HYDERABAD: If you’re somebody who appreciates and indulges in the most unique kind of interests such as stargazing, comics, tech, sci-fi fantasy, etc., then it’s your day today! It’s Geek Pride Day, a day to recognise and celebrate you and the geek culture. Geeks have most often been misconstrued to be obsessive or boring and uninteresting but their lives can be more fascinating than you think, once you get to know them better. CE speaks to geeks who are more than excited to open up about their eccentric interests.
Shashank Kishan, a student, has a unique interest in North Korean music! Yep, when the world is going gaga about K-pop (South Korean), he says, “North Korean music is filled with an insane amount of melody and (patriotic) tune. It makes me curious to learn about a country (’s music) that’s closed off from the rest of the world, basically encapsulated in a time capsule and frozen once for all.”
Geeks tend to go to sweet lengths to keep their interests alive. “What motivated me to dive deeper into North Korean music is the sheer love people have for BTS, but I want to make them believe that their northern counterpart composes better music as well, I feel it’s the ‘real’ K-pop, something I guess that Jimin or V would sing if they were communists,” Shashank laughs. He hunts for songs with lyrics and meanings on Reddit (r/northkorea) and combs through numerous articles on the internet to learn as much as possible and ultimately save them in his playlist.
C Haranath Reddy, a marketing executive, has varied interests that range from Indian history, kings, freedom fighters, birds, dogs, and cattle, to Hindu dharma, Vedic chanting, bikes & cars, star gazing, Sufi music and even Christmas! Yes, you read that right — just Christmas celebrations. “I spend most of my time researching and analysing these on the internet. I feel geeks just find interesting aspects in the boring things and that’s a gift, I’d say,” Harnath says.
Meet Joshua Pradhan, student at Indian School of Business, Hyderabad and a tech and business geek. He says people like him are just those who pursue certain interests beyond what is ‘just necessary’ for one’s survival. “I’ve always been interested in all things tech and invest in stocks regularly. People did consider my passion for these things unnecessary and boring back in the day, but I’m glad I’m surrounded by more people like myself at business school,” he says.
Celebrating geekiness
Geeks are of all kinds and everyone has different tastes, however, just like Joshua, most geeks have to deal with certain politically incorrect statements, on a daily basis. Shashank says, “People have often asked me ‘what’s the use of all this?’, ‘It’ll go down the drain sooner or later’ and it honestly sounds demotivating.”
Psychologist Ruhi Panandikar says it’s all a result of stereotypes and explains “When we have a stereotype, we believe all members are alike. These stem from differences. There is no doubt that the media, culture, and various social groups may reinforce or encourage these beliefs. Most importantly, stereotypes most often nurture hostility, hate and dislike, creating the feeling that the other is wrong and ‘I am right’. Our views become that they are ‘all bad, no good’, and this level of generalisation based on one’s preferences or choice can be lethal, not just for the individual but also for the community. One of the many ways to minimise this is collectivism.”
According to her, educating oneself and others about the myths and beliefs is essential. She adds, “Society plays a pivotal role in this. Families too can be the safety net for one to bounce back when they experience dislike. After all, openness and rationality, empathy, acceptance, and respect come despite one’s preferences.”
Shashank says, “There’s always something useful and good in everything, it just needs the effort to sort it and project it towards the right group of people, only then will the geekiness be valued.” Joshua concludes saying, “More often than not, one has to be a geek to be the best in the world!”