Actually, this was supposed to be about a short review of “Rang De Basanti” and a look at the need/justification/possibilty for another revolution in today’s social context.But even after keeping the same on the backburner for quite some time, I don’t feel I have come up with something that does justice to the gravity and complexity of the issue.So, I have decided to let it simmer for some more time and for now, concentrate on something that I find more immediate & personal.
As my birthday is approaching, I find myself getting into an introspective and reflective kind of a mind-state, wherein I tend to analyse more than observe, to infer more than record.As is usual practice, every year around my birthday, I look back at the year gone by, take stock of how my lifescape changed over the past 365 days, what went right, what didn’t and so on. Though every time this is strictly for my own consumption, this time, I feel compelled to do it in full public view. What prompts me to do so, I don’t know. Maybe it has got something to do with my newfound spring of extroversion. Well, so here it goes…
For sake of clarity of thought and to avoid overlapping, I will be following the pattern they follow in those “Yearly Future Forecasts” in the newspapers and will be dividing it into a few broad catogories. Though I find that style of division a bit corny, I will stick to the same as it is most appropriate over here…

1) Career :
This was an area where the most radical of changes took place, or rather were effected by me. I switched tribes from those who build the real world to those who build the virtual one. It was perhaps the most difficult and in hindsight, the best decision I ever made. It was not at all an easy one to make though. After all, it can never be easy to have an established career with potential for growth and then chuck it away because that’s not what you want to be doing for the rest of your life; and that too, at a stage in your life, when you are expected to be settling down into a smooth rhythm. Charting a new course at this point takes a whole lot of self-belief,courage and last but certainly not the least, excellent negotiation skills. At least I needed a bunch of them in order to convince my parents that whatever I had decided for myself, was in everybody’s best interests. That if I was unhappy in my current career, now was the time to make a positive change rather than simply repenting 5-10 years down the line, when any change would be well nigh impossible. Also, at this jucture, it was not just about me, it was about them,too. With my father’s retirement about a year away (this was 10 months back), financial aspects had to be kept in mind,too. Fortunately, after initial hesitation, they whole-heartedly supported me and continue to do so. Also, the fact that after 2 years of working, I had enough moolah on me to pay my course fees without burdening them too much also helped. At this stage, I am really happy with the decision I took and regardless of how things turn out in the future I will always feel proud of myself for having the courage to take life in my own hands rather than simply going along with the flow.

2) Human Connections :
I prefer the above terminology as opposed to done-to-death words like “Relationships”, “Friendships”,”Love”, “Romance” and so on. This was another area where the lifescape underwent sweeping changes. And I must say that whatever happened in this area surprised (and sometimes even shocked) me no end when it actually occured, but looking back now, I don’t feel the slightest hint of surprise. In the year gone by, thanks to a career switch and also due to going back to college once again, I made a whole new set of friends. This was also the year when I had to lay the tombstone on what I had thought of as a beautiful friendship. I only hope that it proves to be that seed which dies itself, only to give rise to a thousand blossoms.Also, I managed to connect to a wide variety of individuals, people whom I have never met before, whose only connection to me is perhaps just a stream of electrons flowing back and forth; but with whom I connected in a manner I never thought was possible before. “Strangers are merely friends waiting to happen” was just a sentimental cliche according to me before, now I have sort of come to believe in it.

3) Inner Self :

The year gone by was a watershed one in terms of personal transformation. Thanks to all that I underwent and endured, I really feel that I have emerged as a much stronger individual than before, someone more in control of his own destiny (if such a thing exists). In fact, I have been observing myself change over the years and with every passing year, I seem to be getting more and more focussed, though I will be the first one to agree that I have a long way to go,still. I will not blow my own trumpet over here but just to sum it up, Sameer as on 19/04/2006 is definitely a much more grown-up individual than Sameer on 19/04/2005, though essentially he still continues to be a sentimental fool, deep down.

This is about all I have for now. I will add to this if I feel like, otherwise this should be it…