May this new year bring you closer to all that you wish for.

Every culture has its new year — ours comes with a flag on a bamboo pole and sugar around our necks.

The flag goes up, the rangoli spreads at the doorstep, and somehow hope feels louder than usual today.

The new year doesn't ask permission — it arrives with the gudi, ready or not.

There's a reason we raise the gudi high — some victories deserve to be seen from far away.