The other day, Babdu - my cousin, asked my age casually. Now I being of an age where I don't have to lie as yet, pat came the reply '23'. He teasingly replied that at this age his mom was not only married but was also a mother! Hmmph! Such dialogues always leave me stumped! Yes, I know, girls of my generation are highly career minded and a post-graduation is not deliberated any more in family meetings but generally assumed and even socially expected! But then whatever happened to mental and emotional maturity? Even though the average marriage age has gone up for girls, it makes me kinda wonder if the emotional maturity level has taken a downward dip. I some how believe that even at say 27 I would be as silly and immature as I can imagine by 22 year old aunt to be at the time she got married. Has today's 'AC classroom' education taken away some of life's real experiences? Or that life itself has changed so dramatically that it longer offers us a chance to face the heat and tan a little? Anyways, it is a scary thought that someone thinks I should have been married by now!! Gotto avoid social functions and weddings with vengeance now...never mind the yummy food at TipTop Plaza!! The fact that someone inquired if Dr. Shinde's elder daughter is up for marriage has petrified me to bits!
Very often I have questioned myself as a person. Doubted myself, criticized myself and relaxed only after I found a few hundred faults in me. But I never took time to actually think nice things about me...criticizing oneself comes so easy, treasuring oneself is so rare.
Watching Jab We Met right now, Geet’s “Main apni Favourite hoon!” somehow touched me. It takes a lot to be one’s Best Friend...but you would never be alone once you are friends with yourself.
So, here it is...I m gonna jot down 5 things that I absolutely adore about myself. Will try to keep the CV points off this list..though might be a little hard to resist the temptation of writing 1st prize in Kalavikas Mandal’s English Elocution in 3rd standard..I still adore myself for that, but will try to keep this as genuine as possible.
1.Being my expressive self
I cry at the drop of hat, talk loudly when I am excited and yell when I am pissed. Although this has been the reason for many a public embarrassments for my family and friends, I still adore that fact that I never put on a garb of diplomacy, societal etiquette or even the tag of being ‘mature’ to hide my true feelings.
Crying litres of tears in Chitra theatre when DJ and Sukhi die in RDB, talking so loudly in CCD that the guy on the next table is kind enough to offer me advice with my problems have been a few incidents to my credit. Kya karein, control hi nahi hota yaar!! :D
2.Being the risk-taker that I am
I thrive on the adrenaline rush that unknown situations present me with. Taking up French when my entire gang of girlfriends took Sanskrit in 8th std meant having to spent the most crucial years of school life – the higher secondary years, in finding new friends, adjusting to them and yet making those years memorable without letting old ties go loose. And I did that. Quite inadvertently. And I am proud of that.
3.Getting along with one and all
Now this trait is something I am terribly proud of...whether its my friends’ moms and dads or even grandparents or complete strangers that I met online or in journeys, I have this knack of striking a conversation that lead to well-meaning friendships. Of course, the chatterbox that I am, once I am friends with someone, they have to make special efforts to be heard or to have their say.
4.Getting bored easily
I simply can’t keep doing the same thing over and over again! That should explain the Pharma to Management leap. In fact it also explains Bharatnatyam, singing, dramatics, swimming, trekking, cooking, reading, writing, sports and blogging! No, not a quitter if that’s what you are thinking but yes, definitely someone who has an eye for adventure and seeks new horizons.
Yes, badly want to get back to Bharatnatyam though! :(
5.The decision-maker
I am blessed with parents who always thought I was old enough to take my decisions ever since I was five. It may sound scary now but back then it was the most natural thing for me to decide which dress I wanted to buy or what I should order in a restaurant. 11th std Ruia College, UDCT for Pharma and MICA for MBA were all my decisions. My parents had an opinion but were never the decision-makers. Hell, my dad even raised an alarm when he came to know that I am going to a B-school named after a mineral ore but I guess it was too late as his daughter had decided she had a mind of her own.
Ok! I know the bargain was for only 5 things that I like about myself but me being so adorable, I can’t help but write a 6th one too.
6. I like love the fact that I am very, very lucky!!
How many people in this world can boast of having won a SONY music system and MARUTI 800 car in the lucky draw of a TV show? Well, I can :) How many people can explain admissions to prestigious institutes after having bought the form in the last hour of the last day of form distribution? Yes, you are right, I can :) How can one explain the return of a folder full of ORIGINAL certificates earned till date that was horribly forgotten in the train? Well, yours truly can. This list is endless, so let me just say that maybe, just maybe I am one of Lady Luck’s favourite child :)
Done!! So now I pass this tag on to 5 people..who have to shake off their boredom, get their lazy bums in front of the computer and finish this tag for themselves. Do it for yourself guys..thinking good things about yourself doesn’t really hurt.
