Baptized

It’s almost two and half months now in my new home; the monsoon has silently hid herself behind the curtains like a blushing bride. Yes there are still a few showers now and then reminding me of the initial honey moon period, but the muse has become the wife now. Familiarity’s ill fated twin, contempt, is slowly trying to pollute my troubled mind.

Disturbed, I look back at the sheer excitement that engulfed me, when I saw the hallowed pond for the first time. As Ilayaraja played in my Ipod, I had discovered a new found skip in my step when I sashayed wondering if the rumored crocodile would say hi to his only nocturnal visitor. I had believed nights were meant for small talk with the stars and for penning poems in the moonlight; a well deserved escape after a hard day of meaningful work.

Oh how naive I was. A stark contrast called reality slaps me now. The maestro’s tunes that had echoed across the pond in the night have been replaced by the cacophony of supply chain jargons that extend well beyond sunrise.

I wonder if the crocodile, is feeling conscious of being surrounded by rats shouting and racing against each other. Rats running behind cheese, working this rainy day to save for a better and brighter summer. Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way round? But who listens.

Still I care, because slowly but surely I am becoming one among them. Remember the Animorphs books of yore? Whose foot notes we flipped as children just to see the magical mutation of a human being into an animal.

Yes friends we are just the rodent edition of Animorphs. Peter Pettigrews cloaked in a lie called  ‘Scabbers’.

And I am sure we are smart enough to come up with a well drafted, verified and rehearsed explanation justifying this rodent behavior, like answers to our HR questions, it would be spot on. 

But did anyone care that the moment we drafted or copy pasted answers for ‘tell me about yourself?’, our friend spontaneity died a silent death. His funeral had no attendants, coz it was no ‘you know who’ committee guest lecture.   

These 75 days, I have attended every clichéd process that a typical Indian B school student has to go through to get baptized (Human to rat mutation). Pointless interviews which had hypocrites under the garb of panelists, typical factory made parties where the surprise quotient was conspicuously absconding, lame faculties who gave  lamer assignments which were supposed to artificially extract feelings out of students. And don’t even get me started about the CV thing.

Oh how I wished my b school would be different; where I would actually learn and not be someone else's idea of what my area of specialization would be.

Yes I was a fish out of water in an IT company and still remain the same here, despite 3 water bodies surrounding me. Beat that for Irony!

But despite all this whining, am thankful for this place for teaching me things the hard and irritating way.  Yes these 75 days have battered and bruised me, but I have I come out of it bleeding but wise by realizing and gaining some valuable survival skills in this battle-field

I’ve realized that… being loud is more important than being right

I’ve realized that… unless you are useful, you are invisible and beneath anyone’s sight

I’ve realized that...that you can absolutely adore someone and yet they wouldn't care

I’ve realized that...you can run all you can, run some more and still get nowhere

I’ve realized that...you can be alone, yet not lonely

I’ve realized that.. you can be in a party, yet pine for books-your delightful company

I’ve realized that...I could do things just because some said I couldn't

I’ve realized that.. You might find the rat race funny, yet someone else didn't

I’ve realized that.. Some women are indeed innocent, but most of them feign

I’ve realized that..An episode of friends is a panacea for all the pain

I’ve realized that...sometimes, the road not taken is not-taken for a reason

I’ve realized that someday the fish out of water, would survive till the rainy season

I’ve realized that…someday the laughter will return to my eyes

I’ve realized that...someday we’ll all learn that we are more than just mice