I am ready to say gracefully bye to 2019. The year was like the hot coffee which came and sipped in me with all its warmth and caffeine energizing and harming me somewhere. I am waiting eagerly for 2020 - a brand new year. I hope that the coming new year will have everything 20-20. All short and sweet like 20-20 cricket. I hope it will be young, vibrant, electrifying and experiencing. This new year will be challenging too with all right-wing ideas coming out of the closet. Let's see what is stored in 2020. But this is sure that I am ready to leave behind 2019.
A lace of fragrance from 2019 that I will definitely take with me is the pursuit of knowledge through my Ph.D. studies. Registering myself for Ph.D. was something excellent that happened with me out of nowhere in 2019. It was never a thought decision when the year began. But it happened for good. After a long time, I got to make new diverse group of scholarly friends and guides. I visited Arunachal Pradesh this year and learned the tribal dynamics of the state. The tribe that really attracted me at least by name is the Idu Mishmi tribes. I came to know of Nidhi tribes and their culture a bit. 2019 also made me exposed to the nutritional landscape of India and through my professional front, I could be part of the Nutrition program of my organization. I will start the 2020 journey by visiting an aspirational district (as per NITI Ayog) of India in South Gujarat named Dang (maybe most of you have not heard about it). Dang is a tribal-dominated district of Gujarat with a fair number of malnourished children. It will give me an opportunity to learn about another Bhil tribe of India. The five Kings of Dangs are the only hereditary royals in India whose titles are currently recognized by the government owing to an agreement made during the British Raj in 1842 (as per Wikipedia).
2020 will be a scholarly year for me as I resolute to publish at least one scholarly article on poverty and rural governance. A lot to read and understand before writing the article. Don't know how it will shape. Bit nervous!! I will have to review a lot of scholarly articles. I have to also manage lot of official work and projects. I need to practice diligently the organized way of managing my work.
2019 was the year when my mother was in ICU for the first time. Her health will a major area of concern for me in 2020. Looking for love and manage my loneliness will be another major opportunity (not saying as a challenge) for me in the coming year.
One of the major knowledge that I learned this year is about Appreciative Inquiry. It really changed my outlook on life. It's taught me to see life as a mystery to be solved rather than a problem to be solved. Wow, what great learning. Happy for myself. The two books that I read among five really touched me are Siddhartha (written by Hermann Hesse) and book by Yuval Noah Harari, 21 Lessons for 21st Century. Both the books enlightened me and gave me the energy to reflect life more deeply. The training that changed my life was the Emerging leadership program by Quest Alliance. I am continuing the same this year too. I hope I emerge as a good leader. I have a dream to become President of India one day. Unbelievable!!!
Let 2020 be the year known to me as the year which made me more human, more sincere, more sensitive and more a person who sees life as an opportunity to explore.
Wish you all a very happy new year... Welcome 2020... I m ready to embrace you...
