A pilgrimage

Hyderabad is one of my favourite cities. Recently I made a four day trip. It evoked lot of fond memories, of times with friends and time  around with family. I had done most of my wedding shopping here. I had spent a very nice year just before marriage. But the main draw of the place is the Chilkur Balaji temple. 

I am not a very devout person. I believe God does stuff and He will do the needful. We need not coax Him, bargain with Him or bribe Him. But I had some desperate times in my first firm. I was unhappy on a lot of fronts and needed a change. That's when my close friend S told me about Chilkur Balaji. For people who are not familiar the deity is also called Visa Balaji for devotees get their visas approved upon visit to the temple! The concept of the temple is very simple. One needs to do 11 circumabulations of the temple when asking for a wish to be granted. Once the desire is fulfilled one needs to do 108 circumambulations (pradakshina). I am not a believer in such stuff. Once I tried to fast on a Shiv Ratri because there was an important cricket match and could not do it beyond 1300. One horror-scope errr horroscope dude had asked me to leave non vegetarian food on Sunday for some  problem and I was like go take a hike. So when my friend told me about the Chilkur temple I half heartedly gave it a 'shot'. Kinda like ' yeah bhi try kiya jaye'

When I entered the temple I could feel the positive vibes. I think that is the most important part of visiting a temple....to get a good positive feeling. People were going around the temple and chanting  Govinda which gave  goose bumps.  I did the 11 pradakshina and within a few days my desire for a change was fulfilled . Coincidence? Maybe. But I was a convert. 

The priests at the temple keep extolling that there is no special puja or darshan. All that is expected is chanting of Vishnu 's name and concentrating on Him. I feel it is a very rational expectation. If we feel God gave us something all we need to do is concentrate on Him and fill ourselves with good thoughts for the 2-3 hours that it takes to do the circumambulations. For the health oriented ones, it's good cardio ;) 

I had prayed to the God during some tough times. I don't even remember how many times I had prayed to Him. Per my estimate it was four. Since I am in India this was a chance to visit. My school friend Sam was also around which made it a double whammy. The first day we just went to just visit. Since there was no crowd I decided to do 108 pradakshina s. Chiyaa also did a few with me. She was skipping, running, jumping and doing all sorts of antics. She made the whole ritual so much more pleasant. The darshan was spectacular! We saw the deity from such close quarters. I have been to the temple many times but never seen Him from such close proximity. We had plans to visit the next day but because of a bit of mis-planning we were not able to make it. I visited the next two days and completed three out of four. The visits were splendid! There was no crowd and we viewed the deity from such proximity! The children were ultimately well behaved and though I had some doubts as to how they would be, He took care of them. 

I also noticed the popularity of the deity. There was a sardarji doing pradakshina. I heard Odia, Bengali and Gujrati in the crowd. There were people on wheelchairs and babies in prams. The feel, the vibe, the aura was surreal. And in typical Indian style the driver who ferried us everyday was a guy called Shaik! Talk about  secularism :) Indians live it.

A fantastic four days filled with piety and of course some shopping ;) My mother and shopping gp hand in hand! ;) I have a few more prayers..... Here is hoping I get to visit Him soon!

Mixed emotions

The last couple of days have been full of ups and downs. Literally they been like a wave diagram as it used to be in the class VIII Physics text books.

Last Friday, the 27th of Feb, I was all agog to venture on my trip home. Thursday was a bit of a spoiler cos mil had to go sil s place, since she was needed there. I was a bit worried since the duration of her stay out there was unsure, and I was a bit concerned for K, cos without any one to give him his daily grub, he would get very very negligent of his food. And that was the last thing I wanted keeping his busy schedule in mind. But then I was reassured by K again and again, that he would take care of himself and I would do good to take a chill pill and stop worrying about him.

After that lengthy sermon from him, I was rest assured. And I was back in my pepped up spirits on Friday. But then, I happened to loose my cell phone on the way back from the gym. The Sony Ericsson W580i which I loved to hate - that phone worth 10K + , that phone which was nearly indispensable for me slipped somewhere and I lost it. I sobbed my heart out and I was more shaken because I was travelling that very day. I had to coordinate stuff with so many folks, the call taxi, a friend I was planning to meet up that day, the folks I intended to catch up with when I was at Hyd, etc etc. I got on with work as soon as I reached home, got searching signatures of people in emails and took down their numbers and called as many as possible from the landline. I even went and registered a complaint at the local police station, boy I summoned some amount of guts for that.

