Hello readers! How have you all been? I am sorry to have disappointed you all by bringing my blog close to death. I have had reasons for that. Those are left to me to ponder over anyways. I have been isolated from the blogosphere for about 1 month. Maybe even more. But now, here I am. And as always, bloggers are required to write a come-back post. And so, I write.

The past month has been very special to me in all aspects. From remarkably happy moments to unbelievably sad moments. Much has happened in this short interval. Most significant of all would be that I found very good friends in my college since I joined it. That would be 4 years. These friends are also my team-mates for a project we are building for our college. Since I was not blogging or roaming the streets uselessly, I had some time to think.

In that time, I thought about my priorities in life. There were many. And many were not organised properly. Realization dawned upon me when my dad was due for retirement. He has retired by the way, on the 31st of January 2009. So there I was, analyzing my priorities. I sorted them out and found everything very clear from then on. But only sorting out my priorities were not enough. Working to achieve them mattered very much too.

And all that thinking and analyzing and what not, worked out pretty well when we gave our project demo on Feb 9th. The response was something which none of us had expected. The Vice-Principal was very impressed by our work and wanted us to continue and finish what we have started. Once that was over I was in Utopia. All this was the result of recognising and organising priorities.

And now for the conclusion. The reason for me to write this post is that people should do the same as what I did in order to achieve some things in life. The happiness obtained by achieving them entirely depends on how well you have organised them worked for them. Never give money a higher priority in life. There are many things that money can’t buy. And one of them is happiness. Signing off by saying, “KUDOS to our team(Me, Abhilash, Shubha, Shravya and Manasa) and our project guide(Mr. Nandishwar)!”

Continued from the previous chapter, Falling back to normalcy.

It was a simple party. Just the four of them with the kids at Kiran’s house. The dinner was a very memorable experience for both the friends as well as the wives. The kids had a nice time too. They were getting along with each other fine as the age difference between them was only a few weeks. It was nice to watch them play their unexplainable games. Seeing that would make anyone feel their life was complicated.

After the dinner, the wives were busy chatting while the kids were sleeping peacefully. Aditya and Kiran slowly climbed the stairs until they reached a door. Kiran opened it and Aditya followed him. It led to the terrace. It was not a new place to Aditya. They had been here very often in their school days. They would sit here and chat. Play board games with some other friends; and even share their sorrows at times.

There was a reason why Kiran brought him here. It was to remind Aditya of the days that they spent together without any worries. It was at this place too that Aditya taught Kiran how to whistle. When Aditya remembered all of this, he took a deep breath and relished each and every memory. The night was not a silent one though as there were parties going on almost everywhere.

But still Aditya could here a faint tune from somewhere nearby. Kiran was whistling. He was whistling a song that was cherished by both of them up until that point and beyond. Aditya’s eyes welled up with tears and he joined in with Kiran as they both whistled away into the night. After some time, they stopped.

They hugged each other and said, “Happy New Year!”. They both stood there while draping one arm over the other’s shoulder. Then it started. Fireworks lit the night sky. Celebration was in the air. But there is a saying. “All good things must come to an end”. Aditya enjoyed the company of Kiran on the beginning of a new year. While Kiran was trying to relish each and every second while it lasted.

“Chinnu?”, Kiran interrupted Aditya’s reverie. “What is it Kiran?”, replied Aditya. “I need to tell you something important. But I am afraid it is not going to be good news.”. Aditya was very worried by now. Kiran continued, “I am afraid we cannot be meeting as often as we thought we could. This past year has been very hard on our family. Business has not been going well.”

“The percentage of loss is growing by the day. I guess there is not much demand for our product here as there is in the UK.” “So what are you trying to say? If it is help you need, I will be glad to be at your side.”, interrupted Aditya. Kiran continued with renewed anguish, “No Chinnu, I am afraid it is past that level now. I was forced to dissolve the company to avoid losing even our profits from abroad.”

He stopped talking for a few minutes. For those few minutes, all that could be heard in the vicinity was the sound of the last of the fireworks for that day being set off. Kiran took a deep breath and continued. “We have decided to go and join dad in the UK. My dad wants us to sell this house and join him there.”

Aditya was feeling a mixture of emotions run through him. Some hours earlier he felt the utmost joy because he had found his best friend again. But now he felt very sad that they had to separate again. A whole series of questions were going through his mind at that point. But none found their way out of his throat. He waited patiently for Kiran to explain the whole situation.

