I'm not just an entry in your contacts list...

Phool ki shuruvat kali se hoti hai,
Zindagi ki shuruvat pyar se hoti hai,
Pyar ki shuruvat apno se hoti hai aur
apno ki shuruvat aapse hoti hai.
* Happy Diwali *

Sapney aur Khushiyan layi apne sang...

Apko Mubarak ho Diwali ki yeh umang.

***Shubh Dipawali***

And the one who sent me these messages doesn't even know that he / she has sent me this message.

I don't even know who sent these messages to me.

This is just one of the 180+ messages I got this Diwali season, and many more such emails.  I don't even know so many of the senders' numbers / emails.

I open the greeting mail and see that there are hundreds of recipients in the cc field of the same mail.

I don't have a problem with the messages, I have a problem with the way these messages are sent.

The step by step process is given below:

1. You get 80 such messages.

2. You like one of them

3. You press forward button

4. In recipient field, select all contacts

5. Send SMS

Job done!!!!!!!

That, my dear, is the problem.

The whole concept of festivals is to send greetings. Yes... GREETINGS!!!

As per Wikipedia:

Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings (as well as other members of the animal kingdom) intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship of people coming in contact with each other.

You have 200 Contacts in your contacts list and it took less than 5 seconds to send a "greeting" to them. You don't even know to who all you have sent greetings.

If a person deserves to get your greeting, then he / she must be a person worth your time. If you can't meet in person, atleast take time to send a personal sms or mail or call up and speak to that person.

If you don't even have enough time to type a message or a mail for that person, then its better not to send a greeting at all.

"But Gulshan... Atleast I sent a message. Thats better than not sending anything at all"

My Dear, if you don't even know to whom you have sent... if the other person received a message just because he is on your contact list... if you didn't think of that person while typing and sending the message... then it is as good as not having sent a greeting at all.

"But Gulshan... This is an excuse to keep in touch atleast once a year"

No Dear, it is not. 80 more like you sent an SMS to that fellow and he / she just went on deleting them. Speaking or meeting is a much better excuse... that too anytime during the year."

"But Gulshan... I don't have time to do all this"

Then don't greet. If you don't have time for a person... then either you don't deserve that person or he / she doesn't deserve you"

"Its easier said than done. Its not practical to personally talk to everyone"

Darling... I started at 8.00 in the morning this festival and went on till 10.00 in the morning (thats it... just 2 hours). And it was the most beautiful experience I went through in a long time. I really think it was worth my time listening to all those responses, speaking to old friends, teachers, distant relatives... "Gulshan!!! whats up man" "Dude!!! are you even on this planet" "Man... your voice has changed" "Great talking to you man".

I didn't have very long conversations... these were short calls. Some picked up the calls, some didn't.. some called back, some didn't... But the best part of all is that I felt good at the end of the process.

I know I had not treated someone as just another entry in my contact list

I know that because of me someone felt good that day

I know I wanted to greet a person and spent time greeting him / her

I know that the people about whom I care are not just an entry in my contacts list

Finally, I know that for so many of them, I am back in their memories and no longer just an entry in the contacts list...

Happy Night.