I want to talk about time.
Specifically of 3 minutes, 17 seconds.
That’s 197 seconds.
The time it takes to do a bottoms up of a glass of beer. Or the time you will take in the men’s room after 4 such glasses of Beer (I am no sexist, so let me clear the air – if you are a woman who just got offended, let me tell you, you are better off drinking Vodka).
3’17”.
The time it takes to get talking cosy with that hottie in the cubicle down the aisle at work. It’s the amount of time you need to smoke a cigarette. The same time it takes to get rid of that rotten Masala Dosa from the canteen out of your system.
About the time it takes to bitch about your colleague.
Let me sum it up in one word without much ado.
Behag.
The first time I heard Behag must have been when I was too young to have even known my name.
But N.Ramani’s rendition that I first heard 6 years ago had me hooked and I must have heard that over a thousand times. And 3’17” is the exact duration of that rendition.
That, my friends, defined the value of time to me in a way value of time can never be more effectively defined. And every second of those 3 minutes and 17 seconds it took was a joy beyond compare.
And then, Meena pointed me to this TM Krishna’s piece.
It’s pimples of the geese variety ALL over again.
The Season’s come and gone.
And here I am sitting in Mumbai feeling smug and content with an IT job that’s as rare as pimples on a teenagers face.
If renunciation is the way to a higher plane of existence, I am not sure how what I have renounced might take me to a plane higher than what I have just come back from. From the exact kind of thing I have renounced.
What a joy 197 seconds can bring you!
Imagine now what joy awaits you 864,00 seconds you have each day!
Pathe 
Amal said:
3.17 min. Time i took to read your post. But can’t play the video though.
JustPathe said:
You might be behind a firewall! Are you wasting 3 min 17 secs of worktime? 😉
pODV said:
3’17” looked like 3 feet and 17 inches … sorry 4 feet and 5 inches : )
this post could be (or is already!) an Ad script – Guinness used the ‘110 seconds’ line in the past (… to pour yourself a Guinness and carve a shamrock on the head) : >
JustPathe said:
Were you able to view/listen to the video? This is a recording of Margazi Ragam organized by Jayendra. CDs are availabe, you can check this
Roopa said:
I thought I commented on this post, I don’t know where it disappeared. I was not able to watch the video Pathe and I would love to, especially for the goose bumps 🙂
Rummuser said:
I do not know how to become your friend. The video does not play for me.
JustPathe said:
Came across a link to the TMK rendition of Behag that inspired this post. Just had to email all of you – this is a joy that should not escape your current visit to this planet. Give it a couple of listens and let it grow on you.
While you are at it, indulge in the following brilliant interpretations of Behag.