Column | Window Seat 5.3.20

Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 5.3.2020

Sholay in the Time of Corona

Sholay, the 1975 classic film directed by Ramesh Sippy has been the source of many jokes, memes, management gyan and life skill coaching. Corona pandemic has offered people with funny bone another opportunity to explore the characters, dialogues, sub-plots of Sholay to come up with all these and more.

Savour this gyan from Sholay to defeat Corona- a take off from its popular dialogues:

1. Jo Darr Gaya Samjho Marr Gaya.

Do not panic. Do not be afraid. These are testing times. Face the pandemic bravely. Every cough is not Corona. Do not die of a heart attack even before Corona gets you.

2. Kitne Aadmi The?

Always be aware of how many people are going to be at a certain place. Do not go to crowded places. Do not gather as if you will miss watching something if you do not go out. You will miss nothing. Remember this is CORONA, not KAREENA.

3. Itna Sannata Kyun Hai Bhai?

Do not ask this unless you are living under a rock or are a Left-Liberal. You should support Janta Curfew & should be ready for more of these sannatas in the coming days.

4. Kya Samajhkar Aaye The… Sardar Khush Hoga… Sabashi Dega!

Do not think your going to the office at this time would be applauded (unless of course you work at a hospital). Your boss would not be happy if he comes to know that you have gone to the office especially when you have been told to Work-From-Home. You suck at following orders. STAY AT HOME.

5. Basanti, Inn Kutto Ke Samne Mat Nachna.

Do not go out dancing. Do not even throw dance parties at home. If you must dance… dance alone.

6. Yeh Ramgarh Wale Apni Betiyon Ko Kaunsi Chakki Ka Aata Khilate Hain Re?

It is very important to know which chakki  and grocery stores are open in the neighborhood during a lockdown. Do not hoard things but do know where all things will be available when you need them.

7. Ab Tera Kya Hoga Kaliya!

And if you are still unlucky after all this & get the virus you can only wonder. There’s no antidote. If you reach this stage stop following SHOLAY and move on to KAL HO NA HO.

There are many cartoons and memes on Corona with the characters of Sholay. Take for example this Satish Acharya cartoon which attempts to create laughter by referring to the frequent hand washing that during Corona a person is advised to do. Gabbar, who had severed both the hands of Thakur asking him to take the hands back- as he is tired of washing it. Or the other cartoon- playing with the popular dialogue: Kitne Admi The?

Sholay’s characters, its dialogues have reached iconic status and almost guarantee an instant recall and contextualization. Therefore any joke, cartoon or meme that features the characters of Sholay gets immediate attention.

Corona virus pandemic has forced the entire country into a lockdown. People are forced to live indoors for days. In this situation- extreme boredom sets in which might result into emotional distress. A dose of laughter helps.

Chicken

I love eating chicken, particularly as different celebrated chefs show them in their cookery shows on television. But I end up eating the way my wife does. Now that we are living in a locked down state, and my wife strongly believes that it is not good to eat chicken now- I am getting none.

At times like this- you have just two choices: either you fret and fume within or try to adjust with the situation. I am trying to do the second by reading about chicken and convincing myself why I should not eat the cute looking bird.

The Indian wild fowl is the ancestor of all the world's domestic chicken and also of pheasants and even the peacock. It is truly a remarkable bird and must be venerated in the land of its origin instead of being bred in wire cages, fattened with composite foods, steroids and antibiotics, and slaughtered by the millions each day.

In many societies it is a religious symbol. In Indonesia the chicken has great significance during the Hindu cremation ceremony. A chicken is a channel for evil spirits which may be present during the ceremony. A chicken is tethered by the leg and kept present at the ceremony for the duration to ensure that any evil spirits present during the ceremony go into the chicken and not the family members present. The chicken is then taken home and returned to its normal life. He or she is not treated in any special way or slaughtered after the ceremony. In several tribal communities in India chicken is sacrificed during workshop. In ancient Greece, however, the chicken was not normally used for sacrifices, perhaps because it was still considered an exotic animal.

Surely it deserves a better fate than end up in a tandoor or as butter chicken.

Dilemma

I still have not decided where to go for summer holidays. Debating between the Drawing Room or the Bedroom.

(Courtesy: Social Media)

***

Journalist turned media academician Mrinal Chatterjee lives in Dhenkanal, Central Odisha on the valley of Paniohala Hill. mrinalchatterjee@ymail.com
This column is published every Sunday in Gangtok based English daily Sikkim Express and posted in http://www.prameyanews.com.