2008

I just realised that ringing in the New Year can hardly get better than being with an old friend after a long time. I had decided not to go for any 'New Year Party' this time around - a decision that I think I will stick to for some years on. I do like being in our group where some people make me admire their dancing skills while I give them something to laugh about with my vigourous, uneasy movements. But the biggest deterrant in such a setting has always been the crowd that one cannot possibly ignore. While "party animals groove and jam to the tunes (sic) of the DJ," it gets really difficult to look the other way. The floor is thronged with similar animals showing off their stuff under the multi-coloured lights. And, with clubs charging abysmally high cover charges on New Year's Eve, this decision went easy on both my mind and wallet.

One of my closest friends from college was visiting with some of his friends and we spent the last 3 days of 2007 amidst a lot of fun, feasting and jokes. (On this, must admit that the Chowmahalla Palace at night and the Biryani at Shadab are two things no one in Hyderabad should give a miss.) I got to learn a few card games and did horribly bad at them. After we called off the night, my friend and I would start afresh till the early hours of the morning - revisiting the past and planning for the future. Those quieter hours were definitely the best time for me - where the happiness is more felt than expressed.

So the new year dawned in a quiet manner this year - a year when I want to quietly tick a few items hanging in my checklist for a long time now.


P.S. I could not give the boisterous revelry a miss altogether, however much I tried by staying indoors at a common friend's place. When returning home late at night, it was the return of the same dreaded animals that made the roads an eyesore. Just as I was telling the friend whose bike I was on that this New Year's eve was one that really went well, bikes were all around us with people shouting 'Happy New Year' at the top of their voices - screeching down the speed, changing lanes and zipping ahead. Perhaps, making way for the next set to perform.