Life away from family and friends - in pune

There comes a time in life when you need to take up responsibilities, be away from people you love and just try to find a life away from home, just to make your life and career. and it becomes even more difficult when all these things come into your life all of a sudden, without any prior warning. the same thing happened to me on March 30th, 2010. when i was enjoying my training period at patni computer systems, having a good time learning and enjoying with friends, when one by one all of my friends were getting placed in projects. and it was finally my turn.

I guess everything was planned out before hand because i think everything happens for a reason. maybe the day i got the news that i had to go to pune the very next day for my project was in itself an indication that it was high time i took things seriously and got out of my comfort zone. i was always dreaded by the thought of leaving my family and friends, living in a completely different place, away from the comport of home, mom-made food (read: home-made food), and things i was used to. living in a different place, with new things and people to adjust to, having to take care of myself on my own, was something i had never thought about. but i really had to think about all these things and even start planning as to how i was going to handle them from the very next day.

Its only when we are far away from people that we realise their importance. I have heard this line so many times, but now i see its actual meaning. Gossip with friends, home cooked food, meetings and funny moments spent with loved ones mean so much more when you are away from them and reminisce the moments. Even though mumbai is just 190 km away from pune and it takes just 3 to 4 hrs to reach home, you still don't get that feeling of coming home to family on weekdays when the end of a long, tiring day at office finally allows you to get back home.

But i am lucky to have roommates who are just like family. Office gossip, whining about our PMs and TLs, cooking food, laughing over stupid jokes and people, watching tv, sharing our feelings about life, career, family etc are just some of the things we do. Life in pune is different though. The weather's much better, canteen food is just fine, but you really get a good feeling when you cook with your roommates and find some common things which connect you with people around.

Like when i meet a mumbai person, it really gives me a good feeling, thinking that i am not the only one who has been sent to pune and that there are many people like me. It somehow makes you feel at home. and the best feeling you get is when you reach mumbai and your family is waiting for you at the station. :)

So even though life seems tough at times, what with project work, TLs and PMs keeping a watch on your activities and ofcourse family having lots of expectatons from you ! i guess its all worth it. because if staying away from mumbai and family can teach me how to cook (which i knew nothing about earlier), it has to be something really good. :) and i am sure it will make me a better person, help me value my loved ones a whole lot more and learn how to be independent and take care of myself.

I miss my family and friends.:)

Me and Patni Computer Systems

like any student fresh out of college, i too had lots of expectations from life. i wanted to get into the best company, get good pay and have lots and lots of responsibilities. i also wanted to be the one who was totally in control of things and give my best to the job. lets rewind back to that day (18th september, 2008) when i had my interview scheduled at patni computer systems. it was an important day for me, because not only was it my first ever job interview, but it was also one of the days when i had a close encounter with a really huge company (with branches in almost every part of the country) . i had always heard of the saying, "butterflies in the stomach", but this was also one day when i could actually feel it all happening to me. as youngsters being swarmed by professionals, all of us got a new sense of freedom and confidence that one gets when he/she enters the professional field. though our interviews went really well, no one knew what was to happen in the future. to preserve the memories of "our entire day" at patni, we took loads of pictures and also enjoyed the canteen food which was amazing.

coming back to this day when i have settled well in patni (its been a month since i joined the company-18th december,2009) and happily undergoing training, i get a feeling of nostalgia and happiness when i walk around the area where our class had taken the pictures and admired the infrastructure of patni. the feeling is still the same, the excitement and hopes from life remain the same, just the responsibilities have increased. i realise that i have actually accomplished some of the things that i had set out for.

i have got into one of the best companies, will be getting my salary soon, and i have got the responsibility of proving myself in this fast-moving and competitive business world. with lots and lots of confidence, honesty, intelligence, smart work and focus, i am sure ill do very well in this big, bad and wonderful world of patni. but for the time being, let me just enjoy my time and learn things at my own pace. :)