There’s so much around making New Year’s resolutions that largely get broken during the course of the year. While a few get broken at the very start, most of them are consigned to ashes before the year ends. 

I have been a regular proponent of this practice – making resolutions at the start of the year and noting them down diligently for meticulous compliance. I also try and review their progress. My experience of this much discussed new year related issue is:

(1) There’s no harm in making a resolution- after all, resolutions are aimed at improving lifestyle. Even if the failure rate is 100%, the satisfaction of having tried at least will be there. As goes a very famous Urdu couplet-

Girte hain shahsawar hi maidan-e-jung mein Woh tifl kya gire jo ghutno ke bal chale

(2) Tensions and worries overwhelm us throughout the year. At least, we think beyond them on the eve of new year and this is a much welcomed diversion! 

(3) Even if we tried to overcome a weakness or step into new shoes for a while, it calls for celebration rather than regret or disappointment. 

(4) By renewing the new year resolutions, I remain concerned about the things I want to get rid of that could otherwise form part of my resigned persona.

So folks, don’t worry and indulge in this exciting activity called “ New Year’s resolutions”.  Whatever clicks is our gain and there’s nothing to lose.

I will exercise daily and eat no junk food,

Minimise use of phone have I decided this new year;

May not be able to exercise daily or avoid junk food altogether,

And lesser use of phone will still make it a happier year! 

It’s a ritual – bidding adieu to the passing year and welcoming the new year, with new hope and expectation that it would be better than the one just gone by! For some the year gone by could have been filled with unprecedented hardships and difficulties and for others full of achievement and happiness. Yet both the above sets expect a better new year.

Another ritual that has become very popular is making resolutions – mainly aimed at overcoming bad habits and inculcating good and healthy practices. 

However, it’s true that our immediate or more recent memories overwhelm us and in that sense the memories of 2025 are indeed overwhelming, especially the unsavoury ones. Tariffs imposed by US, change in rules of employment and immigration by US, carnage at Pahalgam, operation Sindoor and changing geopolitical scenario in its aftermath, unrest in Nepal and Bangladesh, fury of nature in different parts of the world, Israel – Iran, Pakistan- Afghanistan and Thailand- Cambodia strifes and the seemingly unending Russia-Ukraine and Israel vs several wars and towards the end Indigo fiasco exposing the dangers of monopoly or duo-poly make 2025 an eminently forgettable year, notwithstanding a few bright spots here and there – India’s new feat in space, good domestic market due to GST revision, ceasefire of Indo-Pak and Israel-Hamas wars readily come to mind. Towards the fag end, Bollywood witnessed a revival in the form of unprecedented success of Dhurandhar.

Let’s hope 2026 brings lasting peace, happiness, good health and prosperity for all of us and our beloved nation. We can afford to pass resolutions and infringe upon them – but when it comes to nicety, amiability, cooperation, camaraderie towards fellow humans, let there be no infringement.

A new year follows the one that goes by

For change is the name of the game 

Our good deeds, behaviour and acts

Are the catalysts that immortalise our name.

A very happy 2026 to all! 

28/12/1983 would always be a very special day in my life as on that day my life took a big transformation by haphazardly ending my student life and making me a professional. Just a few days prior to the aforesaid date, I was going to university as a student of MSc physics. I was enjoying my Christmas break when this job offer came, requiring me to join at once.

The above was followed by 39 years of professional life without any break ending with my superannuation on 31/05/2022.

I was happy to have retired to have all the time in the world to pursue all that I missed during the four decades of pursuit for better life and nearly three and the half years into relaxed life, the heart is eager to start all that again, albeit with some restraint. This is the biggest dichotomy of life – chasing what eludes us! Message for the youngsters – do your best and extract the most in your active years. When relieved of all that you are doing today, you will miss it!

in my life as on that day my life took a big transformation by haphazardly ending my student life and making me a professional. Just a few days prior to the aforesaid date, I was going to university as a student of MSc physics. I was enjoying my Christmas break when this job offer came, requiring me to join at once.

