2012 kicks off with a super cold – 14 C trek in Bhutan. It’s the only way to start what promises to be a travel-some year. Kenya (hopefully!) with Chandini and the gang in Aug /Sept, Tuscany in October with family and no confirmations yet but looking to head out in the summer to intern during May - July… but here is looking back at what has been a big year.
- I kicked off 2011with a glorious trip to Assam. A holiday of excesses with huge amounts of food, lots of alcohol, a great dunk in a frigid tributary of the Brahmaputra and long drives in the sun. All that and the elephants and rhinos at Kaziranga really set tone for a big wholesome year.
- I came back from Assam thrilled to make it to Dad’s Sena Medal investiture at the Army day parade in January. He’d picked up his last presidential medal before I was born and it was a huge honour to be able to make it. I am very proud of my father. I remember him saying he’d never seen me grin so much as on the day when we went to see the ceremony. And indeed, its one of the best memories I will have for a long time. It also happened to be Ma’s birthday and I love it that Chandini was there to share it with us.
- Dad and I then made the start to the year even more special by getting ringside seats to the Beating the Retreat. I sat there ten paces from Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh marveling at my favourite music from the pipers of the Indian Army and wondering if I’d ever get to a level of excellence that I could play a musical instrument. More than anything else it was a hark back to my days as a child listen to the pipers in the battalion when Dad served with it.
- With Amit, Nivedita and Chandini I stole a quick getaway to Amritsar in February. Despite the fact that we had to keep the vegetarians in the gang happy the trip was another gastronomic delight ;) Amit and I deepened our bond with an epic couple-like fight. That and the 3 am visit to the golden temple – trip highlights. Not to take away from the Wagah border madness and the search for great mutton around the city. The bus back might have been tiring but we made the most of it.
- Work took me to Bangalore and Allahabad in Feb and March. Allahabad was special. Ma had spent some years growing up there and I wanted to cross by the AG office where my maternal grandfather had worked. I got to visit the Sangam – where the Ganga and the Yamuna meet. Nandeeta recommended an old fast food shop she used to frequent as a kid which I could go see. I also made super friends with Venkatesh on the train and thanks to him got to see the city after my meetings for the day were over.
- Now it seems funny how I managed the time but one of the weekends in Feb I headed back to the village with Dad. I went there after some 22 years and I was moved to my toes seeing my Dad show me around where he grew up for a bit. Epic.
- Early March I took on another weekend and made it to the Unbox festival. It was a great extension of the journey I was going within to see what else I could do in or outside work to explore my desire to connect with the development side of the world and meet some great people doing awesome work.
- In April of course I headed out to my trip of the year to bring in the 25th by going to the Everest base camp and doinga round of the Annapura circuit. I made 11 superb friends on the Everest trip and loved every moment of my time in Nepal. I think there I secretly stowed away a dream to keep coming back to the mountains every year even if I had to beg borrow or steal. I am doing the ‘borrow’ with Bhutan this year. I lived through an IT band strain between the Everest and Annapurna treks and got a week off in Kathamandu. That was another time of living by the plate. Some brilliant food kept me going through those 7 days of not knowing if I was going to catch the boat to the next trek. And of course I am so thankful for the brilliant medical support by CIWEC and the prompt replies by my travel insurers IHI BUPA.
- Everest and Annapurna helped me make a clean start after I made one of the toughest career decisions yet. I came back to start my two year Fellowship with Teach for India. I had made the decision to switch out from Gaboli, the company Vineet, Ashok and I started in 2008. For me Assam, Unbox, my work at Gaboli for two years, growing up across the country studying in different schools, having a group of friends who had graduated to start working in education – they were all aligned to nudge me to my current job. But it was a big change still. And I love it.
- Beautifully Amit, Chandini, Niv and I managed to do an encore to our Amritsar trip when we did a road trip to Kasauli in August. Superb drive, loud music and some great walking in the hills. And a great getaway from the intensity of the first few months of Teach for India.
- After being cooped up in Delhi for a few months I ran to Mumbai eagerly in November for the Teach for All conference. It was just the perspective I needed to go out of the classroom and try and see how I could be a better teacher. More than that I was just kicked to see how big the global movement for excellent education was looking. I loved being able to stay with family and catch up with my grandmother’s sister and her husband who’ve put a chunk of money into my class expenses too.
Apart from these trips it’s the small things that’s made the year gone past so special. I’ve started playing Frisbee regularly with Dhruva and the gang. It’s a stellar game that I slowly get better at. I love that I am living at home – despite all the madness it gives me sometime with Ma and Dad, times that’s fleeting because I know its not long we’ll have this time together. I’ve found my spot in the ranks of some incredible stalwarts at Teach for India. I’ve always wanted to work with passionate people and the Fellowship is forcing me to look through my life and overhaul things I have wanted to for a while. I started a teaching blog that is one of my biggest outlets in what is a demanding job… its powerful to create something.
I’m grateful for the moments 2011 offered – it feels special that its my 25th too. I know 2012 offers some continuity with the 40 tiny giants in my classroom who make me think hard everyday but I feel up for the new stuff. A lot of it will be governed by what class throws at me but here’s to living in and enjoying the moments of 2012.
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