Here is the list:
Siddhesh – coz I don’t know you much, so this could be a good start and because you appear as a very private person.
Viraj – coz I know you well, but would like to see how well you know yourself.
Abhijit – coz I knew you well once upon a time, but would like to see how you have/have not changed in these few years.
KK – coz I always feel I don’t know you well enough.
Aditi – coz I find something amazing about you each time I read you blog/talk to you; just wanna know which of those amazing things mean the most to you.
P.S: A tag means that the ones tagged have to write a post on their blogs on the same topic ie..they have to write what are the 5 things they like about themselves. I hope its clear now!!
THE GOOD: The much-awaited Yahoo! goodies have finally made an appearance. A Yahoo! bag, a few Purple pens and a Yahoo! diary. Do not question my mental state, yes, any free stuff still excites me enough to blog about it! The best one so far - My very own, very first Business Card!! Two boxful of them!! The joy of seeing my name on a company card (ahem, a c/o with great brand equity, if I may add) was incomparable. Some higher intelligence tells me that more than clients, its my relatives who are gonna see more of those of cards.
THE BAD: In other news, life has become mechanical. Get up, get dressed, go to work, work, come home, have dinner, sleep - are the only commands running my life these days. To add to it, weekends are even worse. Any suggestions for getting back some fun?
THE UGLY: This is very difficult for me to put in words. Last week saw the end of a 2 year relationship that I was in..tears, memories and broken hearts..the whole gamut of emotions to add to it - anger, hatred, dejection, sympathy, love and loads of numbness.
Friends are our greatest support system - I realised once again. What needs to be realised is 'I am my own best friend!' :|
Its been 3 days and I am glad to say that I have survived well. Yahoo! India decided to adopt me for a summer and no hell broke loose over them (as yet!) God bless them :)
So now begins the first corporate experience of my life. It feels weird (Okay, lemme admit everything is mostly 'wonderful' or 'weird' for me...every new experience being weird and its pleasant repetition being wonderful, once in a while there are also these 'wretched' moments, but its wonderful to be able to describe life in 3 Ws :P )
Okay so this is where I become my immodest self and begin to show off. The office is at Andheri MIDC. Crappy area if you ask me. Too much travel from my place. But then again, my place is far from almost every other place on the planet with the sole exception of Mulund :P
But the office is damn cute. Pretty neat. The decor plays with the basic theme of Yahoo! Purple giving this place a vibrant look. Hierarchy in ranks is almost invisible in the seating arrangement..an example of this being me and the other intern are to the right and left of my boss!! The only downside to this being my restricted usage of Gtalk during office hours. Not that it is blocked, and one can always find me online all day long, but a little loyalty must be shown towards that one benevolent company who employed you during recession na?;) But otherwise, there is full on freedom in terms of work...the boss is really keen on us learning new stuff on the job and delegates responsibility only after our approval. He's actually a sweetheart. One of those really goodlooking Gujju guys who happen to be good-natured too. (No, I am not typing this coz he's looking at my laptop screen :P)
Food is good. There is this sweet canteen boy Tarun (who btw has 3 years work-ex here, more than most of the employees) who asks if you need breakfast, juice/tea, snacks more frequently and sweetly than your own mom. More importantly, its all free :) Today I had chicken and I am still burping happily, not that you asked.
Aah! Now the most boring topic..Work! Well thats the best thing about it..its not boring!! Well, today it slightly is..coz my cute boss is out of town and I am jobless. He basically wanted us interns to get acclimatized to the place, the systems and different processes. I read that as a day full of blogging, chatting, making farzi questionnaires and excel sheets and acting impossibly busy doing that :D
Oh! You can even play music loudly..but social decency has prevented yours truly from taking that step..but yeah, the above has been approved..nay, infact suggested by the boss :)
As for me, I am still my lukkhi self albeit for one big difference! Within first 2 days itself I have understood the importance of formal behaviour at workplace, something that my friend Kaustubh has been trying to knock in my teeny-meeny brain for past 2 years :P I still dont quite agree with the strict discpline that he advocates but yeah, I do kinda get that one needs to behave differently at the workplace.
