Today, I have the pleasure of hosting Mrs Usha Menon on my blog. Ever since I started reading Mrs Menon’s blog, which was sometimes last year, I was intrigued. I was amazed to see a 77-year-old retired educationist, discover blogging and taking it up so passionately. And in this one year I have seen her evolve, as she explored the art of writing a Haiku and stories in 100 words to poetry and prose. I am yet to come across somebody who is so keen to learn and explore at this age. Is there any age for learning new things in life? Thank you Ma’am for showing me that learning has no age limit. And today I’ve invited her to share a little of that passion in a guest blog post.
Welcome, Mrs Menon…
If we were to list the sin that is most commonly seen in all societies, gossiping would surely find its way in that list. We find people who gossip everywhere, in offices, schools, colleges and even within the four walls of a house. 
Do you remember a game which we all played while we were children? A group of children would sit in a circle. The game starts with one child whispering something in the ears of a child, sitting next to her. Let’s say that the first child says, “Pizza tastes great.” This sentence is whispered in each child’s ear one by one. The last child announces what she heard. Can you guess what the last child heard and announced? She said , “Pete’s a great ape”. Can you beat this!! This is how gossiping works. It starts with one person and is passed on from one person to another. In the process it assumes a different meaning altogether!
We find gossip columns in many newspapers, where we can peep into the personal lives of high society people. Generally people are curious to know about the personal life of famous movie stars, politicians and other well known personalities.
However much we may disapprove in theory, gossiping is a very common behaviour.
Why do we gossip? Whatever we talk about another person, he is not present to defend himself. We gossip because
(a) we feel superior
(b) we feel we can have more control on power
(c) we want to take revenge against the person
(d) we want to attract attention
(e) or start some activity when they feel bored.
In the corporate world, gossip plays an important role. The top most executives have their own hired gossipers or informers who blend the ‘inside’ activities of the chosen one according to their own judgment. It can sometimes prove to be dangerous. But strangely gossip is the best means to collect or disseminate information.
In recent years much research has been done in the field of gossiping. Many psychologists have concluded that generally when two people speak to each other it is more about a person who is not present.
We all know that gossiping is wrong then why do we indulge in this activity? In a conversation between two individuals, words spoken about others give them a feeling of mutual trust. It gives a boost to their language and to a great extent; a bond is established between them. Such bonding is natural because shared dislikes bring them closer than shared likes. It is a method in which they share their sense of humour.
Is gossiping good for us? Gossip can be put to good use also. Through this we can judge the aggression hidden within us, which can lead to self introspection and we can correct ourselves to a great extent. Gossip varies according to the persons practicing it. If the gossip does not harm the person, who is being discussed in a group or by two individuals, it can be laughed away. But if the gossip is an evaluating and demeaning comment on someone who is not present, it amounts to spreading rumour against the person. Such gossip leads to heart burns. We can easily differentiate between malicious, mischievous and mean-spirited gossip as opposed to innocuous, innocent and harmless gossip. Gossipers enjoy mutual bonding, as it is colourful and juicy.
So, tell me what’s the latest buzz in the blog world? I am all ears…
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38 Responses
Shilpa is a well known personality in the sphere of blogging. She is a veteran, with an expertise in all fields. Whether a story, or a personal blog, photography, or cookery, she is a perfectionist. Her creativity and excellence in writing is known to all her readers. There is another unique side of her personality. She is a wonderful human being, is very helpful and has no airs. When she asked me to write a guest post on her site, I felt honoured and without a second thought agreed to do so. It is my privilege to be here. Thank you Shilpa.
It is my pleasure to see you here, Ma’am. I am so excited that you shared your thoughts at this space. And you are too kind. Thank you so much!! ♥ ♥
I agree with every word Mrs Menon has said.
Shilpa,you have our family as your admirer..Mrs Menon is one of them
I am speechless… 😛 Thanks a lot Mr Chowla for all your support. Appreciate it a lot! 🙂
I’m no big fan of gossiping … I probably would have done it more often though but I have very poor short term memory and tend to forget secrets and stories that I hear.
But yes, when Ive been the subject of gossip and heard bad stuff said about me, it really hurt… don’t see many upsides to it.
P.S. wanted to share a blogpost on the old game “chinese whispers” which I had written earlier.. a different take on it, of course 🙂
http://www.godyears.net/2011/03/chinese-whispers.html
You are right, Roshan.Nobody likes to be a subject of gossip.Thanks for sharing your views.
Excellent post. Reminds me of a joke I heard. One guy said to the other guy some friend vomited. He told the 3rd guy he vomited in black color. He told the 4th guy he vomited in black color and as black as a crow. He told the 5th guy he vomited lot of crows.
