Dear Friends

“Listen to the inner voice that allows you to be you.” said Elvis Stojko. 250 fortnights ago, that is what I did – write my first editorial thoughts for this e-newsletter (earlier named Lexspeak). Now it has become a habit to write every fortnight wherever I am and whatever I am busy with – work, family wedding, vacation, my own illness, some other event, a family tragedy, other professional responsibilities et al. I am being me. Just listening to my inner voice. Can you find the inner voice talking to you ? Do you listen to it ? Are you able to declutter, cut through the din to listen ? Many a times it is so feeble that it may die as a whimper. Why allow that to happen when it is your life and you have only one opportunity to LIVE IT fully ?

Apart from writing, my inner voice has been prompting me to go, find a platform to moderate events. Events different from the ones I normally speak at or moderate – company secretaries, students, startups, business forums, corporates, cancer awareness etc. However, last week when I got a call from my good friend and author Tony Francis asking me to moderate a literary talk with 3 different authors at a Book Club, I hesitated. Should I say yes or should I say no ? Am I competent to handle this ? I have never been in such unfamiliar setting with a new audience – all extremely well-read senior citizens who were eager to attend a live session after 9 months of pandemic. Will I be able to match their expectations ? The usual devil of doubts started dancing in my head. But somewhere, deep within was my inner voice telling me to go for it. Take a chance. Try. Try to give my best. Go beyond my comfort zone. On the other hand was my ‘practical voice’ reminding me of the umpteen number of work-related activities at hand, the utter lack of time due to many commitments. The usual internal tussle in my mind played out but Tony’s persistent voice saying “Yes, you can do it” and my inner voice adding “Hey, what are you waiting for ? Carpe Diem, seize the opportunity !” were overpowering enough to drown the devil saying No. I said Yes and plunged into the preparation for the event with just 3 days notice. I am glad I heard to the inner voice and took on the challenge. To begin with, I set the theme and redrew the event agenda. I made sure the 3 authors representing 3 different genres of writing – Abhijit Bhaduri (#Dreamers & Unicorns – How Leadreship, Talent & Culture are the new growth drivers), Maitreyee Chowdhury (#The Hungryalists – the poets who sparked a revolution) & Tony Francis (#The Autograph Seeker) got ample time to speak about their books, their writing experiences, their thoughts & lives through a lively conversation. I managed to also accommodate an enthusiastic club member who was insistent on asking a few questions to the authors despite the tight time schedule. The event evoked good response from the audience with one 85 year old member sharing her insights from the life of her late husband who was a war veteran and her son talking about his book on the 150 years history of his school. During the audience Q and A and post the event, I saw how connected everyone felt – to the authors, to each other, to the joy of writing and reading books. I thanked my ‘inner voice’ when quite a few walked up to me and said “You made the session lively and interactive. Liked the natural flow of thoughts and words”. The authors were happy that it went well and so was I. Best part was the physical event (yes there was mask and social distancing in seating) which had its own charm and allowed a lot of ‘small talk’ amongst the members and authors. I realised how much we miss all of this in a virtual world. The Big Joy we experience, the Deep connects we make, the Invaluable insights we draw from such Small Talks in a real world are incredibly invaluable. Hope 2021 allows us to reclaim such a life back !

Whether it is a literary event or publishing 250 issues of Samhita since 2009 – nothing can ever be achieved alone. I would like to thank CA Naveen Bhat (for promptly confirming the Statutory Calendar month after month), CA Krishnamurthy (for religiously sharing the tax summary since the advent of GST) and the English Teacher Balaji Ramaswamy (for his series “Let’s Excel in English”). Last but not the least is our own team member Poornima Jayarao who brings a professional project approach to the fortnightly publication ensuring coordination with several internal and external stakeholders – reminding, chasing, checking, verifying, rectifying and confirming until the final version is ready to be published. Her job for the next issue begins the day an issue is released. Big thanks to you dear readers for being with me through the journey – I never felt I was alone. I have had my ‘small talk’ with all of you through Samhita, which incidentally reflects my ‘inner voice’ many a times.

This 250th issue of Samhita carries some updates from the world of RBI, IBBI, GST, SEBI. Right on top is the update on Digital Signature Certificates – no more class 2 DSCs from 1st Jan, 2021. Let’s Excel in English by Balaji teaches us the power of synonyms in everyday conversation as well as a new sunny of saying “Happy Birthday”. For any previous issues of Samhita and the readers’ feedback, please visit https://sharadasc.wpengine.com/resource-center/.