We have a college group on the web. It was an idea to stay in touch after graduating from Xaviers Institute of Communications www.xaviercomm.org
After over a year, people stopped posting on the group and it was dying a slow death. So one guy dreamt of a good idea - asking people to post in their experiences over the one year since graduation. Though I was a regular contributor it was long before I chipped in.
I finally got down to writing a long post, a culmination of a lonely quiet night somewhere in between Pune and Mumbai. I was down with the pain of a heartbreak and had nothing better to do. So for posterity and your amusement, here it is. Have a satisfying consumption.
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So its been more than a year. Or so it seems if you go by the laws of a calendar! I have been thinking of writing to the group – a group I had hoped would let us realise where we ended up.
But the time to write curiously never presented itself. Perhaps a testament to what a rat race we have got ourselves into. If this mail sounds over the top philosophically, then it perhaps is.
I am here in the middle of nowhere. I had gone to Hinjewadi, Pune to cover Tata BlueScope Steel, a company that I cover as part of my profession. My beats? IT, BPO, ITES and all the metal sector companies. So here I was returning from the plant inauguration, when my car had a puncture. After hours of trying to find a mechanic, my driver managed to find one dingy shop where there is a competent mechanic. So here I am – in the middle of nowhere. Its nearly 11 in the night. Another four hours to home. Other than the mechanic’s lights there is no other light for miles. Its all quiet. No hustle bustle of the newsroom, no voices, no soul. The mechanic’s old barely there radio is belting out AIR’s old hits. Once or twice it shuts down – a master of its own destiny. But a whack from the mechanic and it gets back to what it does best – belt out music. The night creatures are giving me company. Up above me there is the quiet night sky. Stars which seem to be visiting me after decades. I am calm after a long time. And it feels good. Damn good!
So what’s my point? Well I am gonna tell you what my past year has been. But first the last days of our insti. There was a certain bit of sadness. No matter what you said, each one of us was a character. Perhaps a potential character for a book any of us might write someday. But somehow that inherent cynicism arose. A cynical thread we unfortunately carried over to our journalism professions. If some were cynical just to be the wannabe cool rebels, the detractors of cynicism were somehow cowed down by time. Some of us had grandiose plans – remember the sweatshirt J Well I still think we can get it made for our kids. Kids of the Journalism batch of 2005! Did I get the year right? Never mind, this post is not about worldly rules.
A euphoria of having our classmates placed well was short lived. I was particularly happy for the Times Now guys. I was like wow – 9 of us at the same place! But I guess everyone knows what exactly transpired. Somewhere we didn’t get the time, some lost the inclination, some started comparing themselves to others – a perfect recipe for the dissipation of any camaraderie. Not that others were spared either. But well we all have to move on. For those who found friends for life – good for them. For those who found love and lost it – good for them, for those who thought they did-good for them too! (This is where you can stop thinking of Satya and Hazel ;)
I still have a full proof plan to help them elope. Only if those dozos actually let my brilliant plan fructify.
As for me – somehow time has passed without me realising when it did. I had finished the XIC presentations on Saturday, the 9th of April 2006. I had to pack to move forever to another city in a day. On the 11th of April 2006, I joined my first proper professional job! It was a whirlwind of a tour. From meeting a crazy bunch of folks in our initiation program – yes Reuters does have one, to working in an organization that was a second family, I had it good! It assumes significance as very few people find a great first job. I did and I was lucky. But the pressures of the work got to me. There was never time to write, call or check on people who mattered to me. But on I went. Work came first, didn’t it? And so it went on. I really looked forward to my time in Bombay. Meeting up with you guys was a great occasion. Although I always wondered why people who worked together never met up? Beat me then, not so much now. Some of them turned out to be the stuff we dreamed out to. Investigative reporting and all. It also made us proud when one of us climbed the steps of success. But sometimes the futility of it all came crashing down.
A new chapter for me, at least in my professional life, started at CNBC. I remember really looking forward to being in the midst of all my classmates. But then some hard realisations trickled in. The mail isn’t about that. Its about a year in my life and no matter how unsolicited it is – it has to stick to the point. It is difficult to sometimes keep your feet on the ground. When a great brand tries to become your identity, when being a television journalist threatens to make you a snob, it takes moments of reality to give you that kick where it hits the most. But sometimes lapses do occur.
It is great to learn the nuances of television. With all its pros and cons, I ain’t complaining! After all, something that some one can give an arm for (or take someone’s) can’t be that bad right????????
So here it ends. Will love to meet all you guys up. Will let you know of any plans that shape up. Phew I guess that’s it for now. Its time for me to lie on the bonnet, cross my legs and stare into the endless sky up above.
P.S. – Am I within the word limit ??????????
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