Friendship Day triggers similar such recollections. But nobody is complaining. In today’s time-strapped world, emotion and human connections are getting increasingly diluted. Leave the ideation to someone, the planning to another army and the execution to a third. You may add Boss Day, Pet your Dog Day, Sister Day and the like to this burgeoning list.

But recently, the inexplicable nature of this beast, magnified in the post-pandemic era, took a whole new turn with Mother’s Day. After a two-year lull, the mavens and magicians of this universe seem to have maxed their levels of imagination and innovation. Sample this gem: A restaurant in a five-star has been promoting a menu where the fare promises to taste just like mother’s food. Question: If I relish food cooked by my mother daily; why would I take her to a swish eatery, spend a bomb on a predictable menu, and possibly make her feel worse simply because she can do a far, far better version in her own kitchen? Some ideas are fun, and then there are those, as in this case, that make little sense and miss the sweet spot by a mile.

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Whatever happened to those years when Mother’s Day was all about sentiment, creative ideas, or when we as kids would put together an adorable potpourri of amateurish handmade gifts? From delivering flowers to the doorstep, to a warm, quiet evening of homemade food, a movie or a drive, it was all self-planned and executed. No stress, no mad rush for reservations and must-have offers where an out-of-breath mum and kid are hopping from mall to restaurant to spa and what-have-you.

The bigger, overriding concern here and the point of this column is the burgeoning of cold, impersonalised ideas that has taken over days dedicated to relationships, where taking the easy, commercial route devoid of any human emotion or thought, is now intrinsic to our schedules.

Does this development mean that the time-strapped urban dweller has now officially handed over all ideation to these ‘experts’? Whatever happened to the good ole cake-and-flowers routine, topped with some me-time with your favourite person? The word ‘aspirational’ came by, somewhere along the way, and with it, the pressure to keep up with the Joneses or the Joshis, has been the norm rather than the exception. Another interesting observation this time with the press releases that bombarded my inbox was the overt use of the word ‘last-minute’. Has the assumption already been made that the user/reader of the mail is late, or simply couldn’t find the time to think up of a unique idea to surprise mommy dearest? Your guess is as good as ours.

To be honest, we’ve been partly guilty of peddling this idea to allow it to reach such levels of insanity, sans the human touch. 

I suspect we have come too far, and cannot look back simply because of the convenience that this offers. But it might not hurt every now and then, if we are able to write a handwritten note, and yes, smell that coffee; pray, why not make that coffee for your mum, friend, lover, brother, colleague? It will need a bit of rewiring of the urban-stressed brain to realise why being personal towards someone you care for, can be a lot more fulfilling and memorable. The tiny, personalised details matter. Not a dinner reservation at the biggest buffet in town.

mid-day’s Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city’s sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana

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