Always Aditya

There was a time when horror movies really frightened the day lights out of me. There was a feeling in me that I would be hounded by devils and evil spirits if I watched a horror movie or worse the ghosts would roam around during nights and might come to our house. Whenever the name of the devil arose, 12?O clock in the night used to be the favorite time to start any story with. It always used to start with a boy and girl going to live in a deserted house and at 12?O clock in the night a door opened, the wind blew violently and doors and windows crashed against each other and finally at 12 PM a ghostly shadow entered…

Twelve’ O clock is looked forward to by almost everyone at some point of his or her life or more precisely at least once a year. People wait for the clock to strike 12 in the night to wish their friends a happy birthday or give their spouses or parents anniversary greetings. Generally a feeling of closeness is felt when someone wishes you during this early hour of the morning.

Twelve’ O Clock has also been given paramount importance in many fairy tales. Cinderella is the best example. Many of us still remember the way Cinderella had to sprint to her home before the clock struck 12. At that time all I was keen on knowing was what would happen to Cinderella and whether she would marry the Prince or not. But it is now that I can think of the other “trifles” in that story, which had so much importance in giving a twist to the story to make it more interesting.

Come Christmas, and we all start waiting for Santa Claus. But for him to come the clock has to strike 12 to bring in Christmas. Of course more than the time, it is the gifts, which are more important to all of us. But nevertheless, I intend to stand up to the defense of 12’ O clocks and try to give them their due importance. What is Christmas when there is no striking of the hand of the clock at 12? Incidentally the twelfth month of every year holds a big festival for the Christian fraternity, which goes on for twelve days. The twelfth day is known as the twelfth night

The number Twelve in the essence of time is regarded as a harbinger of change of sorts. It changes morning into afternoon and night into morning. What it does is, it starts a new day and ends the same new day changing it to an old day and making the coming day a new day. More interestingly, 12’ O clock starts the day and also ends the day. The number Twelve does have a big significance in many of the things we do in our daily life. Like there are 12 in a dozen, 12 months are there in a year.

For those of you who believe extensively or rather not so extensively in astrology or horoscope, the zodiac signs count up to 12 in number and even the keyboard with the help of which I am typing has 12 function keys. In the United States, 12 men are appointed on a jury (at least in most of the states). More interestingly, (I do not know how much of this is true now) twelve men have walked on Earth’s Moon till now.

Just because I wrote something on the number ‘twelve’, please do not come to conclusion that my birthday falls on 12 or in the twelfth month or my marriage day is on the twelfth of some month (I am not even engaged till now so where’s the question of marriage?).

The teenage for any guy/girl starts after the completion of twelve years and from there a more interesting and adventurous life awaits them.

Now don’t you guys think there is a lot more to the number twelve than what we thought? Twelve has always been a key number even though, as always, we tend to give it a miss like many of those other little things in life. Not an offense to forget, but still not an offense to give a thought to them either.

P.S. Incidentally for the 2008 Academy Awards (Oscars) a movie named ‘12? has been nominated which deals with 12 jury persons sitting to decode the fate of a teenager convicted for killing his step father. There is another movie named 12 Angry Men, which also deals with almost the same subject and to me one of the good movies I have watched.

My friend Lavanya has given couple of inputs for this article. As usual I appreciate this sort of involvement from my friends.