Acknowledgments

Expressing gratitude is at once the simplest and most complex form of human communication. Here, I attempt to acknowledge those who have inspired, encouraged, assisted, and tolerated me throughout this journey.

Firstly, I extend my profound thanks to my esteemed teachers and mentors who believed in me, generously offering their time and invaluable feedback. I am immensely grateful to Rana Nayyar Sir, Mina Surjeet Singh Ma’am, Akshay Kumar Sir, Neel Kamal Puri Ma’am, Manju Jaidka Ma’am, Rumina Sethi Ma’am, and Vandana R Singh Ma’am, who nurtured my appreciation for poetry.

My gratitude extends to another set of educators who steadied my initial steps in writing, offering patient guidance and encouragement. My heartfelt thanks to Sukrita Paul Ma’am, Vikas Jha Sir, Suman Keshari Ma’am, Ganesh Saili Sir, Seema Jain Ma’am, K S Rao Sir, Sanjukta Dasgupta Ma’am, Paramita Satpathy Ma’am, and Ashwani Kumar Sir.

I must also thank my friends who have invested countless hours reading my poems and enduring my relentless requests for feedback. This group includes my newer friends, Misna Chanu and Asha Gandhi, as well as the usual suspects – Deepak Yadav, Payal Sachdeva, Manvika, Gaurav Srivastava, Sumati Yadav, Deepa Sharma, Chhavi Gupta, Kamlesh Bansal, Neha Hansraj, Hemavathy, Arpit Bhatia, Shashwat Rao, and Varuni Tandon.

A special note of thanks to Hawakal publishers, under the stewardship of Kiriti Sengupta and Bitan Chakraborty, for granting me this wonderful opportunity to share my anthology. Your faith in me is deeply cherished.

Lastly, I extend my heartfelt thanks to my PA, Rajesh Kumar, who went above and beyond his office duties to assist in preparing the manuscript, and to the artist Dhruwa Nath Singh, who has been an integral part of my literary journey, giving form to my imaginative musings.

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