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Year ends usually occur on a celebratory note ; what with Christmas , New Years , Fam-Jams and birthdays galore. Not even a worldwide pandemic could dull the sheen of this time of the year; a feat considering we were finally bidding farewell to the year of the Bat... err... I mean the Rat... a souvenir of sorts from the Dragon King. Then again, such were the 'game of thrones' where one awaits their fate, as I did mine; at the hand of a year that smacked of the underhand. For at every dark turn of its blind alleys, that seemed to appear like the symptoms- almost fortnightly- their awaited a twist in the tale that made the year feel more of a 'remorse to reckon with', considering the forces of nature we were facing.
For designed they seemed, to come at us like the curve ball that was not exactly up our alley, but certainly managed to keep us quarantined within it! To elucidate, for most part of the year , like most social animals, I too tried to put my kitchen utensils to better use than just to beat it about the bushes and buildings, to thank my stars and our all-star health workers, who were dueling round the clock to keep 'generic' human life ticking; while some of us were doing the same in our kitchens, to share their load , by keeping those who carry our brand of DNA- alive and kicking! And so, like the rat that lives in its hole, we too stayed confined to ours - to keep to the general theme of the year; one, that snatched away our 'nightlife'! Bats! I tell you!
If anything, it changed our worldview. At least, it changed the way we viewed our world; be it from our windowsills or the 'windows' that give us a peek into the world, aka W.W.W- the worldwide web. Seeing fellow humans as a biohazard, was by no means fun. It made most turn to virtual company, to keep to the norms of social distancing. So when Christmas came gliding in, there was no stopping ! Especially given the fact that if there was one company that was all about 'confection' , and zilch about 'infection' - 'Santa' was it!
This is what spurred on the 'reluctant fundamentalist' in me to adopt a no holds barred approach to celebration, even if it meant having to adopt the greats of a fellow religion, for that is how starved I was for some 'jolly good company'! Also, because I am Hindu you see. More the merrier , when it comes to festivals, idols, carols; anything that translates into Bank holidays, if I were to lend perspective. In effect, I was basically willing to use any odd excuse to welcome home some 'company', even if it meant vicariously!
Speaking of 'company' , little did I know I would be soon welcoming home my very own 'Company'! For that is exactly what transpired when I went all out to make the Gingerbread Cookie House , gum ball et all. And lo and behold, I had the blueprint of my next few years before me. Every end is a beginning , you see. It passes the baton over, to the next year, in the 'bat' of an eyelid. As did the Bat year, to bring us out of the 'rut' of the 'Rat year', since the Chinese Calendar we ought to be now following. Which brings me back to the crease, where I begin my new innings with ArtCAKEtect, to set the curve ball & the year 2021 rolling, as I hit the ground batting!
