The Road Not Taken!!

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, 
And sorry I could not travel both 
And be one traveler, long I stood 
And looked down one as far as I could 
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair, 
And having perhaps the better claim, 
Because it was grassy and wanted wear; 
Though as for that the passing there 
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay 
In leaves no step had trodden black. 
Oh, I kept the first for another day! 
Yet knowing how way leads on to way, 
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh 
Somewhere ages and ages hence: 
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— 
I took the one less traveled by, 
And that has made all the difference.

The memory poem of Robert Frost, I loved a lot during my 10^th std…

I’m a kind of person who always wish to travel the road less travelled by…achieve something out of it…n set an example to the younger generation! (may be I sound too ambitious…but I always wish to!)… That wish has brought me into the course GeoInformatics where only 40 are admitted…Stepping into the course, I’d so much of dreams…that I could pursue my career in a core company, aft learning that the field has a huge demand in future… 3yrs of exposure in college…advises from various ppl in the same field, made me think of the practicalities n now I decided its better to travel the road normally travelled by to survive…

As per my recent wish… I got placed in accenture, the only company I dreamt of getting placed aft learning abt its accomplishments n high performance,  I was greatly impressed of its profile n wished I’m an employee there along with my best buddiesJ…aft a lonnnggg…. ‘My dreams came true!!’…and was so delighted abt it on 28^th aug,2011..:)J My parents n sis too were elated as they can proudly boast to ppl tat I got placed in the leading global firm! My friends shared my happiness n are eagerly waiting for the treat!!

While this wonderful career is on one side…my ambition from my childhood… the life which I always wish to live n also the well wishers around me… “Civil services”...still remains as a ‘road less travelled by’…n ‘the road with lot of obstacles’… ‘the road which may be chosen by me anytime’…Ppl who have faith on my potents…motivate me all-time n its their courage I possess to achieve my long time goal…

I still stand amidst the yellow woods…at the diverging roads…yet to decide the road to travel…Hope…I choose the ‘road less traveled by’…as I always wish n let all the       differences happen in my life!!

                       

Amazing kindness..

          Its career counselling time...for the school passed-outs of the present year..Our college campus, in particular the briefing hall near our dept is all-time filled with anxious parents n nervous students..and we hardly find a path to walk across in the area! Seeing them, makes me go back to my counsel day when I was disquieted, till I chose my course. Right after I joined CEG, I wished, few of my school juniors too get a chance to learn here..n it happened for the three consecutive years n am sooo happy about it..!!
         It feels good when u get visitors, whom u're very well acquainted to, who extend sooo much of kindness towards u..tat too from ur hometown, when u're far apart! It happened to me, when i got to spend time with three families on three days in two weeks...who came to my coll for the counselling session.. I took responsibility of alleviating the unwanted confusions of my three well known school juniors n their parents who came here..just for few words of mine, about the things i knew well..the kindness, the families showed me back stunned me!
         The second saturday dawned late for me..and i woke up with a call from my junior who asked if i could meet him n his parents, as they were there to look up vacancy positions for his counsel the next day. Though his idea was to join medical dur the second phase counsel, he was there to have a back up seat... I knew his father as he is my chithappa's best friend n had talked to his mother occasionally...That was enough for me to start up a long conversation, taking them around coll...n most of the time i was suggesting him a good back up course in my own campus..! I took them to our canteen then n they made me drink two big cups of juice..n it dint end there..when they were abt to leave in the noon, I was pleasantly surprised when they invited me for lunch at their relative's place...at first i thought it was just for formality, but then i realised they meant it so seriously n i couldn't deny! A calm home at adyar, a very kind old lady n a jovial handsome guy there!..home-made nonveg food...everything i liked!! I became bit emotional when uncle started talking a lot abt my late chithappa..it was actually nice to hear him remember so many little things of him, even aft his demise 13yrs back.. i adored their wonderful relationship! Aft a stomach-full lunch n interesting conversation, they dropped me back in coll aft an hour... I felt good to have made them happy with my presence..n of course i too had a good time with them!
                On Tuesday, another junior boy of my school, who is also my neighbour n his mom, a good friend of my mom came for counsel..He already had a seat confirmed at the newly opened, famous Shiv Nadar University in Noida..besides, he was there for a back up seat...The sure seat in a reputed institution kept him n his parents cool of the next day session! Similar incident as the last time happened again...when they were abt to leave in the eve, they just asked till wat time i can be out of hostel..n as soon as i answered, they invited me for dinner outside..I took them to our habitual See rock restaurant n on the way we went inside IIT, the huge campus of which made them awe struck! I met them the next day too aft the counsel...n i was touched when they said 'thanks for being with us n we had a good time with u!', while leaving..
                                                        
