Happy New Year 2020 & Annual Update !

Dear Friends and Family,

It has been a warm winter for Vancouver - a little wet and cloudy but occasionally sunny too. I just got back from a nice walk through the forest, and we had some lovely leftover cake from the new year celebrations. I feel incredibly fortunate and blessed as I look at my family and my life here in Canada and remember the year gone by with mixed feelings. Its been an exciting year, full of learning and self-discovery and one which saw us build new friendships and deep relations with our new adopted home. 

Professionally, I continued my crusade against climate change - now from the investment side, helping startups in cleantech with funds and support. These innovative and unconventional companies inspire me always as they endeavor to build technology and tools for reducing our carbon emissions and creating a cleaner future. I also worked on my favorite topic of renewable energy, advising organizations implementing projects on the ground and also teaching courses at the university here. On the personal front, it has been a pleasure to watch Malhar grow into a talkative and highly engaging kindergarten kid. Its also been very satisfying to see Helina conduct extensive fieldwork giving voice to remote indigenous groups left out from our socio-economic discussions. She spent the whole summer in India as a National Geographic explorer collecting data for her PhD while Malhar and I bonded at home having exclusive father-son experiences. I have realized that there is a lot that one can learn from a five-year-old - especially when it comes to developing patience and building abstract artwork. 

While this year has been good for us, 2019 has not been very generous to a lot of people around the globe. Millions have lost their homes and dear ones, and economic disparity seems to be at an all-time high. Cities are rife with protest as our tyrannical leaders crush freedom and self-expression. Our economic systems seem to have only catered to a few while voices of reason have continuously been mocked. 

I hope that 2020 is better, and my wish for the new year is to give us empathy and kindness. I pray that the rich hear the cries of the poor and the mighty learn to listen to the meek. I wish that we realize the temporary nature of our lives and the hollowness of disagreements. I pray that we place human life over our egotistical greed, and we give more than we take. Finally, I wish that we learn gratitude - to our fellow humans and also to mother nature for providing us with this beautiful life. I, for one, am thankful that I have friends and family like you all, and I wish you all a very happy new year!

Love.