Sunday, January 04, 2009

Happy New Year

Another eventful year has gone by... and oh, what a year it has been! When the year began, the Sensex was at a never-before 20K, and market pundits were already talking about 25K. Then came the turn. It started with the sub-prime crisis, and quickly ballooned into an all-encompassing recession that enveloped not just the US, but the whole world. Markets crashed to half their levels at the beginning of the year, losing trillions in market capitalization. Investment banking turned overnight from the alchemy of the finance world into a curse, auto makers scrambled to keep afloat, airlines and hotels struggled desperately to survive.

And then came 26/11. 3 days that have forever changed the way India, and the world, will look at terror.

And yet, I would describe the year 2008 best on one word: growth. Growth of India as a real super power on the world stage. From Chess to Boxing to Badminton and Shooting, India is no longer begging for attention. The CommonWeath Youth Games heralded the rising dominance of young Indian in sports. IPL showed that BCCI didn't just have the money, but the vision and the powers of execution to change the cricket world. With fantastic victories over Australia, India rose as the leaders at home and away! ISRO's Chandrayaan propelled India's space program to the moon, and yet again, India's democratic institutions showed the world what people's power was all about. Tatas bought Jaguar and Land Rover, while the Nano emerged as the most exciting new kid on the block since the Model T! And with the signing of the Nuclear Treaty, India's dominance on the world stage was complete.

But most heartening was the way the country rallied as one after 26/11. As Shiv Sena activists protected mosques and madrassas, Christians protected Hindus, Parsis distributed free bread, and for once, Vande Mataram and Jai Hind was the mantra of the country. MNS's hate campaign bit the dust and people of all faiths and castes joined hands against terror. For once, petty politics gave way to true national unity, and the parliament voted as one to bring in a slew of measures to strengthen our defences. And of course, the true heroes were the countless, faceless jawans, police officers, commandos and fire men, who gave their all, and their lives, in the service of the nation.

For me, personally, it was a truly exciting year! I got my entry into the executive management, finally giving me ability to truly make a difference to the company I have treated as my own for over a decade. We got Catrina, and a few months later, Casatta and her two siblings were born. Siddha and Shweta were blessed with Samah, Sanam had finally got her prayers answered!

What does 2009 have in store for us? Terror, Global Warming and Recession will dominate the headlines for sure... but the optimist in me tells me, this will also be a year when the tide will turn. For the better!

1 comment:

Harsha Kumar said...

Without a doubt 2008 has been eventful.. And growth is such an appropriate word to describe the year. Think about it.. We went under terror strikes all through the year, only to wake up towards the end of the year and say ENOUGH! Such a perfect way to end the year..!

Personally speaking.. A lot of things at work didn't go as planned. Constant disappointment. But the year certainly ended with me realizing everything that I had learnt through this challenging year - managing difficult customers, keeping calm in tough situations, being strict about quality. I felt pushed this year - not to do more. But to fill in the gaps in my own approach towards work. In the end that's what matters.

Even with the IT industry - I know there is a recession and everything. But I also believe that it was time for a recession. I think that we in the industry were somewhat getting laid back and this is a wake up call. For me, its the beginning of growth and I think that it will only push us to do better as enginners and find new ways of doing business as entreprenuers.

I'm looking forward to 2009.. I think it will be even more exciting times.. With the Satyam news on headlines, the situation with Oil PSUs, India not giving up on the war on terror.. I'm waiting to see what unfolds :)