A year of Firsts and Flights

2025 was a gift! It was a very happening year for me. Multiple bucket list ticked, experienced a different lifestyle and whatnot! My IIM B journey was nothing but exciting and rewarding. I started understanding and exploring myself. But there are many other things that have happened this year, and many firsts, making this year memorable for my lifetime. If you ask me what was your memorable year previously, I would have told you 2013, 2017-2018 and 2024 as memorable ones, and each had its own reasons. This 2025 has topped up everything, and I am grateful to everything and everyone who was part of this journey.

The firsts' happened to me..

• Went on my first international trip. Haven't stopped there. Continued to visit 6 countries in total this year
• Went on a student exchange program, once in a lifetime experience for me as a student abroad
• My first Sky jump over a beach landing
• My first kayaking at sea
• Started exploring marriage proposals (😂😜 Just it is bright in my memory as the search continues, and this will be the last!)

Oh, not just these firsts define this year; there are more things along. This year, my sister got married to her love, and that was bliss. It's lovely to stay close and see how they navigate their life together. There is no such thing as a better half. It's just the efforts you put into accepting and adjusting while being yourself! I met different kinds of people whom I never thought would exist. Actually, it's not the people but their ideologies and views. They brought in a different perspective and showed me a different meaning to life. We may complain that life is not just fair. But I learned to see the blessings around, and this made me a happier man than I was 🧿 I got some good friends from around the globe and hoping that they remember me if we ever meet again (but I wish to)

Well, what not happened again? Tapping into one core memory, I landed on a stage and gave a solo performance, singing one of my favourite songs to a small crowd. Yes, it was a great experience, but not the singing, but who cares, I was very happy. I also did some crazyy running all around the places I visited, and that video is waiting for editing and release by my running partner! Letting out the kid inside you seems scary or crazy after a certain age, but I think I haven't reached there yet! 😉

Apart from these, I explored the sea, land, mountains, new terrains, new locations, and cities around India, Germany and Australia. Now I actually realise how travelling can change you and your views. But one thing that always remains constant is Values! Sitting peacefully on the shore, looking out towards the waves or sitting under the woods and enjoying the serenity, you start thinking about random things. But over time, you start contemplating, and you get to know yourself more clearly. And that is what happened with me. I actually realised I can't do and need to change certain things. This gave me more clarity and sense along these lines. 

Taking all my learnings, joy and happiness, this 2025 became a very eventful year, and I look forward to life ahead. With this, I take some time to see my past memories along!

Wishing you all a happy and a prosperous New year 2026!

A Wrap up!

       This post is going to be a mix of different thoughts & stories wrapping me up as a whole! What you’ll get? A perception about how I view the world, what I value, and how you can see life through my lenses. And this marks my first and last blog post of 2023!

What makes this year better or best? Nothing!! Only our perspectives and mindset with which we approach it.

Looking back at myself a few years ago with different glasses (not the rose-tinted one!) shows me a lot of change in perspectives, growth, and progression. But one thing remains the same. These are the values that I believe in, want to respect, and follow! And this blog remains a better place to view myself at different phases of my life.

Every now and then, I ask myself a few questions, tell myself a few things to remember, and focus on a few things to follow. This list won’t change drastically every year, but yes, most of them will be rearranged with priorities, and there will always be a few additions and rejections at different points. This year was another wonderful one, with lots of focus and growth, new experiences, and priorities mainly focused on health and passion.

For me, this year marked new experiences with new cities, people, and food. Jaipur, Udaipur, Noida, Kolkata, Kumara parvatha, Dal bhati churma, Ganga, and definitely some beautiful people!!

And there are a handful of new people whom I want to thank and a few old ones to whom I want to apologize.

Unlike the Few HundredSteps! in 2018 & 2019, I did a few thousand one, and I saw a drastic shift in my end goal compared to the last one in 2018. This time it was not about successful completion but about persistence, bringing belief around, and completing as one. And in the end, we succeeded together as a team and as a family! This juncture helped me realize the quote, “There are friends, there is a family, and there are friends that become family.”

