Behold, the weekend is finally here! After five days of what has been a tiring week, it is time to rest, relax and spend time with family and friends. And yes! The word ‘weekend’ may sound normal to many but it has, altogether, a different meaning especially for the working society. And of course, for the students too, be it school or college. For, it simply means, no work but that it’s two great days of rest and time for family and friends. However, this was not until recently when the chief minister of Manipur, N Biren Singh, announced that all government offices would now have five working days instead of six, thus making it compulsory off on Saturdays too besides the universally accepted Sunday break. But how do we really spend our weekends? Do we really give time to our family and friends?
Outside the Northeast, weekends have always had a more meaningful attribute to it for the mere fact that people have always used to spend time with family and friends – perhaps, an outing for families such as shopping, visiting malls, watching movies together or even planning a small family picnic. The same is done with friends or colleagues too. And interestingly, most of the shopping malls or the market, in general, in metro cities are open to the max. But that does not seem to be the case here in the Northeast, even more so in Manipur; Sundays are seen as an off day and hence, markets are practically closed and thus seem barren. And one will notice that most families, on Sundays, are found at home, on most occasions, with no plans for the day. TV, Carrom, Ludo or mobile games are some of the games and entertainment that each family member can be seen with, but with no real time for each other or for the other family members.
And, perhaps, that is where we lost the value of the weekend, a time to have quality time with family or friends. We tend to spend more time for ourselves, stuck in our rooms and our world. And why is that? A question we need to find answers to. One look around and we see how families and human beings, in general, have lost connection, living in their own world and fantasy, away from reality, from human connection. And it is time to find that human connection again in the family and that is where the weekend comes in. Families need to reconnect, friends need to be in touch and perhaps, it is also time for markets and shopping malls to be open even on Sundays so that family and friends can go shopping together and connect, so that families can visit a family restaurant and eat together. It’s time to get back that human connection, it’s time to enjoy the weekend. Happy Weekend Everyone – Connect with your friends and family.
(The views expressed are personal)
