Happy 2011

Happy New Year!

Happy 2011!!

Happy Today! Happy Tomorrow! Happy Every day!!

We wish everyone we meet well. We wish all our friends and family and acquaintances well too - all the time, whether we meet them or not. So what's so new about Jan 1st? Or Ugadi day - for that matter ?

As some of the folks that know me are aware - I would much prefer Ugadi day to Jan 1st - any day! Not that I don't wish Happy New Year on Jan 1st. I did. I do. I will. But when I wish some folks (mostly family and other like minded friends) the thought of Ugadi being a more authentic New Year Day inevitably occurs at the back of my mind - almost always.

Nevertheless - I think Jan 1st is no less significant. For one thing - the Jan - Dec calendar is so ingrained in our daily lives that we literally live by it day in and day out. My mom completely lives by the Telugu/Lunar calendar (well - almost 90%) - being from old school. She still talks in Chaitram, Vaisakham..., pADyami, vidiya, pourNami etc... and takes a few seconds to relate it to Solar calendar for any chronological details. There are others in the family who live that life. They ruled the roost until a few decades ago - but we rarely see such people now. Almost 90% can't even tell all the lunar months - let alone in order. Nor do they know the tithis for that matter.

Given this great influence of the Gregorian Calendar on mankind (or shall we call man(un)kind?!) - it's no wonder Jan 1st usurped the New Year's Day mantle from Yugadi Day. But what fascinates me is that the Lunar Calendar didn't need correction in over several millennia - where as the Western Calendar underwent several corrections over the past 2000 years. The latest being on Sept 2nd 1752, when people in England slept for 12 days. Not too long ago, in the history of time, one might say.

Anyway - given the current influence of Jan 1st - Happy New Year! Happy today, tomorrow and every day!!

I am at peace!

Swasti!!