From the Chief Editor's Desk: Let Us Welcome The New Year With New Zeal
Year 2013 has been a year of tough challenges and terrible turmoils. The turmoils were such as though the world would come to an end; the challenges so tough that they looked insurmountable. The advent of the New Year gives hope of better times ahead. The challenges and struggles that came to threaten and destroy us have in fact provided us with opportunities for progress and solutions to innumerable problems.
Year 2013 had upheavals in all aspects of life — social, national, global, religious, political and cultural. Today, humanity has become so violent and brutal that it is a complete antithesis of a civilized society. This is probably the reason why small girls whose peals of laughter should have reverberated in the corridors are becoming targets of molestation. These incidents mark the heights of devilishness.
The epidemic has spread to people who were supposed to provide religious and spiritual guidance to the masses. Religion is the heritage of our nation. Even a small upheaval in this field is capable of creating chaos in the minds of masses. This year has also seen a disruptive political atmosphere. Surveys reveal that people's faith on politics is at its minimum level. The Supreme Court has made the historic decision to disqualify and prevent a convicted representative of parliament to contest in an election and has given the public the 'Right to Reject'.
The economic health of our nation is good because of the natural balance between industry and farming. This balance is getting disturbed resulting in sky-rocketing costs of living. This has also been the primary reason for historic devaluation of the Rupee — at one time one USD was equal to Rupees 70. Corruption has taken the shape of an evil ingrained in natural behavior of people, eating into our life like a termite. The magnitude of national loss through scams like 2G, Coalgate, Railgate, etc. depicts the extent of downfall of human morality. While corruption is perverting the minds of people, terrorism is testing the patience and tolerance of the people.
The degradation and loss of cultural values have led to the cascading downfall of not just the individual but of the society as a whole. Human emotions and empathy have dried up. Who can forget the disaster that struck the Kedarnath region in June of this year? Merely thinking of how the region was mercilessly battered by the wrath of Nature sends cold shivers down the spine.
In spite of all these, the nation is safe and is making progress. It is the subtle protection provided by the invisible power working behind the curtains that is slowly but steadily guiding the nation towards a safe future. It appears as though an inner power is working in its own way and facing all the challenges that come on the way.
Between the dark and gloomy incidents of 2013, there were some that will help in making 2014 a better year. We have been able to test and launch Agni-5 successfully, much to the amazement of everybody. The enthusiasm and zeal of the youth of India remains uncurbed. The youth have been capable of grabbing the attention of the entire world with their dedication and hard work. They exhibited their opposition to corruption by peaceful protests and this has brought some positive changes in the social outlook. In this context, Sri Aurobindo — the Sage of Integral Yoga — has said: "Behind each great accomplishment lie innumerable failures. But there will come a time which will make use of all these failures and break open the door of opportunity." These words of Sri Aurobindo seem to be becoming a reality and the future will belong to India and its youth.
Come on, let us welcome 2014 with new zeal and have faith that it will give us the strength to face the challenges that come our way and make us emerge victorious.
With prayer-filled wishes for a harmonious New Year 2014 and a faith-filled Vasant Parva,
(Pranav Pandya)
"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead." — Nelson Mandela
"I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying." — Nelson Mandela
"There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death." — Nelson Mandela