The Big Bang Theory

What do you do when you don’t have a life? You get cooped up in your room with books and increase your knowledge… or watch others do it. You either become a genius or laugh at the genius’ awkwardness at conforming to the social protocols and burning inside with jealousy at the size of their cranium. Like the Gift of God to humanity, Mr. Cooper, and his friends or associates as he would like us to refer to them as and us sitting in front of the idiot box increasing our idiocy when we could have proved The Big Bang Theory.

As I was following up the series, I realized every character has his own idiosyncrasy which lends color to this show. People, like me, try to relate to a character that they think resembles them in the real life. However, I found that even though every character has his set of individuality; based on the circumstances one faces, one shows traits of all the four characters at one point of time or the other. These traits are nothing less than some amazing powers. Now these powers might not enable them to zoom at great speed or lift tons of weight, but power, they are.

Sheldon shows us that the power of knowledge is limitless and dry wit. Stan Lee wrote an unforgettable quote, ‘with great powers, comes great responsibilities’. However, Sheldon refuses to acknowledge that and maintains that the only responsibility he has is to find the key to the most important cosmic questions so that lesser mortals, like us, can marvel at his contribution to the mankind. He is totally inept at the ways of the world, can’t understand sarcasm, can’t take implied cues or can keep a secret and lie impromptu for a cover-up. We have some people who are so lacking in the grey cells that they take sarcasm as a compliment, especially those friends indulging in PDA when we have been single all our lives. Ouch! Jealousy. For some of us it is way difficult to lie. People raised under the morals of truth alone triumphs of ‘Satyamev Jayate’ and fearing a blanket ban by Amir Khan if we don’t stick with truth, we fumble with weaving long tales and ultimately land up in a hot mess of half-baked lies and undercooked stories.

Next up is Howard, who is the punch bag of the group (though he tries to be the punch line instead). Although graduating from the best engineering college in the world, he is not a doctorate and hence an object of ridicule among his peers. Some of us, no matter, how much we progress, will always be the butt of jokes during get-togethers and pangs of that misery will always haunt us. He is also a sleazebag, thinking himself to be The Chick-Magnet, wisecracking pathetic lines laced with sexual innuendoes to sweep women off their feet, instead getting their fingerprints swept on his cheeks. Although, this aspect is just for laughs in the sitcom, there is an urgent need to understand and internalize this problem and stop degenerating women as a means to satisfy carnal desires. No offence meant, Howard!

The third one is Raj, from Hamara Bharat Mahaan. He is an astrophysicist, star gazer, celestial detective, looking eons into the past and understanding the light at the end of the tunnel…err…the telescope. Not unlike Raj, many of us also do star-gazing all day long, day dreaming about the ways to get rich quick. The same funda that put Babu bhaiyya, Raju and Ghanshyam in a precarious position with Kabira (speaking!) indulging in some Hera-Pheri. But unlike the movie, in real life, doing 1-2-ka-4 will always end in an unhappy ending. He is also very awkward in front of girls when sober, being polar opposite to Howard. We do know of guys who can’t make out a single logical sentence to converse with girls and do embarrassing things. I, for one, personally know a guy who spilled the water he was drinking on his food plate in front of the girl he liked. And normally a chatterbox, he couldn’t say a few funny lines to impress her, feeling stone-footed every time she appeared on her focus moving towards his centre of curvature.

Lastly, there is Raymond, the complete man in their group. Sorry, I meant Leonard. He’s the man. He knows how to interact with people, understand sarcasm but the bookish knowledge will always triumph his sense of the event and would go on rambling about minute things. Leonard is the guy every average Joe wishes to be. An average student would like to be as intelligent as him. An average tenant would like a roomie as caring and particular about others’ wishes as him. An average ladies man would like a girlfriend as pretty as his girlfriend, Penny.

There is always the hope that we might feel awkward and misfits, but don’t know our importance in the cosmic plan. We might actually be a source of happiness to others, even when we wish we could be better. And if, in case, we feel down, there will always be a Penny for us singing,

Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur,

Sleepy kitty, happy kitty, purr, purr, purr