Look who's giving gyaan

The other day, while I was at a coffee shop sipping my cuppa and reading my favourite author that my attention wasu00a0 diverted to loud guffaws coming from the table adjacent to mine.

It came from a bunch of students with IIT Bombay on their tees. The butt of the joke for these teenagers was a fellow colleague, whom they addressed as Rancho.

Amusingly, the guy being discussed here wasn't famous as Rancho of 3 Idiots because of the Aamir Khan-like charm he possessed.
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Rather, his friends actually abhorred him, as the poor chap used to start his gyaan ki paathshaala at the slightest opportunity.

Even I was amazed to hear about the advice he was imparting to his friends on ways to lead a perfect life.
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The budding gyaani might be counting him as part of the most intellectual in the group, however, the piece of advice coming from a 20-something sounded funnier than anything else.

From gyaan about life and tips on handling failure to overcoming fears, our celebs seem
to have an answer to all of life's problems

I am sure many of us must have come across many such Ranchos in life. As they say, 'The only free thing in the world is advice" and perhaps, the reason it's so free-flowing everywhere.

College mein professors, canteen mein girlfriend, office mein seniors, rallies mein netas, television pe hosts and now Twitter pe celebs. All seem to have taken to gyaangiri and how!

A noted filmmaker recently made an observation; 'Earlier, philosophers were celebrities. In the 21st century, celebrities are philosophers.'
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I am sure the star-struck followers on various social networking sites will second the statement, for our actors are no less when it comes to giving some advice and that too, for free.
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From gyaan about life and tips on handling failure to overcoming fears and achieving true happiness, our celebs seem to have an answer to all ofu00a0 life's problems.

For someone whose own life is marred with controversies, failures and estranged relationships; giving gargantuan lessons in 140 characters seems to have become a trend.

However, what beats me is what exactly are these stars trying to prove? Are they trying to flaunt their wisdom, if any? Do they really expect their fans to follow their advice?u00a0 I don't know.
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However, I am sure of one thing if this continues, the swamis of the world will soon be out of work. Are the babas listening?

Qasim Mehdi is Senior Sub-Editor, MiD DAY