Wednesday, February 21, 2007

REMEMBERING A YEAR GONE BY

Had written this article after completing a year in my first and current job!! Hope it makes for a good read!!

“Aankhon mein sapne liye, ghar se hum chal to diye; Jaane ye raahe ab le jaayengi kaha…” - opening lines of the song “Tanha Dil” by Shaan


A little more than a year ago when I stepped out of my home and boarded the train to Mumbai from Kolkata, unknown to myself I was singing this song. A few days later as I stepped into the office of Mastek, as programmer trainee, I was again reminded of this song. That day, the 15th of September, 2005, I was taking my first steps into the corporate world. As I stepped into the training room, I saw 19 more faces all having a mix of apprehension, fear and joy written over their face. For a moment I was transported back to my first day at college the atmosphere was the same, only the stage was different. And the song seemed to be so true!!

This band of 20 youngsters, came be known as “Amigos” in due course of time. And true to their name, they are a group of Amigos. The first few days were spent in knowing each other, forming bonds unknowingly; knitting together a yarn of memories which we would yearn for later on. I still remember the first day when we had to introduce ourselves; it had to be in a group and each group with its own style. The next day, was when we had go through another round of introduction, but with a twist. We had to introduce someone else, and not ourselves!! That session saw, people coming up with really brilliant ideas defining the other person’s likes, dislikes, abilities, hobbies. Some names too were mispronounced. But we came to know each other well. Amidst a whole lot of jest and fun, we started our days of training. As a month flew by, our first evaluations turned up. The tension in the air can only be imagined. People working nights to provide finishing touches to their projects, while some where providing the weirdest data possible (e.g. “Om Shri Ganeshaya Namah!!”) in the hope that their applications worked. Finally the evaluations were done with, and the Amigos were ready to move in for fun at top gear. And thus continued a life akin to the one led a few months back.

Time, rolled by and one day the news of batch split up came along. Saddening though it was for us, we took it in our best spirits. Half of us were sent off to Mumbai and the rest to stay back in Pune. The training days though were not over yet, still two more months to go. The journey continued!! Gradually we were being exposed to the demands of the industry we were now a member of. The transition process was in place since the first day, but now it was more pronounced. As training drew to a close, we were now gripped with the fact of placement in a project. Still, the spirit remained. Months have gone by, all of us are now in their respective projects; the group lunches hardly take place now – some are at Pune, some at Mahape, and some at SEEPZ but at our heart we remain what we were all along – “Amigos”.

Those are the days I personally would love to relive again and again. Every day is still fresh in the mind, but I’m afraid cannot be put to words. They are memories to be cherished and to be browsed through whenever we want to feel the presence of the other 19. The journey has been a memorable one for Amigos, a journey that gifted us friends for life and memories to cherish forever.

Have I said everything? I’m afraid no. A lot still remains to be said, rather hardly has anything been mentioned here, but then let that be for someone’s autobiography, if ever one comes along. Till then…….

Adios

Sumit

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