THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY

Last evening, there were these three 13-year-old kids with me. I had asked them about the latest movies they had watched and they were telling me about the movies, all charged up.

“Did you watch ‘Hitchki?” I asked.

“NOOOO!”, they called a spade a spade.

‘Why, what happened?” I asked them, as I had loved it so much and even blogged about it.

“We don’t like such movies,” they explained.

“What about ‘Raid,? I enquired.

‘Too serious, our parents watched it,” plain and simple.

“Then, which one did you enjoy?” I wanted to know.

“Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety”, the verdict was unanimous.

One of them started narrating the story and the other two added their background commentary till I said  ‘Cut’…

“So, you basically love fun movies, right?” I cheeked.

“Yes, ‘Golmaal’ kind of movies,” they said in a chorus.

“I also love to watch horror films,” the girl in the group declared.

“Even we love to watch them,” the boys joined.

“Last week, I and my building friend watched ‘Conjuring’ on the laptop at home when nobody was at home,” one of the boys revealed the truth, excitedly.

“Weren’t you scared?” I probed

“That’s why we watched it chupke, chupke… It’s fun to be scared,” I was told.

“Fun to be scared… Interesting!” I mumbled.

“But sir, why all the movies get released only on Fridays?” the girl asked sincerely.

“A good question,” I quickly acknowledged as a scholar… knowing very well that’s how all tough questions are traditionally greeted by the dumb scholars like me.

“Anybody knows, why?” I grinned as if I was ‘testing’ my students’ knowledge before coming out with my scholarly revelation.

Blank faces conveyed to me, “You do the honours.”

“Well, beta, I, too, don’t know why they release movies on Fridays,” I confessed, “but, I know a story.”

“Boring!” the girl, handed her review even before the story unfolded…

“Sir, tell us the story,” the boys vetoed.

I looked at the girl to ask, “Shall I?”

“No option,” was the silent response…

A Swamiji taught his disciples, every morning, outside his ashram. As the ashram cat always disturbed him, he instructed his disciples to tie the cat to the nearby tree before he started teaching.

So, every morning, before Swamiji started teaching, his disciples religiously tied the ashram cat to the nearby tree. Slowly, it became a ritual, a ceremony… an important and integral part of Swamiji’s morning discourse… The disciples would complete the ritual of tying the cat to the tree and, then, Swamiji would go about his session… It all fitted perfectly well… They did it so religiously, this ritual…

One day, the Swamiji died. The senior-most disciple became the next Guru and continued to give the morning discourse outside the ashram. And, the tradition of tying the cat continued, too, with even more fervour.

Then, one day, the cat died! Suddenly, there was a panic in the ashram, “What has to be done now… How can we respect our religious tradition?”

“Let’s go into the village and find a new cat,” a wise disciple suggested. Soon, a new cat was brought to the ashram and, the disciples – relived and happy – continued to tie it to the ashram tree before their Master’s class would begin…

Now, centuries have gone by – many Masters and many cats have come and gone… The world has moved from the Stone Age to the Virtual Technology Age… But, the tradition and the ritual of tying the cat to the tree has never gone… And, it will never go!

“Sweetheart, was it boring? I checked with my own lady-disciple.

“Not boring,” she said sheepishly, “But, Sir, why do they release movies on Fridays… What is the answer?”

“Arrey dhakkan!” the two boys concluded, “Go home and search on the Google.”

It’s Five in the morning, and a new Friday has come… with its own new movies for us. Thought, I would tell you my own new story…  yes, however ‘boring’ it might be!

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: Internet/ ZEE NEWS