The Year that was Naught!

 With our careers at an inflection point, we took a decision in late 2019 to give another shot at ‘Living our Lives’ instead of ‘Chasing to live life’.   Bold decision it was, with huge risks, only if we wanted to consider them as such. 

We evaluated the extent of risks this step brought and compared them to our decisions in the past.  Except for economic stability, which was at best a roller coaster ride with its peaks and troughs (… more of these), it did nothing to satiate our mind, body and soul.  On the contrary, we did inflict upon us numerous physiological and emotional blows, whose impact we will see lifelong.  We realized that a lot of the decisions were taken that kept the best interests of all we may impact.  Our life was normally left as a side dish, tasted occasionally but, never the plat principal. 

Going back to where we started.  One of the outcomes of that decision was, to bring some sense to our daily routine, and to become the master of our time – as permissible within the constraints imposed for sustaining oneself.  The idea was to balance work, personal growth, leisure and activities that have a deeper impact than just addressing the survival needs.  Thus, Vivikta was born in December 2019. 

The decision taken, the year 2020 started on a good note.  Not monetarily, but step in right direction towards our goal. 

Some long pending certifications and self-development programs were accomplished.  Ekta stated translating her imagination to capture the beauty of nature, by learning and improving her photography talents.  She became proficient in manual controls to get the best outputs.  Her shot compositions surprise many.

We became more prolific in our pursuits of art.  We had started this through a set of public workshops in 2017.  That enabled us to start enjoying those few hours we gave to it every day.  The outcomes gave us joy for things we had never imagined we could achieve and pain that egged us on to do better next time.  But, as Ekta’s status quotes, “Art enabled us to find ourselves and loose ourselves at the same time”.  

Working on the basic fabric of social interactions, which the current technology driven world has almost decimated, we had started being a part of a few walking groups in the city (Hyderabad) since 2017.  This had not only given us new friendships, but a forum to expand our viewpoint through stories transcending history, cultures and lives. 

The early part of the year 2020 helped us explore some hidden jewels in Hyderabad, along with these walking groups.  The iconic British Residency, the building with its classical portico in the style of a Palladian Villa (as seen at the White House, the official residence of the President of USA) and the centerpiece of William Dalrymple’s White Mughals was one such place of significance.  The Golden Threshold, house of the Nightingale of India, Sarojini Naidu, and the Kalamkari artists in their habitat not only added colour but provided us with milieu to immerse in stories told the old way – face to face.  As stated by Robert D. Putnam, “Community connectedness is not just about warm fuzzy tales of civic triumph. In measurable and well-documented ways, social capital makes an enormous difference in our lives...Social capital makes us smarter, healthier, safer, richer, and better able to govern a just and stable democracy.”  Both of us learned and shared and expanded through this.

In 2014, we also overcame our inhibitions and started as regulars at a local gym in Hyderabad.  While I had been running long distances since 2000, both us never had the courage to get into a public gym and expose, what we considered our lack of alacrity, sometimes bordering on clumsiness.  But, we realized soon to our comfort, we were not alone.  Another things life made us an expert in was – Squats.  As a gym enthusiast once said, “Life has its Ups and Downs.  We call them Squats!”. Beginning 2020 we decided to work out together.

And finally, another pursuit that got our attention was this beautiful game of Golf.  Although we had started learning it in 2017, work and our busy schedules did not allow us to spend time on this beautiful game and enjoy its fascinating interconnection between the soul and nature.  Quoting from P.G. Wodehouse, with few edits to bring gender neutrality, “Golf… is the infallible test. The person who can go into a patch of rough alone, with the knowledge that only God is watching, and play the ball where it lies, is the person who will serve you faithfully and well.” No doubt, this game took as away from the regular rigmarole into settings that compel one to look inside, enabling us to make peace and providing the lift to face the world better.  Both of us started the year 2020 with an ability to dedicate 2 hours thrice a week to this gem of a game.  Not only did this bring us closer to where we would want to be – the midst of nature, but it also gave a natural fillip to our serotonin by virtue of our improving Handicap. Yay!

