Scene-1:
Take-1: Location-Home
There I was… waiting for the
postman to deliver me my letter of independence…financial independence, that
is. Little did I know that the financial independence wasn’t any free ride!
Anyhow, I waited…waited and I waited a little more…until our monthly calendar
at home changed 6 times…!! The wait was ummm…to be frank like layered Lasagna
from top to bottom.
Initially it was awesome like the
gorgeous, heart pounding melting cheese. My family and of course me rejoiced
that I cleared campus placement and got into a PSU. The fact that I was home
after a long time may have also contributed to the smile OK please moment. As
the days passed quickly like a sonic…family and friends had just one question
for me… “When is your joining??” Ok two questions… “When will you receive the
joining letter??”.. No hi. No hello… jus those two questions. It seemed like a
complete mash. When will I get my call? Where will I be posted? What am I doing
with my life? Where am I headed with this waiting? Is it ok to wait or shall I
look for opportunities? Blah… Blah… With my heart & mind “minced” and me
grounded (but without the spices), left my lasagna quite bland. Then, the time
came when I hit the pasta sheet…the wall…the blank wall! I was frustrated and just
about to do something drastic, take a hasty decision of what to do with my
career and all…. NOT surprisingly enough, I was back to Blah Blah-ing… When I
got frustrated again, the blank wall stared me back.
I thought that’s it Divya… time
to clear the dishes… and mind, but I was halted with a suspicious door bell
piercing through my ear drums. I opened the door and there he was smiling at
me…I saw what was in his hand; I saw the BIG BOLD letters conspicuously placed
on the white envelope… It read the name of the company I was to join. I was
thrilled…I was amazed…I looked up and said to my Lord…U surprise me…every
single time! And that’s when all the hidden spices came rushing back to my
pallet. Burp!
Finally, the day had come when my
6 month long wait ended and I was supposedly going to be financially
independent…. “What’s all this mess?” asked mom as she entered my room… “Packing”
I said…as a matter of fact. “Haven’t you packed your stuff yet?” – asked dad
for the tenth time as he followed mom into my room. “Well, it’s almost done” I
said…looked around at the mess…and thought Oh man! I am doomed..!! Shifting
stuff from one bag to the other to get everything in order and counting the
number of bags and baggage was one hell of a task. Mom kept wondering which
sari she would wear on the day of my joining and which for the sight-seeing
while she helped me get all the stuff I need to pack for my new living…
| Smile OK Please.... Image Source: Imagoinc.wordpress.com; |
That night I dreamt a different
dream, a dream which probably was the best dream till date…the dream that
seemed like conquering a mountain peak. Little did I realize I was soon to be
woken up…
Scene-2:
Take-1: Location-The city of lakes
Having been a nomad for last 24
years of my life, shifting to a new place, meeting new people, staying at a PG wasn’t
a big deal. But now, I do not represent just me and my family, but the company
I work for and of course my college too! The accountability of your actions
increases manifold when you are into the corporate world. Now this was a task. At
a place where both vertical and horizontal hierarchy is an important aspect;
turn-around time is a time bomb ticking away…being alert like a hunter on the
go is critical. It’s a situation where your every move, every expression is
captured on a CCTV like eyes. One wrong move and you have plenty to suffer from
those who are right. One right move and you still have plenty to suffer from
those who are wrong. Since, right and wrong are just two relative terms, it
even makes it harder and requires more courage to fight hierarchical barriers
to do what you think is right. I noticed…and I am sure you too have…that this
is true not only in the corporate bubble but also in a space scanned every day
and night by the Hubble.
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| Image source: veryhilarious.com |
I found an interesting picture of
corporate hierarchy on the internet… it sums up the entire corporate equation
in just one snapshot…The person who made this collage must be one darn smart
person frustrated with the smell emanating from the corporate corpus.
Financial Independence was my
motivation to be here and I did achieve it. The educational loan is being
re-paid part by part too. The last time I asked for currency from home was when
I needed some cash to go home for few days. I was a little short after all the
shopping, rent, loan installment, food etc. The point here is…and why I am
bugging you with this post of mine is…though I have achieved some financial
independence, gained an experience that my college provided only through books,
made new contacts…corporate contacts that is, saw and experienced life that I
hadn’t in the last 24 Years put together! … Something was missing…
Life IS essentially good. But
every night as I sleep, I have only one thought in my mind…is this how it was
supposed to be? Is this what I was supposed to do after studying how the DNA in
our cell worked and how Mr. Kotler would market his products. Is this the sole
purpose of my life-to be financially independent? Is battling hierarchy a
screen test or life itself? Is making an impression more important than
expressing myself? Is letting myself be driven by the passion too tough? Or is
finding the passion is a much heavier task? The questions are plenty…the
answers are few. The opinions are plenty…the help is rarely due (to me).
Today, as I write this post, the
questions still linger. But then, I have one thing with me that’s getting
stronger and stronger with each passing moment… and that is BELIEF…in me…and in
my savior above. Five years down the line, will I be a manager sitting at my
desk picking at my subordinates or will I be doing a pop soda-surprisingly and
refreshingly different or defending my nest like a cave woman? The answer to it
was easy at the interview… but in reality is locked away for now. All I know is…I
love surprises…even if I did not…my savior does…and I am game for the game.
Scene-3:
Take-1: Location- God Knows Where!
One word. Legen...dary!!
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