Yes… It is an year now that I left Delhi to come to Kolkata for my MBA. Its been a long year for me. Though the memories of college, specially the final year are still young on my mind.
First of all, the love for Delhi has increase three folds. May be its my home. May be I feel it in the air whenever I reach there. It just has that ‘thing’ in it. Some four years back I really never saw myself having a life in Delhi. I always debated with my brother over the credibility of the city. But now, I really wish, I continue my life there, before things settle down, and I get what i’ve always wanted from life. Delhi is where the heart is right now. Delhi is where my mind is right now.
Calcutta, Oh, I’m sorry, Kolkata, is not that bad as my friends would show it to the world. But its not certainly the best as the localites pretend in front of the world. Motherland? as they say? Ridiculous. According to Bengali pronunciation, the city was always called “Kolkata” prior to the arrival of the British who changed it to Calcutta. The changing of the city’s name back to Kolkata in 2001 was then an attempt to get back to its earlier, non-anglicized version. I personally like the name Calcutta!
Calcutta, is a decent city, though highly spoilt by laziness and politics. I’ve always said it to my friends, that the time it takes to serve a meal at a local eating joint to a single person, ten people are served in Delhi. May be they take the same to prepare it with love here. The city of Joy. Excuse the sarcasm. But yes, there are red flags everywhere here. Everywhere!!! And even if someone doesnt support the communist party, they are so very proud to be from a city where such a system exists and originated. They take pride in showing it to the world that its one of the cheapest cities to be in. Wow! It makes me giggle. Politics is crazy here. It is the time of elections and I can see it all the very more.
A week back while coming back from the other side of the city to Salt lake where i reside, I saw this poster of the left party talking about peace. The symbol on that poster was the same as on the cover of Pink Floyd’s Division Bell album. If some one could tell me what it signifies? It was ditto. Well dont take me wrong, I know Delhi is the capital of politics. But when i talk about Calcutta, its so much embedded within everyone, that everybody believes so much in the idea of strikes and bandhs, that it gives me a shiver. They are ready to debate even over small little things. Phew.
Well yes. Its been a long long year. Sometimes a single day was experienced as two different days. A lot has happened over the last one year. Even the faces are evident to the fact. All of us look so different now. I dont really regret being here, but I really want to complete my course, get a job and move on in my life. Really want to get going with the priorities now.
Yesterday this college friend in Delhi tagged me as “Mr. popular” on her facebook and I was so very happy. I miss my college days. Wow everyone just knew me. Students, teachers and all the other staff. For good reasons ofcourse. Well here everybody knows me too, but its been so different alltogether. They will know you but won’t even smile back at you and then you stop wishing them after some time. hahaha. Its been a low profile here. But i like it that ways now.
The most I’ve missed last year are my friends back in Delhi. Thanks to mom and dad, that I’ve always been an independent individual, I dont really struggle in that department. A lot has changed with relationships with some of my friends. There are some I always thought I will be with, and, well!!! And there are those who have actually proved their worth and credibility, time and again. I really miss you guys. I miss that selfless environment.
I have made a few friends here too, of which I’m actually proud of. I’m not the guy who believes in making one best friend, but many good friends. I know its debatable. But my current best-est friend happens to be my laptop. Ugghh!!! They are basically those people I love being with and spending hours talking with and not regretting it. These are those people who share the same level of mental set up as mine. Otherwise frankly speaking, its all colleagues, rather than friends. But yes, I like it that ways now.
I remember the time in Delhi, in college, when I used to be walking on the road inside the college with some friend or the other; and used to greet, get greeted back by ten other people. And the friend accompanying would always hate me for that. That happens not anymore.
Well I crib a lot more, but I’ve also grown and learnt a lot more as an individual. This last year has proved me wrong so many a times. And thats one reason that I crib all the way more. This last year has given me a lot more emotional challenges, thats why I crib all the way more. But phases right, I believe life is what the phase is! I really want to adapt the continious learning process into my life now. Academic-ally is what I mean here. Really feel the need to get going before the placement seasons starts for us. Really hope the bad recessionary phase doesn’t take its toll on us. Not there is nothing big to worry about anyway. I seriously have learnt by now what my mom wanted me to learn in fourth grade? How worse can it be?
The thing what I hate the most is the grading system and the marking system used to determine a students credibilty. “You got a 7 cgpa, you are just useless.” Huh? I hate such people who act just too smart to get that extra half a mark by whatever means. Specially getting that perfect seat to sit in the internal class evaluations. My worst day in Calcutta was when a person whom i thought as a friend denied me a seat just because it was an exam. It hurts me. People dont really know that when they would go out and face the world, its their work, its their credibility that would count. And not this genuine piece of muddle headed behaviour. Here was the first time, I saw jealousy and malice at its highest level. How can he or she get half a mark more and hence a better grade? Isn’t he/ she useless? How did he/she get an extra survey done? It gives me a shiver. Welcome to Life. I would also love to mention this incident when i was looked down on a subject and was given one slide to speak just the definition of the content. And everyone else just seemed to have the best slides. I spoke for as long as I could that day, after all, proving my skills, and getting a better grade. Welcome to Life. Yes Sir. Right On. Then there were those times when we were supposed to learn group dynamics. Oh yes nobody really works. That is THE definition of group dynamics.
How worse can it be? This is what comes to my mind when i feel myself bounded and challenged by limitations. I would really like to mention Prof. Ravi Kumar’s words to my class in a lecture of soft skills. “Never work for marginal returns, specially when the returns become smaller by the day. And secondly, the numbers are against all of us, so why worry, just be surpised” Wow. He was one of the teachers I love being associated with. What a way to look at life. Wow.
I’m not going home this semester break, so after my final report submission, I plan to go about visiting places in Calcutta. I’m really looking forward to it.I like the football and rock-scene here. Yes. Delhi lacks it. Really looking forward to start with the next semester and have all sorts of priorities fixed up on my mind now. Of Work, Of Family, Of Love, Of Friends, Of any other person I’ll see around now on. The game has just begun.
Kindly excuse the all messed-up long post. And I’m sorry If I hurt someone’s feelings for something that I spoke about in this post. Just talk to me about it. I’ll tell you what I mean. Good Day 
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