MERI JAAN, MERI JAAN SUNDAY OH SUNDAY !

MERI  JAAN,  MERI JAAN   

SUNDAY  OH  SUNDAY !

 The title was the first liner of a popular hindi song of a bygone era. 

Of all the days in the week Sunday is the day everybody  looks forward to ;

 Sundayis the day of rest, relaxation, meeting up with old friends and relatives.

It is the day you say "to hell with you Time, I will do what I want to do today,, when it pleases me and not to any schedule ! I may not even do some routine work  today , like taking a bath or even  cooking for I would go out with the family  and eat' !

But this sort of a mindset for Sundays, does it work for all of us ? I dont think so;

There are many who dread the thought that the morrow will be a Sunday.

Take the case of Ravi. He is the youngest in a large family.  As a child he was the darling of the house, but on growing up , his parents told him to be responsible  and help the family out on need.

Thus on a Sunday,when the entire family is around, Ravi would run several errands for all the members of  the family which keep him busy. Normally, on week  day evenings, Ravi would go out and play with his friends; but not on a Sunday; for that is the day when his  brothers and sisters would gang up and complain about his misdeeds of the past week to his parents so as a sort of a punishment, his parents would ask him to study instead of play  on Sunday evenings.

Thus Ravi hates Sundays  of all the days in the week.

Shekhar, a budding youngster has a different problem on Sundays ! His gully cricket is completely ruined , on Sundays  as the big boys of the neighbourhood come over to play ! so all that Shekhar does is field in the match; retrieving the ball; with no batting or bowling ! 

Does Shekhar like a Sunday? Hell NO !

Then we have the case of Neeta,  a housewife,  a typical Indian Sati Savitri who treats her husband as lord cum God ! Her husband Shammi, a male chauvinist pig believes Sunday as, a day to be led, the way he pleases  without taking other's concerns to account!  

Thus Neeta's Sunday is a wreck and she becomes literally  a call bell for her hubby! 

On Sundays  tea or coffee are made umpteen times along with snacks as per Shammi's wishes  and there is no fixed time for eating lunch. As per Indian tradition, the wife generally has her lunch along with or after that of her husband, so one can imagine her plight on when Neeta will have her lunch or dinner! 

Also, Shammi  goes out and returns at anytime on a Sunday without informing Neeta. All in all, if there is one day Neeta hates it is a Sunday !

AT the other extreme, we have Suman, a hen pecked husband ; He dreads a Sunday, as that is the day his wife has a ready made list of " Do 's "  for him.  If it is not cleaning up her Kitchen or bathroom, it would be a visit to her friends' houses ;or even some cooking work like cutting vegetables or preparing the flour to make the next week's  iddlis or  dosas.;  any mild protest from Suman is nipped in the bud; as his wife Kamala  says " Dear  I am here to  help you "; and the help ends with issuing instructions , as to how to go  about the job. Suman who  was looking forward to a complete day of rest on a Sunday, does not  get it.

To Shetty, Sunday is one day, he wishes was  not there ! He works as a waiter in a popular catering South Indian Hotel; On Sundays,  The hotel gets filled up  the moment shutters open, at 8 am  and remains thus until 8 pm; Shetty has to be in his best behaviour {a calm demeanour  with a  tooth  paste advertised  smile on his face}  throughout the day  disregarding the  bad behaviour of some of his   customers or else he may lose his job ! At the end of  a  Sunday, Shetty is mentally, physi cally and emotionally a very tired man !

There are many like Shetty,  on whom Sundays take a heavy toll, be it in the Marketting, Sales or Service  sectors;  As far as Sunday is concerned , they wish what is sung  in  an old popular modified  Hindi song is true!

" Chali  jaa, Chali jaa  Sunday, Chali jaa

   Chod Ke  Duniya,  Chali Jaa " 

G. Venkatesh

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