“But I don’t want to lose you again. Can you come with me to the UK? You can work in our company itself.”, asked Kiran. Aditya was confused at that point. “I have made some commitments here Kiran. Besides, I don’t want to leave my parents alone in their old age.”, replied Aditya. “I agree with you whole heartedly. Even my father is nearing his sixties now. And he is not as rugged as he was before. I guess responsibilities are the only things that separate us now.”, replied Kiran.

“This is a very tough decision to take Kiran. But everyone has their own life to lead. Even though we may be thousands of kilometers apart, we shall always be in each other’s heart. And even technology has advanced to the extent of showing us what you do thousands of miles away.”, Aditya consoled Kiran. That said, they both just stood there staring into the darkness in the bitter cold of the night. Every one in the world is required to make difficult decisions in their lives. That is what sets them apart from the crowd.

As morning arrived, so did the time for Aditya’s departure. It was a very emotional sight as both of the friends waved goodbye to each other. After a week, they met again at the airport when Kiran was supposed to leave. At that moment, Kiran’s legs felt like they were made of lead. Difficult was the departure to both of them. Although their wives did a very good job of consoling their husbands, there was just one thought in each other’s minds. “Will we ever meet again?”. That was a question both of them did not know the answer to.

Hello readers! I hope you enjoyed reading the story as much as I did writing it. This chapter was the most difficult of the lot as I wanted the ending to be different and something out of the ordinary. I myself got a bit emotional while writing this part. So thank you for all the feedback and support you have offered. Until next time, yours emotionally, Pavan a.k.a Anniyan.

Continued from the previous chapter, Remembered after all.

“I still remember the day when you first taught me how to swim in the public swimming pool. I was so scared I would drown that I almost never let go of you that day.”, said Kiran. “Yes, that was a very funny incident. But you have taught me much in life too.”, Aditya replied. Kiran called up to his office and told his secretary to cancel all his appointments for the rest of the day. They both just wanted to talk and talk until they ran out of topics. Kiran’s wife put their son to sleep and she was busy knitting something.

Now that they were free, Aditya and Kiran wanted to go to their favourite haunt. They went in and sat down at a table and ordered a couple of sundaes and started talking. “I can’t believe that our city has changed so much”, said Aditya. “Many things have changed since you moved, Chinnu.”, replied Kiran. Aditya was very euphoric when he was addressed using his childhood nickname. “So what do you do nowadays?”, asked Aditya.

“Well, I studied engineering and got a very good percentage. But sadly, only that was not enough for me to find a job that I liked. They told me I lacked practical implementation skills. I was literally devasted when they told that to me. I was thinking only of you. After a couple of months, my father suggested that I take over his business. I did not want to, but I had no choice. Some months later, I was married to his friend’s daughter. Thankfully for me, she has been a good wife to me and a good mother to my son.”, replied Kiran.

Aditya just sat there open-mouthed, just listening to all the things Kiran told him. He wanted to say so many things. But somehow, he could not find the words to say it. After a long chat, both the friends thought of going back to Kiran’s house. The rest of the evening, Aditya told Kiran how he fell in love and how he settled down in life. Kiran, listening to this felt that he had missed his friend too much.

As the time drew nearer for Aditya to leave, he made it a point to visit Kiran’s house again with both his wife and daughter. Aditya bid goodbye to Kiran’s wife and son and got into Kiran’s car. The drive to the bus-stand was very difficult on both of them as they did not want to be separated again. But with the promise of the next visit, Aditya got into the bus reluctantly. Slowly, things were falling back to normalcy.

He did not sleep even a wink through the entire journey. He was just thinking about his day with his childhood friend and the days he spent with him as a child. Before he knew it, he had arrived at his destination and it was time for him to dismount from the bus. As soon as he got home, the first thing he did was to mention the name Kiran to his wife. He had told her very much about Kiran. She was happy for him. Then and there, they started planning for meeting up with him. Their plan would not have to wait for too long to be implemented. New year was just around the corner.

I know the story is dragging a little bit. But that is what I have planned. I have thought of an ending and this is how I wish to present it. Last chapter to be out soon.

Continued from the previous chapter, Of exams and terrified students.

“Wake up Chinnu!”, came the shout from Aditya’s mother. It was already late for her to leave for work and he was still sleeping. “I have prepared breakfast for you and kept it in the hot-box. Eat it before you go out to play. Is that understood?”, she said. “Ok mom.”, he answered while rubbing his sleepy eyes. That said, his mother was out the door. It was the first day of the summer vacations. After brushing his teeth and finishing whatever daily rituals he was expected to perform, he locked the door and left to his friend’s house for playing.