              Another fav junior of mine, supposed to be my best friend's bro whose parents too are well related to me, as my respected school chemistry teacher n my dad's school frnd were here on Sunday! I could meet them only aft he opted for a coll, as i was out of campus for an exam..at first i wasn't sure if i could meet them, as i'd travel from a distant place..but then i reached soon n they were waiting for me! Felt delighted to see the three very well acquainted faces..had a long conversation abt his chosen architecture course n lots more abt myself n my coll...they made me have my lunch at canteen though they had to leave soon n handed over a big bag of snacks while leaving! My teacher was so concerned that i needed rest though i volunteered to walk them up to the entrance gate..i was moved when they said 'it was thru me, they got the idea of joining him in b.arch n thanks for tat!'.. Actually, I had to thank the three families for the wonderful time spent with them!!

P.S: This post is dedicated to the three families who extended amazing kindness n i thank them for being sooo sweet to me!!

The wonderful soul!

            July18,2009..the most tragic day in my life till now.. even aft going to my relative's place tat mrng..I wished i cud've said a bye to her before coming there...but I dint as it was too early n she was sleepin...but i never expected she'll tell us all a good bye n leave this world.....cos it was only tat aftnoon i saw a missed call from her number on my mobile n when i tried to call her back,couldn't reach n so i just sent her a msg..(it still remains a mystery if the call was done by her or by someone else aft the accident..it feels sooo bad to think of the terrible accident n the loss of three precious lives:(:()
           I dint believe the news when my frnd said..i asked her not to believe n kept on prayin it shud not be so! I rushed to hostel from my relative's place to know wat really has mishappened...cud'nt control my tears when i heard frm my frnd tat pavith told so.."How can Subha go there without even telling me a bye...am gonna fight with her when she comes back"..she was my first best frnd in coll..i never thought i wud get along with her..the day one i saw her..but then..i resided in her room almost all time...can never forget the wonderful times spent in IGH S-12 wit pavith n gayu...v three...the best,envious trio! A very talented n dedicated B.Arch student she was, a great friend to all her classmates and a wonderful person to be with! 
         Sooo many silly fights, midnight chats, soo much fun n laughter, all-time teasing each other, sooo much care to wipe each others' tears...wish those times are back!!! My first b'day celebrated in coll... just 4days aft the day v joined...was made remarkable by her...but the next yr...aft v became sooo close..she was not wit me...to celebrate my day!...My thoughts wander often..around her parents, sis smrithi, best frnd parvathi, bro karthik n her relatives..hope n pray they get along with their lives...
           Time flies so fast...can never imagine how life in this coll passed 2 yrs without her...not a single day pass by without her thoughts..so many things around me remind me of her...her memories are still fresh...like her! I believe she is ever around us...She'll be always in our thoughts n hearts...Miss u a lot Pavithra...:(:(:(
                                                      

Frozen moments (Part-2)

I took a long gap before starting up with my 2^nd half of school life as it had a major role in my transformation n I’d to recollect the thoughts n memories… I may miss out to mention so many things here..but it finds a place to be remembered by me forever!

(Warning: This post is going to be longer than the prev one! Beware!)

