So it is that time of the year, when 'time' for a brief instance is not a continuum but rather jumps to a new start point as if resetting our lives. And as we usher into the next decade, it also marks a decade of me adventuring out of my home. From the cozy womb of my home to the hallowed portals of one lofty institution to another loftier institution to my dream career, the journey has been ebullient, enlightening, and exasperating all at once. What is to follow is a reminiscence of the indelible mark it has left on my fabric of life. (Looks like I have over indulged in hyperbole in the previous sentences. Well, that is me when I am free-flowing and just wanted to show some folks how much effort I or otherwise put to curtail my natural instincts.)
The day I left my native town to pursue college, it was the beginning of a life-long journey away from things that had defined my life till that time. And that thought was overwhelming. To add salt to the wound, the initial days in hostel did me no good either. For a boy physically and mentally corrupted by the luxuries of home nurturing, the prospect of being on my own in a hostel (that looked all but uninhabitable) was daunting. From having a room to all myself to only having a bed, from delicious food to unpalatable grub, from washing machine to washing hands, life was clearly miserable. But it parallely opened up a new world with a lot of exciting vistas. Far from the scrutinizing eyes of my parents and in the company of friends who were in sync with me, I realized why college was the much touted sanctum of fun. If there was something that I had in abundance it was the freedom to explore and interpret the world the way I wanted. College culturals, class trips, late night shows, and late-into-the-night chats, it was a new and addictive experience. And after many years of patient waiting I also had the chance to interact with the fairer sex.
But as freedom in the hands of a corrupt politician can spoil the nation, I too started feeling the toll. Academic performance became an inverse function of the college year. Lot of technical knowledge I gained, but they weren't compatible with grades. There was a huge chasm between what I had desired and what I achieved. With a heavy heart I scraped through to the institution on the other side of the road with a brief pit stop at an IT company.
The day I landed there I realized this place wasn't going to be easy. My passion for analog design had led me here, but initially it was difficult to stand up to it high standards as I had been on a long sabbatical from academics. My guide was a genius and a task master (inseparable traits!!!) and he made a nice ham of my lazy a**. But here again I found some in-sync guys who helped me in redeeming the academic loses I had suffered. I also started developing keen interest in world cinema, world politics, photography and even my external personality (something that I thought would never engage me). And off the campus I had regular bashes with my old buddies. Towards the end, life again became miserable sans accommodation, sans job and sans signs of passing out. Those were really dark days and I was just banking on time to pop an answer. And 'time' it came when I moved to a career in analog design and thats where I am right now after ten years.
The last decade had seen the world undergo a sea of changes and thats the case with me too. The things that define my life now are vastly off from what they were a decade ago. I have undergone subtle and drastic changes and my perspective of lot of things has changed. Memories are what make us laugh at things that made us cry and cry at things that made us laugh and I am full of it. It was a journey that I am completely happy I ventured into...
