flow in. If you still feel like you have nothing to write about and is facing a block then write about it.

Because writing about a writer’s block is better than not writing at all!

So what was I talking about? Yeah! Me having writer’s block.

Oh wait, aren’t I writing about it?

THE WRITER’S CURSE was originally published in PaperKin on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Too ugly!
The perfect word for my handwriting.
The white neat paper of notebook scribbled all over!
The valuable ink of pen wasted all along!
And the result is MY UGLY HANDWRITING!

My handwriting, it’s me…..
The world around me adores it…
Except me…
But the world around me is similar to me….
They too hate their handwriting….
And they too adores others’….
Like me….

Running around as long as the little legs could hold

The tiny eyes that held a sparkle

The tiny voice that giggled in excitement

She looked to the wide panorama

Awaiting her to take over

It kept waiting…

Today she stands

Right in middle of nothing

Looking to the wide panorama

The voice that scoffed

The rat eyes that held nothing

She looked around

It kept waiting….

Waiting for someone to take over….

Someone worthier than her…..

.

Lectures that bore to death…

Lunch breaks to take a breath…

Lab hours when you get a wreath!

And finally, a walk into your Beth!

A long tiring day, and all I would want to do is rush to my hostel room. Throwing my bag to somewhere to be found only the next morning, clearing the messy bed (more like pushing the stuff towards my roomie’s bed), I would slump on the most comfy bed in the world.

And then, just when I thought I could have a good sleep, the door would be slammed open. And there comes them…

The Family!

Long long long back, there lived a happy couple. They lived in a…wait that isn’t important because the main characters of this story aren’t this happy couple. So let’s forget about them! Just remember the fact that there WAS a happy couple and they had three daughters!

YES!

3 daughters!

The three (among 5) heroines of this story!

Presenting to you, the eldest of the three!

The charming, the beautiful, the kind, passionate (and all stuff you can think of) and last but not the least, the OLD, the about-to-die Saramma (although she fashionably presents her name as Sarah Josh, the name registered on Aadhar is Saramma Joshua)! The eldest, as she claims, but child at heart! Sarammachi, as everyone lovingly calls her, never accepts the fact that she is an old woman and needs to take rest.

Highly energetic at heart, she is reluctant to admit the truth that she has to, very soon, come down to her zero energy level and finally walk into the coffin!

Well that’s enough about her! Not that I’m out of words. Writing about Sarammachi would require three volumes (may be more).

And next….the second of the three!

Since I’m out of phrases of appreciation (because I had to shower Sarammachi with them) let’s just go straight to the intro of Molykutty Georgekutty, the Kutty family! Moly George, as she introduces herself, had a love marriage with Georgekutty! She says that her husband is a traveler! And then she says that he is driver! The truth is that he was jobless and a pickpocket. After their marriage Molykutty pestered him to get a job and thus he ended up with an auto. God knows where he travels with that auto, and with whom! The fact is that there never came a single penny for the Thaazhekandam house from the so-called husband of Molykutty!

She is that person in the family who has a lot of secrets herself and also of others!

And the third one…the youngest (well not really the youngest! She is 40.) Wait, I didn’t mention ages of the other two did I? Well, Sarammachi is 75, Molykutty is 60 and Stella Sahadevan, the youngest, is 40. Yeah I know, huge age gaps.

Stella Sahadevan, wife of Mr. Sahadevan, often stays with Sarammachi since her husband is away in Dubai. To be honest, she had run away from her husband’s house due to her sister-in-law’s tortures! Sad, I know! But I really doubt whether it was their tortures or her tantrums that made them kick her out!

Leaving no stone unturned in boasting about her Dubai husband, Stella is usually a calm woman until someone brings up her husband’s name. Never ever talk bad about Mr. Dubai or she’ll skin you alive!

Now comes the two not-blood-but-close-by-heart relations of the three sisters.

Let’s start with the beautiful Mrs. Basheer!

Cecily a.k.a Sulu was born as….well I’m not very clear about her relation with Sarammachi and her sisters but she is often seen in the family. No one correctly knows who she is. Let’s just assume that she is daughter of Sarammachi’s distant cousin.