                 

Rather than reading much from books… I started reading ppl n their emotions…rather than the class lessons…I learnt a lot from the lessons that life taught me then…all these happened cos of the wonderful ppl  I had around me..my own gang of FRIENDS! It was during 9^th std, our class was reshuffled..my best friend from long and one more friend with whom I used to talk well even before were in the same section as mine…so many incidents that happened then brought us closer than before…friends of my friends too became my friends n thus we formed a gang! We spent the break n lunch times commenting abt teachers n other gang gals(!) …gossiping abt the class ‘kisu kisu’…sharing secrets n lots…few months later, our talk was mainly abt a word called ‘possessiveness’…I never knew it before n tat word caused series of arguments among us… the good thing was we knew to compromise too.. The red-lettered day, none of our frnds could ever forget-Nov 24,2004…thinking of the day, still brings mixed emotions inside me… We gradually started losing our innocence n turned to typical adolescents!! Our first trip together outside the state brought us more close…still remember the places we spent our times together.. Grand safari, vishveswaraiyya museum, iskcon mandhir, shiv mandhir, golconda fort, ramoji film city, hussain sagar lake, ocean park, “snow world”, salarjung museum, charminar streets… snow world witnessed our enjoyment to the extreme..smearing snow on each other, throwing ice balls irrespectively on all our class mates, playing in ice sledges n slides…never ending fun we had in the -5 degree designed frozen region! Can never forget the silly fight with my friend n reunion the next day… I wouldn’t have visited Bangalore and Hyderabad at that age unless it was my school tour…  That yr I never cared much abt my academics n was happy for wat I was..

But, the case wasn’t the same when we entered 10^th std..the year of board exams..all our teachers used that one reason to scare us..! We were put in a single classroom ‘cos of our population n to make us more competitive..of course we became competitive as who talks more inside the class…! I was made to change my place almost every month as I used to talk a lot to whoever sits beside me..n in that way I got good friends too… Coming early to the morn spl classes was a herculean task when me n my friends are concerned…we used to search for company every morn while getting caught at the railway gate put for the train at that time, which is on the way to our school…sometimes we try escaping blaming the train’s timing n the other times we remain insensitive to the teachers’ non-stop scolding..tat too was fun when shared together! Never ending lunch breaks, chit-chats at cycle stand, eve spl classes, late exit from school forming a long chain blocking the human-less road with our cycles, last byes before leaving home at the junctions, phone conversations in the sake of clearing doubts..!..pleasant to think of those days..  When the boards were just 2months away.. I started feeling an invisible pressure on myself… I was not on the top in the previous exams and wasn’t scoring great compared to the expectations of my teachers.. I’d an urge inside to become the top scorer of my school, which grew me up n bring some pride to it …but I lacked in self-confidence, gradually I got over it with the complete support of my parents, mentor and friends..I regained my form n was ready to prove myself..when another unforgettable incident happened on March15, 2006…we still had two more exams of third revision to get over while we decided on a race between two of our friends in kine n my pep! I sat behind the one who is not used to drive two-wheelers n I still wonder how I got the courage to go with her! The race was abt to over n we were of course lagging behind..when she tried to speed off, the sand in the turning upturned our vehicle making us both to fall down..other friends came running towards us…owner of the kine started crying on seeing the condition of her two-month old vehicle..while we were suffering with scratched n bleeding arms n palms.. immediately all started off to our homes n my other hurt friend was taken to the hospital on the way home, which created more tension with her parents.. I created a scene by crying to my parents n they worriedly took me to hospital...the next day we both had to hide our bandaged hands whenever a teacher came inside our exam hall…the incident sent tremors of tension among our teachers too n we set an example in the assembly meeting, of ‘wat not to be done when board exams are just 10days away!!’ Thank God..our wounds were healed by the time we had to write our board exams.. The complaints on our batch turned to appreciations on June5, 2006 when our results were announced…I felt elated as my ambition of making my school proud didn’t go in vain..i secured school first n district second..!

When this happiness was on one side..one thing was making me terribly sad all through the hols..my best friend from childhood had to join another school from 11^th std as per her parents’ wish…I’ve always dreamt of completing my 14yrs of schooling with her..n it pained a lot when I thought I’ll miss her badly for 2yrs in school..

