So, this year's Friendship Day is over, or for me, the first Sunday of August. But this year, it seemed, like the Valentine's Day, the Friendship Day is also going to see some meteoric rise in its profile in the near future.
It seems the Friendship Day is also on way to get upscale with a swift rise in visibility, relevance (or which way you want to look at it) and mannerisms (with all the reservations or slants you may have).
What told me that it was the Friendship Day was my cellphone when it started beeping the WhatsApp messages it was receiving one after the other - and dot at midnight - at 12 AM. There were many, so many that I don't remember when I had received such a great lot the last time except the New Year wishes.
And the flow continued the next morning when I opened my Facebook account to check the feed. There were messages and wall posts by the people in my contact book. People were busy writing friendship paeans, were busy liking, reacting and responding to the wisdom quotes explaining the real essence of friendship. Some were posting even songs and video themes.
It all sounded so good. It looked like the whole creation had become your friend. And the best thing about it was you didn't need to put efforts for it - that you didn't need to throw your so-called post-modern, over-liberal tantrums. It just happened. It was so spontaneous. There were many who had not bothered about you in ages, those who had conveniently forgotten about your anniversaries (including your birthday) - but see the prowess of the communication technologies - it wiped out all the time lags in one go - reconnecting you to one and all.
The mainstream media proved the "change" it needed to be for the Valentine's Day to become a pan-India phenomenon - to gel with the 'cool, urban lifestyle' - to influence and civilize the 'still untouched rural or small town life'.
The social media is doing the same for the Friendship Day, especially WhatsApp and Facebook - the last day told me. And its good.
So..Happy Friendship Day folks..
Yes, like everything else, a Valentine's Day or a Friendship Day has both, positive and negative, facets. It all depends on you - how do you perceive life - that how do you see good to feel good.
And also Happy Nag Panchami.. :)
Especially for us Banarasis and for the people (friends) from the eastern part of the country..again especially from (eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar - well, I did not bother to go into more details - but the festival where we worship snakes is observed throughout India).
Worshipping animals is with us since the advent of human civilizations. So let them feel whatever they want to feel - let them feel if they want to feel superior by marking fellows like us inferior or backward or superstitious or over-religious or what not. For us, it is more about getting nostalgic. Anyway, let's assimilate their good or bad feelings in the spirit of the Friendship Day.
After all, it is for sure that your girlfriend (who may be your life-partner by now - whom you see as the most sincere and committed person in your life) would have posed this question - "Though it doesn't matter but can tell me how much do you earn?" - and you would burn the midnight oil in convincing her of the depth of your pocket - otherwise she would start with her calculations. And you don't see any conflicts here. Well, there would be countless folks who would have faced this situation and would have acted in the similar manner. And the trend is only going to pick up - because such girls (or boys, whosoever fits the bill) are fundamentally correct. Financial security must come first.
And it's all in the name of new-age spirit and newfound principles riding high on the waves of revolutions - first the mainstream media - and now the social media - the new communication technologies which have bridged the gaps, which have wiped out the distances, which have killed the time lags, and which have caused the feedbacks (of every sort) to move in the real time.
Folks, just imbibe this spirit. Stop looking for romanticism in love. Don't idealize friendship anymore.
It seems the Friendship Day is also on way to get upscale with a swift rise in visibility, relevance (or which way you want to look at it) and mannerisms (with all the reservations or slants you may have).
What told me that it was the Friendship Day was my cellphone when it started beeping the WhatsApp messages it was receiving one after the other - and dot at midnight - at 12 AM. There were many, so many that I don't remember when I had received such a great lot the last time except the New Year wishes.
And the flow continued the next morning when I opened my Facebook account to check the feed. There were messages and wall posts by the people in my contact book. People were busy writing friendship paeans, were busy liking, reacting and responding to the wisdom quotes explaining the real essence of friendship. Some were posting even songs and video themes.
It all sounded so good. It looked like the whole creation had become your friend. And the best thing about it was you didn't need to put efforts for it - that you didn't need to throw your so-called post-modern, over-liberal tantrums. It just happened. It was so spontaneous. There were many who had not bothered about you in ages, those who had conveniently forgotten about your anniversaries (including your birthday) - but see the prowess of the communication technologies - it wiped out all the time lags in one go - reconnecting you to one and all.
The mainstream media proved the "change" it needed to be for the Valentine's Day to become a pan-India phenomenon - to gel with the 'cool, urban lifestyle' - to influence and civilize the 'still untouched rural or small town life'.
The social media is doing the same for the Friendship Day, especially WhatsApp and Facebook - the last day told me. And its good.
So..Happy Friendship Day folks..
Yes, like everything else, a Valentine's Day or a Friendship Day has both, positive and negative, facets. It all depends on you - how do you perceive life - that how do you see good to feel good.
And also Happy Nag Panchami.. :)
Especially for us Banarasis and for the people (friends) from the eastern part of the country..again especially from (eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar - well, I did not bother to go into more details - but the festival where we worship snakes is observed throughout India).
Worshipping animals is with us since the advent of human civilizations. So let them feel whatever they want to feel - let them feel if they want to feel superior by marking fellows like us inferior or backward or superstitious or over-religious or what not. For us, it is more about getting nostalgic. Anyway, let's assimilate their good or bad feelings in the spirit of the Friendship Day.
After all, it is for sure that your girlfriend (who may be your life-partner by now - whom you see as the most sincere and committed person in your life) would have posed this question - "Though it doesn't matter but can tell me how much do you earn?" - and you would burn the midnight oil in convincing her of the depth of your pocket - otherwise she would start with her calculations. And you don't see any conflicts here. Well, there would be countless folks who would have faced this situation and would have acted in the similar manner. And the trend is only going to pick up - because such girls (or boys, whosoever fits the bill) are fundamentally correct. Financial security must come first.
And it's all in the name of new-age spirit and newfound principles riding high on the waves of revolutions - first the mainstream media - and now the social media - the new communication technologies which have bridged the gaps, which have wiped out the distances, which have killed the time lags, and which have caused the feedbacks (of every sort) to move in the real time.
Folks, just imbibe this spirit. Stop looking for romanticism in love. Don't idealize friendship anymore.
©SantoshChaubey
