I got an offer for a journey during the final year of my engineering graduation course. A journey, that commenced, a few days after my last day of college. A journey, for which, the destination was not known, or I did not give much thought to it rather. A journey, that I had decided to take on, as it was the safest and best option for me then. And the bus for it also appeared great, when I saw it from a distance.
It was an A/C bus, with tint glasses all around isolating us from the world outside. Round the clock, artificial light and air prevailed, making the rotation and revolution of Earth insignificant inside. And as I got in, I saw most of the co-passengers seated before my entry, and a few others got in with me. The bus was almost fully packed with some vacant back seats, where we were asked to be seated. It was comfortable place, out of sight of many, felt relaxed, and with lot of faces smiling at us, we had a seemingly friendly atmosphere welcoming us.
As the journey progressed, I was moved a seat ahead. Felt happy about it, but at the same time started feeling a little pressure, which I didn't care then. But as it went on, this pressure increased, beyond my threshold. There were lot of co-passengers, staring at me, and with switching behaviours, or was that I got old enough to understand their actual behaviours?
And to add-on, there were frequent fights - fights for window seats, for front seats and for whatever that seemed better. In that battle for better, some were pushed out of our seats ~ some moved out by themselves, and some got out of the bus, but into another bus which seemed better to them. These fights never ceased, for no one seemed to be happy with the seat they occupied, for their thirst for better was never quenched, for a better one was always there in their view.
The above things did bother me, but not much. What bothered me the most was, the journey fare. In the beginning I didn't have much idea about it, it was never explicitly told, but lately came to know about that. It was in the form of some rules which states – "The bus will only stop at driver's or bus conductor's wish, and never at yours." “Sit, where you are asked to, doing what you are assigned to do, and never question it or the system that rules you."
That fare was too much for me. It became difficult to get down for personal needs, irrespective of its sensitivity. It became mandatory to do things that your logic or heart have no desires to do.
This is what the life of a software engineer is - fights for appraisals, sacrifice of personal life to meet deadlines and milestones of a professional life, doing work- most of which will question your reason for doing engineering.
My freedom or logic is too much to be paid as a fare for a journey of this kind. For me, given any moment of time in my life, I want to enjoy, I want the freedom to do what I want to, and I do not want to do things that my logic does not digest or my heart will not agree upon.
And so, I was left with no other choice than to get out of this bus – "So please stop, I want to get down!"
P.S: Dedicated to a friend of mine who missed his roommate’s marriage because of his professional life.
It was an A/C bus, with tint glasses all around isolating us from the world outside. Round the clock, artificial light and air prevailed, making the rotation and revolution of Earth insignificant inside. And as I got in, I saw most of the co-passengers seated before my entry, and a few others got in with me. The bus was almost fully packed with some vacant back seats, where we were asked to be seated. It was comfortable place, out of sight of many, felt relaxed, and with lot of faces smiling at us, we had a seemingly friendly atmosphere welcoming us.
As the journey progressed, I was moved a seat ahead. Felt happy about it, but at the same time started feeling a little pressure, which I didn't care then. But as it went on, this pressure increased, beyond my threshold. There were lot of co-passengers, staring at me, and with switching behaviours, or was that I got old enough to understand their actual behaviours?
And to add-on, there were frequent fights - fights for window seats, for front seats and for whatever that seemed better. In that battle for better, some were pushed out of our seats ~ some moved out by themselves, and some got out of the bus, but into another bus which seemed better to them. These fights never ceased, for no one seemed to be happy with the seat they occupied, for their thirst for better was never quenched, for a better one was always there in their view.
The above things did bother me, but not much. What bothered me the most was, the journey fare. In the beginning I didn't have much idea about it, it was never explicitly told, but lately came to know about that. It was in the form of some rules which states – "The bus will only stop at driver's or bus conductor's wish, and never at yours." “Sit, where you are asked to, doing what you are assigned to do, and never question it or the system that rules you."