I took comp.sci group with french as my 2^nd language with an eagerness to learn a new language..whereas my teachers advised me to opt for tamil as they wanted me to get state rank in 12th!!..tat seemed a greedy desire to me n I never considered tat idea too.. I was the only one from my gang in the comp.sci group..n I felt bit lonely till I got a very good new comer girl as my friend…one more addition to our gang..! (we began calling ourselves as the ‘ignited minds’ as we had to name our group for our english class!!) though we friends were in different groups we always found time during breaks n lunch periods for our chit chats..inter school culturals n dance practice for various competitions kept us almost busy n we rarely cared to attend classes during the first few months.. I involved myself much in quizzing too aft the feat achieved at the regional young world quiz, the prev yr… School day, Chidren’s day, sports day.. all the grand celebrations of the school kept me almost away from the academics track..i too never minded abt it n had the idea of catching up the next yr..To add to our enjoyments, came the North India tour dur our quarterly hols… Delhi, Agra, Amritsar..am not sure if I’ll again get a chance to go to these places in my lifetime..though I missed my best friend there at many places I had fun with my other close friends…India gate, qutb minar, taj mahal, fatehpur sikri, golden temple, wagah border, jallian walabagh- all which I’ve seen in movies before, were stunning to witness in reality! The 2day train journey to n fro never seemed boring n we were laughing loud most of the time teasing one or the other… I didn’t miss my home much when I was 10days away..but I missed the time spent at my last school tour for many  days even aft coming back… my performances in the common board wasn’t upto the mark n I geared up again in 12^th…

            The feeling of ‘it is the final yr to stay together’ was bothering me one side..while on the other side it was my invisible pressure acting on me again…balancing both I felt bit hard..! We enjoyed ourselves as much as possible…the english classes where we make full-time fun of our dear mam…never caring to be shouted at by her…!leisurely having lunch n coming to classes late regularly..(teachers get tired of making us stand outside)…never ending meditation classes… sharing a single dish among 10 at the canteen, all boys n gals having lunch together on the last working day of school, countless photos clicked on the last few days  n lots of memorable moments..I can recollect…! The final months I was bit seriously involved in my board preps n this time I fell ill on the first day of exam..inspite, I tried my best… As soon as our exams got over, we got ourselves busy with the farewell celebration works..that was the time when we boys n gals started speaking so well n respected each others’ ideas…our team effort proved success on March26, 2008…a small video showing the pics of us taken from our lower classes was cherished by all, cake cutting, games, teachers’ n students’ talk, memento presentation..all went on well…I could find the happy faces of my classfriends getting dull when the celebration was nearing its end..i had to leave the place before national anthem as I had to go to madurai for my entrance exam coaching classes…good tat I didn’t stay there till the end, else I would’ve definitely cried..

Tear drops rolled down my cheeks when I thought of the times we had silly fights, commented abt someone n laughed out loudly, shared our lunches together, fun in english classes, tour experiences, bicycle rides…n lotsss…my mind was fully occupied with these thoughts on my 2hrs journey to madurai…The next morn, though I woke up fresh..the thought inside me…no more grey n white uniforms…no more assembly..no more lunches to be shared...no more school days…no more late goings to spl classes n a list of ‘no mores’ brought inside me a sudden pain..!

YRTV was like a heaven for 14yrs…the wonderful moments are still frozen…the memories bring a beam of energy inside me….i’ll be ever grateful to the school n teachers who grew me up…and my wonderful friends…they always find a special place in my little heart…!

Frozen moments (Part-1)

I was wondering…wat my first post would be about….Well, I thought it would be nice to write about the ‘happy days’  I always(n I’ll always) look behind..The best part of my life which had a great impact on my character n my entire personality…  I take pleasure in mentioning, I had 14yrs of schooling in one n only school (not many get this wonderful opportunity!)…the ISO certified institution, YRTV! The reputed school… well-known for its academic n non-academic activities n the faculty dedicated to the institution are responsible for who I’m now n where I stand..There are soooo many things worth remembering, recalling and remarking when I think of my second home…I won’t be able to put them all in order with its exact essence…just giving a try to refresh my beautiful memories cum experiences..!

            (Warning: This is going to be a very lengthy post…kindly bear with it!!)

