A simple vision for the New Year

We have begun yet another New Year, 2026. As we step into this fresh chapter, I

carry within me, like countless others across this nation, a simple vision for our society.

I yearn for a society where safety is paramount. Given the increasing crime rate in our contemporary society, safety should not be a privilege for a few. Rather may safety be a guarantee, especially for women, children and elderly who are vulnerable.

I envision a year that will open its doors to more job opportunities, enabling people not merely to survive but to thrive. With these opportunities, I hope we take firm steps toward reducing poverty, ensuring that fewer lives are defined by scarcity and more by possibility.

I hope for a civil administration that is efficient, transparent, and compassionate. May our judicial system too, be fair to everyone, fostering trust between citizens and

the institutions meant to protect them.

I dream of good roads, clean air, purified drinking water, open parks, green spaces, recreation clubs, and community centres that will uplift the mind and offer rest to the weary and the poor at no extra cost. May we also be guided to curb waste, protect our environment, and care for it by adopting mindful life styles.

I trust that the two most fundamental rights of education and health-care reach every child of our society. No child should grow up illiterate because his/her parents lacked resources, and no life should fade away for want of medical care. Let higher education and holistic living become accessible to every eager and determined person, regardless of background or wealth.

May we create a society where the poor are not worlds apart from the rich in their ability to lead lives of dignity, contentment, and hope. Can we take some steps toward creating such a society?

As a New Year begins, I think, we can. A society is never meant to remain static. It ought to shed its old layers, outgrow its limitations, and rise anew if it is to serve its people more fully and justly. Individually and collectively, we can “be the change we want to see.” We can become that society about which Tagore wrote, “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high… let my country awake.”