The
year that’s just about to finish has been a mixed one for me. Each one of the
bitter sweet experiences offered me a gift: a lesson that would make me a
wiser, and hopefully, a better person. Recalling some of them-
January:
I
felt the repercussions of this month’s events longer than I wanted to, as they
were a lot more bitter than sweet. But
they taught me to remember that sometimes one life time is not enough to know
people. Human beings have complex emotions and deeply embedded memories that
can make them behave uncharacteristically leaving one wondering if one knew
them at all!
On a
brighter note, January was the month when I also learnt to value my loved ones
more and to never take their presence in my life for granted.
February:
The
highlight of this month for me has always been my daughter’s birthday. And
every day since has confirmed what I had been suspecting for some time – that
the teenage begins a lot earlier than 13.
March:
Oh…I
was busy with exams-you guessed it-my daughter’s! And I learnt that most
mothers, and some fathers, go through exam blues twice in their life – first
when they are students, and later along with their children.
April:
I
rediscovered my friends in April and learnt that some people never change; or
rather that one tends to behave the same way with one’s friends, regardless of age.
And perhaps this is why one feels younger and more carefree around them. They
may not be your close confidantes, but their presence and support means a lot.
May:
This
was the month 33% of Indian voters chose one man from 336 Lok Sabha seats:
Narendra Modi. The man and his charisma, not to forget his rhetoric, won over
concerns of hidden agendas and polarization and one of the immediate
beneficiaries of this win was the stock market investor.
Coming
to what I learnt from this event, well, I learnt that India was a lot more
prepared to shed its secular image than ever before and that the next few years
may take the economy forward, but they may also make this country much less
tolerant than it is today.
June:
June
means summer vacations and a visit back home to spend a few weeks with parents.
It also means meeting siblings and getting into arguments with them over small
matters just the way it was decades back. The lesson: the more one changes, the more one remains the sameJ
.
July-September:
These
three months were special for the whole family what with my brother-in-law
getting married. We were preparing to welcome someone in our family and amid
all the important details that needed to be worked out, what worried me the
most was – What am I gonna wear? Well, women will be women!
October:
The
month of my birth – a lot of my well wishers, especially the younger lot, have
been reminding me for the past few years how late 30s means the road goes
steadily downhill for me. But I happily disagree with them as I feel a lot more
confident and happier today than I did ever before. I have less insecurities
than I did in 20s and have more time to do what I enjoy doing. In fact, I truly
believe my best years are ahead of me and this realization itself calls for
celebration!
November:
November
saw the rise of ISIS and though I did not feel any tangible impact, in all my
discussions with friends, religion took center stage. It was scary to see the
changing attitude of even so-called liberals among my friends towards one
particular religion. I wish people could realize that criminals and terrorists
have no religion and religion itself has nothing to do with anything tangible.
It is simply food for soul.
December:
This
month Vikram and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary. We spent the
evening celebrating with friends and relatives and it was fun for the most
part. While many of our friends and relatives had kind words and wishes for us,
there were also those who wondered how we had managed to come so far; and who
among the two of us should take the credit for it. Neither of us had any answers
for them but I do hope we can baffle them year after year!
December
reinforced what I have believed all along: everything that’s worth celebrating
in life needs to be celebrated in your heart!
