“Education is what remains after one has
forgotten what one has learned in school”
-Albert Einstein
I kinda remember the clichéd dialogue of
Chak De India said by King Khan, as it goes (modified to suit my topic)
“ pandhra din hai humare paas…shayad humare
zindagi ke khaas padhra din…hum hare ya jite, ye zindagi ke 15 din zindagi bhar
yaad rahenge…kaise khelna/sikhna hai ye koi nahi batayega…par itna jarur
kahunga ki Aao yaaro ji bhar ke ye pandhra
din khel/sikh lete hai…kyunki aage jakar koi ye yaad nahi rakhega ki tum
hare ya jite…kitna sikhe..
Jo bhi ho par ye pandhra din tumse koi nahi
chheen sakta…”
Whoooh…! And this was the exact spirit I came
across when I was undergoing my MSOP training!!!
The first day started with me reaching 15
minutes early than the scheduled time as mentioned in e-mail and I was so
happy.
Until somebody with a stern voice said
“Don’t you know you have to reach here on time…now we can’t allow you in. You
all were supposed to be here before 10 am.” Happiness is short lived as someone
has rightly said… hehe.
Thoda dramatic karne ka toh…
Mere
pairo ke niche se jameen khisak gayi thi… aur mera professionalism rom rom main
jag utha… and I argued “Mam hum koi choote school ke bacche thodi hai…aur waise
bhi time mentioned in mail is 10:30 am.”
I have a smile on my face when I
remember this incidence but that was necessary to share.
Lesson learnt: Misunderstanding should be
dealt with correct approach even when u think u r not at fault. Matter should
be conveyed with utmost respect and that’s the first step to be a respected professional.
I hereby take an opportunity to extend my
heartfelt apologies to Ms. Kavita Mam.
As I enter in the classroom a girl with her
sweet voice, low pitch but audible enough enquired about the incidence and consoled
me as I was a bit upset as i missed the inauguration ceremony.
I took 5-10 minutes to understand her
name..and hhaaa! finally I get that her name was ‘Ami’. Hehe.. J She introduced me to rest of the few
professionals present there to attend MSOP training.
Lesson learnt: Keep your egos aside. Go and
start making conversations and this will make u feel a part of the batch.
On first day we all think if those 15 days
are going to be torture or we all will gell up well and have fun but the
problem we people is we think a lot and act less. However this was proved wrong
by one of the student present, Nimesh, thanks a lot for your effort. J He took the efforts and sweet pains to
create a Whatsaap group and keep the entire batch alive!
Lesson learnt: Team needs to be given
recognition and involvement of all is necessary.
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I
remember. Involve me and I Learn”
-Benjamin Franklin
“We must learn to live together as brothers
or perish together as fools”
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
These adages come to my mind as I recite the
incidence to you all.
Our batch of 32 was divided into 4 groups
on the very first day consisting of 7-8 members each. This was may be the well
thought process by Thane Chapter or ICSI so that members taking admissions in
group don’t create a cartel or a lobby! Well in simple terms sabko sabke saath
mix karo. A comfort level needs to be built up within the members coming from
different backgrounds and this can be achieved only if two strangers are bought
in one team. Initially we all start making stories about others just by looking
at their appearances and few traits that we notice in the beginning, the ‘First
impression’ as they say, later to realize that we had been so wrong about
perceiving them from our glasses.
Lesson: We must learn to get out of our
comfort zone.
We had to give our introduction after the
groups were formed to the entire batch and we were also asked to answer “What is the
weirdest thing we would like to do in our life…?”
Manjinder Singh (aka PAAJI), our batch
mate, revealed the fact that marriage is the weirdest thing that happened to
him…by force or choice…is best known to him. J HAHA!!
Trust me it was so funny to hear what
others say but more important thing was to learn that we all have some desires,
some out of the box thing to do, some dreams not related to career, some wild
things that we wish to do but we are or have restricted from doing them?
Profession does not say or bind you to do only those things that are related to
your profession.
Lesson: Profession is a part of life and
not vice a versa.
