What's in a day, Man!

What’s there in a Day, Man!

Tanya came out of her bathroom with a towel turbaned on her wet tresses humming the popular number, “Cry, Cry itna cry karte hai kay ko , itna darte hai kay ko .” She was applying moisturizing lotion on her body in front of the dresser when her mom-in-law entered.
“How many times I have to tell you not take head bath on Thursdays.”
“But, why Dadi”, asked Tanya’s son.
“Beta, otherwise Laxmi runs out from the home”.
“Laxmi! Dadi, who is Laxmi here?” asked the puzzled five years old.
“Sonu, Laxmi means currency notes, coins, wealth……,” Dadi was explaining.
What the little child absorbed can be speculated by child psychologist but what must be rumbling inside Tanya’s heart could be understood very well. She chose not to participate in this ongoing debate. A scientist by profession and sensitive by nature, she couldn’t analyze how some days of the week are fit for particular jobs whereas other not. What is the logic that debars married ladies to shampoo their hair on Thursday? How logical is the reason itself?
Every country has its own do’s and don’ts list for different weekdays. In England, there was Rhyme in 1920s about nipping of nails;
Cut them on Monday, you cut them for health;
Cut them on Tuesday, you cut them for wealth;
Cut them on Wednesday, you cut them for news;
Cut them on Thursday, a pair of new shoes;
Cut them on Friday, you cut them for sorrow;
Cut them on Saturday, you 'll see your true-love to-morrow;
Cut them on Sunday, and you will have ill fortune all through the week.
The purpose of the Rhyme is to help kids rote learn the names of weekdays. Many a times I have cut my nails on Thursday, I never got a pair of shoes just because of this act. Nails should be cut when they seem to be worthy of it.
The Indian Doha,
“Saaton din bhagawaan ke, kyaa mangal kyaa peer
jis din soye der tak, bhookhaa rahay fakir” is really inspiring.
In India, people generally avoid hair-cut on Tuesday. Oiling one’s hair on Saturday brings ill-fate is another popular belief. Some other bad will happen if you give clothes to washer man on Thursday and so on the list goes on. Don’t be mistaken that the propagators of these practices are illiterates. Unfortunately, many illogical practices are abided by most modern families where not only son and son-in-laws are well qualified and well designated but also daughters and daughter-in-laws are front runners in their chosen career.
My friend Sheela, though a non-believer, keeps fasting on Thursdays to ward off ‘Brihaspati Grah’ of her husband and therefore to keep her in-laws in good humuor. She has to eat after Sunset but throughout the day she is allowed to have fruits and milk if she wishes. Sheela takes this as detoxifying ritual and eats only fruits throughout the day. As banana is a cheap and ever available fruit she eats them also. She was flabbergasted when her cousin, Meeta, a MCA and working in a MNC cautioned her that she shouldn’t have banana on Thursday as Sheela was worshipping the plant on that day.
Weekdays-specific practices and rituals are often restricted to families and even their observance discriminates the members of family, enough to impoverish relationships.
It was a Thursday in an elite Indian family and they do not cook or eat non-vegetarian meal on this particular day. As the daughter-in-law is supposed to be the carrier of sensible and non-sense traditions, Ramya never cooked or ate non-vegetarian food on any Thursday whether she was visiting her in-laws or living in her apartment far away from their native place. That day also she cooked a good vegetarian meal for lunch in ‘sasural’. By evening her sis-in-law came along with her husband and kids. As the daughter and her family were a red-carpet guest, Ramya was instructed to include non-veg delicacies in the menu for the dinner. She objected to her husband in hushed tone. “They are our guest and their preferences are superior to everything.” pat came the reply. During the dinner Ramya was suggested by the kind mom-in-law to keep a bowl of chicken-curry in refrigerator so that the torch bearer of tradition (daughter-in-law) can have it on Friday while all others were relishing it the same night.