New Years Time - Time to Cherish & Dream!

It's again that time of the year where you sit back and ponder how the year went by, what were the highs and lows and how the coming year will unfold. It's also that time of the year when you celebrate your success, move over your failures and above all welcome the new year with lots of hope. Yes it's again the New Year time, a time to celebrate, smile and enter into a world with lots of dreams and desires.

As always the year that went by was a contrasting year with lot of highs and equally disturbing lows. Globally it was an year of political and economic upheavals, be it US, be it Europe or be it those anarchic establishments of the Arab world. The world witnessed quite a handful of leaders falling apart and the most striking and talked about fall out being that of Osama Bin Laden. Amid-st the fears of 2012 apocalypse and a backdrop of global warming the planet faced one of cruelest years in the recent times. The devastating Tsunami in Japan crumbled the entire nation into shambles, hurricane Irene wrecked havoc on the coastal pastures of US, deadly earthquake demolished the beautiful nation of New Zealand and flash floods in China and Thailand killed thousand of helpless people. All this havoc in a span of just one year was just too hot to handle, now whether this can be considered as one of those unlucky years or an indication of the things to come can make up for an interesting debate but these were certainly the defining events of the year.

In India, on the political grounds where on one hand it was one of the darkest year for the nation with the ruling UPA government scaling new lows of mismanagement, corruption and utter failure on all grounds. The nation found a new hero in the name of Anna Hazare who united the nation against the age old vice of corruption and gave the people of the nation a sense of hope against the fast deteriorating system and at the same time jolted the ever so corrupt and inefficient politicians and gave them a shock of their lives. Though it's an altogether different matter of debate that by the year end, whether he eventually crossed the line and went overboard with his campaign but nonetheless what he did by awakening the nation and uniting them against the contagious virus of corruption can't be discounted at any cost and should go down in our history as one of the most inspiring and successful movements post independence.

In the sporting arena where the people of the nation gave a warm welcome to the high flying Formula 1 championship, on the cricketing grounds India scaled new lows by being whitewashed by England in all the three formats of the game, in the process also losing their coveted No. 1 Test Ranking and consequently the popularity of the game also reached its lowest ebb with a poor response to the high profile IPL tournament and low turn outs in the ODIs against England and West Indies at home. But the highlight of the year certainly happens to be the India's historical triumph in the 2011 ODI World Cup, the event not only united over a billion Indians in the most exemplary fashion but also gave them an emotional high that they were yearning for, for almost three decades.No wonder like many others, this event also happens to be my most cherished and memorable moment of the year!

It was a particularly sad year for the art and entertainment industry as we lost gems like Pt Bheem Sen Joshi, Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand and Bhupen Hazarika to name a few. However, the industry also got quite a handful of 100 crore plus blockbusters and minted handsome moolah through it, the hot and happening Khan war kept the audiences engaged to the core. On one hand where the ever so young and dashing Salman 'Dabang' Khan came up with two of the biggest grosser of all times and probably also two of the most sleazily made and boring movies of the year in the form of Ready & Bodyguard. On the other hand the outspoken and self proclaimed numero uno of the industry Shahrukh 'Badshah' Khan delivered flicks like RaOne & Don2 which also raked good money but at the same time invited unprecedented criticism from various quarters too. Though from the quality standpoint later's movies were certainly better looking and well made but the former's popularity today stands notches above any other star in the country. This certainly makes for an interesting contest for the masala mongers in the years to come, as that is what Bollywood gossip mills thrive upon. And if you bring the Aamir 'Perfectionist' Khan also in the equation, then it can very easily beat any of the blockbusters in the history of Indian Cinema.

So after a riveting 2011 what do we have in store for 2012? Globally, with US Presidential elections hovering around we might see a change in the name of the Most Powerful Man on the Planet. India might have it's own share of political drama with state elections scheduled in more than half a dozen states and the masses confidently ready to combat the sleazy politicians, riding on the strong anti-corruption wave created by Anna Hazare. With 2012 London Olympics all set to dazzle billions of people across the world, over a billion Indians will also hold their breath together to see how their sporting heroes perform at the global stage. The nation might also have to bid adieu to its long serving cricketing stalwarts like Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman who are at the wrong side of the age cricketing age. It would be audacious to also include the great Sir Sachin Tendulkar who has been defying all odds since last 2 decades, in the same bracket as in all probability he will not only scale his much awaited 100th ton but will keep on adding many more jewels to his already glittering crown. The Bollywood will have yet another busy and gossip fueled year with all the three Khans set to titillate the audiences with their high profile releases. And lastly the Jalebi Bais & the Chikni Chamelis will keep on the masses engaged and the new found trend of having TV Serials by the name of popular old movie songs will extend from the likes of 'Bade achhe lagte ho..', 'Kuch to log kahenge...', 'Na bole tum na humne kuch suna...' to possibly ' Munni Badnaam hui...', 'Sheela ki Jawaani...' & 'Kolaveri Di Beendanis':).

Here's Wishing a very Happy & Prosperous New Year to All!
--
kin...