Generally,
one takes the review of the passing year by the end of the year. From that
perspective I am at least five months late to write this. But as they say better
late than never. Hence, have decided to post it (at least) today.
Year
2018 had been an action-packed year for me beyond imagination. It was a
happening period on so many fronts – personal, professional, touring. The
quantum of things that happened during this year cannot be compared with those
for any other year in life till date. (In fact that level of busy life also has
been one of the reasons for this post getting delayed.) Another unique feature
of this year was there were so many ‘first times’ during this entire year!
Touring
always excites me. (At times I feel I could have been in tourism industry.)
Amongst all the things that happened this year I feel the touring that happened
during this year had some of the unique aspects:
·
This year it was the highest touring till
date. Here is the stock of the total touring during the year both for personal
and professional reasons:
o
Outside state
§ In
Professional Context: New Delhi (twice), Gulbarga (Karnataka), Jabalpur (Madhya
Pradesh), Gandhinagar (Gujarat), Nagon (Assam)
§ As
personal tours: Pondicherry (Tamilnadu), Kaziranga (Assam), Kolkata (West
Bengal)
o
Within state:
§ As
personal tours: Pondicherry (Tamilnadu), Kaziranga (Assam), Kolkata (West
Bengal): Nil
§ As
personal tours: Nasik, Pune, Kaas (Satara)
Thus
during this year, I could visit as many as seven states of the country, which
is the
highest
number for me in any year tilldate.
·
Each of the personal tours was dream tour
coming into reality in some aspect or the other. In my life many-a-times I have
experiences of being God’s chosen one. This belief was once again underlined
through the experiences during touring this year. Here is the summary of the
uniqueness and the support to what I am claiming.
o
Going for an exclusive trip with Manasi had
been a dream for years. It got materialised during the trip to Pondy. The fun
quotient got increased with the total two-wheeler ride throughout the city. For
me this was quite adventurous as was being adopted in absence of Vivek. It was
really our time together, a memorable trip! We had so much flexibility of
schedule and time at hand that we could visit Matrimandir! That was an amazing
place. The structural uniqueness is beyond the words to appreciate!
o
One of the tours to N Delhi for professional
work (FDP in Statistics) gave me an opportunity to meet an artist, a
calligrapher and a friend – Shipra Dutta. I had been seeing her work as “Likhavat”
through FaceBook. Had also got some saries calligraphed from her, but never had
an opportunity to see her other work personally (yaachee dehee yaachee dolaa).
This tour not only gave me that opportunity, but also got one dream calligraphy
done on a sari from Shipra. (The sari is yet waiting to be wore on some equally
special occasion.)
o
Trip to Kaas fulfilled two dreams together
and thus the ‘dream come true’ quotient got a multiplier effect. Visiting Kaas
was in the bucket list. Also similar to trip with Manasi trip with Shilpa had
been a dream for years. And this trip was so much fun! We were so much close to
nature! The kind of micro-photography experimented, was one of its kind and
again for the first time in my life.
There were experiences to see some flowers to be visible only with
lenses, some flowers with transparent petals! It was nature’s treasure opened
up for us to enjoy, appreciate (and preserve). This trip changed the whole
outlook towards flowers and did bring in the special affinity towards
photography of flowers even during the later tours or even daily morning walks.
BNHS was the right option for this trip.
o
Kaziranga was an experience by itself. Wanted
to visit it even during the earlier trip to Assam. But the actual visit got
materialised only during this year. The visit to Kaziranga jungle and seeing
rhino in such a large number and from such a close distance was certainly overwhelming.
Bu the excitation did not end here. Even the wonderful place, where I got to
stay – Wildgrass - was worth the experience. Everything was so much close to
nature here! No TV, minimal use of manmade things. The furniture, the room
decoration, etc were all in cane, which is a unique feature of Assam. The hotel
served amazing food in Assam cuisine. Thanks to Samidha for recommending this
place to stay. And I was so lucky that inspite of having booking for a single
day, actually I got to stay for two days at this wonderful place as someone
else cancelled their booking.
I
shopped cane jewellery items to my heart out. Could meet and spend some time
with Dhananjay (Vivek’s nephew) at Guwahati. In fact this meeting gave birth to
an interesting event for Dharankars later.
Sometimes
out of nowhere one is showered with so much blessings ... one feels that one is
God's chosen one ... today was that day for me. With some souls one has
extremely special n soul-to-soul relation even though one has never got to meet
that person or may be that person never knew that one even existed. I have an
example ... Smita Patil (one day after many years of she passing away I was
crying my heart out in her memory) ... similarly Reema Lagu ... n so many. I
share similar relation with Dr Bhupen Hazarika, the son of Assam. At Guwahati
there is Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Samadhi Kshetra Memorial. The place is very much
on the way to airport and the surrounding area is just full of flyovers. Thus have
always landed up going on some or the other flyover n NOT on the land. During
my last visit I came to know that it is his Samadhi, but never got an
opportunity to visit. Even this time there seemed no opportunity. The place is
so very well maintained! I sadly remembered the pathetic condition of Kusumagraj
Kavya-udyaan at Nasik (Now this place does not exist anymore. I was fortunate
to visit that when it was established years ago). Dr. Bhupen Hazarika
Samadhi Kshetra Memorial is a huge garden with fountains. It has a
collection of all pictures right from his childhood. Cud see some with Lata, Asha,
Usha, Jagjit Singh, n so many. The thematic sequence is so well ... begins with
childhood n ends with his last journey.
