DailyOh! Modi promises vaccine coming soon, to when did we start making New Year resolutions

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised a vaccine against coronavirus soon without stating how soon is soon. Modi has, however, said the vaccine that Indians get will be one manufactured in India. That holds true for most non-Indians too because India is the global vaccine manufacturing hub. While saying the vaccine is coming soon, PM Modi also clarified for those who might have had any confusion - the coming of the dawai doesn’t mean free ground for dhilai. The new slogan is: dawai bhi, kadaai bhi (yes to medicine and yes to caution).

The kadaai includes restrictions on New Year celebrations. All states have begun dry runs for the vaccination drive and many cities have imposed night curfew on December 31 and January 1.

Many have been asking if they can have family gatherings. In Mumbai, rules say you can if your home allows all guests to maintain the prescribed 6-feet distance without any crowding or physical contact, and that the gathering ensures masks remain on. Given how small accommodations in Mumbai largely are even if just the family members gathered, sans the guests, 6-feet distancing may prove to be a distant dream. The point, however, is all precautions that can be taken are taken. If you have managed to give the virus a slip so far, why give it a free way to you now?

Now that we have told you about family gatherings in Mumbai, let us tell you about an interesting case concerning a Mumbai family. A couple aged 80 and 75 was let off by a local court because the court felt that taunts from in-laws are part of married life just like, many would say, marriage is part of life. The woman had complained that her in-laws did not let her touch the fridge, gave her stale food, and made her sleep in the living room. “Talking sarcastically and taunting to the first informant (daughter-in-law) by the in-laws is the wear and tear of the married life, which every family witnesses,” the court said.

So what has been happening over the years can continue to happen for no good reason other than that ‘it happens’. What has been happening may not change, but the year will change in the next couple of hours. ‘Happy New Year’ messages will start flooding from wanted and unwanted people. Some may even care to ask about your New Year resolution. If you can’t tell them your resolution, tell them how New Year resolutions came to be a kind of tradition. The tradition could be as old as 4,000 years.

It was the residents of ancient Babylonia, whose ruins can now be found in present-day Iraq, which itself has been reduced to ruins through decades of war, who are said to have begun the tradition of making New Year resolutions.

The Babylonians are said to be the first to have celebrated the change of year. Their New Year, however, began not in January but mid-March, when new crops were planted. The festivities went on for 12 days and were called Akitu. They either crowned a new king or promised their loyalty to the old king during Akitu. And then they made resolutions to pay debts and return whatever they had borrowed. The Babylonians believed that if they could keep their promises, they would be rewarded by their pagan gods. There was also the fear that if the resolution was broken, there will be divine punishment.

So, we know where the tradition of New Year resolutions came from but where did the word resolution originate? It originated from the Latin word resolvere, which means ‘to loosen, undo, settle’. The meaning is in the sense of ‘a solution’ to a problem or conflict. A resolution, the Word Of The Day, is a statement that solves a problem or explains how to solve the problem. And it went on to be used even for ‘a decision to do something or to behave in a certain manner’. In both cases, one is expected to stick to the resolution. The less said about expectations the better.

Saying nothing about expectations, we would want to say something more about resolution. Pinarayi Vijayan’s government in Kerala has passed a resolution against farm laws. The resolution passed by the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government has asked the Centre to withdraw the three reforms. Guess who the resolution got support from? BJP MLA O Rajagopal.

Farmers, who met Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and minister of many things Piyush Goyal yesterday, have said the government has met some of their demands and discussion on other demands will be held. The next round of discussions will happen next week, on January 4.

If you aren’t protesting, or partying today and tomorrow, you can use the time at hand to watch Andaz Apna Apna (1994). The movie hasn’t aged. Not that there is a problem with ageing; just that the movie makes you laugh each time you watch it. Laughing is the most wholesome mind exercise, just like swimming is the most wholesome body exercise. You may not be able to keep up the ‘exercise regularly’ resolution so try the ‘laugh regularly’ option.

We will leave you with that for today.

Be back tomorrow.

Party hard but stay safe.

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Also Read: What are your New Year Eve plans?