Avadh mein Ram aaye hain !

Here comes 31^st again and so does famous NCR smog, winter’s chill, halogen heaters, never ending layers of clothing, last few weeks of Bigg Boss and a hope that next year would be better.

I am also realizing as you add up years on the calendar, and weight on the belly, time tends to run really fast. Good or bad,” this too shall pass” says the watch in the house.

So as I don back to my Sethi Sahib Avtaar  on the last day of the year and try to pen down my reflections of 2024,  holding myself  really hard for not to use tools like Chat GPT and keeping it completely human ( getting increasingly difficult with time now)  , would like to say this nudge to sit down and write again is courtesy’s K’s month long persistent efforts coupled  with occasional reminders from V but finally it was Chantu who did it when he wrote in his very own year end blog post that he really looks forward to read this mind dump from his PG

So, let’s start by talking about both little monkeys themselves – The famous celebs Chantu & Bantu duo. There is no pleasure greater in the world than to watch your kids grow, pick up skills, learn and perceive the world around them in their own funny way and think that they are smarter versions of you (which they aren’t yet 😊). So, both these guys picked up tennis started writing blogs (genes you see), younger one started strumming guitar and the elder one got obsessed with 32 pieces of chess as they move ahead in life at their own naughty pace.

K continues to balance me out, being a yang to my yin. Thanks K for being there and making it all look seamless. I know u had your own share of challenges this year but you held stead fast with your grit and determination. Just take care of your health a bit more and this wish goes for all three ladies in the house, including V and Mom

Mom and dad continue to be the center around this small universe and brought us wishes from Ayodhya, Prayagraj, Varanasi and Sri Lanka. Song in the background – Ram Ayenge ..Ayenge. Ram Ayenge.. Wishing lots of good health and happiness for them in all the years to come.

S and V continue to stick together in thick and thin and bring smiles and happy vibes for everyone  at home. While V had her “attending -family – wedding” calendar full this year, S was busy with his N&B team, churning out office events like a pro. Lots of Blessings for both of you !

For Sethi Shaib, the year went in between listening to podcasts , Badshah songs, Diljit Dosanjh, tracking elections, world’s geo politics, multitude of reels watching  ( both useful and senseless) , creating reels with songs that only made sense to me, buying books but reading less, Karaoke with kids and happy trips to Deerika with them , trying to make sense of stock markets and failing at it , you tubers, stand-up comics , vloggers , Qamar Cheema , Mankeerat Aulakh songs , 2 Rafflan , Karan Aujla, LinkedIn likes , interviews at work , bidding farewell to old colleagues at work and welcoming some new ones , first ever CNN session with Mugdha Kara courtesy S , breakfast with bigg boss or with Punjab food tours vlogger ( kya baat hain) and off course the trips with family on the famous western tourist circuit of Vrindavan, Agra goa and Jaipur .

And as we wrap up another year and get ready to step into a new one, just wanted to wish for lots of good health, happiness, smiles, successes and prosperity for all of you and also wanted to say a big THANK You to everyone who touched Sethi sahib’s life in some way or form this year. Your presence shaped up and made this year for me. And as Sethi Sahib gets wiser, with prayer on my lips and Ram’s home coming Bhajan in my ears, wishing all of you a very happy new year 2025. Say safe, stay happy and keep walking ahead! Jai Shree Ram !

 

                                                                                                   

Leke Prabhu ka Naam!

End of the year again! but this time, I am going to start where I left from my last post, and that is to begin with a hope, a prayer and loads of wishes for a very happy, healthy, peaceful, and successful new year 2024 for everyone.

As you head gets wiser and whiter, you realize good health and happy vibes in life is all one should focus on. How the best memories in life are the ones sharing smiles, travels & happy meals with your tribe and also the sheer moments of cheerful innocence kids’ gift back to you.

So, this one is a heartfelt prayer for happy, healthy, smiling year for kids, for mom and dad and for K and for V and S. This one is also a heartfelt note of gratitude for sticking together in the highs and lows the last 365 days had to offer.

Also, S and V..this one is a special call-out and load of blessings for you both..for being together, smiling together, sharing smiles and holding everyone together.

K once again it's not easy to put up with someone as interesting as me and I must say u ve done a good job this year too.

For mom and dad I hope and pray for loads of good health and happy times! 

And in this world of insta reals, and under 60 seconds you tube shorts, I too should try to write less and say more so here’s a quick brief of some happy memories that flash up in my mind as I reflect upon the year gone by:

Chantu & Bantu at swimming camp with Papaji, Trip to Bangalore, Mysore and Coorg with family – C&B enjoying Aadipurush in the small cinema hall at Coorg and bowing down in reverence outside in front of the movie poster, the quick travel to Vrindavan and every time all of us going out to a mall, market or a movie together. Kids for sure enjoyed Sunny Paaji’s handpump 2.0 act and Salman bhai’s Tiger 3 songs. It was indeed a proud moment to see Chantu smashing it down as a head boy and Bantu ripping it out at the English Olympiad. Just wish both of them get everything good that this world has to offer and they have a long, smiling healthy and happy life ahead.

