Memories from 2018 – Recap Series (Oct & Nov)


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It has been quite an incredible experience to capture the best moments from January, February and March, April, May, June and July, August and September. In today’s post, I write about the most cherished memories from October – a month filled with festivals and November – a month I wish I could delete from the calendar every year.

OCTOBER

The last day of Durga Puja
The last day of Durga Puja

October holds a special place in my heart because of my fond memories of Durga Puja. While I have never been very keen on celebrating this festival after losing my mother, last year I made a conscious choice to let my toddler understand the significance and joy associated with this festival by helping him be a part of it. And this year, the unofficial childhood club formed by my husband and his friends began its first-year journey of conducting Durga Puja. A group of people with a strong sense of belonging to the took everyone by surprise as the festival turned out to be a grand success with everyone soaking in the emotions of joy and bliss.

Birthday cake for the husband
Birthday cake for the husband

Immediately after the festivities were over, it was time to celebrate my husbands birthday. I managed to pull a surprise on him with the help of his closest friends and their families making this celebration a very memorable part of 2018.

NOVEMBER

NaNoWriMo Certificate
NaNoWriMo Certificate

On Nov 12, 2011, I had lost my mother to a deadly disease. Ever since I have always been scared of this month. I have barely managed to do something constructive or think anything positive in November for the last seven years. But this year, I decided to get a grip on my biggest fear of losing a loved one. As the first step towards conquering my inhibitions, I attempted the National Novel Writing Month challenge and began writing my second novel ‘The Corpse Connection’. It wasn’t an easy feat to complete the target word count of 50k words amidst the festival of Diwali and a planned trip to Mumbai but I managed to ace it successfully. While the novel is still not complete, I am hoping to bring it out in by early 2019.

Shamiana, Taj Mahal Palace Hotel,Mumbai
Shamiana, Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai

This was also the month where we took the last vacation this year. Mumbai had been in my husband’s bucket list for a while now and despite my third visit to the city, it was great fun to explore the city with my family yet again. Also, the fact that we could finally execute the plan of a family lunch at Shamiana restaurant, The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel made this trip a little more special.

I am grateful to all those who have read and appreciated this series. Stay tuned for the last post in recap series on 29th Dec where I talk about the month of cakes and trees – December and also bring out my goals for 2019.

Author: Sonia Chatterjee

Who am I? An erstwhile banker turned blogger/writer/author. Any qualifications? A Post-Graduate degree in Chemistry followed by a second Post-Graduate Diploma in Management. I completed a one-year MFA in creative writing course from the Writer's Village University, U.S. in Dec 2020. Though I must admit that I am still trying to figure out how and when I can connect all these dots. Have I done any real work? If two years in market research, six years in banking as a branch head, three-plus years of blogging, writing, and publishing a book can be considered as real work, then yes! Where do I live? After spending life like a nomad for sixteen years in Delhi, Bangalore & Mysore, I am back to where it all started from - Kolkata. My favorite things - Books, coffee, travel, food, and my five-year-old son. What is this blog about? Through Sonia's musings, I intend to explore writing in various genres, create social awareness, spread laughter, and give words to emotions. Anything for readers? You can check out my book 'Deal of Death' on Amazon Kindle. If you like fast-paced thrillers, this Detective fiction introducing the woman sleuth, Raya Ray could turn out to be your perfect weekend read.

25 thoughts on “Memories from 2018 – Recap Series (Oct & Nov)”

  3. I haven’t been to Mumbai Ian years. It would be fun to explore with teh family, I’m sure. Congrats on completing the writing challenge. I’m sure it’s not easy.

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  7. Wow another novel- thats great work Sonia. I was recently in Mumbai and ofcourse had to go to Taj and have a meal at Shamiana – somehow the grandeur failed to impress me this time around. The entire hotel seemed so downgraded and un-sparkling!! I also dined at the sea lounge which has been my all time favourite place there but this time it too seemed very run down with poor service!
    Hope your experience was better!!

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    1. I guess the fact that we always wanted to visit it made us ignore any flaw in service or ambience. I doubt if we will be this accommodating in our next visit. Thanks for reading. Happy new year to you.

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  8. Congratulations on completing NaNoWriMo with an intact first draft! That’s great. I got 20,000 words the first (and only) time I did it, three years ago. I send you hugs across the miles on the anniversary of the death of your mother. And, given the latest research on this, we shall hold that virtual hug for 20 seconds! She must have been very proud of you.

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  9. Dealing with the loss of a loved one is so hard. I can’t even begin to fathom what it means. Hugs Sonia. May you find some peace.
    Happy you hear you are keeping the spirit of Pujo intact in your home. Have a happy start to 2019.

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