And I have progressed in Falling in Love! too. I started learning new things, explored new passions, and advanced towards my last name. Cycling became my best hobby after some great touch of nature around my route. Clean air to breathe, wind to pat, birds to sing, and breeze to make you feel lit! What more to ask for a beautiful life!!

I don’t have much to say, but I'm not a fan of resolutions. I’ll wrap up with a few questions that I ponder now and then. Try to answer these questions to understand more about yourself.

What do I value most in life?

Am I prepared for the worst in my life?

What makes us humans and differentiates us from animals?

Why does being a leader matter, and how to become a good leader?

Wishing you all a happy and prosperous New Year :)

Few Hundred Steps!

It continued to rain heavy & heavy and we started losing our hopes and adrift. It was an epoch of love and courage to travel and nature was slowly degrading it down on that day. All started on a delightful evening when I was thinking about the next day which is a holiday. A holiday between the work gives an immense pleasure and I was strolling on the balcony thinking of how could I spend it. The whole day turned up with a ring from my phone.

Friend: Dai where are you?
Me: Where nowhere else except my room?
Friend: Tomorrow?
Me: Holiday :)
Friend: We are going to Velliangiri. Come fast. Book an Ola and reach Ramanathapuram.

Fast Fast Fast!!
Me: With whom? When? ....
cling.., Cling..,

Phone Hanged up.

Called him again, Doi how many of us are going and when should I reach there?
There is an Ola micro near, book it from your room and reach soon here. Already a batch is gone! Cling.., ing.,

Okay fine, I can't get any more answer from him. Bragging some things I headed out booking an Ola. As usual, when we are in need, we don't get them fast. Ater 15 mins it reached me and I boarded. It was my first time to Velliangiri and I even don't know where it is. Just heard stories about the 7 hills and the Lord Shiva idol at the top. With no more information about the trip or the people who are joining me, I was heading. After 10 mins of waiting in Ramanathapuram, he came and we started towards Velliangiri. It was around 8 when we started. Trailing towards the destination, in few kilometers trees started to wave their hands and chill breeze hit our splines. My heart recited "It's gonna be a lifetime experience" and I was thrilled towards the travel to the top.

Hope you know about Velliangiri. If not read about it here. It's the par compared spiritual place next to Mount Kailash.

Okay, We 10 people, my 4 friends and 5 friends of friends gathered at the bottom of Velliangiri hills and was preparing for our travel. No one had ever thought that it could happen. We don't even have a clue. Everyone grabbed a bamboo stick which may help in climbing. With a great belief in myself, I rejected having a stick (maybe due to laziness to carry it throughout the journey).

Happily started with the blessings of Lord Vinayaga and Shiva at the bottom, we started climbing. One by one, Step by step we started moving. It's usually said that First mountain and 7th mountain are toughest while 5th is the easiest. I personally enjoyed the climbing. Decomposing leaves, aged trees, creaking branches, beetles squeaking, insect music, the soil smell and here and there small openings on the roof where moonlight reaches the ground, everything fascinated my travel towards high rises. When almost the first mountain is going to end, it happened.

The clouds started crying. It started slowly and it was a drizzle. And this is the point where the second thoughts on travel started arising in everyone's mind except me. I believe its (Rain) a blessing by God for us. Slowly we moved up and up and the clouds started pouring high and high. As soon as I reached the third mountain I was fully drenched and it started shivering. We all were separated and I was with my three friends. One wants to return back and we tried to move him up. But at last we failed and he returned down. Continued my journey from the 3rd mountain. Reached the 4th one and the rain was heavy and almost everyone returned who were climbing before us stating the path was very slippery.

Almost half past the 4th mountain, my hope disappeared and the questions of surveying started to hit. Of my four friends, only two continued with me and we started thinking more practical and we are questioning ourselves on every next step. Few hundred steps already crossed. Half past I am standing. But with no hope! The climate continued to stay as it is and I forced myself to return back. Everyone who came with us returned back. I fell down two to three times on return due to slippery path

It was one of the nicest experience in my life. Even though I am adrift still I am happy to visit that place on that day at that time. It was morning 6.15 when I returned. Almost spent 7 hours in the hills and reached an altitude of about 3500 ft. Lifetime experience!! Few Hundred Steps!!!