Thank You 2019 for Everything!

If anyone asks me to explain 2019 in one word, I would say “Beautiful”. The year started with a bang and is ending with a bang. That’s what makes 2019 the beautiful year it was. I think so far, this has been the best year of my life. Not because of one reason but multiple events combined to make this year the most special that it is, and I will always look back and cherish the days I have spent.

It started with me trying to find a place in a completely new work environment and handling new profile. I never expected I would do so well in my new work profile that I would be asked by the management to represent the organization on a global platform. I never expected that within a month of my joining, I will be representing the organization in a global conference. The year started with my first ever international trip to Colombia, South America where I tried public speaking for the first time, and it was amazing. I was nervous for sure but the fact that I have come a long way gave me the confidence to put things into perspective and give a session on Communication Strategies.

Bogota, as a city, was amazing and beautiful in its own way. Roaming alone on the streets of Bogota, continents away from my home, was a satisfying feeling and I remember I felt at peace. If this part was beautiful, what came next was something emotional for me.

My debut book launch. I had tears in my eyes on August 19, 2019, when my debut novel Shadow of the Past went live online and across all leading bookstores in India. I had waited for this moment all my life. From the day, I decided to become a writer to the day I became one I had always imagined these moments in the theatre of my head and when I was living my dream it was something beautiful and emotional at the same time.

I could have never asked for anything more from life other than allowing me to wander into the unknown and live my dream. I know now how it feels when you live your dream. How you feel when your dreams turn into reality. The energy that you feel within you resonates at the same frequency of this universe and this gives you the confidence and the courage to keep moving forward and achieve much more!

It was in the year 2010 when I had decided that I want to become a writer. Back then, I was not as polished as I am today for sure, but I had this dream. Suddenly, I realized that I have this ability to tell a story. But I was afraid about what others may think, how people would laugh at me for this silly thought and I didn’t know how to face my parents who were expecting another engineer in the family. But I kept these thoughts aside and decided to write a book.

I wrote my first book “Life’s Unpredictable” in 2012. It received 19 rejections and never got published. Many publishers told me to come up with a love story because “Life’s Unpredictable” was a dark story about life and not many people would like to read something like this coming from a young author like me. 

I feel I was not ready to become a writer back then. I stopped writing for the next two years and decided to focus on my studies. It was a terrible idea though but then there are times when you realize that maybe people who said you were chasing impossible were right or maybe I was not destined to become a writer and I was maybe living in a bubble which I had to break and see the reality.

But thanks to the placement drive and the 20 back-to-back rejections I faced. This made me realize what I really wanted from my life and how badly I wanted to change the direction of my ship. Amid all this, I told my parents about my dream and asked them to give me one last chance and I will never disappoint them. Since then I have never looked back. I have only marched forward.

I joined a journalism school in Delhi in 2014, and since then the journey has been beautiful. Yes, there were a lot of ups and downs. I am not saying that every day of these past 5 years was beautiful. There were many days when I was shattered, broken and lost and there were many instances when I felt defeated by life. But what I didn’t do or can say did differently this time was I continued moving forward without caring about the world.

This finally helped me to get my first book contract in 2017 and since then I have been waiting for the day when my book will be out, and people would read and tell me how they feel about it. This year, this turned into reality and everything that I had imagined in the theatre of my head was happening right in front of my eyes.

The cherry on top in my case was my decision of moving to Bangalore, which I was trying to do from the past two years but somehow things were not in my favours. But this year, even that became a reality. Bangalore has always been quite close to my heart. I was born here. I am not a Kannadiga. I am from Bihar, but my heart belongs to Bangalore. And now, when I am here, I think 2019 has been generous to me despite all the hard times. In the end, what matters is how far have you reached.

It has been four months since my book went live and I cannot complain. Life has been good. Definitely, a roller-coaster ride with a lot of ups and downs but what matters more is when you reach the place you always wanted to reach. That feeling is unmatchable.

Every day, when I wake up and I see reviews of my book, messages from readers or sometimes getting recognized publicly (rarely), it fills my heart with immense happiness and peace. I cannot ask for anything more. But I also understand that this is just the beginning and from here on the real journey begins and I have to do a lot and achieve much more. 

I also feel it is important to sometimes take a pause and reflect on what you have done and pat yourself on your back for making through the tough times and sailing through the rough sea to being patient amid the storm of life. 

For all the scars life and people gave you, for all the things that crushed you from within but yet you continued your journey to be what you always wanted to be, you have to take a step back and express gratitude to the world, to life, to universe, to people who helped you throughout or supported you endlessly but most importantly, you need to thank yourself for doing what was necessary. We don’t thank ourselves, but we should.

We are always busy in making others happy and we often forget to keep ourselves happy. You need to fill your bucket first, let it overflow and then you will be able to give. If your bucket is empty or half-filled, then you cannot give it to anyone.

And on this last day of 2019, I am taking a pause from my busy life and thanking this beautiful year for all the things it gave me and for all the hard times because, at the end of the day, life is nothing but a bundle of experiences and it makes you a better human if you learn from mistakes and continue to march forward to achieve what you want to. You are invincible and you can achieve anything only if you set your mind and heart to it. It won’t be easy. It will be difficult. Life will test you at every signal and sometimes it will tear you apart but then you have to dust yourself, get up and keep moving forward. And a day will come when you will feel that peace you have been longing for from a long time.

With a lot more to come in 2020 and to many more experiences in life, I put my fingers to rest. Thank you 2019 for giving me my best moments which I am going to cherish all my life for sure! Wish you all a Happy New Year!!!! Live your dream. 

The Last-Minute Flight - Part II

The cab reached my place. The driver’s voice brought me back to the real world. I paid him cash and got down. I sat down near the gate of my building. I wanted to run away. And then my phone beeped. It was a message from her. My tickets were booked again. And this time via Amsterdam. She said. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I read it twice. I felt relieved. She said that my presence meant important to them and so they cancelled my existing ticket and booked another one for the next night.  I was excited again.

But this time, my flight was at night. I was supposed to go to Mumbai from New Delhi and then from Mumbai to Amsterdam and from Amsterdam to Bogota. I had back to back flights with hardly any break in between. I climbed upstairs, unlocked my house and let out a huge sigh of relief. After all, the international trip was still on, I said in my head.

That day, I checked everything at least ten times to ensure that I have all the required documents. There were a few documents that were not even required but to be on the safe side, I took print outs for everything.

I got ready and left home at 6:30 pm sharp. My first flight was at 11:00 pm from New Delhi to Mumbai. I reached the airport and moved to the check-in counter. While the staff on the other side of the counter was busy checking my documents, I had only one thing in mind. “Don’t say I can’t board this flight also,” is what kept circulating in my head.

And I was through. I completed the security check and boarded the flight. But still, I was nervous. I had another flight from Mumbai and I was hoping that nothing goes wrong this time. I reached Mumbai at 1 am. I had 3 hours to kill before my next flight to Amsterdam. I took a stroll across the airport. It was fancy. I went through the security check again and immigration clearance. Still, I was hoping that nothing goes wrong. And I was on the other side now.

Every procedure was completed and there was no issue with anything. But I was still uncertain in my head. After all, my luck has never been on my side most of the time. And so, until I board the flight for Amsterdam, I wouldn’t be sure whether I am going for the visit or not.

I know all this sounds so stupid. But there I was, waiting for my flight. Once, I couldn’t board so I was scared and nervous about what it happens again. And if it does, then I won’t be able to attend the conference.

They announced finally.  “Passengers boarding KLM flight from Mumbai to Amsterdam are requested to come at gate number…” I took my stuff and started walking towards the boarding gate. I stood in the queue. As I was moving forward with the crowd, suddenly one staff stopped me.

“Sir, show me your passport please?” He asked me

I handed him over my passport.

“Sir, can you come with me for a moment?” He asked me again

I was nervous again. What did I do now? Several questions kept circulating in my head. He walked with me for a while and said, “Sir, you need to go to that counter and get your ticket registered with the airline. Since you are traveling from New Delhi they need to check your boarding pass here.”

I was confused but not nervous anymore. I went to the counter and asked the staff, “What happened?”

“Nothing Sir. We only need to update it here,” he took my boarding pass and did something on his computer. He handed me back my boarding pass and said, “Sir, you are good to go.”

I let out a huge sigh of relief, took my boarding pass and made my way to board the flight. And that’s how I managed to go on my first international trip. With a little hiccup and confusion here and there but finally, when I took my seat it felt good. But that was not it. There was another hurdle waiting for me at the Amsterdam airport.

I was supposed to reach Amsterdam airport at 8:30 am (as per the new time zone) and my flight was at 9:00 am for Bogota. The boarding gates will get shut by 9:00 am is what I was told. The flight from Mumbai to Amsterdam was comfortable. The food was good, the wine was perfect and so the journey. But the moment my flight landed at Amsterdam airport, I was in a hurry.

I had only 30 minutes to get down from my flight, go through security check and reach the boarding gate. I couldn’t even take a proper picture to update on social media that I was here at the Amsterdam airport.

I hurriedly walked to the security check and requested the staff to let me go first as my flight was in 25 minutes. He just asked me to wait as every passenger had a flight to catch. I was standing there for the first time with people mostly from different countries and all we could hear was a lady shouting at everyone.

She was Indian but had a different accent and the only thing she could say in Hindi was “Rumaal nikaal ke rakhna, pocket mei kuch nahi hona chahiye (take out the handkerchief and keep it in your bad. There shouldn’t be any item in your pocket).

I waited for my turn. I kept checking the time. It was passing quickly. And my boarding gate was not near to the security check counter. I knew once I was done, I had to run and run fast.

