The Year That Never Was

I waited until the 31st to write this down, to accomodate any last minute surprises the year wishes to deliver. 

January

I started the year by walking on water, and being the tragic optimist that I am, thought it would be foresight of a possibly different year. 

In a sprint to get back to Delhi, I took a slight detour to Japan. The city of Tokyo deserves all its glory. Tirelessly walking on the streets of Shibuya, it was nothing less than an optical chaos. Every shade of the colour wheel presented at a pace which was long enough to savour its brilliance yet brief enough to keep you startled. As loud as these pictures seem, there was actually an enduring numbness one would feel, as if there is a pre-ordered pattern to this madness. A subtle level of sophistication, both in its people and the milieu. 

February

By this time we were aware of the virus, and just like any other upcoming crisis, humans tend to believe that it can affect anyone but them. 

There is a small ritual I subconsciously perform every time I get a new planner. I flip through the pages of upcoming months, cherishing the present I am in right now which will soon become the past. Little did I know, those upcoming pages remained seldom ever filled. 

March

What seemed like a well deserved break for a week or two soon turned into phases of lockdown and unlock. Nonetheless, the initial days of March gave me time to sort through my grandfather's archives. 

April

The month I gave in to the Dalgona hype. 

Featuring the month's staple food and an attempt to make falafels. 

May

The month I raised Lalu Yadav and Beyonce. 

June

The month I figured out how to get printed readings home delivered, and make the bhaaji for my pre-bought pav. 

July

The month I subscribed to the Licious membership and successfully flipped the Handvo on the frypan. 

August

First auto ride after February. While I cherished the Delhi air brushing across my skin, the buzzing streets and anarchy in following traffic rules were thoroughly missed. 

After months of debate, our university finally decided to test how fast we can write in 4 hours. 

The first time we realized that the best three years before our quarter life crisis, have been lived. 

En route to visit panicked parents who thought I was living off of chips, granola, and caffeine (which I was). A bird's eye view of an unbelievably green Delhi. I was told to pick up Sputnik V on my way back. 

September

One skill I cultivated over the lockdown was the ability to tell the greens and lentils apart. September was a literal paradise (if we are allowed to use that word for any part of this year) for someone with a new found love of grocery aesthetics. 

When the Russians convinced us that the city is safe to roam around in and that we should focus on the Tankman Day celebrations. Tankman Day is a professional military holiday to celebrate the service of the tank crew in the Russian Civil War. 

October 

The month of the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises. Vladivostok is the second region to receive sunlight after Japan. 

November

The month of the first ice storm and 32 days without wifi. 

December

The month we gave ourselves a Christmas tree and a ginger-bread house to distract us from the -30°outside.

Also the month where I can't help but fall down the rabbit hole of hope. 

A 365 day segment which taught me that stability and normalcy is what we cling onto when all hell breaks loose. It would be a privilege to remember this year, in all its polarizing potential, of the parts and the whole, as nothing more nor less, than a wrinkle in time.