The Last Bazinga ever.

I sat in an uncomfortable position on the chair, watching Madagascar on my laptop and texting my best friend- Sudharshan. We were close to our practical examination and didn't have the closest clue about the concepts that were going to be asked. On my Netflix homepage, I saw a snippet of a guy in a red shirt, a black dickie, and a weird Beatles haircut. I took a snap of the clip and sent it to Sudharshan, captioned- 'Isn't this your favorite series?'. He became excited as soon as he saw the clip, and began describing his favorite character from the show. 'Start Watching it.' He told and left the chat, I was just seconds away from clicking 'play', a click that would change the way I think about things forever.

Most of the people I know, refer to me as a Nerd. Growing up, I thought being a Nerd was bad, and being the coolest person in the group serves me better. By the time, I reached 18, I found out the reason behind everyone categorizing me as a Nerd- It was just because, My activities were nerdy, I was not sportive. I don't like loitering around the neighborhood and I 'Read' way too much. I also understood that society considers nerds useless, so I gave up hope in myself (when it came to social life). I locked myself in the room, to avoid conversation with strangers and even relatives. I would be sitting idle in one corner of the room when distant relatives would ask questions out of the blue which pushes my mind from Panic to Uncertainty to awkwardness. Now, I understand, you must be thinking- 'Anirudh speaks non-stop every time. He is one big chatter-box' , well those non-stop speaking is when there is no pressure of speech, every time I speak seemingly confident, it's just because the situation I am handling is a pure dipshit.

Coming back, Upon Sudharshan's reference, I began watching the series. I saw the first episode, then the second, then the third. I was sucked into the world, though fictional, it was a world I wanted to be in. It was a dreamland for me. Every property in the show, every guest appearance in the show was just fascinating. I felt happier than ever, I had a sense of hope, I had some sort of self-confidence boost watching the fictional world accepting people who were as weird as me. Every idea in the show was cherished, Every episode with the idea replenished my mind. 2 Months of happiness, curiosity, and paying bills for my wifi & Netflix passed (It was worth it). It was the season finale of one long journey. I was on my bed that evening, it was dark but my curtains were still open. Halfway through the episode, My eyes welled up, and by the time I neared the ending, I began crying like a child. The slow acoustic version of the title song played, everything seemed still. I buried my head over a pillow and cried, I've never cried so silently. 

"The whole universe was in a hot dense state, then nearly 14 billion years ago expansion started. Wait..."

I wiped off my tears, never have I cried so much in recent times. I looked at the posters of the show on the wall, and then let out a dramatic smile, with tears rolling down my cheeks. 

Ladies and Gentleman- 'The Big Bang Theory!

The sitcom that taught me being myself wasn't bad after all, and the world is made of different kinds of men and women. All you have to do is to Believe in yourself. I've always had good, supportive friends, I'm blessed to have chosen good friends who feed my passion rather than distract me. But those two months, I had fictional friends with whom I hang out for hours together, on the couch in the living room, eating Chinese takeout and managing to keep my calm even though Sheldon finds faults in everyone.

Sheldon, Leonard, Penny, Howard, Raj, Bernadette, Amy, Stuart, Kripke, and the list goes on. 

All these may seem juvenile to many of you. You might say- 'It's just a scripted sitcom, it's just for entertainment.', I agree, for many of you this might be just another sitcom like Fresh Prince of BelAir, F.R.I.E.N.D.S, The Office, etc. but for some, a small section of us- This is our dream, this is who we are. Right after I finished TBBT, I called Sudharshan, whom I fondly call - Shady. Talking about Shady, he is my best friend from college and we share an enormous interest in science and technology. Although Shady's philosophy and mine are like a Venn diagram with a tiny overlapping, he is my go-to man in each and every situation. Shady doesn't solve my problem, but he makes sure that he never makes it worse.

Intuitive as Sheldon, heartwarming as Leonard, eccentric as Howard, as sweet as Raj, as active as Penny, as beautiful as Bernadette, as supportive as Amy, and competitive as Kripke, this is how I refer to the influence the entire show has had on me.

The whole universe was indeed in a hot dense state.

Then nearly 14 billion years ago, expansion started. Wait.

After 12 fictional years, 12 seasons, 279 episodes-Everything had changed materially, but nothing changed emotionally. We sat on the same couch, Sheldon on his spot with his Nobel Prize medallion along with Amy, Eating their Chinese takeout and laughing at the science jokes. As the camera pans, and the title plays slowly, and the screen blacks out.

'..'cause it all started with a big bang.'😉