Bye 2011

Towards the end of every year the tempo starts building up peaking to a crescendo on  the eve of the New year and this I have been witnessing for the past 55 years. No doubt, every year brings up new cheer,  new expectations, new challenges and new resolutions. It is this expectation, the forgiveness of not reaching the last years' goals & resolutions, the hope of scaling newer peaks that keeps the people alive to the expectations of the new year round the corner. Coming to think of it God's greatest gifts to mankind are Hopes and forgetfulness and these keeps the momentum going.

Though I am past the days of expecting wild turnarounds round the corner, the inquisitive  me  makes me also to think about what had happened in the bygone year .

As usual life was a roller coaster ride and last year was no exception. But, it was more like the stock the market with its unpredictable elements which tempted me to look for the bulls and bears of the year. I believe those thoughts that instantly bring cheer to you , without much analysis, are the high points of  a year.

I was fortunate to read some good books in both English and Tamil. The titles that come to my mind instantly are  Ilamayil Kol (Sujatha), Last Lecture ( Randy Pausch), TCS Story (Ramadorai), More Salt than Pepper (Karan Thapar), Irul Piriyum Neram (Sujatha), Two States (Chetan Bhagat), I Dare (Kiran Bedi) apart from the useful monthly issues of 'Frozen Thoughts'.

From the entertainment front, I could entertain myself with some very good movies and 'awfully gone wrong' movies, more with the hype created than it's worth. I became more occupied with interaction across the world through social networking sites and my blog also witnessed a considerable increase in the posts. I was exposed to a plethora of websites particularly in Tamil, which was a great revelation. It was heartening to note that there is a bottomless pit across the web space waiting to be explored and the world wide web promises to be a literary companion, for years to come.

My spirits hit the roof when India re-conquered the cricketing world after 28 years by winning the World Cup again and I felt this time the competition was more intense, the players were more mature and the game was more watchable due to the improved technology. As I had also witnessed the 1983 crown, I felt more blessed to witness the regaining of the paradise.

For the spiritual accompaniment I had such illustrious masters such as Suki Sivam, Sudha Seshayyan, Velukkudi Krishnan Swamy and electronically I could interact with many more such as Visaka Hari and Balakrishna Sastrigal. Apart from these, the weekly interludes with Rangarajan and his books opened up newer vistas. The exploration of this virgin land of spirituality is , I feel the major gain of the year.

Delightful visits to Kodaikanal and Top Slip were the travel highlights of the year. While Kodai offered its usual pleasant chillness in the maddening May month's heat, Top Slip in December gave some really chilling moments. The better planned holidays in the western Ghats provided some rare dharshan of the Aliyar center of Vedathri Maharishi and a panoramic view of the Aliyar Dam. Though Val Paarai was a disappointment against the high expectations, the sole night atop a tree house bang in the middle of the forest was frightening. An unforgettable night of pitch darkness with the shining eyes of wild boars and bison added more chill when informed that a cheetah was sighted only a few days before. Not sure whether the chillness and trembling were due to the December weather or the surroundings but some better security precautions by the Government for the high paid inmates of the tree top houses could have definitely brought some warmth to the situation. Notwithstanding the above, it was still a vacation to cherish.

Brush with governmental agencies for some documents was a new addition to my experience repertoire. Optimistically one would like to call it as an experience while I would personally like to term it as repulsive and will be blessed if not exposed again.

On the personal front, losing my brother to a well fought disease was a big blow wiping out all the positives of the year but then, this gave another direction in expecting the unexpected.

I normally do not set goals for the perennial fear of not meeting it year after year.  But, I do stop and mull over briefly to review the bygones and guard against the misadventures and the above was an attempt on those lines. I recall a good saying of Benjamin Franklin on resolutions : ' Resolve to perform what you ought; Perform without fail what you resolve'.

Yes, I have miles to Go, I have mounds of energy, heaps of hope and abundant confidence in me, people around and the one above. That makes me to beckon 2012 with all the verve.

Happy New Year and God Bless!