Move On!!

When I saw the ‘Fast Track’ ad for the first time – I was floored. What an apt ad for the changing times. Most of the younger lot will surely relate to it. Why am I writing about it is because of relocation. After working for 7 years at the MGRoad office (read: heaven zone), a big bombshell was dropped on us on a fine sunny morning. All of us had to move to ecity campus. My first reaction was disbelief – it meant a complete lifestyle change. Being open to change, I strongly believe in moving on…slowly but surely I reconciled to the inevitable.
Yes, it truly meant a lifestyle change. Leaving home at 8.15 changed to running to the bus stop at 7.15. A 10 minute drive in the luxury of a car transformed to a quick nap of 40 minutes in the ever jostling bus. Window shopping on mgrd has now become grocery /pharma buying at T17. A nice hot cuppa at CCD is now a hurried gulping down a juice at JJ. Office location was a gastronome’s delight all the time. Teasing the taste buds at various places on church street – emgees, bhimas, three quarter Chinese, oye amritsar, mast kalandar, bamboo shoots, kaati zone, koshy’s, ebony, angeeti, arya bhavan, KayCees, KCDas etc is now armoring the tongue for the food at Taika, wok, kamat, iss, idly C+++ etc. Me says no comparison at all. Different leagues altogether.
Move on – is exactly what has happened. Walk to the bus stop means – a lot of smiles on the way – from aunties haggling with vegetable vendors, uncles walking their dogs, cute little kiddos holding their parents hand at the school stop, youngsters walking or jogging and a lot of chaos on the street – what with cows, dogs, milk man, newspaper boy – fighting for space. A lot more friends – bus stop friends, bus friends, tower friends, floor friends, wing friends, blog friends, canteen friends – all this apart from the usual work group friends. A lot more happenings and a lot more happiness working at the beautiful green campus. Leaving office at 7 – 8 and the impossible task of trying to get an auto – has now blissfully changed to leaving office at 6 and be home by 7.15!!
Though I terribly miss MGRoad (as in the locality, not the office per se – those of you who have seen / worked in that office will know), I just cant think of myself working out of that office now. Guys will definitely be missing the smartly dressed girls of Times of India – but I am sure, they will find better alternatives in the EC campus
Finally the icing on the cake was complete last evening. When I got down from the bus, there was utter silence for a minute and then the heavens opened up. It just poured cats and dogs, forcing everyone to run for shelter. And I walked home, in that rain. It was awesome.