Here Comes The New Year!

"It's not yet started! " I said clumsily.

"What? " my father asked curiously. "They are going to air Star screen awards on Zee and simultaneously New Year celebrations on Sony TV! So we will be watching both, I have put the channels on the swap key! "I said, feeling proud of my invaluable knowledge about TV shows.

" Beta it's already ten in the night, and now you people are planning to watch TV shows, How long are to going to stay awake?! " Papa asked sternly, "And you allowing the kids to stay awake so late? " he asked my mother.

I promptly replied, " Papa it's 31st night! You also sit and watch! "

Papa went to sleep but later came back and used to sit and watch with us. Mummy would make some popcorn and we were allowed soft drinks on New Year's Eve.

The whole family used to sit and watch dance performances and then wait for the countdown for the upcoming year. Many times we would put up self-created posters for the new year.

In the celebratory shows also they would countdown for the upcoming year while we gossiped about who danced good, while whose performance was not up to the mark.

After twelve we slept and used to wake up the next day to the sweet smell of gajar ka halwa being made by my mother. We were allowed to sleep a little longer on the 1st of January, and Mother used to make something sweet to offer to God.

We would often get new clothes to wear on the first day of the new year, as I firmly believed, 'what you do on the first day of the year, you keep doing it the whole year! We made it a point to visit a temple and then my parents would sit down to place calls to all relatives to wish them a happy new year!