Thanks a ton! #worldgratitudeday

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In Panchgani :)
I am thankful for a lot many things these days. I make sure to remember these and be grateful for them while on the way to work- my twenty minutes of daily retrospection and contemplation.

Today I am thankful for the outing with my bestie, bunking office at about five in the evening. It’s okay to forget all those cares once in a while, well, once in a blue moon. I always used to be on my toes at work, taking care not to make any mistake; keeping alert all the time, fearing something would go wrong every agitated moment. Today I allowed myself not to worry too much, and let loose. We went for a movie, and it is one of the best movies in recent times –Pink. It has overwhelmed me. The outstanding acting by the entire cast, the heavy emotions throughout, and the socially relevant message it carries through one single word ‘no’ – I had goosebumps.

View from Singard Fort,
In Lohagard- joining the locals during Ganesh bisarjan procession

I am thankful for the new learning sessions being conducted at work. We are learning a front end technology ReactJs and it has me excited, booting up my mood every day since last week. It’s after months that the monotonous routine of coding, defect fixing and planning has come to an almost closure, at least for the time being. And I am very much thankful for it.

Mapro!!

I am truly thankful for the trip we friends had in the second week of September. Our first trip together- to Pune! It was the ultimate gift life bestowed upon me after Mysore days. It was a week of fun with friends, traveling to hill stations, walking in the clouds, posing for pics feeling water running over our feet, (savoring Marathi dishes / raspberry/ kokam juice / chikki / Misal Pav) and getting mesmerized amidst the mountains. I have some of the best memories from this trip- one that is overshadowing the rest at this moment is the long drive from Pune to Mumbai starting at 4 am in the morning (through so many tunnels :)). I can’t describe it perfectly, but those three hours felt out of the world – like I was in the land of dreams or movies.

Thanks a ton, dear Universe! Lots of love. Wish I could hug you! :)

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Queeristan by Parmesh Sahani

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  Queeristan (Amazon Link) Thanks to Audible Free Trial I listened to this amazing non-fiction on LGBTQ inclusion in Indian workplaces. Author Parmesh Sahani identifies as gay Indian, working closely with Godrej higher management and employees for years to create an inclusive workplace, both legally and in spirit. This book is a result of those years of experience, research, collaboration with individuals from difference spectrum of the society and organizations who has successfully transitioned into a queer friendly one.   Indian history is inclusive. From the Khajuraho temple architectures, to Konark to the Rig Veda, there is existing proofs even 2000 years ago of Indian inclusiveness of queer. It’s the draconian British law that criminalised it, which was scraped in 2009, came into effect once again following a sad judgement in 2013 and eventually was scraped off for good in 2018. I am in awe of the lawyers who fought this legal battle- colleagues and partners – Arundhati Katju
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