Thoughts & After-thoughts !

       The year 2025 has indeed been a roller-coaster ride for quite a lot of us. Highs and lows came unannounced, often overlapping, leaving little time to pause and reflect. Yet, as the year draws to a close, reflection becomes inevitable. If I were to sum up 2025 for myself in a few words, it would be: Patience, Gratitude, Calmness, Trust, Perseverance, and Health. On both personal and professional fronts, life has been humbling with every passing day. One of the most important lessons I learnt is that when you let go of your ego, carry goodwill, and act with bona fide intentions, the Invisible Hand somehow takes care of you. There is a quiet reassurance in surrendering yourself to the Almighty. Once you do that, you realise that the universe, in its own way, aligns things for you. Of late, many people have been describing me as calm and stable. While I appreciate the observation, my own understanding of calmness is slightly different. To me, calmness is chaos...

The Indian middle-class family is a vibrant tapestry woven with strong bonds, unwavering values, and a burning ambition to rise. In these households, respect for elders and extended family is paramount. Social gatherings and festivals are a time for joyous celebration, strengthening the connections that define them. Remember those massive Diwali celebrations, overflowing with sweets and enough relatives to fill a Bollywood movie? Remember those Holi celebrations where you had the fun of your life with your siblings, friends and relatives, your faces and clothes donned in a mix hue of vibrant colors, of-course at the cost of scoldings and even beatings from your mother for spoiling the household with water and colors spilled everywhere? Remember those summer vacations, and those days off after the term-end exams? - inarguably the most awaited time of the year! Or for that matter, remember, those moments of a tragedy in your family or relations, where the entire society comes together t...