The Gang

The title of this write-up might be a little vague to you but over the course of the next few paragraphs, I will try my best to explain the significance of this term in my life.

Where to begin?

Well, Bangalore '19, till now has been a memorable ride for sure. It has had its fair share of ups and downs. Overall, the ups might just have eclipsed the downs.

The best part of this journey has been the people I have gotten a chance to enjoy it with. The people who I am referring to know who they are.

However, the bond that has been created has ended up being wonderful. Nothing short of that.

For those who know me, would be aware of the fact that while I do not get close to too many people, the very few that I do, end up being very very close.

When I began working here, they were colleagues. Just colleagues.

1 month down. Colleagues.
2 down. Colleagues.
9 down. Best friends.

The best part of it has been the moments that have been spent together which I wish could be brought back at the snap of a finger.

However, the fact that more memories will be made over the course of time gives us the hope that bright and positive things are ahead.

One of the guys, left my company after about 6 months of me being here. This guy was and still is close to me simply due to the fact of how selfless he is. Ask him for work or non work related help and he is there. You might say well, isn't that what friends are for? But, I say, sure. That is what friends are for but I challenge you to find someone who is willing to answer your stupid work doubts with a smile on his face and even allow you to ride a bike without be authenticated for it. All happened, with smiles on the faces.

The second guy is someone I related on a personal level due to the common interest in, well, you guessed it, football. The other interest that he holds is for writing.

By now, I think you all might have an idea that I like a fair bit of writing myself. This is one more thing over which we connected. Getting a chance to learn and interact with him everyday has been a truly memorable experience for me. Whether it be industry insights, book suggestions, blog suggestions, the Liverpool teases amongst others, it has been fun.

Finally, comes the person who was a senior to me back in University. As luck would have it, with her advise and a fair bit of assistance, I get to call her my colleague now in the same organization.

She knew how bad I was at writing mails and worked together with me here to ensure that those mail styles were never seen by our seniors here at the organization. Kudos to her for that.

She is always up for a conversation. Whatever you have in your mind, she can give you the best advice possible. Up for a party? Sure. Up for a movie? Plan on. Up for trying out a cuisine in a restaurant? Bring it on.

These three are true gems that I have gotten here and I am never letting go of them. Ever.

Even if life throws the distance factor between us years down the line, I am sure all that it will take for us to get together would be me asking one thing, Chaley party karne?

Reunited Soon.

Alright, here we go again.

Prepare yourself for another Mayukh Kumar emotional rollercoaster ride.

But wait. Feel free to stop reading if you want to.

So then. Let's begin shall we?

Recently I found out that two of my closest friend's brother is about to get married this November.

I'm sure they won't mind me taking names so here goes. Shubham and Tushar's brother is having a grand wedding later this year.

And obviously I am invited. I mean come on. Please don't kill me for this line you two.

But you might wonder what is so special about this wedding. Let me tell you.

It's a wedding which is happening in their family. Their family is a gem. One of the purest people I've ever known and people who I had the chance calling my own when I was in Sonipat, crawling to the finish line to do my MBA.

Whether it be endless good food or love packed in the form of kindness, they gave me their all.

So the least I can do is attend their wedding and be a part of their grand occasion.

However, get this. List of people who are coming as well.

Kiran.
Kurian.
Prashant.

Well, Prashant, don't mind me putting your name at last because let's face it, Eden's at Madrid now. So yeah, cheap banter.

Kiran. Well, what more can I say about him that hasn't already been said before. Bhai hai woh apna. I've said so many good things about him that I really need to pull out the dictionary to find similar words of praise.

Kurian. Well, he's Kurian. Our boy. Trust me when I say this, if you haven't managed to make Kurian your close friend, you've missed out on many things in life. Most of the memorable things I've done in college, have been with this lad.

Prasant. Well, roommate, brother, sore Fifa loser. Everything. Words cannot sum up my friendship with him. I have stopped liking him though since he went off to "study" in Singapore.

So then, November it is. Book your tickets boys.

Take out them Ray Bans and Indian wear. It's going to be a hell of a ride.

We would all be coming together and the precious few hours that we spend are going to be quite something.

Shubham, do me a favour and avoid those China discussions please though? Haha. You know I love you.

Finally, Tushar, Baba, keep the Rover ready. Fire up the engines. Put on those shades and wait for me to say:

Baba, chaley shaadi mei rang jamane?

Turning 24

Well, it's been a while.

Take a look at yourself in the mirror. A good hard look.

Do justice to who you see in that mirror. Be worth it.

Now that all the self motivating is out of the way, let's talk about what has been happening.

MBA? Check.
Job? Check.
New City? Check.
Selecting salaried individual on all applications? Check.
Mental peace? In progress.

Now, you might think that pride has taken over.

