I feel that often in a lot of things you know. Not being cool. Being a bit..well, backward or something.
Earlier, I used to feel very un-cool compared to my cousins in Calcutta and Bombay. They would be attending multiple classes, swimming, singing, playing an instrument, and what not. I remember telling my mother often that if I lived in a big city, I would be so much cooler. Amma would smile her usual Amma smile and say, its fine, there is no comparison between your cousins and you. Each of you is Unique! (See, thats why she is Amma!)
I felt they had better presentation skills in terms of writing and submitting projects, they had better pronunciations, better talking abilities etc etc …I studied in the Gujarat board school which had a vernacular medium of education. I always felt I wasnt cool enough as they were.
And then it is the question of English Music. I confess that I dont know any great English song bands (USA based or Europe based) I cant recognise any songs if you played, I have no clue what the classics are and I am clueless if you quote me an English song! And this is the child of a father who knows all the English music classics, at least of his times!
When people quote English songs ‘oh you should hear this one’ ‘oh thats such a classic’ wow, that band from my times is awesome! and stuff, I just nod my head and pretend to understand. In reality, I am clueless..now a days, I go home and google the band and read a bit about them. I feel so so uncool then. One day when I was younger, I asked Appa why he didnt initiate us into Western music and Appa didnt have an answer to that.
Anyways, the point being, I am not cool enough to discuss English music with people.
There are loads of other stuff that I am uncool about but this one really makes me feel a bit sad. and the saddest part is, I dont seem to have an ear for all this. I mean, if RD makes me hear a song and tells me something about it, I dont feel the urge to listen to it again. Its like okay so they played music and said some un-understandable words, but then what?
Its not like a Hindi song which I can recollect or can actually enjoy or listen again!
Guess, I am uncool eh?
The uncool series will continue in the future!
R's Mom 
You’re cool enough for me to come and read what you write. That is enough for me.
Awww thanks..you are a nice guy
Hey soul sistah! I hear ya!
Hugs hugs hugs..muah!
🙂 🙂 🙂 – Like ‘those who know about wines and those who dont know’.
You’re one the coolest I know. And I always tell people that when I have my own child I want to be like RM. Niweizz we wont be us if we dont have our fair share of insecurities & bouts of uncoolness na?.
Wasnt into TV until age 15 & was clueless about Big Names in Music & Film Industry (except vernacular/bollywood).
Used to feel sooo left-out & idiotic when people discussed Brad Pit & Backstreetboys, celebrities personal lives and all… At the time I was scared to pretend to know because if I would be caught if I nodded in the wrong places. But now we can atleast google up stuffs.
Somewhere along the journey, I picked up a taste for rock, classic, carnatic, hindustani, French, Spanish, Argentinian… thanks to my friends who widened my horiz. Language simply doesnt matter anymore. Just close eyes and lose yourself :D.
Gee! *blushes* arey there are so many blog mommies who are total inspiration yaar…I dont rate myself with them 🙂
I am glad you have now picked up stuff…super congrats on that!
I know what you mean. I am a nyana-soonyam when it comes to English music too! 😦 A couple of songs here and there is all what I know.
When we were in the US, the husband used to play the radio in the car every time we went out. And, me being me, will wonder if the same song is repeated again and again. I can’t even differentiate two English songs. Sigh.
For me, it is always Tamizh songs. Any song from MKT to today’s Biriyani ones, I am all ears. That way, yeah am uncool too. But I have learnt to be cool about being uncool! 😀
LOL on the US radio..you guys are super cute :):)
Guess yaa…lets be cool about being uncool eh?
Hey RM, even i don;t follow English movies or English music..
Only few songs which my friends shared with me, are the ones i know.. but abt the band and genre i am clueless..
same with movies.. i have watched them on computer most of the time.. and that too if i don’t follow it i would rewind and watch the dialogue again.
And you won’t believe my MIL has watched more English movies then me.. that too in theatre..
and sometimes on TV, including HP series.. and here i am clueless abt HP.
But you are cool in so many other ways right :):)
R’s Mom, cool is a dynamically changing adjective. I am sure you are considered très cool by folks who dont run dream runs, half marathons and also dont do warli paintings on tees. And there is no such word as “uncool” . If anyone throws anymore English music at you, send them over to my blog to hear some supercool dehati stuff . Beats the XYZ boys/Beatles/Bands hollow….
hahahah! you are super cute..thanks for making me feel cool 🙂
You don’t need to be ‘cool’. You just need to be ‘you’. Your Amma is so right.
I am ‘uncool’ in a countless number of ways. I am your soul sister, as far as your ignorance of English music is concerned.
Gee! you are like me in many ways no?
I will join with you.I dont know anything about western music too !! imagine my plight when my colleagues speak about music here.I just smile and listen !
not just with music,even otherwise i feel very uncool on lot of things too and hence lack self confidence
Awww! hugs hugs hugs..long time..kiddos fine na?
Nah! you are a super cool person VJ 🙂
I am uncooler than you:) I don’t even know Hindi songs:) And even worse, people get shocked that I haven’t watched all cool movies, most people like to talk about:)
LOL on uncooler..we are coining new words here 🙂
Yep:) How cool is that:)
I don’t think it is uncool at all. You just have a different taste in music!
Although if you really think it is that important you can get R initiated now…
yaa…guess you are right..just different tastes hehehe 🙂
I know exactly what you mean! 🙂
I dont think I will ever get into that club. The funniest thing is I still care, at this age, as a full ‘blown’ adult.
yep I agree..even after being an adult I wonder why I care..ideally I shouldnt eh?
