2020 – Seasons of Life!

The New Normal

It was Day-1 of my new job.

The year 2020 was just ending and we were exactly in the middle of December. People all over the world were eagerly waiting for the ominous year to end. The general feeling was that something magical would happen on January 1^st, 2021 and everything would become just like it how was before the pandemic. Around the same time, I stepped into my new job.

The last time I had changed my job was in 2012. I clearly remember that day, just as I clearly remember the first day of all the other jobs before that one. By and large, they have had a similar pattern. You dress up well, arrive at a particular time in the office lobby, exchange greetings with other new joiners, sign a pile of documents, get your laptop and other office accessories, have an induction/orientation session, meet your manager and your team, get to know the office campus, and things like that.

But today everything was different. A lot of it felt strange and weird. To start with I wasn’t dressed in my best clothes. I did shower, combed my hair, and wore something decent but I surely could have dressed better. Certainly, my attire wasn’t one that I would have worn on a Day-1 to any office. Since about a fortnight ago a ton of emails had been steadily arriving in my mailbox with a lot of paperwork and with directions about how to get going on Day-1. Even then, naively enough, I was under the impression that I would have to be physically present at the office for Day-1. Two days before Day-1, the recruiter called up to inform she was available over phone, if I needed something. It was only then I got to know that I don’t need to go to office at all.

The day started with a meeting with my manager who tried his best to make me feel comfortable and took me through a ton of slides that talked about the Business Unit I was joining. My mind couldn’t register most of it at that time. And, the fact that I was using my precarious 12-year-old personal laptop didn’t help much. A 2-hour long orientation session followed a little while later. Once again, my aged laptop and I struggled to keep each other afloat. Here I saw other new joiners of the day. I read some of the names, not even one I recall today. A few, like me, were on camera but I don’t recall a single face. In all my previous jobs, I distinctly remember the meaningful connections I would make on Day-1. None of that happened today.

In the afternoon a chauffeur-driven car arrived at my apartment gate to hand-over the company laptop and the Company Identity Card. He even clicked a picture of me holding the laptop – proof that the laptop was delivered. The laptop didn’t work and had to be returned and reissued – not getting into the details. I also heard that a bag of Day-1 goodies is on the way and I should receive them soon.

I am more than 3 months old in the company now and quite settled in but I haven’t met any of the people I work with. Well, that’s only partially correct as I keep meeting my immediate team through our regular video calls. They are all in the US and I am the only one who connects from India, so that isn’t odd. That’s how it would anyway be. Working virtually isn’t something new to me. The rest of the larger team are in India, and in Bangalore for that matter. Of course, we haven’t met and don’t know when/if we ever will.

But I must admit that I haven’t felt alone or left out even once. Grateful to have joined a team of some of the most genuinely authentic and immensely helpful people. Perhaps, the virtual connections are working afterall!

Will I have workplace friends like I did in my previous company? Will have to wait and watch!

My Maiden Bike Trip With a Trek

I have to admit that I was slightly anxious as R sped through the narrow empty road that morning. The sun wasn’t up yet, and the air was chilly. The early morning breeze inundated my entire being, which was quite pleasing to my senses. A mixed feeling of joy wrapped in a little bit of apprehension was perhaps how I felt then. R had planned everything and I had no clue where we were headed. All I knew was we were out to trek somewhere in the outskirts of Bangalore.

It was the month of December, 2020, when R came up with this idea and I was going to be his partner in crime. We were to travel in his bike and this was going to be my first long drive on a bike. Quite naturally, I was a little nervous. My bike rides have always been within city limits. Well, there’s a first time to everything. Besides, I had to have faith in R, who extensively travels in his bike and has even been on off-road biking trips to places like Leh-Ladakh. R is an avid trekker too. In fact, R and I met during Rupin Pass Trek and ever since we’ve been very good friends.

Pic 1: That’s Kabbaladurga – the monolith we climbed.

The Ride

Off we went through crowded city roads and busy highways, stopping for a snack here and there in roadside eateries. We passed through charming quaint villages with cute little lovely homes. In some places, those meandering roads with gorgeous scenery unfolding at every bend was just picture-perfect. At one time, we even took a wrong turn and travelled for 9 Km. through a broken road passing by bushes and wilderness, with not a soul in sight. Needless to say, we panicked a bit and the entire stretch was filled with anxious moments. Being adventurous by nature helped at that point and finally we made it through. Overall, we did have a wonderful time.

Pic 2: L-Somewhere on the road; R-A hut at Kabbala village

The Trek

Kabbaladurga is a beautiful little hillock, nestled somewhere in the rock-strewn slopes of the Kanakapura mountain range. The monolith hillock is located at Kabbala Village, about 80 Km. away from Bangalore. The initial stretch of the climb was easy as we maneuvered our way through tall grasses, bushes, shrubs and trees with boulders strewn here and there. There was a flight of steps too, carved out somewhere. R, however, decided to follow the trail through the wilderness instead and that’s not surprising at all.

We climbed at our own pace and took frequent breaks enjoying the splendid view of the surrounding hills and lakes that progressively got smaller as we climbed higher. R is a photographer by profession. Hence, many of these were photo-breaks. Sometimes, I would surge ahead only to realize that R was left far behind.

