APRIL FOOLS DAY

FROM SAMPATH’S DESK:

 





 

APRIL FOOLS DAY

 

The general understanding is that April 1 is a day on which everyone is entitled to befool others by joking, cajoling, and playing jests by even trotting out innocuous lies/tricks or harmless pranks. In short, it is considered as a day to make fun and pun by indulging in inoffensive, good-humoured and no-guilt-attached mischief with others.

 

But, long ago, it was linked to heralding of a spring season ending the chilly and cold winter in western countries or festivals or get-together occasions, examples being The Roman Festival of Hilaria, The Holi Festival of India, and the Medieval Feast of Fools.

         

Some TV channels, Radio stations and/or corporates across the world had also put up such plays sometimes, an example being a famous show ‘Banters from 1957’ broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in which a film was screened in their 'Panorama Current Affairs' series purporting to show Swiss farmers picking freshly-grown Spaghetti in what they called the ‘Swiss Spaghetti Harvest’. When the BBC was confronted with bargains for purchase of ‘Spaghetti’, they declared the film a hoax in their news bulletin the next day.

 

In the present era where mind-boggling speedy digital platforms including Internet and readily available other global news services have revolutionized the information and communication flow, 'April Fool' pranks could catch and even embarrass a wider spectrum of audience than ever before.

 

An Arab proverb goes thus, “A fool may be known by six things: anger without cause; speech without profit; change without progress; inquiry without object; putting trust in a stranger; and misting foes for friends.” Another familiar adage on April Fool Day reads thus, “If you don’t want to see an April fool on 1st April, just break down all mirrors in your house on March 31.” Charles Lamb would say, “Here cometh April again, and as far as I can see, the world hath more fools in it than ever before. ”

 

To quote William Shakespeare, "Better a witty fool than a foolish wit." 

 

R.SAMPATH

2/4/2015

 

Post-script:

The above was my response to the article ‘DAY TO RECOGNISE ONESELF AND SUPPORT EVERYBODY published in the ‘THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS’ dated 2.4.2015

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