2015 has been a strange year, a tad surreal even.
It has been a year of fulfilling long-held dreams, exciting travel experiences, great perspective shifting books read, poor health thanks to my allergies, unexpected happiness and loss, achievements and opportunities lost, friends made and lost… among others. But most of all it has been a year of serendipity. A year where attending an event led me to take a decision that I now know has enriched my life in immeasurable ways and has imperceptibly changed it too.
On January 25, 2015, I attended a session on “Why a Library of Classical Indian Literature?” at the Jaipur Literature Festival, which had Sheldon Pollock as a speaker. I chose to attend this for two reasons — (ii) my niece had a lot of good things to say about Pollock’s writings, and (ii) the idea of a library of classical Indian literature was intriguing. To say that the session was great and Sheldon Pollock inspiring is a huge understatement, but what it did was to rekindle a desire to study classical Indian literature and art in a formal and structured setting.
Back home in Mumbai, I enrolled for the PG Diploma Programme in Indian Aesthetics conducted by Jnanapravaha. (I must add here that I had known about this course for about 2 years and had been dithering over joining it.) Classes began in July and at this point, I’m half-way through the programme. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the programme has raised more questions than given answers that I sought. And I mean this in the best possible way as I think, read and research into Indian Classical Art. In other words, I’m still feeling my way around. 😛
That was 2015.
I don’t know what 2016 has in store for me, but I hope that it will be enriching. I begin 2016 with some travel to new destinations, which have been influenced by the programme I’m enrolled in. One of them is Mahabalipuram, which I visited in 1997 at a time when I neither understood its relevance or its beauty. I hope I can do both this time around. Watch this space for more. 🙂
Happy New Year, dear friend. Thank you for reading, commenting, writing, sharing, appreciating. Wish you the very best that 2016 has in store.
Before you go, I’d like to know what was the most important event in 2015 for you? And what are you looking forward to the most in 2016? Do share with me in the comments section of this post.
Cheers 🙂
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My Favourite Things 
hey… check out my blog for Mahabalipuram visit. I recently visited it and its a must-see place for history lovers.
https://zappyaquarian.wordpress.com/2015/09/26/mahabalipuram/
Kindly follow my blog.
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Welcome here, Zappy Eyes. Thank you for stopping by and sharing the link to your Mahabalipuram post. I visited it last week and had a fabulous time, though the heat and humidity was a tad difficult to bear.
Keep visiting 🙂
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I am not sure of what was the highlight of the year .. the one that I think is for me I cant talk about sadly ..
and for 2016 well all I wish and hope is that god gives me the strength to be a Good person .. Thats all , that i dont hurt anyone knowingly or unknowingly …
Wishing you and family and everyone around you a very happy new year.. May all that you have dreamed comes true.. have a fantabulous New year
Bikram’s
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Thank you very much, Bikram, and wish you the same.
The struggle to be a better person and not hurt anyone knowingly or unknowingly is an eternal struggle and I don’t think one can ever overcome it fully. But we can always try our best, isn’t it?
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I am so happy reading this post, Sudha. It is not often that one can count so many blessings in one year. I am sure the new year will bring even more achievements and fulfilling experiences for you. Here’s wishing you all the best for the upcoming year!
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Dear Zephyr, thank you so much for your wishes, your feedback and encouragement. 2016 has begun well and I hope that it will get better as the year progresses.
Wish you a very Happy New Year as well 🙂
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I love your posts. They are so enlightening. I wish you a lot more enriching experiences so that we are also enlightened in the process. Happy new year to you…
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Thank you so much, Nutsure. You are so encouraging and it is readers like you who make all the difference when I’m facing a block with regard to writing.
Happy New Year to you too !
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Happy New Year, Sudha! Great to read that you have found something which you were longing for, that Jaipur literary festival was the catalyst 🙂 Are you going to the festival again this year?
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Thank you, Kat. Wish you a very Happy New Year and the best that 2016 has in store.
The JLF has been a catalyst for many things. It was a serendipitous trip and like most such trip, its impact was felt much later. 🙂
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Its really a great post. The way you have written your post is so interesting. I love the way you share your feelings and the most important event of 2015 of your life. Wishing you a very Happy New Year 2016.
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Thank you and wish you the same, 🙂
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Wishing you the very best in 2016! I’m looking forward to reading more of your “enriching” blog posts this year.
– Anita
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Thank you, Anita. I have lots of ideas and blogposts in mind. Now to get down to actually writing them !
Here’s wishing you the very best for 2016. 🙂
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Happy New Year 🙂 2015 was a year of lot of changes for me. The highlight was I got married in Jan and moved to the other part of the globe. It was a great year. We travelled a lot. I learnt cooking (atleast for survival reasons 😉 )I was regular in blogosphere. I, as a person, had lot of development this year, I must say.
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A very Happy New Year to you, Jo, and a warm welcome to “My Favourite Things”. Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing what your 2015 was like. My very best wishes for 2016 with plenty of personal growth and development. Cheers. 🙂
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One of the highlights of 2015 for me was my conversation with you regarding Uzbekistan. You were brimming with excitement and I am so glad the trip turned out to be all you expected and then some. That conversation has made it clear to me that I must take a trip by myself or with a girlfriend sometime soon. It’s become one of the things on my bucket list and I have you to thank for the inspiration 🙂
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MM, I was really sorry that we couldn’t meet this time. But I’m glad that we did manage to speak.
I hope that you can travel to the places you want to travel to and they way you want to this year. May the power be with you 🙂
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