In addition, the start of 2020 also gave my first consulting project as the Managing Partner at Vivikta.  No doubt our annual CTC – a barometer of our social stature, was impacted, it was adequately compensated by the earnings illustrated above.  Risk nonetheless!

Then the “Janta Curfew” happened! Corona happened!

We had started hearing murmurs of this rather strange ‘beer namesake’ virus that has taken the world with a storm, early in January 2020.  However, complacency and the attitude that “it will not happen to us” led the larger public to ignore and continue as though it was business as usual.  We had SARS, MERS and Ebola to boast off, didn’t we?  They hardly touched us! Then how will this, from our neighboring country’s wet market will?

Our first impact was felt when the Golf course was made out-of-bounds and we went searching for our next tete-e-tee with nature at the recently renovated (by Telangana State Archaeology and Museums Department, in collaboration with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture) Qutb Shahi Tombs.  It was the 15^th of March 2020. 

These tombs are in the Ibrahim Bagh precincts, close to the grand Golkonda Fort.  The Qutb Shahi’s were appointed as the governor in the 15^th century, representing the Bahmani Sultanate at Golkonda. They became independent in 1538, establishing their own Qutb Shahi Dynasty.  While they built the fort itself, a massive fortification of granite with a circumference of over 5 Kms (3 miles), with its pinnacle at 120 meters, they were pragmatic to commission the building of their own mausoleums while being alive.  The Qutb Shahi Tombs.  If we were to pick up a life lesson from this, these Tombs are visible from the Darbar Hall, the seat of power of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty.  Must admit, what a balance in perspective it might have brought to those who sat atop the throne.  With world famous diamond mines like the Kollur and their priceless produce – the Koh-i-Noor, Blue Hope, Daria-i-Noor, White Regent, Dresden Green and the Jacob diamonds, and the futility of all with their final resting place devoid of all this.

Anyway, this was closed too! And so, we had our last long walk at the KBR Park, before the series of Lockdown Releases were planned. 

For some of us, having been born in the 70’s and before, the silence and emptiness of a lockdown was DeJa’Vu but for the generations thereafter and the millennials this would have left an indelible mark.

For the next three months, both of us walked and worked out (in the small corridor outside our home).  Our trainer used to share a predefined workout schedule that could be remotely managed.  We clocked upwards of 11,000 steps (~6 Kms) or 2,000 Kcals daily.  We met more people within our society than ever before, even though we have been living in gated communities with > 120 apartments for over 14 years.  All that with the mandated “do gazh ki doori” (2 mts apart)! 

On some days where post the designated 6 pm curfew, we ventured out of the main gate of our apartment complex for a sneak peek, almost seemed a surreal experience.  Absolutely deserted streets, the daily staffer rushing back, a vehicle somewhere on the horizon or a stray on the lookout for food.  Yes, you read it right, I mentioned ‘horizon’. 

We were able to see till the end of the 2 km winding road, which otherwise was impossible in pre-lockdown times.  In the normal days, this time in the evening would be crescendo of cacophony – people, music and traffic on both sides of the road lined up for almost a kilometer or more.  Somethings which were ever so striking were the absolute blue sky, the Mynah calling from the dense banyan tree over the old Mazaar (resting place of a seer) , the setting Sun colouring the horizon in different hues of crimson and orange and not to miss the coinciding of birds returning to their nesting places as the brave frontline workers from the nearby grocery stores trudged their way back home. 

But what was so remarkable was a realization that for all our claims of supremacy of human race, all 7.5 Billion of us, we represent just 1 species of the estimated 8.7 million plants and animals’ species in existence of which only 1.7 million have been identified and documented.  All except us were free!  

Only we were under lockdown. If this could not be a humbling experience, then another realization will be.  All other species during the lockdown (except for a few stray dogs and cats), did not even realize that the self-assumed supreme Homo Sapiens ceased to exists, figuratively speaking. 

