"My kid sister's generation is much more cool than ours", said a guy whom I had met recently.
"Not really, I think our generation is also pretty cool", I retorted.
"Huh! You are cool? You don't even smoke!", pat came the reply.
Whoopsidaisies!!! (Ya, ya Notting Hill -- borrowed from Mr Hugh Grant ...drool, drool).
Anyway, so my only claim to fame in the COOL CLUB has to be my smoking skills (or actually lack of them.) That can't be true, I thought. However, since I don't suffer from 'what-I-think-right-is-the-only-right' syndrome, I started reflecting upon the hapless guy's casual remark. (Cud-chewing on other people's statements is my forte').
While trying to figure out what does cool mean, I realized it is very close to potatoes (ya, right! breathe, breathe I am explaining). Just like potatoes it has a tendency to mingle without spoiling the flavor of the key ingredients. So, you could flaunt a 'cool' t-shirt, check out a 'cool' flick, bump into a 'cool' dude/babe or in fact be 'cool' about what others say/do to you.
Armored with my new-found COOL/POTATO analogy, I then quizzed (read bugged) my friends on their definition of "being cool".
Let me proudly state the humble demography of the survey. Of the near 40 people questioned 18 replied. The age group was 23-30 years. Sadly, I realized that I don't know any teenagers (the coolest of all people). So if you are teenager reading this, please feel free to share your views on the topic.
One I.I.T. graduate (24 years) candidly said, while judging a person's COOL QUOTIENT (CQ) he would give 40 per cent weightage to their appearance. Rest 60 per cent marks would be awarded to their capability to remain undettered under pressure situation. No surprise, his COOL ICON is Salman Khan and here is why -- "The actor remains unfazed by controversy and is stylish." Fair Enough!!
A lot of people quizzed said that looks did not matter. It came as a surprise, kind of anti-climax, going by the fact that a huge chunk of advertising industry actually thrives on "it's all in the looks" brand image. Check out for yourself. You are Gen now if you are seen drinking a particular fizz drink, you have arrived if you are seen chewing a particular gum, you'll get that dream job if you applied a particular cream/lotion/potion for instant beauty (They even have separate magic potions for men now, if that is some reprieve for the feminists) and blah and blah...
So, I posed this question to a friend who has been a brand image consultant for a dubai-based fashion apparel chain. And ladies and gentlemen his response -- In context to a person... "Cool" to me connotes a person who is smart, in control of him/her self, and has the ability to carry him/her self well (regardless of being in fashionable gear or not!).
Vow, the world ain't all that superfluous.
Not to digress from the topic, another friend who's a sculptor and an artist (We don't mention age when it concerns girls :))said -- "Cool... Any person or thing that APPEALS! Why it appeals! thats an individual liking further related to knowledge, past experience, Our DNA and also the mindset which is made by our surroundings".
Interestingly she made another point. Cool for one is surely uncool for another person sitting somewhere in some corner of this world. So Tattoos, Reptiles, Fashion etc always will have a cool and an uncool side. (That explains the SMOKING bit)
A friend from the US navy (yeah, yeah uniformed people are ubercool), guy, 23, reconfirmed our previous guy's view when he observed -- "Somebody cool means they have a laid-back approach to life and are easy to get along with. They aren't easily flustered or upset." (Hey, hey, I am also easy to get along with, can I make a fresh attempt at the COOL CLUB?)
Interestingly, in response to my e-mail on CQ some people sent me smileys. I am not sure if they meant smileys were cool or my question was too uncool to be answered.
Apart from smileys the other nominations received actually re-instate the potato nature of CQ. (US)President Obama, Indian (ex) Prez Kalam, Jhonny Depp, Salman Khan, Bob Marley, Jack Jhonson, M S Dhoni, Rani Laxmi Bai, Konkona Sen, Shashi Tharoor, SRK...
Gosh that covers almost everybody who's somebody. People with rock star looks juxtaposed against people of mettle and people of substance.
As for me, I think being cool is the capability to choose the right over the popular.
So how much does appearance contribute to CQ. Sum up for yourself. Dice the potato and add to taste. (WINK).
Lovely article Mrig. And thought provoking! Made me think about the kind of people I have usually called “cool” and guess what… most of the responses in your article gets summed up quite nicely in your one sentence :) that being cool is the capability to choose the right over the popular! It may seem like a generic statement, with various interpretations for various people. But at the crux of it, I agree with you. There is however, one small twist, where ATTITUDE matters a lot too… you can have a person going against the tide, but if the attitude is clumsy, too serious, short-tempered, too gloomy etc. then, in my opinion, the person ceases to be cool. However, even in the face of adversity, if the attitude is positive and there isn’t any stress creases on the fore-head, and the person keeps making his way forward, then that person can surely be in MY Cool Club! Hahaha! However, being unfazed, should not be confused with being “indifferent”. Its only when one understands the gravity of the tasks at hand, or the consequences of his/her thoughts and actions, and yet remains unfazed… THAT’S when you got a superior edge! One of your friends mentioned that its 40% about looks as well… well maybe… and maybe not… but most likely… maybe not! Because you have quite a few not-so-good-looking folks out there too who are cool! From a Morgan Freeman to a Mahatma Gandhi!
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