The Ligament Lament

I am not the resolute sort, so new year resolutions are not for me. With that confession out of the way, I must confess that both as a journalist and a history buff, I am often guided by dates. And while resolutions are not quite my style, the first day of the first month of the year is as good a time as any to take stock of things, personal and otherwise.

A checklist of things to do, some of which have rather alarmingly figured year after year. For as long as I can remember, losing weight has been part of the new year wish list.

A logical corollary is cutting down alcohol consumption. The massive hangover I usually nurse on the first day of the year serves as a painful reminder of what needs to be done. Unfortunately good sense prevails only till the next binge. But then, when did reason stand a fair chance against Smirnoff?

In recent times, another wish has made its presence felt -- to write a book. Going by the spectacular lack of progress on this front, this wish appears to be going the same way as the weight loss one.

So on the first day of this year, I sat in the park with my four-year-old son and shared a rare honest moment with myself. As I absentmindedly watched Ritwik conjure new ways to hurt himself, my mind dwelt on the year ahead, on the to-do list. I thought of Ritwik's school admission, about finally moving into a new house, about how India was going to fare in cricket (at that point the Sydney Test hadn't been played yet). I thought how I needed to right a wrong -- a promise made to a friend had to be kept and a contract signed with his partner to be honoured. That was top on the list of my priorities.

And then there was the little matter of a new blog. When I first started blogging, at least two friends -- one in the US and the other one in Dilli, him a philosopher-scientist masquerading as a software programmer-turned-entrepreneur and her a journalist doing a splendid impersonation of an accountant -- were seriously sceptical about how long I would continue to blog. It took about two months to silence the doubters and six more to prove that their original misgivings were not entirely unfounded.

After a break of couple of months, I thought I would start the new year with a new blog. Nothing dramatically different than last year. But one that would hopefully feature more stories of my travels, a blog with more pictures and a blog that would feature writings from friends and like-minded people. A more interactive, a more inclusive blog.

That was ten days -- and a lifetime -- ago. Since then I contrived to make the simple task of stepping out of my car appear rather difficult by landing on the side of my foot and tearing the ligament behind my right knee. So much for the first day of the first month of the year.

I am in good company. I am told the Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan has a similar injury. The friendly neighbourhood orthopedic has my right leg wrapped in a contraption that is rather unimaginatively described as a knee immobiliser. A leg paralyzer would be a more apt description. Once you wear the knee immobiliser, you feel so much pain in your entire leg that you quickly forget the painful ligament.

I can't honestly make up my mind what is more painful -- the torn ligament or the prospect of wearing this contraption, which would have surely found pride of place in Sade's dungeon, for six more weeks.