LIFES LIKE THAT

On a dry and dull summer evening he stepped out of his hostel room in consternation. Of late he has found himself getting restless during solitary moments. He could not reason out exactly why so. Nevertheless he ventured out to feel the fresh breeze outside and the pre-dusk calm of nature. As he strolled along the cobbled pathways of the nearby park, he came across many smiling faces, some known some unknown. He smiled back equally warmly at them. However despite being in a relatively open environment, he was not entirely successful in clearing his mind. What is it that clouded his mind and kept bothering him? He let his mind to do flashback exercise. A year and half ago he was going through a turmoil. I mean he was a successful engineer with a competitive salary. On top of that there were abroad assignments which were like icing on cake. He led a fairly busy life juggling time between office, friends and family. In short, he was leading a perfectly normal life by any standards. But there was a problem. He was not happy. Or should I say not satisfied? He did not quite know why. He thought may be the monotony of work life had something to do with it. But a trip back home and spending some quality time with parents did not help much in relieving himself of the feeling of emptiness. He felt himself cut off from the society. Well he was not much of a social person if one were to go by conventional standard. But he was ok with it. He had come to believe that not all human beings are same and there are shades of eccentricity in each one of them. But now the same situation unnerved him. His mind was under constant siege by these foggy ideas that deluded his mind. He felt the urge to reach out to the society, the people around him. He wanted to make his share of contribution for the benefit of the needy. He was in the 24th year of his existence and the fact that he has till now lived only for himself never let his mind relax. He knew he had to do something. But he could not figure out how and what. He of course did not have those grandiose plans of renouncing everything to dedicate himself to serving the poor and diseased. He had not reached that stage yet! He wanted to be instrumental in some developmental groups and contribute more towards idea generation and process improvements. But his job would not let him do so. After a grueling 12-hr-a-day work week he was totally drained of all energy or enthusiasm to pursue anything. Moreover he was not quite sure of how others would take to his ideas as they were raw. He knew he had to structure them and give them a more implement able shape. But he did not have the requisite training for that. His knowledge of the practical matters of life was a bit ‘lacking’. He had to admit he had mostly been a ‘theory’ and ‘bookish’ student with very little exposure to lead or handle projects and people. He was an expert in technical matters but a naïve in dealing with people. He wanted to improve this situation and was constantly tossing options in his mind. It was during one of these self-brainstorming sessions that the idea of acquiring a management degree occurred to him. He started researching on the avenues available to him for the same and also see how aligned it would be to his future career goals. I mean till then he had no intention of sacrificing his career whatsoever. His information hunt was rather fruitful. He was convinced that an MBA degree would bridge the gap between what he was and what he wanted to do. He relied on the media-bytes to gather information on the B-Schools providing management education. Although he spoke to few of his friends and acquaintances who had earlier been through such schools, his research was mostly net-literature based. He took them to be reliable as he had faith in that institution as source of information. He came to believe that management education would provide him the necessary knowledge and experience to achieve his goal of a more meaningful life both career-wise and other-wise. And so began his voyage. Now thinking of doing an MBA is different and actually getting admitted into one is different. And given his penchant for the best he would not settle for any institute which does not figure in the top-10. But that meant solid preparation which in turn meant time. His job schedule almost made him give up on the idea. And then one day lady luck smiled. He was admitted into an institute which was considered to be one among the top-5. He was ecstatic. He thought this was it, an opportunity to change his life. He knew he had to make the best use of it.

That was then. And this is now. He is half way through his so called management education. He did not know how close he is to what he had wanted to become. He is not very sure of what knowledge or experience he had acquired. Things did not really progress in the way he had conceived it would. He did not know what went wrong or when it did. Past one year has been a roller coaster ride for him. He hasn’t had much time to reflect on where life was taking him. He had given up an easy life and a plum job in quest for a meaningful life. And now he finds himself lost, not only amidst people but in his thoughts, his ideas and his beliefs. Life can be so harsh. At times it throws open paths for you and when you tread on them, the surprises unfold and catch you off-guard more often than not. At least that is what happened with him. But he is not the one to let go so easily. If anything the events of the last year has taught him how to take life by the scruff of the neck. Yes he had learnt a lesson or two on dealing with people. If not anything, he at least learnt not to rely on them, certainly not all of them. And now he is determined to stage a come back in his own life. He can sure make an attempt at doing so. He is ready to take things as it comes and lead life on his own terms. The accepted norms of success and credibility no longer bother him. His eyes are fixed on his goals and he is ready to flout norms to achieve them if those pose as hindrances.

A sudden burst of lightning followed by a thunderous sound jolted him back from his reverie. He looked up and saw an overcast sky. Soon the first drops of monsoon shower fell upon him. He smiled. Normally he did not believe in omen. But for once he could not help but consider it to be one.

Note: This is purely a work of fiction. Please do not make and attempt to draw any parallels.