In fact, for the observant, it was clear that they were enjoying the absence of hara-kiri that our species create.  The environment was cleaner, the greenery was greener, and the fauna were funnier and happy.  To reiterate, this was a great reinforcement that we had done right in choosing to enjoy things we normally won’t take notice of.

With nothing much to do outside of work hours, we ventured with our cameras within our complex and were able to capture such an eclectic collection of birds, insects, plants, undergrowth fungi and reflections in puddles of water as if it was a wonderland.  These sightings were apt for one to weave a fairy tale of the likes of ‘Anne with an E’, had it not been for the bleak news pouring in from across. 

Social media was the biggest promoter of the rumor mongering and all doom and dark.  Conspiracy theories thrived and everything bad was lapped up – as though the world will come to an end.  The latter because of our inflated egos.  We keep forgetting that we are just a passing-by species – just 1 of all which really exist today, which is less than 1% of what our planet Earth has seen so far.  Our absence would hardly be noticed, and on the contrary would enable the Earth to regenerate within a few decades, resetting all the crises we have perpetuated – global warming, diseases, exploitation of nature and societal rifts.

Another fascinating fact that we sorely realized was the deeply enmeshed social fabric we live in and, what the absence of it may do.  For the first time in our adult lives, we realised what happens if the neighborhood baniya (local Mom and Pop shops) does not open their establishment.  Or the Van that comes and sells small meals and coconut seller  does not arrive that one day.  Or our house help is unable to come.  But even more painful was the thought – if they do not work today, or earn today, how will they buy their supper?  Will their children sleep without food? This fragile, yet intertwined social fabric brought forth the deep sense of empathy with our fellow humans.  However, these heart wrenching moments were not limited to our fellow humans but all life forms.  The strays who used to feed off the leftovers from restaurants and shops started starving. 

What a resounding assertion, and a living example as was personified by the interconnected supply chain during the crisis.  Not only did we realise the nature of interdependence, but also its frailty.

It was also made very apparent during this situation that material possessions are mere embellishments to demonstrate social significance.  Our television and water purifier decided to give a hiccup or two during the height of lockdown.  With almost no services available, these became mere pieces of furniture with no real tangible value.  This was a brutal reminder that we spend majority of our lives running after possessions, never really possessing anything and in the end leave it all behind!

It was DeJa’Vu the Qutb Shahi’s!

By May 2020, further paranoia set in with a combination of Social channels fanning fire and the boon of the visualization platforms predicting waves of disease and death.  The developed economies with their grand healthcare ecosystem getting crushed under the weight of this dreaded ‘almost invisible’ force and their economies succumbing to these pressures. 

For us, Vivikta, this situation provided the needed fillip as ‘Digital Transformation’ proverbially, got the needed boost in the arm because of the pandemic.  In April and May 2020, we signed two more deals and started making inroads into partnerships with likeminded players across the US and Europe. 

Thus, we started seeing the realisation of our efforts by balancing work, leisure (as permitted within the lockdown norms) and the most necessary inward focus to heal and rejuvenate.

On the topic of healing, you may recall the various pursuits we had taken since 2014, for our mind, body and soul.  On hindsight, it appears a grand conspiracy of the Supreme forces that drove us towards these smaller, yet impactful pursuits.  The Lockdown had almost brought a halt to some of these – Golf, Social Walking Groups and other outdoor activities. 

But, as with constraints, opportunities too, spring up. 

We started putting more time towards our creative pursuits in art and paintings.  During this phase Ekta poured out her creative juices in more intense and complex Mandalas and in creating pen arts with forms – faces and body, an area she had normally stayed away from.  I, on the other hand experimented with pencil sketches, paints, and oil based colour pencils.  Had an opportunity to do a pen portrait for a Spanish Author, who had published a book, proceeds from which were for upliftment of girl child in India.  Did a pencil and paint portrait for Ekta’s friend and a journalist known for her insightful point of view, working for The Week.  These were small joys, when summed up provided the occasional smile, much needed in all the drudgery around.

