Blogging, it seems, has now become a yearly ritual for me. Come 1^st January and somehow I manage to get my writing cap on and type out a few hundred words to post on the blog, which I am not even sure anyone reads anymore. But what is writing, if not shouting into the void in the hope that someone somewhere is going to read what you have written and maybe, just maybe, like it.

It is also easier to become a writer on the 1^st of every year, because you know have something to write about: New Year Resolutions.

Yes, it is yet another post about New Year Resolutions.

But before we talk about the resolutions for 2025, it is only natural to have a look at how I fared with my last year’s resolutions:

1. Read 100 books: Managed to read only 22 books. 22 is not 100, but it is something, wouldn’t you say?
2. Write more (had set a target of 3000 words per week): Ha, the less I say about this the better it is. This one was a complete disaster.
3. Work out at least 3 days a week. : I think I almost managed this one. Yay!
4. Lose 10 kgs : Managed to lose around 4 kgs. I call it a win.
5. Quit consumption of alcohol in any form: Nope, didn’t happen!

You might think that I have masochistic tendencies, and year after year I enjoy setting myself impossible targets, but let me assure you that is not the case at all. I do not derive any pleasure looking back at the year that has gone by and realising that things I wanted to happen didn’t happen.

In today’s day and time, when everyone is shouting at the top of their voice about the secret food they have found to lose weight, or the magical cure for hair loss,  I am here telling you about my failures, because I think it’s okay if you  don’t succeed every time. There were a lot of other things that I did in 2024. Maybe these things came in my way of sticking to my resolutions, or maybe I am just lazy. I don’t know, but what I do know is that I am not going to give up.

Year after year, I am going to try and do better.

So, based on my last year’s experience, and what I expect from myself, here are my resolution for 2025:

1. Read 100 books. Deep in my heart I know this is doable, and one of these years I m going to do it. Maybe 2025 is that year.
2. Lose weight. I think losing around 5 kgs in an year is doable.
3. Write around 3000 words a week.  This one is something I really want to do, so shouldn’t be hard to stick to this one as well.

That’s it. This year I am going to keep it simple and doable. Let’s see how it goes. Have a wonderful 2025, and see you on the blog again before 1^stJanuary, 2026.

As you grow older, time seems to pass you by faster, as if it is reminding you that the time left with you is decreasing.

That sounds a bit depressing, which is the last thing I want this post to be.

So, let’s talk about other, happier things.

Over the years I have continuously made resolutions on the New Year, and continuously I have failed to stick to them. This, I figure, is true for most people, and most of my friends have now given up on New Year resolutions. Some of them make fun of me for continuing with the tradition of making resolutions.

But it’s a habit with me and habits die hard. Which, I think, is not altogether a bad thing. I don’t know about others, but making resolutions helps me. I might not be able to stick to them in the form and shape I set them out in, but I do manage to focus on the things I want to do and do them better.

For example, every year I set my self a target of reading 100 books. I never reach anywhere close to 100, but I, definitely, end up reading more books than I otherwise would.

So, without further ado, here is my list of resolutions for 2024:

1. Read 100 books (I told you I try every year)
2. Write more (3000 words a week seems like a decent target)
3. Work out at least 3 days a week (I almost got there last year)
4. Lose 10 kgs (Get to 88 kgs)
5. Quit consumption of alcohol in any form

These are the things that are measurable.  Among the resolutions that aren’t measurable are:

1. Work on relationships
2. Work on not complaining about things that can’t be changed

You may be wondering why I am sharing this with you.

Well, the reason is simple. I want you, my dear reader, to be my accountability partner. When I feel like I might be straying away from my targets I will be reminded that I have shared my targets with you, and in 365 days I will have to tell you (… and I will) how I did with them.

Let me know what your resolutions for 2024 are in the comments. And if you haven’t made any, there is still time.

(Image Credit: pixabay)

I read “The Story of My Experiments with Truth,” the autobiography of Gandhi ji, a long time ago. Those were the times when I was of an impressionable age, and I was looking to be awed, especially since I had read about many towering personalities citing the book as their inspiration. I believed that reading a book could change one’s life, a belief that, to a somewhat lesser extent, I carry to this day.

Reading the book, however, was a bit of a disappointment. It felt like Gandhi ji was not being honest, but was trying to build an image that he wanted to impress on the reader’s mind. To cut a long story short, I did not become a fan. But that did not stop me from trying a few things that he had suggested in the book, especially those I felt could help me in becoming a better version of myself.

Of late, however, I see a lot of hate floating around the social media against Gandhi ji. It seems like you can either hate him or you can love him. There is no middle ground. I am sure it has something to do with the fact that a particular political party has chosen to anoint the members of a family that has adopted the Gandhi name, as their de facto leaders.

