-
Fasting to Slow Down
Well, it’s that time of year again.
We’re bound to hear “Wah, gak terasa ya udah mau bulan puasa lagi” for the next few hours leading up to tomorrow and the upcoming (holy) month of Ramadhan.
Some people are greeting the month with a default ‘Marhaban ya Ramadhan’ (‘Greetings O Month of Ramadhan’) status on their various social networks (pencitraan or not) and by blasting words of wisdom laced apologies through their BlackBerries. Some greet it with dread, facing yet another extended period of not eating & drinking during daytime, a reshuffling of daily routines and short term shelving of frowned upon shenanigans. Other more (arguably) pious elders greet it with genuine happiness that they’re able to experience Ramadhan again this year.
After our Maghrib prayers together (that are few and far between these days, being the very busy people that we are, naturally), Dad almost always goes into a sermon about how he might not be around for the following Holy Month, shudder the thought. Thankfully he’s fine and well enough to make it this year, although it’s sadly going to be a decade since our late Mum can’t be here with us.
Growing up in Saudi Arabia, you kind of looked forward to Ramadhan as a kid, where the whole country and mainly the city turns in sync for fasting for the whole month, turning into a lazy town of endless afternoon naps, religious activity in between, meeting of friends after night Tarawih prayers followed by late night shopping in the evenings leading up to Eid (experience may vary).
On the other hand, Ramadhan in Indonesia these days will be greeted by crass mass commercialization of the holy month as TV ads are suddenly filled with less than subtle religious themes while gradually turning into a good time for ad agencies to come up with some funny & creative stuff, where comedians keep us awake with various loud early morning Sahur sketch show routines coupled with seasonal appearances by random young preachers on the silver screen, where last month’s scantily clad cover girl on a mens’ magazine stars in a prime time soap opera in a headscarf for a month, all in the meantime as organized rings of baby toting street urchins swarm the streets during the day. It’s as if Ramadhan was seemingly created so pop ensemble Bimbo could earn their back catalogue royalties, record labels could shepherd bands into making ‘Religious Albums’ to shift more copies and as the ideal and only period for religious singer Opick to release an album on an annual basis.
Despite the routine yearly cynicism, one will argue that it’s a whole month of detoxification. A fresh start. A lost art; to (hungrily) stare in the space of figuring out what the point is. But to each his own; the difference is we’re still alive to experience it and I’m looking forward to surviving the next 30 days in new ways, hopefully with a new outlook even after all these years.
Happy fasting month, folks.
-