While this has been beautiful, healing and soul cleansing, we happened to be involved in another activity, every alternate weekend – A Satsang (gathering for shared spiritual discourses).  Both of us have always been a Believer, although it is never expressed overtly and is universal in nature not limited to a region, religion or caste. Coming from the North of India, the culture of Satsangs and Prabhat Pheris (Morning Rounds) were integral.  But this gathering every alternate week was refreshing, because it opened up multiple vistas to understand the spirit behind a poets expression praising their Lord.  Another thing that was so beautiful was the structure underlying these renditions. 

Two such renditions that left an indelible mark were the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra (a verse of the Rigveda addressed to Tryambaka – The Three Eyed One, Lord Shiva).  It is said to be beneficial for mental, emotional and physical health and to be a moksha (freedom of soul) mantra, which bestows longevity and immortality.  Personally, the reverberations of these chants have impacted us like never. 

Another was the Shri Rudrashtakam, a Sanskrit composition in devotion of Rudra (though the context pertains to Lord Shiva, the post-Vedic transformation of Rudra), composed by Tulsidas and appears in the Uttara Khand of the magnum opus Ram Charit Manas.  While we may not be able to share the beauty of the verses in this note, the structure amaze’s us beyond compare.  The term Ashtakam, derived from the Sanskrit word meaning eight.  The ashtakam is made of eight stanzas.  With each stanza contains 48 syllables.  Would like to specially highlight the soulful rendition by our cousin Manish, who ensured that this leaves an indelible mark. 

Beyond the calmness and positive reverberations, these have really helped us heal and maintain balance.  While we moved out of the group in August, as I had taken a foreign language course, the chanting continues every morning. 

As with the lockdown, the reopening (Unlocking) was also spread across a series of Releases, but with each Sprint of 4 weeks or more.  25^th June 2020, almost 3 months post the Janta Curfew, we ventured out beyond the 4 kms radius and drove up to the Hussain Sagar Lake. 

For those not living in Hyderabad or familiar with the fact that this called the city of lakes.  A few decades back, Hyderabad was a city with 3000-7000 natural and manmade water bodies.  As of 2018, Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) maintains a record of 169 lakes.  It is a shame that Some of the lakes which have totally disappeared are Tigal Kunta, Somajiguda Tank, Mir Jumla Tank, Pahar Tigal Kunta, Kunta Bhawani Das, Nawab Saheb Kunta, Afzalsagar, Nallakunta, Masab Tank to name a few.  Infact, many of the colonies under the guise of urban development that have sprung in these lake beds face flooding every year.

Back to Hussain Sagar, a.k.a. Tank Bund is a heart shaped lake, built by Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah in the 16^th century.  Spread across nearly 6 sq. kms., it is fed by the city’s own River Musi (had almost dried, but reclaimed a lot of its lost glory last monsoon).  Besides, it is designed to receive all the excess water from Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills through natural and manmade streams. 

The lake was named after Hussain Shah Wali, the Master of Architecture in the Qutb Shahi Dynasty.  The lake is known for its 18-meter-tall monolithic statue of Gautama, The Buddha.  Carved out of a 450 ton white granite is perched on top of a Lotus Pedestal – The Rock of Gibraltar.  This lake continued to be the main source of water supply to Hyderabad before the other two grand lakes were built on Musi – Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar. 

Two other beautiful facets around the precincts of the Hussain Sagar Lake are the large colonies of Bats on the trees lining the lake and the Wall Art in Makhta.  It has some of the most fascinating art pieces by artist including Artez from Serbia, Jean Luc and Alber from France, Nikola Mihajlovic from Serbia and Daan Botlek from Netherlands, done on the building facades lining the lake. 

With a confidence booster visit to Hussain Sagar, we started looking for places that would have limited people, but with abundance of natural beauty.  The significantly improved air quality due to lock down also provided an encouragement to lift our spirts.  In the next few weeks, we visited many such places.  We take you on a journey with us on a few those fascinated us.

