Thank god it's no longer Friday

The last time there was a major switch like this was on October 15, 1582, when Catholic Europe switched from the Julian calendar that read October 4 the night before, to the Gregorian calendar, slip-sliding ahead by 10 days. This time, the switch is less confusing, but perhaps culturally more profound - the United Arab Emirates switched from a Friday-Saturday weekend to a Saturday-Sunday weekend starting, well, today.

For many, a first-ever Friday working day not only 'felt wrong' but it also meant juggling between office time and Friday prayers. The Gulf country had announced the decision last month in the standard good news-bad news format. First came the good news: the working week would be reduced to 4½ hours. Then, the bad news: 'Friday you gotta come in/log in to work.'

If this feels like no big deal, try imagining a working Saturday or Sunday, with Monday as the new off-day. Barring a few hyper-nativists who may want to throw off the 'yoke of western cultural hegemony' and adopt a sanskari calendar/off-day of their choice - Brihaspativar/Guruvar for leisure - the Gregorian weekend is what we'd prefer to keep sliding with. Converting TGIF to TGIS would not have the same lazy brunch vibes. In any case, the UAE's shortened week is not an option at this stage of our economy. So, instead, let's welcome the UAE to our weekend.