Welcoming the "New Year" in the 90s

Year 2022 is almost nearing in a few hours. While 2020 was scary with Covid 19 reaching its peak, 2021 surpassed 2020, that almost most of us have zero expectations with 2022 apart from "hope" that it is safe for people to live a healthy life on earth. 

While I was having a casual conversation with my son, I traversed back to the 90s era and started recollecting those days of welcoming new year in my childhood.

The celebrations will start off, the eve of the New year. We all used to have early dinner and start decorating the entrance of our houses with most colorful Rangoli. Considering that during my childhood days I resided in the Agraharam(the streets surrounding a temple) of Mylapore, almost all the entrance of the houses in the Agraharam will be adorned with all bright colours indicating festivity and grandeur. 

Those small conversations, pulling each other's legs,  taking elders help while drawing the Rangoli along with kids in the house trying to distract attention while doing so, cannot be expressed in words. Only those who experienced it, can relate to it. We would then disperse, wishing each other " Advance happy new year".

We didn't have cable connection back then. It was only DD national, DD metro and Podhigai channels in Television. New year's Eve meant DD National would telecast some hit Bollywood movies most prominent ly Shah Rukh Khan's movies at 10 pm. I vaguely remember watching Pardes, DDLJ, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Khabie Gham and so on, on New Year's eve. Thanks to DD National!

At 11.59 pm, DD National will start countdown for New Year along with New Year greetings banner at 12 am. We can hear people bursting crackers on the street at 12 am sharp. We didn't have any fear of noise/air pollution nor there were any organizations which opposed bursting of crackers then.

As the clock stuck 12, we would call our cousins and start wishing each other. It was only landline telephone connection back then. Thankfully we didn't have social media like Whatsapp, Twitter or Facebook to share forwarded wishes. We had the patience and time to ring up and wish  each other personally. It will be around 1.00 or 1.30 am by the time movie gets over and we slept

Irrespective of the time we slept, we will get up at 6.45 am. Since New year always falls in the Tamil month of Margazhi (from 17th December to 13th January), there will be the usual Bhajan group singing songs praising the Lord. The usual competition among children as to who will give rice to them first will occur even on New year(generally for Margazhi bhajans its a custom to reward them with a handful of rice and fall at their feet to seek their blessings while they keep singing songs praising the Lord Almighty).After fixing a time, on when to meet next we children would then disperse.

At 7.45 am I will accompany my mother to her office to participate in the Ganapathi Homam which was performed every year. As far as I could remember, I accompanied her for so many years until  my wedding. Not a year passed by without me attending that homam and singing "Sri Ganesha Pancharatnam" sloka. It also meant meeting my mother's colleagues along with their families and exchanging new year greetings.

After reaching home we friends will meet again and discuss about our new year resolutions, what we can expect in the new year and so on. It was also a practice for us to visit temple along with family and worship the Gods to bless with indeed a happy and prosperous new year!

We will also exchange greetings with school friends and other relatives over phone and by evening get ready to meet friends in the school the next day!

Those were the days when there was no social media distractions. We stayed connected with people without the help of social media. We didn't have a luxurious life back then but we found happiness in all small things that happened around us.

Hope we overcome the present situation soon and the present generation understand "the value of people and relationships".

With this note, wishing everyone a very happy, healthy and a prosperous new year 2022!