Work also took me to goa and Hyderabad, and it was gratifying to feel the sea at goa after many years and relish the Guntur idlis at Chutneys again. Personally, I developed liking to creating insta reels combining them with my sinful liking for weird Punjabi songs, listening to YouTube podcasts on my way to office, buying more books than I could read and read as diverse that I could. In fact, K was shocked to see me reading UPSC aspirants preparations books related to international relations and national security and I was myself surprised to see most of my book reads this year navigated towards translations of spiritual and religious text. Someone is indeed growing older & boring for sure.

As I wrap up this year end my post, I once again wish for loads of good health and happiness for all of you and a big thank you for being part of this maverick’s life for another year amidst all the highs and lows this year had to offer.

I am looking ahead for a better, wiser, happier and a much healthier new year for all of us, so let’s stand up and turn another page in our lives, not knowing how the story unfolds ahead, but fore sure with a hope, smile and a song lets welcome the new year with one of the grooving track that made it to Chantu’s & Bantu’s playlist too – “Music Vusic start karo bhai leke Prabhu ka naam” Happy new year and God bless you all ! 🙏

 

 

Nach Punjaban Nach!

Is it that day of the year again? – Wow! – 2022 has just flown by like the F 18 Super hornet flown by Tom Cruise in Top Gun -2 and in this alternate universe Sethi Sahib is still procrastinating on the very last day of Dec trying to pen down the images from the year gone by.

Well, this year too, K got her weekly reminders started in December itself with V also joining her in the chorus in the very last week to ensure, I am not getting away this year, without updating this little bit of our digital space.  

K thank you for being your persistent self and more importantly for being you always. Sometimes it's just not easy to express in words what I feel but I know you just always hear my unsaid. Thank You for everything you and everything you add to my life every day.

I think as the time flies by, you tend to reflect upon the passing years not just from facts alone, but then you also tend to see it through the prism of many floating images and then finally conclude with just the essence of the year as captured in your thoughts through the senses, words, smells and sounds of people & places that you’ve experienced and felt.

So, as I once again jog the memory lane right from the start, this was the year which slowly unfurled from the shadows of being confined at home, to getting back to the normal routine.

It started with the trip to Jaipur where Chantu, Bantu had some amazing time at Trident and brought in endless smiles to all of us. The joy of seeing them jump with Joy as they mercilessly hop, skip and jump on hotel’s mattresses is always priceless. This was doubled and trebled as they both zip lined together at the Rangmanch and Rocksport farms and enjoyed every ride to the fullest. The boys were finally getting to go out again.

And by then the Offices too opened up, school became fully offline, teams’ classes became part of history books, cabs, traffic and traffic cops got busy once again on roads. And as we touched August, the life in India reflected its true normal self as we experienced in Vrindavan where we all swam and hussled in sea of humanity for evening and morning darshan’s of the god. Final family trip from this year concluded in Hyderabad – where Chantu and Bantu, the Bahubali's of our lives had some real good fun clicking away happy times at Ramoji while we all eagerly waited for the long trek to conclude and hit the hotel beds by the time the evening breeze flew in.  Well as you add up numbers to your age, your smiles are reflected in the naughtiness of your little ones and by god's grace these two never let those smiles go every day.

Also, for some rare astronomical and planetary alignments, I had my own share of additional official wanderlust – to Jaipur (again), Hyderabad (again) and Philippines (not again but for first time) this year. But as Sethi Sahib clocks in years and wisdom toots, you just realize it’s the people that make the place. That feeling of smile, warmth laughter and eating together with your loved ones can make any place come alive.

Speaking of loved ones around me, I just wanted to wish S and V never-ending happy times together and the best of everything the world has to offer and also say the biggest heartfelt thanks for holding each one of us together. But S and V as you both read this, just wanted to say do take care of your own-self too as we all see this life unfurl together and let it go through its smiles, surprises & Hussle every day.

And finally, to Mom and Dad, tones of gratitude for your presence, for being there and blessings & guidance that protects and safeguards all of us every second. Wishing for all the happiness and tones of good health for years to come. Your presence alone drives this engine of life every-day crossing over every speed breaker and red signals on the way.

Also, a big thank you to folks at work, friends from over the years and everyone who touched our lives and shared in a smile, sent some happy wishes, shared a good laughter, forwarded a funny meme and dropped in good vibes in our lives. Moments your shared with us are always treasured.

And as I wrap up the year – playlist that buzzes in my head for 2022 includes Burna Boy (gbona), Pakistan (Mankrit Aulakh), Excuses & Insane (AP Dhillon) , Put Jatt da, vibe  (Daljit Dosanjh), Paris trip ( honey singh) , Nain Ta here ( Jugg Jugg Jiyo) , Himesh playlist on loop ( spcly when ur alone in Hyd and PHL) Gypsy and concluding with the Last song syndrome is White brown and black by Karan Aujla ( I know everyone gonna kill sethisahib for this last two 😊 )

And as Sethi Sahib steps into next year adding more grey hairs and inches to his handsome self– I just have one wish for the universe – Bestow good heath to everyone. Let 2023 be the happiest, healthiest and the most smiling years of our lives. So, here’s wishing everyone a very happy, smiling new year full of good health and wellbeing. Just eat, love, pray, enjoy life and do a smiling Nach Punjaban Nach on some cool bhangra beats!