Lockdown Gratitude

DISCLAIMER: This is not a professional article. Its more personal in nature.

Why put a personal article up on LinkedIn? Thats the first thought that might have crossed your mind as you read the disclaimer. Well, it's because things that happen in our personal lives deeply affect our professional life.

The recent act of suicide and death of Sushant Singh Rajput drove home a point (for me) that we are ALL struggling with the isolation of lockdown. Some of us are surrounded by people, some of us are alone, some of us are putting up a brave front while being anxious and stressed, some of us have made peace with it, some of us are worried about the future, some of us don't know where next month's rent or groceries are going to come from - in some form or another, we are ALL dealing with the lockdown and its effects.

Luckily I am one of the privileged few who has not had to worry about too many things in the last four month period. Like everyone else, there have been - and still are - instances of personal stress but my ecosystem has helped me deal with them.

And so this is my way of saying THANK YOU to people who have kept me sane. This is my #LockdownGratitude

1. Thank You to Anindita Das Veluri, my wife for being the glue and keeping all of us together. While struggling with your own stress of job, an old father and extensive multi-tasking; your stress buster of baking took our house to a different level. For someone who cannot cook to save my life, your amazing culinary skills gave us soul food while your attitude kept us all together and sane. I guess I struck Gold 22 years back when you agreed to partner with me in our life journey.
2. Thank You to my kids - 18 & 13 - for keeping the calm. I cannot fathom what you are going through as you have to deal with this isolation that you don't deserve. Your calmness and the strength of character to deal with this gives me inspiration on a daily basis to become better and to try and match myself to your level of character.
3. Thank You to Kirti Veluri, my sister for just keeping the faith. Being in an industry that has been affected the most, your ability to deal with the stress while keeping a positive outlook helped us all - including our parents - to manage ourselves well and look at the future with hope. The way you have managed this time - multi tasking, working, keeping in touch, staying positive - is a great example.
4. Thank You to my Parents for dealing with this isolation and being strong. Staying in a different city all alone, you kept the calm and gave us strength to deal with our own stress and worry about you. Its great to have you with us now.
5. Thank You to my friends without whom I could not have kept my sanity - Sanjeev Rakhra, Ritu Rakhra, Deepa Rahi & Sandeep Rahi. You are my anchor. Our many Zoom calls filled with great discussions and laughter is what helped keep the sanity during the toughest days of the lockdown. This isolation was made stress free with your presence.
6. Thank You to my team - Kapil Karanwal, Suhas Jorapur, Ravi Narayan, Amit Pahwa, Tejaswini Gaikwad & Joel Rathnesh - you guys are rockstars! Your unending positivity and work ethic made this a breeze. You guys did not even make it feel as if we were struggling or not connected. A special shout out to the babies in the team - Tejaswini & Joel - with your ability to deal with the stressful situation. Your mental strength will help you go a long way in your career.
7. Thank you to my boss - Wendy Koh - for helping to deal with the changing environment at work and for guidance and mentorship in these times. Your leadership helps to keep on going.
8. Thank You to my employer - NetApp - for supporting us in these tough times. The vision set by George Kurian and the support provided for all of us to work from home helps us to feel our worth and keep the demons of anxiety at bay. As I look around, I realise that what NetApp is doing for its employees is not necessarily the norm.

As we slowly come out of the lockdown, the journey to 'normalcy' is still far from over. Remember, your personal well-being and state of mind always reflects on your work and your professional life.

The road is long, the tunnel is dark but surely there is light at the end of the tunnel. If you have your ecosystem around you, the journey through the dark is not that tough.

But have you Thanked your 'people' for keeping you sane?

#lockdowngratitude #LockdownGratitude