This reminds me of a quote:
“Hold the hand of the child that lives in
your soul…for this child nothing is impossible.”
-Paulo Coelho
During the introduction session we came to
know that there is also a member who has completed his Grads, Post Grads and CS
at the age of 21 only!
I was in P.K state of mind that time, “Ee
chora konhu gola se aaya hai konu khabar”.
Durgesh Soni, boss kudos to your
achievements and spirit. Respect.
I dunno wanna share stories about his 4-5 girlfriends…! Thats heart wrenching!
Bhai kum bol diya hoga toh maafi chata hun.
Hehe J
Females out there I would just put a small
disclaimer, Hes getting married, hes already unofficially engaged.. hehe J (Kitna sukun milta hai aisa bolte huve..!)
Lesson learnt: It’s not the age that
matters…but the determination.
Well these were the few inspirations that I
have put down which I experienced on the very first day. Now just imagine how
much you could learn in those 15 days!! Those 15 days were an enthralling and
the best learning experience I may have experienced in my life.
The first day itself we almost knew each
other well enough to start with any conversation that hit our brains. I feel
lucky to be in the 6th MSOP batch of Thane Chapter as I made friends
not only from Mumbai or suburbs but also from Goa, Ahmednagar, Kerala, Assam,
Pune, Kolhapur, Jalgaon and Amritsar…! This is what makes INDIA standout from
rest of the nation, Unity in Diversity and so does that make our BATCH a standout
too.
We had loads of fun in the following days.
To put technically - those days were the ‘norming’ days. We got to know each
other well. Those outings helped our bond grow strong. The stories we formed
about each other during day one were now getting the reality touch, many were
perceived wrong. After a day or two we all were less of only professionals but also
more as family.
So, don’t make the first impression the
last if you want to make friends.
With the fun comes responsibility of our
friends. This was something that was well portrayed and put in practice by
Hardik Shah, another friend and a batch mate. He used to personally ensure that
the girls who used to hangout with us reach their destination safely and in
time. Though that seems to be a small task it shows that society has to take
efforts to be morally responsible towards girls too. Saying that I don’t mean
that he never cared for boys in the group…hehe J. He was equally concerned for them too
(had to put this- haha!). Thanks Hardik for making me understand this. I am
sharing this act of his because we all care for friends whom we know since long
but knowing someone only for a few days and still caring for them in the same
manner is something we should learn.
We played a lot of games during our
outings. Dare and truth, Badminton, table tennis, basket ball, cycling and
before I forget, we may have clicked more than thousands pictures collectively.
Mock Board Meetings and EGMs toh kar li…par hamne toh MOCK PROPOSING ki bhi
practice kar li !!
Now guys..that was fun!! Nimesh..i am sure
you remember our proposal to beautiful and pretty- Sheetal… the lucky girl to
have two charming and handsome boys proposing her (thodi khudki bhi lal karte
hai). It was more like mimicking Bikram and Bala proposing Priyanaka chopra in
‘Gundey’. While typing this thrs a background music that runs thru my head..
“tune mari entriyaan..dil main baji ghantiyan.. :P J” It was all so awesome!
One more notable thing was even the married
men were pulled down to their college days. It was real fun and it was adorable
to see those matured men put down the curtains of maturity and mingle with
everyone of us. Paaji and Prashant and even Neha, the trios who were the only
married of the entire lot of 32, adapted themselves to the batch of amatures
like us..hehe!
Prashant ji aap ko maan gaye sir! The day
one I saw you and the last day when I bid good bye to you (temporary wala J) the transition that you have made is
remarkable. The stammering that happened when u spoke on day one wasn’t even
noticed when you gave the presentation on second last day. Hats off to this
dedication to learning! That’s really inspirational. Your team too, sure has
done a great job here. Also thanks for the wonderful gifts that you distributed
to everyone and also for managing the procurement and visiting shops for
getting those gifts and token for thane chapter.
I was not much keen on carrying lunch box
to the chapter on the first day and I did not. There were many who dint carry
either. We all, say a dozen of us, actually raided a hotel nereby. That was one
different kinda experience. But spending approximately Rs.130 per head daily
for 15 days was something I felt can be avoided. What then?
