Ever wondered why a person would want to celebrate every happy occasion? Societies have always practiced ceremonies in one form or another throughout history. The ancients celebrated everything: the full moon, harvests, sowing of seeds, just to name a few.

Ceremonies convey reverence, gratitude and honour. They are positive practices that help men and women evoke self-love and positive acknowledgements. Through them, new realities are created simply by choosing how such occasions are perceived.

The world is once again on the threshold of another celebration. This time around it will celebrate to usher in a New Year. People will escalate these celebrations with good music, dance, sumptuous dinner and, of course, by lighting bonfires and burning crackers. Rave parties are organised around the world as well as in India attract a large number of revelers, creating a feeling of togetherness and care.

While parties and fun are a part and parcel of celebrations, it is also the time when we ought to sit back and reflect on the year gone by. In this reflection, we would be reminded of the many achievements and probably some failures that we encountered in the last twelve months. Achievements make us proud and failures push us ahead. It is the time when the past, the present and the future merge together. We look back on the past, and at the same time, look forward to a great future even as we celebrate the present.

This time, there is more than one reason to celebrate. India has entered a crucial period in the history of the world. It has emerged as a vibrant nation, dazzling in its glory. There is a new passion, a new enthusiasm and there are new dreams. We Indians have shown the courage and the grit to traverse a commendable journey of success, not only at home but also on the alien soil.

One such person is Mukesh Ambani, probably the richest man on earth whom we profile and salute for his endless enterprise. We also try to find out about the man behind the colossal success. Bobby Jindal happens to be the only non-white who has been elected Governor of Louisiana. We celebrate his success as well.

We hope that there will be many more successes in the future and wish that the euphoria of celebrations continues endlessly.

D.C. SRIVASTAVA