Nayi dagar....Naya safar mera

March 20th 2006, 21:40 hrs
Walking back towards home after returning from office and having had my dinner.....this song comes up on the mp3 player of my mobile...

"Ratiyaan kaali kaali ratiyaan
Ratiyaan andhiyaari ratiyaan
Raat hamaari chand ki saheli hai
Kitney dinon ke baad aayi woh akeli hai
Chuppi ki birha hai, jhingur kaa baaje saath...."

It has been some very emotional and touching times through the last week or so with I completing my assignment/project for which I'd moved to Hyderabad. Am now free to get back to my home town - Chennai - if I desire, though my project team and friends here would love otherwise. It has been a wonderful experience working with such friendly and genial people out here. My Project Lead (PL) is a person I would admire for my life. The dedication and zeal which she puts in her efforts is praiseworthy and I've learnt so much from her as a professional. Just salute her for her sheer commitment. Really hold her in a high regard!!

"Andhera paagal hai, Kitnaa ghaneraa hai
Chubtaa hai, dastaa hai, phir bhi woh mera hai
Uski hi godi mein sar rakh ke sona hai...
Uski hi baahon mein chupke se rona hai...
Aankhon se kaajal ban, behtaa andheraa aaj..."

It has been really tough emotionally to take a decision as to whether to get back to Chennai or carry on here for some more time with a new project that my PL has got from the client. Would certainly miss some of these close buddies I've made here. Damodar, Hadi, PandeyJi, Biru bhai, Srini, DebaJi, SeethaJi, SirishaJi, Naseer, and many more... all have been such great colleagues @ professional level and such dear friends @ personal level that it is already making my heart and eyes heavy, and generating a sense of longing in me...Will never forget those days when the project was going through a really hectic phase, with us having to stay in office during unearthly hours and thus having to order the dinner @ office itself, those days of frequent and serious project discussions in the conference rooms and then a sudden prank/lighter moment which would help ease the pressure off us. Those days of having fun time in the cafeteria with the whole group sharing some anecdotes or the other...well and many many more of some pleasant memories....

March 20th 2006, 22:05 hrs
At my home now, which has me as its only inmate now, as my other couple of friends staying with me had moved back to Chennai some time back. Just flipping through the pics on my mobile and then abruptly freeze upon this one, which reminds me of 'her'.......the song currently playing on the mp3 player of my mobile....

"Soona....soona mann kaa aangan
Dhoondey paayal ki woh chan chan
Sooni..sooni mann ki sargam
Dhoondey geet tere humdum
Mann mein shaam ho ya sawera
Laaga teri hi yaadon ka dera
Tuney bandhan kyun yeh toda
Tuney kaahe ko munh moda
kaho naa...kaho naa...kaho naa..."

She had come in to my life like a breeze one fine day and I was just never the same. Besides a magnetic attraction, there was a simplicity, a charm, a charisma which just kept me admiring her. It was a beautiful feeling, a bliss to share a part of her life. Only the second lady in my life, apart from my Mommy, for whom I would have done anything. It sounds kiddish, but that's true, I mean when true love touches your heart you just cannot suppress your emotions. And that was my first love, yes my FIRST LOVE.

"Kaise kaaten sooni raatein..kaho naa, kaho naa
Kaise bhoolein beeti baatein..kaho naa, kaho naa
Kaise thamein phir tera daaman,
Kaise mehke mann ka yeh aangan
Kaise bhoolein preet teri saajan
Kasie baandhen toota yeh bandhan
Mann mein shaam ho ya sawera
Laaga teri hi yaadon ka dera
Tuney bandhan kyun yeh toda
Tuney kaahe ko munh moda
kaho naa...kaho naa...kaho naa..."

But then it hurt, it really hurt when she said that there was someone in her life, someone who loved her, may be loved her more than what I would. I do hope he really gives her all the happiness in this world. After all, all I want is to see her happy and joyful. Well, my true love for her would be just this. Isn't love, simply put, just this, its really not about wanting someone to love you, rather its about you loving someone. Yeah I understand its a 2-way process..but to me, well love lies simply in the happiness of that person.

Yeah I did feel a little dejected when she told me that, I only thought why didn't he (God) bring me in to her life before that guy, but then my gesture of true love to her was all this that I could possibly do for her happiness. I would never say that I've forgotten her, that I've buried all those sweet memories of hers, that she's no more in my heart; She is still right in there. U know to me, there are 3 compartments in my heart - there is one which houses my family (Mommy, Papa, and my younger Bro N Sis), then there is this second one which is a little larger one which has all my dear pals n buddies in it, and finally the third one, there is this sweet, little n lovely place which would be the home of that special person, a special person who would be my partner in this long but beautiful journey called - LifE!! 'She' was in there in the third compartment, but has now moved out via that little door in to the second one.

