I wondered last week why people say they’re scared of me. Most of the guys are bigger than me, so it’s obviously not my size. Apparently, they don’t even find safety in numbers. So how can a group of tough guys be intimidated by one thin guy? Or two, for that matter? (Rajiv is my height, my weight.) I kind of got an answer a few days back. Actually, it was a question: “Why do you guys get so angry?” someone I hadn’t met for a long time asked me. He was referring to all the times we’re seen screaming our heads off at people. I thought about it. And this is what I have to say…

Take Varisha for example (the journalism student from Calcutta who was convinced that homosexuals were mentally retarded). Both Rajiv and I lost it. Many people have commented on how, over the years, we seem to be championing the homosexual cause, or seem to be rooting for inter-caste, inter-religion or live-in relationships. Let me set the record straight here. First, the views expressed on the show are ours and ours alone. MTV does not necessarily subscribe to our views all the time. Second, we’re not strictly pro-homosexuality or pro-live-in. We’re pro-choice. And pro-tolerance. I can’t help but notice that intolerance comes from ignorance, and the saddest part is we don’t even try to find out much about a subject that outrages our sense of morality before forming an opinion or passing a judgment. So reasoning with this kind of intolerance is, obviously, of no use. Our approach is always to be absolutely intolerant towards intolerance. Bully the bullies. That is the only language they understand.

If that scares some people, so be it. But you don’t see us screaming without reason at everyone we meet. So, if you see us coming down heavily on a guy, try and figure out why, instead of branding us “scary”.

Last week the auditions travelled to Bengaluru. Many people thought this was the first time Roadies had auditioned in the air-conditioned city. Wrong. Bengaluru has a very old connection with Roadies. First, Rajiv and I lived and worked in Bengaluru for almost a year, exactly 10 years ago. So we know the vibe of the city. Second, Roadies auditioned in Bengaluru in the very first season! Of course, since it was a brand new show, the response wasn’t so great that time. We had selected just one Roadie from there in 2003, a girl named Divya. She also has the dubious distinction of being the only Roadie to be asked to leave the show by the producers. (Those who followed that season remember that that was the first time I made an appearance on the show, out of necessity).

The story, of course, was very different this time. The Roadies craze swept through Bengaluru as well, and aspirants showed up in thousands to audition for it. And we got to meet many interesting people.

Top of mind is this 18-year-old kid who said he had come not to get selected as a so much, but to “Jack Raghu up”, whatever that means… I don’t think there’s a lot of love involved there, though. I’m aware that a lot of people would get a lot of pleasure watching me get “jacked”. Unfortunately, this kid had not bargained on running into both us brothers (Rajiv is fiercely protective of me).

Then there were this pair of twins who wanted to be the first twin Roadies (sorry boys, that distinction belongs to Rajiv and me). We interviewed them together, and that was fun.

The most interesting character, though, was a girl called Palak. Originally from Chandigarh, she stood out in Bengaluru and really bullied both Rajiv and me!