“I’m not going to take any selfies throughout Lent,” was a declaration that caught my attention in a crowded, high-octane compartment of a local, a day before Ash Wednesday. The day marks the beginning of Lent a solemn period when Christians across the world fast and abstain from a host of choices and options that are particularly close to them. Times, of course, have changed, and with it, are different ways to observe this period.

Keen to hear the 20-something girl’s reasons for this rather interesting choice, I leaned in further to catch snippets from the conversation. This girl, sporting a strikingly coloured red shade on her hair, told her friend, “Nowadays, it’s so passé to simply give up chicken or pork; besides, beef has been struck off our list in any case,” she sighed, continued. “So I thought why not try to give up this obsession; you know, there are times when I take up to 10 selfies in one day…can you imagine!” Egged on, by the confession, the friend chipped in quickly, “Would you swear on your boyfriend to not breathe a word about this? I’ve decided to give up online shopping for Lent. There’s Sameera’s birthday bash at HRC, and...” After a pause, it dawned on her, “I am in a fix as it’s bang in the middle of Lent. It’s too late to do a U-turn. What do I do?” she asked the redhead friend, as a mini panic attack seemed to have taken over her; never mind that a fisherwoman’s drippy basket was threatening to tilt over the luggage grille.