Thank you SG.. Your Story is interesting.Gossiping all about this.
Gossiping, as you said, is a favorite activity between bosses and their favorite subordinates. If one wants to grow up the corporate hierarchy quickly, they can indulge in this activity.
Gossiping works only when the truth is passed on. With false information, subordinates lose favor. Even there, truth reigns.
Destination Infinity
Thank you Rajesh. Corporate offices survive on the basis of information provided by their informers, hired for this purpose only.
I remember playing Chinese whispers…such fun…But in reality gossiping is a big no for me…i believe it can do no good to anyone!
Yes Aditi, malicious gossip is very dangerous. Thanks for sharing your views.
I personally am a big fan of both Mrs Menon and Shilpa and absolutely enjoy all their posts and therefore, this post for me is a double bonanza 😀
Loved the topic that Mrs Menon took up for this post and absolutely enjoyed the way she put it across. In my opinion, gossiping in a corporate environment in office is probably not too bad as long as it it not too toxic in nature. It has always proven to be an excellent source of information for me and more often than not it has allowed me to be better prepared for certain situations well in advance.
However, gossip outside office is another thing altogether and is something that I will dedicate a post to sometime soon on my blog, I guess 🙂
Thank you Jairam for reading all my posts and enjoying them. Shilpa is a great writer. I can never reach her level of creativity.
I guess you benefit from the gossip provided by your trust worthy people. Is’nt it? Waiting for your post on this topic.
Ah gossip…I feel it is like the street food, tasty but not very healthy 😛 It is always a pleasure to read your posts Ushaji, they are insightful 🙂
Thank you Reshma. I loved your comparison between gossip and street food.Thank you for your inspiring comments.
Those who gossip with you gossip about you too. 😀
Never knew the positive side of this indulgence. Now I do. Thank you, Usha ma’am and thanks Shilpa for sharing this. 🙂
Thank you Sakshi. You are absolutely correct. Gossip mongers are found every where and they dont spare any one.
I feel proud that Shilpa has given me an opportunity to write on her space.
That’s a fab post by Ms. Usha Menon!
I don’t mind gossip as timepass, but hurtful things – I don’t encourage them nor do I pass them along.
Thank you Pixie.Hurting others through malicious gossip is in bad taste.
Shilpa, it’s like this when I talk its not gossip but facts when others talk its gossip.
Thank you Kalpana for the thoughtful comment.
Every word is so true Mrs. Menon. Gossip is something that I stay miles and miles away from too. I always have and for the very same five reasons you mentioned here. It shows bad character of the gossiper rather than the person who he/she gossips about.
But there is sad side to this attitude of mine. I have a very small social circle. 🙂 So no latest blogging buzz to share with you. 😀
Thank you Jyothi. When a person who is the subject of gossip hears remarks about . him,how much he will be pained.
I very recently read somewhere. that we should always gossip imagining that person is standing right behind us. It helps control this habit. And yes corporate has way too much focus on gossip which more often results in people quitting too..
Thanks Richa. I am amused that we should imagine the person standing behind us and the reaction of the person listening to gossip against him.
nice topic! i remember that game of chinese whispers:)
There is nothing called harmless gossip i guess. Gossip is harmful and as good as killing especially when a person’s character is assasinated.
Thank you Asha for your views. Character assassination is very harmful and malicious.
Shilpa and Usha, I enjoy both your blogs so was really nice to see a guest post here. Nice introduction Shilpa and nice post Usha.
Thank you Suzy. I am grateful to Shilpa for inviting me to her site. Thanks for the words of appreciation.
Gossiping can sometimes take dangerous turns. Unnecessary rumors and opinions get spread about someone’s personal life and their sentiments are badly hurt. Nice post.
Thank you Jaishree ..You have rightly said that sentiments are hit by the effect of meaning less gossip.
SG, this is a wonderful idea to have Ms.Menon on your Blog.
I cannot disagree with the take on Gossip.leaving aside how gossip can be positive, often it is indulged in because of cowardice . Talking about another person with authority while not knowing what it is to be in his shoes is awfully cruel and mean.
Thank you Anil. I enjoyed writing on Shilpa’s blog. Actually gossip which maligns another person is nothing but mischief.
It is amazing to me how fast news travels and how distorted it becomes as it passes from one person to another. Before you know it…it is unrecognizable! ♥
Yes Kathy.This is the essence of gossip.
Lovely post, Mrs.Menon! I definitely know that gossiping in the family, especially on Sunday afternoons after a heavy lunch is a beautiful experience! And, of course, with close friends.
Thank you Shilpa – what a great guest blogger!
(As you can see, I am playing catch up!)
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