Friends, they say, are for life... Time can move on, friendship may evolve but what has been shared will always remain with you... I have been thinking... from quite some days about the people that I have come across all these years. There have been mere acquaintances, team mates, friends, good friends, confidantes, best of friends and the classification can go on per se... Why categorise in mental slots when the essence is the same? Finally, what matters the most is that I met them in different walks of life! And in turn, they influenced my thinking in more than one ways. Either through academic reasons, professional involvement, task co-ordination or sharing thoughts on similar plane they gave me a different dimension altogether.
I must admit here that I had been a recluse in my school days; which improved in higher secondary to some extent though but not truly as I wanted it to. When I look back, I don't see any reasons why I should have been that way. May be, it had to do with latent confidence level, poor stage participation or general out-of-the group feeling. I had few classmates in school who went on to become very good friends over the years and have continued to be so. Life moved on and I joined St. Xavier's College; we were a petit clique of 18 folks in Computer Science class. I can rightly say that these were my formative years in which I truly discovered myself. Great pals, conducive and creative environment, ample of scope for self-improvement and generally carefree days is all I would sum it up...Some of the lecturers were also supportive for bearing all the gimmicks that we did in the class... giggles among the all-girls group, non-attentiveness of first-benchers (I wonder how our folks managed it :P), entering class when just 15 minutes would remain for the lecture to end(unimaginable) and so on... Plus Points, our annual days were so much fun with creative activities at its peak. For me, breaking through the shell which I myself had woven around me all these years was a bit difficult initially; but with positive vibes around I finally found my vocation and true self. We had lot of outings together, canteen discussions, just out-of-the-lab chatter and truly had a ball of time then. The college corridors, labs and classes had become more of a second home by the end of the graduating term. To this day, many of us have managed to stay in touch; Time has moved on and so have our lives. Many are now married blissfully, few blessed with kids but as close friends we can still reconnect from where we had left long before. I know, that each one of us is busy in the daily grind setting his/her priorities right; but isn't it wonderful to know that there do exist friends whom you can just call one fine day or meet and talk nothing or rather anything!
Following the effervescent college life, were the more professional Post-Graduation years, full three years which would define where we would lead in the career-front. They were more strenuous and the light banter of yesteryears was slowly replaced by the maturity of the adulthood. Now, it was more competetiveness and hopelessly called rat race which would sometimes get on the nerves. Coping with the reality and yet maintaining your sanity was the need of the hour. Friendship, yes, it was there again but of a different kind. It was of a give-and-take kind...more on the lines of "I need you, you need me!" (for sharing notes, lab sessions, etc). Somehow, we managed to get through the terms, few limping through, others excelling and still others somewhere in between the safer zones. Campus placements and job offers further streamlined us in different slots and to take new directions.
Now, corporate life is still a different ball game altogether. Till the time you are a fresher, its all fine to be in a delightful haven; being relatively new and liable to make mistakes. Your old colleagues, folks of same age-group are still hanging around and you feel at ease. But once that phase is passé, you are all on your own to deal with work-related pressures and individual assignments. There is no other go but to take charge of your own life. Professionally, I co-ordinated with some seniors who were great helping hands and shared their own experiences.. And then there were we who were struggling to get inured with the initial vagaries of IT life! Open culture in MNCs and first-name calling does break the ice that exist between hierarchy levels... There was bonding among team members over coffee breaks, lunches, team outings and other events. Whether it was working from home, late evenings or delivery deadlines, we would still squeeze some time for getting together in our cubicles and chatting non-significant things :). It is amazing how the little time you spend with people around you can help take the friendship forward. Cross-cultural interactions gives an exposure to different food habits and lifestyle patterns and gives a glimpse of lives that others lead. In a way, we live a slice of their lives through them!
