Meeting Noa

The monsoon in the mountains was over as the month of October had just begun. It was the time when tourists would visit for short two months just before the snowfall. We just had finished the second round of construction wherein we had built two new rooms and one external bathroom. The preparation for the next season in April was almost complete. Again a small group of Israeli backpackers had started to show up in Salli before heading towards South. After returning from Manali I was having a renewed perspective towards life. I wasn't lying in self-sabotaging mindset worried about the uncertain future. In fact, I was excited about the challenges and new opportunities in the coming months. That time I was so fired up to take on the new tasks that I was ready to do any work as long as it would pay me. The question of what kind of work should I do was long gone. I just wanted to work while putting all my heart into it. I had never felt so much passion to work. For the first time, I was thinking in the direction of making my mark in the world. The upcoming struggle was looking exciting for me as if I had been turned into a warrior.

One fine day, a group of Israeli women came to Salli. They all were Madhu's friends and some of them had come to India only to meet Madhu. Among them was a woman with a happy demeanour, always carrying a big smile, helping us in the kitchen and very friendly to talk with. Her name was Noa. She would speak Hebrish which was a mixture of Hebrew and English. Noa was an independent woman who had earned a good name in the Digital space. She was really good at networking and managing people. As impressive as her professional career was, so was her outlook towards life. She had solutions for everything in her own unique ways. Her second name was Noa Solutions. Soon we discovered that she was also a fantastic cook. During her stay in Salli, she would cook different Israeli dishes for all. Her desire to help everyone to the best of her capacity was really admirable. No wonder Madhu and Noa were friends. Like attracts like.

In the evening everyone would gather in the kitchen next to the fire. While Noor would enjoy curling up into her mother's lap, the rest of us would feel blessed to witness the mother-daughter love. The late evening gatherings around the fire would be very special as it would make us feel like a big diverse family. One morning after breakfast, Madhu and Noa were sitting up on the balcony chit-chatting. She was telling Noa about my desire to find a job. After telling her all my educational background and past work experiences, Noa thought she could do something for me. Her kind and helpful nature came to my rescue in those difficult times. One evening, I and Noa were talking about how to proceed with the plan she had in her mind regarding work. That was somewhat related to my previous job after my MBA. I was more than excited to put my best foot forward. Those were the times when we had laid the foundation of the currently fully functional company in Himachal by sitting on the balcony at Salli. It was true that behind every successful man there was a woman. Whatever I was in my life, it was solely due to the contribution of all those great women in my life. Without them I was nothing.

My Mother, Sister, Madhu, Noor and Noa - Always Grateful To You All.