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But the real fun tweeple were having, clearly, was posting humorous lines about the Vuvuzela, Shakira’s Waka Waka and Psychic Paul, the celebrity octopus, who predicted accurately the winner of Germany’s games, the semis and the finals! For a writer or blogger, looking out for a subject to write about forms the biggest challenge and online networking sites give us some of the masala to mull about. Soon ideas took shape and I found myself able to weave together some word-plays, humorous propositions, were Psychic Paul to accept offers to come to India!
I sent in my submission on Saturday 10th July and on Sunday, I was overjoyed to get a response from the TOI editorial staff that my articKle would be published soon.
If you have not yet read my humorous piece published in the Times of India on Tuesday, 13th July 2010, (now that was real quick) do read it by clicking on the link below:
Chasing the Oracle
I would like to share with you some of the lines edited by the TOI editorial team due to its Hindi content:
1. Paul, don’t think you are “Paul do Paul ka Mahir” and that you will go into oblivion after the FIFA finals, you could make it to the IIFA next year. From FIFA to IIFA!
2. Get on from singing “Paul bhar ke liye koi hame pyaar kar le, jhootha hi sahi” and make your moves to your rightful place in Bollywood.
3. dance with your co-stars around plastic trees to the tunes of Ashtam-da, or at least that is what the industry will call him after the release of the film.
4. Phillumy people will say “Atthon ungliyaan ghee mein aur sar kadhai mein”
Blogger’s Post-Scripts (usually containing more stuff than the post itself):
1. Paul may just be available to our folks interested in Astrological predictions but then he may call himself Be-bhaan Aath-pav-wala to give Bejaan Daruwala, who turned 80 last weekend, a run for his money. Or being attributed to Psychic powers may also mean he dons saffron robes and call himself Paul-Anand baba and build an ashram to serve his followers.
2. My friends were equally creative in their feedback, one of them reminded me how I had missed mentioning the MET department – to which I respond – I did not forget them – they were victims of paucity of print space (word limits, you see).
3. Another picked up the thread from my piece and wrote in to tell me that my article was “well-written in a Paulished language”. Thanks, buddy for getting the beat right! And also to a fellow blogger, who renamed me ‘Paulikar’ for this moment, atleast.
4. Thanks to all my friends, who sent in encouraging words of appreciation by SMSes, emails, calls…
5. Thanks TOI for picking my article and understanding the topicality of the subject!
6. Finally, I cant forget to thank Psychic Paul, the Octopus, for finally giving me a gr8 subject to write about, can I? !!!!!!!!
