Revolving in its orbit round the sun, the earth has completed another round of revolution. At the stroke of midnight today the 31st December, the year 2007 will come to an end and will pass into history. The earth, the sun, the solar system, the universe and we will be older by one year.

As the experts say that the age of the solar system is just like a middle aged man and our earth is about 6.5 million years old of which men have got only about five thousand years of recorded history, 2000 years after the death of Christ and about 3000 years before the birth of Christ.

In the pre-historic days, history means the tale of survival, struggle for living. In the modern age, reading of history shows man’s progress from ignorance to knowledge.

But in a small corner of the world , there is a land called ‘Manipur’ where there is a society which instead of climbing up the ladder of history for glory and achievement as the other societies do, is stepping down further and farther for each passing day and year as if it is aiming to reach the nadir to rise up again when there is no further step to go down.

The year 2007 opened up with the news of killing and ends with the same news. Counting of number of deaths in the newspaper is what makes us busy in every morning. In the year 2007, the year before it, the year before, before it we have been living in a wave of discontent, a feeling of fear and terror.

With the year 2007, comes another innings of a government which had completed a full cycle of five years. The people of the state expect a good government with skillful governance. Instead, the people find their clothes dirtier day after day while passing in the dusty roads of Imphal city.

People expect regular power supply atleast to the alloted supply routine but they got more load shedding instead. People came out in the street against killing and kidnaping of the innocent but there are more killings and more kidnapings.

People close roads as anguish against non-repairing of the same but the pot holes in the middle of the roads grew larger and larger. People expect news of developmental works from the government but they heard about crisis in the ruling party.

The last few days of this year is wrapped with the satiated feeling of grief of the past in our minds. The dregs of the forgone year hang in the air and have to be put away. But another unknown year looms ahead with its subsequent days and weeks like endless miles on a wayward road.

With the coming of the New-year, forgeting everything, youngsters will enjoy most. On the new-year day tomorrow they will ride their bikes merrily on the dusty roads. They will be in their hip hugging jeans and with their mobile phones.

Girls, showing their ears and navels glittered with silver or golden rings with dyed hair to make it reddish brown will sit in the pillion. The whole space of the cracked roads will belong to them on the day when they come out to welcome the coming new year. They will feel as if they have climbed up another step in the ladder of life.

What has this new year brought to the grown ups who have scored more than half a century (not out as I am) in their lives’ innings ?

We are abruptly aware that we have grown a year older. In those 365 days we think, nothing has changed in our physical appearance. But we are wrong. The wrinkles on our forhead, crow’s feet or cheeks wil increase its number.

The number of white hair will be increased. In spite of our fond care, in spite of our effort to dye it black the number of white hair will increase day by day.

In these days, when man begins to climb down the step of ladder towards grave, if he begins to see the light of the other world beyond the rim of this physical sky, it is a divine light.

It is a light that leads our steps towards the abode of god. Man has been put above the level of fellow animals on this earth because he has the reason, he has the sense to see this divine light.

But when the reason and sense in man lost its way, then man, the two-footed animal becomes more ferocious than those four-footed animals that roam into the wild. There is always animal instinct as well as divine quality in man.

When the former gets the upper hand then man behaves like beast and all the good and noble qualities in man pale in comparison to the bad qualities and beastly acts which ultimately draw our society into the state of chaos where sufferings hold out their hands to embrace us.

So let us hope for the best days to come with the coming of the year 2008. Our society is so gripped by unrest and violence that men commit such crimes that are beyond the reach of our imagination.

Perhaps in the first week of the coming new year, some may even wail and cry with each of the passing morning in the remembrance of those who had not returned home, for those who had hidden in the death’s dateless night.

Perhaps some may even recite a prayer or two for those deaths who have touched their grave in an inexplicable way. Others like me might remember quickly that the universe and I will continue to go on together for a while as long as my heart beats with a strong desire to continue with the task at hand.

In the past many years we are so much dyed with blood and dust.

Let us pray for the milk of human kindness in every heart and greenery all round with the coming of 2008 A.D.

*** This article was written on the eve of New Year 2008!