Sulu is that one person in the whole squad who acts as a broadcast for the whole public. No information can be trusted with this 40 year old BBC network.

From creating small fights between the sisters to mastering in the art of gossiping, Sulu is the shadiest member of the family! Networking, she says!

Married to Tony, she was Sarammachi’s pet. But then one day, Sarammachi’s ornaments went missing and that evening everyone came to know that Sulu left Tony and married Basheer. Changing her name and religion, Sulu is today known as Mrs. Sulfiya Basheer.

And now we have….

Last but not the least…

The star of the family!

The most beautiful, kind, loving, caring…

Clara.

No surnames please!

Clara was orphaned as a child when her parents passed away during landslide. She was adopted by Sarammachi. The 20 year old young lady grew up with Sarammachi and thus loves her immensely. Although the family treats her as a servant, Sarammachi loves and cares for her a lot and Clara looks after the old woman. From cooking meals to giving medicines to her, Clara knows it all!

.

What seems to be a very noisy and disrupted family, Sarammachi claims that Thaazhekandam family is the best in the world. Is it her old age making her say emotional dialogues or her experiences confirming it?

Every family has its own ups and downs.

Be it the petty fights that Sulu initiates, Clara’s fight for justice, Molykutty’s arguments regarding property rights, Stella’s shouts when Sulu pokes about Sahadevan or Sarammachi’s cries for hot water….the house has it all!

Friends that turn into family; the above four heroines aren’t the only ones that turns my shitty mood into a smile! From asking permission to your roommate for using the socket to wearing her clothes as if it’s yours, hostel life is just another world!

Every day isn’t great! Petty arguments about the dirty laundry, unwashed teacups, unmade bed, chargers, washing powders, oil; even a safety pin has its own story weaved up!

But by the end of the day, no matter how messy the day was…all of us have just one thing to say.

Just Thaazhekandam matters!

The feeling of being loved and belonged is something I long as I board Jan Satabdi express from Kochi. I needn’t reach home to be in that comfort zone. Just the sight of the railway platform and the yellow board with KOZHIKODE written in black is enough for the Kozhikodian in me to rise up to the spirits.

I remember my first visit back home, after I joined college. My friends were constantly messaging and calling me, not to know about my well being, but reminding me of their demands — halwas and chips!

The Biryani, the Halwa, the Chips, the Sarbats…..well goes on!

You will never regret the decision of ordering biryani from Hotel Rahmath, Paragon, Deewar or let’s say, anywhere from Calicut. And never miss the taste of Bhaskarettan’s sarbat outside Paragon restaurant, Calicut!

The flour, the sugar, the flavours! The multi coloured halwas are enough to water anyone’s mouth. With different flavours like mango, pineapple, watermelon, grapes, the most famous of them all is the black halwa which tastes distinctly different! The sweet tender bananas cut into tiny slices and deep fried in the oil is something people will always remember!

And how can one not talk about Kozhikode’s own ice orathi!

Do you know what else is amazing in South India? It is Dosa and here is why!

The ever buzzing S.M. Street

The Sweet Meat Street is best known to us by its sweet name Mittaitheruvu. Deriving its name from the special kind of sweet, according to Europeans, we lovingly call Halwa (or haluva), SM Street is undoubtedly one of the most famous and busiest shopping centre of the city.

The vibrant Valiyangadi

History says that first secretary of the Zamorin, Mangat Achan, after a long penance had the goddess of wealth Lakshmi appear before him. He made her promise to wait until he returned but went home and committed suicide.

A narrow lane with unimaginable crowd, rush, heat and noise, Valiyangadi is clearly not a tourist spot. But not many streets can boast a 600 year old history!

Still one of the main commercial centres of the city, Valiyangadi still stands high making anyone believe in the myth, that unable to break her promise, Lakshmi still stays there.

Myth of Mananchira

The centuries old rectangular shaped pond, which was built as a bathing pool in the 14th century, and now used exclusively for drinking purposes, lies at the centre of Kozhikode city. Attracting tourists from all over, the Mananchira ground next to it is one of the many parks one can relax in the evening.

