New Year’s Welcome at Times Square: The Ball Drop
Vivek Ranjan Shrivastava – From New York
Times Square in New York City is not an ordinary crossroads. It is a living, breathing festival in itself, where the difference between day and night is defined not by the clock but by light. Giant digital screens on all sides, constantly changing advertisements, shifting colors, moving images and an unending river of people give this place an appearance as if it belongs not to a city, but to time itself. People from different parts of the world come here to take photographs, to stroll, to pause for a while, and to search within that glow for proof of their own existence. This is why Times Square is known as the most famous crossroads in the world.
At the heart of this square stands an old yet extraordinary building known today as One Times Square. It is from the roof of this very building that the Ball Drop takes place every year. Though the building may appear simple, the entire world’s New Year clock rests upon it. Its height is around three hundred and sixty three feet, that is, over a hundred meters. When the shining ball descends from such a height, it does not seem to come down merely from a building, but as if time itself is descending from the sky.
On the roof of One Times Square there is a strong metal structure on which the ball is installed. From there downward runs a special railing and machinery that guide the slow descent of the ball. The entire system is so precise that there is no margin for even a second’s error, because this is the very moment when the world resets its clocks.
Thus Times Square is not just a glittering intersection, but functions like a global clock, and the building rising more than a hundred meters above it carries the responsibility each year of opening a new chapter of time at the exact moment when the eyes of the world are fixed on that single shining sphere.
Since 1907, when the Ball Drop began at midnight in Times Square, it has ceased to remain a local American celebration and has become a universal clock marking the arrival of the New Year for the entire world. As people in different corners of the globe begin their countdowns in their own nights, their eyes turn toward the sparkling ball in Times Square, where the descending sphere declares that the old year has become history and a new year is taking its first breath. Through radio, television and mobile screens, this scene reaches billions of people. Over time, this event has transformed into a global symbol of collective hopes, new resolutions and dreams of the future.
When we watch that glowing sphere descending on television, a question often arises in the mind: is it real or merely an illusion of light? Many believe it to be a computer generated image, but the truth is that the Times Square ball is completely real. It is not just a visual effect on a screen, but a heavy physical structure built on a strong metal frame. Inside it are thousands of small bulbs and modern LED lights. On its outer surface are embedded glass like transparent panels that make it shine brightly and appear colorful. Because of this, the ball does not look like an ordinary bulb, but like a magnificent luminous sphere, which slowly descends as a symbol of the changing calendar for the world.
The ball is not kept hanging on the roof throughout the year. Some time before New Year, it is lifted up with the help of cranes, thoroughly inspected and securely installed in its position. Then, on the night of December 31, just before midnight, it is slowly lowered by means of special rails and machinery, synchronized precisely with time. The entire process is computer controlled so that not even a single second goes astray.
The ball weighs several hundred kilograms, and therefore special engineers and technical staff are assigned to manage it. Despite the challenges of cold, wind and snow, it descends every year at the exact moment, signaling to the world that a new year has arrived.
This Ball Drop, beyond the glitter of commercial advertising, is no longer merely a mass of metal and light. Along with it descend the hopes of millions, the dreams of tomorrow, and the first greetings of the New Year.
Vivek Ranjan Shrivastava – From New York, 12 Midnight