Pic 4: L-The greenery was slowly giving way to the rock-face; R-Just after descending.

Everything was fun till we reached the rock face of the trek towards the end, which was almost a 70-degree climb. This section was tricky and wasn’t easy. Some places had indentations to enable a proper grip on the rock-face, some had hand railings too. Even as I concentrated on the climb, my mind worried about the descend through those steep sections.

Pic 4: The rock-face precarious section. Guard rails and indentations were present only in some places, not everywhere.

A temple dedicated to Goddess Kabbalamma is located on top. Villagers regularly climb up to pay their obeisance to the Goddess. During our climb, four villagers passed us. They were bare-footed, and the climb seemed like a piece of cake to them. Parts of a ruined fort also exists alongside the temple on top. After spending some time on the peak, we descended. My descending demons, as always, took no time to make their ugly appearance and trouble my mind. I needed a helping hand from R, especially at the rock-face section of the trek.

Pic 5: L-A water pool at the top; R-The temple was a slight descent away on another side.

Pic 6: L-Clicked somewhere midway through the climb; R-A quick phone break at the top.

The River

After lunch at a roadside eatery, we rode around the countryside for a while and then visited Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. Here we spent sometime relaxing at the banks of River Cauvery. The sanctuary authorities bothered us about permissions, but we did manage to find a spot where we wouldn’t be discovered. I had been here just a few months ago and had waded into the waters. This time the river had swelled, and we had to contain ourselves only at the bank. R even managed to take a quick nap. I had no intention of closing my eyes even for a second and missing the magnificent view of the river.

The Sunset

On the way back, somewhere on a random bridge over a waterbody, we witnessed a glorious sunset. Couldn’t have asked for a better end to the wondrous day! We reached home late night after having covered nearly 250 Km.

Reminiscing 2020

The Year That Was

It’s that time of the year – time to write my usual year end post. As I sit here reflecting on the year that’s gone by, I am finding it difficult to fathom all the things that have happened. It feels like I’ve been engulfed in a hurricane that hasn’t died down yet. Overwhelmed is maybe how I feel right now. It’s not just me, everyone is probably feeling the same way. I am also finding it difficult to demarcate the good and the bad. It’s like salt and sugar mingled in equal proportions. I cannot pick one from the other. Every good had its associated bad and vice versa. There was no gray. Everything was in sharp contrast. Yet, it’s hard to pick one without the other. That’s how life happened to me personally in 2020.

Here’s a summary of the year as it was for me – the weird and one-of-a-kind year.

2020 has to be an unforgettable year for me. The reason is my father, who suddenly left for his heavenly abode. He was blessed and fortunate to have been able to leave this world as easily as he did. However, not a single day goes by when I don’t remember him. Getting used to his absence is something I am trying hard to learn.
2020 has been the year of pandemic lockdowns. We’ve been confined to our homes for a significant part of the year. It provided an opportunity to discover and appreciate joy derived from the small things of life – things that we otherwise overlooked. It was also an opportunity to contemplate and be cognizant of all those things that we had taken for granted in life.
2020 was supposed to be a no-travel-year for everyone. I have been privileged to have traveled quite a bit throughout the year, including an international travel too.
- Bhadrika Ashram, Himachal Pradesh, to start the year.
- Miami, USA on an official visit.
- Madurai, Rameshwaram and Dhanushkodi with my parents – turned out to be the last trip with my father.
- Number of places in Meghalaya – Shillong, Nartiang, and Cherrapunjee.
- Number of places in the outskirts of Bangalore, including Mysore, BR Hills, and more.
- Some beaches and temples in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
2020 was supposed to be a year of no treks but two treks happened to me, both in the outskirts of Bangalore. No Himalayas this year.
Circumstances led to spending a lot of family time together in our Shillong home. Not just the immediate family but extended family too. Also, this was the first time in many years that I got to spend quality time in my father’s garden that he had painstakingly built over several years.
Again, it was circumstances that led me to participate in our family Durga Puja after a gap of 20 years.
The pandemic led me to revisit my hobby of stitching as I hand-stitched masks for myself and also for family and friends.
Hit by a pandemic related downsizing at work, I had to leave the job that had me engaged for 8 years. However, destiny presented me with another job offer and I was employed in less than a month’s time. (My father’s blessings I’d like to believe.)
It will be unfair if I miss mentioning those few people who went out of their ways to do things for me. People, who are not friends, people who I just causally met or interacted with. These people left me speechless and made me wonder if at all I deserved all of those acts of kindness! Sometimes I feel inspired to be the same, sometimes I feel indebted not knowing what I could do in return.
The year ended with my cousin visiting me and working from my home in Bangalore for the whole of December. It did leave me very busy as I struggled to manage home and the expectations of a new job. But the joyful moments I have been having at home is priceless and inestimably precious.

2020 – the year like no other – has been as tumultuous as it can be. However, there is no room to complain. My year has been like a garden of roses when compared to the untold sufferings people world over have had. I can only express my gratitude and pray to the Almighty to keep me grounded, judicious, and steady in 2021 and beyond.