“Ah! The holidays are here again. It’s so boring. I wish I could do something in this time. I wouldn’t mind even going to school.”, thought Kiran. As he was contemplating what to do next, the door bell rang. He opened the door and was pleasantly surprised to find Aditya standing there with a football in his hand and a big smile plastered onto his face. “Hi Kiran. I was going out to play to my friend’s house and thought you might join me.”, said Aditya. Kiran just stood there wondering what to answer. He had never gone out to play with friends. He never had many friends. “Kiran? Are you feeling well?”, asked Aditya. “Oh! Yes. I am. Sorry, I was thinking about something.”, he stammered. “So are you coming? We have nice fun while playing. So I thought even you would like to come.”, he said.

After that initial moment of thought, Kiran replied, “I would like to come. But I don’t play very often and might not be upto your level.” Aditya was flabbergasted at this statement. “We just play for fun Kiran. It’s not like we are playing an international tournament or anything.”, he said. Kiran thought for another second and accepted to join him. He grabbed the keys to the house and locked it properly. He even left a note to his mother saying he was going out to play.

The note was totally unnecessary as his mother never usually came home until after dark. But he felt some joy in leaving that note. That done, they both grabbed their bikes and sped on to Aditya’s friend’s house. Once they arrived there, Aditya, being his usual cheery self greeted all his friends and introduced Kiran to them. Kiran being his usual reserved self, greeted them with nothing more than a small smile and a “hi”. After the introductions were done, they started playing almost right away.

They came home mid-day to have lunch and then went back again to play. On their way back in the evening, Aditya was asking Kiran how he felt. Kiran said, “I never knew playing with friends would be so much fun.” He felt he was indebted to Aditya in a huge way. After both of them separated for the day and headed back to their respective houses, there was just one thought on Kiran’s mind. “I wish that the vacations never end.” Of course, this was the first time Kiran was feeling this way. He also knew somehow, that this would not be the last time.

Aditya felt particularly lazy on Sunday mornings. He did not want anything to interrupt his train of thoughts and memories. A moment later his 3 year old daughter came running up to him and jumped onto his belly. He kissed her forehead and said, “Go tell mommy that I am awake sweetie. Before she throws a fit.”. Smiling broadly at his long time habit of waking up late in the morning, he started his day with some vivid memories of his childhood.

This chapter contains many instances of my own memories. Please bear with them if they are too boring. Until next time, signing off a happy man, Pavan a.k.a Anniyan.

Update: I will not be posting anything for exactly one more month as I have to concentrate on my exams. I might drop by once in a while to check mail or something of the like. Please do not be offended if I don’t reply to your valuable comments or comment on your blogs. Until then, Take care.

Continued from the previous chapter, One more day in the fish market.

These school days were very much all alike. The teachers came and taught the students the respective subjects and then left when the bell signifying the end of their class rang. The children were not only pressurized in the schools, but also at home. The condition was bad and getting worse by the day. The two boys that our story revolves around also suffered due to this. They were in their 10th standard and everyone was urging them to study well and get good marks.

Of course, Kiran was never told to study. Nor was he told to do anything else. Though he was living with his parents, he was isolated and was pretty much independent. Did his parents fail to realize this? The answer to this particular question, he did not know. He searched the text books for a similar situatuion. But to his utter disappointment, the answer to that question could not be found in a text book.

A much different situation was prevailing at his friend Aditya’s house. Aditya used to spend all evening playing on the streets with the other children or join some older kids in the playground. The moment he stepped inside the house, his mother would scream at the top of her voice. “Aditya! How many times have I told you not to play on the streets as soon as you come from school? You are in the 10th standard now. You have responsibility now. It is time you accepted it.” He knew he had responsibility. What could he do? He always thought to himself. Fortunately, the shouting usually ended within a few minutes. He was very lucky to have his parents’ affection.

As the days progressed, the two boys got to know each other better day by day. They were pretty good friends by now. Kiran now had someone he could talk to. He found that Aditya didn’t befriend for what he has. On the contrary, he discovered that he was his friend for what he was. The meaning and essence of friendship couldn’t be understood by them at that early age. Aditya however, had many friends. Some of them close, others just friends.

One fine day at school, as Aditya was standing outside the class near the door; the teacher made an announcement. It was rather like a warning. She said in her deep voice – “Your preparatory exams have just finished. Do you realize what this means?” To this she got just blank stares from most of the faces. She continued – “It means that if you haven’t started studying seriously, you must do it at least at this point. That includes you too, Aditya”. 

