A collector's guide to Rubble Rabble

I close my eyes and reflect back on all the things I have ever collected in my life.

"What is your hobby?" - Its an oft repeated question in any interview, ice breaking session, stage 2 of introduction, filling dead air, drinking conversations and just about anytime when we establish our points of diffrentiation and POP goes our eyes and we start rambling about all the rubble we have collected with passion.

I have collected a lot of things in my life but have not cataloged them like a connoisseur. Either I have been too lazy or I just love to collect and not follow rules which will tag me as an official collector. There is an element of romance in building up a collection. You spot the article you collect from a distance and there is a sudden spring in your feet, a mild adrenaline rush to reach out and grab, a twinkle in your eye, a feeling of childish joy when you own the object or a sense of dejection if you can't. Either ways you leave the place with a dream in your eyes, a smile on your face and a sigh of joy or "will come back to you later" kind of feeling.

Every year I go to the Kala Ghoda Art festival with a special motive in mind - Collect bookmarks. I love everything associated with the festival - the events, dance, movies and documentaries screened, photography, paintings, expression of creativity in the most simplistic manner possible, pseudo intellectualism, the jhola clad art and culture aficionado, the pretty young things strutting all over the place with a motive of getting spotted by the media or a fashion bigwig, the haute couture aunties who will go to London for a haircut but will buy local handicrafts for their maids as part of their CSR activity, Uncle Letch who has recently filed his fourth divorce and is scouting for scatter brains, the genuine art lover, herds of Rolling Stones (students who have no idea what to do in life, where to go, why they are there, what is their passion? ... well I fall in this category :-P) and hawk eyed businessmen and traders who can spot the genius in you from a mile and buy you out too early before you understand the difference between a million and ten lakhs.

This year was no exception. I went to the Kala Ghoda Art Festival to score bookmarks. I was accompanied by my friend Shagun, whose sole intention was to eat at the stalls and buy personal care products. I have no intrerest in personal care and hence all the ayurvedic products were NATURALly uninteresting to me. She labelled me as a freak when she saw me collecting visiting cards. I use visiting cards in hand made paper as a bookmark. Some of them are brilliantly done and I was ready to BUY some of them. The owners smiled at me and gave me 2 instead of one when I appreciated their innovative and eye catching visiting cards. Well to her and a lot of people "bookmarks" are something which you get it for free at CROSSWORD or any bookstore when you buy a book. There is no need to scout for them and pay money for bookmarks.

One man's rubble is another man's collection.  You either become a collector or a Rubble Rabble.