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 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism