2022 Round Up

 2022 was an year of travel .COVID fears had subsided and everything was opening up. Masks were no more mandatory neither was social distancing. My craving to travel was unfolding.

Jan’22 : The first one was a short trip to Marari beach near Allepey with my mother and an overnight stay in a beach side cottage. Watching the serene beach was very refreshing. Next day, did a houseboat tour to Kuttanad, the rice bowl of Kerala. We had never been to this place (Seriously ? !)

Back in Blr, it was the same routine. Online classes for kids and remote working for both me and husband. My daughter in Xth grade and all eyes (other than ours) on her boards. Due to COVID the final exams were split in two sections and hugely delayed. What would otherwise have been a nail biting and tension filled time turned out more like a vacation for her ! She was tired of the pre boards, pre pre boards that she just wanted the finals to get over.

May’22: Final board exams over and she feels she did a good job. A week break and entry into the portals of new school for 11th grade. I had given her false hope she would have 2-3 months of vacation after 10th but COVID proved me wrong and she cursed me for it.

June’22: New beginnings. Offline classes start! Old days - packing lunch boxes, uniforms, shoes, backpacks, meeting friends, with mask though. Remote working continued for me and the husband which definitely was a big relief from the Bangalore traffic ! My daily badminton sessions with the husband every morning helped maintain mental sanity and physical fitness.

July’22 : MEC Engg College reunion.Before i could believe, it was there. 20 years since i last walked the portals of the prestigious Engineering College. Four of my friends decided to fly to Cochin for reunion. We caught up on the past few years over dinner at the airport lounge, on the flight and at the hotel post checkin. The next day , we met batchmates, principal and many of our teaches in college before heading out for lunch at Marriott. Every bit was nostalgic and exciting. 

While my friends headed back, i chose to stay with mom for few more days and also take her on a short trip to Mumbai. Many thanks to Thanky aunty for inviting and hosting us. Little did we know about the big surprise/coincidence that awaited at the airport. Meeting our friends Sudha, Sangeeta and family who had flown from US. I congratulated Keerthana on her admission at UCLA and managed to click few snaps with everyone. 

The flight landed in Mumbai and we hopped on to a kali peeli taxi heading to Thane. It was such an old car that i dreaded we would not reach aunty's house but we did. Bombay was an enthralling experience  - Gateway of India, street food and shopping, city view from aunty's house on17th floor, some rain and some sunshine.Bombay didnot disappoint us a teeny bit. While at the Gateway of India, daughter calls. ICSE results were out and she had secured an astonishing 98.4%. Complete credit to her, teachers and of course, the mighty lord. In between the innumerous hours on iPad she did not forget to focus on studies and make us proud. 

Aug’23 : Felicitation at school for the daughter. We couldn’t feel more proud as her parents.

Sep’23 : Onam is a festival which every Keralite looks forward to . After a grand celebration in our community in 2019, there was none in 2020 and 2021 (blame it on COVID). So this time it had to happen ! Onam cultural committee took shape and first step was deciding on the date. Next few days were spent meeting every night after work, charting out the plan. While the men were busy trying for sponsorships, women indulged in coordinating different cultural programs. In 2-3 weeks, a great show materialized. The entry for the grand Onam feast ( Sadya) was much more than what was anticipated.

Nov'22: A very eventful month. Nov 1 being Kannada Rajyotsava , a grand show was put up in the community in the adjacent weekend. I signed up for dance , not knowing what was in store. Only 5 days to finalise the songs, choreograph and practice, I got nervous. Thanks to Hema, everything fell in place. On the performance day, i felt feverish (Butterflies in stomach, this being my first dance on stage) but thanks to the team, it went very well. I didnt forget the steps and smiled all along.

The next was a weekend Pondy trip to spend time with Anupama Moorthy and Liji. Climate was good, not very sunny and not rainy either. The first day was spent in and around the town, French colony and local shopping. Next day, we headed to Chidambaram Nataraja temple and the Puchavaram Mango Trail. Both very beautiful in its own way. The Nataraja temple was a marvel and the mangrove trail a natural bounty. Took lots of nice pics,thanks to Anupama Moorthy's sense of light and angle, ate lot of food and talked lots. The next weekend, i flew home to see amma and attend Sreepoornathrayeesha temple festival. Out of the 7 day event, i could make it only for the last 2 and was unsure whether i would make it there in the rush(stampede). I went to lord asking for a flower, instead he gave me a garden. Attended kacheris, witnessed the melam, Shiveli with 15 elephants (majestic) and of course the Lord. Spent a week with mom and returned back to Blr, with a filled heart.

Dec'22: The holiday season that it has been for the last many years and continues to be. Enjoyed the foggy Bangalore mornings,but many days the rains made it an unpleasant experience..a chill month overall. Kids watched Avatar in iMax, their first IMAX experience! Not to forget the experience rendered by "Krishnaarpanam" from Kalaanjali School of Dance ...

Winding up the year with family in god's own country and praying that wars and viruses don't harm us in 2023!

2022 was good year in terms of watching movies in theater ,solo trips home and temple visits..lots of precious moments to cherish and some low ones to forget..
#TheaterMovies #Entertainment #kantara #JanaGanaMana and many more

#TempleLove #Peace
#maa kamakhya
#Malliyoor Ganapati
#Adityapuram Surya Temple
# Kaduthuruthi
#Chidambaram Nataraja Temple
#Tirupati Balaji Temple

And many more ...

Goodbye 2022 ...and here are some learnings:

What to reduce? Binge eating junk food , especially sweets
What to improve? Long list - General knowledge and current affairs being the top ones
What to continue? Trust in God, Fitness journey ,meeting family and friends
What to increase? Travelling,hiking,giving back to society

Taking one day at a time and praying for a peaceful 2023...

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