01.01.2012

I am not a kind of person routinely sending new-year greetings to all friends and relatives. But this time I thought to wish almost all who found a place in my call-list. I jumped to the idea since when my daughter gave me the clue how using internet I could preset time and send group SMS at once.  

On 31.12.2011 afternoon I asked Chunnie to help me work for the mission. After she preset 25 mobile numbers for SMS to be automatically sent at midnight, the system refused to accept further. We left there and I decided to do this all next morning. I got up early on 01.01.2012 and little later woke up Chunnie, my daughter, only to discover the SMS greetings we set yesterday not being sent at midnight! Then taking cue from her I sat firm before the PC to send them one by one to everybody.            

I started sending messages from names with alphabet ‘A’. Interestingly, the person whose name always came first in my call-list was many ways very dear to me! As a friend-brother and mentor he had a significant role to play in my school life. We are still intimately connected today. He was Abhinna Ch. Patra who needed a special and separate mention. Failed on the first attempt I sent him the new-year wish directly from the mobile.

Except few household breaks and frequent internet interruptions I sat before the computer from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. today sending greetings one by one. I never glued myself to the system as much as today; but I felt this was really irritating for others. Although I too got impatient due to frequent internet interruptions I stuck to the task to finish it anyhow. Mami (my wife) and Chunnie sent their remarks more than once but in vain. I said them to bear with me as this was for the first time ever I was sending new-year greetings to several friends and relatives at a time. They watched TV, Chunnie was from time to time buzzing though. But I was encouraged by new-year wishes from friends while I was sending SMS.

In fact the Odia new-year started from Maha Visub Sankranti with great festivity. January 1 was not a new-year’s day for all. So I, like many others, preferred either to wish or not to wish showing these external gestures although the real goodwill was always there. However January 1 has been universal and accepted widely. This has successfully adapted to local trends and existed side by side with native new-years. Isn’t it that of descending The Kingdom of God upon earth?

Today morning Rabi Mohanty came to present The Mother’s calendars and diaries as his routine new-year wish. Ramesh Behera one of my friends came with his family to share few times with us in the afternoon. In the evening Jayant another family friend also visited with his son to gift us something. There were new-year phone calls and SMS from a hoard of other friends too. All this was indeed a kind of making oneself happy by wishing others to be happy.

Sitting for hours before the PC it was essential I should have a refreshing feel outside. I tagged this to a    walk to Sri Aurobindo Bhawan for meditation at the shrine. Jayant was happy to accompany me. Back home I tried to reflect myself a bit about the past and the present before going to bed. Peace, peace, peace to all.