Once in a Lifetime

When

The school reopened in June,

And we settled in our new desks and benches!


When we queued up in book depot,

And got our new books and notes!


When we wanted two Sundays and no Mondays, yet managed to line up daily for the morning prayers.

We learnt writing with slates and pencils, and

Progressed To fountain pens and ball pens and then Micro tips!


When we began drawing with crayons and evolved to

Color pencils and finally sketch pens!


When we started calculating first with tables and then with

Clarke's tables and advanced to

Calculators and computers!


When we chased one another in the corridors in Intervals, and returned to the classrooms

Drenched in sweat!


When we had lunch in classrooms, corridors,

Playgrounds, under the trees and even in cycle sheds!


When all the colors in the world,

Decorated the campus on the Second Saturdays!


When a single P.T. period in the week's Time Table,

Was awaited more eagerly than the monsoons!


When cricket was played with writing pads as bats,

And Neckties and socks rolled into balls!


When few played 'kabadi' and 'Kho-Kho' in scorching sun,

While others simply played 'book cricket' in the

Confines of classroom!


Of fights but no conspiracies,

Of Competitions but seldom jealousy!


When we used to watch Live Cricket telecast,

In the opposite house in Intervals and Lunch breaks!


When few rushed at 3:45 to

'Conquer' window seats in our School bus!

While few others had 'Big Fun', 'peppermint' , 'kulfi', ' milk ice !' and 'sharbat !' at 4o Clock!

Gone are the days

Of Sports Day,

and the annual School Day ,

And the one-month long preparations for them.


Gone are the days

Of the stressful Quarterly,

Half Yearly and Annual Exams, And the most enjoyed holidays after them!


Gone are the days

Of tenth and twelfth standards, when

We Spent almost the whole year writing revision tests!

We learnt,

We enjoyed,

We played,

We won,

We lost,

We laughed,

We cried,

We fought,

We thought.

With so much fun in them, so many friends,

So much experience, all this and more!


Gone are the days

When we used to talk for hours with our friends!

Now we don't have time to say a `Hi'!


Gone are the days

When we played games on the road!

Now we

Code on the road with laptop!


Gone are the days

When we saw stars  Shining at Night!

Now we see stars when our code doesn't Work!


Gone are the days

When we sat to chat with Friends on grounds!

Now we chat in chat rooms......!


Gone are the days

Where we studied just to pass!

Now we study to save our job!

Gone are the days

Where we had no money in our pockets and still fun filled on our hearts!!

Now we have the ATM as well as credit card but with an empty heart!!

Gone are the days

Where we shouted on the road!

Now we don't shout even at home

Gone are the days

Where we got lectures from all!

Now we give lectures to all...

Gone are the days

But not the memories, which will be

Lingering in our hearts for ever and ever and

Ever and ever and ever .....


Gone are the Days.... But still there are lot more Days to come in our Life!!

NO MATTER HOW BUSY YOU ARE ,

DONT FORGET TO

LIVE THE LIFE THAT STILL

EXISTS......

- Anonymous

Momma and Pappa celebrate 24th anniversary!

This day, twenty-four years ago, Mom and Dad entered a covenant that has stood the test of time, space and distance. Their love for each other, I feel has been tried in every possible way. And they have, strongly and successfully demonstrated that love, true love only wins. Of course, they never fight - they just talk loud! But over the years, they have been the best mom and dad a child could ever know.

We never know
Or fully realize
How sweet and kind our parents are,
How gentle and how wise

We simply take for granted,
From day to passing day,
Each sacrifice they make for us
In their own loving way.

But then we grow and finally learn,
The way that children do,
How much their love has really meant,
How thoughtful they've been, too -

And so this comes with all the thanks
You both deserve and more.
For there aren't two dearer parents
Than the one this poem's for

- Anonymous

Thank you momma!

Today is mother's day. I've always wondered why mother's day is always on a Sunday. Well, there is certainly something divine about it - pardon my Christian upbringing! Momma to me had always been someone very special. Someone who always made me believe that I could achieve something. To be very honest, I was never a bright student in any time of my academic career, but momma always told me that I was intelligent and could really make it big in life. Today as I look back, twenty-three second Sundays of May has rolled by - along with the many million sacrifices momma had made for me. It might take the rest of my life to give her back what she gave me. And it overwhelms me when I think that her love had never asked for any thing in return.

She just loves me. She cares because she loves. I can't imagine a life without momma. It would be so difficult if there is no one to lean on, no shoulder to cry on, no lap to sleep on and above all, no heart to trust on. I just know, I don't say believe - that momma had been the best person I've ever met, the best thing that ever happened to me and the only heart I really trust. I'd just like to add the lyrics of a poem - only that the roles are reversed here - this poem was written by a daughter to her dad, but I always think of momma when I read this poem. This poem went on to fame when Celine Dion made a song out of it. Any here it goes, best describing how I feel about momma,

For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I'll be forever thankful baby
You're the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You're the one who saw me through through it all

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'coz you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love I had it all
I'm grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don't know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was loved by you

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'coz you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

You were always there for me
The tender wind that carried me
A light in the dark shining your love into my life
You've been my inspiration
Through the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'coz you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The cornerstone of every house
Is the most important part
Its not laid on the earth
But in the mother's heart.
- Lydia Jackson

And of course,
Men are what their mothers made them - Emerson

Changing Lanes

It almost always intrigues me how some have nearly perfect career sketches. Even as far as my personal side goes, I'm of the double-minded kind and my career per se has been a jigsaw puzzle. Once it seemed to be all in control, but suddenly things began to shape themselves and I seemed to experiment with every opportunity coming my way.

Computer Science, of course, was my first love. It all started during the summer of 2001 when I joined Aptech's e-ACCP programme. I was more than convinced that computers were my Midas' touch. It seemed to flow that way as I also took up an engineering course on Computer Science. Interestingly, Providence didn't want it that way.

I landed up in an MBA programme much to my own surprise. Anyway, I really loved what I learnt and did. Marketing had a good appeal and I also spun a couple of researches on the same. It looked as if my career would take of from there. Also, the job markets projected that most MBA positions were for Marketeers than for anyone else.

But, again I switched. When asked to opt for a specialization, I confidently chose Finance. Finance is of course the heart of the business world, isn't it? And so my argument sold. It was all glossy. Numbers still enchant me. It is so much fun to work on numbers. Crunching and churning and truncating and adjusting are really a cool job to do.

Eventually, I also had a short stint as a Verbal Ability faculty at PSG's MBA Entrance Exam coaching center. Finally, now I work for an Insurance company. Where next? I'm afraid, only time can tell...