What's in a New Year !!!

For numerous reasons, the concept of a New Year is not that great. Moreover, I don’t like the way it is perceived. Conceptually it is the birth of a new unit of time, but it just adds up to the list of festivals, thereby becoming another occasion for treats, celebration and other extravaganza. Liquor literally flows on new year nights. Purely for entertainment, millions of gallons of liquor and unimaginable amounts of money are thrown away, on just one day. I can’t help but sound like an anti-liquor campaigner, in this regard. Because India simply does not require any other reason to boast that 75 percent of its people are poor. For the past couple of months, Wikipedia is running a fundraiser for itself, and it says something like this: “If all those who read this donate Rs. 100 today, our fundraiser would be closed by today”. It is exactly a similar situation what I am referring to: if all those who spend extravagantly in the name of new year or any other occasion are thoughtful enough to cut short their luxury from extravagant to adequate (God knows if there is anything as adequate luxury!!), then it will be a big leap for mankind. I have seen people sympathizing over their brethren struck by poverty and calamities. But there ends all. Who does anything at all? Surely not those who prefer setting up golf clubs to charity fundraisers.

Everybody nowadays seems to be ardently trying to find some reason or the other to party. Partying and merry-making has become the purpose of life, above everything else. To an extent it is true that get-togethers make life happening. But we forget that such small happenings overshadow other big happenings in life!! Moving ahead like aimless nomads, ticking back every day from life, does this life really make sense? Isn’t it like an inflated balloon that is attractive outside but hollow inside?

Now I have done the easy job of penning down this thought. But how to materialize this? Here is a rough plan. It might be simple at first sight, but becomes more and more difficult the more you actually try to do it. Out of say 100 rupees earned per month, 25 rupees are spent for regular monthly expenses. In the remaining 75, 15 are spent on luxury. It might be more or less, varying from person to person, and thereby leaving 60 rupees as monthly savings. What if in the 15 rupees, 5 be allotted for the sacred cause I am pointing to? Or if not in terms of money, why not in terms of resources? If not now, why not later, but with good planning which starts right from this moment?

There are infinite possibilities, infinite ways to pursue ultimate happiness. Why be a party animal when there are much better ways to be social… At least let this new year make a difference in everybody who believes in it. Give a 10 rupee note to a hungry kid begging before you with his hands on his sunken belly. You may have to skip going in an autorickshaw and walk the way to your home. Or don’t give the kid anything at all, but please don’t give that yucky scornful look that I have seen on hundreds of faces, I hate it! Be human.

Welcome 2012.