Ameenpur Lake is another manmade lake that was constructed over 300 years ago during the reign of Ibrahim Qutb Shah, by a courtier, Abduk Qadir Amin Khan of Patancheru, to irrigate his gardens.  The lake once occupied over 1.2 sq. kms, but with encroachments, has been reduced to 1/3^rd its original size.  But the point to note is that it the first water body in India to be recognized as a Biodiversity Heritage, the first to be approved in an urban area.  What fascinated us were the large collection of birds – local and migratory, enhancing the beauty of this place.  We saw a flock of Flamingoes, Black Winged Stilts, Cormorants, Grey Heron, Spot Billed Pelicans, Pied Kingfishers, Black tailed Godwits, Stilt Sandpipers, Straited Herons, Egrets, and Wood Storks to name a few.  Not only was the setting scenic and serene, but the whole experience was also surreal.  

For those who follow Ekta and me on FB and Instagram would have seen a rich trove of photographs stored for perpetuity. 

However, the fact that this lake is almost hidden with no formal access roads, speaks lot about how our urban developers only aim is to look at such places as “land pieces” to be made money of.  Nobody looks at the natural beauty, and in this case the Biodiversity and promote it with formal promenades and as city attractions.  The latter do not pay as much, isn’t it!

Some 74 kms, with access from the Outer Ring Road was another of the hidden beauty – Shamirpet Lake.  Another of the manmade lakes, from the Nizam’s rule, this is a picturesque lake that extends upto the horizon.  It is said to be tricky for swimming as it has natural rock formations, dating millions of years back, that may be fatal if not navigated properly.  With natural blue sky and miles of expanse of water, this gave us a the much-needed relief from being locked inside a 1100 sq. ft. urban dwelling.

By this time in July, it was getting extremely hot and monsoons were much awaited.  On one such sojourn, we happened to go upto a much talked about “Sunset Point” off the outer ring road connecting to the Osman Sagar Lake.  While the setting sun was an amazing view, the whole place has been created for building high rises, by blasting rocks. 

These granite rocks of the Deccan Plateau are amongst the oldest in the world.  Imagine, 2.5 Billion years old.  Geologists indicate that these were formed when the earth’s crust solidified.  Molten magma then pushed upwards hardened under the crust into domes and sheets of granite.  As the top crust eroded, these granites were exposed and have been weathered over millions of years into their present form. We are told the process is called onion peel weathering. 

Humans have undone these natural formations of billions of years in less than 6-7 years.  First, was the complete decimation of the areas around Durgam Cheruvu.  And now this so-called Sunset Point. At this rate, we are determined to disturb the ecological balance to a point of no return.  Mind you, this in the city where rocks are protected as natural heritage.

But small events, gestures of kindness, natural beauty and the flora and fauna, somehow restore the faith that ‘Things will be all right’! 

One such event was the humble yet alert disposition of the Hyderabad Police.  As with all other places, the Hyderabad Police was doing a great service, exposing themselves but keeping us safe.  During our visit to the Sunset Point, and after capturing the beautiful hues of the sky, especially from Ekta’s camera and strutting stray pup as a silhouette, we came back to our car for a quick snack brought from home.  The police were ensuring all the safety measures even for a meager attendance at this time.  We hesitatingly stepped out and offered to share our snacks with them.  Their expressions, of being felt included were so moving.  It once again reaffirmed that there was still a flicker of hope for humanity to pull through such testing times.

This flicker of hope was re-emphasied by nature when it reclaimed what was it’s! Nature also gave a fair warning, for those not listening.  Do not mess with Me ‘O Humans, I will get back what is Mine! 

For some of us, we saw the positivity but, with awe! For those who were impacted, they saw the misery – largely imposed by their fellow human beings, the land mafia, the so-called religious leaders and the collusion with the government pushing the secular agenda. 

Those who are wondering of what is being referred here, was the reclaiming of the Osman Sagar by October 2020, by the fury of the fourth tropical cyclone in the North Indian Ocean’s cyclone season, which was parched dry in August 2020. 