Let me start with my kindergarten…I remember most of the time crying n the teacher convincing me…my mom still says, that I cry everyday to go to school but was good at telling rhymes n the stories taught.. I don’t remember how well I mingle with other kids that time..but mildly I could remember that 2 boys were my best friends dur that time…n it was with them I play most of the time…!(note:only at the age of 4!!)..aft entering the primary school…I started mingling with the girls! It was then we started having a ‘set’(as we used to tell ourselves!) on our own and the rule for the members of the set is not to talk to the any other set in the class…cos of which I used to get eliminated from the set at times n will be one more girl who I started saying as my ‘best friend’! that elimination may at times make me feel upset…so funny to think of it now! It was in 3^rd std we were divided into two sections.. i was happy that my best friend was in the same section with me though I got separated from many of our set members(I dint mind abt it then)..i could remember a north-indian friend I got, who never knew a word in tamil..i got closer with her..she used to come to my home daily n we do our homeworks  together…within a yr she started understanding tamil well and 2 yrs were enough for her to speak tamil fluently…! It was from 3^rd to 5^th, I was attached with a group of 4 girls…used to have lunch with them n chatter with them a lot though I talk to my other class mates too...I very well remember the Christmas celebration dur 5^th std when I was the ‘Santa Claus’ n kept it a secret even to my close frnds…they somehow found out from my body language then! Swimming classes, pt periods, library, craft n extra-curricular classes kept us all active at the age…That was the time I learnt classical dance and karate (extremes though!) regularly attending classes…and was very good at studies too…never gave up the first rank and general proficiency till 5^th std..i was an active kid and won prizes in the intra-school oratorical, essay, singing, acting n drawing competitions (my mom was behind energising my inner potents!)

It was then we entered our senior block…6^th std..(having a farewell celebration in junior block aft 5^th std..!)..we were the senior most in junior block the yr before..n then we were looked upon as kids though we were wearing salwar n our class boys, pants! Felt so strange in the new environment…never knowing how to behave in the teacher-less classes n how much louder to talk…! Most of the time, whole class will be found outside the classroom kneeling down…punishment from the staff handling 12^th std! we felt..it was so stupid for our staff to have put our classroom next to the senior-most class…how much ever we were punished, we never gave ourselves a chance to maintain silence! And...in the next grade we were put in a separate block, so that nobody gets disturbed of us…we took so much advantage out of it, had no limits in our mischiefs…and the only person who had a control over us was our class teacher, to whom we were so respectful… The nicknames with which we used to tease each other, the bet matches played with the other section, cold war between the two sections, the fun dur school day n sports day celebrations…all in my memory still…! For the first time…I had a serious fight (!) with my so called best friend, for I said something dur a throw-ball match (!)…so upset I became..she dint talk to me properly then…n got closer with few other friends of her… one more thing happened was..i lost my proficiency for the first time as I missed an exam due to my ill health…that too made me bit upset… I was given 2^nd as my aggregate total was higher… the next yr, I became more studious… I never cared wat my friends were doing, wat my classmates gossiped behind me, wat all was happening inside the class…nothing.. My only focus was academics n next to tat…Quiz! That was the time when I gave entry to the world of quizzing n was so much interested in it, tat i cared a little about wat was going around me…a ‘pucca nerd’ I was! I still wonder how I was so… (only later I became aware of the stories tat were spun by my classmates with me in it..!) I got an established name in the school n became the pet of many staff then…but I was poor as I had no true friends around me! I had frnds to talk to..but none to share everything of me n none whom I cared abt so much… I dint realize the importance of relationships too…till I got wonderful ppl around me the next yr…that transformed me differently...n made me feel greater than before… ( …to be continued…)

P.S: This post is dedicated to all the wonderful characters I met in my school…my classmates, friends n teachers… reading this might have made u exhaustive (sorry!)… this is just to keep my very old memories afresh!!

Beginner!

My first attempt to write a blog...Well, I can say myself as a 'beginner' in blogging (as the title indicates!)...I started off with this.. to make my vacation aft the 3rd yr of college, a worthy n content one..and it is the inspiration I drew from my friends' blogs, that I decide to write one on (n for) my own! Hope this will remain as a wonderful collection of my treasured memories of different times of my life...remembrance of my past-(experiences n happy moments)...reflection of my inner voices!.... precious ppl i met in my life..
Wish I do blog frequently n make myself feel always..."EXCITED TO BE ALIVE"!!:)