2014-10-01

Farewell Orkut: Eight-year itch comes to a dead end


First love is always special, like our first kiss, bike, car or toy. Eight-year hitch finally comes to an end as September 30 is the day of Orkut, the first social networking site, that made us discover what chatting is all bout and finding love or chatting with unknown chicks is not debauchery, closed down.

I call Orkut, my first and last love. It was just yesterday that we met and fell in love, head over heels with each other. Orkut made me discover the joy of scrapping friends online, writing testimonials on each other's profile and the first tryst with sharing pictures, uploading musics and starting communities. Move over Selfies on Facebook, Orkut was the real and in-thing till the mighty and brute force of the former conquered the later. The joy of not being able to sit still and heading to the cyber cafe to check if the cute girl has sent a scrap or that friend writing something. We spoke about almost everything at the time of Orkut, our impending exam results being delayed forever, urgent messages of catching up for movies or coffee hang out or finding a common buddy's phone number.

I was like Alice in Wonderland, a tale of eyes wide open gushing on this discovery called Orkut. True, I couldn't live without it, rushing to check out scraps, discovering an online world that unfurled itself, offering countless possibilities of making friends across the globe. It redefined self super stardom on the internet world. More homely and simple, Orkut offered a human face for interaction hidden by the net. A tale of connecting with old chums, scattered in different parts of the cities, at a time when college was almost over. Move over sms-es, phone calls or letters, it was the super cool thing to remain in touch.
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It was 2006 when I received an invitation to join and connect with friends. The same year when 7/06 train blasts happened when friends would check if I am safe, the same day I traveled to Mumbai for some pending works. Orkut was functional and worked big time for us, scrapping at length and delivering messages. Our boring days were over when I would head to the cyber cafe to kill time I had in hands. It gave me sleepless nights and I couldn't wait for the night to get over to log on Orkut to have some good fun with pals.

It feels as if it was just yesterday as memories flashes back to the mind, reading and sending scraps, putting new statuses and uploading pics. Orkut was the discovery of social networking and gave us a life, beyond the ordinary.

A tale of too little, too late. I promised to self and, as a friend told me months ago, that we would spend the last day, logging on Orkut to relive the good old days. It wasn't meant to be. I forgot that today, September 30, was the last day to log on Orkut owing to the hustle bustle of professional life. When I reached home in the evening, read in the media that Orkut has bid its farewell to the not-so-net savvy tribe that we were. When I tried to log on, they wouldn't let me: directing me to community archive. 

A disappointing and sad message that hingered on nostalgia. It was ten years of pure bliss, January 2004 to September 2014, where millions came together for common  interest. I was advised to visit the help center to preserve my Orkut history of connections and conversations. I can't help feeling nostalgic and sad. Truly, the end of an epoch filled with bliss and wonderful memories. Orkut contained my collection of college memories.

I haven't been able to save my stuffs to Google drive and need to preserve my memories. I know, there won't be anything like Orkut who gave immense joy and made us Orkut-ians. It was a beautiful journey made with simplicity. How I wish the good ole times would come. Pinning for a miracle and hope Google would have second thoughts, may be, after years.

Bidding you farewell, my good and old chum, Orkut. Let me tell, you were and are much better than Facebook which is more fad than anything else. But, I guess, all good things come to an end. Our eight year itch comes to an end! Alvida! Ce n'est qu'un au revoir. You shall be missed, forever.

Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna
Vishal

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