AS THE NEW YEAR BEGINS, misgivings and forebodings bog us down. How will it turn out to be? Scarred faces, petrified eyes, disfigured bodies, rotting wounds, and a deathly silence - 2006 has seen it all. Will 2007 be any better?

The human race is such that even in the face of adversity, it doesn't stop believing in dreams; we want to nurse aspirations and move diligently towards a world full of justice and happiness. Why should we call our race "helpless" then?

Let us, this New Year, pledge not to let despondency, violence, and fear cloud our vision. Let us wrench ourselves out of the mire of despair and think and act so that the lives of our less-fortunate friends are touched for the better. Let us actually try and make a difference.

Let us pray for a peaceful world - one full of promises and hope!

To new beginnings.