Its Janamaashtmi today. And for some mysterious reasons, this day is always cheering for me. Maybe its due to the festive spirit, those wonderful songs - 'mach gaya shor saari nagri re..' et al.And yeah, theres this definite rain on this day...its so amazing that it rains for sure on this particular day...its just like Christmas snow. or whatever. But I am really peppy ans joyed. On this one(like always) my family(except me) is keeping a fast. So, I ve to go and get 'paneer' and sweets. You see, it all is so good and pious and festive.
I take a walk to the 'mithaiwala', and there is a great mood in streets as well.
Alls good.
Its eight and we sit in drawing room, watching TV. I come and join my family. There is some news channel thats broadcasting two different events - both are janmaashtmi celebrations...just the difference...Salman Khan is star-casting in one(promoting Dabang) and Akshay Kumar in the other(promoting himself). Background is all about how "munni badnaam hui".
"whats all this crap?",says me. "Give me the remote"..takes it.
Change - Same.
Change - almost the same, just the difference - a golden wrapped Sukwinder singh is all gung ho over 'jai ho'
Change - wow, Harbhajan Singh too is featuring in Salman Khan's promote-my-movie-with-whoever-and-where-ever-i-am..
"Goddam these news channels".
My mom snatches the remote. "Astha par dekho, vrandvan ki janmaashtmi aa rahi hogi"
Change to aastha - Sorry mumma, its some politician attending some celebration, yeah this is more close to bhagwan-ki-bud'day-party..
change to something like aastha channel - some young kurta singing some bhajan sounding 'love me baby love me'...
"I am outta here", says me again.And I am outta there.
Strolling on my roof, I am all heads about how we have commercialized religion, faith and even ourselves.
Theres always a sales-strategy behind every thing in our reach. Anything we think we should understand comes with an advertisement.
I dont want to know the reasons, but I contemplate to myself that we never ever try to ask just one simple question to ourselves - "What is the point?"
After all said and done, for some abstruse and unknown reason, I look upwards, smiles and says(dont know to whom) - "I know you must be having a good laugh over all this down here !"
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