The Year that Was....

The 36th year of my ongoing life will soon give way to the 37th year of my life. 2016 is getting over and as I listened to free music streaming on my brand new JIO, i went into a trance thinking about what's transpired in this year. I managed to fulfil some of my goals that I set in the beginning but most remained unfulfilled...Resolutions...Humbug!

One of the short term professional goal set by me for 2016 was to hit 50 orders a day for my gifting venture. We managed to do that and more in style. But the long term goal of getting featured as a gifting couple in a magazine stays unfulfilled. 

My relationship goal was to appreciate the husband more and have patience with kids. After 11 months of failing at that, I managed to get some hold on this in the fag end of 2016. I am getting there, surely and sorely...

My travel goal was to watch the sunset in Santorini and that was done.

My spiritual goal was to take my kids every sunday to the temple and teach them some chanting. Have only been able to do this half way.

Apart from that, the year had 3 big happiness quotients....

The first added vigour to my professional life. As mentioned above, Indiagift hit its first milestone of doing 50 orders a day. It was a hill we had to climb to have faith in what we are doing. Having overcome that, we are now looking at 75 as I write this.

The second and the most important event of 2016 was the arrival of Shrihaan. My youngest and cutest nephew. No offence to Ayush, Abhiraj and Yash and the other little men who make me feel like the most awesome BUA. But this newest guy is full of smiles for me and our family back home in Ludhiana. The bundle of joy to my brother and bhabhi is surely the apple of our eyes currently and definitely the high point of 2016 collectively.

The third and equally satisfying event of this year was the one regarding my inner self. It was the realisation of contentment(for the first time in my 36 years). It was a feeling of contentment within my means. It was a feeling of happiness without the artificial pleasures of the materialistic world. It was when i realised I didn't need a TUMI to travel, my North face Backpack does just as well. It was when I realised I didn't need an iPhone7 to talk, a heart to heart cuddled in the blanket did just as well. It was when I realised I didn't need that GUCCI bag for the birthday, a kindle to revive my book reading habit did much better. It was when I realised that I didn't need an expensive watch for my anniversary, hand picked flowers warmed the heart much more.

And it is a feeling that I hope stays. I wish to carry this single most thing into 2017 as my resolution. 

No fake promises to loose weight..No attempts at sleeping early and rising early.... No false declarations to catch up with old friends...

But a single minded focussed attempt at carrying on with 'CONTENTMENT'. 

Into 2017 and onwards!

The kind of responsibilities I want

Of protecting the edge of the pencil in that box
Of getting the crayon stains off the white socks.

Of shining the polish of the shoes so bright,
Of running and catching that yellow kite,

Of wearing the fancy dress on my big day,
Of eating all the desserts from the buffet.

Of having that first dialogue in broken english,

Of tugging the rope beyond the finish.

Of playing till dark when the bugs start to bite,

Of running so hard that the stomach becomes tight.

Of playing with toy cars till the tires go screech,

Of colouring the Doll's hair an uncanny peach.

Of buttered paranthas and jalebis so sweet,
Of Nani's cake and dadi's home made treats.

Of learning to write in the cursive font,

Of reciting the hindi poem so daunt.

Of having the longest hair in the class,

Of pillow fights and rolling on the grass.

Of ballet class and swimming sessions,

Of the most colourful bandaid on all the abrasions. 

Of the shoes that light when I walk,

Of secret diaries with the tiny lock.

Of the biggest star on the christmas tree,

Of playing and laughing because I am carefree.

Those are the kind of responsibilities I want.

Those are the kind of things to flaunt. 

Give me my husband...

I have known it for years now.
There was no hiding it from Day 1.
I hoped the obsession would go away with time.
But i hoped in despair.

I've known it all along.
Right from the time we got married in 2007.
It coincided with your 3rd term in the state.
You ruled your state in style and he became a fan.
A super one at that.

What started as mere hero worship turned into a full blown infatuation when you announced you were going to conquer the country.
He finally admitted in in February 2014 confessing ironically on Valentines day that he needed 2 months away from me. Away from family. Away from us ...To be with you. To help you win. To fight for you...
He didn't really leave home physically.
But mentally he was always with you.
He stalked you over the social media.
Preyed on everyone who belittled you.
He took pride in being called a Modified fanatic..

