A Birthday gift to myself

Now I am finally beginning to understand why women and age aren't complimentary to each other. Tomorrow I turn 29 years old. Quite a milestone if I may say so. My birthday gift arrived in the form of a presentation three days back. Ever since I became serious about academics, I have carried this desire to present in front of a large gathering, not just a gathering but one full of dignitaries; the who's who of the bureaucracy and other power holders. When that opportunity came through in Chintan Bhawan on 9th April, 2013, I was stressed, nervous and excited, in the same order.

Behind closed doors :P

The morning session was held with civil society members and administrators from concerned departments. Our paper on 'Gender and Social Issues' has covered quite extensive topics, however we summarised it to a forty minute powerpoint presentation. Once the clock started ticking, there was no stopping us. Somehow I felt like my co-researcher spoke much more than me. I wonder if she thought the same about me. I suppose it is normal to feel this way. Once we start talking ourselves, time flies by in a jiffy. More than the morning session, it was the afternoon session that I was looking forward to. The panel included members of the State Planning Commission, Cabinet Ministers, Chief Secretary, Finance Secretary, the Development Commissioner, MP (Lok Sabha), Hon'ble Speaker and Dr. Shivakumar who is a member of the NAC. After the rehearsal in the morning, I was more than prepared for this one. The discussion and inputs were extremely healthy and deep inside I was grateful for this dream to have materialized. I had finally done it! I was discussing important issues in a closed room with the top policy makers.

This is why the gift to myself this year is one that I will always cherish.
May this mark the beginning of such enagaging times in the days to come.
Happy Birthday Cyden.