The very next day I started carrying my
lunch box and made a point that I carry a bit more to serve an additional
person. The second day we all were sitting in all criss-cross rows and columns
and sharing our ‘dabbas’ with each other. There were a few who resorted to
outside food but it remained confined only till that day. 3rd day
almost all of us were sharing each others dabbas. Now that’s the spirit! The
fun we had during the lunch break time was a life time experience. It just
reminded me of old school days. Few of us were literally roaming around to hunt
down our meal ie.somebody elses dabba..and we grabbed and ripped and tore till
we satisfied our stomachs. Well..dont take it literally..hehe. J
The pav
bhajis.. farsans.. parathas.. dosas.. idlis.. pannermutter.. chicken..
omletes.. bhurjis.. dhoklas..u name it and we have it! Its not hard to guess
how our second half was!
“Kumbhakaran bhi
humare pass aya tha - aankhein khule rakhkar sone ki classes lene!”
There was lot
of flirting going around too but all in a good spirit. Parul, a friend and
batch mate was the victim of many or rather she enjoyed being such a famous
victim..hehe J.
Namratta, the
queen of sad jokes hardly cracked any jokes coz she didn’t used to get time
from laughing..!! Durgesh was ‘the knight in a smiling armour’ for her. The moment he opened
his mouth she would start laughing!!“Rab ne bana di (temporary) Jodi..”.
It was strange
but true that in short span also people can instantly connect to each other.
Sneha another friend and a batch mate, Kolhapuri as we used to call her, was
another loved victim. One of our faculty also told her that she looks more
beautiful without spectacles and that blush on her face!! Haai..aaj bhi yaad
hai hume. J
Aarti, wel she
was one differently-abled (don’t take the word literally!! haha) person. She was about to get
married ( may have got married till the time I publish this write up) and her
weirdest dream was to ride a horse or rather sit on a horse in her ‘shadi ka
joda’ in front of her in laws. Now that’s freaky!!…not for her but for the
bechara horse, her husband, in laws and the other viewers!! Hehe J She’s also a great orator and this was evident during
the presentations we were asked to deliver.
Lesson Learnt: Where there is a will there
is a way (sach main aisa hua kya… let us kno!)
Another beautiful, sassy and a classy gurl,
Ketki- You should see her speak or orate and your jaws may drop unless you are in the same league. It seemed she
was absolutely well rehearsed (even if actually she wouldn’t have!) and the
deliveries with perfect voice modulation and confidence! Not quite sure if she
interacted much but she’s well remembered. Yea! Our plans of hanging around
have remained plans forever I guess! Haha!
Hari Bhai, saalee teri dard bhari kahani ni
hum sabko emotional kar diya tha! Taab mujhe saamajh aya that Bidi, chaini, cigarette,
guuthka ye saab se jyada dangerous to ladkiyan hoti hai ! Pyar kambakhat, wahin
apne jine ka sahara bhi hoti hai..! (Saab nahi.. kuch kuch!)
Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes its hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grievances which we endure help us in marching onward.
-Henry Ford
“You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and falling over”
-Richard Branson
Lesson learnt: anything in excess is
dangerous – Ladki ho ya gutkha!! hehe :P
Jigar, jay – can we term them as sober-est (if
there is any such word) of boys in our batch!! Sharing and caring toh inse
sikhna chaiye..! Dosti ke kuch pal, kuch yaadein, kuch lamhe tumhare naam
yaaron!
I can go on and on.. I am sure I may have
missed a lot others who have been as close to me as others mentioned above (you
guys can comment on this memoir wala write up to add more). Just want to say
that I - felt, cherished and enjoyed the felling of ‘oneness’ that we carried
all throughout those days of training and astounded I write today that we still
after almost 3 years stand the same!!
Really glad to have met all of you and thanks
to you all for considering me a part of you!
(Lesson learnt: ‘apart’ and ‘a part’ – a space
can make a hell lot of difference)
Stay in touch!! Hasta la vista!
Signing off- Its SR…
