The word ‘picnic’ is an adaptation from the French word ‘pique-nique’, a get together for entertainment in a safe area with good landscape, access to roads, and carparks, under conducive weather conditions.
While trips and travel holidays consist of a few days at a length, resulting into a combination of good and some ‘not so good’ experiences. Picnics are short, full of planned activities, entail a lot of exchanges/ communication, and most often, result in exhilarating experiences. Hence, perhaps the most enduring remnants of picnics are recollections – happy faces, casual & fancy free, explicit instances, bonding, and the surrounding beauty. Yes, I excluded ‘chomping’…it becomes perfunctory and a meek accompaniment to the memoirs in making!
We have all been to picnics! And we perfectly relate to them when we see them in stories, movies, and songs. Picnics have been ‘a tradition’ in many countries world over, and our film industries and singers have exploited this perfect outdoor setting to drudge their piecemeal stories further.
Here are some picnic moments for our readers, collected from the Indian and the Western entertainment houses.
My love for picnics probably started with the outstanding natural beauty of ‘the hills (…are alive) with The Sound of Music’. The glistening grass, clear waters and snow capped mountains, a perfect environment to nurture relations.
The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical drama film produced and directed by Robert Wise, and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, with Richard Haydn and Eleanor Parker.
There’s no picnic without a ball…the rolling ball, the misplaced ball, the missed ball… is the finest and the swiftest way of forging friendships with complete strangers.
Mr. India is a 1987 Indian Hindi-language superhero film directed by Shekhar Kapur. This film was included amongst one of the 100 Greatest Indian Films of All Time!
Well…when you didn’t get ample time to teach your children at home…good parents multi-task!
Hum Saath Saath Hain is a 1999 Indian drama film written and directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya. The film is a cult classic movie showing family values and relationships.
‘Happiness is just around the corner’ when there’s exhilarating combo of peppy song, Vengabus ride and outdoor party with friends…
“We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)” is a song by Dutch Eurodance group Vengaboys. The song became a top-five hit in Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It is also the band’s highest-charting song in the United States.
The iconic movie of early 2000s, a beautiful depiction of youth and friendships… picnic to Goa is the most doable and craved option for all those ‘young at heart’.
Dil Chahta Hai is a 2001 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age romantic drama film, marking Farhan Akhtar’s directorial debut, as well as his debut as a writer.
Who did not try those moves to ‘The Ketchup Song’? A perfect beach song… warm intoxicating air and intoxicated ‘us’….
“The Ketchup Song (Aserejé)” is the debut single by Spanish pop group Las Ketchup, taken from their debut studio album Hijas del Tomate. It was released on 10 June 2002, and became an international hit later that year.
For now, its virtual picnicking.. let’s go out when the health and hope revives!
Monica (Managing Editor) is the quintessential researcher - she thrives on showcasing overlooked aspects that form the foundation blocks of people, places and issues. She is a social scientist by profession with masters in Economics and loves to travel.