2007: The Year That Was
Please forgive my imperfect prose. Some events are so big in one’s life that only poetic constructions can do justice to them. In our life, the year 2007 was full of those. . .
When “1-11” became a part of our political vocabulary, the rest of 2007 became a year of rhetoric. It became the year of euphemisms, lost hopes, missed opportunities. It became the year of big talks, big lies, big deceptions. It was the year when lines became blurred: between civil and uncivil society, between progressive and reactionaries, between pro and anti liberation forces. It was the year, when we saw our democracy stalwarts flirting with neo-colonial masters, Generals and fundamentalists.
2007 was the year of many surprises; it was also the year when we forgot how to be surprised. In many ways, it was the year of the veteran Lawyer, of the Editor, of the Economist, of the Bureaucrat and of course, of the General (who became one without fighting a single war). It was the year when masses became invisible, forgotten.
It was the year when many switched sides going to the “other” side, many came forward carrying darkness as flags of honour around their necks; and others took the centre stage serenading the darkness that is slowly creeping into our lives.
In some other ways, it was also the year of the indigenous leader, who did not trade his life with the rights of his people; of the teachers who once again have shown the world that conscience is not a commodity; of the tortured journalist who reminded us of the best that still remains in our people, giving meaning to words like professionalism, courage and integrity; of the cartoonist thrown in prison for the sin of sharing a joke; of the students who reminded us of what we all were once–courageous, brave, and honest–without a care in the world.
I was eagerly counting moments; I don’t any more. 2007 changed that. A new countdown has begun . . .
