Monday Morning Blues

The dawn of the day that heralds the monotony of one more week of “Back to the same old routine”, traffic, “oops! Am late! “, “Where is my ID card, mother? “ and many more utterances of the average Indian…. The day that breaks the languor and leisure of the weekend….The day that is not especially liked by a majority of normal human beings who are not workaholics (and studyaholics or whatever those addicted to attending every single class in college are called  ) – No special prizes for guessing the answer – Monday - the first day among the five that separate one weekend from the next.

The major hurdles that one needs to manage are - the time one has to wake up is in the wee hours of the morning, before the sun greets the earth with his radiant smile.( One does not wake up with that kind of smile, for sure), the dynamics of the body has to be doubled up in speed, reflexes have to be faster and most unfortunate of all, one simply cannot afford to dilly – dally in the front porch and indulge in harmless and unproductive chitchat with one’s neighbours.

No haggling with the vegetable vendor… If he does not accept your terms of bargain – just give the lucky devil the amount he demands (this is what ladies like my mother do) otherwise just ignore the fellow (my grandmother’s technique) and go for the one next to him – he will definitely give in to you, having heard of your bargaining skills and the looks that you bestow upon less fortunate people like his colleague sitting near him the next time you pass by.

Prayer time? In the morning hours? Sure… But definitely not the kind of time you get to spend on holidays. No time to maintain the great rapport that you believe you had established with the almighty during the weekend. Of course a hurried mumbling of the few sacred verses that you know since childhood and a mental consolation “God will understand…He knows my schedule…after all, he intends it to be this way!” Of course my dear, God understands, completely.

Phone calls to friends and relatives just do not seem to be able to fit in within the weekday schedule and if indeed, you do manage to make a call, there is no guarantee that Vijaya mami at the other end has the time to spare…what with her kid’s homework and her husband who just returned from work, demanding coffee instantly.

There is no substitute for Monday. It is like an icebreaker for those fresh from a good Sunday night’s sleep. It enables you to imply the enormity or importance or gravity of a situation by likening the situation to a Monday morning. Everybody knows what I say is true… Are you all not nodding your heads in agreement while reading the statement? (Well, I am, at least nodding my head!) Can you not liken the expression of foreboding and fear and similar feelings that cannot be put in words, on the face of a ten year old when someone mentions casually, “Tomorrow is Monday” ?

I am sure many adults will now appreciate what R.K. Narayan sought to imply with the opening lines of his first novel – Swami and Friends … “It was Monday morning”.

True, the same weekend lag (like jetlag) will exist, if Tuesday were the first day among the weekdays. I totally agree with Shakespeare’s words, “What is in a name?”.
But the day after Sunday has always been and still is Monday, is it not…? And so we shall never be able to substitute with anything else, the phenomenon that the morning this day is famous for – Monday Morning Blues!