Shekhar and other friends got placed

It was the most memorable day. I was returning to the room after my exam. It was a tedious TOM paper. Still I was in good mood because I had found it very easy and I was happy like a lark. As I neared the room, I saw Shekhar and Swapnil coming hand-in-hand. As they both were from Sakharwadi, they obviously had stuck to their phone calls like they were CEOs of a multinational company. In our hostel, there are some people who are from Sakharwadi who follow some serious behavioral dogma. Like they will attend at least 10 phone calls a day and will boast of it as they like people.I started walking with them. After Shekhar finished his phone call he had a beeeg smile on his face. I asked the reason. He said “ I got placed in Accenture.”  I had no words to congratulate him. After all , his dream had come true. Soon we came to our room.He said, “Shrikant had two-two options. Accenture and Infosys.”“And don’t say he chose Accenture out of them” I said with frowns on my forehead. “Hahaha of course he chose Accenture”, Shekhar said.“Whaat? But why did he leave Infy? It’s such a good company!” I said.“Ya I know but they make you work like you work on daily wages. And on the other hand, Accenture, which is a multi-national company and you have a good growth pattern there!” he said with an attitude like a veteran employee there.I was totally uncomprehended about the situation. I said ”ok I donno much of it”I said but I was still thinking of the salary package he got. It was 3 lakh bucks! Altogether! And my dearest friend was going to earn that. It was a strange feeling. I was still dreaming of it. Lucky guy!Swapnil said “oh, don’t you think you deserve a nice bump session right now. I know it would have been a great fun with all guys here like, Shrikant himself, Kalpit, Mayur and all. Come Pushkar. “He invited me and leaned forward and held his legs. Shekhar stood on his bed. Swapnil was still struggling for holding his legs together, till then I joined him and held Shekhar’s hands. He surrendered. A little snatch and he fell down on his bed. I and Swapnil fetched him on the floor. Swapnil held his legs while I held his hands together and we both lifted him up till his bumps were accessible and started kicking it hard. He yelled like anything. We all were having fun. I felt like capturing this video because after certain time I was going to miss this all. The guys were going to leave. I felt uneasy of the thought of being parted. It was totally unbearable.We left him there on the floor. And we all sat on our beds. Laughing and enjoying the moment. These two dear trustworthy bastards were going to leave after all. These three years of life were just unforgettable. All memories flashed in front of me. It all felt like yesterday we have met each other. It never felt like three long years! My friends with whom I lived this long were going to leave?  The bloody rascals with whom I used to fight over a plate of Maggie which used to be made of last ten rupees left in the pocket were leaving to earn in lacs? The friends who shared everything with me from clothes to toothpaste, hair oil, pen drives, laptops, bags… etc etc etc.. Were leaving as some industry professionals? Hey, this felt like crazy! “When are you going to join your jobs?” Swapnil was asking Shekhar.“Joining will be in September – November. And after that we’ll be having a training of six months. We’ll be getting only eight thousands for the training”“Eight thousands per month or eight thousands as a whole for eight months?” I interrupted him.Everybody laughed. Shekhar went on laughing and laughing and I found his eyes were wet.“Innocent question” he said and kept mum.I suddenly remembered an incidence. Once there was no money at all with anybody. We all were hungry. And there wasn’t any mess. All we could do was to go to a hotel and eat. But there was no money with anybody at all. Shrikant then went to landlord and borrowed some 200 rupees and we ate that day. I wiped my eyes. And even if we wanted to buy something to eat we bought bananas because only they came in good quantities in less amounts. There were lots lots of incidences like this. Like I borrowed 700 rupees from a teacher to fill up my exam form, Shekhar borrowed some 5000 rupees from shrikant to go to a trip with his friends. I remembered them all.  These all money problems were going to be solved finally.But it was getting difficult for me to get used to the idea of being parted. I repeat it never felt like 3 long years. Yesterday we had met each other and this one day had changed everything. Till yesterday it was different and from tomorrow onwards it was going to be different. There would not be any teasing, cracking cheap jokes, and hitting those Devdas dialogues at each other. There would not to be such a trustworthy place to open each and every secret. There wouldn’t be any last-10-rupees-left-and-what-to-buy-of-it discussions. There wouldn’t be any Chiwda or Maggie Daawat. There were thousands of such things-to-be-missed. I remember the day when I first met all these guys and shared a formal smile. We never had thought the things will come up to this point. I felt a lump in my throat.Still there are 6 months for that acrimonious moment when those bastards will come and say- “time to go man….”