That fare was too much for me. It became difficult to get down for personal needs, irrespective of its sensitivity. It became mandatory to do things that your logic or heart have no desires to do.
This is what the life of a software engineer is - fights for appraisals, sacrifice of personal life to meet deadlines and milestones of a professional life, doing work- most of which will question your reason for doing engineering.
My freedom or logic is too much to be paid as a fare for a journey of this kind. For me, given any moment of time in my life, I want to enjoy, I want the freedom to do what I want to, and I do not want to do things that my logic does not digest or my heart will not agree upon.
And so, I was left with no other choice than to get out of this bus – "So please stop, I want to get down!"
P.S: Dedicated to a friend of mine who missed his roommate’s marriage because of his professional life.
16 comments:
Nice analogy Ghoshetta...
I like the simplicity in your writing..it is easy to imagine things this way.Also the way you compare situations with simple things happening around us..the way you turned our life into a bus journey...
Hope the bus stops soon and it is not a non-stop one :D
I found this post as the best one in your posts. The fare for the bus is indeed too much but then you can manipulate. Once you have sacrificed your innocense and start learning the corporate life, then the travel would be worth the fare.
One question: Is the place where you stopped the bus Feroke, in front of the "Invincible Innovations".
Hope that you fill find the proper place to stop the bus.
Hello Ghoshetta,
"I was left with no other choice than to get out of this bus – "So please stop, I want to get down!"
"
and
""The bus will only stop at driver's or bus conductor's wish, and never at yours." "
Both contradict else its a better blog.Simply beautiful in the way it has woven into a story.Also the "P.S" a heart touching note.
Rgds,
Denn !!!!
@Anu - Will try stop it soon or else will jump out of it ;)
@bkb - u r right, if i ve to stay "sacrificed innocence and start learning the corporate life"
I think, i need not get out, i ll be pulled out of this bus by the "ceo". so there will be a stop at Feroke.
Beautiful.. :)
This post striked a chord immediately in my heart..
The analogy is excellent..
Hoping that you will soon jump out of the bus and then pull us all out... ;D
@jiya - We ll jump out of it soon :)
@Denn - Thanks for the comment.
It won't stop at ur wish, thats why, "Please stop the bus"
else it would be "Stop the bus"
The "bus won't stop" also imply "leave won't be granted."
A beautiful post. :)
I couldn't make much sense out of it while reading the first half of the post, but towards the end everything fell in place.
The way a beautiful painting starts from a stroke, that doesn't make sense initially, but by the end, you have a beautiful piece of art in front of you. This post of yours is evokes a feeling, something similar to that.
As BKB said, it's been the best post of yours till now. One that puts lives of people like you and me into perspective.
Wish I could make it for Rajeev's wedding that day. That's something that will linger in my heart, for a long time to come.
PS: I was quite nervous when you told me that you were gonna dedicate a post to me. I was expecting something else(you know what :P). This post was indeed relieving. Do let me know, where would you like to be taken out for a treat... :D
This why I don't take the bus and prefer personal transportation means. I make my own trip.
(The comment is written along the lines of your analogy.).
Maybe all should be doing that.
@abhi - I wanted to make u nervous, that why, kept on telling that next one is dedicated to u. And I very well knew what u ll b expecting. May be i ll try out that expected one in the next post ;)
We missed u during Rajeev's wedding.
Any way ll let u know the place of treat soon.
@Neo - I am also thinking of using personal transportation mean, though it calls for risk.
Life = Risk, my friend.
Btw, your own way is not the point, though that is of course a part of it, the idea is to run by the bus at your pace - ahead of it, beside it, behind it - it's your call.
We've all got ONE life... and rather than waiting or trying to catch up - live at ones own pace.
@Neo - thats a valid point, one life and how to live it in the best way or more practically speaking in a better way. should try doing things differently, in unorthodox ways, as u said.
Not bad Arun :D
nicely written...liked the comparison.
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