What makes Weirdos Day odd is that very few people want to own it. On August 13, many southpaws advertise their day. “Today is my day: International Left-Handers Day,” a friend posted on Facebook. Teachers across the country feel absolutely in control on September 5. Now, don’t ask me how they feel the rest of the year.
In contrast, most weirdos ignore their day. Nobody actually wakes up on September 9 and sings himself ‘hap, hap, happy weirdos day’. He doesn’t pat himself on the back for crossing a milestone. “One more year well-spent, living weird. Good job.”
One may feel impelled to wish others on the day. I do. I have a list of people I should call today. Isn’t weirdos always them ? It’s never me , right?
Probably to encourage people to embrace their weirdness, it’s now called Wonderful Weirdos Day (WWD). That has not done the trick. Not many hands have gone up still. Let me first stand up and be counted. On hindsight, I have done many weird things. Which include deciding to write an article on WWD.
So, I may be a weirdo. Or, a borderline weirdo.
But being a weirdo is not a bad thing after all. Weirdos often turn out to be visionaries. That’s a desperate hope I am clinging on to.
The point is: it’s a thin line that divides being weird and being different.
Kiruba Shankar, social media entrepreneur, author, teacher and self-professed weirdo, celebrates weirdness because he believes it fosters creativity and enterprise.
“Being called a weirdo is a compliment. A weirdo can be a path breaker. He may be trying out new ideas. He may want to break out of the rut. More often than not, great ideas border on the weird,” says Kiruba.
Vijay Anand, who works with fledgling entrepreneurs who have crazy ideas, agrees. “Many of the great ideas in the world started out weird. They have come from so-called weirdos. Great ideas come to people who are a bit out of touch with reality,” he explains.
Vijay heard about WWD only recently. Kiruba has already taken ownership of the Day. He is however disappointed that weirdness should be restricted to a day. It should be a way of life.
Kiruba employs ‘weird ideas’ in his classes for MBA students. On days he discusses ‘virality in social media’, he encourages his students to come togged up in weird costumes. It sets the stage for the lessons, which include how to be different from the crowd.
Almost all his classes have three-minute breaks that feed on weirdness in some form.
“My classes are invariably long, lasting three to four hours. Given this, there is a need for a short break every hour. During each of them, students are encouraged to act out roles that bring laughter and re-energise them. One of the activities is mummification. The students are divided into groups. Each group is given a full roll of toilet paper. They have to wrap it around one of them.”
As part of his efforts to stay weird, Kiruba has done various other things. One of them is FailCamp, an annual event that celebrates failure. When he organised it for the first time, he was ridiculed.
“People saw it as a stupid idea. Friends warned me that by encouraging people to discuss their failures, I would be seen as a failure,” recalls Kiruba. “The fact is we can learn more from somebody’s failures than from his successes. Now, many of those who scorned the idea of having such an event, actually attend it.”
After Kiruba’s testimony about the benefits of being a weirdo, we expect more enthusiasm for WWD. But, sorry, we’re not giving any tips on how to celebrate it. It’s not possible. Each weirdo is a unique creation. And he has to define his own weirdness.
