BENGALURU : During the last week of the year, I find people around me frantically finishing deadlines and taking stock of projects that are pending.I have no special love for the last few days of the year. In earlier times, they got me a few extra days of leave, but since I work from home as a writer these days - even that luxury is no more mine to enjoy.
Christmas has never held too much excitement for me either. I always found the concept of the festival too far-fetched. A stranger getting into our house in the night to deliver gifts? Come on! Firstly, where’s the snow? How’s Santa’s sleigh supposed to drag itself through MG Road and Indiranagar? Also, people would go wild over the reindeers, and god forbid! What if Salman Khan happens to spot one of the reindeers while holidaying with his friends? Also, people would mob Santa and ensure he is unable to fulfil his new year targets on time.
When I asked my father if the story of Santa was true, he looked at me from his newspaper and quickly dispelled the myths. ‘Those are stories told by parents, to children who are not too smart’. It was a coded message for me to go away and stop annoying him.
My parents were the kind of people who’d never allow me to accept gifts from even my relatives, leave alone a strange man who’s been travelling around the world. All doubts regarding the legitimacy of Santa Claus were assuaged when a senior dressed up in Santa costume slipped and fell in the lobby. On that very day, the entire school got to know that it’s all fake.
New Year resolutions are another unavoidable debacle at this time of the year. Upon doing some research, I found that the three most common new-year resolutions were to lose weight, eat healthy, and quit smoking. Thankfully, I harbour none of those ambitions. I eat everything that appears in front of me, have no problem in looking like a primate, and believe smoking is one of the ways we humans could keep our populations in check.
If you remember my article from this time last year, you’ll appreciate the fact that I must be the rare few people who actually fulfilled their new year resolutions. My resolutions were not to kill anybody, not to commit treason against the country, and not to buy a flat in New York.
On that humble note, I would like to wish you a great year ahead. Please do not put yourselves under unnecessary pressure to live up to; life is sad as it is. Remember what Buddha said - desires and expectations are the cause of all suffering in this world. Get rid of new year resolutions, and have a great year ahead.