The Year Gone By-

As time ticks on, a year has gone by,
yet unlike always,
'twas not in the wink of an eye,
the year I felt was long,
for mama and for me-and for many of her sons
we all are happy; we are all strong;
but 'twas unlike the usual song-

it had its moments; of pride
of passion, of joys, celebrations,
and mama held her head high,
basked in the glory of her successes.
but not for long..

shocking elements crept in soon,
predictable yet unanticipated,
nations crippled, economies suffered
she tried - she struggled,
yet as inevitable it was, it was rude
and I limped alongside,
struggling to stand;
out and loud.

as men fought men; distinctions arose
unity in diversity, mama broke to tears
silly she thought, silly it was
the very fabrics of her existence
bent to unleash wrath,
sabotaged her
to a caricature of ridicule,
and she stood helpless
gaping in shame, and utter disgrace.

she was recovering though,
from her wounds;
affairs were in real bad shape
yet we were strong, we were hopeful,
but destiny had for us,
some real ugly turns.

all the pending notes,
of the tumultuous song-
had pathos, had cries,
imbued through out...
marred by fateful events mama was
'serenaded by the terror bird'
a quilt of love and brotherhood
so easily burnt to ashes....
as in horror,she watched,
the death macabre; and
it made her heart bleed.

she pledged vengeance,and
to eliminate the perpetrators
retaliated,yet has held her own,
and the values of peace and truth,
she has so well exemplified !

hence for the forgettable year gone by,
Its adios, sayonara, bye bye
The time is not just to be with friends,party;
But to swear truth and honest service
realize our destinies;
coz its the same second at
the stroke of midnight,
that announces the new year
yet it brings new hopes, unlike any
hopes on us, and hopes are many

and as she looks forward to
the new dawn, the new year,
to mama - we all wish
a year of prosperity and bliss
of victory of truth and right
over the evil might;
and 'cause we are all strong
we will all be happy
and for times long..
we will write the most melodious song
for mama, and all of her sons ....

-- 2008 - It was a year that witnessed the worst economic crisis in decades. The credit bubble burst and mortgage crisis followed and along with US, all of her dependencies saw their economies crippling and indexes plummeting. India was a major in that list. Investors, businesses lost money and tightened up. Lay-offs and cost cutting measures ensued, and it was not good news for job-seekers.

-- It was a year that witnessed the most horrendous terror attacks in the nation's history. It not only cost the nation many lives and property but most important of all undermined her sovereignty and integrity by holding her captive for around 60 hours. It also unearthed major follies and lethargy on the government's part in curbing terrorism and building a strong anti-terror mechanism.

I was deeply grieved by the Mumbai terror attacks and take this opportunity to extend my condolences to the victims and their families.It is really a sad day in the history of the nation.And hats off to all the NSG commandos, the Mumbai police, the VT terminal employees like the announcer, the TAJ hotel workers,etc. All of them played their part selflessly in the success of the entire operation.

-- The terror attacks are enough provocation for any nation to break lose, yet government has taken strategic steps by trying to influence the international community to impose political and economic pressures, and force Pakistan to curb and root out terror bases from its own soil. Because war clearly implies MAD(Mutually Assured Destruction). Hence the nation has held her principles in high regard while retaliating and protecting itself. Yet, in face of continued diplomacy and double talk by Pakistan, air strikes on terror bases and camps seems inevitable.

As a result of the ongoing tension between the nations, the gas-pipeline deal with Iran is most obviously dead. Though Pak might swear allegiance but its ulterior motives can never be trusted, not at least now.

-- Amidst a cauldron of conflicting politics, the ruling party is shaking. The year witnessed the least number of Lok Sabha sittings this year. Till the completion of 11th session there were 49 sittings held so far. And on 23rd Dec, while BJP and Shiv Sena were demanding the sacking of Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulaya, as many as eight Bills were passed in a span of 17 minutes!! I am not authorized to comment much on that, but many of them needed serious discussion.

-- Yet there were victorious moments, the N-Deal success, the Olympic Medals(esp. Bindra's gold), etc. Meanwhile, on personal front it was not a very good year, though it has got many cherishable memories on the pages.

-- So let us not just hope but work for a better, prosperous and happy year 2009.
Adversity breeds genius, and genius breeds contempt. These are testing times for all of us, and we must exude courage and strong will.
"Kyunki dar ke aage jeet he "

WISH YOU ALL THE BEST AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009