I would wake up at 2 AM to see that lone light in the room.
The light from his phone.
Typing away.
fighting a written duel on forums unknown...with people unnamed ....on causes unexplained..But all for you...
He tweeted like a bird...
He fought social wars with random friends of friends of friends on Facebook if they ever wrote a word against you.

Finally came the day when he woke up before anyone rose.
It was the day you smelled victory.
The malt of the most expensive kind was opened in our household.
The dance of a crazy man was danced.
The song of a hysterical heart was sung.
I hoped this was the end of it.
The love affair was over.
But all in despair.
Little did I know that this was the start of a affair that would take a turn of the most serious kind.

He celebrated your first anniversary with pride.
He shunned everyone who questioned your commitment...for him..and for the others...
On your second anniversary he was seen giving full mouthed lectures to strangers at parties...Without the effect of alcohol..
I'd often see friends' provocation to hear his tales of love.

I tried everything. I even gave up my job and started working with him.
I thought he'd lose himself in the burden of business and I'd win him back.
But you dealt the massive blow.
That was when you gave the bad men across the border a fitting reply.
He woke up to tales of Kargil.
He read post 65 war books.
He watched Pro India movies.
What started as a small affair was now an everlasting love.
Even as he would bathe he would tell me how he wished he hadn't failed in the SSB interviews.
He proclaimed he would've been in the infantry if he had.
All to be ONE with you...

that brings me to the current day.
I am not the one to give up so easily.
But I am willing to do a bargain.
I give you back the son of the land, you give me back the husband, Mr PM!

When the boss at home gets a new boss at work!

Even before I thought what I was going to write in this post, I knew a zillion headlines for it.
This post could've easily read ' When love and hate collide' or 'From the bedroom to the boardroom' or 'From Partners in Crime to Partners at Work', Mad at work and madly in love' etc etc....So you've not even started reading this one but you already know what it is about.

It is eventful that I indeed decided to write this post that's been lingering on my mind for an year today when i have completed one year of working in indiagift.in with Mohit. In fact, to rephrase it, working for him. Or rather under him.... This week I complete an year since we both actively started working in our new company and started pursuing those dreams that we didn't know at that time.

Working together though not new for us, was in a different avatar for the past year. We both worked together in adda52 for more than an year. And I was often asked by my peers about how it felt being together for the most part of the day? At that time, I always thought it was thrilling. Driving together to work. Spending those 30 mins of quality time just talking about random stuff. Sneaking that quick hug in his cabin sometimes. Or blowing a random kiss through the meeting! It was all fun, exciting and new.

With our own company came the challenges of not only managing a household and the kids together but also bearing the burden of the same organisation. During our adda52 days out of our 16 awake hours, my constant crib was the continuous jabber about poker, now we can't even help but discuss the revenue excel or the attendance sheet or the investor dock all the time. It is no longer restricted to the 16 awake hours. Even in my dreams, my boss(at work) is constantly telling me to focus more and be patient.

I remember giving an interview together to some startup magazine and proudly coining the term 'Couplepreneur'. It had a quirky feeling about it then. Now while the couple part stays neglected, the entrepreneur part is surely in full swing.

During the past year, we have seen many ups and downs. Not only have we learnt to understand the other's opinion at work without even actually expressing it but we have also learnt how to bear each other for 24 hours a day. Not only have we learnt how to play good cop, bad cop at work but also switch the bosses role the moment the residence arrives. We have learnt to trust each other's instinct and respect the other's decision. We have grown as a couple, as business partners and as individuals. We have come far across in defeating the common notion that a couple can never work together. While couple goals might have been superseded by business goals, it does give me a kick to know that we have dared to go where not many tread. It's simple to trust your partner with love but difficult to trust them with money. We both have done that fantastically!

Hats off to my business partner for being one in a million and tolerating his wife's physical presence for 24 hours a day.

And hats off to me too, for letting him have his moment of glory and be the day time boss that he deserves to be!

Cheers to happier, successful and sometimes romantic times ahead!