After a good ten minutes of waiting there, my turn came. I kept my bag in the scanner and went ahead with the security check. There was a cabin, where you just stand and it will do the needful. There was no need for someone to frisk you. I completed the procedure, collected my bag and checked the time. I had only 7 minutes left before the boarding gates get shut.

And I ran. Without giving any thought to what anyone might think of me, I just ran. It was a sight from many movies or novels or stories I have heard but I didn’t stop even once. I kept running. The only difference was, mostly in stories the guy runs to stop the girl. But here, there was no girl. It was my flight.

I could see the staff waiting at the boarding gate. All passengers had boarded till then and she was about to close the boarding gate when she saw me running. I reached there, panting like a dog, handed her my passport and boarding pass. She passed a smile and wished me a safe journey. I was on the flight. I was now anyhow going to Bogota, it was final. I knew nothing could stop me from reaching Colombia now.    

Source: https://depositphotos.com/83815368/stock-photo-schiphol-amsterdam-airport-train-terminal.html

The Last-Minute Flight - Part I

There are two feelings when you live in a place. You either feel like a stranger or you feel as if you belong to that place. But there is one more feeling. It is a mix of both. A combination of both. You feel like a stranger at the same time a feeling of belonging exists.

I felt the same way when I visited Bogota, Colombia in the month of February. I was thousands of miles away from my homeland and I felt like a stranger in the city yet the city gave me a feeling of belonging. But the story of how I managed to reach there sounds funny to me now.

I remember in the month of January, I was ecstatic about visiting this country. My tickets were booked. My visa got approved. Everything was going smoothly. And in the back of my head, there was only one question – How things can go so smoothly in my life? And also, I said a silent prayer in my head. “Please, save the adventures for the new place!”

I was supposed to reach Bogota via Frankfurt, Germany. Since I was invited to a global conference; I had no role in the booking of tickets. I was doing what I was asked to do. The night arrived finally. I was at Delhi International Airport, waiting for my turn at the check-in counter. This was the first time I was going for an international visit. I was nervous.

My turn came. The guy behind the desk called me and passed me a smile. I handed him my passport, e-visa and tickets. The guy took a good look and started typing something on his computer. He checked my e-visa twice, cleared his throat and asked me.

“Where is your German visa, sir?”

I was confused. I was going to Colombia and I had a Colombian visa. I cross-checked with him once to ensure that what I have heard is right.

“Sir, you need a German visa. You cannot board this flight,” he said.

“But I am going to Colombia,” I kept a straight face but in my head, I was pretty messed up now.

“Sir, as per German law you need to have a visa even if you want to spend 5 minutes on the airport,” he said.

“But I wasn’t told. Travel agents booked my tickets and I was unaware of this,” I replied.

“Sir, that’s the problem. People don’t check the details,” he said.

“So, what should I do now? I have to reach there at any cost,” I replied. I was in panic mode now.

“Sir, you can book via Amsterdam. You don’t require any transit visa for the same,” he said.

I stood there for a while. I had no clue what to do now. It was 1 am at night. I was sad at the same time frustrated hearing about the new development.

“Can you guys do something? Maybe speak to other airlines and adjust the booked ticket somehow,” I requested him.

He dialled a number; spoke to someone on the other side. Maybe his senior. He nodded twice, kept the phone and said, “Sir, we are extremely sorry. We cannot do anything. You will have to move now. Other passengers are waiting.”

I grabbed my stuff and moved aside. I kept my passport and tickets in my pocket and made my way back to the exit gate. I stopped mid-way. “This cannot be the end of my first international trip,” I said in my head.

I bought a bottle of water and took a few sips. I sat down nearby and started browsing through the contact list in my phone. And then it clicked.

I texted the person, who was looking after my bookings and left her a message. I had no clue whether it will work or not. But there was a need to apprise them about this fuck up. After all, I was supposed to give a session at the global conference.

I sat there watching people happily going for security checks and immigration clearance. I felt guilty too. I should have checked. Suddenly, my phone beeped. It was a new message. She replied. I felt relieved partly. But after reading the message, I was disappointed again. She was asking me to book a new ticket and they will reimburse me later on. She apologized as even she didn’t know I required a German visa for transit purpose.

I told her I cannot book a ticket as of now as it was too costly and requested her to send me the minutes of the meeting later on. I told myself – it is not happening – and got up. I walked up to the airline guy and requested him to escort me out from the departure terminal.

I walked out and booked a cab back home. On the way back, I was feeling depressed again. This was my chance to get out of the country but here I was so close yet couldn’t board. I checked my watch. It said 3 am. Boarding must have been done by now.

The cab reached my place. Driver’s voice brought me back to the real world. I paid him cash and got down. I sat down near the gate of my building. I wanted to run away. And then my phone beeped. It was a message from her. My tickets were booked again. And this time via Amsterdam. She said. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I read it twice. I felt relieved. She said that my presence meant important to them and so they cancelled my existing ticket and booked another one for the next night.  I was excited again.

To be continued…

Source: https://creativeconnections.org/portfolio/bam-airport/