Tali Mahakshetram (Tali Shiva Temple)

One of the oldest temples, situated in the heart of the city, Tali Shivakshetram is said to be linked to the founding and prosperity of Kozhikode.

It is believed that the lingam in the sanctum of the Temple was installed towards the end of Dwaparayuga by Parasurama. The posture in the sanctum is that of Umamaheswara.

Mishkal Mosque

Located at Kuttichira, Mishkal mosque got its name from the arab merchant who built it, Nakhooda Mishkal.

With a history of Portugese attack in 1510, in which it was partially burnt, Mishkal mosque is an important cultural, architectural and historical monument in Kerala.

47 doors, 24 carved pillars and a big prayer hall that can accommodate 400 people; it stands out as one the oldest mosques in Malabar.

Thusharagiri Falls

Endless scopes of trekking, rock climbing and wildlife sanctuaries, Thusharagiri falls is a waterfall in Chembukadavu, around 50km from the city.

The Beaches

Kozhikode Beach is loved by all sunset lovers! A walk to the Dolphin’s point at dusk might reward you with the sight of dolphins. An evening with the waves with delicacies like sweet or salted mangoes and pineapples, and the sight of piers that run into the sea will warm anyone’s heart.

The calm Kappad Beach (known, locally, as Kappadavu) has a quiet shore surrounded by palm groves around a small peaceful village.

With Vasco Da Gama’s footprints on its shore, the memorial erected on the land speaks out the legacy of Kappad.

Buzzing Beypore

One of the important ports of Kerala, Beypore has been a major trading centre for centuries. Beypore is noted for building wooden ships, knows as urus. The 2 km seawalk made of stone is a major attraction other than the Beypore lighthouse.

From welcoming Vasco Da Gama in 1498 to banishing Nipah from its walls in 2018, Kozhikode (or Calicut) still stands high with its streets carrying the aroma of halwa and dum biryani.

There are many things that Kozhikode is famous about. The biryani, the beaches, the famous mittai theruvu….but what makes it more beautiful? Some would say the broken bridges at the beach! Some would point at the famous Paragon! I would say…people!

With the best autowalas greeting you with a smile and Kozhikode’s own ice oruthi sweetening everyone’s mind, one wouldn’t leave the place without packets of sweets and chips!

Do you where else you can experience such amazement? At our beloved Kochi!

I hope my Kozhikode, the happy and vibrant city, leaves you joyful and craving a re-visit, all to relive the wondrous and peaceful bliss it gifts. Do join in the celebration and emotion that we live by!

Kozhikode, the splendor explored! was originally published in PaperKin on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

One of the many things that my boss loves is giving me weird and petty assignments. There are times when I curse my decision of joining here as private investigator. Although the tag “Agent Conner” sounds nice in the modern world of popularity and trends, I couldn’t help but wish that I had joined the call centre my parents drove me to instead of solving the good-for-nothing cases I’m assigned to.

Answers to my prayers soon came when one fine evening saw the entry of a famous politician (famous in a very wrong way, I should add) to our grand office. And that was how I was assigned to investigate on the most interesting task I had ever come across — Memes!

Just a small word, it is, and the damage it has caused on Mr. Politician’s life is indisputable! And here I was, digging into the past and unearthing the deep secrets of meme world!

As I submit my case diary, I cannot help it but salute the person who created the first meme! I was told to find ways to mark an end to meme world and it ended with me being stuck up in the meme world! Boss’ brows narrows as he passes through each page of case report and I fisted my clammy palms ignoring the sweat.

Case Study — MEMES

Objective: To conduct a detailed study on internet memes, analyze its impact on society and propose an alternative for the same

Introduction:

The explanation Wikipedia gave to an Internet meme was that it is an activity, concept, catchphrase or piece of media which spreads, often as mimicry or for humorous purposes, from person to person via the Internet. An Internet meme may also take the form of an image, hyperlink, video, website or hashtag. It may be just a word or phrase, sometimes including an intentional misspelling. These small movements tend to spread from person to person via social networks, blogs, direct email, or news sources…….

I never knew that my boss is a quick reader! The guy just completed the whole report when I just reached reminiscing the first page of my 45 paged report!

