Another New Year is about to arrive. Everybody is thrilled to “ring in the new, and ring out the old”. The celebrations invariably include individual New Year resolutions. There are many who vow to stop this or that bad habit from January 1.
I have a friend whose one and only New Year resolution for the past many years has been to stop smoking. On the last New Year Day too, he called me and said he had stopped smoking. When I asked whether he would not have to stop it on the next New Year Day too, he cut the call.
Anyhow he has not been smoking in my presence long since, as he knows full well that I can’t suffer the smell of tobacco smoke. And the most dreaded thing as far as I am concerned is passive smoking. When he called me the other day, I asked him “Going to stop smoking, as usual?” “No, no, no,” he replied, “I have repeatedly failed in that. Now I am going to stop drinking this New Year.” I laughed. He knew what I meant and cut the call.
As new years won’t stop coming, people are fond of violating their own resolutions, I presume. If they don’t violate them, they will be bereft of resolutions the next year.
For many years, my brother used to shave his head every New Year’s Day. He fearlessly used to challenge others and asked whether they were ready to shave their heads on that day. His pet-name itself was motta (shaven-headed).
When I was a college student, every New Year, I used to decide to be more diligent and studious and invariably discarded the resolution soon.
And another resolution I used to have every year was not to see any movie in that year. But Rajnikanth always inspired me to violate that too and I have stopped making New Year resolutions long since. Now I have only New Year wishes.
As a staunch environmentalist, the safety and security of nature and wildlife are at the forefront of my wishes: Let this New Year see less trees cut down and less forest cover destroyed and less wildlife poached. Let the year see no girls and women become victims of sexual violence.
Let this New Year see less corrupt bureaucrats and politicians, less scams and scandals. Let it see no communal tensions and riots. Let it see all Indians living amicably forgetting the man-made caste and religious barriers that divide them. And let the world see a year that is free of wars and terrorist atrocities that kill and maim the innocent.
Sukumaran C V
Email: lscvsuku@gmail.com