A calendar combination that occurs only once every 100 years was bound to generate a frenzy of sorts. But the hoopla around the date of 11th November 2011 exceeded my expectations to say the least. People were filled with both joy and awe as the D-Date approached. The excitement reached a crescendo with the Face bookers and Twitteratti going gaga over the magical moment of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Phew! That was complicated.
So what exactly was it about this date that bedazzled the world? Well it was a palindrome number as in it read the same forward and backward. And after the 12th of December, such a date will occur only after a whopping 88 years! Also 2011 is a prime number divisible only by 1 and itself, so that too adds to the enigma of the event.
And that made everyone and his cousins want to have a piece of the calendar cake. Would-be parents coaxed their gynecologists to propone or postpone the arrival of their stork. Of course there were risks involved and all could not be obliged. Who knows by how much the population would have increased beyond the seriously scary 7 billion mark otherwise!
Back home filmmakers like Imtiaz Ali release the much awaited Rockstar on the auspicious day. Whether this lends any help at the BO remains to be seen though. Not to be left behind by the bollywood brigade, the Union Bank of India too cashed in on the event to announce 11 new branches to commemorate its 93 years of foundation.
Of course there were also the ones who wanted to make it a day of unforgettable bitter memory. So there was an increased rush at family courts in India to file a divorce petition. Strange are the ways of this world.
Betters obviously did not want to loose out on day to rake in some moolah. There were crores riding on bets of Aishwarya Rai Bacchhan delivering her child and Sachin Tendulkar delivering his 100th ton on that day. Alas! That was not to be.
