Passing away to another world remains the ultimate truth of life since eternity and will continue to remain so.

So it is most natural that 2024 will also see a continuous march towards the unknown or another world.

 Among the illustrious personalities, all around India, many stalwarts in respective fields have gone away ; but the last journey of Manmohan Singh Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Sitaram Yechury Zakir Hussain Shyam Benegal  Manoj Mitra deserve special mention not necessarily because of their quality and contribution, but most importantly for their humane qualities.

 Despite spending their lives in the ugly world of Indian politics where neither honesty nor humility matter any more (rather more crude one appears, more popularity does he/she gain among the mass and Corruption has got "promoted" to "mainstream" ie part of life!) ; yet Singh Bhattacharjee and Yechury had  always acted their best, never allowing their civility and dignity to take a backseat, thereby resembling a lotus in a filthy shallow pool.

 Despite the huge success of Hussain in the classical music front, he never shirked from awarding due respect and affection towards seniors and juniors respectively and obviously with a divine smile playing constantly in his face!

  Shyam Benegal's greatness lies embedded in the humanity of his films which always highlighted the plight, sufferings and struggle of vulnerable souls languishing in the lowest order of social hierarchy, marginalised in terms of caste economy sex and what not with the agony of tortured women also not missing his noble vision. Not to speak of his gentle behaviour and smiling demeanour as well.

   Manoj Mitra not only excelled as an actor in films of Satyajit Ray-Tapan Sinha; but as a  thespian, his stature was of another majestic height - - - be it as writer director or actor with his plays drawing inspiration from the honest hard struggle and fight against all odds of the toiling nameless faceless "unglamorous" lot !

  And all these late stalwarts shared a common bond named humanity and grace.

  Would this dog-eat-dog society of ever-increasing toxic India draw inspiration from such personalities of humanity and grace and make the environment of the nation a bit humane and gentle in the year 2025 !

  Yes, "New Year" is nothing but a man-made nomenclature amidst the continuous passage of time. Just a mere official change in time, date, month and year wouldn't alter the flow of life a bit. Ganga will continue to flow as it was in 2024 gobbling up agricultural land, homes ,schools., medical dispensaries, lives and livelihood in its Western bank affecting the poor villagers of Malda and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal. So in natural course, 2025 wouldn't alter the lives of the vulnerable people of those areas, rather the continuation of such unfortunate developments are inevitable to happen. But if the administration of India and West Bengal take a vow that Space missions Bullet Trains VISTAS Gigantic Statues Grand Temples film festivals fairs and all things which glitter can wait; instead all resources energy and time must be invested to protect the embankment and rehabilitate the displaced people with entitled honour and adequate compensation, New Year or 2025 will appear in their lives with real dimension.

 

If the State apparatus concentrate in solving all the acute problems plaguing billions of Indians instead of playing to the gallery and all individuals also take a vow that in the upcoming year, we will make ourselves a bit better in terms of morality and compassion;  would the celebration of the arrival of  2025  attain real significance. Conversely, if the goal remains the bursting of deafening crackers at midnight, vulgar dancing and drinking in pubs and nightclubs and thereafter a Grand picnic by making a mess of the environment through rampant sound and water pollution; celebration of 2025 remains just farce and cruel joke of sorts.