This post is more of a celebration of the past 365 days than anything else it may sound in some parts. Time is the greatest balancer, and this year, in sync with every one of the past 23 has proven this statement right. Every day and every moment (good, bad or ugly) is etched in some part of my memories, but ones that make great stories I can tell my grandchildren are the ones I am mentioning.
My 23rd year on this Earth is almost over, (yes my birthday year almost coincides with the Gregorian calendar) and 2013 can be termed as when I took a leap into adulthood (totally in societal eyes) by starting work full time with a blue chip company. Though that happened in the later part of the year, but Reliance had already recruited me in October ’12.
Its happiness though, was stirred with the sadness of bidding adieu to AIESEC, and more importantly, AIESEC Dehradun. A part of my life that gave me more than the 20 years together without it could. In short, it made me who I am. More memories, more stories and more friends that any blog or a slosh head party could accommodate.
It was the last semester of college. A college I literally cried on joining, and cried while leaving it. I guess that is why they call college life the best time of one’s life. At one’s creative, daring, adventurous best, one really does find himself in college. It was all coming to an end. Last 4 months. We really lived those months in the exactly same spirit. Travelling like a vagabond, chilling like a rich ass, drinking like an elephant’s liver and eating like a glutton. But we knew it was all a matter of time, the clock will outrun us and soon it would all be over. Me and my Bullet said our Goodbyes and rode back to Chandigarh, remembering each and every nook of Dehradun and Mussoorie she had ridden on, with me clattering with the cold sometimes when she roared into the winters, or braking her to soak in the view, but loving each moment of the ride every single time.
The curvy Himalayan roads lead to Le Courbusier’s planned straight ones. My last summer vacation, my last few months at home and my last few months among greaterest Punjabi food (I would have used any superlative for it). Mom and Daadi’s cooking, daadu’s famous fables, papa and brother’s conversations; I wanted to have the most of them all, so I majorly spent my days indoor. (Not as if the hot summer sun would have let me do anything else.)
The little travelling that I did was to go to the western coast of India with 4 of my college friends. A random plan by one of them saw me jumping in for the train berth, and found myself spending a couple of weeks in Bombay, Pune and Goa. Not exactly the ‘summer’ holiday destinations, but when there are five wild guys in a college hangover, ‘who cares’? On the road we met amazing people, had lovely conversations, and knit together friendships and memories of a lifetime. (That is what I love so much about travelling).
Let us say that was my last moment of carefree joy in a long time. I had started working. That too in a core technical company in a hazardous environment, in a refinery located at a place far far away. Sounds scary? That was exactly my expression for the first few days here. I just wanted to drop my uniform and run away (a thought that still jump up on a grey cloudy day). But eventually, it settled in. My journey made bearable by the couple of hundred naïve virgin sufferers who were recruited with me. It was like college life outside college, but only in a dry boxed cage. Meeting new people has always been an experience, and these 6 months have exactly been that. People from different parts of India, different elite colleges (read IIT’s and NIT’s) and some out of place Petroleum Engineers cribbing about the same thing together, is definitely a conversation starter. Also, the biggest reason that keeps me here, is that I get to play football on a regular basis. People close to me definitely know how much that means to me.
Outside Reliance’s World’s largest Refinery’s jurisdiction, Gujarat has been a treat. Didn’t really expect this ‘dry’ (yes, I keep mentioning it) and ‘sweet daal’ western state to be so full of colour and throbbing with vibrance. Can’t really blame the Jamnagar city for not being posh, because it was always meant to be that sleepy Kathiawadi town, where Jadejas ruled for centuries. But having the lions of Gir, Portugese (WET, WET and WET) colonies, white sands of the Rann of Kutch, an ocean border and the food capitals of Ahmedabad and Baroda just hours away, a traveler will definitely not complain. And the Navratri festival was a treat. 10 days when the entire state was dancing.
Hence, these 6 months have been, let us a say, a Bumpy ride. With a lot of potholes, but also some lovely curvy paved roads with the ocean, greens and the desert for company.
This is the longest I have been away from my family, I definitely miss them a lot, and I know they miss me too. But as they say, distance makes one understand the worth of relationships. I made a lot of new friends, strengthened the bonds with some old ones, and maybe lost a touch with some (lot) of the others. Catching up with them is definitely right up there on my resolution list. I have lost some kilos, tasted a lot of new delicacies, drank the most expensive ‘cheap’ liquor( With all that mentioning of the ‘dry’ ‘liquor’ part, go to a desert and talk to a native there, he will mention ‘water’ in his every line), played a lot of football and taken a lot of Entrance exams to get out of here. But nevertheless, I have treated myself to a lot of happiness.
I definitely look forward to taking this celebration to 2014. With my Royal Enfield (Bull’t) and some good friends by my side, I hope not to have a dull moment, and as much time I live here, I hope to live for the smiles, mine and of the people around me.
Cheers to 2013. 😀
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