Till we meet again

I have been missing my friends throughout this week. It made me dig through old bits & pieces that remind me of all the good times I have spent with them. Here's one that's really close to my heart just like the friend I wrote it for:

Dear Shalaka,

I know I don’t have to say all this… You would probably already know… This is an opportunity of a lifetime and I’m not letting it pass. J I want you to know that I’ll always remember you for some good reasons and some… really good reasons. 

Today when I go down the memory lane, I can vividly remember your first day in GE. That day was special for me too because that was the day a friend was thrust into my life. Back then it didn’t occur to me what a great friendship I would eventually share with you but today I can proudly say that that was one awesome blessing. 

I have never paired with you in the true sense but would have definitely loved to. I have always admired your fearless attitude and that charming ability to quickly get along with anyone. Today when I remember all the moments we spent together, I feel grateful for having a friend like you. All the jokes, laughter, craziness, innocence (applies only to me :P) will always be some of my most cherished memories.

The way you imitate people without offending them makes it all the more enjoyable. That’s precisely the reason why I find myself laughing when you guys tease me all the time. ;) And I must credit Shailesh for his far-sightedness. Within a year of us joining, he used to tell me that he would let me sit next to you if I joined his team… :) He knew we would eventually become great friends even before we realized it.

I have known all along that you would leave some day… I was really happy, for you were embarking on a lovely journey. J But today when the time has come, the only thing I can think about is how much I would miss you… how different our lives would be at work without you… I want you to revel in the fact that you’ve been such a great friend to many out here and you’ve earned a lot of love and respect. You’ll be terribly missed but somewhere I can feel an inkling that you are not going to be away for long… Just this one thought brings a smile to my face.:)

 

Be just the way you are. Knowing you, I don’t think you would be any different even if I met you after a long, long time. Take care of yourself and keep in touch. Hope to see you soon… Uday ko bolti hoon mujhe Houston bhejne ko… Aur waise bhi ab jab mera engagement nahi hua hai, mere liye koi Houston wala doondna… :D

P.S.: You would have thought that if at all I came up with something for you it would have been a poem. But I felt a few rhyming words wouldn’t be enough to describe what you mean to me.

With lots of love,

Srividya

Undying Love

A tiny tot I’m, dancing on stage

Grooving to the rhythm alright

Yet my eyes search the crowd

I find you, I smile, and then I’m perfect

I wake up with blinding tears

How I wish I could live this dream…

You take me to task

For all the wrongs I do

I cry myself to sleep

Then you gently kiss me good night

I wake up with blinding tears

How I wish I could live this dream…

I am being honoured with an award

You sport an ear-splitting grin

I see pride, indescribably immense

I silently vow to make you proud always

I wake up with blinding tears

How I wish I could live this dream…

You tell me that a new life awaits me

I feel a pain tugging at my heart

You try hard to hold back the tears

Our eyes meet & the tears flow

I wake up with blinding tears

How I wish I could live this dream…

You’re holding my little bundle of joy

I see the love gleam in your eyes

This’s how it must’ve been, I think

When once upon a time, the bundle was me

I wake up with blinding tears

How I wish I could live this dream…

To the loveliest mentor in the world!!

I have always taken pride in calling myself a part of Susmitha's team. She has been my mentor, my friend and at one point I even started seeing her as the sister I never had. Moving out of her team was the most difficult decision of my life. I moved on and yet after all these years, it's that year with her that I cherish the most. Today when a junior Edison asked me, "Don't you still feel that 'I'm from Susmitha's team' is an introduction that you would feel proud about?", I couldn't agree more. Here's a tribute to the person who has carved the career of so many young engineers...

Wise she is beyond measure

Pairing with her an absolute pleasure

She’s just amazing at everything

Be it dancing, cooking or driving

When you think all is at sea

She’ll remind you focus is the key

Can work on metadata all night long

Amaron batteries – Lasts long. Really long.

