Life and its lessons

September is slowly drawing to a close.
That is to mark the beginning of what is supposed to be the last 31 days of hectic
schedule in my present organisation . Yes, it is going to be fare well time after 31.10.2011.
I recall the past employers, the challenges, the expectations, the disappointments and waht not at this point of time.

Career which started in CHENNAI by being a paid qualified asssitant in the same Audit firm, in which i did my articleship and successfully completed my inter and final slowly graduated to an appointment in one of the companies in Private sector in BANGALORE .Initial days of expectations, young blood , the urge to taste any thing new and ofcourse the desire to take up a carrer in banking , (arising out of
my being nurtured by two of may paternal uncles both of whom had decades of experience with an Indian Bank) and last but not the least my love for the city of joy, KOLKATTA,resulted in my relocation from South to East.I joined the bank head quartered in Kolkatta.

East taught me a lot. It enabled me to appreciate the nuances of my life and that of others too. I became sociable at kolkatta only thanks to some nice friends who stayed and groomed me and also thanks to K ,whose small but intent association with me in PATTIMANDRAMS & vAZHKKADU MANDRAMS made the life all the more interesting.I rediscovered my self in those days. These were the days when i became an ordent admirer of BalaKumaran , after reading his 'Mercury POOKKAL" which it self was a topic that we debated in BharathiTAMIL sangam.(We refers to me and my wife once agin proving the point that we are opposite poles attracting each other ).

City of joy proved there are two sides to each coin. The city which gave me immense joy also ahppened to give me the glimpses of the other side of life. It was here that my wife's love for the first child could not become a reality. It was the place whewre we lost quite a few valuable things (mATRIAL AND OTHER WISE), Life has come a full circle.This has not however dampened my love for the city a wee bit.

But there are other things in the waiting and other commitments too. The desire to be by the side of my mom and dad and to provide them peace of mind in their old age drove me to look for pastures back in CHENNAI and that is how within 6 months of my job hunt, i could find a placement in a bank headqurtered in CHENNAI ITSELF.

THE BEGINNING WAS GOOD, BROUGHT SMILES ALL OVER AND AS IT normally happens with such extereme joys , it was shortlived.Once again my better hals was disappointed in her desire for a rose in her garden of motherhood.

I am an optimist. An optimist to the core.And a great believer in God.There will always be a dawn is my mantra which made me to face the toughest times in my life. And it was this mantra which made me to wait and take in to my hugs two "darlings of heart" in a span of three years after my return to chennai.IN THE INTERUGNUM I built a house so that my offsprings will have a place to be comfortable when they enter the world and my parents can relax with peace of mind in their own house. My wife converted this house of ricks in to Home of harmony and peace over the decade.

No turning back since i joined the prestigious institution in CHENNAI.Ofcourse expectaions with which i joined the institution were all raced to ground when the reality stared at my face ....with a waiting period of twelve years to earn a promotion to next cadre.Thank fully before my father breathed his last, the promotion came after a written test and a gruelling interview of half an hour.I could give the final satisfaction to my father by earning that promotion and exactly in 6 months time he joined the Parama padham.

that is the long and short of the areer graph.Had i continued with my bank in East, i wold have been elevated twice by that time.And taht is where my belief in fate and God increased multifold.The institution which kept me waiting for my first promotion for 12 long years , gave me an overseas posting, a placement as a faculty(which is the most admirable stint, i enjoy till this date)and promoted me to Top mangement cadre in the next 20 years.But then the agaony of initial wait of 12 years had robbed the charm of all the rest which followed later. And today i got a call from my friend in the east, who continued in the same job(unlike me who had quit)thAt he has just been elevated to cadre of GM. that is the irony of life.

I had no regrets . I have learnt in the process that life is a mixture of good and bad, opportunities and challenges ups and downs , expectations and disappointments.Once this wisdom sinks in nothing can shake you. You are able to treat things with proper perspective and understanding and you are able to enjoy the tide called life. And above all there is reinforcement of values and beliefs in the ultimate power above.And that is the essence of life , meaning of life and the purpose of life which leads to harmony and peace.

60 years ....Experiences of 600 years .....Enjoyment of 6000 years.
Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi ...