DATE

You needn't care about my birthday.

What does it matter if it is Nov 7th or January 18th or ... for that matter ... e.g. May 20th. June 16th ... or anything you pick up from your tabletop calendar.

You will get a Lindt bar for answering this. When did we celebrate the birthday of Dr Martin Luther King Jr ?

You might reply, and you shalt if you are concerned about this country (USA) and hence your's too, January 19th. One day before the presidential inauguration. But if you are also careful, not a remarkable trait in this world of hi-tech gadgets, you would append in 2009. 'Cause the revered champion of human rights was born on January 15th, 1929. Did I hear a "Touche!" ?

You don't need the exact dates to remember any event. The grid of numbers, arranged by month and year, is our invention to enforce unanimity and bookmark days. And it is jolly well good at these. A calendar is ubiquitous now and no one questions its usefulness, even those who detest democracy. Nevertheless at the end of the day, it is merely a tool. And once in a while, we prefer our hand to a knife for shredding papers.

Sometimes events are of importance to the family, community, country or universe (do Martians care about Earth Day ?). To solemnise such events, we need to mark the day and synchronise it across the interested parties. But sometime events are like goosebumps during a Verdi opera. Where past is existential, present strew with virtual memories and future somber, days and months seem irrelevant. Just as hard it is to handpick a few good lines from a poetry.

Yet ... we are not perfect. There are always moments of weakness. So when the whole world shall rejoice, I shall also want to commemorate. At least wish. And probably I will. Ekla, nijer mone mone.