It's time to say goodbye.

We say goodbye on many occasions, either while moving from one place to another, or while changing a school or college, or leaving a city or a company or a country. It's always mixed feelings, and happy-sad moments, to bid farewell to near and dear ones. More often than not, such occasions are painful. Farewell parties are not celebrations but a way to re-live the memories created together with friends.
For me, it is such a time now. As I finish my tenure in the High Commission of India in London and pack for the next destination, I have been going through this experience. It has been a meaningful, long association with readers of Asian Voice through this space where we have interacted weekly, expressing thoughts and comments. In a way, my connection with you is in terms of exploring human values in contemporary times. We have seen together happy and turbulent times, lived through the pandemic - hopefully which is now left behind. This column has given us opportunities to discuss topics of day to day life to which we might not have given enough attention. But over the period of time, we did realise, through this experience, that life is not always a story of grandeur, not always kings fight wars, nor does the romance or action takes place every second. These might be the subjects of epics, movies and novels, but in reality, we are more concerned about very simple subjects like - how to follow up on a missed call - or whether to call off a relationship - etc. So, why not touch upon such mundane issues in our friendly conversation through this column? Every week we tried to have an informal chat about such topics, just like two close friends do over a cup of tea or a pint of beer. And it worked. It brought us closer and made us feel like real humans.
A strong bond has developed between us as a columnist and readers and therefore I feel its time for me to say goodbye to every one of you, and bid a farewell from London. The next week's column that you will read in this space will not be written from London, but from India where I will be spending some time for training and holidays before joining the next assignment as Deputy High Commissioner in the High Commission of India in Nairobi, Kenya. So, it's going to be an only a change of geography, not of our relationship. And we will certainly not feel any difference by that, hopefully. But as it's customary, let me say, 'We will be in touch'. Keep reading here, let's continue to do our combined 'Introspection' every week and accept our small weaknesses and appreciate little strengths. After all they make us what we are.