IN SILENCE AND SOLITUDE ON THE LAST DAY OF THE YEAR and with only a few more hours to bid adieu to 2021; it is time to take stock of incidents of my life and draw up a balance sheet.
As I mentioned this annual stocktaking habit of mine to a wise friend, he told me that it is undoubtedly a year of gain as I am still alive and able to do that exercise with all limbs and mental faculties intact. This defines the year that was – the year of minimum. Could not agree less. Though the year started with our resolute plan to kick out of the gloom of 2020; Delta resurfaced with new vigor and its accompanying doom. Govt chose not to lock us or shut us down but could do little to stop the dance of death around us. Death never was so pervasive and close. People young and old, famous and common, powerful and rich were falling like nine pins.
We chose to launch our dream project on the revival of language and Literature https://recite.world
which was in a planning stage since 2019 as a mark of defiance to the #Covid and it was a thundering success with huge acceptance from the public. Sustaining it with regular releases is a challenge we voluntarily embraced. Call it a leap of faith or suicidal stunt; our credo, embrace malady who knows God wanted to find a remedy through us. The places the appreciation came from only validated our belief that there is still hunger for our heritage literature amongst us.
Baba had started showing every sign of losing his will to carry on further and we matched it by mustering more medical support. The struggle started in February, and he beat us all and chose to join his parents in early September. His incremental deterioration prepared us for the impending doom. Only one anguish, he wanted to speak to me to hand over the responsibility formally and I dint want him to do that as I feared that it will only accentuate his slide. What he wanted to say remained a permanent mystery to me - forever.
The support from immediate family and close relatives helped us tide it over and the passivity of close friends to our tragedy surprised us. But then that is the only way to know the true character of friends.
Coinciding with it we had to face that phase of parenthood where they must let go of their kids to fly away to make a life of their own, and much to my own surprise, we did a good job of accepting it. The soothing sound of wings slicing through the wind coming from far assures that all is well.
The last quarter of the year threw us into the worst possible professional situation- it almost shook our belief in the power of good service and the values which underpin our business model. But patience and sustained effort helped us just not nullify those malefic forces but turn them into bigger opportunities. Perhaps, God chose to kick us in our butts to get us going faster. Someone had said, what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. And I bet we have come out through the fire far stronger after being thrown under the wheels of fate and let down by close friends.
We are ready to face the new year 2022 with a bulwark of confidence and carefreeness. I do not care if I survive till the year-end to take my annual stock again. The world will still rotate and move on.
Let’s continue to live on as life unfolds itself before us.
Wish you all a happy New Year.
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