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New Year's Day 2009 @ Picaddilly Circus

What shall I start with, this year? I thought a good place would be to start with the visit to the London New Year’s parade with Dive today. It was a terrific experience; with teeth chattering, toes frozen, noses running and necks extended, we caught glimpse of the parade at Piccadilly Circus. The vibrancy and the energy of the participants bedazzled us. There were war veterans with their old army Jeeps, early 20th century steam cars, Caribbean carnival enthusiasts with their peppy music, dance, attire and energy, Anti war groups, Ducati bikers club, Goldwing biker’s club, Chinese spiritual groups, explosive and loud cheerleader contingents, hydraulic robots, high school bands and whole lot of other curious and fascinating folks and things. The idea that struck with me was the platform that this sort of a parade provided to anyone who had something to showcase or convey – whether it be your school band or your protest against kidnappings by rebels in the mountains of Columbia. The huge crowd turnout for this event is by itself a testimony to the reach this platform has; especially in a world city like London where the ethnic mix is highly diverse. You can find people from all corners of the world in large numbers. The visit to the parade not only left me with the joy of having witnessed something so diverse and vibrant but also set me off on a thought process too complex to pen down right now. May be the seeds that are sown today will grow into strong ideas to pen down someday. It was a new year’s day to remember indeed for Dive and me today (a feeling in complete contrast to my last post!).