“If you find any of the subjects tough to understand, you can always ask for our help. We are glad to help out students who want to excel in their life. If you want to you may also ask the help of your friends. They may understand some things better than you do, and vice versa.” She continued the speech or warning for a few more minutes stating the do’s and don’ts to the confused children. On her way out, she caught Aditya playing with a piece of chalk.

She was not going to scold him again. It had gone way beyond that point. She said – “Aditya, I suggest that you ask the help of your friend Kiran regarding the subjects. I hope at least he can help you out of this irresponsible attitude of yours.” Saying this, she turned and left. Aditya happily walked into the room and sat next to Kiran. “She told me ask for your help. She said you could help me study. Will you?” he asked.

Kiran wondered for a moment why he was being so formal and said – “Of course Chinnu. I am always ready to help you out.” He gave a warm smile and Aditya said – “Do you mind not calling me by that name in school? I feel a little weird because you are the only one in school who calls me by that name.” “Sure, not at all a problem. Can I call you by that name outside of school?” “Of course you can. Fine then, I need to go to the loo now. Wait for me when the bell rings. We will go home together.” Saying so, Aditya scurried off outside the class before the next teacher came and was back as soon as she entered.

As usual, he was punished again for leaving the class without permission. He thought to himself – “Oh well! I have a friend who will help.”

This marks the ending of this chapter. Once again, I wanted to say that I am writing this story to show how exactly two average school boys would go through. I hope I am doing a good job. As usual, appreciate your feedback.

A warm hello to my fellow bloggers. I have been sharing most of my personal life with you as I would be with my close friends. But there is something I have hidden from for this long. If anyone has the idea that I am a very successful person in life and am doing pretty good with my stuff, I am sorry to say I have misled you. I am currently doing my engineering in APS College of Engineering, Bangalore. I should have been in my final year of college. Unfortunately, it is not so. I really have been putting my share of work towards achieving marks in the examination. I would also like to share with you that I have a fair bit of practical knowledge about the subjects I am studying. But what I apparently don’t have is the theoritical knowledge which is of utmost importance if I want to complete my engineering.

And again I have lost one more year because I could not clear some subjects. As per the rule, I cannot have more than 4 arrear papers. But I have more than 4. i will keep trying and will do whatever I can to finish these papers in this attempt. I have already lost 2 years and I cant afford to lose any more. What worries me most is that my father is on the verge of retirement and I have not given him any proof that I will settle down well in life. Even if I complete my engineering with flying colours, I am very doubtful whether I would get a job. Many of my friends who have passed out with an aggregate of 65-70% are still suffering without a job. I felt a chill go down my spine just thinking about it. What will I do? Will I get a job? If so, will it be to my satisfaction? These questions are what worry me the most these days. They are also the reason why my post quality has come down.

The reason I wrote this post is because even my parents fail to understand these worries of mine. I am not blaming them for anything; as it is not their mistake at all. I haven’t given them anything to uphold their trust in me. It has been many days since I laughed out heartily. Even this moment I am getting a little emotional and a lump is forming in my throat. But I try to hide these feelings from my mother. Since I don’t go to college nowadays, I have no one else to spend time with. My only respite is the short conversations I have with my best friend Harsha (a.k.a SU) and the chats I have with my other best friend Apoorva over the phone. I am hoping that this reign of bad luck will end soon and things will start to look up.

I found this is the only other place where I can say anything I want to and others will listen without interrupting me. So if I have bored any of you I am not sorry. This is just my personal rant and I don’t expect anyone to react to it. I think I feel a little better after letting all this out. Until next time, Pavan.

Unfortunately my friends, it is not a new thing on the market or a newer TV series. Let me tell you about myself a little first. Don’t worry, only a little . I live in Bangalore, Karnataka, India with my parents. My brother on the other hand, shifted to Chennai a few months back for career reasons. My parents are almost always talking about them (viz. my bro, sister-in-law and their 2.5 year old kid). This set me thinking.

Since we live in India, I have very little idea about what actually happens in other countries. But I am here to talk about India and not other countries. What is a Family? A family according to me, can be a group of people who form a bond and a closely knit colony. Family need not just refer to people who are related by blood. Even a group of friends can live as a family.

But nowadays in the fast paced IT enabled and money-driven world, not many people want to live as a family. Yes, it is true. There are still many families which inculcate family values in children from a very young age itself. Now why am I talking about families? Just because I want everyone to realize that families are the only bonds that keep you going when you are down and depressed. In today’s time, nobody has any time to devote to their families. Hence weakening the bonds that exist between them.