Yep, she's one of my very dear and good friends and would remain so forever....But how I wish she had been my partner for life and this journey would have been a bliss.


March 20th 2006, 22:40 hrs
Thinking once again about the decision to get back to my home town. Well, I had come here only for the first pahse of this project which was supposed to end by July 2005, but somehow had to continue on till the final implementation and maintenance phase. Between, was appraised as a STAR performer for my performance in the annual appraisal period 2004~2005. Well, thinking over it, I feel its just a matter of time, its just a matter of 'when'. Coz, I cannot stay here forever, after all my family is out there in Chennai. And there is this another factor, which if turns out to be success, I'll anyway need to get back home.....Between, this song comes up.....

"Yunhi chala chal raahi, yunhi chalaa chal raahi
Kitni haseen hai yeh duniyaa
Bhool saare jhamele, dekh phoolon ke mele
Badi rangeen hai yeh duniyaa..."

"Yunhi chala chal raahi, yunhi chalaa chal raahi
Jeevan gaadi hai samay pahiyaa
Aansoon ki nadiyaan bhi hai
Khushiyon ki bagiyaan bhi hai
Rastaa sab tera tackey bhaiya..."

"Har sapna such lagey, jo bemagan chale
Jo raah tu chale apne mann kii..
Har pal ki seep se, moti hi tu chuney
Jo tu sada suney apney mann ki..."

So rightly said, this life is our vehicle to cover the journey we all have been sent to travel, while the time rolls by and carries us forward on this path of life. Between, I've just made up my mind to get back to my home town, yes I really have and hopefully it turns out to be good.

"Mann apney ko kuch aise halka paaye
Jaise kandhon pe rakha bojh hat jaaye
Jaise bhola sa bachpan phir se aaye...
Jaise barson mein koi ganga nahaaye..."

"Khul sa gaya hai yeh mann
Khul sa gaya har badhan
Jeevan ab lagta hai paavan mujhko
Jeevan mein preet hai, hothon pe geet hai..
Bas yeh hi jeet hai sun le raahi...
Tu jis disha bhi jaa, tu pyaar hi luta
Tu deep hi jala, sun le raahi..."

"Yunhi chala chal raahi, yunhi chalaa chal raahi
Kitni haseen hai yeh duniyaa
Bhool saare jhamele, dekh phoolon ke mele
Badi rangeen hai yeh duniyaa..."

Am really feeling a lot better n a lot lighter now. Sometimes I wonder, what would life have been without music? Well it just soothes you, your senses, your soul. It has just done that here once again. So am ready to delve into this new chapter in the journey of my life. Ready to move to the next chapter, which hopefully turns out to be as interesting, as fun-filled, as enjoyable and as cherishable as these before it have been. It might be some time (a couple of weeks may be) before I can land up in Chennai, I'll enjoy and cherish every moment of mine that I can and that I have left in this wonderful city, the city which brought some equally wonderful and beautiful people such as my PL, my dear buddies (some on the blogosphere too) and of course my first love in to my life!!



Time would roll on, and when I'll look back, may be after being a GrandPa of 2 lovely kids with those chubby cheeks, what I would always have with me are these cherishable memories, yes these would remain etched in my mind for my life...

Thanks to this lovely city.... Bidding adieu...
'Ek nayi dagar, naya safar mera'

-------------------------------------------------
Added later:
March 31th 2006, 21:30 hrs
The one factor I was talking about has already become a partial success. I have cleared the Post Graduation in Software Enterprise Management(PGSEM) entrance test (results declared yesterday), conducted by IIM-Banaglore on March 19th 2006 (An MBA program for IT professionals with 2+ yrs of work experience). Now to complete the success, I'll have to put in some more dedicated effort to clear the interview which is scheduled @ Chennai in the second week of April. It had always been a dream and goal to pursue management (Yep that is where my heart is even today) and make it to the IIMs during the final years of my graduation. But somehow those efforts did not result in success, I juz could not make it that time and here I was in a software firm, but still harboring that goal, that dream. I Hope and pray that I make it.

Colored Memories....

The festival of color was here once again - bringing along with it and coloring us all - with those myriad shades of joy, fun and happiness!!

And I just realized how time just flew by; It was exactly on the day of this colorful festival 'Holi' last year, that we (a team of about 15~20) had to involuntarily move to Hyderabad from Chennai (my Motherly-home town) for carrying out the implementation of our ongoing project, which had started in Chennai and was going on smoothly till the news came as a bolt from the blue for some of us at least.

