The countdown to 2026 has begun. Only four more days to go. Traditionally, this is a time to reflect on the year that was. What we did. What we achieved. What the world did. What the world achieved. Or did not. There are an nth number of things that can be listed. Yet we narrow them down to a select few. This week, we present you with two amazing articles from our contributors who highlight success stories of 2025. The subjects they touch on are as varied as science and cinema.
The yearend is also a time to look forward to the future. There are travel stories which are sure to help you draw up a bucket list of destinations. The postcards from different parts of Italy that have been delighting you for the past few Sundays will continue to arrive as the writer journeys to mesmerizing places we didn’t even knew about Closer home, at the very heart of our country there are “offbeat” routes which will entice you into taking that trip, especially those of you who are seekers of solitude.
Yes, years will come and years will go. Time is fluid, flowing without pause. Time itself is however perhaps oblivious of old ends and new beginnings. We humans create the transitions. The yearends. The new years.
On the topic of “humans” don’t miss our interview this week in which our very “human” contributor interviews the Al robot Gork. There is also a human to human interview as our reporter meets an acclaimed author and talks about her latest book. While a tongue-in-cheek review by our veteran film critic will leave you wondering whether or not to watch the film under consideration, we suggest that you definitely read the review. It’s a laugh riot. The review, I mean, not the film.
But make no mistake. While we try to tune into the stories that are “feel good” just as we block out the cacophony and tune into the mellifluous music on the radio, as we bid goodbye to 2025 and say hello to 2026, we are not oblivious to all the suffering too that the year has unleashed on people globally. Whether wars or conflicts in different parts of the world; whether racial or religious discord which have erupted and reared its ugly head, these are the failures, the frailties we also witnessed. We are not going to gloss over the predicament of the people or their plight. While manmade horrors (wars, for instance) have wreaked havoc in the lives of people, (so-called) “natural disasters” too have struck. “So-called” because these “natural disasters” too can willy-nilly be traced to our own irresponsible actions. Climate Change caused by global warming has a direct impact on seawater temperatures. As hot air rises, creating deep hollows in the ocean, the vacuum pulls into itself the gushing, rushing water and this whirlpool twirls around the sea until it crashes on shore. India’s coasts, east, west and south have witnessed many a cyclone. And floods. We bring you an article from an expert on floods, who discusses what can be done as disaster management in the future.
And the future is upon us. The countdown has begun. Four-three-two-one. Happy New Year.