OMG, you hit it on the head right there…Same here with Western music. Over time…after all these years abroad, I have tried to pick up some little bits and pieces here and there…but still, so identify with your last lines that I can’t really”enjoy” them as I would Hindi songs…But hey, you are one cool person…and so am I, (in my own way, at least), so…who cares!!
Gald you have picked up now thats awesome 🙂
Awww…thanks for thinking I am cool
Aiyo… RM… dont say you are uncool ever… As amma said you are unique 😉 And remember I feel you are a cool mom of a super cool kid R 🙂 and dont you dare depress me 😦
hahah! thanks for that Ramya 🙂
RM….please count me in….I am equally uncool as per this criteria.
hehehe 🙂 welcome to the club
Hey if this is what you call uncool then I am equally uncool.. Actually I know all the famous English songs of my times.. I loved them.. I did not miss any of them on MTV.. I followed all my Favorite singers.. Today when there is a get together I flaunt it when there is english song which comes.. I lip snk it and others envy me for that.. But you know what I am so bad at Hindi music I hardly know the old Hindi songs.. The songs which belong to my country.. It’s then I feel ashamed of why didn’t I show interest then in Hindi music.so it’s a matter of perspective and no one can be termed cool or uncool based on these things.. But still you can say I regret I did not learn Hindi music..!!
Isnt that awesome :):) that you know most English songs.. :):) I think THATS very cool..yes yes..it depends on perspectives definitely!
Oh…it is not just you. I feel the same, when my friends or people I meet while interning talk about english music, bands or any english stuff except for food 😛
But, personally I don’t think that not having knowledge of english music makes one uncool. In fact it is a welcome change. After all, the importance given to the language in our country is a myth. A well fed one at that.
Gee! I didnt realise so many people are like here :):)
Ayyo I do too many uncool things that way 😛 People think am totally crazy for the kind of books I read, things I do and things me and my *uncool* friends discuss 😉 I secretly enjoy being the uncool one 😛
Are you crazy? You are the coolest persons I have ever known Swaram
I did all my schooling in Trivandrum, Kerala. It is only then that I moved to Delhi for my college. So it took me awhile to overcome my small-town complex. Today however I am grateful for my roots. It keeps me grounded even while living life in a big city.
And this is why we are sisters! 😀 Even my knowledge of English music is terrible 😛 Somehow never got around to paying attention to such numbers.
Guess, I have suffered from the small town complex myself :):)
Please please count me in RM, I can’t seem to even develop a liking. I don’t know of its sad or no..
hahahaha!
RM, You have a very very cool way of writing, and subject matter in each post, the flow of the content is super..Coming to uncoolness, glad that you brought it up..So, its perfect to be uncoll nah..I know a very few English songs and that too only after repeatedly listening to the collection that husband has and forget about English, growing up in deep south, I wasnt even accustomed to Hindi songs..When my cousis who grew up in metros used to be so updated with all the Hindi movies, I had no clue.And , when I started watching English movies at the ripe old age of 18,I couldnt follow the dialogues (: I used to be dependant on the sub-titles for quite some time..
Awww! you are sweet Ramya..thanks for saying that!
Well you know Tamizh songs na..thats super cool eh?
C’mon RM! Your thoughts are super cool! A broad mind, willingness to read and be widen perspectives is super cool, you know! I don’t know anything about mudras or Bharatnatyam and wouldn’t be able to have a conversation with you other than saying “Oh wow!” a zillion times. But I refuse to be all myself uncool 😉 What we think is norm is cool in another country! And I don’t need to quote an example. You are a popular blogger, an amazing story teller, write posts for IMC, participate in so many contests and travel in Mumbai trains – okay! You are soooooo cool man (with the intonation) ! So take a chill pill…. we are all learning and oh boy! That is one never ending process, right?
Awww you are sweet Kismi..Me…well, I can do somethings but I still feel people who appreciate and understand English songs are super cool ::) yes I agree about learning being a never ending process 🙂
You are a very nice person RM 🙂 I feel cool that I know you a bit through your blog. Well, I like R more but then you do too, right? 🙂
Gee! R is going to be happy when she reads this heheheeh 🙂
oopsie (not be widen, just widen) sigh.
I am equally uncool about knowledge of english music RM 🙂 And I feel so weird in pubs and disco theques where they play all english songs but I have learnt to live with it 😛
LOL on learnt to live with it!
Count me in to your group, imagine my embarrassment when my American friends discuss songs and movies and celebrity gossips and I go blank…I am uncool that way too.,
Gee! how do you deal with THAT! you must be so cool na..not getting perturbed…I toh would have gone back to do intense research 🙂
I so NOT agree with this! You are one of the coolest persons ever! Hats off to you for your energy & creativity. Don’t feel so low! Cheer up! 🙂 I hope this is the end of the series!
Awww..thanks 🙂
Make a list of the 5 most respected female achievers and 5 most respected male achievers in India. For example, Dr. Kalam, Lata Mangeshkar, …
How many of them are likely to know more about English songs (and the other stuff you mentioned) than you do?
All this is superficial and totally irrelevant.
Why don’t we feel uncool in the presence of people who know a lot about Indian classical music than we do?
Just be yourself and be proud of yourself!
oh I agree :):)
and hey, I already did a post on how I feel inadequate in front of people who know classical music, I seriously feel uncool about that as well :):)
Sorry, not yet read that post, will read it soon. I’ve just started following your blog.
🙂
Don’t worry RM. I have been in the US for more than 10 years now and I still do not know any of the bands or the music people listen to here! I am just not into it like you said. I like my Hindi and Telugu songs better.
heheheeh 🙂 okay..thats cool as well
Pingback: I Am Not Cool Enough – 2 (Small Talk is Super Under estimated) | R's Mom