Funny thing happened today morning....Neighbour of mine came to ask for "Mumbai Samachar" which is a regional newspaper.Supposedly today's copy wasnt delivered to their place. Finding the newspaper & giving it to him was simple. But, a tougher job awaited me. He had undergone a cataract operation recently and couldnt read clearly...So, he wanted me to look at the "Obituary" page and then in a particular caste section called "lohana" and tell him who has died!!!! :) I obliged and read out the entire paragraph which stated atleast 50 relatives of the deceased, alongwith time of death and the time n venue for funeral etc. He expressed sorrow and condolences as if I have lost someone and went away saying ," She was a very nice lady, a famous doctor's wife.Sad" . I just stood there bemused!!
If I am not mistaken, this is a daily ritual for him. A very simple question engulfed me, "How can someone start their day reading the Obituary page on daily basis?"
Just realised, theres nothing different I do.Naxals kill, Taliban kill, Lovers kill, parents kill,underworld kills, some plunge to death,some drown to death, some hang to death...and it all makes it to the so called "Non-Obituary" pages and ultimately thats what I read. Rest of the mortals (no pun intended)are categorically placed in the section designated to them!
So, as such, the only difference between my neighbour and me is he voluntarily reads about deaths while I am forced to. I believe, the "Obituary" page should be made optional and not be a part of the daily. It should be charged extra for to deter people like my neighbours who make people like me read aloud about someone's death and go back heaving a sigh of relief thinking "Wow, I am abreast with all the recent happenings"!! Baah...
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