Beware the Ides of March…….

As the world’s most ambitious blogger stealthily sneaked away from his unshakeable commitment to write at least 2 posts every week, visits to his “Next big thing on the blogosphere” work of art dropped drastically. If not for the curiosity of a handful of diehard fans, the eyeball count would have dropped below 200, the lowest ever. Shame on me……

I can of course attribute the inactivity to a not so expected promotion, a visit to Geneva to accept an award on behalf of the bank and a trip to Oman to attend a sister’s engagement. But excuses apart, the sight of an elderly traveler jogging within the terminal of Zurich airport reminded me of the unbreakable connection between consistency and commitment.

While the blogger rested, the world indeed moved on (as time and tide waits for no one)…. And HOW?????. If I may mis-quote Shakespeare from his play Julius Caesar, the Ides of March have been indeed bewildering. For those who look confused, The Ides of March is the name of March 15 in the Roman calendar, probably referring to the day of the full moon. On his way to the Theatre of Pompey (where he would be assassinated), Caesar meets a seer who foretells him that harm would come to him not later than the Ides of March. And it did indeed.

And years after Caesar’s assassination, the Ides is back again, unleashing a series of events that would probably change the world for ever.

Unprecedented Protests in Syria, Oman, Yemen, Iran, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Retaliation by the army. Deaths. Entry of Gulf Shield forces into Bahrain. The Sultan of Oman dismisses three senior ministers.

As forces loyal to Gadaffi began winning over rebels, Nato backed by a UN resolution starts bombing targets in Libya. Mixed reactions from the international community.

NATO forces kill 9 Afghan children while they collected firewood; this is the third NATO attack on civilians in the last 2 weeks.

Eleven people are sentenced to death and twenty to life sentences for their roles in the Godhra train burning in New Delhi, India.

Dozens of people are killed in fighting between rebels and troops in Southern Sudan.

Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s Minister for Minorities and himself a Roman Catholic, is assassinated in Islamabad.

Pope Benedict XVI exonerates the Jewish people for the responsibility for the death of Jesus in his book Jesus of Nazareth.

The Bangladeshi central bank attempts to remove Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus from the Grameen Bank which he founded.

Apple Inc unveils the latest model of its tablet computer, the I Pad 2.

The United Nations says world food prices are at their highest for 20 years.

Mazda recalls approximately 50,000 Mazda6 sedans after finding that a spider web could cause the fuel tank to crack and leak.

P. J. Thomas, India’s chief of anti-corruption, resigns over charges brought against him of corruption stemming from 1992.

NASA’s attempt to launch the Glory satellite aboard a Taurus XL rocket fails.

Following rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip on southern Israel, Israeli air force planes bomb Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip.

Oil prices rise to their highest level in 29 months as fighting in Libya intensifies.

Israeli troops and settlers open fire upon Palestinians in the West Bank while they repaired orchards previously attacked by settlers, injuring 8 Palestinians.

Clashes between Christian Copt and Muslims in the Egyptian capital Cairo kill 13 people and injure 140.

The 14th Dalai Lama announces plans to retire as the head of the Tibetan exile movement within days.

An 9.0 magnitude earthquake hits Japan, producing tsunamis as high as 10 meters near the epicenter and reaching land throughout the Pacific ocean. A nuclear meltdown occurred at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant disabled by the Japanese earthquake and a state of emergency is declared at five plants. The Government of Japan evacuates over 200,000 people as fear of nuclear contamination from the power plants grow. The death toll exceeds 20,000.

A Palestinian armed with a knife infiltrates the West Bank settlement of Itamar and stabs to death two Israeli parents and three of their children. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemns the Palestinian attack. Israel approves the construction of hundreds of homes for Israeli settlers in the West Bank in response to the same.

At least 40 people, most believed to be civilians, are killed near Mira shah after United States drones bomb Pakistan in the deadliest such attack by the United States since 2006.

More than 80 per cent of votes in the Egyptian constitutional referendum support liberal reforms. 

The ICC world cup progresses, with its usual doses of predictable and surprising results. India is to play Australia tmrw, which would be our most important match in the tournament. Will the little master score his 100th 100? Will we win and go on to lift the world cup ?

All the above incidents have short term and long term implications for all of us. Some make us glad. Some make us sad and feel bad. Each of them provide a million questions and lessons……

Should we bother to do Long term planning?

Can we really conquer fear?

Why do we continue to tolerate double standards and unfairness?

Why do we still harbor so much hatred?

I hope blogging will get promoted on my priority list. Otherwise its identity and existence may get buried in the ides of the coming months……