And so here I was on the day of color, @ Hyderabad last year. And as I have my maternal aunt's family residing out here in the city, headed straight to her home after checking-in to the hotel. And as it was already late afternoon, did not expect my cousins to be adorning the Laal-Hara-Nila (Red-Green-Blue) stYiSH looks, but that was not to be, as I found myself drenched in a similarly wEt ouTFit in no time once I entered my aunt's residence!! :) And the rest is bright N colorful history!!

Well, thinking about this day, it brings back some nostalgic colored memories of the different phases of my life -

Those kiddish days :), I mean when I was a kid with those chubby cheeks and a gol-matol body, juz nebulously remember how my elder cousins and our family friends would paint me red-blue-green (yellow-pink-black also sometimes) with the 'Gulaal' as we call it in hindi. Those days when we would run around merrily on the terrace of our home, flinging those rainbowish-colors and splashing n spraying water of similar shades on each other. Oh and how can I forget those special entities which have their own gr8 significance on this day...yeah, I am talking about the bAlLooNS. We would fill them up with the colored waters and hurl them on one another and of course on the people going down the street :)

Those teenish days....I mean when I was a bright, energetic boy of about 15~18 years, remember how my school-friends-gang would come, call out, and then shout my name standing outside the house on the road. And my Mommy would say, "Yeh tel laga ke jaa, issey rang jaldi utar jaayega" (Apply this oil on your body, it would ease the color-removal process :)) And as soon as I'd open the main gate, those 'Rang-Birangey bhoots'
(Colored demons) would make me identify as one amongst them in no time. And then we would be out on the streets with look-alike-masses, our caravan going around the different addas (hubs) of our locality and spattering the shades of fun n joy around!! It was like, only if one was dressed very formally and seemed to be going to office, or if one was a student, one could barely think of being spared from the colorful extravaganza. But then remember that one day towards the end of my schooling life, when we had our board exams of +2, when unfortunately one exam was scheduled on the day of Holi, and my my....wasn't that a Rangeen (colorful) exam, many of my friends had to sport the colorful fury on their anatomy, while I somehow luckily managed to escape unscathed with only some minimal damage done...but the 'Mission-Reach-ExamHall-Uncolored' accomplished :)

These youthfully employed days....Of Oh U guys never understand :) Ok in relatively simple terms, I mean these days when I am a smart and handsome guy, and an even smarter professional, life seems to have become a bit monotonous with the Color TV which had all those beautiful shades, turning in to a black and white one nowadays :( Ok its not that bad I guess, but still miss those kiddish and teenish days of enjoying this day of color in its true and vibrant spirit!!

Wish you all a very happy and colorful holi; and a bright and glorious journey of life ahead!! :)

fUN @ wOrK

Yeah U read it right! Itz real fun to take some time off your work N involve yourself in some extra-curricular acts, like the ones most of us used to take part in during our academic life :). And yes so on a fine friday (The cASuALs day) last week there was this event at the office, and we'd been informed about it and the activities involved had been communicated through the mailers from our HR department during the course of the week.

So the fUN activities arranged for us to have gr8 fun while working were....Ok let me instead share the invitation in its entirety itself with you guys, and it looked something like this.....

"Let’s make this Friday a FluOrEsCenT FridAY
Let’s see how we plan do it????????
Show YouR WACKIEST/WILDEST/COLORFUL SIDE:

1st Funway
Get spotted in FluOrEsCenT dresses (BUNTY & BUBLi ISSHTYLE) on Friday

And

2nd Funway
Get into a team…. (Project-wise/Random group- Max 5 people)
>Design a colorful poster……….. (Cartoons/Portraits/Collage)
> Display it around your funstation (read workstation)…..
> Poster Theme: “What’s your idea of FUN@@@@@@@work?”

Deadline: Posters should be displayed in/around your funstations
Please send your nominations to:
ABC Location – Manish Soni(MS)
DEF Center – Ms.XYZ

Wait for the judges……
BAGS FULL of GIFTS are READY for
· The Best Poster entry
· The Best Dressed Associate (Male & Female)

Have a fun filled week………… see you on Friday"

And yep as our dear HR sits at some other location, I was made the volunteer from our work location, to make this event a real fun-filled one for everyone of us.

