At the beginning of this year my mother had a premonition that it would be the worst year of her life. Since my parents hadn’t brought in the New Year the way they normally did with friends and family, she wanted to go to a special breakfast with my dad as they had done 68 years ago to celebrate their engagement. Unfortunately, the driver didn’t show up so they had to cancel the plan. My mother saw this as a sign that everything would go amiss.

And sure enough, it did.

By the end of October, they had both passed away.

Throughout the year there were plenty of downs. Little Po got Scarlett Fever, a disease almost unheard of in this part of the world. The much-awaited Modular kitchen was a nightmare with Makwana doing its best to ensure they got everything WRONG. The small household repairs turned out to be major and we were in disarray for 5 1/2 months! And this was during the period I made frequent trips to visit my parents. So it was no wonder that things didn’t go as planned.

However, the year had its good side too. I got to spend more time with my parents in this year than I did in the past 40 years! I am grateful that I could make the frequent dashes to Pune. Little Po learnt to read music during the time he was recuperating and has consequently discovered his passion.

Prima Donna and Anna Shetty had another year of good work and I lost a few kilos which gave me hope that my stubborn fat could be chased away.

But the best part of the year has been the de-cluttering. I have an almost new house and a brand new kitchen with which to welcome the New Year.

I hope things settle down. I hope I stop playing hide and seek with the things I can’t remember keeping away. And I hope the new year brings peace and happiness in the world

Happy New Year all.

Ciao