The onward journey to Hyderbad was very pleasurable since the co passengers of mine were very friendly. One happened to be from Mumbai, one from Gujrat, one from Bihar, one passenger from Haryana, another person from Kerala, I was from Orissa and finally there was a couple from Andhra Pradesh who seemed more like conjoined twins to me ;) So this band of Bharatwasis were on analysing every place of India, lifestyles of different parts, culture, food, politics and anything else that we could think of. After a really long time, I had a pleasurable trip in the train, where we actually were so pally. I will always remember this train trip as one of my most pleasurable ones. And finally Sh hugging me as soon as I alighted at the Secunderabad Railway station made me feel - I have reached the place which I connect with.

That day we did not venture out much, thanks to the enervating heat and I not being able to contact most folks. The day was spent leisurely, making gobi parathas and ginger tea, chatting about home and work, playing agony aunty and my friends being all questions about my new life. It was really humbling to learn, how even after close to a year, my friends still talk about me and kinda miss me. When Sh said, "Amrita has come here but I feel at home now " nearly brought tears in my eyes. And A as usual bore the brunt of Sh and my jokes in her usual sportive self. God bless you both sweethearts and hope your troubles go away Sh. And you both owe me a trip to Chennai.


The next day had my mom and I making a trip to the Chilkur Balaji temple, and preparation of a wholesome Oriya meal for lunch and then off to the airport for the onward trip to Bhubaneswar. Reaching Bhubaneswar, I was happy on one hand to see my folks, but then I was missing Hyd and my friends and was also feeling a bit anxious for K. A whole topsy turvy trip full of mixed emotions :S

Will miss you...

This is the last post from this lovely city .
Every time I think about leaving Hyderabad in a few days I get the shivers. And today morning the feeling was especially strong. I some how did not want to go away from here.
But some things should be done and there is no option.
But before I move this post goes out to all the wonderful people who made my stay all the more pleasing, fulfilling and enriching.

Sw :- My old room mate from Calcutta and close friend, never thought I would get a chance to meet her up for such a long time. But then, some things are destined. She has been the companion for innumerable shop-capades and general loitering around the city. Being well versed in the ins and outs of the city, shes been lovely company through and through. On top of that, shes been a counselor in times of need. A true friend whom I call hunny.

Sh :- Roomie dear. Fellow Sagi. Awesome company for any fun filled activity. Agony aunt in case you need solace. Companion for the morning walks. Some one whom I had an instant connection with.

Su :- First friend at my current firm. Little did I know this nonchalant guy sitting next to me during the initial induction sessions would turn out to be a close friend in a such a short period of time. He has always been there as a concerned friend in the office full of colleagues.

H :- Lunch mate with a child like disposition. Shes a kid at heart who has been crest fallen ever since I took the leave for my wedding. Shes reiterated it n+1 number of times that she is going to miss me like hell.

A :- My flat mate. Incessant talker. Can go on and on talking that I have to tell her to keep quiet and go to sleep please. Yesterday also it was till late night that we were chatting with each other till pretty late at night. Argumentative to the core I have had some rather entertaining sessions with her.

G :- G the dino. Friend of K who in turn became a good friend of mine. We have a silent competition as to who comes first in wishing the other over Gtalk. May be the first geek with whom I don t mind having coffee with :D

Ne/J/M :- Partners in crime when it comes to jumping over the tracks to catch the train from office. Ne is the silent devil. From the outside no one can fathom his mischievous self. But talk to him and mischief drips from his seemingly innocuous jokes and satires. J is the Josh machine, another non stop talker who beats A hands down when it comes to talking. M is the on track queen who has a never give up attitude when it comes to chasing the trains.

P :- My mentee from the the school where I go for the mentorship program from my firm every Saturday. I am going to miss her a lot.

