Turn Turn Turn

In a few hours from now it will be the final turn for this particluar linear period of turning we along with a few billion other homo sapiens would do around that predominantly hydrogenous ball which forms the centre of the solar system we have existed in since the turn was initiated. A plethora of mails and messages will be sent out wishes exchanged for peace, prosperity and well being. Every year it turns out with the same old acts of terrorism, molestations, rapes, bombings, climate talks which remain talks, insert your preferred mode of violence/disasters/evil or hopeless act here. The only happy souls not under induced happiness aided by sufficient intake of intoxicating liquids and other substances are the mobile service providers I guess!

As all including me prepare for celebrating this last turn and welcome- Surprise! Surprise!- a new turn, I feel glad, sad, mad and mostly apprehensive about bidding adieu to 2009 and in effect the decade termed the noughties. Glad that there are more days ahead to keep drifting, which at the moment looks like forever.

Mortality so far has never crossed my mind, having witnessed only close to two and a half decades on Terra Firma, two and a half decades of a rather peaceful existence marked by the usual highs and lows of growing up and coming to terms with the rat race that life offers. It has been a trial of understanding my horizons and limits of socio-eco-political nature were tested. The next decade and a half presumably should witness more than having to accept the way things have plodded on so far and cement my existence here.

Mad about the sheer stupidity we as a race can to stoop to and not realise it. Or probably realise and decide to keep mum about it. Speaking of keeping mum, many people dont realise the benefits they would endow on us if they decided to keep mum. We should probably legislate to insert a section in the Income Tax Act (a full year of study [or lack of it rather] of the subject in the final year of graduation, with frequent visits to Santhrupti Wines opposite our college to mellow the pain enthuses me to add various clauses and sub-clauses to the Act at random will) where people should be taxed quite heftily according to the amount of words they spout in public forums or even a one-on-one conversation. Anyway I dont see any changes in these uncalled for but nevertheless unbearable situations in the years to come.

Sad that a few fellow travellers had to get off the bus on this what I assumed neverending journey. Fellow travellers (both in spirit and physical)who have changed course on this unknown journey, some parallel, some at a tangent, some hopefully who will join the course of our run again, sometime...

The mood of apprehension is always visible when we decide to chart out a new route. And so I stand at the crossroads-the last few years have been spent adrift, experimenting, learning, doing new things. Some bad, some good, some worth forgetting, some entombed in the back alleys of my mind to resurface at specific moments of doubt/joy/grief/hope.

In the middle of all this not so semi-fake despair and cynicism mixed with nostalgia and an attempt at reclaiming a what I can say a dull to mildly interesting life I take comfort in a song by The Byrds-Turn Turn Turn. The words which were adapted from The Bible, book of Ecclesiastes and set to music by Pete Seeger reads-
To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

The 'heaven' mention apart it reads perfectly well to state New Year or not, we just need to keep on turning. To more turns ahead...