Ours is not to do and die.Ours is but to reason why.

It is amazing how we take life for granted, how we take what we do for granted. When a child takes the first step it’s the happiest moment for the parents. If there is a slight delay to that first step, parents panic Aiyyayyo!. Its not normal. Its not how it supposed to be.

Its not how it supposed to be.

How do we know what should be done? Who decides what’s normal? Who decides what colour your house should be painted? Why should we add a rupee to any amount we give as donation or offer to god? Why do people in the eastern region of the world communicate more with their hands than people in the west? Is it because of logic or practice or pure faith? Whatever it may be, there is always a reason behind it.

In my following note I have tried to reason a couple of such practices.

1. 100% Pure:
Why does mineral water always come in transparent bottles? People buy mineral water because they need safe drinking water wherever they go. We need to be sure that this bottle contains that clean germs free water. At least on the surface it should look clean. That can only happen if we can see it. My hypothesis is that to assure people that they are drinking clean water the packaging is always transparent.

2. Diamonds are a boy’s best friend:
Men wearing jewellery was a common sight in India years ago. They were also present in our famous epics Ramayan and Mahabharat. All the gods also wore them. Is it because Indian men were more in touch with their feminine side? Or because they used the jewellery for protection, as explained in old scripts. But if it was for protection why would they wear it when they were not at war. Maybe because there was a health aspect to it. The kamarbandhs, earrings, armlets, anklets, bracelets were worn for pressure therapy. Men wore
jewellery at acupuncture points.

3. Cross Examine
A red cross when put like this ' X ' means danger or no entry.
Where as when put like this ' + ' it means medical help.

How can an element of the same colour, same size, same shape send different messages? Is it just the matter of the profile in which it is shown? Fact is that the Red Cross used for medical services is actually taken from the Swiss flag rather they just reversed the flag colors. But
that must have been taken for a reason. The Red Cross is actually know as the symbol for American Emergency Services. Emergency. And maybe that’s the reason why the cross and the red colour were chosen. But with times as the emergency service provided help to people the meaning of the symbol changed. It became the symbol of security & trust and hence positive. So its not just why or how people start its also about what they become through their actions.

4. Baby talk
What do you call your mom?
Ma.
What do you call your dad?
Papa
What do you call your uncle?
Chacha

Then there is mama, dada, kaka, tau, fufa, jija and the rest of the Monsoon wedding cast. If we notice all these names are so easy to articulate. So easy that even a baby can pronounce utter. And precisely the reason why your close kin are named so. If you ask a person today
to call his/her mom by a new name. He would think a lot. Think of all the things she means to him. Do some serious research and come up with a real difficult name. Well, unfortunately a baby is not capable of the same. Its more than enough for the baby if it can call out. So it
Simply says Ma.

5. Six Feet Under
Why are people buried lying down and not standing when by doing that we will save space? The general practice is to bury a person at least six feet under for sanitation purpose & so that it decays better. If we bury people standing then we would have to bury them 12 feet under. And people were as lazy as they are now and didnt see logic in digging further 12 feet. Ya like there is ever gonna be a scarcity of land.

6. Black or white
At funerals it’s a practice to wear black or white depending on the religion. The reason behind this could be that these are the only two colours depict some strong emotions and feeling. Black depicts Darkness and hence sorrow, sorrow due to the loss whereas white
depicts lack of colour, lack of colour in life due to the loss. Incidentally white is the colour of the wedding gown in Christian weddings. It gives a picture of purity, truth.

7. Don't Esmile Pleaj

Have you ever wondered why your grandparents never smiled in their picture? We know G string, clearance sale and 2 minutes noodle didn’t exists then but life was not such a drag that they would want to immortalize themselves for generations to come with a emotionless picture like that. 'Emotionless' that is what my take is. Back then people didnt go trigger happy with their cameras like we do today. You would have had one picture taken for yours or maximum two if you were the photographer was your neighbor’s uncle's son's neighbor. And in the event that you become famous or you die, whichever happens first, your photo should be good for a sad or a happy occasion. If you win a lottery..same photo...if you are reported as the 'serial underwear thief'...same photo. If you die, no matter how happy or sad other people are...ehmmmm same photo.