To Bangalore and back

As I had written earlier, 18th July was the first anniversary of my joining this company. I had thought I’d probably celebrate with a couple of friends in a small way. I never expected it to turn out the way it did, a day as memorable as the day of joining itself, if not more.

I got the news on the 13^th. A whitepaper that I had submitted as part of the company’s tech fest had been selected for presenting in the final round, and I would have to fly to Bangalore to present it on the 18^th. So I prepared my presentation, brushed up my knowledge, got my things together and boarded the flight to Bangalore on 18^th morning. At the end of the one hour long flight, I reached Bangalore. The weather was cool and windy. I took a taxi and reached my office.

I called my friend Bhavana from the gate. She came to “welcome” me as she had promised earlier (I had never met her before then, though we chat every day). After meeting her, I called Amit, who was my college friend, as well as my training batch batchmate in Chennai. I also called Sonali, another batchmate who was completing one year with me. She suggested that we have lunch together. Soon, with the amazing enthusiasm that girls have for organizing such things, she was sending mails to all our batchmates in Bangalore, trying to fix up a time and place. In the meanwhile Amit took me to his cubicle and let me check mails (that’s the ultimate luxury an IT guy can have I guess!). After we had decided on a cafeteria and the time, I roamed around the huge campus for some time, met a college friend Gaurav by accident, and then joined the others for lunch.

Lunch was fun. There was Nisha, Om, Amit, Sonali, Ashish and myself. Even another batchmate, Gaurav Jee dropped in for a moment. It was just like the old times. And what a befitting day for a reunion, I thought. But there was a lot more to come.

After lunch, I went to the paper presentation, where soon my friends joined me. I don’t believe in thanking friends for what they do. But I must say, I was deeply moved by the way Abhishake traveled from another office 12 km away to attend my presentation, or the way Rajan came from another office to meet me. My other friends also took time out from their busy schedules to attend my presentation. Bhavana could not attend the presentation, but she and Rajan attended the prize distribution ceremony. They were cheering me when I got the second prize. It was an MP3 player, along with a certificate and a memento. The only mistake I made was that I forgot to take a single photo of Bhavana or Rajan. I realised this when Bhavana reminded me after I returned to Hyderabad.

Next I checked into the guest house, changed into more comfortable clothes, and went to Amit’s cubicle again. I spent the evening with Amit, and then had dinner with him where Bhavana also accompanied us. After they were gone I wandered alone all over the campus and took photos, before returning to the guest house to sleep.

Next day early morning I reached the airport in a cab. The flight was a little late, and it was a bit bumpy too as it was a small plane. After reaching Hyderabad I went to the office straight from the airport and settled down at work. It all seemed like a dream. The celebrations and mails of appreciation have continued throughout the last week as I had been representing my department and I had "made them proud". However, for me the occasion was extra special, as if all my friends, colleagues, managers and my company had been celebrating my completing one year here.

Really, life is full of pleasant surprises.