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FICTION
Lockdown Navratri Photo-shoots
Don’t economize, for the economy’s sake
The manufacturers in Surat, India were looking at piles of saffron, teal and peacock blue clothes, unsold.
No big birthday parties. Rakhee had hardly been celebrated. Nobody went anywhere. Weddings were small scale.
It wasn’t that people didn’t have money to spend. Of course, some people didn’t. However, these clothes were expensive clothes for rich people.
These clothes were for the people who didn’t run out of money due to a six month lockdown.
The rich didn’t buy anything because they felt it would be thoughtless. There were poor people, suffering without milk and vegetable money. The rich couldn’t flaunt new clothes in today’s Lockdown India.
What about an advertisement campaign?
Buy new clothes – wear something new for each day of Navratri, and support the Surat embroiderers.
New Navratri, New India.
Women ought to dress up, in new clothes, for Durga Puja and Navratri. For Diwali. For Vishwakarma Puja. Nope, this year Vishwakarma Puja was happening during Pitrapaksh. After 18 September 2020.
However, no way those clothes were going begging.
How do we put the idea out?
‘Buy new clothes, because it will put a smile on your child’s face. Seeing you unsmiling and dressed in last years’ clothes is depressing the child emotionally, and preventing the child from studying well’.
‘Pitrapaksh is over, as is Adhik Maas. Celebrate this year, or God will make sure you can’t celebrate next year’ This was true, it was said that refusing to celebrate festivals when there hadn’t been a death in your family was punishable Sin.
Yeah. That might work.
Vishwakarma Puja was on 17 September and the day Pitrapaksh got over: that was a good day to start the social media campaign.
Confound the rich ladies! They were being cruel to the dressmakers because they wanted to be kind to the poor.
India! Oh my dear India. Truly you are the richest poor country, and the poorest rich one.