Easy to call her a great engineer

Don’t forget she’s an awesome wife & a caring mother

Any time of the day she’s always perk

She can make even Sreyas work

ADRE, Yeti, REB just to name some

A great deal more in the years to come

Once a mother, Always a mother

It’s amazing how a tiny being can transform you into a completely different person and that too in a snap. Suddenly the most important facet of your personality is being a mother. Everything from that moment on is only about your child. She becomes the centre of your universe.

You love her more than you loved anyone in your life. You care for her day & night without uttering so much as a sigh. You cherish every moment you spend with her. As she grows up into a toddler, you are amazed at how proud she makes you feel already.

You let go of your hobbies. You lose touch with your friends; the same friends you thought you couldn’t live without. You no more want to go out not even for dinner or shopping. Whenever you see another kid, your heart warms up with motherly love – a feeling you’ve never known before. If you’re a working woman, your work is not a big priority any more. Somewhere down this path, you let go of all your other identities – an ambitious career woman, a gossip girl, a shopaholic, a wife, a creative artist, a wonderful cook,... and you’re just about satisfied with being a loving mother.

Once your kid is a little grown up and doesn’t demand as much of your time as today, you might go back to your older passions but it’s never the same. Whatever you do, it’s still about your kid or for your kid. It is only now that you realize the role that your mother has played in your life. It’s a really overwhelming feeling to know that the most significant phase of your mother’s life has totally been about you. What’s even more fascinating is that according to your mother, her life now, after all these years, is still about her children. Even though she’s a grandmother now and she loves her grandchild maybe a tad bit more, she still is constantly looking out for her
children.

The bond is mutual. Even today, when you are extremely happy or in serious trouble, whom do you call first? Whom do you shout at when you are frustrated? It has always been your mother and it will continue to be. She is your sounding board when it comes to sharing news & ideas. She’s your punching bag when you’re angry. She’s your agony aunt when you are worried. She’s your best friend when it comes to voicing your fears, secrets & confusions. She will never judge you, never hurt you, never give your secrets away and will always love you more than she ever loved anyone. She’ll always be yours just like you’re your daughter’s now.

To all engineers who are proud of who they are

Battles we fight, some we win, some we lose
Through challenges and hurdles we cruise

Some say we've got everything we need
Asking for more will only mean greed

We don't care about the money
Well... that does sound funny

A legacy of our own we aim to build
We belong to the Above & Beyond guild

When things get better by a little deed we did
Then we know we've truly lived

In the arena of life we're Warriors
People also call us "Engineers"

Why do I smile so much???

Some of my friends simply can't wrap their minds around why I smile all day... That's not at all an exaggeration. I do smile most part of everyday sometimes even in my sleep. :) Let me make it easy for the baffled minds. Here are some of the few reasons that make me smile:

1. Rains in Mumbai
2. Raw mangoes and gooseberries right off the tree
3. Bamboo swing
4. Mom's lap
5. Lots and lots of books
6. Rib-aching & eyes-watering laughter
7. Songs that caress the soul
8. Ice cream at midnight
9. Lovely dreams
10. Surprises!!
11. Old photographs
12. Surya & Karthi
13. Fun with friends
14. Beach
15. A walk with cool breeze blowing across the face
16. Bike rides
17. Tamizh - Ninaithaley inikkum :)
18. Close knit family
19. Cute little doggie
20. Star gazing till the break of dawn
21. The colours of dawn and dusk
22. Jumping to reach the temple bell
23. An infant's smile
24. Teasing loved ones
25. Garden full of flowers
26. Pani puri... mmm...
27. Chocolate pastry
28. Moonlight dinner (the good old nila soru)
29. When someone desperately tries to make you smile
30. Guitar in action
31. Birds chirping
32. Dairymilk "Meetha ho jaye" ads
33. That one special sms :)
34. Kausar's battles
35. Rishabh's childish behaviour
36. Susmitha's warmth
37. Vinda's so-called innocence
38. Deepa's craziness
39. Sreyas' mimicry
40. Shalaka's voice
41. Sujju's innocence
42. Mikil's atrocious jokes
43. Ganesh's questions
44. Gishu's one-liners
45. Bharath's anger
46. Uday's... Actually everything about Uday!
47. Junior college Wednesdays
48. My first week in Vani Vidyalaya
49. Meeting a long lost friend
50. Lunch with the 'Lunch Gang'
51. Shopping with Chitthi
52. Winning a car race on the way home
53. A heartfelt thank you
54. A sheepish sorry
55. Cuddly teddy bear
56. Unconditional love of a pet
57. Picnics with friends/family
58. First rain fragrance
59. Flower shower
60. A call just to say hi
61. Ridiculous childhood stories
62. Watching a horror movie with Sriram
63. Waterfall
64. Making the supposedly impossible possible
65. Water park slides
66. Surpassing the highest score in a game
67. The IPad experience!
68. A controversial hour of UNO with cousins
69. Watching Deepa dance :D
70. Childhood memories
71. Kindness shown by a stranger
72. Siripoli comedy scenes
73. Vijay's Chennai proverbs
74. Yogesh's concepts
75. Yasmeen's photo shoots ;)
76. An old couple caring for each other
77. Iyshu's charm
78. Harshit's zeal
79. Ramesh athimber's funny comments
80. Radha amma's soft spoken & loving nature

The list is not over yet! As I am writing I know there would be more reasons that would make me feel happy, touched, flattered, excited, amazed, wishful,... more reasons that would make me smile.

Cuckoo in a crow’s nest

This was a writing skills assignment way back in college. I remember the instructor asking me if it was an autobiography. Well, it's clearly not one, but yes, it has bits and pieces of my life in it. When I read it now, I can think of a lot more things that make this city even more beautiful...

Simple, innocent, dedicated, hardworking, loving, compassionate, gentle,… this is how Gowri was when she first set out for the city where dreams were believed to come true – Mumbai. She hailed from a coastal village - Chemmanchery in Tamil Nadu. Her life there, according to her, was nothing short of ultimate bliss. She simply loved the depths of the sea, the cool breeze, the green fields and the enjoyable bullock cart rides. Even though she loved being in her village, she didn’t shy away from accepting that she had always dreamt of going to Mumbai to pursue her dreams. She never ceased to work towards her dreams and believed that one day she will be in Mumbai.

The time finally came on a fine summer morning when she received a letter confirming her admission to a course offered by the JJ School of Arts. She was thoroughly excited and spent the next few days planning her trip.

She traveled to Mumbai by train. She was not only surprised but also shocked to see the railway station so crowded. She had seen such a huge crowd only in the village fair. She stood for a few minutes to watch the entire place buzzing with apparently all kinds of activities - vendors trying to sell their wares, porters trying to canvass the passengers, stalls selling books, newspapers & refreshments, beggars begging for alms and so on.

She made her way through the crowd; hailed a taxi and reached her hostel. She felt a bit out of place when other girls gave a piercing stare as they passed by. That look on their faces was enough for her to feel like an outcast. Unlike most girls in Mumbai, she was conservatively dressed with not the slightest trace of makeup on her face. In a metropolis like Mumbai, people like Gowri definitely make heads turn, not in awe or admiration but in disgust and insult.

Her first day in college was a complete disaster. During the orientation programme, as soon as she spoke a few words in English, she heard an uproar of laughter all around her. Her English was a bit affected.

Then there was this uncontrollable traffic and the intolerable pollution. People always seemed to be in a hurry. No one seemed to even stop a moment and greet an acquaintance. This was one quality of Mumbai that she hated the most.