And here I was as a result of it, going about addressing all the various project teams around, a day before the event, encouraging and reminding them off the events the next day, and man that itself was real fun for me. ha ha ha.... U ask how was it? Well, Its always known that the gurlz are all enthu N charged up when asked to dress up elegantly in a la bollywood actress isstyle, but imagine yourself convincing guys around to dress up in a bright yellow/orange or any of that flourescent colored tees/shirts to office - a la Mithun-The Disco Dancer- Isstyle :). That was as difficult as convincing a Salman Khan to wear a tee/shirt for the full length of the movie :D

So on the D day, it was complete fun, as people came in bright Jhink-Chack chamkeeley kinda clothes to the office, and also as we put our 'Think-Fun' cap on during the process of the designing a poster, in whatever short time we could take off from the project schedule.

It was an enjoyable xperience as we grouped into a team, for a change nothing to do related to the project, and with the thought process on, the fun ideas pouring in, we came up with a couple of posters in a short time and they looked something like these..... (Click on them to c the pics in their full enlarged view)

A poor chap developer learning all the soFTwAre funDas, the hard way, from his project lead and then going about implementing them in his own sTyLe @ his work desk :) with Great Control!!

The hard but true fact of a software professional's life depicted - funnily & comically :-)

And guess what, the writings you see on these posters have been inscribed by none other than yours truly. Woila.....I'd almost forgotten the so called art of 'Hand-Writing' - as Osama Bin Laden would have forgotten what Peace means!! - after joining this software industry a couple of years back, with all my writings..err..typings mostly only on the keyboard!!

And for the icing on the cake, our above entries to the contest won the best Poster award :D and so got a cool gift for our HARD but fUN work :)

And as the mood of fUn was on in the week, I thought Y not share some moments of fuN with the "fuN-Orginator" herself. Ok I mean our HR executive. She's one chirpy n bubbly lady, N our dear friend if you are reading this by any chance, the probability of which is less than Taiwan winning the Cricket World Cup, consider this as my humble request to put this conversation of ours, out here...... :)

Me to her:

Hi VBJi, Please find the pics of the posters taken by us with a DigiCam, attached herewith. Aur haan, ek reminder ki – “Sardaar hamey hamaare aur 2 gifts milney baaki hai.” :) Ab D bhi aa gaya hai N he is also asking for his gift; Khair usey toh hum sambhaal lengey, So this is a humble request to you that you please please do bring along our 2 gifts next time U grace this place. Till then, Have a nice day n a gr8 week ahead!! :D

Her reply:

Hello there.. Ye kya kar diya mere naam ko.. Tum engineers ki yehi problem hai har cheeez ko short form technical sounding bana dete ho... my name is not VB (Visual Basic).. ok... I was't well.. yeah was down with fever again so bunked office yest... Be assured, will be getting more prizes for 2 of you (whoever are left) but not for D... he was't even there.. how dare he ask for one.. but will need some time for it.. I dont think I would be able to come this week to ABC location.. lets see...

My response to that:

Hi VBJi!! (Hum toh bhai jasie hain waise rahenge :), ab humein aapko aise hi bulana acchha lagta hai, kya karen!!) Waise kasam Preity zinta ke dimples ki, aapka yeh naam humein bahut acchaa lagta hai, please humein aise hi address karne dijiye aapko, please… Arey appraisal aur bonus ko chodkar, pehli baar kuch toh alag maang rahein hain apni HR se; kam se kam itna toh afford kar hi saktey hain aap (Yeh toh budget mein aata hai na!!...lolz…) Oh that was bad 2 hear that U were down with fever yesterday; hope you are doing well now. Wish U a healthy recovery as speedy as a Brett Lee’s fastest delivery :) Waise hum toh soch rahey they ki yeh HR log bade hi dIfFeRent hotey hain yaar……kabhi desk peh hotey hi nahin hain……And as if that was not enough, they also put up an out of office reminder to evade hum jaisi bechaari Junta :D And thanks for assuring our prizes - aapko ek 25 paise waali toffee zarur doonga mein, aapke is nek dil gesture ke liye :D Awaiting your arrival eagerly. (Woila, kaafi lamba chauda mail ho gaya, ab humein kaam karney dijiye) Till then, take care N Bbye 4 now.

So then, that was quite a fun filled week for me and I truly enjoyed every moment of it. And as I wrote out there it was all "Juz 4 fUN, Nothing Official about it :)".

And talking about fun, well there are these 2 guyz Arz000n & Abhinav whom I've come across on the blogosphere, and whom I'll crown the stand-up Fun N Laughter Kings when it comes to making people laugh, have fun and Njoy their writings. Hats off to these guyz!!

So herez MS signing off once again, wishing U have fun filled weeks, week-ends and more importantly a fun filled Life to live in the years to come. Cheers!!