This blog flies high. This blog keeps me grounded. The more I feed it, the more it becomes food for my soul. Yes, I am definitely in a relationship with my blog.

Looking back at the posts of 2014 though, I’m a tad disappointed. I don’t think I broke any rules, nor did I write anything spectacular. There’s a lot of spunk inside me that this blog deserves! What I did notice though, is that my posts map the trajectory of my career. 2014 has been the year in which I have attempted to focus on research, on a few specific areas of exploration.

Broadly and inadequately classified as ‘work’

And so, my posts on urban issues have looked closely at housing, slums, planning, with an overlay of two themes- migration and citizenship. Reblogs and comments on research (visual methods, politics and urban geography) and practice (global capital, smart cities and beautification) from across the world tell me that my world view is slowly expanding, and the hunger to learn more is very much growing too! My first experience of presenting research (small cities, youth aspiration and migration) in an international conference was both rewarding and helped me evaluate my career goals in a more focused way. The decision to work in the field of labour migration research (the SHRAMIC project I work on at the Centre for Policy Research looks at this) emerged from an exploration of all of these themes and my observations as a practitioner in the area of informal housing.

My concerns about citizenship and democracy were also at the fore during this year’s election. My pre-election fears about the impact Modi would have on the social fabric of India seem to be coming true in the manner of a horror story, with #GharWapsi and #SecularConversions trending on Twitter and providing the strokes to entertain and titillate the masses in the country.

Visual and experiental posts

2014 has also been a year of pleasurable travel. So much of it!

• My first visit to Dubai
• Our #GirlyRoadTrip in Feb from Mumbai to Gurgaon (Highlights: Tropic of Cancer and Ajmer
• Summer in Netherlands (Highlights: Haarlem, Efteling and a smashing birthday)
• An impact-heavy visit to Berlin (Highlights: Bundestag, the Berlin Wall, the Zoo and finding heritage in unexpected places)
• Finding art during a weekend jaunt in Shimla
• Conferencing and nostalgia in London (Highlights: Portobello Market, Southwark, Bath)

Self-reflection and family

I had fewer self-reflective posts this year, and some of that thinking actually came out in the form of book and movie reviews (The Road and Queen, for instance)

I didn’t write a much about #family and #parenting as I have in previous years, but 2014 will always be remembered as the year my son Udai started his own blogging journey. Despite the rough road parenting is, friends and family have always seen me through and hopefully we will fly higher in 2015 than these soaring kites took us in the year gone by!

No, can’t wipe the smile off!

At the Bundestag in Berlin this summer! My kids inspire me to never let curiosity and energy go!