was my contemporary (a year or two senior, I think) at Jadavpur University. Even in those days he had a wacky and often naughty sense of humour, as he widely publicised in the hand-written magazine titled Jabberwocky that he edited. Since then he has gone places, and done a lot of things in his time.
I am writing this post just to say I love his page called 'Survival Strategies' that is published every Sunday in the magazine titled 'Graphiti' that comes with The Telegraph. Maybe it's because I have a subliminal wish to be wickedly in-your-face like that myself, if only I had not lived in a 19th-century village, where they all expect teachers to be boring and goody-goody stuffed shirts, never doing anything other than churning notes and collecting fees, for fear of 'what they will say'....! Take a look at the page yourself to see what I am talking about. (You can even follow his page on Facebook. Just type 'Survival strategies Suhel Seth' in the search box).
God willing, I'll do something of the sort myself, when I am old enough, and no longer have to give a damn.
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8 comments:
Sir,
I have watched him speak on NDTV 24x7('The big fight', mainly) during those many discussions on the various ongoing topics of concern. It's a treat to listen to him; and it's amusing to see how he doesn't flinch from bashing at whosoever-(s)he-is at the face.
Sayak
Haha. He's been doing that column for awhile now, hasn't he? I typed his name in google (I'm not on Facebook) - but I remembered that column of his as soon as I read the first two SS questions and his completely irreverent and hilarious responses (some mental midgets were blasting away at his Survival Strategies column - is it that people are just stupid, and so lack a sense of humour or is it that everyone is trying to be politically correct and have lost their funny bone?).
And considering the sort of questions you get and the sort of things people tell you and the sort of things you could tell people with a glint and a straight face if you really wanted to - chortle-chortle - cheers me up it does. A hearty Amen to that last liner of yours.
Take care.
Shilpi
Many thanks for your very generous words..hopefully this will inspire me to drench even more people with some fine vitriol...
Suhel
So nice of you to acknowledge the post, Suhel. All the best, and more power to your elbow.
Suvro
Mr.Seth's strategies for survival are very exciting.He is indeed a man of great caliber and he always has odd ways out to solve problems.
Dear Sir,
Seth's column was always the first thing I read in the Sunday magazine. It was intelligent and funny and it would make my day!
But the best part was that hidden beneath his vitriolic humour was actually some sensible advice.
I found this one on the internet:
My seven year old son is autistic. He goes to an English medium school. Though, he is good in studies, he cannot communicate properly with friends and teachers. But he can communicate with family members in a better way. I am not financially strong enough to consult counsellors. We are worried about our son. Please help.
Name and address withheld
Seth's response: Frankly I do not have a clue. Try sending him to Delhi and I will try and see if he can become a Member of Parliament. Most of those clowns are autistic even though they pretend to be normal! But on a serious note, this is a tricky one and you will be well-advised to consult someone from the world of medicine. I am sure there are hospitals where you live unless of course you live in the Sunderbans. Try one of those places: it will be far better than wasting my time and yours by writing to me.
Pure brilliance! He opens the post with his signature tone and taunt and makes a quick comment about clown-like politicians and just when you think he might be crossing the line and becoming offensive (an autistic child is a serious issue), he changes his tone and tells the parent to go see a doctor. Perfect.
~Mayuri
Thanks for commenting, Mayuri. I love Suhel's comments precisely because behind the apparent rudeness (which a lot of people highly deserve) and wackiness you can sense there is a sensible and decent human being.
No comment on my lamentation over how living in this one-horse town cramps my style?
Sir
Skipping the part of mentioning where the column lies..
Hmmm... Just wanted to tell the man to do what he does best. Cool dude.
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