Yet another New Year will dawn in the next few hours. Take stock of what you aimed, did and achieved in 2014. Use it to draft and adopt a New Year Resolution and work hard to make it come true. Keep in mind, Goals must be attainable but difficult to attain. You will have to strain every sinew to achieve them. ‘Higher, Farther and Faster’ should be the principles governing the Targets for the New Year. Be successful yet have compassion for others, especially the deprived. Be a Good Human Being and a Good Citizen. HAPPY NEW YEAR! I have looked to several people in my life to learn and to be inspired. Mr Naresh Chaturvedi, IAS(Retd), is one of them. He was five years senior to me in the IAS and, when he retired, was the senior most civil servant after the Cabinet Secretary who was his batchmate. A Gold Medallist in M Sc (Physics) from Allahabad University and a University Champion in Badminton, he did so well in the first half of his career that I expected him to retire at the age of 65. Alas, it was not to be and a few jealous colleagues made mountain out of a non-existent mole hill. A model of honesty, integrity and devoted friendship, he lives in Kolkata. I have taken the liberty of reproducing from his New Year Greetings with the hope that the subtle messages in it will strike a chord with at least a few of you. “I was recalling that as a young officer in Service I would take almost a fortnight writing the cards and the addresses for Christmas and the New Year. Cards were beautiful and affordable and the messages that they carried were touching. I would send about 800 such cards at different parts of the year. The response was encouraging and we would display with enthusiasm the cards that arrived all over our house. They stayed there for months and parting with them was painful. Now the cards have been forced out by e mails, e cards and the text messages. I feel they do not give that degree of personal involvement in the whole exercise. I too have fallen prey to this trend. The cost, the effort, the postal delays, etc have all had their negative impact of dispatching cards to the loved ones. I have sent only 5 cards this season. Rest are the softer versions. My post man was asking for a diary for 2015. Though he knows that I have retired from service but he feels I am still important enough to get calendars and diaries each year. I very hesitantly told him that I would keep one for him if I get any. He was happy. He gives it to his son who is a student. Calendars and diaries too have become very expensive and are given for favours. I have noticed that many of the modern boys and girls are not wearing watches as the mobile phone has become a substitute. Softer versions of.diaries and calendars too are in the cell phone. So why waste resources. Food habits have changed as I have grown in years. Even road side dhaba food was a luxury in the small salary that we got. But there was pride in it. People did not have the courage to to invite us to lavish parties. The probity of most officers was beyond reproach. The proportions have unfortunately reversed. So no wonder that we as a nation are doing so well on the corruption charts. Chinese, Afghan, Japanese Lebanese, Thai, etc cuisines have ignited the taste buds of our young generation. I remember that once my daughter invited me for a Japanese meal in Delhi. I returned hungry as there was nothing for a person like me who is a strict vegetarian. People are giving more time to their looks, their dress and personality. Jeans and T shirts have driven out the formals. Girls too wear the same. Black which was a taboo is the preferred colour of these times. No wonder that my son chose a black suit years back. Indian dresses have no takers even in the rural areas. Cosmetics have made inroads in all households. These are good times for the FMCGs. I remember a caricature on TV where a famous Bollywood actor was explaining that the fashion designers attempt to leave as much of the anatomy uncovered as is possible. There are debates over skimpy attires. I used to see my wife labour hard on stitching the titch buttons on the shoulders of her blouse to keep the bra strap in place. It should not be seen. Now one sees the straps and this has become the fashion. The shoulders are things to be displayed prominently. We are overrun by changes but not all of them are bad. We have to be discreet in selecting what is in keeping with our traditions and culture and what does not pollute young minds. The parents, the teachers and the society at large have to bear this responsibility. So enjoy the New Year. May you have a purposeful and peaceful future. My good wishes for 2015.”
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 23:58:12 +0000
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