The above was followed by 39 years of professional life without any break ending with my superannuation on 31/05/2022.

I was happy to have retired to have all the time in the world to pursue all that I missed during the four decades of pursuit for better life and nearly three and the half years into relaxed life, the heart is eager to start all that again, albeit with some restraint. This is the biggest dichotomy of life – chasing what eludes us! Message for the youngsters – do your best and extract the most in your active years. When relieved of all that you are doing today, you will miss it!

Children wait for Santa to fill their socks,

That they attach to their Christmas tree;

With gifts and goodies that they yearn for,

For who else gives everything without any conditions for free! 

Let’s also become children at least for a day,

Lighten our hearts laden with happiness;

Let’s tie our socks to the tree of our  imagination ,

Hoping it will be filled with peace, optimism and happiness! 

Merry Christmas! 

 I came across a beautiful thought a few days ago attributed to the Mayor of Bogota and immediately related it to a news item that I read today. First that thought – 

“An advanced city is not one where even the poor use cars, but one where even the rich use public transport.”

The news item that appears in today’s HT reads – “ Automakers report brisk sales in November with major manufacturers achieving record sales.”

We can and should celebrate a booming economy and an ever growing affluent middle class. We can also celebrate easy access to credit and scaling up of lenders’ business. More profits would mean higher share prices of auto makers, their ancillaries and banks and NBFCs! But in this celebratory process, we must not lose sight of increasing pollution, congestion on roads, incidents of road rage and increasing import bill due to purchase of more oil! 

On the contrary, we should celebrate, every new metro line that’s being constructed and creation of metro network like Delhi in major cities, Mumbai being on road to achieving it. We should celebrate more advanced trains, more airports, cheaper airfares, better public transport infrastructure ( AC buses and locals, chartered bus service, cab pool services etc) .

The above view is neither socialist nor anti people. People should own cars, but drive it as a matter of luxury and leisure – on Sundays, holidays, family outings- and use public transport for day to day office and business travel. In the process, they can decongest roads, reduce air and noise pollutions, save on oil bill and above all, take care of their health as public transport necessarily entails some walking, climbing up the foot-over bridges and hence exercising! Win -win for everyone- public, industry and environment! 

The above is Singapore model, a city and nation that leads the world in all such noble initiatives. 

If you ask anyone about his or her favourite film star, depending on the generation to which the respondent belongs, the answer could be any of these – Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor – then Shammi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Sunil Dutt – then Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh, Shashi Kapoor- then the three Khans and to the present lot of Ranveer, Ranbir and Varun! But seldom would you hear Dharmendra being mentioned as one’s favourite star!

Notwithstanding the above, Dharmendra remains the most loved film star, with movie lovers thronging to the theatres to watch his movies. Right from Phool aur Pathar to his last outing in Rocky and Rani ki Prem Kahani, the actor delivered what was lapped up by masses. His characters ( Veeru, Satyakam et al), dialogues ( kutte main tera khoon pi jaaoonga, Basanti in kutton ke saamne mat naachna), pairings ( especially with his life partner Hema but also with Rekha, Zeenat, Sharmila and Asha Parekh), cult movies ( Pratiggya, Sholay, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Satyakam, Chupke Chupke), and above his down to earth personality, deeply rooted in his native village, all added up to make him a star without any parallel! He was the original He-man, much before, gym sculpted bodies became the order of the day. But behind that tough exterior lied the heart of gold, ready to help anyone coming in his contact.

The way condolences are pouring in only reconfirms the adulation that the star enjoyed across the cross section of society. There will be stars – more famous, talented or idolised, but Dharmendras are born very rarely. His journey will continue to inspire millions of small town denizens, dreaming of making it big in Bollywood!

Dharmendras don’t die – they continue to live in the memories of people till eternity!

Internet ecosystem has introduced us to several new terms that are part of the techie lingo. One such term that we all feel fascinated by is FOMO – fear of missing out. 

