A Letter to My Readers: The Year I Chose to Be Fully Human
- Harinath K
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Harinath
Strategy & Growth – Reliance Retail;
Dear Gentle Readers,
If I look back at 2025, it feels like a year where something inside me finally clicked into place. Not because life became easier, but because it became clearer.
Our society magazines along with Shalini —born quietly at the end of last year—found their true rhythm in 2025.
What began as a community project slowly turned into a shared movement of curiosity, learning, and creativity under one guiding line:
connect, collaborate, create.
In a world that is rapidly shifting under the weight of AI, I found myself asking a simple but necessary question:
What does it mean to remain human?
The answer was not in competing with machines, but in nurturing everything that makes us different from them.
That thought shaped my entire year.
I thank my wife, who amazes me by handling everything with such ease that I’m free to dream without limits.
Rediscovering What It Means to Feel
Early in the year, I sensed that my mind had become heavily tilted toward logic—decisions, data, problem-solving. Useful, yes.
But incomplete. So I walked into an art class, picked up sketching pencils, and began retraining my eyes to see the world the way a child sees it—through colour, texture, emotion, and presence.
There’s something grounding about observing the angle of a shadow or the softness in someone’s expression.
It reminded me that humans are built to feel the world: to see light differently, to hear what isn’t said, to sense comfort, discomfort, joy, and pain.
These are experiences no algorithm can replicate. And simply reconnecting with them gave me a sense of fullness I didn’t realise I had been missing.
Creating Learning Spaces That Became Communities
At the start of the year, we manifested the idea of having a library in our society. Life responded generously—we didn’t get one library, we got two.
That moment when children stood in line waiting for us to open the door… I felt something shift. Watching them occupied in corners, lost in books, reminded me why knowledge spaces matter so much.
They don’t just hold books—they build futures.
From there, the EI Libraries transformed into something far bigger: a living ecosystem of experiences.
We hosted:
Nature Walk & Leaf Painting for five- and six-year-olds
Storytelling sessions that filled rooms with wonder
A Biodiversity game on the food chain and the fungi universe
Book readings with career coaches from our society
A meaningful session on POCSO awareness
A Career Guidance Workshop for curious teens preparing for their next step
In this process, I met marvelous individuals whose generosity and enthusiasm strengthened everything we were building.
Together we shaped a literary group and expanded into EI Universe, where both our magazines live today alongside learning programs and community initiatives.
The real gift wasn’t the events—it was the sense of shared purpose. The feeling that learning can bring people closer, create bonds, and uplift an entire neighbourhood.
People Who Became Turning Points
This year taught me something I had overlooked for a long time: growth comes from the people we allow into our lives.
My Blogging Friends across Globe:
Ral helped me challenge my thought patterns.
Imi revealed layers of emotion and reasoning within me that I had not explored.
Mark and Kelly made me think beyond the margins of my existing worldview.
These individuals shaped not just my thinking, but also how I express myself on the page. They held up mirrors, asked better questions, offered sharper perspectives, and brought out parts of me I might never have discovered alone.
They didn’t just touch my life—they shaped my voice.
Writing as a Way of Understanding Myself
Writing became the backbone of my year. I wrote poems, fiction, spoken-word pieces, business essays, reflections on society, and articles for our magazines. Each form allowed a different part of myself to speak.
Through fiction, I explored human nature without filters. Characters like Saathvi and Veeran taught me about fragility, courage, ego, loss, and transformation.
Their stories, set in pre-digital times, let me study people beyond the noise of our modern world.
Next year brings a new set of characters—Ram, Auren, and Avni—each standing at a crossroads of purpose and emotion.
Ram, standing on the ridge overlooking the Valley of Machines, questions what perfection truly means in an age of silent chaos.
Auren, the ruler bound by a self-imposed seven-year throne, grapples with ambition, duty, and the danger of becoming exactly what he once fought against.
And Avni, the quiet observer, sees the world not as it appears but as it feels — layered, fragile, and achingly human.
They will challenge me as a writer, and I hope they move something within you too.
Through non-fiction, I found clarity in the world of retail—quick commerce, supply chains, consumers, and strategy.
Writing about these topics wasn’t just professional; it helped me organise my thoughts and understand the mechanics of the world we live in.
And through community writing, I realised words can bring people together. A simple idea can turn into an event. A conversation can turn into a podcast. A line in a magazine can spark someone’s curiosity.
Writing helped me see myself from outside. It revealed patterns, beliefs, stuck points, and inner truths. It became a way to understand life—not escape it.
Learning as a Way of Staying Alive
This year, I made learning a non-negotiable part of my life.
I stepped into philosophy to find answers to the questions that quietly follow us all.
I began Sanskrit, to reconnect with a heritage we often view through a borrowed lens.
I completed my Improv comedy advanced course and performed my first paid show—an experience that taught me spontaneity, awareness, and presence in a way no classroom could.
These pursuits didn’t just add skills—they added depth. They helped me understand where I come from, how I think, and who I am becoming. They made life richer.
Movement, Play & the Joy of Being Alive
This year wasn’t just about the mind—it was also about the body. My fitness journey continued through runs, treks, kickboxing, and reflections on resilience. These moments of movement helped keep my thoughts sharp and my spirit light.
And just as the year came to an end, I found myself celebrating a victory with my society cricket team. Being part of that win filled me with a childlike happiness—a reminder that joy often hides in simple things.
Stepping Into the Next Year
As I look ahead, I know the coming year will be shaped by stories—Ram, Auren, Avni—and by ideas I want to simplify for young entrepreneurs and curious readers.
It will be shaped by more events under EI Universe, more conversations with experts, more writing across art and analysis, and more learning that keeps me awake to the world.
If you’ve walked with me through any part of this journey—thank you.
Your presence, even in silence, has encouraged me.
Here’s to another year of creating, connecting, and discovering what it truly means to live with intention and joy.
With warmth,
Harinath
Comments