Down memory lane

There was a tag a few months back about the most memorable moments of your life. I never got around to do it. Finally, I decided it was time to do a I-me-myself post. So here it is.

p.s. This could be a long post, atleast by my standards. So consider yourself warned.

01-Jul-1989, Umm al Quwain (UAE): Dad got transferred on a new project to a different city for a few months. Our summer vacations had just started. So we all moved. Only to find, to our delight, that we were gonna be staying at a beach resort. For 2 months. All expenses paid. With all possible amenities. We had our own 5 bedroom villa, with a swimming pool and 24 hours room service. Life just couldn’t get any better. Fun.

09-Jun-1997, Abu Dhabi (UAE): 10^th standard CBSE board exam results. Though I was always an avg to above avg student, this was the first (and only) time I actually managed to get distinction (>75%). My first taste of success at the big stage. Achievement.

03-Dec-1998, Dubai (UAE): In athletics, the triple jump is one of the most complex events. In one smooth motion, the jumper has to hop, step and jump. It is an artistic and skillful event. And I held all possible records in school. Only one last hurdle awaited between me and the Indian Nationals. On this day, it was that jump. That one fateful jump. I broke the only record that eluded me: the under-17 category national triple jump record. Glory.

10-Nov-1999, Aurangabad (India): A very close and dear friend from school, succumbed to Leukemia. He was 17. Felt like life had come to a standstill. Sadness.

20 to 23-Dec-2002, Aurangabad/Pune (India): This has to be my crowning moment. I appeared for 4 exams on 4 consecutive days in 2 different cities. I had my final year engineering exam on 20th and 22nd Dec in Aurangabad. And  on 21st and 23rd, I had my b-school entrance exams in Pune. Aurangabad and Pune are 5 hours away. I commuted only by ST bus, that too the red ones! And I aced all 4 papers. Got above 60% in the engineering exams. And got follow-up calls from both b-schools. I still can’t believe how it happened. Unthinkable for me today. Awe.

18-Dec-2004, Delhi (India): A day that I shall never forget. After nearly 12 hours of interviews, GDs, extra-curric activities, I got my first job offer. Through campus recruitment from my B-school. We celebrated all night. I met my best buddies in B-school. Some of them are with me today while some friendships have withered with time. Including the one with my best friend. I don’t know what went wrong. Guess we just let each other down. We don’t speak anymore. But not a week goes by when I don’t think of him. 2 days after me, he got an offer as well. Those celebrations, those fun-filled and crazy days, will always be with me. Nostalgia.

02-May-2005, Bangalore (India): My first day at work. Walking through the plush corridors of a Fortune 500 company, all swanky in a dark suit, MBA from a top B-School, new dreams, goals, aspirations, set out to conquer the world – Step aside, I’ve arrived. Pride.

25-Jan-2008, Aurangabad (India): My wedding. The day couldn’t have been any better. Everything was perfect. And we looked at our best. It was a dream wedding. And thus a new phase of my life began. With my soul mate, my wife, my better half. The love of my life. Happiness.

20-Jan-2009, Aurangabad (India): The biggest moment of my life. I became a father. The first time I held my little miracle in my hands, all tiny, delicate and fragile, he kept looking at me, kept gazing at me with those small dark eyes, I can never forget that moment. Miracle.

This is it I guess. All of the above together, along with blessings of the Almightly, a few lucky breaks, flawless parenting by my folks and amazing family & friends, this is me, the man I am today.

Cheers!

Edited to add: Some other memories come to mind that were important but not big enough to make the cut such as attending a function at Rashtrapati Bhawan in Delhi and meeting then president of India APJ, Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, captain of the only team in history of my college to win the inter-branch cricket tournament in the first year in Aurangabad, winning a fashion pageant, “superstar of the year” award at work in Bangalore after a tough start, getting arrested at 2 am because of an accident due to a street dog right in front of the police station…..list is almost endless.