Rumor Has It

Do you believe in rumors?

Should you believe in rumors?

You could throw a counter at me asking how you even distinguish a rumor from one which is not. Truth is, in today’s world especially, there’s no telling where a piece of new erupts from or what the true motive behind that actually is. Well, wisdom still dictates you ignore gossip to focus on the here and now, the truth supported by facts. Like half-baked knowledge, scarcity of intellect or framed notoriety often leads to smokes of speculation from non-existent fires of unsubstantiated reports. No, I’m not talking about politics here but keep reading.
Now, I don’t come from a planet far-far away, so like many of you out there, I too have fallen prey to hear-says. In fact, I have even reacted to some at times. But I’d like to believe, in fact I know that I have never fed the grapevine against someone. Unfortunately though, I have myself been at the receiving end of such scuttlebutts at several times. Destiny’s favorite child, I guess.
Tell me have there been rumors about you as well?
There must have been, maybe in school or college, perhaps even later?
I fail to understand the need which persuades folks to do this. Don’t people know that not all have the strength to refute rumors head on? They have been known to go absolutely wrong at times, causing irreparable damages. Not something to be toyed with, I’d say.
What have some of the strangest rumors about you been?
When S and I started going out in college our batch mates, for some strange reason, found it amusing to propagate rumors about us. To this day the inanity of some of those crack me up. But at that point, the humor wasn’t as clearly visible as probably today.
Remember that couple in college everyone loved to hate? Well, we were that couple. Truth be told, even today we don’t quite know the reason why. But I’m not here to analyze the whys of someone else’s irrationality. I’d like to believe they were envious to the point of loathing us because they lacked something, not us. We must have been doing something right, something different which begged their repugnance.
Why don’t I share some of those silly rumors with you?
If not anything else, you could at least spend some time laughing at their absurdity. So, here goes.
Just a few…

·         Rumor was: S and Naba are just faking it. They won’t even last a week.
Me: 9 years down the line we seem to be faking it quite well, don’t you think?
·         Rumor was: S and Naba are disciplined and reprimanded by the Principal at every student fest but they never learn.
Me: Getting caught has never been our style my friend.
·         Rumor was: S and Naba go to the private magazine section at the library but never read books there.
Me: Really? You couldn’t stoop any lower than that, could you?
·         Rumor was: S and Naba have finally split.
Me: Really? Nobody told us that?
I know it’s pointless to even write about these things but I just wanted to get it out of my system. I don’t know why they disliked us so much or what made them dislike us so much.We are not bad people, really.
What was ridiculous was they even had bets as to when we would split. Maybe S and I should have wagered on never and made some money out of it!

How do you react to rumors?

You might take it lightly at first, maybe even get angry at times but one day it starts to sting. And that’s not a great feeling at all.

S and I being together even now seems to have shut them up for good. What also helped was cutting most of them out of our lives. Yes, deciding to not have anything to do with them has helped us stay unaffected and happy. Why unnecessarily keep people who don’t think well of you in your lives? Though S still is in contact with some folks from college (he’s kind that way), I have completely shut them off. Forgiving just doesn’t seem to be my style, at least for unprovoked nastiness.

These sporadic episodes of rumors against us has taught me how you can be targeted for no apparent reason at all. It just depends on the whims and fancies of a few people. The rest just latch on and follow the herd.

Another thing to remember is you may not be judged by the same standards as others, so don’t be surprised when that happens. We were an unlikely couple in the eyes of my batch mates so maybe that pushed them to detest us. But then another so called unusual pairing was celebrated by the same bunch of people within the same span of time. So, bottom line is you can never really know. But if it happens, just remind yourself you don’t need to justify your choices to anyone, as long as you are not killing anyone that is! No, seriously, you don’t need permission to live your life the way you want to.

Well, that’s all for now.

Before you go though, tell me, do you believe in rumors? 

Or, will you believe in rumors now?

42 thoughts on “Rumor Has It”

  1. Rumours are nasty and ugly. I think one can just distance themselves from the rumor mongers. It hurts but it is sensible to ignore and move on.

  2. Nabanita, I have been the target of malicious tongues and because I know how it hurts, have never indulged in gossip. You are right, people's lives can be destroyed by such talk. It's best to ignore it though. It's all one can do till humans come to their senses.

  3. You are so tiny 🙂
    Here is one more rumor that just happens to be true: S & Naba be so cute 🙂

    I keep reading your posts but never comment. ^this I just had to say.

