Looking Back, With Gratitude

Here comes the end of something extraordinary,

Yes, I am talking about 2025 itself. What a roller coaster of a year this has been.

As my year comes to a conclusion, I couldn’t feel anything more than immense gratitude for what this year has given me so far.

Right from the start, I moved into a new job role, which was something that I wanted for such a long time, and it has been an amazing bunch of people that I work with now. It gave me the kind of calm and confidence I didn’t know I was missing.

Before being here, I was working in my first company, which was a great experience, but the last few months just before moving turned into a nightmare, and the timing couldn’t have been better. Leaving when I did felt like saving myself.

The first month of this year was also my first ever full marathon (yes, 42.195km or 26 miles).

If you told me I would be able to run such a distance two years ago, I would laugh, saying you were kidding.

It was all possible due to my flatmate, who unknowingly inspired me to take up running and keeps on inspiring me to live a healthy lifestyle — eating clean food and being disciplined, led by his actions day in and day out. Watching consistency up close changed how I look at effort.

I was extremely fortunate to experience the Mumbai energy while running, which is something unlike anything else.

The whole city is full of fighters and dreamers, and the fighter and dreamer in me felt absolutely at home with the kind of respect it gives to those who show up and push through.

I was accompanied to this event by a colleague and someone whom I considered a close friend, and our equation turned sour soon after.

This was a setback and a difficult part to deal with after running for 26 miles nonstop. It taught me that emotional exhaustion can sometimes hurt more than physical fatigue.

I realised my mistake of giving in so much, and that going out of my way to help someone is not what everyone deserves.

I now reserve that for a really select few.

Soon after, my first manager (read: close friend) decided to quit.
It unsettled things early on, but it also forced me to rely on myself more.

I got to work on a product from scratch, which led to a productivity boost across the organisation, and the kind of impact made me feel content in a very quiet way.

I went to visit my friend in Bangalore soon after, and he took me to Paragon, which served mango curry — now one of my favourite foods.

Summers were filled with plenty of mangoes and litchis at home, and I bought myself a new air conditioner. I didn’t get to use it much since I soon went back home after buying it, and Hyderabad heat decided to uno-skip this year.

My comeback from home was rather sooner, since I had a visa appointment.

The next month was my first international flight — Hyderabad to London. And what a wonderful time I had staring at the live location on the screen in front of me. Watching countries fly by beneath me felt raw and strangely grounding.

Mind you, this trip came amidst a lot of uncertainty — the India–Pakistan mini war, the Israel–Iran war — where intercontinental ballistic missiles could potentially fly by the aircraft I was sitting in. It was unsettling, yet it reminded me how small we really are.

The next ten days in London were amazing: clean roads, wide footpaths, very few people, zero traffic, clean air, barely edible food, and 9 pm sunsets. I came back content with the tasty food served onboard and a suitcase filled with LEGO boxes.

The next few months were spent in Hyderabad, with the NMDC half marathon, where I had to downgrade due to no preparation. Around the same time, my running focus plummeted. It bothered me more mentally than physically.

Some quality time back in my city followed, and then I headed to Bengaluru during Navratri — played garba with my brother, ate an enormous amount of Meghana biryani, and finally, it was time for something I had been waiting for.

We went to Goa, my brothers and I. Goa was beautiful, and we barely visited everything — long sleeps, chilling in the swimming pool, and living the entire time without any single plan. I love these non-planned trips; they make time feel slower.

We went to the casino, where I applied mean reversion theory to get my 1000 coins converted back to 1000 rupees and called it quits. It was later that I realised mean reversion doesn’t necessarily apply there.

Back to Hyderabad by bus, some more time in my city, and then a running trip to Delhi and back home. I hated Delhi as usual, except for their rajma chawal and chole bhature.

Back home for just a couple of weeks, my laptop broke. I had to suddenly book tickets back to Hyderabad. It cost a small fortune to get multiple flight tickets in such a short interval, but it was worth it for my work MacBook Pro.

Consequently, I am now eligible to sit in any cafe and work (even though I won’t), because Windows laptops now feel like an anomaly in Indian cafes.

The year ended with a solo trip to Pondicherry, which was bittersweet due to my foolishness and lack of planning. It taught me that planning matters more when you’re alone.

This year also gave me my first set of Legos, my own personal MacBook, plenty of books, falling out of practice from running and pulling out of the last race of the Proclaim Slam, and evergreen plants that quietly became an important part of my life.

Of my monthly goals, I wasn’t able to achieve them completely, but they helped with accountability, and I’m deeply grateful for every habit they helped me sustain.

I got paid to run, did 8 minutes of plank, and was a pacer for the club run — the second largest event in the city. Even though I was hard on myself, my body showed up for every challenge I asked of it. I feel an immense sense of awe for it and can’t thank God enough for that blessing.

And most importantly, Shweta — the most beautiful part of my year — has been nothing but a blessing in my life. I can’t write enough to thank her for her presence and the kind of impact she has on me. Thank you for existing in my life.

My friend Harsh, who has seen it all and still chooses not to run away from me.

Ramyak, present in his own little quirky way.

Shivangi, for knowing me so well.

My mom, my dad, and my sister — the sole reasons behind everything I am able to do today.

And God, for making me His favourite kid and blessing me so much every single day.

2025 didn’t just pass by — it shaped me, tested me, and left me better than it found me.