MEMORIES OF 2021

Whooa!! Another year passed away so quickly. I was just reading my previous blog (about memories of 2020) today and I realized it's time to write another blog when 2022 is just round the corners. Certainly 2021 was special from a global and historical point of view with the world continuing its fight with the ongoing pandemic through the global vaccination drive, Tokyo Olympics being held finally amidst the cloud of uncertainty, some crucial reforms being made in the Indian politics like the introduction of farmers law, the ongoing protest that followed and finally the law being withdrawn due to the criticism and backlash it faced. While keeping all the buzz and noise aside for a moment, this year was special for me also personally. Although some of the days were challenging emotionally, but I feel 2021 went smoother for me as compared to 2020. So going as per the title of the blog and as I see this year in retrospective, I would like to share a brief insight about how this year went for me.

The year started with a bang on when I got an offer letter from Infosys on 1st Jan. At that time, I was in TCS and I had given quite a few interviews in the last quarter of 2020 for different companies. Now if you follow me on Quora and read my answers there, you must be knowing why I was so desperate to make a switch. Anyways, the first day of the new year itself brought that joy and happiness which I was searching for. So I was ready to welcome 2021 now with open arms and was looking forward to the entire year.

Fast forward to 25th March, it was my last day in TCS. Leaving your first company is always emotional and overwhelming, no matter how good or bad your experience has been there, and same was the case with me. But I was primarily looking forward to the 15 days gap that I got before joining Gartner. (I had an offer letter from Gartner also and my joining date in Gartner was 12th April) The festival of Holi was also round the corners so I instantly made plans to go to visit my relatives place in Allahabad. And that was a refreshing break that was really needed. The one week trip was fun and fulfilling for me, while the stage was being set for the Covid to wreak its havoc in the coming days. However, I returned home safely just few days before the second wave of pandemic started in India. Some of the glimpses of that Allahabad trip-

Flight to Allahabad ->

Rang Barse ......

Me with my Mausi and cousin brother ->

The 'Work From Home' continued from my new company also and the second quarter was challenging for all of us with almost every household being affected by Covid and bad news floating all over. Amidst all this, I had completed the first draft of my book which I was writing since Dec 2019. After finalizing the publisher, I sent all the details to them and for next one month, I was also involved with reviewing the edits and final drafts which were ultimately going to take the shape of a paperback version.

In last month of June, also got a chance to attend the World Quora Meetup 2021 held virtually.

Finally the day came when my book 'Delusional Horror' was officially released on Amazon, Flipkart and a few other online book stores. That's a different feeling altogether when you hold your own book in your hands for the first time and inspite of being a writer, I can not describe that feeling here in words. This was one of the factors that made 2021 memorable for me.

By the way, if you have not read the book yet, go to Amazon and purchase it now. The paperback version is available at 50% discount and there is no better way to end the year than reading a horror book. 😀

Finally I came to Gurgaon in September end and it was endearing to meet with friends after such a long gap. The times had changed, the world had turned upside down in these one and a half years but we had the same equation and vibes and that was what I had been missing the most. 

In the long weekend of Dussehra, we (four of us friends) went on a trip to Rishikesh. I had written a separate blog on this Rishikesh trip and you can check that out. The 3 day trip was quick and filled with fun and excitement. We did river rafting and it was one thing that was on my bucket list since a long time. 

River Rafting ->

Recently, also got a chance to meet my office colleagues for the first time face to face, during a buffet lunch organized at Pirates of Grill in Gurgaon. 

I had decided to celebrate new year in Mcleodganj and we had done all the bookings for our four day trip to Himachal from 31 Dec - 4th Jan. But unfortunately, we had to cancel it due to the increasing risk of Omicron variant in the country and the curfews and restrictions being imposed in various states. So no plans now for New Year. The most I will do is just order a pizza and coke and enjoy it all alone by myself on 31st night. 🙁

When I see this year in hindsight, I feel there could be many things that I might have done better. There were some things done right and some things didn't really go the way as I had planned. But that's the part and parcel of life after all. Just as 2021 is about to end, I would like to thank everyone who supported me in any way, directly or indirectly. At the same time, I would also like to apologize if I had hurt anyone intentionally or unintentionally. As I retrospect on some thoughts that have been lately occupying my mind, I would wish everyone a Happy New Year 2022. To all those who are reading this blog, wishing you a very happy and prosperous upcoming year filled with lots of love and happiness.