This summer, the concept of 'vacation' has been twisted 180 degrees and I am made to work instead of getting up late, watching movies, having good food and lazying around. Wait a minute, didnt I do just that for a year at MICA? :P This new routine of getting up early, dressing up in formal wear, leaving home on time to be in office on time, spending the day in learning some fundoo stuff and going home tired (err..tired due to travelling, not work) and being served hot dinner by a mother who lovingly thinks that her daughter is the most hard-working employee at Yahoo!, is actually a welcome change from my earlier life :)
I hope I dont get too used to this life coz MICA is awaiting to spoil me all over again. But till then, I am gonna enjoy this till it lasts. I hope it is a 'great learning experience':D
Oh btw, I have: My own desk (waiting to be personalised) A new lappie (provided by office) A direct phone line A business card (yet to be received)
..Simple perks of being one of the Y!Purple people :D
For all those who care, I have moved on to a new blog 'Katha Collage' and hence the reason for inactivity here. Vedyancha baazaar still continues in my life, just trying to weave a collage of stories outta them. If you ever enjoyed reading my posts here...do visit Katha Collage (I am perfectly aware of my non-existent loyal readers, and you, random surfer are welcome too :))
Jinxie's status msg made me all senti :( It just said it all..'Its a bittersweet symphony'. Losing some dear friends, unsure of when shall I meet my Amaltas gang again and the realisation that one year of MICA is done with!! Too much this lil' brain of mine :( My room is a mess, bags and cartons strewn around. All my stuff lies around lazily waiting for me to pick them up. A WAC assignment is pending but what the heck! I will be leaving this campus in exactly 12 hours to come back after 3 months. But I shall be leaving behind my Amaltas gang forever.
Venu - I will miss his nakhras and witty one-liners. His simplicity and and expectation-less friendship..our late night walks, my junk food binges at midnight and mostly the fights! :P That Panda's assignment he did for me, the Puja decoration I did for him...Oh, how could I forget the ultimate torchure for him...Ranking the companies for my placements!! He laughed at my immaturity and I, at his senility :P (I mean, Paisa is imp for a lil' girl like me :D) It was this friendship with Venu which got me to know the rest of the gang.
Yajant - the righteous. the mature. The caring, responsible, hardworking backbone of MCSA, who does the work quietly and shies away from limelight. he s one of the much loved and respected guys on campus. The football and baddy champ! Ha thike na, ke IIM -A won all the matches agianst MICA, but Yajant you are still one of the best football players for me. The mindless flirting we shared, the unsaid understanding when someone trusts you and lets you be a part of their gang...thanks Yajant for all that. and yes, I still want to be introduced to your super-cool, army man, sports champ brother ;)
Pranav - yeh banda bada hi cool hai. I have never seen him hassled. Ekdum barf hai! Kuch bhi tension ho...assignments, placements, aive hi crib maarni ho toh this is your guy - and he has the same solution for every problem, 'Bas yaar, chill maar!' :) Level headed and mature - his room is the ultimate hangout place for everyone - esp Counter-strikers. During my placements he caught me a few times, when I had the expression of 'Doomsday today!!' and sat me down to give me a pep talk.
Mudili - yeh banda God hai MICA ka..log inki pooja karte hai. enuff said :P Ok so here are few words to describe him - From the land of Rajnikant. Awesome disco dancer. His pelvic thrusts a la Mithunda have made the college crazzy!! Plays baddy really well, par mujhse court pe bhagne ke expectations rakhta hai (lolzz..) aur haar gaya toh bhadakta hai!! :X This guy certainly doesnt like losing! Dance, baddy and MR ka bada bhakt hai Mudili. A simple guy with loads of conviction!!
Faizee - His bike Quicksilver is the love of his life (atleast currently!)..He even keeps a birthday party for the bike with guests and cake n all! Met with a serious accident and half the girls in Parijat lost their sleep ;) But the way he overcame it..with an ever-smiling face and a super-cool mom, is really commendable. and just when you thought he can finally walk, he outperforms himself by riding a bike!! :X But his face said it all...a child was given back his favourite toy and is beaming with happiness!
Varun P Singh - The eternal flirt. Yeh banda har ladki se flirt kar sakta hai..faculty ya student. PGP1 ya PGP2..ok, PGP1 mein itni daal nahi gali teri...par koi nai, main hun naa ;) Mana ki kafi talented hai, par kabhi kaam karte dekha nahi maine ise. Padhai jaisi fizul ki cheezon main P Singh apna time waste nahi karte. MICA me yeh sirf khel-kud ke liye aaye and yes, he has excelled too.. The other best football player as well as TT champ. (The last I heard isne Basu ko haraya! yay!! :D) Varun has always helped me whenver I asked. He is someone who is always there for his friends.
