Charming Close Encounters!

Should I do this? What shall others say? Will being close to them be beneficial for me? I will s***-** to xyz person and keep on the charade because it may pay off later!

Well, said no one ever but thought many. Now I am not the thought reading type, but a person’s subsequent actions have always indicated that even if s*** was being spewed out, we would have suckers who would applaud. Though I would never let the blame rest on them because either they were somewhere down the ladder of an organizational hierarchy with limited intelligence or wanting to stay at some level of a comfort zone without having the right credentials – in either/or cases, the need to play to the gallery seemed (to them) fruitful. I rest the blame of encouraging this kind of despicable behavior squarely on the shoulders of those who enabled such conduct.

Calculations of any kind have been a brittle area for me. Both in the subject which required it and as some would say to ‘survive the big-bad world’. The former situation had an escape route or Plan B – I took humanities and the fascination with the English language had fortunately long taken home inside me. Thus, it was a very logical choice.

Coming to the latter part – survival at the cost of my self-respect – Nah! Not worth it!! And being less crafty with numbers led my number of acquaintances to be few but their respect boundless for me.

Well, I love to put in the craftiness into my unique special things and moments I plan for & with each of them. Makes up all the Calculative math in my relationships: Infinite love & respect!

Small gestures done neither on impulse nor with calculations – just because it seemed right to remember, celebrate and cherish all those who make my world lovely!

After half of one decade in the north eastern part of our country and two decades into my life, a posting right across the country on the other end was something which was exciting. My father’s posting in Chandigarh – the Le Corbusier designed modern city, an experiment in modern urban planned architecture turned out to be delight. The iconic Panjab University – my alma mater, the unique Rock Garden by Nek Chand, the then much un-spoilt Sukhna lake and the simmering political cauldron of a changing India as well as the new rise in terrorism went a long way in shaping the psyche of the young adult in me. There were many a first in those times: My first UGC Lectureship approval, winning competitions in Declamation and Paper reading amongst the best of the best, embarking on a professional degree after my post-graduation, meeting my future husband – the list of cheer long and meaningful.

Modern, designed city, one of its garden concept by a genius, a lovely University experience and much more…..Chandigarh made memories special!

The encounters of all kinds leave an indelible mark on the making of us. The product seen after several years, once the layers of naivety and activisms have peeled off, is one of calm, charm, a dash of crazy and hugely candid while being ruthlessly self-critical. I became more experimentative over a period. Wisdom was gained after many a burnt finger and the confidence came when there wasn’t anything to be afraid of. The close encounters of a different kind had me mesmerized for days on end and even the killing heat did not matter. Years ago, we had done the under-water walk in Cairns, Australia but my son found himself always disqualified under the height beam kept before several encounters. That remained on his bucket list forever. Now that the height beams got disqualified because of his height, it took a special trip to fulfill this desire and was it well worth all the effort? Categorically: YES!

The under-water walk in Cairns – up close and near the most fascinating marine life, my own close encounter with Spellbound!

The amazingly familiar climes of Cairns – did I see monsoons?

Cruising to the middle of the Great Barrier Reef!

A hop-over and I generally find myself in New Zealand after a trip to Australia. My touchdown destination is one of my most favorite places in the world: Christchurch for it signals my time, away from the madding crowd. Post the pandemic and when travel starts again, I am sure I shall cherish the journey and the sights so much more because they would be got after many a moon of the feeling of totally fear & annihilation.

Vacations are fun for these reasons – meeting family after a long gestation period! Meeting friends who are special and getting them together to cherish each other and themselves is also pure joy. When we got together as group and met over a cup of tea and more than biscuits to keep us company, we knew the fragility of holding onto associations. For sustainability of all kinds, one requires effort, prolonged commitment, and the need to keep the greater good in mind over self-centered connections. With several additions and deletions, we have reached a nice warm group of some of the most delightful people on Planet Earth. After all, it was all about Catching-up. Wandering Dreamers, Take a bow!

Wandering Dreamers – the group that dreams together stays together!

The entire month of April, I am blogging from A2Z powered by #BlogchatterA2Z