The year that was: A flavour for every season

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Jeevan ki aapadhapi mein kab waqt mila, kuch der kahin par baith kabhi yeh soch sakun, jo kiya, kaha, mana, usme kya bura bhala.

These ruefully reflective lines from Harivanshrai Bachchan, that ask you to pause a while and assess your actions, thoughts and beliefs as positive or negative seem to set the mood as we rewind the eventful year that was. And just like the four seasons, the year could be clubbed into four periods.

Spring
Jagruk India — The year saw the emergence of a new responsible India. The movement which taught us the sachchaiyon ka matlab.
And jiss ke paas aake jaana zindagi ka maqsad was the 13-episode thought-provoking Satyamev Jayate. Jago re had been the mandate for quite a while, but the awakening was full-blown now. It was The Hindu that very silently and effectively — to the tune of Vaishnav jan ko taina kahiye re — severely reprimanded the rowdy and indisciplined politicians, with “Behave Yourself India, The Youth Is Watching”.
And if we talk about enlightenment, how can Idea be far behind. The brand launched a series of Happy Diwali, Id Mubarak and Merry Christmas ads. The idea was very simple — Dharm jo bhi ho, har tyohaar manaana achha Idea hai. What an Idea again Sirjee!
Summer
Connected India — Like the predictably hot summer, the fact was that this FB (Facebook) Tweety urban Indian was travelling courtesy Yatra, Ibibo and Make My Trip; buying on Flipkart and Jabong, getting married courtesy Jeevansathi.com and managing motherhood with Babyoye.com and once bored-simple he was selling everything Quikrrrrrr. Interestingly, the rural consumer was not far behind as he took connectedness to a new level with increasing productivity multifold by information access through the press of a mobile button or the computer. Whether Kisan Shakti or Nabard, communication has a rural flavour now as Chal pade hain Gaon, chal pada India. Thus, the simple need of the Indian — whether urban or rural — was to stay bonded and connected as he crooned from the bus tops and rooftops — joh mera hai who tera hai, joh terahai who mera. mera blog tera charcha... tera dukh mera dukh. After all, Airtel friendship hai to sharing hai.

Autumn
Feminist India — The awakening of the women is not spring but autumn as just like fall, the year saw the shedding off of old shackles and coming out of a winner. It was the diminutive boxer from Manipur, Mary Kom, who dared to say I believe and like the young “playing to win” Saina Nehjwal, did India proud at the London Olympics 2012. This year the Unicef agenda for women was to empower the rural woman and it was the spunky Vidya Balan who saluted Priyanka Bharti, a rural woman who dared to walk out of her husband’s house the day after her wedding to protest against lack of sanitation and hygiene and was able to get her demand for a in-house shauchalaya; as Ms Balan declares “jab iradey nek hon to sab sunte hain”. Of course, there were the usual “natkhat jawanis” and mindless beauties in hot pursuit of the Axe hunks. However, whether TV soap or Bollywood, it was the women of substance in Kahaani and English-Vinglish who were saluted as they gave Gurudev Tagore’s poetry a new meaning: “Where the head is held high and the mind is without fear...”
Winter
Wahi purana-wala India — In this topsy-turvy world where change is the mantra we all survive by, there co-exists the solace of constancy, the stability that never changes. So when Mr Bachchan wishes us Namaskar, Aadab, Welcome, India stops in its track and exclaims “lock kiya jai” and gets ready to play Kaun Banega Crorepati. When the Maruti owner quizzes “Kitna deti hai?” and the Linea buyer requests “Kuch kam nahi ho sakta”, you sigh in relief for the value-conscious Hindustani. And when Mother Dairy asks you to drink that glassful doodh to take care of your mother kyon ki maa jaisa koi nahin, it strikes the right chord for the Hindustani and his maata.
Like the circle of life, the year also whisked away legendary communicators from different walks of life — from Ulta Pulta Bhatti to Romantic Yash Chopra, from the legendary Kaka to Tiger Thackeray. However, all is not lost for as the poet says, “kal aur ayenge nagmon ki khilti kaliyan chunne wale”.
So will 2013 belong to the decisive aam aadmi, to the woman of substance or the great Indian Family? What will be the mantra — a resonating crescendo or a silent masterpiece? Solution through dialogues and emergence of new messiahs are what we hope to see on the horizon as we await a new dawn and recite in joy Varsh Nav, Harsh Nav, Jeevan Ka Utkarsh Nav.
The writer is professor (marketing) at IMI, Delhi