Stolen...

August  08 2011.

Well it was just an atrocious moment for me. I was standing dumbfounded on the swargate bus stop and my mind wasn’t ready enough to accept that I had lost my phone-yes-the-gifted-one by atya and mama worth Rs. 7200/- 3G handset!

I could not believe even I can undergo such an embarrassing incidence in my life. I blamed myself for asking for such a costly toy to atya-mama. They were going to be prejudiced about me hereafter. What an annoying moment for them too!

But this incidence taught me so much of life. It was not the case that I was not going to be able to buy the same piece but the piece mama had gifted was much more to me. There would not be any affection behind the piece which I would buy.

I learned so many things from this incidence. May be they will appear so-philosophical but they are for me.

First thing, things happen in just a moment. You JUST can’t control them. You CANNOT. Just a flash, gone and gone-is-gone. Howsoever you think on it, analyze it, it won’t come back. First time in life I felt I lost something forever. Like there was no replacement for it. The pain it caused was unbearable.

Second thing, I had a cut-throat quarrel with Shekhar, my dearest friend alive on earth, on the same day I lost my phone. I didn’t know why but I was being very eccentric those days. I had lost complete interest with people around me. I would sometimes insult him without any reason; sometimes beat him till he gets hurt. But he hardly uttered any word. But when I lost my phone, I went to him started crying like a baby, he held me near. He was trying to cajole me! I could not believe. A friend, whom I had slapped tightly in the afternoon, was sitting beside me in the evening and urging me to get down with the thoughts of self-blaming. He was suggesting me how I was supposed to face the incidence. This was a little thing but appeared too great that day with that mindset. This showed me the importance of people in my life. They had to be prior to material possessions in life. Always. However the situation was going to be.

Third thing, I used to underestimate the people. I always felt a grandeur using this high end Smartphone. I would boast the good things in my phone which others did lack in. I did not let anybody handle it. I had become over-possessive about the phone. But the time when I lost my phone their phone began to appear the great ones. I started realizing how futile my thoughts about my phone were. Everybody was using the phone their parents could afford. So in nutshell, never underestimate people. God will show you the both- a high tide and a low tide. Don’t be outrageously possessive when you have everything. Who knows, next day you will be out in sunshine but the people you feel at lower level than you would be having at least their huts to hide?

Fourth thing, never ever be apart from your family. It was atya- mama , snehal. Kalpit, and bai only who dragged me out of this melancholy. It was unbelievable when mama, who gifted me that phone, was assuring me to get the new one on the same day I lost it! So always confine to your family. Never even think to be apart from them. Be loyal to them. Remember, YOU OWE THEM TO BE WITH THEM.

The last and fifth thing, everything is impermanent. Nothing will follow you till the end. You are going to lose everything on one fine day. Yes- “everything”. So don’t take a long while to mend your heart. Leave the things at their place & move on with the life, wherever it takes you. And why- you are going to lose yourself one day, right? So don’t keep mourning for the things. Move on with the life. JUST MOVE ON!!!

A Sunday Evening...

Sunday, September 18, 2011.

 

I sometimes wonder why these Sunday evenings have to be so tedious. Feeling neurotic. All the melancholic memories resurface every time I witness a lonesome Sunday evening.

I remembered somebody’s saying, ” You don’t matter for me.”

“Maybe that’s why you wanted me to know that I don’t matter for you.” – My reply was followed by a thudding sound. Really, these earpieces of landline phones suffer a lot.

I look out of the window. I see mountain silhouettes glistening in silvery sunshine. Soon the ambience becomes vivid and starts coloring my mind too. The horizon is set alight by the time…

I found my cell phone was ringing when the thoughts about my incomplete assignments started horrifying me. It was Tushar talking about the same. Assignments. I felt little relaxed when he declared he did none of the assignments. And I felt little more soothing when I was in canteen with an amusing taste of sweet, milky tea.

To elevate the mood, I called up bai and asked how everyone at home was doing. Till I got back into pace, boys called me up and again I landed in the canteen. Relishing tasty pakodas prove one of the best anti-depressants. And being with friends proves one the best self-actualizing technique.

So that was it. The story of a Sunday.