Slamming my case file on the desk he demanded, “Where is the alternative Agent Conner?”

“There is no alternative sir! We do not need an alternative for memes. They are the only best thing in this shitty world! And let me take this opportunity to inform you that the high-mighty client of yours is a fraud who was exposed to the public by meme world! I don’t find anything wrong in that! In the world of cheats and corruption, we need memes to unveil the masks of lies!”

And with that, Agent Conner became just Conner!

I never knew that the funny posts that my friends tag me in can actually change the world. I don’t think anyone thought about it until Untied Airlines decided to mistreat one of its passengers. The infamous video recorded brought a storm of media attention. Thousands of memes erupted; United Airlines suffered a $1 billion loss from the outrage, according to CNN’s Ivana Kottasova.

When someone asks me to define the word meme, I would show the pic of the success kid from my gallery. What’s the actual definition of a meme?

Wikipedia would give you a classy dramatic explanation and your best friend would state that meme is the easiest way to drag you down!

What is a meme?

A meme is nothing but captioned photos/videos/verbal phrases that are intended to ridicule human behaviour. It can also take the form of a simple hashtag, link or a word! A virally transmitted cultural symbol or social idea, memes spreads like forest fire from people to people! With the main intention of fun, some memes do have more philosophical and social content!

I cannot help but take a peek at the detailed case study I had submitted. Sighing hard, my fingers went through the pages past the introduction and rested on the section Memetic Marketing

Memetic Marketing

Memes are often used for marketing techniques and is referred as Memetic Marketing.

→ Marketers make use of meme popularity to create a general interest in people about topics that would otherwise not generate positive publicity.

→ The 2006 film “Snakes on a plane” generated publicity through this method.

Disrupting Politics — Political Memes

The 2016 presidential elections of United States saw the usage of memetic world for political popularity.

→ The use of non-political ways of campaigning had caught the eyes and ears of voters and definitely helped the candidates to strengthen their contacts over internet.

→ The Bernie or Hilary meme was undoubtedly the most popular meme of the elections with many funny versions of itself. The fake campaign posters supporting Bernie Standers in the 2016 Democratic Presidential Elections against Hillary Clinton in which Sanders is depicted as being more knowledgeable than Clinton was apolitical but definitely helped Clinton in campaigning!

→ Memes were used as an educational tool during the campaigns of Donald Trump to inform people about certain issues, positively and negatively, impacting him.

It isn’t hard to guess the real intention behind Mr. Mighty Politician to mark an end to meme world. But why the hell did he come to a private investigator for? May be to create a public misconception that he is trying to get us to investigate that murder case he was accused of.

Anyway it was fun to watch the downfall of him and it was all done by the great memes. That was one thing I liked about it! Although the outline of a meme is sarcasm and fun, it exposes problems in famous figures and draws public attention to it, just like the memes targeted United Airlines. It gives different perspectives on subjects that are generally not grasped at the first glance! Connecting people through its humour, memes give rise to a new vision and a new culture!

History of memes

History of memes goes long way back! The earliest usage of the word meme is in the book The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins published in 1976. In the early days of internet, contents like memes were usually sent through emails or message boards. It encouraged communication between people by asking for comments or feedbacks and this was what gave rise to the early meme interest, like the Hampster dance and eventually in the meme generation that we see today.

The main reason for the increase in meme transmission is, no doubt, its interactive nature.

The way it carries the message faster than every other internet phenomena gives it the advantage to win hearts of people from every age group.

Conclusion

Explaining the complicated aspects and monstrosity of society in the simplest way, memes have got a huge number of followers and definitely a standing ovation.

Defying the borders of races, caste and creed and rising above the norms and stereotypes of society, memes have successfully brought people together by entertaining all groups!

In short, they have become an integral part of our life and a mode of self expression. Making us laugh, learn and think, memes stand as a declaimer sweeping its way through the dirt.

Walking out of the building with the termination letter in my hand and watching the mobile screen, I laughed at the latest meme about my ex-boss that my ex-colleagues had made!

Disclaimer: The character Agent Conner and his adventurous work experiences are just fractions of my wild imagination :) Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Myth of Memes — A Case Diary was originally published in PaperKin on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.