Today, we have social networking sites, online discussion boards, chat messengers which have shrunk the world a lot. Suddenly, it seems as a small place altogether. Class-mates and colleagues who had departed due to geographical proximity or personal compulsions are now just a ping away. Great! It feels nice to know when people still remember you and reconnect. And so the chain continues...at every new juncture, you know you will get new friends who will add value to your living... Kudos to all those who came my way!
I must admit here that I had been a recluse in my school days; which improved in higher secondary to some extent though but not truly as I wanted it to. When I look back, I don't see any reasons why I should have been that way. May be, it had to do with latent confidence level, poor stage participation or general out-of-the group feeling. I had few classmates in school who went on to become very good friends over the years and have continued to be so. Life moved on and I joined St. Xavier's College; we were a petit clique of 18 folks in Computer Science class. I can rightly say that these were my formative years in which I truly discovered myself. Great pals, conducive and creative environment, ample of scope for self-improvement and generally carefree days is all I would sum it up...Some of the lecturers were also supportive for bearing all the gimmicks that we did in the class... giggles among the all-girls group, non-attentiveness of first-benchers (I wonder how our folks managed it :P), entering class when just 15 minutes would remain for the lecture to end(unimaginable) and so on... Plus Points, our annual days were so much fun with creative activities at its peak. For me, breaking through the shell which I myself had woven around me all these years was a bit difficult initially; but with positive vibes around I finally found my vocation and true self. We had lot of outings together, canteen discussions, just out-of-the-lab chatter and truly had a ball of time then. The college corridors, labs and classes had become more of a second home by the end of the graduating term. To this day, many of us have managed to stay in touch; Time has moved on and so have our lives. Many are now married blissfully, few blessed with kids but as close friends we can still reconnect from where we had left long before. I know, that each one of us is busy in the daily grind setting his/her priorities right; but isn't it wonderful to know that there do exist friends whom you can just call one fine day or meet and talk nothing or rather anything!
Following the effervescent college life, were the more professional Post-Graduation years, full three years which would define where we would lead in the career-front. They were more strenuous and the light banter of yesteryears was slowly replaced by the maturity of the adulthood. Now, it was more competetiveness and hopelessly called rat race which would sometimes get on the nerves. Coping with the reality and yet maintaining your sanity was the need of the hour. Friendship, yes, it was there again but of a different kind. It was of a give-and-take kind...more on the lines of "I need you, you need me!" (for sharing notes, lab sessions, etc). Somehow, we managed to get through the terms, few limping through, others excelling and still others somewhere in between the safer zones. Campus placements and job offers further streamlined us in different slots and to take new directions.
Now, corporate life is still a different ball game altogether. Till the time you are a fresher, its all fine to be in a delightful haven; being relatively new and liable to make mistakes. Your old colleagues, folks of same age-group are still hanging around and you feel at ease. But once that phase is passé, you are all on your own to deal with work-related pressures and individual assignments. There is no other go but to take charge of your own life. Professionally, I co-ordinated with some seniors who were great helping hands and shared their own experiences.. And then there were we who were struggling to get inured with the initial vagaries of IT life! Open culture in MNCs and first-name calling does break the ice that exist between hierarchy levels... There was bonding among team members over coffee breaks, lunches, team outings and other events. Whether it was working from home, late evenings or delivery deadlines, we would still squeeze some time for getting together in our cubicles and chatting non-significant things :). It is amazing how the little time you spend with people around you can help take the friendship forward. Cross-cultural interactions gives an exposure to different food habits and lifestyle patterns and gives a glimpse of lives that others lead. In a way, we live a slice of their lives through them!
Today, we have social networking sites, online discussion boards, chat messengers which have shrunk the world a lot. Suddenly, it seems as a small place altogether. Class-mates and colleagues who had departed due to geographical proximity or personal compulsions are now just a ping away. Great! It feels nice to know when people still remember you and reconnect. And so the chain continues...at every new juncture, you know you will get new friends who will add value to your living... Kudos to all those who came my way!
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