New Dawn

Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier'…"
— Alfred Lord Tennyson, British Poet

It is customary to look back at the last year with a sigh of relief, if not joy and hope that the New Year will bring more smiles. Last year saw climatic calamities. Homes froze in some parts of the world, and they got flooded in others. These were thanks to the climate change affecting the globe. But wait, has that not been man-made?

Even without global warming, the globe was a hotter place to live on – again, man-made. We saw the United States, the world’s most powerful nation, reaching out to two adversaries – Cuba and Iran. But it also got involved in West Asia. Unable to battle Al Qaida, it must now fight the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as well. One is losing track of who started this caravan of bloodshed and why and how, if at all, it can stop. The sufferings are reserved for hapless men, women and children – killed outside temples, mosques, churches -- and in schools.

We assumed the world economy was recovering, slowly and painfully, last year. But before the year ended, it is in trouble again. And when the strong suffer, even for their faults, the weak get weaker. For India, last year began amidst mass turmoil brought in by impending elections. In their wisdom, people rejected some, elected some, amidst euphoria. The net result was one of electing a government that would provide political stability. It is the world’s largest democratic exercise – no less.

We began with hopes and aspirations, of emerging as a stronger nation. We have an assertive, articulate prime minister who has reached out to world powers with aplomb. His words are taken note of, at home and abroad. Now, in the year 2015, and beyond, he has promises to keep. He must deliver. But in a democracy, it is not the case of one man giving and others receiving. It has got to be a collective job. Are we ready for that? The two Telugu states have also seen new governments. The 2014 was a year of promises for central and state governments. The New Year would be a year of litmus test for all.

The year 2014 brought ecstasy to Telangana people as their long-cherished dream came true. But it was a year of agony for people of Seemandhra who felt betrayed by the bifurcation of the state. The two states were locked in undesirable controversies in the bygone year. Hope the two Telugu States would strive unitedly for a common destiny marked by prosperity.

The year gone by is always a mixed bag of events and aspirations. Hence, when we look ahead into the New Year, much as we hope for the best and for happier times, if we are realists, we know it will be a mixed bag, again.

The year 2014 never really ended our journey, as individuals, or nation or citizens of this globe. And 2015 is only a start in the numerical sense – no more.

As Steve Jobs said: “The journey is the reward.”