Few days back I got to know about the ‘Kiki Challenge’ on social media.
Initially I ignored it, misreading it as ‘Kinky challenge’ and my Alok Nath-type sansakari upbringing forbidden me to look into it any further.
But soon social media updates and some faltu news channels started giving it unsolicited importance/screen time and with repeated hammering I realised the error in my understanding that this is ‘KiKi challenge’, and not any obscene ‘Kinky challenge’.
As soon the morality was offloaded, I became interested in this new rage and decided to try it out ASAP. In the past, I had already missed out on the ‘ice bucket challenge’ and so this time, I did not want to become the repeat offender of social media by not taking this one up.
For everyone who is still living in oblivion and do not know what KiKi challenge is – it is yet another mindless time-pass in which people step out of their cars, and dance to the tunes of singer Drake’s track ‘In My Feelings’.
But this challenge was full of additional challenges apart from performing the main challenge of getting down from a moving car and dance along with.
I needed somebody to drive the car while I performed my stunt.
I ticked off my options.
BFF 1 – Can’t drive.
BFF 2 – Said No.
Husband – NO way!
Friendly neighbours – Started acting nonfriendly hearing the task.
My options were thinning but desperation, swelled like pride (pun, pun, pun).
I have already practiced my moves, downloaded Drake’s song and was humming “KiKi, do you love me?” on repeat.
Still the principal issue of somebody driving the vehicle was no where in resolution. And then it stuck me.
I Googled for rent-a-driver service in my city. (Yes, just like hiring cabs, you can hire drivers who would charge to drive YOUR car on hourly basis.)
So, I booked one such driver and scheduled his visit for the next day.
Excited and looking forward to perform the KiKi challenge and later flaunt it on my social media, I felt ‘oh-so-cool’!
Next morning, when my husband went to office and daughter to her school, I started off with my rented driver. I asked him to take me to the highway outside the city. I did not want to perform this act in the middle of the town amidst full-on traffic for obvious reasons. I mean, yes of course, I know it is dangerous to do so!
Once we reached the highway and found a spot where vehicles were zooming past full throttle and hardly any humans were seen walking on their two feet, I told him the plan.
In the first go he did not understand whatever I said. Poor guy! Of’course, he did not know anybody beyond Michael Jackson as an ‘English’ singer. The guy told me he is an ardent fan of Arijeet Singh and even showed me a handful of CDs of Top Bollywood Hits by Arijeet Singh.
Okay. I did not give up. I showed him couple of videos where people were taking the KiKi challenge and explained to him how I will put the song on, get down the car, do the steps and hop in back. And while I do all this, he is supposed to drive slowly and shoot a video of me from inside the car. I made it very clear to him (like crystal clear, in all CAPS) that he MUST NOT go beyond the speed limit of 10-15 kmph.
After few more efforts of explaining, he sounded convinced and ready to go for it.
Now me being a sucker for perfection, asked for few quick practice sessions and after couple of retakes, we were finally ready to give it a final shot.
I showed him how to adjust focus while shooting in my iPhone X so that there is no blurring or shaking of the video.
All set, we started with the final act.
With video recording on, music in sync, I got down of the car while he drove at a snail’s speed along with me.
I was giving my best performance, recreating the same steps I learnt to go along with the lyrics.
Just when I was about to come to the last part of it, I heard a loud screech of tyres and with a blink of the eye, my car which was crawling sluggishly alongside so far, sped away and vanished from my eyeline within seconds.
Boom.
What was that? This wasn’t the part of my plan. I was supposed to get back on the car. Check out how the video has come out and post it instantly on my SM platforms.
Maybe he pressed on the accelerator by mistake and sped away.
Maybe he thought it is over and has gone ahead to take a U turn to come back.
Or maybe…….
Maybe he has gone away with my car and my iPhone X for good.
Holy cow!
This can not be happening. This cannot be happening.
I felt dizzy. Hallucinations of my hubby screaming at me and my friends laughing at my foolish deed overwhelmed me.
What have I done? How could I be so stupid to give away my car and phone to a stranger and put my safety at stake. All this just to garner a bunch of meaningless ‘likes’ and comments on social media.
Tears started to roll down my cheeks. With no connectivity, human or technology, I never felt so helpless in my life.
And then, from the farthest end of the road I saw a car coming. I gathered myself up and started to wave desperately to make it stop.
Within few seconds as it approached further, I realised it’s my car. My very own car with the very same driver.
Oh-My-God!
I opened the door and climbed in.
The driver noticed my bloodshot eyes and horror-stricken face. No one said anything for couple of minutes.
After riding for some time in heavy silence, he said, “madam, aesa kisi ko bhi gaadi nahi dene ka. Aese kese trust kar sakte ho aap kisi pe. Aap toh padhe likhe lagte ho. Maine is liye gadi thoda agae leke gaya taki aapko sabak mile. I am sorry, haan.”
I could not mutter even a word in response.
Education does not always bring sensibility.
Yes, I am educated and so are others around me who are risking their lives by performing this senseless, mindless and meaningless challenge in pretext of coolness and be a part of virtual world of social media.
Being social is good but being a social media slave is not!
Do not blindly follow the craze.
It’s great to take challenges in life. But life is too precious for challenges not worth taking.
Disclaimer – The story above is fictitious (do not judge ‘me’ for being so dumb!). It is written to elicit responsibility and sensibility in people who take social media too seriously, fall pray to such outrageously stupid challenges and risk their lives.
#kikichallenge #donotperformkikichallenge #kiki #inmyfeelingschallenge #kikidoyouloveme #drake #inmyfeelings