90 days counted

When I arrived at Madrid airport there was no thought. Not because I have transcended the thoughts but because I was pre-occupied in my mind about getting to Sam's house on time and my luggage coming out safely.

Now, almost a month after getting here, there are some thoughts which I am blogging down (guess this will be a new term, like penning down - blogging down will be used often)

There are phases which come in ones life and teach them things which leave a big impression. These impressions become part of the decision process and ultimately shape your destiny. When I was explaining to Sam and Domen about the Karma cycle and why all our actions and therefore reactions shape our destiny, it was a self learning too. I am now going to make all my actions and reactions count. I will shape my destiny the way I want it to.

There was the phase before coming here of anticipation and hope. Now there is the phase of challenges and competition. Soon there will be a phase of achievement and contention. Take it one step at a time. Enjoy each phase as it comes. Don’t run to it. It will come at its own time.

I love the city already. Now that I’m settled in and enjoying the chill out period before school starts, I will probably start visiting the close by cities like Toledo and Segovia which are rich in Spanish culture. There is a buzz in the city which reminds me of Mumbai. The people are fast and always on the move. The metro is good and is important for a big city. Mumbai needs one quickly. When my batch mates ask me where I am from, I tell them Bombay. They are quick to ask – is Mumbai and Bombay the same? India is on the world map. There is a definite underlying reason for everyone to know about India. This makes me wonder why I came here in the first place.

IE is one of the premier institutes of the world and my education would only propel my career to greater heights, but there are reasons which was not known to me when I decided to come here. Some are revealed to me now.

We take so many people for granted and love them at our own will, when they love us with no reason. My parents! They are the one reason why I would consider myself successful and happy. They have done all they could to make me a master of my destiny. They are my source of strength and happiness. I could not have asked for better parents and better siblings. How much I have gained from them is impossible to put down on this blog. Now moving away from them after all the years since birth makes me realize how much I miss them and owe to them. The good thing is that Priya is there. She’s such a help and a support. We talk everyday, more than we ever spoke in the last 15 years after her wedding. Thank you God.

The other thing is that I am lucky to be at the right place at the right time. There is so much of talk and interest in India at the moment that it would be foolish not to consider coming back to India soon. This idea has been given more fuel after getting here and getting so much attention and interest from the people I have interacted with. Just because I come from India. Get some international work experience before heading back to India to make the further work totally international. This understanding of how the global businesses work will give you a lot of edge in the future. Keep at it. The Financial Times keeps on publishing stories from India. India has arrived on the world map and how! I’m glad. Also they all love Bollywood. Its funny but true. I even taught a lot of them to dance with the jhatkaas and matkaas at the brunch at home last weekend. It was good fun.

I used to wonder why I do not get repaid for the ‘good’ that I do to society and don’t get rewarded for the good deeds I do. This was a total revelation to me when I met Sam for the first time. He happens to be a junior from JNS and that was a sure ice breaker. He was kind to let me stay in his house for 10 days and it was sheer coincidence (but maybe planned by Him) that his room mate was also out of town for exactly the same period. I would call that a perfect calculation. How I would jump to conclusions earlier. Fool!

There are many many people who you would know but there are few you can count as friends. They stay with you even if you go far away. This is what makes them friends. Though we are miles apart, there is so much love and respect for each other. I know I can count on them. That sense of security one gets only after spending hundreds of hours knowing each other. I’m sure they know that too. Whichever part of the world we are, we are there for each other. God has his own ways to make me realize these things. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. True.

There is the power of thought and prayer. SS had told me to do the Hanuman Chalisa every day. I do it. It’s His grace that my loan for the fee and living has been granted. I am so relieved and happy. Guru krupa is more important than any other blessing in the world. He takes care of you.

This is only the beginning of the phase. There will be lot more coming your way. Brace yourself and also enjoy yourself. You life is NOT depended on it. You are free and happy. If you attach more importance than is needed, it will become an obsession. I know from the past that any obsession is a sure recipe for disaster. Keep your cool and remain composed. Go out there and excel. That’s what you here for. I am glad I chose IE. The fantastic array of students from all over the world excites me. Suddenly I know people from 50 countries all over the world.

I can’t wait for the school to begin.