Of Gangnam Style and Kolaveri Di

Two amazing tracks. One was a super-duper amazing hit all over the nation around 11 months back from now. (yeah, 11 months. Time flies so fast, doesn't it?) The other one, a worldwide rage. What's so freakishly awe-inspiring about these two songs that makes them so popular?

First, they were both sung by never-before-heard singers. No one really knew who Dhanush or PSY was before these. So, it gave a brand-new 'feel' to them... something new which people wanted to try out. Second, they were all freely available on Youtube - created just for the purpose of entertaining people, and hell yeah, they served their purpose!

But then, there's also a huge difference between the two. One was a highly relatable song - dedicated to the so-called 'soup boys' - the public could instantly connect to it. The lyrics were in simple English - a language which nearly everyone who has access to Internet in this country can understand - and the Tamilianized flavour gave a hilarious touch to it. In short, the theme of the song - a guy's lament over his girlfriend choosing someone else over him - struck a chord among almost every youngster in the nation.

However, Gangnam Style is different. The lyrics are 99% Korean - most of us don't understand head or tail of it. Here, it's the simplistic dance sequence that gave the video its real popularity - there are no complex moves in it, just simple shakes that anyone can copy. And the floor-tapping music throughout the video too is really catchy. Once again, it's simplicity at work here - there's nothing too complex or heavy about the music.

So, what's the thumb word here? Simplicity. Trying to be too complicated or high-flying would be satisfying to oneself - but if you want to connect to the crowd, be popular and successful, just do whatever random stuff comes in your head. Steve Jobs rightly said, "Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication."

The spirit of winning...

When you're watching a match and you see your favourite team or player winning, what do you feel like? Delighted, of course! Especially when it's Team India or some sportsperson representing India, the joy is doubled... 'coz after all, it's OUR country. Now, when we ourselves are playing with our friends and we win, it delights us too. Indeed, this insatiable quest for victory extends not just to sports and games, but everywhere. Whether it's an exam in school, a project at the office or getting the most comfortable seat in a bus - winning always makes us happy. Always.

Let's get a little deeper into this now. What is so magical about victory, or about being on top? Plainly put, it's a manifestation of our inner ego - that when we win, it means that we are ahead of someone, so, in a sense, we're better than them at it. It's a deeply ingrained instinct in our brains which has existed even when we were evolving from apes - to always get the most delicious and biggest fruit on the tree. Many a time, victory is fuelled by an incentive - like, in sports tournaments, people win to have a trophy, a medal, or some such thing. But there's also another kind - when a team has been knocked out of a tournament and still has to play a few qualifying matches just because it's in the schedule - they still try to win, and in common parlance, it's called "playing for pride".

There you go. Herein lies the hidden reason: pride. The human spirit somehow refuses to be seen as "lesser" in comparison to someone else. It refuses to surrender. It always tries to prove - even if it's only to oneself - that it is greater, stronger and better than its opponent. Maybe that's why we don't mind at all when we lose to our close friends, or while playing with a kid - there's no "pride" to show over there; it's all just for fun. Right?

However, there are things in life where we must accept that pursuing something, just because our pride refuses to let go of it, isn't going to help us - because we're not going to win it anyway, and even if we try hard to, it's only going to end in a bitter, avoidable conflict. Maturity lies not in hankering towards winning every possible thing - sometimes, you really need to understand what's good for you and for others, and what's not, and you need to draw the line accordingly. This world is not built only for catering to your appetite; sometimes you need to focus on the greater good as well. And the "greater good" usually turns out to be good for you too, in the long run.

But then, for most things, just don't surrender. Few things can eclipse the pure, exhilarating feeling - that you've won. Keep winning.