It’s that time again, when we are all compelled to take stock of the months that have passed and count our many blessings. I think of it as a yearend celebration of good fortune that is now a routine activity, given the sheer number of amazing things that keep happening to everyone in this country. In fact, when I look at the clouds of doom that appear to be hanging over so many other places, it feels as if the only bright spark is our little island city where peaceful vegetarians give and receive love daily. I tell myself this must be what paradise is like.

So, as I usually do at the end of each year, I decided to list just some of the things we should be happy about. The first big blessing I could think of was the economy, which has been booming for everyone on the stock market for ages now. I’ve been told that this abundance of wealth will trickle down to the poor very soon. It means an old prediction by one of our holiest gurus—of the rupee being 40 to the dollar—may finally be realised. Our collective good fortune may not be immediately obvious if you ask any young person about their employment prospects, but business barons are happy, so why ask questions?