Realized late, but realized well!!!

All my life, I had been a firm believer that hard work, sincerity, dedication, constant availability, a positive attitude, and teamwork were enough to earn visibility. After all, what truly matters in an organization is teamwork, not individual goals. I believed that if you were deeply involved in your work and did it with honesty and dedication, you wouldn’t need to fight for visibility. The organizational setup, the hierarchy, the system itself would eventually recognize your efforts.

For more than 17 years of my professional career, I lived by this belief. I immersed myself fully in my work, trusting that the system would take care of me. After all, organizations are built by people, and we often assume that people look out for each other.

But it saddens me to admit that the modern workplace often feels very different. Today, professional environments seem to reward visibility and noise more than quiet value and meaningful contribution. Sometimes it feels like you must fight even for your basic professional recognition, because the system does not always take care of you on its own.

The system is made of people, yet many of us are so busy that we rarely pause to understand what someone else might be going through. The hardest truth is this:

silent work is rarely valued—neither for its merit nor with the empathy it deserves.

Perhaps this realization came late for me. But it came clearly.

I labored in silence, steady and true,

Believing that effort would carry me through.

With quiet sincerity, with patience deep,

I planted the seeds I was hoping to reap.

 

I stayed when called, I gave my share,

I carried the weight with thoughtful care.

In teams I stood, though in shadows still,

Certain that virtue alone would fulfill.

 

But seasons passed, and slowly I learned

How often the silent worker is turned—

Not for lack of heart or honest art,

But for the absence of a visible part.

 

For in this age of voices loud,

The work unseen is lost in the crowd.

And merit alone, though steady and wise,

Needs light to be seen by watching eyes.

 

Yet what cut deeper than silence or sight

Was not that the work stayed out of the light,

But that the hands who labored side by side

Never paused to see who stood at their side.

Happy Holi!!!

While many people celebrate Holi by playing with vibrant colors, I often find myself enjoying the festival from indoors, watching others immerse themselves in the joyous spirit of the day. It is not that I do not love Holi—on the contrary, festivals have always held a special place in my heart. As a child, I eagerly played with colors and laughter filled the day. But with time, as my introverted nature quietly grew, my way of celebrating changed.

Today, I find happiness in preparing festive meals, in the small rituals of the day, and in watching my children celebrate with boundless enthusiasm. Their laughter and colorful faces bring the same joy that colors once brought to my own hands.

In many ways, my relationship with Holi feels like the changing of seasons. Just as spring slowly gives way to summer, the gardens once full of delicate blossoms gradually bow to the warmth of the sun. Yet this change does not diminish their beauty—it simply transforms it.

Holi reminds us of this very truth: life is a cycle of colors, seasons, and changing ways of experiencing joy. Sometimes we are the ones running freely with colors in our hands, and sometimes we are the quiet observers, smiling as we watch life bloom around us. Both are equally beautiful ways of celebrating.

Perhaps that is the deeper message of Holi—that happiness does not always have to be loud and vibrant. Sometimes it exists in gentle moments, in warm kitchens, in the laughter of children, and in the quiet gratitude of simply witnessing the colors of life unfold.

May this Holi bring warmth, happiness, and beautiful colors into our lives in whatever way we choose to celebrate it.

Happy Holi!