Whatever it is that you want to do, you can do it with the consent of your family. If they refuse, convince them that this will make you happy. They are worried about your happiness too. So don’t just rush decisions. Take time out of your busy work schedule to devote it to your family. They care about you. Don’t you think you should return the favor? If not, Do not pay any attention to this post and please carry on with whatever it is that you were doing. Sorry for wasting your time.

For others who thought on my lines, good going. Enjoy your life. Respect your family.

Recently, one of my brother’s old friends had come home for lunch. The angel conveyed a news to me saying that many companies are recruiting candidates by studying their blogs. Now don’t start cleaning your ears. It is a fact. Presently, a Human Resource manager in a firm I am not willing to disclose, Ms.Suvidha sent me a mail containing a power-point presentation. To my utmost surprise, I came to know how the candidates are recruited through their blogs.

Innovative recruitment practices

Even though the presentation did not look very formal, I have confirmed that this technique is very much in use nowadays. This came as a huge break to me as I am a guy who believes only people with talent should be given work and not people who learn the text books by-heart. I have said more than enough about this in one of my earliest posts. If anyone decided it would be good enough to go through, it was Academic Qualification.

Now I can sleep peacefully knowing that my talents will be valued more than my marks. The guy who came up with this concept is a genius! All hail the blog-recruiters!

PS: Why I called her an angel was because this news was one of the best I have ever recieved. It made me feel I won’t be ignored just because I didn’t secure enough marks in the exams.

OK. Now its my birthday. And it was the most memorable one as yet. Everything from 12:00 AM until now has been AWESOME! Starting from my friends wishing me in the middle of the night (that includes my brother too). I was too excited to sleep. But after some minutes which seemed to be very long years, I fell asleep. First thing in the morning, my mom woke me up and wished me a happy birthday. Then it was my dad.

After that, everyone was calling me up and wishing me left, right and center. Then I took bath and went to the temple. That was very relaxing. Then my brother and sister-in-law dedicated a song to me on Sun Music(Which is like a live request music channel in Tamil). Unfortunately, I could not watch it as there was a power cut. But I was still very excited about it. Then I had to leave to meet my friends.

Here I will list everyone that made my b’day the most memorable one in alphabetical order. Anupam, Apoorva, Harsha(you people know him as Su), Namitha and Sharan. First I went went to Garuda mall and went to “Scary House” there(which is a rather funny attraction than a scary one). Then we went to a garden restaurant and had lunch. After that we went to Lumbini park(which is like a small entertainment park built on the shore of a lake).

I had the best time of my life there. Touching moments… Then I cut a cake and ate it messily with my hands(in the company of Su; everyone else used spoons) . I could not think of anything else that was happier than that moment. After that I came home and told my parents how much fun I had. They were amazed at the friends I had. My mom said-”They did SO much for you? I thought you never enjoy your birthdays.” To that I said-”I know mom. They are my best friends. I am nothing without them.”

Oh yeah! I forgot to mention. I received my first birthday gift today! It was an out of the world experience. It was given to me by Apoorva. I relished each and every moment of my birthday. It is my most memorable birthday! Thank you guys, for making this my most memorable birthday!

Whenever people talk about love, they fantasize about a romantic situation, filled with chemistry between two human beings. But what we fail to understand is the responsibility that comes with it. Love according to me does not mean being more closer to a person than any other human being. It means sharing your life, soul, thoughts, joys, sorrows and most of all, responsibilities. Love at first sight does not exist. Love is an ultimate form of friendship. Love at first sight in almost all cases is just lust.

When mentioned about this to people, they find it hard to accept because the hormones play a more vital role in their thinking capability than strong emotions. Ever got the feeling of something stuck in your throat when you want to talk to your loved one? Feel like crying out “Don’t go!” when he/she is about to leave? THAT my friends is love. I am not posting this thread to tell the world about love, but the responsibilities that come with it.

Nowadays it is considered “Hip” to have a boy/girlfriend. Sex has become so common that a glass of milk costs more than a session of sex. All this is caused by the rage of hormones coursing through our body. Think for a second people. Love is not a means of having sex. It is an emotional bonding of two people. Well there may be thousands of people who would want to prove me wrong. Well… all I can say is… You don’t have to prove to me anything. Just use the sixth sense of thinking that has been given to us before doing anything. Remember: We are not animals.

Of course i will be allowing negative comments about this post… It will show how rational people can be.