Cool. What is the first image that pops in your head when someone utters this word to you? Hold it. Don’t tell me. That image tells you more about you than probably your taste in food does.

If we go by the literal meaning, it’s a frivolous word. Not worth dedicating an entire article to but dig deeper and we discover a whole economy relying on the strength of this word.

Origin:

This word and its many intangible meanings have hung around from the late 60s most probably. Advertisers in America exploited or rather coined the term and its symbolic status to market menthol cigarettes to American-Africans when they discovered that they constituted 70% of their market. They conducted consumer reviews and figured that the “cooling” after effect was novel and so, favourable to them. That’s it! They sold the idea to the consumers - it’s new, it’s different and it’s cool. The concept was carried forward across regions, ethnicities and it survived the test of time. Every generation had a different interpretation for it and mostly, it was interlaced with the idea of breaking the norm.

What is Cool?

Cool is used in pop culture in varied contexts.

- In relation to behaviour or attitude
- As a state of mind or being
- As an epithet (substitute term for “okay” or “alright”)

But we’ll focus on the first one. In a sea of billions, every individual wants to stand out and the only way to do so is by being cool, according to general consensus. So, what do you have to do to be cool?

- Go to parties every day? No.
- Wear the latest in fashion from the best stores? No.
- Have high profile friends? No.
- Be in a rock band? (I’m tempted to say yes but NO).
- Flaunt the best gadgets in the market? No.

These false notions that are further propelled by ads, films, magazines, newspapers, movies, etc. are responsible for this new brand-crazed generation where you are judged not by what you are but by what you have. Facebook and Twitter have further made it easy to keep tab on current trends which keep changing faster than the cloud patterns in the sky. Everything is more accessible now. In this rush to get there, we forget to pause and reflect. We sometimes get confused between what we want and what others are saying we should want.

The point is this is not some privileged club which has any specific entry criteria. The least expected person can be cool and the trick is you have to be yourself.

The other day I was in a rickshaw and the driver was a plump south-indian who was wearing aviators (they were not branded) and had a thick moustache. He had a style. You don’t expect your rickshaw driver to wear aviators but in the scorching heat of an Indian summer it made sense. I would have snickered behind his back but he seemed so effortlessly comfortable navigating the confusing traffic-laden lanes of Bandra that I had to admit, he’s cool. See, you don’t have to be a rockstar to be cool.

Funnily, if you try to be cool you can never be cool. By wearing certain clothes, accessories or talking in particular way, you can’t buy yourself into it.
(No. Wearing your jeans that low and showing off your underwear is NOT working)

What makes one a cool person (according to me)?

- They have great character. They never back down and stand up for they believe in.
- Embrace your individuality. Be who you are. You can have a bald head and still wear your salwar kameez.
- You can’t decide on a sub culture you want to be a part of it and then mould your personality accordingly. So, wearing big glasses or riding a cycle to work does NOT qualify you as a hipster. Cool people adapt. They cannot be pigeonholed.
- “You’ve got to invest in the world, you’ve got to read, you’ve got to go to art galleries, you’ve got to find out the names of plants. You’ve got to start to love the world and know about the whole genius of the human race. We’re amazing people.” - Vivienne Westwood
- They make the best of what they have. They’ll wear stuff from an obsolete flea market and you’ll end up asking them if it’s Marks & Spencer.
- They are good at what they do and don’t pretend to be good at something they aren’t.
- Don’t imitate. Be inspired.
- They are compassionate, generous and they don’t make a big deal about it. 

I spoke to some of the other cool people I know and this is what they had to say when I asked them, “What is your definition of cool?”

1. Something I like and am compatible with in terms of interaction would constitute as cool in my books. It could be an activity. An object. A person - Aniket vidyadhar, Designer at Zynga Games, Bangalore
2. My definition is someone who believes in things that are a) outside the norm and b) beliefs that I've always wanted to have, but can't or won't or don't believe in them as strongly. That's my definition of cool - Neehar venugopal, product manager at OML, Mumbai
3. My definition of cool.. well loosely put, ‘cool’ is the ability to effortlessly adapt to different social circles and still be yourself.. to have a crazy side available on the stand-by, just in case.. to be able to evoke curiosity and energy and attention when you interact with someone.. to make an interesting contribution to conversations.. and have a smart cover up if you screw up or say something stupid - Radhika Gopal, Account Executive at O&M, Mumbai

Wait. Pause. Reflect. Look at yourself in the mirror and figure out who you are.  Don’t follow the trend. Be the trend. That’s the secret behind the Art of being cool.