When I was young.... just a college pass-out ..... I would think about my future .... just like any other friend of mine. I shall now revisit some of the scenarios I built as a young man.Strangely, the packages around the fulfilled wishes look less appealing.
I shall take two innocuous wishes of my younger days. Not any of the heavier ones.
One of the scenarios was that I would stay close to my place of work, a few kilometers from my residence . This will be a small town ....... I would drive home for lunch. Daily travel would be around 10 Km and we would stay away from a crowded town and a marketplace.
Well, I did enjoy this situation for quite a few years in my life. For ten years in the seventies , whenI was posted in several construction sites. I also enjoyed similar situation once more when I was with ABL , Durgapur during 1996-2003.
Neither of these two situations gave me the satifaction I dreamt of. The reasons were professional as well as situational.Construction sites offered quite a rough working environment but not stimulating enough. I lost interest in the details of the professional side of my work after a few years and looked for an opportunity to move out to a city-based Head Office as soon as my bond with my Employer would end. This wa sbefore Babai was born.
The second time, when I was staying quite close to my place of work , the situation matched my 'dream' of my younger days to a tee . On the other side , there were many 'ifs and buts'.
I did enjoy the bungalow and its garden alloted to me and several perks the job brought . The colony was well-maintained and we lived in a pollution-free and peaceful atmosphere.Nature offered us abundant flowers and fruits and a living condition that we shall never get in my life once more.
But , Durgapur was the back-water of WB , life was dull and the advantage of the proximity to the place of work could not compensate all that we missed. The children left for Pune while we stayed back at Durgapur , going through the routine and looking forward to the days when I would be out of Durgapur after retirement. On the whole , the Company and business were going through a downturn. The spirit was , thus, always low.
And ... an office location at Park Street ! Any Calcuttan would look forward to such a situation. I thought it would be great to be functioning out of Park Street. WOW - PARK STREET !!
DCIPS office , where I have spent nearly 3 years till date , is at 119 Park Street. Did I enjoy the location?' Rarely ' is the right answer. I am left with little spare cash , after paying the installment for our new car. So shopping is out. And the location is the most unintereting corner of Park Sreet. 5 minutes walk this side or that side are equally dull !!
So... what does these show .
- You look forward to a situation , reach it and are not happy. The mental framework has changed.
- The situation ,when viewed among the clutterings surrounding it, is not what it could have been or was expected to be.
Reminds us of a famous line of Tagore ... but I shall not quote it here , because there is a fine difference what the poet said and what I have tried to convey.