You call it pride. I call it achievement.

Turning 24 has its own perks. Especially if you have friends who just won't give up on you.

Whether it be the most expensive watch I have ever worn from Canada.
Or the Alexa all the way from my brothers from London.
Or the Iron Man tee from Singapore.
Or the Liverpool sucks tee from the troll master himself.

You must be wondering what my friends from India gave me.

Well, the fact that they are my friends and have stuck by me through thick and thin is my gift.

Having a chance to call them my friend, is priceless.

I may not be the best of friends to them throughout the year, but, that does not mean I do not miss them.

Good times will never last. Remembering them and bursting into laughter as well as tears are worth it.

Don't ask me why. It just is.

Wish we could turn back time?

Failure? Fuck You.

Hello Bangalore.

What a city! It has a fast paced life. A place where people will bust their butts off on the weekdays at their workplace and party like there is no tomorrow on the weekends.

But that is about the people.

What about me?

Well, I’m back to the same city where I promised to come back. I made the promise to myself last summer. It’s a fun place to be in.

Workplace is wonderful. Never did I expect to find colleagues to be as friendly as my ones are. I am given the respect that should be given and treated like an equal. Since the first I have been given the feeling that I’ve been here for a very long time.

Moments like these make me want to rant. Rant about how I ended up being compared to how I was touted to be at my first school.

I’ve mentioned it before about the trauma that I was made to go through in that school.

They called me failure. Boys, trust me, had I been a failure and a hopeless piece of shit, I would not have been half the person I have become now.

My reply?

Fuck You, your opinions, do not matter anymore.

Impact

The title of this write up may sound intriguing and to a certain degree it even is. The question which begs answering is, impact in what context?

Impact can be anything. But the thing that I would be focusing is that of people.

I have met a fair share of people in my life who have had both positive and negative impacts.

To the negative ones, Fuck You. (Take note: 95% the people from my first school)

Brutal. Blunt. Honest.

To the positive ones, Thank You.

You could term that as an understatement towards the good ones.

By now, half the people know that my closest bunch of friends have moved on to better lives.

But what about the ones who have stayed back? Are they special? Hell yes.

The thing about the ones remaining is that they have given life a whole new meaning.

I cannot think of not seeing them for a full day. It just has to happen. Its oxygen in the form of people.

You want to breathe, you have got to meet.

But then again, the best part about life is that it keeps the doors open to meet new people.

I have made a fair share of new friends as well this semester.

The impact which they have had is worth taking a note of.

Mind you, all positive, nothing negative.

Being 23 years old and being at this stage of life makes you look at things a bit differently.

Surprises are appreciated. Impacts are satisfying.

Make new friends, but keep the old. Those are silver, these are gold - Joseph Parry.

Positive. Rational. Infallible. Selfless. Humble. Appreciative.

The words above strike a chord. And I hope it stays that way.

How one year can change everything!

Last year this time, I was staring down at my broken iPhone. It was one of the darkest days of my life and the most shameful one.

I have regretted that moment every single day since that. Life has a funny way of coming forward in front of you.

I was having the time of my college life with my friends along with stable academic performances. All in all, it was good!

Fast forward one year and a new phone later, it's different. Good different or bad different is still not clear.

The suggestion for this topic was put forth by my batch mate and fellow writer Palak Katyal. So a shout out to her for giving me something to write on.

A year is a long time. People can get married, people can have kids, people can die or more so, people can be lonely. The last one sucks the most because it is by far the worst feeling in the world. If you have ever been lonely you would understand.

I was under the impression that the good times were meant to last. However, my friend, they don't. They did not for me. If they do for you, you are one lucky soul. There are some things which even words cannot explain.

This year, it sucked to bid adieu to the ones who had meant so much to me, but, such is life.

Good times don't last. Good people do.

Write that in stone!

Brotherhood

I miss them. Oh fuck I miss them a lot. I don't say this quite often, but, in my head, I have this thought lingering at all times. Is it bad? I do not know. Is it good, hell no!

The people in case are the ones who have shaped me to be what I am today. College would not have been fun without you guys. It's a fact.

Not only were there good moments, there were memorable moments. What makes the moments memorable are the people who are in it.

One was a football fanatic.
One was a pain in the ass.
One was a laziness accomplice.
One was a learner.
One was a roommate.
One was a confidante.

But all of them were brothers.

People go their own separate ways but each of them left a mark on me as they left. I got a chance to learn so much from them that 4 years of being together turned out to be too less of a time.

Now, I cannot bring those moments back but being a part of their life and the fact that they shared so much with me cannot be overlooked or understated.

The only thing left in these 3 months of college is reminiscing those moments and creating a few more with the one's left here.

I've written many times about change being the only constant.
I don't like this change.
Time travel anyone?