A reminiscence of the good times…

It’s been a long time that I have done some justice to this blogspot. Though I have quite a good issues in my mind to pen down my thoughts on, I feel people around me, who made the last few weeks memorable in every way, deserve a few lines for them & the associated events.

To start with, my mom had come over for two weeks so that I can concentrate on my CPIM Paper II exam on 23rd September. The first week of her stay reminded me of the preparation leave during good old engineering days back in Mumbai; when I used to frequently doze off reading & mom would regularly wake me up. The saga continued over again, with me taking solace in sleep & mom coming over & pulling me out of the slumber. God knows what would have happened if she wouldn’t have come over. Thanks Mom, for always being when I needed you most.

After the exams, it was more of leisure, with me rushing home after work, to take mom to various places around in Hyderabad. Most interesting place being Chilkoor Balaji – often referred to as Visa Mandir! God, what’s this world come to!!

Amidst the visits to places nearby, my mom managed to host a small dinner (though I would still cling to calling it snacks) for the office colleagues with whom I spend most of the time. Here’s a thankful tribute to each of them for being as sweet, as all of them are:

Starting with the youngest attendee:
Anika: Arti & Rajeev’s 6 month old daughter made it a point to attend (accompanied with her parents, of course!) The best part of her presence was that she actively participated in the get to gather by being silent (paradoxically speaking) & smiling throughout the evening, except that she used to cry when I tried to play with her. Alas!

& now the attendees listed randomly:

Bhavna: Hmmm, the obvious target for pranksters like me & Ashish; she made it to be there, though she had a bus to catch up to Bangalore. Always needs to be emotionally threatened to ensure her presence in such gatherings. Best part of her being that she’s always around to discuss anything, be it anything as stupid as working in JDA, or as serious as holidaying during Diwali & if not such discussions, then she’s always around to argue with me over silly things of life…

Suma: The dimpled smile “SCRUM Master” in my office. Though a bit silent kinds, she always laughs cheerfully at the jokes cracked. Many a times, I have observed her go into deep thoughts of oblivion & when I disturb her enquiring as to what was churning in (or out of) her mind, she would often reply back “Nothing, just thinking about (Master Planning) Code”. Now that’s what I call as a committed team leader. Keep smiling babe…

Gopi: Aah, the guy who always reminds me of “Wally” of Dilbert comic fame. The guy whose always worried about being a test engineer & even on such casual events; he does not misses an opportunity to talk about his desires of moving to play role of Business Analyst or a SCM consultant in any company…

Jyoti: Hmmm, Bhavna’s hostel-mate whose being a pal around with all of us, though she’s not working in the same company. The first (& only, till date!) girl to ever sit with me on bike; one has to tickle her rib bone to hear her laugh from her heart. Still remember the first time I had seen her smile, when I met her for first time near Hyderabad Central…

Rajeev: A friend, philosopher & guide for me (& almost all of us); the seen it all, done it all guy, he’s always been around with his friendly advices & sharing jokes over lunch everyday. Based on his gesture of taking care of Arti, m sure he must be a very caring hubby & father. Always a fan of you, buddy…

Arti: That’s Mrs. Rajeev, another lady who’s gelled so well with all of us, & so soon. Coincidentally, me & her share the same birthday – 18th August. She is so amicable that she started helping my mom fry some ‘puri’s’. Hats off to you, Bhabhi…

Amit: That’s Kanjibhai for all of us. The first Gujju whom I met (accidentally though) in Hyderabad. He would rarely talk anything except stocks; & despite of the heavy work pressure he’s experiencing, he made it a point to dine with all of us. Keep up dude…

Ashish: One of my closest buddies in Hyderabad, he’s always around when needed most & always been the guy to bear all my thoughtless talks. As for Hyderabad, I guess I have had most of the good times with him & of course, he reminds me of “The Great Mango Fall” in Coorg…

Sonia: Hmmm, she’s the receptionist of my company & it’s her smile everyday that gears up everyone stepping out of the elevator on our office floor. Initially, I used to consider her as a kid by heart but considering the time’s she’s passing through, it requires a great mental strength to be as bubbly as she’s is always…(& she’s going to go wild for including her name so later in the list!)

Pankaj: That’s my roomie. The second guy I got to know, when I was new to Hyderabad. Amazingly, we – that’s me, Rahul (our earlier roomie) & Pankaj – got along so well with each other that last 10 months passed like a swift of time. Well, that’s what a good sign of having great people around is…

Rohit (Tuli): That’s also my roomie. Though he’s joined in just recently, I feel like I know him since quite a long time. Probably that’s due to he’s got mixed into our way of things so fast, that we never realized that he’s been with us for less than a month. Good Luck dude for your preparations...

Rushikesh: Aah, he’s a “Guru” for me & academically the most educated roomie we have. He also joined in just recently with Rohit & ditto as Rohit, he’s moved in with least of hassles. A Masters from IIT-Kanpur, he seems to omniscient of anything & everything related to Operation Research. & of course, what makes him great is he’s always there to share it with us…

Well, these are just a few of the great people I have met in Hyderabad. Hats off to all you guys & girls!

Cheers!!