New Beginnings

It’s tough to believe it’s been two months and more since I last posted. In these two months, I shifted from Delhi to Bangalore – within the same company, but a larger and more onerous role in the HQ. Much of my life so far has been nomadic…I don’t have any one city I can confidently call home because my dad was a banker and we used to keep shifting cities every 2-3 years when we were kids and right through college. So I’m not prone to getting nostalgic and weepy about any city.

That said, I definitely miss Delhi – I lived there 5 full years. I miss Khan Market. I miss GK1 and Kailash Colony Market and most of all Lajpat Nagar’s central market. I miss the drives to Gurgaon and to Noida. Somehow Lajpat Nagar will always strike a chord…I never lived there, but I learnt my first guitar chords there at my guitar tutor’s place. I also learned to drive a car there when I took a 7 day refresher course – my driver made a beeline for Lajpat Nagar since the roads were narrow and always packed, and they offered the best learning. As time goes, I know I won’t miss it all that much. It will instead become a memory of the past, with each location in Delhi cherished for the time I spent there. Amongst all the cities I’ve lived in, counting Abu Dhabi in, I’d rate Delhi the best.

My new role is very different from the one I was handling in Delhi. I will have absolutely no travel now, within or outside India. The hours these guys put in here are unbelievable – most Saturdays and Sundays are spent at work, and technology has gotten even smarter. Even the office instant messenger is always wired on so I’m always just a ping away. I definitely don’t like this role – I’ve taken it with the clear intention of learning a few skills (three, to be precise) which I don’t have and I want to learn and I’ll hopefully have that done within 4 quarters. I don’t suppose I’d want to endure 7 day working weeks for longer than one year. I’m not cribbing – the move was by choice. I elected for this. And I’m counting the learning and the days. I plan to take stock every week and the last stock take will hopefully be week number 52.

I’m staying at a lovely apartment. It’s very spacious and has a large swimming pool and one of the best gym’s I’ve seen. I use the gym at least twice a week (Sat and Sun) and try to squeeze in a third day during the week if I wake up early. There are two balconies in my flat. One of them opens out of my bedroom. The view is of a small landscaped garden, and then the perimeter of the apartment complex. I have two bright red chairs in my balcony (both without arm rests) specifically to sit and strum my guitar. I guess the residents in all 12 floors of my block have heard me play – because I play at the dead of the night. Even if I return home at 1 AM, I play for 20 minutes and then crash to sleep. I don’t play all that well yet, but it sounds regular and feels indescribably good.

I will post more regularly now onwards. I’ve missed you guys – Scribble, … and Mukta.