Saraswati and Lakshmi and their girlish talks (satire)

Lord Shiva and Devi Durga lived in their abode in Mount Kailash in the Himalayas with their children. They ventured out of their place very seldom. But – the world around them was changing very fast and being the world of consumerism, they were bombarded by ads on TV abut thousands of products. It was difficult to make a choice.
That is what the sisters were discussing.
‘I still think that the cream in that beautiful yellow bottle is the best,’ Sarasawti said. ‘I have seen one of the Bollywood actresses use it – she has such lovely curly hair and applies that cream.’
‘No,’ Lakshmi said. ‘Just because you are fond of yellow color does not mean that everything yellow is the best.’
‘Don’t argue,’ Saraswati glared at her sister. ‘Let me finish my music practice. I am trying to pick up that latest craze of a song from that Mastani movie.’
‘Go ahead. And – let me worry about my face cream,’ Lakshmi said. ‘But – tell me one thing. You are the goddess of learning and must know the answer.’

‘Shoot,’ Saraswati grinned. ‘If I don’t know, I can always google the answer, thanks to the internet. Google is such a help.’
‘The question my dear sis is – why do men go in for fairness creams to make their skin glow and look fair. How can they remain fair looking throughout the day when their beard keeps growing every minute?’
Saraswati stared hard at her sister.
‘Yeah, I also have wondered about it,’ she sighed. ‘It’s actually a sales gimmick. The common man loves to imitate his Bollywood heroes blindly.’
‘Not only heroes but heroines also,’ Lakshmi laughed. ‘Like you my sister. You are also star struck with the oil in the yellow bottle.’
Saraswati did not bother to reply.
She concentrated on the Mastani song. Immediately she struck the first chord, her pet swan woke up startled. It got up on its feet and moved away from her, frightened.
Saraswati looked at it and smiled.
‘Don’t be afraid dear Batakh,’ she said. ‘This is the new age music. Very loud, very peppy. You cannot help but dance to its tune.’
The swan was not amused. It waddled away towards the pond.
Meanwhile, Lakshmi had locked on to an online site that sold hair creams. She wanted to check out if the yellow brand of oil Saraswati was talking about was popular in Hollywood. If she could get some clue, she would try it out. (to be continued …)

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Durga Puja, TV reality shows and real-life Gods and Goddesses

With the growing popularity of TV reality shows, a new fad has taken hold of Bengalis who can now show off not only their talent but also beauty – beauty is no longer skin deep but it goes right into the soul. Fashion conscious Bengalis use the annual extravaganza of Durga Puja to take on roles of the Gods and Goddesses to get recognized in their circle of friends and relatives and, the TV channels provide them with ample opportunities.
Yes – the channels announce annual rituals of selecting real life Goddess Durga, her daughters Lakshmi and Saraswati and sons Kartik and Ganesha. Then there is the demon King Asura and, of course, Lord Shiva.

Once the competitions are announced, the hopefuls would send across their photographs and, the problem usually is with those who want to enact the roles of Lord Ganesha and demon King Asura. While Ganesha is potbellied, Asura is the reincarnation of the Devil himself, and, hence, must appear to be menacing enough to instill fear in the minds of others. Obviously, the number of contestants would not be very many in these categories.
The real problem lies in selecting the Goddesses and, the beauticians take over to ensure that their protégés get the ultimate recognition.
Participating in such reality shows requires not only luck but plenty of determination and hard work because, one has to go through the primary selection from hundreds of hopefuls. And, in order to give them the necessary confidence, they have to go through the grooming schedule – and, such courses do not come free.
The bottom line is that Durga Pujas throw up innumerable options to make money and there is no dearth of enterprising individuals who never let such opportunities go a-begging. (to be continued …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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