A Year of Warp

A year ago today, I joined Ather. Much like most of us, I can't believe that a year has flown by so quickly, and yet, like every other year, this one leaves several memories in its wake. At least, for me. I have made dear friends, found partners in work, family even, if I may be mushy. Mushy is not how we like to do things around here, but Ather sets the trends, so whatever.??

What I want to hold on to is Ather's readiness to grow. Thought processes, work, ideas, and conversations here, make it natural for the necessary new ways to replace the dormant old, wherever required. The true north is an elusive force, but the people here are not (mostly). They're paying attention, are around to help and guide, to find the randomest data I need or to tell me an old story for an article. Maybe they don't laud and praise, they'll pull your leg along the way, but they're there. They could easily not be, yet I think that everyone at Ather tries to put each other first, and that's what counts.

Of course no experience is ideal, throughout this time there were many whirlpooling events and emotions tugging at me, that needed tending. But, ideal or not, experiences can be perfect. Ather got me to steady my boat and sail through because time really does warp around here - projects change in form, goals change, priorities change - a change of heart/direction is encouraged and even enjoyed (sometimes). There were no stationary points to cling on to, except piecing together Ather's stories everyday, bit by bit.

For this, I always keep my moment radar on, trying to absorb words, ideas and wisdom, everyone has so much to offer! Many of my conversations with colleagues and teammates have gone into parts of my writing/thought process. "Problems get solved over chai." "A boring algorithm is an oxymoron." "You just have to make some changes, it's not the end of anything." "We don't believe in distance education for swimming." "Identifying the right problems that need solving." "Chasing moonshots!"

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A few days after I got the role, a close friend watched the first ad on TV. Feeling proud on my behalf, he said, "Growing company!"?

Ather is a million stories, but considering 2021, "growing" is a spot-on adjective. Last year was a wormhole, for both myself and Ather, albeit at extremely different scales. Neither of us ended the year where we started it. You don't always just "know" your true North, right? It takes grueling processes and plenty of time to try and distill the core of what's North. Else, it could be South you found dressed in North's clothing. :P

I didn't know what I was walking into, I had my fears, but I was only really worried about losing the edges of this mind of mine. How I write, think and just be. It can happen when you become the job, and the role doesn't shape itself around you for you to grow into. Fortunately, the fear has not crept up on me again. I've been learning to be considerate yet honest, to be helpful but not micromanage, to consider critique but not blindly, and to separate the work from the self, while also not getting estranged from it. It's all a game of balance, surely, but now I know that your edges don't get smoothed out. They can get fashionably sharper.

The work was, and is the vessel through which to tell the stories as I have discovered them, for those who are listening. And, while I am extremely grateful for all of these words and the constant learning, that's not all Ather has given me. I have been able to belong here, and still be me. I think that's a rare gift. It might sound basic and it should be the norm of any company, but there are no single truths. I'm an amalgamation and here, I feel quite at home with all my extremities.

Today, and also a year from today, I want to remember these lines by John Green, "You can't see the future coming. Not the terrors for sure, but you also can't see the wonders that are coming - the moments of light-soaked joy that await each of us."