2020 has been a historical year. Decades or centuries ahead, this year will be in the storybooks and scientific records as a year that transformed the world. It has shaken the world to evolve into something new. The “new normal” as we call it, will probably be a “better normal” years down the lane. This year has given us pains, struggles, worries, uncertainties and all kinds of fears which has left some scars deep down in our minds. Yet, this year, helped us learn the joy of giving, the joy of being together, the joy of learning, the joy of realising the things which matter most, the joy of technology, the joy of video-calling, the joy of missing someone, the joy of celebrations by oneself, the joy of frugal living, the joy of sustainability, the joy of reduced carbon emissions, the joy of working from home, the joy of realising our potentials, the joy of understanding our priorities in life, the joy of being healthy, the joy of cherishing each moment, the joy of doing something which we wanted to do and the list goes on!
Looking at our pains, accepting it and then evolving into something you never thought of before, is something mind-blowing for anyone. For me, this year has been painful, with a lot of personal struggles, doubts, lack of clarity, humiliations, rejections, uncertainties in life and career, chaos, losing relationships, taking bold decisions etc. However, after each episode of immense pain and crying, I evolved out stronger. I come out with a new idea about how to change this for something better- not just for me but for many who face similar things in life.
2020 has been a year where my entrepreneurial potentials were realised in a more effective manner with the launch of various new initiatives. I am so grateful to all the pains and rejections that I faced which helped me do all these!
The SheSight Magazine, launched in March 2020 ( after over three years of a rudimentary newsletter named Insight) is now a global magazine and has evolved as a full-fledged digital magazine. The Pracol.com e-commerce which got stuck during March due to management and technological issues got re-launched by October and is making great traction in just a couple of months. The events which got stopped due to Lockdown is now full-on with various online events with 1000s of people attending instead of the tens and hundreds who were attending previously. The employees who left me last year because I couldn’t pay salary on time is now replaced with 100s of Prayaana Fellows and Volunteers who work day in – day out to lead the various initiatives of the organisation. The launch of C2CMission2021, the Nationwide Youth Utsav, the onboarding of amazing set of Women mentors and leaders to contribute to Prayaana, the launch of various Prayaana Startups etc are just some of the milestones this year. These are not just achievements for me, but also is a testimonial of what women can do when they come together in the right environment! And on a personal front, I also got my PhD degree awarded and the lockdown helped me complete few International Certifications. This year also helped me come up with some new initiatives for 2021 which will be launched as it evolves. The prominent ones are Prayaana Saheli Spaces, Prayaana InvestHERs, Re-launch of SheSpeakers, Prayaana digital services and the Prayaana Future Skills Academy which are all the plans for 2021. All these initiatives will further employ women and provide them with a career upliftment and opportunity to excel. My Vision for 2021 is to provide career opportunities to at least 2000 women/girls in Prayaana either as a freelancer or as a full-timer. I know, it's audacious. But let it be!
As a closing remark, my heartfelt gratitude to the year 2020 to helping me transform to a butterfly as I have written in this poem. I dedicate this poem to all women and men who undergo a painful transformation and realise their new realm and potentials.
Pic courtesy-Ashley Longshore
The Metamorphosis
Once I was a caterpillar
Crawling around leaves
All my life spent chewing
What I found around
I ate well, I crawled more
I met another, we inched on
Until one day, I couldn’t move
Something clogged me
I wriggled, I squirmed!
The more I moved,
the less I could move.
I got manacled by myself.
“You are doomed”,
“Death is inevitable”
“You can’t crawl now”
Said the others!
I remained silent
I cocooned myself
Yet, I strived within
I laboured beyond.
The same chains which
I bound around me once
The same web of limits
once was a comfort zone;
I tore apart those chains
I shattered the ceilings
I peeped out from my shell
The sunlight just shone
And I breathed again.
Ah! I am alive!
I didn’t die as others said.
Yes! I am back.
Oh! I look different
I feel different.
What just happened?
I grew wings!
I now fly, I see things,
That I have never seen.
Leaves are no more my abode
The sky is where I stride.
Metamorphosis
From the lone me
To the striving me
To the woman with wings!
Yes, a transformed woman
gets wings of a butterfly
And as she flies high,
She gathers nectars
And gives birth to legacies
That nurture and nourish
Living beings of the earth!
Thank you Universe for a Great 2020,
Cheers and Prayers for a Greater 2021.
#CeeVee
