Friday, December 9, 2016

The Wonderful Seven in my Life


There are many people in my life I feel grateful for every day. To pick seven from them is tough. But here I go in no particular order:

My mentor Anita Nair:
Image Source

I was privileged to be part of the 4th season of Anita’s attic, where I had one to one interaction with my favorite writer. But for her, I might have stopped writing entirely. The insights, feedbacks, and the subtle hints that pushed us in the right direction were the main characteristics of Anita’s attic. I met some other wonderful writers, my tribe, there. She also introduced us to many established personalities from the publishing world like writers, editors, agents, and social media experts. What a writer needs most is constructive criticism, someone who can point out their strengths and weaknesses. How wonderful it is to be mentored by someone whose works have been translated into 30 languages already. Thank you, Anita, for entering my life at the right time.

My son and Husband

My son:

They say the best things come in the smallest of packages. Yes, this small packet of love, laughter, and naughtiness makes my life bright and merry every day. It is nice to be scolded at times by a tiny tot for being irresponsible. And best is when they turn into your Guru. He is my Kannada guru. I know I am a very slow learner. But I promise I will be a better student from now on.Thank you, Achu, for being my everything.

My husband Venugopala:

It is fun when the man of the house is one jolly person. He reads my moods, puts up with them, and encourages me to go after my dreams. And most importantly, he supports me when I need it the most. Over the years, he has become my best friend and confidante. There are no secrets between us. And yes, he is my alarm clock and disciplinarian when it comes to my sleeping habits. But for him, I might read throughout the night and sleep through the day. Thank you, Venugopala, for being my best buddy.


My best friend Aathira:

Aathira

Years ago, if someone told me that my best friend would be someone I haven’t even met, I would have called him or her CRAZY. But that is my truth now. I met Aathira via blogging. After we were published in an anthology together, we began chatting occasionally, mostly about writing. We got published together twice again and then we began interacting via Whatsapp. Now there is nothing under the sun that we don’t talk about, though mostly they are centered on books, writers, and writing. She was with me when I was going through a very bad phase in my life early this year. I was down in the dumps. Insecurities and self-doubt plagued me. She sent N number of messages, consoled me and made me laugh with silly jokes. She was the one who told me about Anita’s Attic first, the best step ever for the writer in me. Being an amazing writer, she inspires me. We belong to God's own country. Jokes which only we mallus can understand, calling each other names in Malayalam are our favorite pastimes. Thank you, Aathira for being there always with a bucketful of smilies.

Me with my siblings Dr. Sunil Kannada and Dr. Mini Kannada

My sister Mini:

If there is one no-nonsense person in our family, it is my big sister. She will tell when and where I went wrong and offer the right solution. She is one person I first call for anything. She is my pillar of support. She is my personal doctor and Achu refuses to take any medicine other than what ‘unnuamma’ gives. And yes, he openly admits he loves her more than me. Alas, she is the better cook and mother. The hours spent on the phone with her are some of the best. Thank you, Miniachi for introducing me to many good things like Reiki, for lessons in grooming and discipline. What will I do but for you?

My brother Sunil:

Laughter is what I associate most with my brother. When he is around, laughter is never far. His friends, his anecdotes about college life, movie outings, travels, everything makes us laugh. He is the better writer. He is the better poet, humorist, and everything in between. I really wish he would take up writing seriously one day. With the experiences from his life as a doctor, I am sure he has tons of data already to spin out books after books. Thank you for being a happy presence in my life.

My mother Panchali:

My father and mother
There is no one who can be as wonderful like a mother. She led a very inspiring life being the first woman from our village who ended up working in a white-collar job outside our state. She is a no-nonsense person and scolds us mercilessly if we err. After we lost our father, she is one person who we all cling to. We used to tease her because of her name and ask where her other four husbands were! Panchali, after all, had five husbands. Thank you, Amma, for being who you are.  

So tell me about the people in your life you are grateful for.


This post is written for #ThankfulThursdays being hosted by Tina Basu and Amrita Misra



Tina Basu


5 comments:

  1. Our families make us the person we are and friends help us grow more. Your list of thank you's make that belief stronger.The best part of life is how many people miss you when you are not there.
    Relationships are the most important.
    Thanks for writing with us for #Thankful Thursdays. We appreciate your presence every week

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    1. Rightly said. Gratitude is a powerful tool. I believe that. Thank you for the regular prompts.

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  2. You are making me teary eyed, woman! Thank you for being your awesome self :) I'm so glad and thankful to have you in my life. Hugs!

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  3. What a heart-felt post, Preethi. A true friend is indeed someone who stands by you through thick and thin. Wonderful tribute to the dear ones in your life.

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