  4. Rumors are crap. So they are also unpleasant, but it is wise to ignore and move on. Except, that's easier said than done. I've been at the receiving end of plenty. The worst thing is when someone you count as a friend does it.

    Love that pic of you and S. Blessings to you. Take care, Naba. ♥

  5. Ha-ha naba this made me laugh aa I remembered some rumors about me..my favorite rumor was when I stood district first in 7th standard a clse relative said their school is waste ..they never study properly .they bribe and get ranks
    It makes me guffaw now…he became bit mild after my state fifth and district 1st in tenth
    Thanks for refreshing these memories
    Have many w.r.t. career or other achievements …but yours seems like pure case of jealousy
    Good riddance anyway!

  6. awww you two … so adorable together. Good you cut them out. I feel it could be jealousy or grapes are sour case. But who cares now … love conquers all 😀

  7. Well all you need to do is ignore them and move on.. They only create a mess in our minds, that's it.. better to go ahead leaving all the negativities behind..!

    P.S:- You two look amazing together..!

    Cheers

  8. Rumors are rumors for a reason. It's never easy to be at the receiving end of it but then again, they are only rumors. 🙂 I guess, your classmates were jealous of you and S, and that could be the reason for the rumors. Lovely pic. You both are a perfect match, Naba.

  9. What is life without getting to hear some crazy rumor about ourselves? 😀
    It just shows our lives are better than the ones making them up. 🙂

  10. I guess there is something in the air of UP colleges.. Sorry if I am generalizing… I had to deal with the worst rumors any gal can have. And the main problem was I had to handle them alone. Then a time came when I dint even bother and then realized the more I let it bother, the dirtier the next rumor would be. So the rumors stopped irritating and I grew out of it.. Stronger and Smarter 😉

  11. Aw you guys are cute together. I think couples in college are food for gossip and nobody thinks they'll stick it out. That's no excuse for spreading rumours though. Rumours are the brainchild of vicious people. You did good by cutting them out of your life.

  12. True Rachna…It's the memories which sometimes fills me with anger & bitterness towards those responsible..

  13. I agree..sometimes I feel happy that such people no longer occupy a space in my life, in some of my bad memories maybe but not in my life..

  14. Oh that's bad Afshan…I have a few stories of such behaviour metter out to me too..Maybe a post on that should be done too..You are right people do it out of jealousy..It shows they are lacking not us 🙂

  15. Thanks Vinitha..yes it's not easy to be at the receiving end of rumors but it's best to move ahead, maybe try to ignore even..

  16. I don't blame yoy if you generalize…I have suffered quite a bit in my college too & it had nothing to do with rumors.. Mindset wasn't what I had seen before setting foot there..a lot of bitterness I carry due to my 4 years there.. So, I perfectly understand where u r coming from

  17. I don't believe in rumors about 90% of the time. I've learned, though, through experience, that that I must ignore all rumors about me – or, at least, try to find humor in them. By the time you're 62 (which I am), you're past caring – life is too short. Truly, too short. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

  18. Rumours are ugly and I absolutely detest them. Just like you, we had rumours about us being spread. And even I decided to shut shop for those non-worthy creeps. That's the best way to get negativity out of our lives. People don't even stop by to think how their words can create havoc in someone's personal life.

  19. I guess it had to do a lot with the culture of the college, Naba. Sorry you had to undergo all this. But you got back at them good and proper by proving them wrong, didn't you? 🙂
    PS: On a lighter note, when we were in college, it was news when someone had a boyfriend picking them up. I'm guessing these days it's news when someone doesn't have a boyfriend! 😉

  20. I think people just can digest the thought of young love…they in fact bet on it that the couple will break up eventually. M and I had to go through the same nasty rumors. And since we were the it couple in the colony, perhaps the bigger hand in outrageous rumours were the 'aunties'. 11 years later we are an example and in fact we are often quoted saying that the only relationship that well blossomed! 😉

  21. Most of us at some point do get affected by these rumors or find ourselves amidst it. Given how awful you feel, one has to realise how they need to really stay away from it.

  22. nicely put, your post reminded me of college times ..though even offices today are not behind with rumors …some people just cant live without gossip…and if you start taking them seriously , it can be devastating ….yeah, its is best to avoid

  23. Agree Rekha…I wonder what flips in them to make them do such things…Never really understood the motivation behind it all

  24. Ahh well look how they flip? And don't even get me started about the kind of rumors these 'aunties' spread !

  25. awesome and courageous writing, i hv also faced some rumors abt me and after reading ur writing i m thinking to share some of them…thanks for showing me the path.

Comments are closed.