~ Reflections ~

This year has been exceptional in more ways than one... That the pandemic hit all of us is just the cause which snowballed into many effects (some drastic) for a lot of us.  To say that I am thankful would be an understatement... thankful that I got rest when I needed it (due to the lockdown), thankful that I've been blessed with my bundle of joy despite all odds, thankful for a lot of things... but most importantly thankful that my near and dear are all fine, emotionally, physically and financially. So here's my takeaway from this year... 1. There is often good in all the negativity that surrounds us . While this might sound like management jargon, it's true. On a personal front, lockdown provided the perfect opportunity to work from home and rest when I could, which really helped. But even in a more general sense, the air became cleaner.. City dwellers could suddenly hear chirping birds and spot stars in a clear (read smokeless) sky.  2. Reinventing oneself takes time an...

Life has become a conundrum of sorts... Erratic thoughts Unsettled activities  Distant dreams And hard hitting immediate realities

Everyone is talking about Covid, the economic impact (both shot term and long term) and the life changing impact it seems to have on all of us.  Sitting safely in our homes, most of us are as far from reality as one can think. Very few have been able to articulate the situation being faced by individuals who are locked-out (not locked down) by their own states because they were working elsewhere.  Arundhati Roy, in her article in Financial Times , appropriately said,  The Covid crisis is still to come. Or not. We don’t know. If and when it does, we can be sure it will be dealt with, with all the prevailing prejudices of religion, caste and class completely in place.  And that sums up the impact of what this has done to the society at large. While most of us (read netizens) are happily talking about rejuvenation of body, mind and the soul, what we don't understand or appreciate is that we are lucky enough to be able to do so. We are the privileged ...

Life seems to have come to a standstill.. or is it the reverse ? An external virus has now ensured that we all stay indoors, and spend more time doing things which we haven't done in the past few decades. While the initial day or two took some adjustment (!?!) to be able to spend more time with our families, ourselves, most of us have now come around the corner have started establishing a schedule around it. To think it took a virus to halt the circus, and ease out the pace... make people do things they haven't dreamt of in the past.. come to terms and appreciate what others have been doing for them, day-in day-out.... hmmm.... While I know the economy is going to suffer and there are lots of issues being faced by different parts of the society, I wonder if this standstill was required, just for us to understand what we are doing with are lives and to introspect if it is all worthwhile !!! PS:  A big salute and standing ovation to all the doctors, pol...