Like every year, this Republic Day, I sat in front of the TV watching the ceremony.

The flames of Amar Jawan Jyoti amidst the winter fog, the dignitaries arriving in their splendid cars, the pride of the nation; our armed forces; all in attention, the hoisting of the tri-colour, the perfectly co-ordinated contingents marching on the RajPath, the colourful tableau of all the states, etc.

But is our nation actually this colourful and serene? 

Since the beginning of this year, the nation has had to face the brunt of the Pathankot attacks, the Malda riots, the unfortunate suicide of Rohith Vemula, the imposition of President's Rule in Arunachal Pradesh and what not.
This is a clear indicator that we are still caught in the trap of caste-system, intolerance, aggression and dissatisfaction.

While we are becoming so international, that our Prime Minister is almost always abroad and a foreign nation's troups are marching with us on our Republic Day, what is actually happening within our domestic territory?

We have still not come out our stereotypes and prejudices. We are still fighting for basic equality. 

We have still not attained perfect religious tolerance. We have not achieved anything that our fore-fathers dreamt of some 67 years ago!!

We must go beyond 'symbolic patriotism'. Saluting the flag and singing the anthem for one day is not strengthening our nationalism. We seriously need peace, tolerance, open mindedness and mutual feeling of respect. This might be a cliche in words but very rare in practice.

We have immense potential. We deserve to be much more than what we are. Let's not let our diversity be a hinderance to progress. Respect humanity, respect law.

                                                  HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY 

ANNUS MIRABILIS?

“New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.
Just when the caterpillar thought life was over, she began to fly.”

Time flies...real fast.
I still remember the panic and stress of Pre-Boards this time, one year back. Memories of the Farewell, Board Exams, the anxiety while waiting for the result followed by the excitement of joining college, are still so fresh.

To say 2015 was a year full of dramatic upheavals would be an understatement. The havoc caused by the shocking difficulty level of questions in Board Exams, the legal hassles in CLAT and various entrance tests, the joy of finally getting enrolled in a coveted college and the new world that the first few months of college exposed us to, were indeed moments of the most crucial time of our lives.

If there were achievements and celebration, there were also instances of error that called for introspection and improvement. So, following the tradition, I made resolutions for the coming year. And the most important of them all, is to keep my blog updated.

‘Class 12 stress’ was an excuse in 2014. Later followed by laziness and partly unwillingness, I further procrastinated. However, it’s never too late to start.

So, however unfortunate or upsetting the begone year might have been, it is time for a new beginning. Although any day is equally well to start, let’s celebrate this occasion of the beginning of a new year with a new ‘me’.

Wishing all the readers,
 A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!