Cool Summers!

I opened my eyes to find the whole world shaking around me, a small window to my left overlooking a bright morning sky and a silent humming of an engine. I realized I was on my way to Bangalore to do my summers. The sun had just risen, the air was cool, the highway was not so crowded ; Bangalore seemed the same as it was 7 years ago. But right now I seemed to be somewhere on the outskirts of Bangalore with scantily populated shops bragging their Kannada name plates. Wonder why globalization hasn’t got to the masses in Bangalore!!

I saw the world around me snoring away to glory and realized that I must be very far from my destination. But somehow I couldn’t try to catch anymore sleep. Was it the excitement to lead a part of my life in a new city all by myself? Nopes… it was the just the pressure on my bowels! With every moment, the desperation started increasing and time started moving slower. Everytime I peeked out of the window the scene was same…. Cool breeze, red sun peeking from behind the skyline, a shop or two besides the highway, electricity wires waving up and down, trees whizzing by and a truck or two overtaking us. If ever all of this was to test my patience, I have a lot of complaints against God.. esp because the last night I had under eaten for the journey.

As a hour and half passed by and as landscape changed to town & then to a city I started feeling better. When the stop arrived I was preparing myself to bargain with the auto drivers but I was neither in the physical nor mental condition to do any bargaining. So I took the first ric home.

I found the way without much difficulty. When I came home I was amazed to see dada’s own house. It had a gate, a 10x10 court yard, a big living room and a storey above. Dada was brushing ketuli’s teeth while she ran about helter-skelter. I said a feeble hi and rushed to the loo. I came out feeling better and said a HI to vahini and her mom. I called her kaku. Everyone seemed happy to see me and the feeling was mutual. However I realized a muffled tension in the house. Must have been because of the new born baby & his chores. Dada started with his world-famous PJs. He told me way of dealing with ketuli and her whims. I befriended ketuli immediately by playing with her and I guess she started liking me too. I got a place to dump my luggage which till date has been mine!! I called up office & confirmed my project starting date.

I announced that I am looking for an apartment and started searching for some. Me and dada visited a few only to find them disgusting. Dada was encouraging me to stay in his house which I tried to avoid. Finally I got fed-up of searching and decided to stay when vahini urged me to. I tried not to burden the people in the house by eating in office as much as I could.

My project was not so challenging and I spent atleast some tome everyday chatting with friends from college & from Thane. Everyone still thinks I have no work at all!!

As days passed my, the baby had his naming ceremony and I had to help out lots of guests with lots of things.

I met the GIM gang at IIMB one weekend. They do have a FINE campus there. Lots of trees, good facilities and nice ambience. I visited quite a few places and pubs. Met sunny-pri one eve. They looked like a nice happy couple. I saw a good side of these people for the first time. The MBA pressure does bring out a bad side in you. I guess everyone really can’t take the pressure.

Had a weekend with Sonu & her hubby. They are fun people. They taught me bowling and treated me with nice chicken. Had a fun outing with them. Had a good lunch with Manu-taai one day. I was happy when she started being so friendly with me. I always used to feel a great gap between us which I was not capable of filling. It was nice to be with her. Its good to have elder “friends” taking care of you.

There a lot of things that dada’s family taught me. Dada’s willingness to keep me in his house for 8 weeks; his temperament to tred the RIGHT path and do the RIGHT things, his willingness to adapt to surroundings, his persistent care towards his family, his non-complacency and willingness to re-mould himself; vahini’s temperament to look after her kids, her way of easing people into her company, her care and concern for every detail; I am shocked how I missed noticing all this in my parents. (Ghar ki murgi dal baraabar).

I liked the life dada is leading now- a good job with good growth, access to the best facilities, a good family and an income to support them, his own house with a choice of his own trees to plant and happiness everywhere.

If I miss this place I will miss the home food, dada’s jokes & his occasional gyan, vahini’s concern for me & my life, playing with ketuli and most importantly the awesome whether here. These 2 months have made an impact on my life.

Pre-summers!

After a 10 week long stint at GIM, I came home for a fortnight break and was destined to leave for Bangalore. The first day I met the daashing, I pulled them to CCD… it felt good to be there after a looooong time. The familiar ambience, good friends, et al. I was back in my haven. The good part was that nothing had changed, the same old grudges between friends, same gossips, same planning of parties & picnics, it felt good again. I was kind of the centre of attraction for a few days now for two reasons; one- I had returned to katta after a long time and two- I was back to my old hairstyle. I made it a point to meet GIM people once a while. Most of them had never been to Mumbai before, so I was feeling some sluggishness while they pulled me to explore Mumbai. Fortunately Taps came to my rescue here.

I felt a little insecure when my training was postponed by 2 weeks and tried to realign it but in vain. Having had the time, I drove down to Pune and Ahmedabad, in our new GETZ. That is SOME car!! I also tried to keep the diet check ON by daily walks.. but in vain. I lost the muscle & gained the flab- thanks to hapus.

The best time was when Mek came down home. She came with a friend who befriended people quickly. Mek seemed a little wary to be her regular self in front of her friend.

We had a regular niteout at Pri’s place, with things going the routine sequence: fun; half-the-gang-leaving; serious sounding discussion; return home. The FUN element this time was Mak bringing in his keyboard and we all singing to his tunes… well literally (That guy has some stamina to play the keyboard!!) and the serious discussion was marriages & relationships. A good food for thought for those who care for it.

Sadness crept in again when I had to leave home. I went to Belgaum with dad n kaka and saw most of the proceedings of the selling of land which went on. It was really boring to go through all that. I had a quick dinner with them and departed for Bangalore. Every departure & separation makes me gloomy… be it my short trip to Pune& Gandhinagar or a long one to GIM or Bangalore. I guess the gloominess is more out of the inertia (which resists change) than out of emotional attachment with the place & people.

ONE DOWN... WISHING THE OTHER WON’T BE DOWN… EVER!!

Alone on the floor, with all rooms empty, with the bathroom for my own … it felt weird. I never felt this boredom & insecurity. I missed my friends and my enemies … and more so, the HUMAN activity around me. Its 31^st March 2007 and everyone had left for their homes/projects. The Admin block is deserted & I hardly find any signs of life. Today I realized how it feels to be really alone. I wonder how people spend their lives in isolation. It was as if I was missing a good part of life which I should have lived “when I was daring to UNBELONG”. What moti says is right … I am not an introvert; why else would I long for company. (I should break out of these shackles).

As I look past these nostalgic feelings & cynicisms of “God-knows-what-we-learnt-at-GIM” I can’t help but push my tears back. 10x3 weeks of ferry rides, discos, late-night dinners at far away places, whizzing on bikes, chats on gtalk, just-in-time-assignments, delegation of work to Sachith-baba, afternoons in the cell, differences amongst friends, lending a shoulder to cry on, looking for one too; not sleeping before 4 AM, walking into classes in half sleep; calling all subjects “global” and not scoring in them, acting like an intelligent tight-ass.

I guess the best days were those in December break… good placement week, Belgaum, Dandeli, Vagator, Chapora, Palolem, Boghmalo, Arambol... the best 10 days of my life. Good food, good people, good time.

When I look back over the past 10 months, I came here as a shy, timid, unconfident chap who couldn’t handle situations & who was not in control of his life. Today as I see myself as a PROUD, shy, timid & unconfident chap – the difference being, I am now sensitized to what I truly am.