Pooj Bhatter - And Finally!! Last and definitely not the least. The one person who took away the honour of being 'My Favourite Senior' !! The only gurl in this Amaltas gang, she takes the cake in having the right attitude and gentleness. she cares for the guys like no one else. She scolds, cribs, complaints and mostly yells at ultra-sonic pitch!! :P U just cant help but get used to her non-stop banter. She adopted me during MICANVAS when I lodged at her room. The late night chats, the sweet sharing of stories and the peals of laughter at some really silly joke, brought me and Pooja closer (err..as friends!) We share the same heart-throb - Nikhil Khoda ..and I know Pooja just went 'Hayye!!' on reading this :P A creative soul in more than one ways..Pooja was the reason I enjoyed MICA parties soo much. Dancing with the gang wouldnt have been half the fun, if it werent for Pooja!
Time now: 9.13
I dont believe I have been typing this for almost one hour..but just one hour for all those gushing memories of one entire year? :( I am so glad I met you guys..you taught me what magic a lil' fun, faith and friendship can make :)
This post was written over a span of 2 months. Very soon (in fact too soon) PGP1 would come to an end and so would my stay at my current abode. New academic year would see me in a new residence too. Losing something has never been easy for me :| For all those who say ki hi kashavarhi senti hote...well, you may stop here. Thank you very much for stopping by.
************* weird. Weird. WEIRD. That's exactly how I feel right now. Reclining on my two pillows (pink and red) at almost 145 degrees with a laptop on my tummy, my favourite rajai on top of me and my teddy bear by my side, it feels weird to write about something that one is going to lose very soon.
Last 2 weeks left and then I bid adieu to this haven that has been my home for almost a year. Room 5, Parijat Hostel. Yes, that same ground floor room whose door is so conveniently hidden behind a pillar. Standing at my door, I can see the entire hostel, even beyond straight till Amaltas without anyone knowing :)
There are very few things in our lives that make us their own from the very beginning. Parijat Paanch was one of them. A love at first sight..a relationship waiting to happen. Although I shared it with another Homo sapien, my bond with my side of the room will always remain special. My corner, my bed, my side of window, the view it offered, the one rare occasion when there was a pair of peacocks outside my window, my white wall, my table-chair-cupboard...everything!! :) For the first time, I felt responsible for something. Small small things mattered. Was my table cluttered? Are there cob-webs in the corner of the room? Is it time to change the mattress or can I go on for one more week?
I was playing my mom's role. It just happened naturally. Without being conscious about it, I was dusting, cleaning, re-arranging, de-cluttering stuff. And man, did it feel good!! I never thought I would say this but re-arranging the cupboard with some soft music in the background is the best stressbuster ever!! Now that I think of it this all seems like a grown-up simulated version of 'Ghar-ghar' that girls so commonly play in their childhood :P Parijat Paanch comforted me in hard times..saw me through my 'phases'..my rare ups and the deplorable downs. The comforting bed and my all the more comforting rajai..I rarely missed home; such was Parijat Paanch to me. My neatly arranged study table, books stacked up to the left with my ceramic momentoes in the centre..4 of them..a Ganpati Bappa idol, a cute lil' kid with a ' My Best Friend' sign, a ceramic clock which looks like a toy-house and ceramic gift box with flowers inside and a heart that says 'Together Forever'. I know..too mushy. But I love them all :) Of all the wonderful memories of PGP 1 at MICA, the times spent in Parijat Paanch would be one of the closest. These times...like the one today..the ones I spend with myself. The solitude in this room never for once made me feel lonely. We both embraced each other, shared silly moments together...you know ones, when no one's around to watch you and you are your realest self. I believe that its only your solitude that knows you the best..the way you really are..when you have thrown away the garb of pretence and the facade of being someone you aren't.
Parijat Paanch would always stir up unforgettable emotions in me. Of happiness. A tinge of sadness. Possession. Ownership. Responsibility. Motherly feelings. Of being a kid returning home after a hard day at school. Of taking care and been taken care.
To the times spent lazing and ceiling-gazing To all the movies of which I lost count To reading books before sleeping and sleeping with lights on To snuggling inside my rajai on cold winter mornings To those silly times of hiding inside the rajai and making STD calls To waking up to a sleepy hostel..and sleeping again To bunking classes and choosing my comfortable bed over education To late-night assignments and submissions To the tradition of marroing nights before exams To friends coming over bed-crashing and not leaving for a long long time To the laughter, to the tears, to my tantrums and my fears...
Cheers, Parijat Paanch...Hope you never forget me and keep embracing all those who find a home in you :)
With lots of love and a bundle of memories, Rutuja (Batch of 2008-2010)
