kolorpencil

Diwali is the most benign and benevolent of all festivals. The enthusiasm engulfs all. Every one prepares for the festivities in their own way. And the festival, with immense magnanimity, bestows each one with enough happiness to last till the next Diwali.

It is easier to break a single stick but it’s almost impossible to break the sticks tied together in a bundle. Similarly, it is easier to break down when working alone but when you are backed by reliable buddies, even the most herculean tasks look simpler. Blogging is challenging and demanding. And when doing this alone, it requires immense patience and grit. The ever-evolving blogosphere throws new challenges at you every day. There is a new technology or a trending topic that requires your attention. Or your blog has had a technical break down, of which you know nothing. Sometimes you just run around with a hammer in your hand but just don’t know where to bang it to get the whole system working again. And oh, the writers’ block. How could I forget the monster which blocks us out completely, sometimes for days altogether.

Meghana just got promoted as Senior Vice President. That was her third promotion in last five years. She had worked in this company for last 12 years. Initial years were the routine ones. She had to work twice as hard to get noticed. And the management always found somebody more deserving for promotions and challenging projects. But things seemed to have changed for good in the last 5-6 years. She was their first choice for every big project and accolades and promotions had literally started raining from everywhere. It seemed that her hard work was finally getting noticed. So when the girls asked for a party, she didn’t think twice and invited all of them for dinner.

As the vengeful calls for War on the TV screen cross the bearable decibels, I switch off the television and go back to my reading. But that uproar has penetrated so deep in my mind that I am not able to “switch it off”. And it makes me think about the cost of a war - the cost that most of us, fortunately, have not paid in our lives and hence don’t realize the impact of it.