This, however, is not a political post, so we are not going to go down that rabbit hole.

What I am going to say is that people who believe that Gandhi ji had nothing to do with India’s Independence movement are just as naïve as those who believe that he single-handedly orchestrated the Independence movement. History is often made by people who happen to be at the right place at the right time or at the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s the job of historians to create an aura of divinity, or otherwise, for the people who were there when momentous events took place.

In all other aspects, these heroes or villains are like most of us. They are human, susceptible to all the weaknesses that afflict us. Gandhi ji must have been no different, I am sure. When a person dies-even a near and dear one -he ceases to become an individual, and becomes an idea, or a collection of ideas, that he shaped his life around. He is remembered by people for the best or the worst qualities he had.

Gandhi ji was no different. He had his strengths and his weaknesses. He just happened to be alive at a moment when India, that is Bharat, was going through a churning that would have resulted in India’s independence anyway. Living in those tumultuous times, he was able to infuse the principles of truth and non-violence into the lives of millions of Indians. That is no mean feat, especially considering the standard of living of people during those times.

I am sure that even today no one can find anything wrong with these principles. A simple look at our society today makes me feel that these principles are even more relevant today than they were during the 1940s.

So, today as we celebrate Gandhi Jayanti, we should neither hate Gandhi ji nor love him, but remember to incorporate the two principles of truth and non-violence as our guiding lights in life.

And before someone accuses me of forgetting Lal Bahadur Shastri ji, I would take this opportunity to wish everyone on his birth anniversary as well. He was also a follower of the principles of truth and non-violence and was known to be a man of peace, something that our world needs badly today!

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly. ~Richard Bach.

What is a good life if not a constant endeavour to transform – to change – for the better, and there is no better time to bring about the change than the present. Human nature, however, is no exception to the sound laws of Physics. A body in motion will continue to remain in motion until an external force is applied to stop it, and similarly a body that is lying still will continue to remain in that state until an external force is applied to move it. Nature is changing every moment, but ironically it does not embrace change with open arms. An effort has to be made for change to happen, and making an effort needs an application of energy, that is sometimes hard to find.

New beginnings, however, are something else. They are a chance to start afresh and chase new dreams. Every New Year’s Day is a chance to transform; to find that source of energy that will change the state you are presently in.

Even though it may sound simple, it’s not. Change does not happen overnight.

We hear stories about how a single incident changes a person’s life. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I have to tell you that these are just stories. A single incident can trigger the process, but the transformation almost always takes time.

A caterpillar does not become a butterfly overnight.

Science fact I just googled: Depending upon the species, and the environment, it can take anywhere from two weeks to five weeks for a caterpillar to become a butterfly. The world notices only when the transformation is complete.

Every New Year’s Day, we all hope to leave our shells behind and take wings like a butterfly, but the effort has not been made and the transformation doesn’t happen.

But, I will ask you , my dear friend, not to lose hope. Maybe you won’t become a butterfly on this first day of the New Year, but you can take the first steps that will begin the transformation.

Wishing you all a Happy 2023! May this year lead you forward on your journey to become what the Master will one day call the Butterfly.

Since times immemorial humans have been obsessed with the future. Scientists through their mathematical models, and us, lesser mortals, through astrological divinations have constantly endeavoured to predict the future, because we want to know that our future is going to be great. And if it is not going to be great, we want to be prepared for what is coming.

But, in spite of the best efforts and intentions, no sure-fire way of predicting the future has been arrived at. One reason for this could be that the future does not exist until it happens, and mathematical models or astrological divinations – whichever you choose to believe in – can only give you a rough outline of one out of many futures.

So, let me apologise for misleading you with the clickbait of a post title.

There is no magic mantra to predict the future. But, in times like the present, where the ephemerality of human life has been brought to sharp focus by the on-going Corona Virus crisis, who does not want to get better at predicting the future?

So, how can we get better at predicting the future?

The best place to start would be the present. The present is, after all, the future of the past. We need to have a look at the events of the past that have led to this future.

As an example, think about a thing about your present that you do not like. How did it come about to be? What could you have done in the past to make the present different? Are you doing that now? If not, your future is quite likely going to be like your present, isn’t it?

But just looking at the past is not enough. You have to gather all the facts – which by itself is no easy task – about the past, and then make adjustments for any biases that might have crept into your understanding of the matter. For a list of the most common biases that affect our everyday decision making, I would like to refer you to this article, since it would be a digression to talk about them here.

Once you begin to understand how the events of the past have shaped the present, you will definitely be able to make better predictions about the future. Not only that you will be able to take better decisions if you decide to have a better future for yourself.

And, if you think you are already a good predictor of future events, you may want to try your hands at the Good Judgement Project.

(Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)