So long, 2014

*Picture from http://dereklauber.com/

Delhi woke up this morning to another foggy, wintry day. The cold doesn’t make allowances for the last day of the year. While my normal sentiment on December 31 is surprise that the year rushed by at top speed, today is different. In the year that will be gone in a couple of hours, I have felt each moment. I have labored through hot summer afternoons and sultry monsoonal days. I have counted days until the end of the month, every month. I have memorized the quotes on my reusable calendar. In the Metro each morning, I have specially noticed the city rush past. This hasn’t been possible these last few weeks though. It has been way too foggy.

In several ways, I know I will never forget 2014.

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Thoughts of Winter

*Picture from http://www.indiamike.com/

It’s official. Winter has arrived in Delhi. I declare winter to have set in when Granny brings out her warm clothes. And she has. Over the weekend, we also brought out the quilts and put them out for a sun bath in the terrace. Our youngest cat – he will experience his first winter this year – couldn’t for the life of him figure out what the warm, fuzzy things were doing sprawled all over his playground.

I love the onset of winter. 

Year-End Nostalgia

The boulevard outside the house is lined with billboards announcing New Year Eve parties. Every club promises the grooviest music, the ‘sexiest’ crowd and the coolest DJ. The markets overflow with people utilizing festive season discounts and work leaves that will otherwise lapse. Quite remarkable how they beat the Delhi chill to party, observes my Granddad. On his part, he sits wrapped up in his several layers of woolens, looking very much like an Indian-ized Santa Claus. When I ask him how he plans to spend the New Year eve, he points to the stairs leading to the terrace. Much like last year, he will walk up there and sit in the sun, munching on a few roasted groundnuts.

What is it about nostalgia that brings along sadness?

Ten Things 2013 Taught Me

1.  Uneasy lie the brands that rope in celebrities as endorsers. One moment everything is hunky dory and there are people queuing outside your store. And the next moment, poof! Dope, a rape charge, a dead animal can shoo them all away.

2. There are moments in life when all you can do is sit by the window and watch the stars come out. For all the brouhaha about assertiveness and taking control of your life, these are moments when reflection is the best course of action.