Everyone is super excited and feels like it's their day on the first day of January. Charles Lamb, the prince of English essays, had said “New Year's Day is every man's birthday.” This is one of the events celebrated by everyone without any prejudices as time is not biased with any of us – thanks to Pope Gregory XIII, the Gregorian calendar is accepted all over the world since 1582 – January 1 brings a new beginning without any bias of colour, creed, country gender or designation.
We Indians celebrate New Year at multiple times and the dates get synced with the help of the lunisolar calendar. Farmers celebrate it in Chaitra after harvesting the crops (March-April) whereas businessmen celebrate it in Kartik after Diwali (October-November). People of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana celebrate the New Year in Chaitra which is called Ugadi, people in Maharashtra call it Gudi Padwa, Sikh call it Baisakhi and Keralites celebrate Vishu in April. The similar festival is Puthandu for Tamil, Bohag Bihu for Assamese, Pohela Boishakh for Bengali, Navreh for Kashmiri and Pana Sankranti for Odiya people.
Jain community calculate New Year from the salvation of their last Tirthankara after Diwali and Gujarati community celebrates Bestu Varas in Kartik after Diwali, too. The New Year falls in December for Sikkimese. But beside all the regional penchants, January 1 is the global time for butterflies in the stomach.
This year the New Year is also the beginning of a new decade – as Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointed out in his year-ender Mann ki Baat – a new hope, a new energy, a new resolution.
A wise man had told me once “Let me make 365 resolutions so that I can break one every day.” That is not a bad idea, but then one will have to resolve to make a new resolution every day, which seems quite difficult to people of my tribe. We are lazy, forgetful, and self-motivation has never touched us. It also got me inquisitive that who came up with this idea of New Year’s Resolution. It was fantabulously brilliant. The idea of hope rebuilt in everyone’s heart every year gave a new kick start to people’s lives letting bygones be bygones.
According to the World Wide Web, the Babylonians started celebrating the rebirth of the natural world 4000 years back with their festival of Akitu when they would promise to the god to pay off their debts and return the borrowed objects. The Babylonians are the first documented tribe to begin with the custom of New Year’s Resolutions. They also feared god and kept their promises.
Romans made similar promises to Janus, their god, in 153 BC as he could see forwards and backwards at the same time having two faces. Romans specifically promised Janus that they would check their behaviour and behave themselves.
Peacock Vow is another annual deal made by the knights of middle ages to vow their chivalry. As documented in a 14th century romance, the knights would keep a hand on the peacock and vow that they will maintain their chivalry for the whole year.
The Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863 had revived the hope in many slaves who had gathered in the churches on New Year’s Eve. The Christians would have a watch-night mass and make confessions to revive the past year while resolving for the coming year.
Great Depression also made a quarter of American adults resolve that they would restart their financial commitments and give their governments another chance.
Humans are such a hopeful lot that they keep finding a way to renew their lives. No matter if they have burnt themselves into ashes until December 31, they will take a rebirth like phoenix.
Looking at the disastrous turns of events in 2019, our political, economic, intellectual, emotional and psychological rebirth is the utmost requirement.
As the self-help mantra goes, we should keep realistic, tangible goals. Staying healthy, reducing the tummy tyre and learning to drive a car are too clichéd. Owning a plant would be a good idea. By putting some happy responsibility on our shoulders and watching it grow will make us patient. Other than improving concentration, they might improve the well-being of our socio-economic life.
The other suggestion would be to go on a vacation. Taking a break brings a new insight to the person’s perspective. It does not sincerely mean to pack your bags and take a world tour, but to give your old mentality a break. Wandering around one’s city on foot or on a bicycle may give some time to understand your own folks. But if you decide to take a long tour, don’t forget to ask your neighbour to water that plant.
My favourite idea is to de-clutter. Look at your cupboard. It is waiting for Diwali. Now, look inside your mind. We never clear the junk lying there since childhood and, on top of that, we recall all those unwanted memories lying at the back of our minds to hurt our loved ones. Believe me, there are centres for emotional cleansing. Find them out. Better, if made mandatory, such centres can weed out the mind set of touching a woman inappropriately or hoarding tax payers’ money.
Also, try to read between and beyond. Look into the mirror. See what you see at once and now try to look deeper. Talk to yourself. Are you the person who would cheat others? Are you the one who had encouraged people to burn out others’ property? Had you lied to the income tax officer last time? The revelation in your eye will tell you what type of a person you are.
The government needs to resolve to own a plant and roll out the policies for its betterment in letter and spirit. The employees should resolve to water that plant religiously. An individual should resolve to take a stroll and understand their people. All of us need to de-clutter our minds and hearts and start trusting others. Not taking others for granted but giving the other person a benefit of doubt should be every one’s new resolve. Identifying oneself and painting a larger picture is all one can do.
The problem is within, and not in the system. Someone rightly said: Resolve to renew all your old resolves, and add a few that are new; resolve to keep them as long as you can, what more can a poor man do.
