It is for the first time in so many years that I have not planned any outing or arranged any party to welcome the New Year. During the recent years, I remember, as the clock neared midnight on December 31, my friends would hand over me the microphone to announce the arrival of the event. In the blaring sound of the DJ and amidst frenzied dancing, the balloons would burst and lights were put off for a minute and everyone used to greet each other.

If we compare this annual bash with that of my childhood days, it used to be a dull and sober affair. Those were the days when club culture hadn't invaded the city. Not to speak of big hotels or the farm houses which dot today's Ludhiana, it was an era when there was no Rose Garden, Sarabha Nagar or even Tagore Nagar. I have 'celebrated' many new year evenings cozying away in the quilt with my family and listening to AIR Jalandhar which used to broadcast the hit Bollywood songs of the year.

It was only in the seventh decade of the last millennium when Ludhiana grew to be a happening city; the trend of partying on new year came into being. With the arrival of the idiot box and a plethora of channels, the world seems to be opening up. The promising economic scenario additionally brought extraordinary prosperity to the city. Today I am living in a city where everybody is somebody and yet nobody seems to belong to anybody.

Nowadays, the new year celebrations have become a universal ritual. It seems that it is the part of the year when everybody feels a certain kind of joy and happiness and wants to welcome it with a sense of anticipation and hope. Though New Year eve should be a sober and an occasion to introspect when one can take stock of his achievements and failures, we can stop people from celebrating the way they want to.

I know many people who are not swayed by the din of this event and spend the midnight in their homes or at some religious place chanting hymns and bhajans. Still there are those who host lavish parties or organise the event in hotels or farm houses. As the nation is recovering from the aftermath of the worst terrorist attack, the mood is a little sombre. With grown-up children who have their own choices and preferences, I have started wondering whether it is the age or the circumstances which are catching on me. Perplexed, I am at my wits end to choose how to celebrate the New Year this time.