Within twenty four hours of her coming to Mumbai, she felt disgusted and sincerely wanted to go back home but after some thought decided to try again. Her decision was put to test very soon when her roommates switched on the music system and started listening to music that, according to Gowri, was nothing but nuisance. She tried to get some sleep but the volume at which the music was being played made it just impossible. She remembered those nights in her village that used to be so quiet yet so full of life. She remained awake for what seemed like days.

The next morning she was up by six in the morning though she had to go to college only by ten o’clock. She watched her roommates wrestling with their alarm clocks and she couldn’t help but laugh. Certain things amused her while others left her shell-shocked.

She used to travel by the local train to her college. Each day was a different experience. On certain days the train would be crowded to the extent of suffocation while on other days, it used be a pleasant journey. Gowri considered the local train as one of the most interesting places in Mumbai. People rushing in and out, people fighting just like that, some of them catching their morning’s sleep and some others gossiping made the local train very interesting. She also liked the vendors who used to sell everything right from pens to vegetables.

Within the college campus and outside too, she saw boys and girls hugging each other, going out together and hanging out at malls. Her only reaction was that these were not for her. She vividly remembered how boys and girls behaved back home. She was awestruck by the striking contrast between the two cultures. But then there was one thing in common between the two places and that was that people remained united all along. One would not tolerate his/her friend’s insult.

Then again there were some things that disturbed her. For instance, whenever she went to the railway station, on her way she always found people begging. This was not something that Gowri had never seen but the fact that disturbed her was that most of them were children. She felt sad that at an age where they were supposed to go to school, they were forces to beg at traffic signals, railway stations, trains and so on. She felt her heart reaching out to them.

Then there were the roadside stalls that sold mouth-watering snacks. Gowri simply loved the Pani Puri. In bright contrast to these stalls Mumbai also has malls. Somehow, Gowri didn’t develop a liking for the malls. She still liked the idea of asking the shopkeeper about each product and bargaining.

One other striking feature about Mumbai is that people are free to speak their minds and select their own form of worship. She was amazed at how people completed their work before the specified deadline. She also saw that people were open-minded and thought about ideas in a broad perspective. Another fact that bowled her over was the way people’s priorities have changed. Even a worker wanted to provide the best education to his children. She started developing a liking for the place and its people.

As each day passed, she got accustomed to the environment and the people along with their idiosyncrasies. She was so dedicated to her work that everybody started noticing her. They couldn’t believe that Gowri was improving at breakneck speed. Slowly her classmates started approaching her for help with their assignments and study material. She never refused and was always ready to help. As such anyone and everyone came to her for help.

In the course of time, Gowri started believing that all her classmates thought of her as their friend. She felt on top of the world but not for long. She fell ill and couldn’t attend college for nearly two weeks. In all those days, not a single person called to check on her health. Gowri experienced the weakest moments of her life, both physically and mentally, during this period. She learnt a lesson that in a city like Mumbai where people have their focus on the fulfillment of their dreams, there was no place for friendship or gratitude. After this low period, she emerged stronger.

When she went back, there were people in her class enquiring about her health. Some were people she had never had the chance to even speak to and some others who just asked for namesake. She was touched by the courteous behaviour and enraged by the so called sweet behaviour. She forgave them because she was a staunch believer of the proverb “Forgive and Forget”.

Then there were times when the behavior of people confused Gowri. Whenever there was a disaster, it was always the public who came ahead to help their fellowmen. Yet the next day everything comes back to normal and people again seem to be in a ‘don’t care’ attitude. Gowri found it difficult to fathom people in Mumbai.

After completing her course, when Gowri was about to visit her native place the first time in three years, she felt that all these days though she had been on a rollercoaster ride and had experienced a whirlwind of emotions, yet she felt a sense of belonging to this place and its people. Such was the charisma of Mumbai. In short, life for a girl like Gowri in Mumbai, is like watching a movie. There are some things that you love, some others that you wish you could change and some others that disturb you to the extent that they leave a mark on your soul forever.