Ramadan Mubarak
By Mahesh Verma
Ramadan Mubarak…may this holy month bless everyone with good health, togetherness and happiness and may peace and tranquility reign in your lives.
While most of you are probably busy watching the last and final season of the Game of Thrones and debating whether Sansa is now a master manipulator or whether “The last of the Starks” episode disappointed you, some of us have a deadline to meet if you are to read this TT on the scheduled alternate Tuesday.
With summer having finally arrived in our neck of the woods, one wishes that Snow (preferably flakes and not Jon) would ride in as the harbinger of “Winter is Coming” even though summer has just come. For the uninitiated, GOT (Game of Thrones) has got to be the GOAT (greatest of all times) serial in recent history, or so I am told. Haven’t watched after the first season, and surprisingly have not suffered from FOMO either!
The “stark” truth is that this year, May arrived celebrating May Day which also marked the end of the Heisei era and the inception of the Reiwa era, as Emperor Akihito of Japan abdicated (being the first Japanese emperor to do so since 1817) leading up to the accession of his son and successor, Emperor Naruhito.
So this May Day saw the Land of the Rising Sun become the ‘Land of the Rising Son’ as Emperor Naruhito, in his accession speech recognised the heavy burden his father had carried in the role, and went on to say that he would “bear in mind the path trodden by past emperors” and hoped “for the happiness of the people and further progress of the country, and for world peace”.
Meanwhile closer home, for mere mortals like yours faithfully, May Day saw the beginning of the 35th year in the paradise called Oman. Once upon a time 34 years ago, there was this man who had left his five month old daughter and a petite wife, who he had married four years earlier, and went on a journey to an unknown land…and after having experienced the onslaught of the ‘shamal’, ultimately found the proverbial oasis in the paradise after the two ladies joined him within three months of arriving, and three years later the happiness quotient was further enhanced as they were blessed with another gorgeous daughter.
In this journey of 34 years, one made great friends and greater foes, saw many ups and downs, learnt many lessons, and fulfilled many dreams after overcoming as many nightmares. What a journey and what a paradise! Thank you Oman- the beautiful country that we now call home and thank you all for having walked by my side on this journey…couldn’t have asked for or dreamt of a better place to have spent these lovely years of my life!
With Ramadan beginning today, this month is the period of abstinence not only in our part of the world but also for those elsewhere, who observe the month-long tradition of fasting, which in itself is a celebration as it commemorates the first revelation of the holy book. And in the Kingdom of Thailand, May has been the month of celebrations as it witnessed the coronation of the Thai monarch as His Majesty King Vajiralongkorn was formally consecrated by anointment and crowning on May 4th . While in the United Kingdom, yesterday the Duchess of Sussex has given birth to a baby boy, as was informed to us by the Duke of Sussex. The baby boy is seventh in line to the throne, and is the Queen’s eighth great-grandchild. Different countries, different celebrations…may such celebrations continue ad-infintum and may the world become “a better place for you and me and the entire human race”.
And before I sign off, a few random thoughts:
Do you know that when people ask for advice, they are really just asking you to agree with them? Isn’t that so?
Do you know that my daughters have started calling my hair “the economy” as it is showing signs of deep recession?
Do you know that I had dreams of becoming a doctor, but I knew I wouldn’t possibly have qualified because I just couldn’t close the sink tap with my elbows? I still can’t!
Till next fortnight…very happy birthday Bridget, albeit three days in advance!