Ma :- Silent sensitive guy from the mentorship program who used to drop me off from the school at home. Always full of nice practical suggestions and a person with whom its very easy to converse. Somehow seems a store house of practical information to me.

Ni :- The lead of the mentorship program. Eternal nag. Very persistent. And a person committed to the core.

All these wonderful people and many many more made my stay here brilliant. I guess God wanted this stay to be short and sweet. As I get jitters about my new life in Chennai, I hope I meet you people soon and keep bumping into you all again and again. And also that I get such wonderful people in future too.

Right time to go?

Well today was a bright sunny day. Morning I had to go out some where for a couple of chores with my room mate. Generally I get to office by 11:30 in the morning, for which I start from home at around 10:30. But today my room mate and I stepped out of the house at 10 and went ahead to the place where we had to get some bills etc done.

The morning was nice and pleasant. Though it was very bright, it was nt hot. It was just the perfect kinda morning which makes a spring season. Yea January is too early to have spring, but then, who has control over weather.
And as I got a chance to savor the weather for some time( rushing to office and scooting back really does nt give one any time at all to enjoy nature), I thought, I am gonna miss these days, this weather, this feeling of being responsible, with no family but friends acting as your support system. I am gonna miss these days of missing home but still some how surmounting them and finding solace in something. I have been out of touch with being at home. I am not sure how I am gonna find it.

As my room mate and I were getting our bills done, we were on with some chit chat. I love the personal interactions I have with her. Its not that we spill out our hearts to each other, but once in a while, some moments, we just talk about personal stuff. And we really connect. She never speaks nonsense, which is the most endearing quality about her. God bless you roomie dear. Before moving into the house, the person who had referred to this place had said, "No matter what, that girl is a gem of a person." And I vouch for that statement.
We came to office in an auto. All the while I was loving the sunny breeze. It was a weather which can make any one a poet( presuming he/she has tastes like mine :P)

And when we took the final turn to office, I remembered last year when I had come to Hyderabad as a tourist, I had come to an arts and crafts villa near office with a friend of mine. And at that turn I had asked her to buy guavas for me. Today also there was a guava vendor with some really wonderful wares. The image of the evening a year back flashed in front of my eyes in a jiffy. I became nostalgic.

Some how touchwood, I feel I am blessed with respect to the friends I have. God bless ya all wonderful people.

Work was as usual in office today when towards the afternoon my counsellor ( thats the term used for the person doing the appraisal in my firm. He s not just an appraiser, he is a counsellor in the literal sense of the term whom you can reach out to for any kinda professional help) introduced me to a girl who had joined our firm today itself. He asked me to help her get her bearings.

I went for a cup of coffee with her. We were going on with the random facts of how to get stuff done in office. The conversation then veered to me going on a vacation from next week and leaving the firm by March or so. And she seemed so crest fallen. Its human tendency to look upto the person you are introduced to on the first day in office as a friend. But when I mentioned I would be leaving in some months, I could sense how weird she might have felt. Even I had felt a nice vibe with her from the word Go. Pity I am leaving in some time.

As we were going back to our respective desks she mentioned, wish you were here for some more time, we would have caught up with each other, but you are leaving :( .

It was just the same when I had left my previous company as well. I ended up having a good friend only towards the fag end of my tenure.
I very well remember the last day of mine at my previous firm. There was to be some grand celebration. I dont remember for what. And there was a red carpet laid out and all.

And I had smsed K "Know what, I am leaving and here they have laid out a red carpet for me to go. Bozos! " And he had replied,"Hehe Red carpet. Go on Doggy. You gonna love Hyd".

I did love it. And now time for bye bye :(

Wish I had to leave places when things were down and out rather than looking bright.

I wish there was a right time to everything. But guess there is not. Things happen when they should happen. Not when we want them to happen. Hai na?



This song kept coming again and again as I was writing this post.