In fact, none of us are bereft of this fear of missing out on the information that’s being bombarded on us every minute at lightning pace. If you open your FB account after a few minutes, you will come across numerous new posts, reels, stories and if you try to search any post that you had seen a few minutes ago, chances are you may not find it! Ditto WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn , SMS and your email. And not to mention, continuous beeping of our mobile phones with news alerts and other messages from the subscribed apps and websites. And very few of us read newspapers today in detail and just skim through headlines or main items, as most of the news appearing in the morning newspapers had already reached us on real time basis. 

How does one consume so much information and more importantly retain and use it? 

I myself sometimes get disturbed at not being updated enough on several news items and current affairs. Little I realised that by knowing everything happening under the sky, I might not have lost anything unless I was participating in a quiz programme or appearing for an IAS exam, till this realisation dawned upon me only after I came across another term JOMO – Joy of missing out, an antithesis of FOMO. 

Indeed, let’s rejoice in missing out on the fare dished out on social media, internet and other sources of information around us. Things that are in reality important for us will in any case reach us. 

Of course, working professionals may follow JOMO at the peril of missing out on important issue, in the form of a message on WhatsApp or an email, earning their boss’s wrath in the process. 

 Today while writing a cheque for Rs67000 odd in favour of my housing cooperative society towards the quarterly maintenance dues, I couldn’t help but reflect upon my first rented house as a professional in late 1980s. I paid a royal amount of Rs700 per month for an independent 3 bedroom house that included Rs50 towards monthly electricity bill. And my employer was happy because I was below my entitlement of Rs750.

Today, in the society where I live, independent houses exist only in dreams and three bedroom apartments that would be half the size of my first rented house, would entail a monthly rental in excess of Rs2 lakh! 

The only relief in all the above is that notwithstanding the obscene state of affairs in the matter of realty prices – ownership as well as rental basis –  people are affording all this, which evidences economic upliftment, especially of middle classes. The theory – if you can you might as well – is eminently applicable in this case. 

I regularly observe on LinkedIn, people of various hues and colours- youngsters, middle aged, seniors, retired, bankers, financial professionals, technically qualified et al – declaring themselves to be “ Open to work.” And many of these seeking work are already employed and are actually seeking a change.

The above thought struck me when I read that worldwide, increasing number of people are working and working till ripe age ( late 70s and early 80s – unlike here where we hang shoes at 58 and 60) and this class of people are given a new name or sobriquet – “ unretiring.”

But we all know that ground reality is different in India where a young breed of qualified professionals is available and is actually, actively seeking jobs. Under the circumstances, the concept of “unretiring” is not quite relevant in Indian context and many experienced professionals, including yours truly, are in good health and mind, raring to contribute their mite to the fledgling sectors around us, but are actually sitting idle, doing nothing worthwhile. 

The above arises because irrespective of our experience, exposure , knowledge and age, we essentially lack in entrepreneurial spirit and at all junctures of our lives, we seek opportunities rather than creating! 

Luckily, the number of successful start ups and youth brimming with innovative ideas, bear testimony to the fact that we may be on the brink of developing this “unretiring “ generation! 

Deaths of Asrani, Piyush Pandey and Satish Shah quickly on the heels of each other plunged all their fans and admirers into the state of deep sorrow. The media, including the social media, mourned the loss of the aforementioned three stalwarts.

Asrani was remembered for his portrayal of “ Angrezon ke zamaane ke jailer” in the cult classic Sholay, Satish Shah for his memorable small screen appearances in Sarabhai vs Sarabhai and Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi and Piyush Pande for his iconic Mile sur mere tumhara that touched a chord in the heart of all of us!

While remembrance generally hovers around the most popular or the best loved work, the fact was that while Asrani and Satish Shah were versatile artists who left a deep imprint on Hindi cinema, Piyush’s contribution to the world of advertising made him a doyen of his field. We are all aware of the memorable campaigns created by him that made advertising so much more acceptable.

The legacy left behind by all three of them will ensure that their memory never fades from the hearts of movie goers and advertising world.