Osman Sagar is a 46 sq. kms lake with a reservoir around 29 sq. kms.  It was created during the reign of the last Nizam of Hyderabad State – HRH Osman Ali Khan.  Conceived after the great Musi Flood of 1908, and to solve a dichotomy of floods and a water shortage during summers.  The solution of creating a dam and to create this reservoir was the master mind of Sir M. Visheswaraya.  The foresightedness and the simplicity of the solution has ensured that the old city in Hyderabad, never after faced flooding for well over 100 years now. 

During one of our visits to the Osman Sagar in August 2020, we found the entire vast expanse of the lake dried to its base.  It was an open invitation to the land hawks to grab this land and convert into real estate.  But in less than 45 days, NATURE CLAIMED IT BACK WITH VENGENECE!

Not only the rains filed up the lake, but the waters also inundated large residential areas as the flood gates of another manmade lake – Himayat Sagar (parallel to Osman Sagar and build during the reign of HRH Osman Ali Khan) had to be open to control the Musi River. 

As we mentioned before, it took Nature only 45 days to reinstate its supremacy and grand reminder that the absence of our species would hardly be noticed.  On the contrary would enable the Earth to regenerate within a few decades, resetting all the crises we have perpetuated.

And, at this juncture an apt reminder, on the subject of ‘Living our Life’! With such a show of grandeur, almost akin to a casual wave of a hand, Nature affirmed our resolve that our chosen path was more relevant than ever.  As someone quotes, and we echo, let us start living for the present, as Past is History and Future is a Mystery. 

In August 2020, the Golf courses opened.  For both of us it was back to the grind as the months in between, where we had kept ourselves fit, we seem to have lost the rhythm of the swing.  As they say, “Golf can be best defined as endless series of tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle,” which in our case was far more occasional than normal.  Must say, that we have reached our pre-lockdown handicap, nothing much to be proud of, but the fact that we are playing and breathing that air again is a miracle indeed!

We continued to cover more lakes – IDL, Malaka, Fox Sagar to name a few.  We visited more parks and the famous Botanical Gardens, not knowing that there is a long 3.5 kms walking path in the middle of the buzzing technology hub, but so cleverly isolated by nature.  What was so refreshing to note was the purity of air, the absolute blues of the sky and the richness of the avian and reptilian population that surrounds us – ever more visible and vibrant.

What we did not do was to visit malls, eat out in restaurants, order in food and to go for binge TV watching.   Instead, we honed our cooking, baking and mixing skills.  Listed and still counting, we have prepared over 150 new dishes, representing global cuisines.  Mixed over 15 different cocktails. Baked everything from breads, cakes, muffins and pizzas – and maybe made our mentor proud. 

On the professional front work continued to be steady, enabling us to balance our work life with a firm view of the goal!

Whilst I personally did a few professional courses successfully to ensure better marketability, especially aligned to the new technology and crypto driven world, one pursuit remain elusive.  I look forward to 2021 to be able to nail it down. 

As the new fiscal starts, both of us look back with a sense of awe on what we were able to achieve. On what we were not. On the perils of entrepreneurship and the excitement to survive and see another day.  On the immense sense of humility and thus the need to give and to stay grounded.  On the pace of life and how not to become a slave of time, rather to plan only ‘that much’ that one can do without disturbing one’s internal rhythms. On absorbing what the nature gives as that learning is one never taught in classrooms. And, to follow the goal of “Living our Lives”!

And, to sign off, as Ekta posted at the start of this year – This changed our world and changed our lives!

As we write this note, there is a sudden surge of cases, although limited to a few states (to be had with a pinch of salt).  We believe that with Covid fatigue setting in, people may be just letting their guards down.  As they say, things happen but the world moves on, we reminiscence this life changing experience and count innumerable highs peppered with lows.  While lockdowns (hopefully) will not be the solution, the situation showed us the mirror so that we improve – and fast, else their may be no tomorrow!

Incredibly happy and thank you if you got this far reading this note.

Thus, on hindsight this was Not a year that was Naught!