New Year Eve in India: a Flashback

Posted on September 1, 2007 
Filed Under Indonesia

Being in India during New Year Eve is not cool, so some new Indonesian students complain to me. Well, that’s not without reason. Indians mostly not celebrating New Year. They have their own celebration called Diwali which is just as big as the way we’re celebrating new year in Indonesia.

Usually, we celebrate New Year in KBRI (Indonesia Embassy) New Delhi by just playing cards, chess, etc while ‘the moms’ busy making barbeque (satai), etc. Now, during this two year, under the current ambassador Donillo Anwar, all are gone. Not only that, even panggung gembira ‘ritual’ to mark independence day is also gone.

From personal level, either way (celebrating or not) doesnt make any different. I used to see every single day as precious. Very precious. So, I dont see celebrating a farewell day of a year as significant, to say the least. Hence, why any need to celebrate, anyway? What the difference between now–the day-end of 2005–and tommorow–the beginning of 2006?

Having said that, i tend to celebrate on my own: by a bit making flashback to what I, personally and we, as a nation have been doing.

Talking about the nation, I see two most ‘thrilling’ policies the current government done make me feel that this year-end indeed is not the night to celebrate, for you who used to celebrate it: (a) the government policy on education–by pulling out the higher educational subsidies that led to sky-rocketing of university tuition fee; (b) the hike of BBM (petrol, gas, diesel, etc) which resulted in the hike of everything the people–the poor people–need most in their daily lives. All two policies just make things worst for Indonesian people.

Life gotta move on, anyway. And happy new year for those who stay up late tonight. The beautiful firework in the picture is for you. :)



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