Category: Time

Blessed I am – are you?

Very excited today to be sharing a guest blog post by a very dear friend. She had asked me to do a blog post on college memories…. and for me college was a mixed bag of emotions, happiness entwined with pain, mystic, confusion, anger and in the end amazing friendships.  So I quickly turned it around and invited her to do a guest blog post.. and I have to say, her perspective and and capture of Techno is brighter than mine.  So, here you go. The moments from Techno by a very dear friend Seema Abhale. While I was trying to understand why I took admission in engineering ( I still wonder how and why I ended up there :)) she had it all figured out and today is the proud owner of Prakruti Environmental Engineers. The girl has successfully established a business in an industry that has traditionally been dominated my men.   She is everything you would a friend to be. I hope you enjoy the innocence of this post.

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BLESSED I AM _ ARE YOU?  by Seema Abhale. 

“And there I stand in the centre square of the Faculty of Technology & Engineering of the renowned University The Maharaja Sayajirao Universtiy of Vadodara,wondering whether it’s a dream or really I am at the place which I always dreamt to be as a kid!! Ooouch… i am really there!!

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The entrance to the College. Little did I know that I will build lifetime of friendships here.

I had always known this place but today as I stand here I am totally lost; as though the place is flooded with same race; can hardly see anyone known! Timid, publicly shy as I am; started my stride through the crowd towards the steps that took us to the lobby where my class would be. My heart is pounding of anxiety; the most exciting day was about to turn to be the most gloomy for not having any known friends around and then my watery eyes saw a face that instantly brought a smile and hurray there I see a girl whom I recognised at once! Not that I knew her since long but she was the one who was ahead of me while taking the admission. We did exchange the names but I hardly remembered but did remember her face – how can one forget such a beautiful mysterious face. But the happy moments are momentary; we were placed in different classes!!! Anyways for a happy girl like me the fact that someone know is around was enough and so the journey began….

Few days passed and one fine day I see a little girl with bouncy hair in a frock and shoes coming to the class along with the boys. Not very clear what but something in my heart said that she is the one with whom I can be friends with. Shy character of mine restricted me from starting a conversation and so few days went by analyzing though started being friendly with the boys – classmates!! And soon made friends with most of the classmates and also with the one which brought smile to my face on the very first day!

I am still trying to adjust in the environment and the exams days were announced. Was astonished to see others getting tensed and I am like – so what! Like time waits for none; exams came and went but the actual fun is when results are out

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The surveying lab, where we all gathered to TRY and learn. It was more of a break from sitting in the classrooms 🙂

I was never a studios student but always scored distinction in the school so was confident of it while looking to the result sheet on the notice board. And what; my exam number is not listed in for Distinction!! I scrolled down thinking maybe a first class but no I don’t see it…I keep searching for my number but didn’t find it in second class too…. I scrolled to the last grade Pass class and my face beamed like a sunshine – there it is – the very first one!!! Always contented and happy the way life placed me I was happy that I passed and so did my new friends. The days passed with a new learning each day and a remarkable one is that we have to open the window for atmosphere to come in!!! (which I religiously follow today also!!)  While I Am still trying to adjust with the university environment, new friends, new learning’s and exploring the ways to find fun in load of term works and the tensed atmosphere; year end is declared and soon we had to face the exam. This time had to give my best shot so can get transferred to a better stream of engineering. Results are out and yes I passed out and also did get a change in stream from IWM to Civil (is it better is still a question) but then am happy as had made my own place in the lobby!!

The year started with the shuffle of students and I got separated from newly made friends. The new class had more girls then the earlier one but seems they didn’t like my face! Except for one tall slender beautiful girl sitting on last bench with a spark in her eye and slight curve to her lips which attracted me and I shared the bench with her unaware that she would turn out to be my friend for lifetime. I found a new friend but still I longed for the break time when I can meet the other two friends. Days passed by with routine sharing of hi hello and a smile and when did it turned into mingling for short and then long gossips, term works, group reading and sleep over; I also really don’t remember – maybe that’s what is called friendship! and so evolved a gang of four which turned out to be the notorious gang due to its mix flavor of being naughty hotty and intelligent! A gang that dared to challenge the opposite gender, played pranks with both the genders, engaged in day long discussions at times arguments and still managed to be friends with all.

But as we all know that what has started will come to an end and so did these carefree days too. We now gathered in the auditorium to receive farewell party from our juniors; felt as if it was just yesterday that I was standing in the center square of the faculty all alone and today we are seven – seven different individuals with diverse qualities woven in an invisible bond – Friendship: a relation that is created by us which is beyond any expectations. It’s the space where we can be ourselves, speak of our mind; see what we like to see and hear without prejudice; so very eternal. Blessed are those who are able to get connected in such divine relationship – yes I am!!

