Happy-8 times 4

August 6, 2018.

Saroj Dai, Shweta Dijju, Shebu and I have a weird dynamics running since our first day at Karkhana. We all stumbled into this at the same time but through different means and have shared an eerily similar yet different journey at Karkhana this past year. I wanted to sit down with them individually to talk to them about this past year and what more they look forward to at Karkhana and write about it. But things rolled out differently- now, all of us are diverging to different paths. Somewhere along the line, we’ll probably meet like we did here, at Karkhana.

Getting to see someone grow and groom themselves throughout a whole year is a beautiful process in itself. We weren't really sure what we were in for when we first walked into those green gates of Karkhana. A year through, we can see where we stand and where we’ll go from here. Saroj dai and Shweta dijju are figuring out ways for further studies. Shebu is looking into ways how she can groom her eye for good design. I will be trying out newer ways to find myself as a storyteller and uncover more stories of Karkhana in this process. 

Going to back to the point where I said about the “weird dynamics” our team of four has, we are a mixed bunch with such a varied set of skills. We all come from different academic backgrounds, professional skills and definitely have different personalities and habits. But the day we all walked into Karkhana, we were all welcoming one another into each other's life. We were all amateur artists painting each other in the canvas of our life uncertain that a few months down the line, we’d actually have a bond that weighs as much as it does now. Saroj dai’s red t-shirt and cap, Shweta dijju's floral t-shirt, Shebu’s all black outfit, my white t-shirt. Even just that is more than enough for us to begin smiling. Turning the pages from the memory book to today, you’ll see that our canvases are a lot fuller and have more colors. What we’ve painted is a mixture of emotions, people, places, stories and growth that is swirling in a pool of chaos and giggles. And in one way or the other we’ve all seeped into each other’s canvas and there isn’t anything we’d change about this. 

Today, as we sit down to doodle the eight happiest moments of our lives, we aren’t afraid to tell our stories to one another. We lay it all out bare without any hesitation. Be it on our work stints, walks home or scooter rides home, we’ve all shared parts of our lives with each other throughout the whole year. Today was merely us doodling it out in stick figures. The whole point of this is that we are certain we won’t be judged by each other and will never be taken for granted. Parts of us understands where we come from, what we stand for, where we’re headed and a bigger part of us knows to respect and care for each other selflessly. We all burst into tears that quickly turn to fits of laughter and giggles which eventually melt us into tears. But it’s all a part of who we are as a team. We’ve been this way since the start.

I am suddenly saddened by all the days I had to take leave from work and not be around you guys. I am also sad by how much time I spent outside our team room- not seeing you guys and listening to your work woes. For all the retreat and event nights I had to rush back home and not be around you guys, parts of me resent it all. But then, I have always been someone who needs a lot of space and you guys have always given that to me. Seeing you as individuals outside of our team bubble, listening to your softened voices through the other side of the room, letting you figure out ways through the valley, watching you people charm people with your talks and just seeing you guys celebrate work, skills, relationships, interests and life in general has been a matter of true gratitude for me. There isn’t a thing I’d change about any of this, about any of us. 

P.S. On a side note, was this evening the second happiest time with just the four of us?