THE COUNTDOWN IS OVER!

If you are reading this on the 23^rdof December, 2012, it is proof enough that the world has not come to an end on the 21^st of this month!

Quite a few doomsday believers had interpreted an ancient Mayan calendar to indicate that on the fateful day of 21^st of December, 2012, a 5,125-year cycle known as the Long Count would come to an end. So, they had predicted an end of the world on that day.

You may be aware that this prediction had come in handy for many glum faced entrepreneurs and marketing professionals in these hard-hit recessionary times. As a result, employment prospects had improved for many in several countries. In USA, sales of survival shelters had sky-rocketed. In France, China and Russia demand for candles and essential items had shot up sharply. Film producers had a field day cashing in on the fear psychosis.

Had the world really ended that day, you would have never known what eventually happened to President Obama’s difficulties. The manner in which the Euro-zone crisis had got resolved would have remained a mystery. The fate of Afghanistan would have remained unclear. The manner in which ties between Japan and China had shaped up after the elections in Japan would have never been known to you.

Closer home,Chief Minister of a big state which had just gone to the polls would have possibly lost a chance of fulfilling his prime ministerial ambitions in the 2014 general elections. Our legislative bodies would have been denied further luxury of delaying vital pieces of legislation through shadow-boxing. MNCs wanting to invest in India would no longer have been around twiddling their thumbs to figure out how to kick-start their businesses in India, weaving their way through the corruption-infested systems we have in place.

If you happen to be a public-spirited soul, you would have never known which VIPs are being targeted next by our self-anointed anti-corruption crusaders. The eventual fate of the Aam Aadmi Party would have been lost to posterity, thereby denying you some chance of cleaning up our political arena. For the poorest amongst you, there would have been no way of knowing if the ruling party’s plans of direct transfer of benefits to your bank account had indeed fructified. Benefits of economic growth trickling down to you would no longer have been possible.

Had the end come, your dreams of making a trip either to Moon or to Mars, or even settling down there, would have come to a naught. For the well-heeled amongst you who had planned to have an exciting vacation covering the Grand Canyon, the Niagara Falls, the fjords in Norway, Mount Titlis, or an overnight boat ride in the famous backwaters of Kerala, grave disappointment would have been in store.

Plans for lavish New Year parties or grand resolutions would have been mercilessly cut short. Just-married couples would have been denied the opportunity of raising bright-eyed kids who would have delighted their grandparents no end. Those with young children would have never known how their progeny fared in the competitive exams for acquiring professional degrees which would have improved their lot in life.

For the tech-savvy amongst you, the roll-out of 4G would have remained a pipe dream. You would have also lost the chance of fiddling with the latest i-Pads, tablets and smart phones due to hit the market pretty soon. The debate of freedom of speech over the internet would have been left inconclusive.

As to the artistically inclined, the remainder of the December music season in Chennai would have been sorely missed. Fans of Salman Khan and Kamal Hasan would have been severely disappointed if they had missed the first day shows of Dabangg-2 and Viswaroopam.

So while you enjoy your steaming cup of filter coffee while devouring the contents of today’s edition of your favourite newspaper, be grateful for the fact that the countdown is over for now, and the end is still far away. Catch up with a good night’s sleep, because today is winter solstice – the longest night in the year!

Celebrate the fact that the inexorable march of humanity towards the next step of its evolution continues uninterrupted!