Looking back at 2015!

With the year coming to a close, I realise 2015 had been the most amazing year for me, be it in the field of academics or on the personal front. Thinking over it again and again, I fail to recollect a particular year in the past which had brought with it so much happiness and excitement.

To begin with, academically, securing a first class in Masters is a difficult task to accomplish. But by God's grace, I have been extremely lucky. The gold medal does matter a lot to me. It’s not just a medal, it's something which would carry me on through the testing times of my life, through the darkest hours. Egged on by our college professors, it was the first time I tried my hands at writing a thesis for the departmental student seminar along with my friends, Ananya and Anupama. Working one’s fingers to the bone, nothing matters more than the appreciation and love you receive in the end.

Moving over, the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet, 2015 was the first of its kind, where I had the opportunity to meet some eminent authors like Mr. Sandip Roy, Mr. Devdan Chaudhuri, Mr. Abhijit Gupta, Ms. Renu Balakrishnan as well as others. Although I couldn't attend all the sessions, but it was a pleasure to hear them speak about their own works, including what goes into the making of a particular piece of writing and how the publisher-author association is crucial for a work to become a bestseller.

The number of seminars that I have attended this year, made me realise that I love to hear people speak – speak about themselves, their personal experiences, their works, about everything. Was extremely honoured to be a part of an interactive session organized by Shri Shikshayatan College in collaboration with American Center, where the honourable panellists were Ms. Freida Lee Mock, the Academy Award winning director of ‘Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision’, and Melissa Silverstein,  the founder of the website ‘Women in Hollywood’. Apart from that, I feel extremely blessed to be a part of an interactive session organised by our college with Mr. Kaushik Sen, the eminent theatrician and actor. It was, indeed, a privilege to be invited along with a few friends and teachers for the practice session of Swapna Sandhani’s play, ‘Antigone’.

 Well well, how can I forget the International Kolkata Book Fair, 2015! Going back after a long time, I didn't know Boi-Mela was in a mood to surprise me. 

On a personal note, I got to learn the ropes of blogging this very year. Until September, I was completely ignorant of what blogging is all about. But the blogging workshop conducted by Kolkata Bloggers, in association with the U.S. Consulate unfurled a new vista for me. Not only did I get to meet some wonderful people, but was a bit taken aback to find the person I admire sitting there. On a different note, I feel extremely privileged to be a part of the Kolkata Bloggers team for the Bangla Sahityo Utshob at Oxford Book Store, Park Street.

To end with, with a dear friend’s marriage close at hand, the approaching year seems interesting. But I’m quite filled with trepidation, since some revelations too, are round the corner. Let’s see what 2016 has in store for me. Till then, good-bye and a very happy new year to all of you.