When I was a child, 31st of December was a big day, and the 1st of January was an even bigger day.
…31st was big because I believed that this was the day when the old year ended – ended as in over forever, and so everything that happened was also over for ever – it was like putting the lid on a box. Shut tight. Locked. The End. And that was that. And so on this last day, I would make sure that my cupboard was tidy (all my clothes were washed and ironed, and neatly folded); my desk was orderly with text books and notebooks neatly stacked (all torn pages were repaired, and all books neatly covered and labeled); pens and pencils ready for use; dustbin cleared; and everything in my room was washed, dusted and cleaned. I’d get Mummy to change my curtains and bed linen; get my rug washed and cushion covers and sheets changed on my diwan. My copper lamp stand would shine!! Oooooh my room would be spick and span….There was no single chore left over for the next day. That was my way of ensuring that the Old Year was over and that I was ready for the New Year. I eagerly waited for midnight. So eagerly, that I almost used to wish it in with all my being….it was a breath-catching time – waiting to greet the New Year; waiting to usher it in.
We usually went to midnight service in the college chapel, and to morning service at the Church. Surrounded by people I loved and who loved me, at 12 sharp, I would truly feel that the New Year had begun.
….and so, the 1st was bigger, because it was blest, and it was brand new and everything was just right – on my part, I would promise myself that I would do my best, give of my best, be my best…The brand new feeling lasted a long time into the New Year, till daily life made it old again…and then there was the eagerness of waiting once again for the 31st when, magically, all the bad would be wiped away, and there was another year waiting when things could be done/made right…
Then came a period, as I grew older, when it was fashionable to be cynical – I mean, what’s new about the New Year; it’s just another day. What’s all this about resolutions; resolutions are meant to be broken. What’s the fuss about New Year; it's just the day after the 31st, right? And so on. The charm seemed to have gone.