MIDWAY : Weekend blues

People, in general, tend to show that they are busy! And their ‘business’ ranges from mundane chores to humdrum office work; from a gossipy lunch to a visit to an ice cream parlour or cinema; from a rendezvous with a childminder to meetings with business partners — well, six billion people may have as many preferences when it comes to killing their time ‘not leisurely’, but in a busy bee manner.

In other words, people wish every one to know: they are busy six days a week, and that they kill each second being busy! That’s precisely why weekends, for many, seem to be the only days of the week to spend the so-called ‘quality time’ with family and friends.

For some, however, weekends seem to mean much more: a British employee once kvetched, “No one should work on Wednesdays! That ruins both weekends (a Wednesday falling between the two!)”. Well, the underlying message is loud and clear: a work-free Wednesday allows you to review the immediate past weekend and better the next. A brilliant idea indeed!

In Nepal, for a chilling majority, weekends imply a day like any other day of the week. After all, we have never heard Saturdays and Sundays approaching aloud, ‘Hay folks! We are weekends! Celebrate us!’ In this sense, a Sunday could be like a Monday and a Saturday like Friday. But, obviously, no day should be like a Wednesday. Wednesday is an exception: it falls between the two jealously waited weekends!

All the same, in Nepal too, there is a welcome development as far as notions of weekends are concerned. The proof: weekenders are on the rise! And among the weekenders, Kathmanduites, of course, comprise the majority. But the metropolis-dwellers sadly

face an eternal ordeal: petrol and potholes slow down their progress to a smooth weekend.

For instance, reaching their favourite weekend destination, Nagarkot, is like asking for a moon (ditto for other destinations!): you leave for Nagarkot on Friday afternoon and reach there on Sunday evening. Good grief! And also a good test of patience! The end result: you may still boast of your being busy even during weekends — busy on a 24-hour drive: Kathmandu-Nagarkot (32 km!). Have a nice weekend!