The Golden Years called College

Its so true. You never get to know the importance of things close to you untill you no longer have it.

It was the same for me in college. Those days, those golden days, when you laze trough all morning, chatting, looking at the misty mountains out of the window, thinking whether to go for ride in the evening or to settle for a game of cards.

For those who do not know about my college, I studied in the misty, foggy and cold hills of munnar in gods own country. A college blanketed by beauty in all the directions.

With friends all around you, and a sense of belonging, you live each and every moment in it. We were a the first batch in the college of engg, Munnar. When all the other colleges formed party unions and fought for party reasons which makes no sense for the students, we made hostel unions and fought for no reasons at all. With each passing day, we formed a stronger and stronger bonds of friendship. And thus , the TAJ boyz was born.

Lovely were those days, where you go to college, having fun, ragging the juniors, running around the corridors, calling the proxys, copying trought the exams and what not. Wish we could live trough those days once more. Wish we could freeze those moments . Then again life moves on. and on.

Into the Unknown

Life is so simple yet so complicated. It was only a few days back, when everything was going very simple and easy. Good job, decent pay pack, easy living, happy family. what more can one ask for.

And now, I have an offer with me. An offer that lured me with from my simple living to a complicated one. An offer which showed me how a happy mind can so easily turn itself to an unhappy one, asking for more and more.

Money, the Gandhi notes. I find this to be the biggest irony of all. Printed on each face of the currency is the face of a man who prophecies equality, selflessness, and love. Printed on that note which is the core reason for all the greed, selfishness and violence. Life sure is strange.

When I received the offer, Am I not worth more?

What is it that I want? They say, Man is considered successful when he earns more than what he can spend. For that matter, when he earns more than what his wife can spend. And a women is considered successful when she finds such a man.

But jokes apart, Will money ever satisfy anyone. Is money everything? Money, lack of it will certainly give a lot of unhappiness. But having plenty of it will not guarantee any happiness.

Then what is happiness? This is a question that everyone has to ask to him selves. To seek within one selves. To do find out what one really wants to do in life.

Coming back to my primary confusion, should I opt for the new job which offers me the the heaven and the world as claims the HR. Or should I opt for the same happy life, which has been spoilt by the offers the world offers. Whether I should leave my comfort zone to explore the vast unknown, to face new challenges, and tackle unknown problems.

I choose to keep moving. keep sailing. On the ocean of life. sailing on the sea to the vast unknown. Into the vast unknown.

The running man

 wake up early every morning. To see the golden ball of fire go up in east. The morning breeze in your face. Up and ready for a bright and shiny day ahead.

Who am I kidding. I open my weary eyes, to look at the clock to find if I can squeeze five more minutes in that cozy blanket. And before I know it, the sun is already over my head. The office shuttle is already in office. And there I go, running the race of time. In no time, I am riding my dusty flaming red pulsar ( My sweet superbike ), down the crowded roads of Bangalore. I turn the throttle and she roars to life, to overtake that vehicle in front. SLAM! I hit the brakes. There is a big traffic jam in front.

Bangalore is well known for the traffic sense among the drivers. So I think no more when I see little gap on the wrong side of the road leading to the narrow lane, which leads to God knows where. After all, All roads leads to “ROAM”.

I reach my office. Rush to the meetings where my boss asks me whether I submitted that important work to be submitted yesterday. Whoops Yesterday!! I somehow manage my to sleaze away this time. And back to ol monitor. Working my way, and in no time, I realize, its time to get running, away from office, away from work. To do those things that you desire.

Now thinking again, Was there anything there to do? The same old malls, the same old theatres. What is there to do? I then decide to come back to my room. Surf the idiot box, the same ol reruns of movies that probably have already been shown a million times over and over again.
I turn around and I see a cozy invitation, my pillow and blanket. Before I know it. I am inside my blanket. Leaving all worries and tensions to the next day.

And the next day, I wake up, Look at the same clock. Do I have another five minutes? Do I start running just yet?

Running behind the Greenbacks

Want to fly the seven Seas. To see the flourishing land of green backs and babes. With big dreams, I slept off preparing myself for the Visa interview the next day.

6.30 AM flight, I reminded myself. It will be difficult to get a cab. Why not have it arranged previous night itself. I grabbed my cell phone and dialed the number for the call taxi. Hello said a sleepy voice from the other end. " I need a cab to take me to the airport tomorrow at 5.15 in the morning". All right said the voice from the other end.

Ahhh... now the cabbie will wake me up in case I over sleep. With a big smile on my face, I slept off. Dreams of checking one more country in my world map. Picturing myself walking out of the airport there. 

Next day, my room mate pushes me out of the bed. Askin me.. What are you doin here? dont u have a flight to catch?? Sleepily I ask him, whats the time. Its 5.40. WHATTTT, suddenly , I am all alert. Oh shucks, I over slept!! what the #@$ was the cabbie doin? he never called me. I rush myself and get ready. Quickly ensure that all my docs are there with me. I drag my roomie to the bike. And shift gear to the Hannuman gear and she roars to life.

6.15, I am at the airport. I rush to the Kingfisher desk. Wait, I am there to fly to chennai. stop the planeeeee. " I am sorry sir. We have already completed the boarding for this flight." What ??? the flight was not delayed? It is running in time>> what happened to the bangalore airport conjessions?

all my dreams were begining to burst. Then I decided. What the heck? I will fly to chennai and see if i can get an interview however late I am. Took the next flight to chennai. Heck that one is running late.

Two and a half hour late, I was standing in the line at the US counsulate. I managed to get in. While I was getting my documents verified, a person comes and calls out, Is there any one left for the 10 AM interview. ( 10.AM?? hell , I am 8.45 AM interview candidate ) . I walked up to him and told him I was sheduled much earlier. HE looked at me puzzled look ( "Where the hell were u all this time ?") he asked me to rush to the next building and get on the queue.

Fortunately the person in the other end of the glass box did not check the interview time. He just asked me a couple of questions and he said " Sir, your Visa has been approved. We will send your passport to you in six days ".

I got my VISA stamped!!! the dreams did not burst away!!! Well, and life rolls on.