Recapping The Ethos and Emotions Of 2021 in One Word

NFT, Metaverse, Crypto, and Double-Vaxxed…

Yes, these happen to be some of the buzzwords for the year 2021. And while they may sum up some of the most-talked affairs of the year, they do not entirely encapsulate the mood and experiences of the people this year. With 2021 coming to an end, we are reminded of hope, faith, loss, and a multitude of emotions that were summoned in us by all the challenges we faced this year. As we carry these emotions and lessons forward into 2022, we have decided to sum up the ethos and emotions of 2021 in just one word to help make sense of this very unprecedented year. And “what’s the deal about a word?” you may ask. Oh! Well, words carry immense power to guide and project our thoughts and feelings, even when we struggle to acknowledge the same.

So, the one word that we’ll use to sum up 2021 is NEXT. I mean, this year did happen to be exhausting and restrictive, but it wasn’t all bad. Yes, we all encountered challenges, experienced chaos, and even witnessed changes. Every low was followed by a high and vice-versa – after all, neither the depressed moments nor the happy ones are permanent. And this is why it becomes even more necessary to focus on what’s NEXT with a lot of hope and gratitude.

Below, we have six distinguished voices from the fashion, hospitality, creators, and writers community who share their thoughts and emotions for 2021, but in one word.

Kirti Narain, Photographer

“The one word that sums up my 2021 would be – ADVENTURE.
This year started with me shifting to Los Angeles, California. It was the first time I had ever taken an international flight, and since then, the whole year has been an adventure. I travelled to new cities in the States and explored myself as an artist – this pandemic has made me introspect a lot. My dream was to always travel to New York in my life, and this year, I went there for the first time to see my own work displayed on Times Square and billboards across big cities of America. I even got a couple of magazine covers as an artist. It was all a surreal moment! This year was about me teaching myself how to be independent and to always seek discomfort to grow.”

Shweta Kapur, Creative Director – 431-88

“The word that sums up 2021 for me is EVOLUTION. 
Because whatever happened, good or bad, made me grow up and evolve as I spent the year working on myself, my growth and learning to unlearn my own conditioning.”

Prateek Chauhan, Content Creator

“I’ll describe my journey of 2021 with the word – TRANSFORMATION.
There are ups and downs in every story but, I’m glad it has helped me learn so much about myself. The journey from an engineer to a content creator happened because of the pandemic and well, doing what we love is everyone’s dream. And I’m loving mine!”

Dhruv Oberoi, Executive Chef – Olive Delhi, The Grammar Room, & Serai

“RESILIENCE is my word of the year 2021.
Being in the industry that I am in, i.e., hospitality, we took a major hit during the turbulent period of the pandemic. As I am sure it was for everyone, this period was extremely tough on my mind; the uncertainty of the future and lack of the daily routine weighed heavy. However, what kept me going was a little sliver of hope – the hope to cook for others again, to see known faces, and to simply hope for some normalcy. Before I share more about this dish with you, let me weave a story that led me to it. When I came to think about it, a quality I developed through these times was resilience. And well, “the ability to be still after tilling & sowing gives birth to creation.”  Hence, the amla salad was created. It’s a recipe that was curated during the lockdown and has a little childhood nostalgia attached to it. So now, let me tell you about the dish; it’s a pickled amla and fermented green mango salad served with sour cheese, aam-aada (mango ginger dressing) & pistachio granola.”

Karuna Ezara Parikh, Author

“The one word that sums up 2021 would be REIMAGINE. 
I think 2020 was a year of what we deemed failures. Of fears and disappointments. But 2021 gave us room to adjust to new ideas, to weigh and balance, and to rethink and reimagine our ways, responses and path forward.”

Vishnu Kaushal, Content Creator

“My word to describe 2021 would be HOPEFUL.
A lot went downhill in 2020. 2021, however, with all its challenges still reminded me how normal felt like, even better, how a new normal could be – after all, this year has been all about learning how to do old things in this new world and appreciating things as simple as coffee dates. For me, the idea of impermanence gave me the courage to just experiment and do new things without wasting time.”

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