What’s the deadline for accepting Happy New Year Wishes?

If there’s something more cliche than gifting and receiving Soanpapdi on Diwali, it is the Happy New Year wishes. Saying Happy New Year to each and everyone with a smiling face is prevalent universally. The only day one would smile and greet others with the same intensity is the day when one is throwing a reception for the wedding. The smile gets inverted after that anyway. But the question looming over our heads is this: What’s the date by which you are going to accept Happy New Year’s wishes? Is it the first week of January? Or Mid-January? Or if you are meeting someone for the first time in late January? Is it really required to video call or just a ‘Same to you’ on Whatsapp would suffice?

Continue reading “What’s the deadline for accepting Happy New Year Wishes?”

Day 1 Year 2018

Happy New Year Dear Readers! (Yes, the 2-3 of you)

So, as I had promised, I did go to the office today. As expected, there was as much silence as there is silence in a curfew laden area.

When I opened my mailbox and saw a flurry of Working from Home emails, my sarcasm meter went haywire and I sent ‘Working from Office’ mail to many. Sarcasm getting charged up early in the morning is a good sign. Right?

Few good things happened though.

  • Even when the colleagues weren’t there, there were no abstainers from the helpers and pantry workers. That shows how much these celebrations meant to those who don’t have the privilege like us to skip work. (You may argue that you have earned this but do you think that time would stay the same.)
  • Someone came to my desk and wished me a happy new year. Who does that nowadays?
  • I bought hosting space for my domain. After much pain, it is finally live now at abhinavbhatt.com

What did the new year bring for you?

2013

कवितायेँ लिखने मैं हाथ कुछ तंग है मेरा,
कभी कभी तो लहजा भी थोडा सा  भंग है मेरा |
हिंदी में पहली कोशिश है, फिर से शुरू करूँ, खुदी से कुछ बात,
माफ़ करना, खा जाऊं, अगर मैं मात।

 

स्ह्याही के कलम की तरह, हिंदी कहीं छूट सी गयी थी,
फॉर्मेलिटी की गलियों में, भटकती कहीं रूठ सी गयी थी।
गलती से घुमते फिरते, जब पड़ती है हिंदी अख़बार पे नज़र,
भाग कर उठालेने का, अन्दर बजता है एक buzzer |

 

अंग्रेजी में तो बड़ा सरल है राइम करना,
फेविकोल को अल्कोहल से जोड़ के पेट्रोल के मायने बयान करना |
शब्दों के ढेर से जब निकालने पड़ रहे हैं अल्फाज़,
लगता है, नौसीखिए से बजवाया जा रहा हो जबरदस्ती कोई कठिन साज़ |

 

खैर, यह मकसद नहीं था की मेरी waste कोशिश की चर्चा करूँ,
बस यही था की इस साल फिर से कुछ नया करूँ,
2012 कुछ हद तक मेरा रहा,
बाकी समय हम सब से बहुत कुछ लेता रहा,

 

आशा है की इस वर्ष, खुशियाँ ज्यादा, गम कम रहेंगे,
थोडा गिरे भी तो, फिर से उठ खड़े होने के लिए हम कहते रहेंगे!
जो बाकी रह गया, पूरा करवाएगा आने वाला सवेरा,
दो हज़ार तेरह, साल हो यह तेरा!