  Action/Adventure
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My Dad was telling me about the events of his thread ceremony, and how he turned a ritual into an adventure.
To explain the adventure to you, I'd have to explain the cultural context as well -- and thus arose this newsletter! |
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Dear Reader,
My father, now eighty-three years old, loves to narrate the happenings during his thread ceremony, which took place seventy-one years ago. In order to share his adventures with my readers, I'd have to explain the cultural context in which they occurred. I'd write this differently for an Indian audience, as compared to writing it for a global audience, like the one I have now for this newsletter. I wouldn't have to explain the context, to an Indian audience -- but I would have to cover for some nuances that make the ceremony a little different from region to region within India.
Here goes:
The thread ceremony takes place for some Hindu boys when they are considered old enough to seek an education. In ancient India, when the rituals began, seeking an education meant leaving one's parents' house and living at the guru (teacher)'s house, as part of his family. The students, all boys, were considered to be surrogate sons, and brought up not only learning academics, but doing household chores and personal chores (like washing the guru's feet), and acquiring other skills like archery as well. Boys growing up with the same guru were considered to be brothers of sorts.
The ceremony involves the boy receiving a sacred thread from the priest. This thread is worn over the shoulder, sort of like a sash. As it is bestowed, prayers are chanted. Upon receiving the thread, the boy begs for money from elder relatives and close friends, (to pay for his journey and his education), then escapes from the parents' house and goes on foot (or hitch-hikes on bullock carts) to his guru's house. Now, the parents, especially the mother, are attached to the boy and don't want him to leave. So, in the modern-day version of the ritual, the mother takes her brother's help to grab the boy and bring him back home.
Here's my Dad's story:
My thread ceremony, called the JANOI, took place in Bombay when there was communal unrest in the city. The ceremony was held in a community hall in an area which was considered sensitive. I was put in clothes that symbolised that I was going to become a student somewhere, and the priest made seven parallel lines of water a foot apart to symbolise seven hurdles which occur before attaining the guru's house.
The idea was that I had to step over each line of water, and then run, with my uncle chasing me. Being the seventh of nine brothers, I had watched the thread ceremony before, with this same uncle in action. I knew that he was a bit of a 'cheat' -- he had grabbed my elder brothers before they even crossed the fourth line.
I had my strategy all worked out.
We were among the elite of Bombay in those days, and our family had a couple of full-time chauffeurs. Well, what I did was to station a chauffeur in a getaway car at each of the two gates of the ceremonial hall. When the time came, I crossed the THIRD line of water, sidestepped my uncle and dashed out of the hall, in to a waiting car. "DRIVE!" I ordered the chauffeur, who drove.
When we had gone a sufficient distance from the ceremonial hall, I ordered him to stop. I counted the coins in my begging-bag. I had enough for a phone call, with quite a bit left over. I looked for a call box (this was before mobile phones, of course) and dialled the number of the ceremonial hall, which I had memorised earlier. The receptionist there answered, and I asked her to fetch my uncle. He came to the phone. By then, my family was anxious, as were all the guests. These were troubled times and I had just driven off like that. "What do you think you're doing?" my uncle barked on the phone.
"Talk to me nicely, or I'll hang up this phone," I replied.
It ended with him promising me a lot of gifts, if I returned. I actually got one of them -- a new pen.
So much for the old fashioned ritual in the modern era -- with a rather rebellious youngster to handle!
This particular incident could only have taken place in this cultural context, and one would need to be familiar with the cultural context to understand it.
So why is adventure such a cool way of explaining culture? I guess there are two main reasons:
1. Adventure gives it a plot.
I could've just told you about the thread ceremony and you'd probably have said 'interesting' and moved on. The story element came with my Dad's escapade. That's what probably drove some of the nuances home for you, and made it memorable (if it is, indeed, memorable now).
2. Adventure gives shared emotions
By itself, those who aren't within the culture wouldn't be able to relate to the thread ceremony. But put in a naughty boy and an anxious mother and uncle -- and anyone can relate! So the element of adventure probably makes culture more universal.
Thanks for listening!
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Thank you for the responses to "April Fool! The un-funny joke"
Monty 
An enjoyable News Letter.
Azrael Tseng 
Thank you for sharing about the prank. I especially loved your sound analysis of it, and totally agree that it goes overboard (breaks the code). I hope that one day you'll have a nice meal at this fancy restaurant, and tell whoever's with you about this prank!
NeedingBeachDuf 🐠⛵🏝️ 
This is a very good newsletter. It cements the character (human) carrying this incident for many years. We are reminded that a small thing can leave a huge impression.
I am a prankster and I have been pranked. As I have aged, I have found that I try to remind those close to me, to tread lightly, lest they want to find themselves a prankee!
Thanks for a great newsletter.
Facebook responses, in answer to the question 'when is a practical joke un-funny?':
Pamela Kay Brown When it is mean-spirited.
Sandee Barber Most practical jokes are only funny to the perpetrator and not the victim. |
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Action/Adventure: April 25, 2018 Issue [#8864]
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