This Orkut thing, this whole online social networking thing, leaves me a little confused, a little bemused, a little disappointed and a little smile!
On a rainy Saturday afternoon, with nothing much to do, with nowhere to be at, I take to my online buddies for time-pass. A little browsing through friends’ lists of friends, lets me reach, leap by leap to that very old classmate and good friend, from 15 years back! The last time we were in touch was in the times of the snail-mail and landlines… I let out a wow, am thrilled to discover her again, and dig into her profile, going through her friends’ list, going through her profile details, the pictures in her album, and then, a little shamelessly, into her scrap book.
Very soon I must know all about her, what does she do now, how does she sound, who does she hang around with, is she married, what career has she finally landed herself in, so many questions… I dig furiously through her scrapbook. Err… I seem to be shameless enough to repeatedly admit that even! But there isn’t much there, just regular conversation and exchanges of good wishes and hellos and trivial comments… But my questions prod me.
Before I even realise what am doing, I have given her a friend request and left her a scrap in her scrapbook… “Heyyyyy!!! Really really long time… what’s up with you….” I type in, excitedly. I almost clap, she will be neatly surprised, wont she? With that, and my lazy afternoon ruffled by real enthusiasm at having come across an old friend on this cyberscape, I logout, but not without hoping that she replies real soon.
It is only after I logout and I calm down that I ask myself, so what now? Are we going to be good pals once again, despite the length of time that separates the girls we are today from the ones we were the last time we were in touch? Surely she has changed as much as I have, come on, my hopes, my ambitions, my ideas, everything has so changed. Ok, so if we don’t click, big deal… I tell myself… But I know, deep down am hoping we reconnect and get back to a relationship like old times, yeah, foolish no doubt!
Lets quickly fast forward a week later, equal enthusiasm and cheer greeted me as she accepted my friend request(speaking in orkut terms!), we have exchanged updates. She now does this and is staying there and everyone in her family doing good, but her dog died, and stuff like that, you know… She too hears my end of, I now do this in life and stay there and yes mom and dad are doing great, and oh so sad your Bruno died! Then comes the little bomb, we exchange contact numbers!
I sit staring at her number, should I call…? What do I say? What do we talk about? Now, one thing I must tell you, general conversations come very easily to me, and I can talk to most people the first few times I meet them, Oh you think I ought to be more modest about it. Ok, fine we wont talk about it…! Anyways, so am left wondering what to do now… the thing is, this is not just a general conversation. Once upon a time we knew each other’s crushes and heartbreaks and dreams and stuff like that. How does one start off after having stopped with a full stop? A new paragraph perhaps?
After dilly-dallying a good deal, I dial her number, slowly, like someone just put my life in slow motion. The phone rings at the other end… once, twice… five times and then well, I hang up! I leave her a little note saying, ‘Hey, been trying to reach you, give me a call at my number when you are free..’ Huh! the ball’s now in her court, I smile!
Lets again fast forward another week later, there were missed calls from her, I was busy at work, genuinely, I swear! 
There were few more missed calls from me… But now I’ve got it, neither of us are that enthu-ed to get back, or perhaps we donot know if we should, or if we can, or how to! Thats where it is… disappointing that its happening like this, amusing that both of us are going through the same thing, confusing as to what to do now! But off course to know that she is there once again in my list of contacts, and that I can talk to her anytime I want, does leave me with a smile….:)
Well, that’s one of my stories of getting back with old friends, via the Orkut route, what’s yours like?
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I think people you really want to keep in touch, there are other ways of keeping in touch than orkut. Atleast, I think Orkut is to keep in touch with people you neither have on your speed dials, nor your phone book and not even your address book. For people who you can say an occasional ‘hi’ to and pass some random comment on a new snap put up in their album… But if you really want to stay in touch with someone after meeting in Orkut, you needn’t use Orkut after that.