Musings on the New Year: Forget Negativity, Embrace Positivity
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
29 December
2023
"Kisi Ko Saal-E-Nau Ki Kya Mubarakbad Dee
Jaaye
Calendar Ke Badalne Se Muqaddar Kab Badalta Hai
"
Aitbar Sajid
(What's the
use of new year greetings? Change of a digit on a calendar doesn't change one's
fate)
Though it
might sound cynical but it's a matter-of-fact statement. A New Year is often
our inadequate attempt to segmentise time which's a perception, not an entity;
an illusion, not a reality. A New Year, therefore, is a ridiculous
simplification of time. Time is a relative phenomenon, not a static concept.
So, it has always amused me when people say that the ensuing year is going to
be good or bad for a person. Does destiny change with a mere digital change on
a calendar or an almanac? To quote Ahmad Faraz, "Na Shab-o-Roz Hi Badle
Hain Na Haal Achchha Hai/ Kis Brahman Ne Kaha Tha Ki Ye Saal Achchha Hai (Neither
the day and night have changed, nor is anything good/ Who said that this year
would be great?).
I don't
want to dampen the zeal of those who look forward to a New Year. Let them
enjoy. But if the truth must be told, there'll never be a significant change
with the arrival of a New Year. What has been going on since time immemorial
will go on till the civilization ceases to exist.
I remember
Faiz Ludhianvi's flippant couplet in Urdu, "Tu Naya Hai Toh Dikha Subha
Nai, Shaam Nai/ Varna Inn Aankhon Ne Dekhe Hain Naye Saal Kai" (If
indeed you're new, show an altogether new dawn and a completely new evening/
Otherwise, I've seen a number of so-called New Years).
Marcel
Proust would often say that waiting for a new year reminded him of the degeneration
of time and life, "Ek Patta Shajar-E-Umr Se Lo Aur Gira/ Log Kahte Hain
Mubarak Ho Naya Saal Tumhein" (Yet another leaf has fallen off the
tree of life/ Yet, people say, Happy New Year to you!). It also amuses me when
people consult astrologers/palmists and ask them how the new year will turn out
to be. I smile and think of Qateel Shifai's famous couplet: Jis Brahman Ne
Kaha Hai Ki Ye Saal Achchha Hai/ Uss Ko Dafnao Mere Haath Ki Rekhaon Mein
(The 'soothsayer' who predicted that this year would be propitious/ Entomb him
in the lines of my palm).
Remember, "Phir
Naye Saal Ki Sarhad Pe Khade Hain Hum Log/ Raakh Ho Jayega Ye Saal Bhi Hairat
Kaisi" (Standing again on the fringe of a new year/ No wonder, this
too will be reduced to ashes). So, the only positive thing we all can do:
"Naye Saal Mein Pichhli Nafrat Bhula Dein/ Chalo Apni Duniya Ko Jannat
Bana Dein" (Let's forget all
past bitterness and turn this world into a heaven).
My wishes
to all the esteemed readers, friends and well-wishers (I've no enemies but I
may have detractors) as 2024 is on the anvil. Forget all negativity and embrace
positivity.
-----
A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in
comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed
articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including
Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/musings-year-negativity-embrace-positivity/d/131407