Sunday, January 01, 2017

16 Lessons of Year '16

1. To get more work done, you really have to unlearn multitasking.

2. News are to be discovered manually. What is coming in ready-made on the platter is mostly like the fast food. It's neither good for health nor a reflection of anything.

3. Murphy is not about why things don't fall in place. It's about you getting thru despite many things not in place.

4. Travel. Converse. Write

5. Your feelings are to be reflected in your actions. Spitting it out of your mouth in an attractive manner is as good as posting it on social media. It doesn't count. If there is no action, then there is no feeling.

6. TV and films have no clue about child birth. You don't get surprised when you get the news confirmed, tummy can be barely visible until 5th month of pregnancy, and it doesn't end with a push. In fact the push starts after the delivery.

7. Never start writing with a title in mind.

8. Counting the dates of the events that hardly mattered in your life or would ever matter again as special ones or festivals is like spending tons of money in the wedding for the people who never mattered and perhaps won't ever matter later.

... and now because of what I just mention in #4, here is how I would like to extend #8 ... in my own special days calendar for year 2017 (suggestions are very much welcome).

January 8, Celebration of the birthday of a person who has been consistently pushing the boundaries of science as well as human persistence - Stephen Hawking.

April 2, Celebration of the day that got almost all of the India out on the streets with joy. The day that always reminds of what Sachin said, "Enjoy the game and chase your dreams. I had to wait for 22 years for one dream - World Cup". The day for the dreams. The day for the belief that dreams come true.

May, Meditation month remembering what Buddha achieved after 7 weeks of meditation in May, 528 BC.

July 31, Remembering the day that marks the first use of non-cooperation by Indian minority in Africa. It was soon called Satyagraha, or soul-force. Remembering the vision of Gandhi that got vanished in the books of history and the chapters of freedom. Celebration of the work that happened so far and reminder of the work that still needs to be happen. #peace

September 24, the day when a country, in its first interplanetary mission, set a space craft into an orbit around Mars successfully in most economical way. Mangalyaan.

October 13, the day when Ramanujan became the first Indian to be elected a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. This one is for sheer love of Mathematics and the person whom maths just occurred.

December 23, the beginning of the Lok Biradari Prakalp in 1973. A salute to Dr. Prakash, Dr. Mandakini Amte and team that is working at Hemalkasa. Salute to this humanitarian, environmentalist, and activist team.

I wish to populate this list further and also attempt to observe these days in a special manner in coming year. Feel free to have your own version of it too and also feel free to wish me and each other as well on these days. Each one of these means special and connects to something significant that happened in 2016.

With that on a signing note, and 25 mins already into the new year, here is wishing you all wonderful people out there and your amazing dear ones, a happiest, healthiest and fantabulousest new year ahead!

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