Seeeemmmaaaa … wake up its morning! Don’t have to go to the office…”

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FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING. M.S UNIVERSITY, VADODARA.

 

 

When Life Stood Still !

Gone is the era when we hoped for some social life, looked forward to meeting long lost friends, or feel the joy of actually sitting down and writing a letter. 

“Life is busy, and busy is good,” is the mantra now.  From CEO’s to elementary students, we are all juggling our scribbled in calendars.  If you are thinking, this is one of those posts, where I tell people to slow down and smell the roses, you are wrong. I am not going to do that, because you have been told that before by one and all. 

What I am going to tell you is a little story, and maybe you have heard this story before too. But I heard it for the first time today. 

To make a long story short; the children had just come back from school. The older one was a busy guy, he announced that he had two tests and one quiz to prepare for, and also that he was really tired, he wanted a break. The younger one a kindergarten genie, announced that he was also very tired and wanted to rest. 

Their mom looked at them, thinking, she is also very tired, maybe she should also rest. It was one of those rare moments when all the planets were aligned perfectly and much to her surprise, she said “o.k how about we all sit down with some popcorn for a snack and watch a show or a short movie.” The kids were shocked and gave each other the glance. Is she serious, they thought. A weekday and she is asking us to sit down and watch T.V, that’s typically been a total no no with her. They just stood there, thinking she is going to laugh out loud and say “Got Ya!” But she did nothing of the sort, she picked up the remote and turned the T.V on.  

The kids excitedly jumped on the couch and took their favorite spots, really looking forward to their surprise T.V time. 


“This is so much better than a surprise quiz,” said the older one, while giving his younger brother a high five.


And then it happened, suddenly there was silence and their mom had the frustated, irritated look on her face. “What happened?” asked the children worried. “I don’t know, why isn’t this thing working, why is it that when we really want to watch something, this  never worked,” she continued to talk with  herself. 

She went and picked up the phone to call the cable company only to realize the phone wasn’t working either. 

To be connected with OR To be connected to. Its a choice! 
She tries to log on to the internet to see if the cable company’s website had any information, and of course, the internet wasn’t working either.  Perfect! she said. “The one day, that I want it work, nothing happens.”  

“Why don’t you text dad and ask him?” suggested the smart 5 year old. She tried, only to realize the Wifi is dead too.  Great! There is no way of instant communication, she thought. She tried calling her husband, no answer.  

From the time she had picked up the remote to the moment she tried calling her husband, the time lapse was only 7 minutes. And they felt like the longest 7 minutes. She told her kids to go back to studying and their normal schedule.  “Why?” said the kids, “if we had been watching a movie, this would be a break, why can’t we have a break and do something else.

” No! She said firmly, I have to figure this out. So off went the kids, while she stood in the kitchen wondering what to do. She looked at the time, 8 minutes now.  

She decides to have a cup of tea, and as she was filling up the kettle with water, she decides to go check the Time Capsule. It had a blinking orange light. That can’t be good, she thought. So she got the manual out and read through. 

“Blinking orange” meant no internet connection. Great, so the internet was down, which meant no phone, no T.V no nothing. 

Her life came to a standstill. She looked at her watch 10 minutes. How does she solve this problem? She can’t google anything. Deep in her thoughts, she dumped the water back and found the quick cheat sheet of the cable company. She read through it, nothing useful. She looked at her watch, 13 minutes. 

“Mom, what is the meaning of this word?” breaks her silence. “Why don’t u google it?” she responds instantly. “I can’t. Remember,” quips the son back and “I don’t have a paper dictionary,” he reminds her again.  She walks up to her son and tells him the meaning of “archipelago” and comes back to the kitchen.   

It happens, she hears the humm, the humm of a new email on your smart phone. With alert ears, a racing heart and trembling fingers she picks up her phone. 

YES! she shouts out loud.  She quickly picks up the landline, it’s working, she turns the T.V on, its back.   “What happened?” asks the 5 year old.  “Nothing!” says his brother “Mom got her internet back,” beating her to the response. 

“Yeahhh! Now we can watch the movie, right Mom?”asks the little one.  

She looked at his pleading eyes and said, “sure, why not?” “Really!” The kids were so excited and super happy. She looks at them all smiles and says to her self, “this is better, I can post the blog later.”
You guessed it right, and I will let you separate fiction from realistic fiction from non-fiction. 


But it’s worth thinking, it was measly 13 minutes, did life really stand still for her. No! she chose and made “life stand still.” 

It’s yet again, one of those “Imperfectly Perfect” situations.  

Lesson Learned!