The
experience was as it is overwhelming, but when I reached this last point of
pics of his last journey, I was literally into tears.
o
I am an extremely shopaholic person and from
that angle visiting Kolkata had been a dream. I had been looking for an opportunity
like a conference or a seminar, etc to visit Kolkata, but was not lucky enough
till date. But during this year got such an opportunity on the way back from
Assam and cud spend at least a day to shop there. Kolkata was ‘shop even after
u drop’ 😜😝
experience. In true sense shopper’s paradise! Thanks to Soumili (student from
Dept of Educational Technology, SNDTWU), she had planned my itinerary so
meticulously that I did not waste a minute and could use the time maximally! Even
the places to eat breakfast, lunch, dinner were recommended. Thus I could use
every minute in Kolkata to the max extent. Staying in central place like LIC guest
house worked to my advantage.
Due
to the shopoholic nature, the stuff collected was at least three times the
baggage allowance that non-Air India flights allow (that’s why I love Indian Railway).
One facility of Indian Post Office was utilised for the first time and to a
great extent – speed post. As many as 22 kg stuff was sent to Mumbai in the
form of two consignments of speed post. This speaks about the extent to which
things were shopped. Loved the customer-friendly private services outside all
post offices for people like me, who shop a lot and then have to send the stuff
home using Indian Postal Services. Moreover there r full-fledged service
providers outside the post-office, who pack ur stuff in completely tailor-made
manner. They provide boxes, sturdy packing with excellent quality strong cello tapes,
cloth, stitching, seal, markers to write names, lift the heavy pack to the
weighing machine n get it ready to the counter fellow with weight written ready
on it. The fellow also holds it properly for the person on counter so that he
does not have to even turn his chair. U have to just bring the stuff to their
shop after getting sanction from post office fellow (one needs to show post
office fellow what one is sending). Rest all is this person's headache. 😃
The
fellow packed the stuff with so much expertise so as to fit in the stuff in the
smallest possible space. He would also bring the whole huge bag right at the
counter of the counter fellow to weigh. Indian post office had been my
boyfriend since many years, but during this tour I fell in love with this new boyfriend
– speed post. It was indeed a boon for safe and budget (in comparison with
private couriers) parcelling! Inspite of spending the whole day, the heart
still wanted more.
o
Every city brings some unique experiences!
City of Kolkata also was no exception to this.
§ I
had heard about the services outside post offices. But, the level to which they
were experienced, was something experienced for the first time.
§ I
had heard of tram, had seen them in old Hindi n English movies. But here I got
to witness trams yaachee dehee yaachee dola! 😇😍 Cud not enjoy riding in one
though.
§ Black
n yellow ambassadors r gone from Mumbai. But in Kolkata one gets to see all
yellow ambassadors. 😃
They look very cute. N the matter written on them is even more interesting – “no
refusal” 😇😃
(This wording reminded me of the auto trick fellows n taxi drivers in Mumbai,
who don't want to come anywhere! 😰 So had thought that they will not
refuse to come anywhere. But once one fellow refused to come to a place. 😅) I
used these ones many times. The charge comes to almost half as compared to
uber.
§ I
had never sat next to the auto driver. I have always found that risky. But here
the seat was so comfortable! Also big enough to accommodate a huge body like
mine. There was proper handle to hold. The driver was ensuring that I am
holding that handle every second. 😃 Majja aalee. (No pic of this
arrangement. The journey did not give me that luxury.)
o
Trips to Nasik are not uncommon. But one such
trip to Nasik this year was a unique one. It was on occasion of the Dharankars’
first ever get together. It was the first of its kind of activity. On the
background of Teju’s (Vivek’s niece) wedding scheduled during May 2019 and her pre-wedding
trip to India for shopping, this get together was of special importance. Also
since it was going to be difficult for many of us to actually attend the
wedding in US, this was an opportunity to meet the bride-to-be and that too
with all Dharankars together. Not a single person was missing and everyone
could make it. The thought of such an event came up during the meet with
Dhananjay at Guwahati.
Professional
Front:
Even on professional front this year was unique with so
many never-thought-of responsibilities and experiences! That made the life all
the more roller coaster ride.
- ·
SWAYAM Coordination for the university made
me think and work for the whole university. Till then the scope of my work was
limited to my table, max to one department to some extent.
- ·
I had an experience of learning from Prof
Vasudha Kamat in online mode. I had experienced how she makes the online
environment so live and happening. Opportunity to learn from her in F2F mode
was again the first time experience during this year.
- ·
University gave a different type of
responsibility in context of Dept of Educational Technology at SNDTWU during
this year. It was a huge responsibility and in fact very scary, especially in
the beginning. Thanks to my senior colleague, Dr Jayashree Shinde, for helping
me sail through this newness. The experience was in particular scary as some of
the events I had never witnessed in the department in my earlier working of 2.5
years. Eg, admissions for PhD were being done for the first time after I
joining this department. All earlier admissions were prior to my joining the
department. Some procedures had been into operation for the first time due to
new University Act. That further increased the ‘first time-ness’ for me. I had
been calling myself as ‘pailatkarin’ through this year in context of handling
departmental level responsibilities. It has been an enriching experience with
some mistakes made, at times attempts made to bring new systems in place.
To sum up ...
All in all I cannot thank God enough for giving such a
wide range of experiences to me during this year. All the personal tours were
so enriching for me! They gave me an opportunity to treasure and to appreciate
the things as minute as microscopic flowers to as huge as rhinos. There IS a
special place for everyone in the nature. The experiences ranged from getting
to learn from stalwarts like Prof Kamat, to dealing with new professional
responsibilities, to a heart-touching experience of visiting Dr Bhupen Hajarika
Samadhee Kshetra Memorial to seeing today’s era artist’s – Shipra’s - work.
What a variety of walks of life for enriching experiences!
I do look forward to similar excitement even during the
next year.
