The Audacity of Hope

Dear Friends :

Needless to say, 2020 has been a tough year for all us. During the year, each one of us has  had concerns for our  loved near and dear ones; we have gone through physical and mental challenges; and we have had to keep a constant eye on our bank balances. And the only crutch that we had with us during this journey was hope…hope that a vaccine would soon be found, a hope that our families would remain safe, hope that we are able to sustain our lifestyles.

Hope is not constrained, hope is limitless ….like the sky. Hope is not singular, hope is collective..it is for all. Hope is the David that gives you confidence to take on Goliath. That indeed is the Audacity of Hope !!

The perennial optimist that I am, when the pandemic broke out in March, I predicted that some solution would be found and the story would come to end by July. And in July again I bought myself a few months to belive that we will back to normal life by Diwali. And then in Oct, I told myself that we will definitely celebrate New Year like we do every do. Of course we are now at the end of year, and getting back to normal life still seems a few months away. But the flame is hope in me, is brighter than ever before.

The challenges of 2020 also bought out the best in all of us. We discovered a new way of working. We realised the importance of friends and family. There was new found respect for Mother Nature. The vaccine development alone has been one of the most significant medical breakthroughs in recent times. A friend of mine tells me that the Moderna vaccine took exactly 48 hours to create. Moderna got a virus swap on 16th Jan from China. And the formulation for the vaccine was ready on 18th. That is the exact formulation that is now being administered to the public. It took a year to get the vaccine to the people, only on account of clinical trials. If in future, clinical trials can be simulated in the lab, we might be able to cut this time even further. 2020 may end up being the year in which mankind learns to conquer an invisible enemy..pathogens that can wreck havoc with human life.

As we turn the page to 2021, I am quite hopeful that we will return to our normal ways of life soon. And memories of 2020 will long be past.

Here is to Wishing each one of you a great 2021, full of new hopes and boundless aspirations.