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The date keeper

The holiday season. The festival season. And the Calendar season. Usually December and January used to be the seasons for calendars. Homes, offices, shops; all used to be flooded with wall, table or pocket calendars during these seasons. A calendar was the part and parcel of everyone’s life. It was a decoration accessory for every home, hotel or office.

The poster size calendar with scenic views had its place fixed, the drawing room wall. More than its functional benefits, it was popular for its aesthetic appeal. The ones with flashy Gods and Goddesses, found its place in a kitchen or grandmother’s room. Date calendars were meant for study rooms. Holidays mentioned on them came handy for families to plan their holidays.

Bachelors had a special fascination for sleazy picture calendars. Often, they were hidden behind the door of a cupboard for occasional gratification.

The Maharaja on the Air India’s calendar had an additional duty to welcome the guests while dangling on the reception wall of a lodge. When the maharaja was missing, Murphy Radio’s chubby baby used to entertain the walk-ins.

The date charts from the house of Digene or Livogen had their permanent place at doctors’ cabin. Calendars with a message of “Healthy family & Happy family” used to dwell in a place inside a hospital, clinic or dispensary.

Calendars with national heroes were all time favourites in schools, advocates’ chambers and police stations. The picture remained the same only months used to change till the tenure of the ruling government.

The banks had a soft corner for the oversized date calendars. Every clerk had one above his seat and a table calendar on the desk. It was a quintessential part of the bank décor.

Barber shops. Butcher shops. Tailors shops. Mechanic shops. All used to be thrived with the calendar culture.

Calendars were an effective promotional devise. Big or small, known or unknown, national or international, every brand made their presence felt amongst its customers with the glossy calendar pages. It gave bread and butter to hundreds of artists, writers, photographers, paper sellers and printers.

Today, calendars are obsolete. They are out of fashion. They are faded. They are torn. They don’t adorn any wall, any more. The keeper of days and dates is now out dated itself.  


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