Year 2007

Hmm...Well I dont give much importance to the New Year Fever and the hoopla surrounding the coming new year. But some how all the forwards doing the rounds about the year ending and all, has kinda made me recollect the very first day of this year. That day I had traveled back from my home to K's place. And one of my friends had told me, you have traveled on the start of the year, guess you gonna be on the move for the whole year(This is a very common superstition every one kinda follows, that whatever you do on the first of January you do for the entire year) But as I look back seriously this year has been full of lotsa movement. First of all when I least expected, I got a job offer and moved to another city. Then from here I had the chance to travel a lot. Nearly within every 3 months I was either moving to my home town or to visit some place or the other. And being at Hyderabad brought a welcome changes.

• I started blogging
  
• I learn t swimming
• I learn t the art of makeup
• And I got some really awesome friends
• I wrote CAT again and this time during preparation I did not make the mistakes that I had made in the last attempt. I had never thought I would be able to give the exam again. But I am simply in love with the exam. Sounds weird, but I respect the format a lot and some how I feel it tests all the aspects a person should have to be an able manager.
  

Now I am at the threshold of leaving this city again- to go back to K. But I am really gonna miss the way of life out here. I am going to miss the loads of new friends I made within the short span of time. I am going to miss the folks I used to go for lunch with. I am going to miss the gang that used to take the train together with me and who was the inspiration and reason for my dare devilish antics :D And I am going to miss nearly every single thing in the apartment I live in. I some how have developed a very very strong sense of belonging for the house. I had my shares of difficulties and inconveniences which being the ever optimist I have happily decided to overlook :-) I live by the saying, Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. So here I am hoping for a new year which is better in every respect from the year making its exit.

DareDevil

Hmm one thing I hate is crossing the railway tracks. But it is what I do every day.
I take the local train to commute from home to office.
Evenings we have a drop from the office to the station.
Now there are two ways to get to the platform to board the train: -
1. Go over the foot over bridge
2. Jump over the tracks

The entry points for taking either of the routes subsequently are different.
The employees of my firm literally coax the driver of the cab which takes us to the station to park it so that they can go over the tracks rather than take the foot over bridge. ( much to my annoyance)

Jumping over the tracks freaks me out.
A relative of mine once had a pretty bad experience when her shoe got stuck in between the tracks with a train being pretty close.
I always get terrorized by that thought.
And many a times I can hear the whistle of the train, or the light cast by it, and still I huff and pant and struggle over the tracks mustering all my courage. ( now don't ask me why do I do it, if I dislike it so much. Maybe the thought of being all alone on the platform while all my colleagues would be chugging their way home, is not very palatable for me)

So many a times I have ended up scrapping my precious shoes over the pebbles on the track, hurt my foot innumerable times, stumbled, dropped my laptop, and been through a literal rough patch while crossing the tracks.

But yest I just crossed all the limits.
There was not just our train which are coming, there was another train from the opposite direction as well. So basically there were two monsters heading on towards me.
People were scrambling to make it to the other side.
One of my colleagues who is a close friend, reached the safety of the plat form quite soon.
She stood there calling " Come on Make it Fast,Come on"
And here I was scared, petrified, in dilemma and very tensed- Looking at the two sets of tracks to be crossed.

Then I just decided to go for it.
I literally covered one of the tracks in one leap(Boy! did nt it feel amazing! ).
I hope my mom never gets to read this blog, cos she was hell worried when I had mentioned the 'track jumping' act.
If she hears of me making it with the train being so close, and more over with two trains heading towards me, I think she will make me leave my job :D

PS: My friend told me, my train crossing reminded of her of the famous Aamir Khan train run from the movie Ghulam :D :D :D

Gandhigiri

As a student of history in school my heart went out for the militant nationalists. Because for me they were men of action. And I held a very strong dis-enchantment and antagonism for the Nehru Gandhi family.(I still do :) )
But yesterday I was taking my monthly pass at the railway station. A burly man brushed past me to get the ticket. I did not flinch though my natural response would have been a harsh "EXCUSE ME!!". Maybe I was plain lazy to respond. So I let him go ahead.
As he was getting his ticket done, he looked back and said,"I am sorry". I nodded.
Once his ticket was done, he turned back and said,"I am really sorry, I was getting late so I barged in." I told him it was OK.
He moved on.
But I think what I was in his eyes was compunction.
My first trial at Gandhigiri (inadvertently though) and it was a success!