Classroom called 2015.

So its time for the yearly wrap-up and re-visiting the story, not sure about resolutions though.

2015 was a year with lots of realisations and things that happened to me rather than me making them happen. It was like a lesson in life that helps u grow up and be strong.

Unlike last years travel centric euphoria, 2015 had a mix of happiness and sadness. It started in the comforts of Hyatt where me and my wife had planned a day offsite within Bengaluru itself. A much needed break for both of us sitting by the window imagining what 2015 had to offer for us.

And as the story unfolded many new facets of life were unraveled. Starting with my cousins wedding in Jan, i happened to travel to mumbai. Every family wedding has only strengthened my thought that Indian weddings are just an act of public acceptance, and less about the bride and groom. But i was happy that my brother found his life partner.  

Cut to Second edition of Honeywell Design Challenge, the sheer anxiety on the faces of students to win the competition was a moment worth capturing. To win something maybe is not just about the victory but more about the experience you undergo to reach there.

The bug of sharing my design gyaan had stung me in 2014, but 2015 brought in many opportunities to take it ahead seriously. I visited IIIT Jabalpur to conduct a full week course on UX Design. The moments of going to an unknown place and making friends with students by end of the week are priceless. Students took me to a remote yet beautiful place called Bargi dam at the end of the course. Life is better lived in short bursts of surprising moments rather than prolonged set of planned expectations…perhaps this was one such moment.

I did a second visit to mumbai around that month for my sisters baby shower. The thought that i would now become an uncle was a bit confusing in the beginning. But i guess by the end of the year i have learnt to accept that and many more such things.

This year i also got to work on my very beloved wearable called the apple watch. I finally got to play and design for the much awaited device, which had been in my mind since a long time. But the fact that anticipation built doesn't always end up the same way is a constant bombardment life has on me. 

April also brought in the visit to Delhi and Rudrapur. Meeting and playing with kids, along with the solace that it gives you also teaches how some simple things give excitement that cannot be compared with expensive gifts. 

In May i got a chance to share my Wearables gyaan at lounge47, a private group of startup advisors, where i could meet up interesting people. The presentation went well leaving me a thought or two on how impacting in small pockets can also bring about change, it doesn't have to be a revolution always.

The rainy days of june and july brought in some bigger surprises. My sister was gifted with a pretty cute and darling girl child. That moment of reckoning re-appeared on my thought bubble. There is surely a different joy when you make a young one smile. I also got an opportunity to guide some young designers this year, be it within the company as interns or being a jury panelist in design institutes. Guiding anyone teaches you more than the person you guide…it teaches you what not to do more than what to do in time.

As a part of project work some trips to unique places like ATC towers in bangalore and mumbai, or even in private jet offices were fun. In the end as vacation i even got a chance to visit the golden temple and amritsar getting a taste of sikhism with a flair of the delhi monarchy at red fort, humayuns tomb and the  jama masjid.

Grandiose and rarity of any place is just another bulb in our minds, i guess once u have experienced it the mind rushes to newer experiences to get amazed or amused by them.

This year also brought in some moments of extreme loss to me. Because as i taught and sat in juries at national level institutes like NID. I also happened to lose some of the greatest inspirations in my life. My most favourite person on this planet, my grandmother, left for heavenly abode this year. She was not just another elder giving lessons to me, she was much more than that…she was an inspiration and a idol for willpower for me. Her way of living life without troubling anyone is something i can never forget as a lesson. 

I also lost my very own family doctor this year, she was another strong willed lady who since childhood, instead of giving me medicine always gave me just strength by sharing a conversation with me. When you lose people in your lives, you realise all that you learnt from them and kept learning with their existence, an invisible strength that cannot be replaced.

2015 also marked the demise of two more public figures whom i revered a lot, MP Ranjan,a design Guru. India also lost another gem called APJ Abdul Kalam, a president who was a motivator to me.

Life is like the classroom with no syllabus,no benches and no dedicated teachers, it teaches you in ways that you don't understand until you move ahead and look back. I guess that was 2015 for me…a learning.To face the unexpected and to accept every thing that comes my way gracefully and patiently.

Lets see what 2016 has in-store for me… till then adios. 

Wish you a new year full of unique and exciting experiences.