Orkut: A love affair to remember

It was the days of yore, the first tryst and love affair with social networking where we discovered a life beyond the routine where being a celebrity was just a click away from the finger tips. The world of scraps, photos and having a big party online. We jettisoned to the charm of the online world, beyond e-mails and splashing our pictures all over, starting communities and commenting on friends' profiles was the real icing on the cake.

That's how my scrapbook looks.

An ongoing romance and love affair engulfing passion as we went on a journey of self discovery.

Sweet nothings and gentle stroke touching the heart.

We met and fall in love,

swaying to your charm,

old chum.

It's called Orkut, our old chum, which we may have lost touch with, who stormed its way in our life way before we knew something called Facebook or the 140-lines Twitter and the professional network, linkedin. True. Hi5 happened before that but nothing like Orkut, zooming in our lives like a dream. Writing the first scrap on someone's wall and getting an instant reply, we almost jumped with excitement.

Joined in 2006 and remained active, having a blast every single day where checking the scrap was a must, till 2009. Not a long lasting love but we made an affair totally worth it, relishing every nano second of our life that zoomed in front of our eyes. Orkut was a gentle but subtle reminder that we can indulge in balderdash with pals for hours.

Getting our first testimonial was like telling the world, 'Move over celebs coz we are one', a real cherry on cake that tasted sweet and awesome. We started groups, inviting pals and college mates to join us. It was like falling in love for the first time, our first sex escapade, bearing an uncanny ressemblence to the joy of turning 18. An era filled with adventure, spelling magic in our lives, like kids whose eyes beamed with pride and excitement. Suddenly, we had a life in the world of computers and net. We became net savvy and glamorous. 

The first tryst where we had a date with destiny and we can claim to be the whizzkids who experienced the joy of social networking in the form of Orkut. The Facebook kids came much later coz we were the first one to arrive. Remember, we are 90s kids who rocked the scene quite timelessly in 2000s as we sashayed into the world of social networking. We were all over the place as the brand ambassadors of Orkut with a bang. We rocked like crazy in this roller-coaster ride.

My Orkut home page

We called it communities not likes or groups, like in the over rated Facebook which I am part of and cannot live without, like zillions across the world. It was our gateway to opportunity and visibility. A feeling of overwhelmed joy that has been lost in translation over the years. Yeah! I never had a Gmail id at that time and was informed that I could sign in with my Yahoo! India Id and as you signed, you landed in the community. A feeling where you could thump your chest victoriously and adrenaline pumping down the spine, eagerly waiting to explore the whole Orkut business. After all, what's there in a scrap?! It didn't cost a dime or energy to jot one liners or for that matter, few words to catch up with friends, set a date or dropping a message if the other person went incommunicado on phone. It was a must and Orkut was our social media revolution. I remember someone telling me about the death of a friend on Orkut, owing to the fact that I lost my first ever smart phone. It was the days of yore in Mumbai where you would surf for one hour in Orkut for just 15 buck in SoBo (South Mumbai). Yeah, I remember sitting at the cafe inside Stadium Restaurant at Churchgate. 

Dashing straight out of the train after 40 minutes tiring bus and train ride at Santacruz, my steps took me to the Cyber Cafe to check out how the online community, We the People, were faring. An adventure that gonna end in September and in the whole hullabaloo of the World Cup, people seems to forget about our first love.
First love are always special to us where we made our first online friends, soul we've never met or will never, most probably. Orkut never made healthy flirting so easy, falling prey to gentlemanly and ladies' charm , making friends online never been so smooth. Some met on a date, fell in love on Orkut and got hitched. We are thankful for our long neglected friend, Orkut, that entered our lives like the fluttering breeze and gentle wind that stroke the heart.

Never say good bye, buddy.

The heart knows no distance,

feelings may be best kept inside us as we cherished the moments of life.
The end of an era, the golden age.

Matters of the heart shall not melt,

As you doff your heart, we make memories.

After all, first love is always special.

We were shocked and dismayed yesterday when Google announced the closing of Orkut. Perhaps, we took our neglected friend that gave character and shade to our lives, for granted. Orkut will be closed on September 30 and I intend to scribble in my digital scrap book as an ode to the golden days where we discovered social networking. Mind you! I'll transfer my profile pics, testi and scraps on the computer.

Till then, good friend, stay cool and let's enjoy the moments of love and longing. We shall meet another day till destiny brings us together.

With Love
Vishal