Life in 2010

It has been a good three months since I last blogged. So much has happened in the first quarter of this year that it has been absolutely impossible to clear my mind's cobwebs and sit down to write some sense for you guys out there.

This year brought about a few revelations for me-
a) that I am capable of doing things which I never thought I could
b) that the people I work with are selfless enough to think of money as a secondary factor
c) that the people I work with have become, in more than just a manner of speaking, extended family.
d) that the unknown areas that I am stepping into are making me a stronger person
e) that I am over and done with people who are snobs without reason
f) that it is impossible to find as much support as I have from my friends and my family- including my love...

My work scope has expanded immensely. From being a part-time consultant for SAATHII I have become a Service and Advocacy Coordinator for two states. At this time of the year, both the states, Orissa and West Bengal, happen to become boiling pots- especially Orissa. I don't know how I am going to manage the heat, but someone up there has some plans for me....evidently.

Around this time, last year, I wasn't sure whether I was coming or going. I was upset at myself for trying out for an MBA- for chasing after money wearing Barkat Ali suits are not what I ever thought I was meant for. Yet for some reason it seemed to be the only way- and then I got called for the final round in TISS- Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai- for MSW. That was the only silver lining in my life at that time. I had realised by then that I would be much happier doing what I was best at- advocacy, capacity building, etc.

However, TISS fell through- but at the same time, it opened up other doors for me. Rohit, a friend of mine, who went through the same rigmarole with TISS as me, works with SAATHII as well. He, along with Pawan, an old-time acquaintance of mine, as well as the Director of SAATHII Kolkata, got in touch with me, and asked me to take on a part-time legal consultancy with the Legal Aid Unit of SAATHII- something that I could do while practising.

By and large, I got more and more involved and engrossed in the work- and soon I decided that I no longer want to run to the courts, wearing a black gown and a suit in the searing heat.

Today, I have grown a lot. I have gone beyond the inherent snobbery that I had to a snobbery of a different sort- of achievement. Emotional and intellectual achievement. Financially, I am lagging behind a lot of my friends who are practising, or perhaps working in the corporate sector, but I am happy- which is more than what I can say for a lot of people. People who need to be defensive about themselves, for they lack conviction in themselves, for they are uncomfortable in their own skin. People who need to be happy, but aren't.

This was a lesson I needed to learn- and luckily I learnt it at no cost to myself on any level. Life is not just about Prada and Gucci. Its about having the gumption to trod the fields of the country while wearing Prada and Gucci.