What you do today…

“How can you oversleep on first January? You will sleep throughout the year!” I can almost hear my mother shaking me awake today, as I try to grab a few more winks snuggled under my razaai. I shake myself awake and decide to walk up to the terrace to see the first sunrise of the morning, remembering our cheeky responses to her sentence with amusement. “Why don’t you cook something delicious for us today. So that you do that every day of the year!”

I try the same statement on my spouse. And am met with a grunt from the other side of the bed. “How are we supposed to wake up early on New Year when we went to bed at 1 a.m.!”

When we were kids, no one stayed up late on New Year’s eve. But I wanted to be awake when the clock struck twelve. My usual plan was to read each page of my diary of the year and revive all my reactions and emotions. It used to be quiet and rewarding. Thinking back, it was perhaps my first attempt at reflection. Now of course, my habit of writing a page in my diary before I went to bed has disappeared. But all these thoughts get written elsewhere.

Later, of course, Doordarshan and other television channels kept us awake until midnight with curious special shows with celebrities. And then that trend changed too. I never enjoy loud music and parties. So cooking a hearty meal and staying together at home was always the best idea for people like me.

I am missing those school days when 1st January used to be a holiday. And it was always time for the annual family picnic lunch. And then some smart alec decided that if students didn’t study on the first day of the year, they would while away time throughout the year! Gone was that special holiday. Traditions and superstitions rule! Can I ask the able administrators to revive that trend of giving us a holiday on 1st January? We promise to work hard the rest of the year. After all, if you feel sleepy at work on the first day of the year, you will feel like that throughout the year, won’t you!!!