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Hello Friends,

1. We are at the end of another pandemic ridden year. Here is to hoping the next one is an improvement. Happy new year!

2. I became a father this year. Like the best experiences in life, completely taken by surprise on how much of a delight it has been.

On Joys of Pausing

I started reading Pride and Prejudice on a whim when my son was two weeks old. Other than the constant hum of my voice, it didn’t matter to him which book I was reading.

Something delightful started to unfold as I kept doing more and more of this across the weeks. We would read a couple of paragraphs before he saunters off to sleep. Jane Austen’s words slowly worked their magic on me. Seducing me into their warm embrace. Allowing me to swim in the beauty of their construction and wit.

Ozu, Bresson, Bergman have been keeping me company during back-breaking feeding schedule of a newborn. Rarely were we given the luxury of finishing a movie in one go. It took us a few movies to realize what a gift this was.

The pause allowed the movie to grow in me, pushing itself to all corners of my being. Unlocking a deeper, richer experience.

Right at this moment, I paused on Pig, a John Wick-esqe revenge story of a man trying to retrieve his stolen truffle pig. Twists the genre on its head. Two-thirds into the movie, the profound themes of the movie keep blossoming. Letting myself to be surprised by what else it has in store for me.

The deep truth about pausing is that it goes against our grain. Our desire to check things out. Rush to the next in-thing. For the first time in a long time, I found the space to let silence speak.