Gone Into The Windy City

The days in Minnesota were good, for a change. Spending time with Sarika and her family, especially Janki, helped Sameer get a sense of togetherness, something he was yearning for, since long. Over time, Sameer did realize the transition he had been through. His usual alacrity had given way to a Bohemian outlook, with the soul trying to dig into a non-intended pastiche. Sameer seemed to have lost his intrepid spontaneity. Life's experiences thus far had more of jitters in store, than fruitful learning. It had been a long time since he returned back to normal work life and earned a salary. Had it not been for the manner in which Mansi held fort, back home, Sameer could have never expected to evolve from the deafening squeal of challenges ahead vis-a-vis the mixed emotions of probable failure and confusion writ all across. Resorting to a profound squirm was probably his only option, for a long time to come. It was just a euphemism for his indecisiveness and wrong choice.

It was January in Minneapolis. The sub zero temperatures and un-ending blankets of snow, did little to undo the pall of gloom that had descended on Sameer. There wasn't a job in sight. Moreover, if his H-1B visa wasn't filed through an employer, by April that year, Sameer had to surely head home. All the money, effort and time, that was invested would come to naught. One of Sharat's friend suggested that Sameer get in touch with an IT organization, based out of Hyderabad, which was into staff augmentation for IT projects in US. Sameer was prompt enough to heed to the fruitful advice and the days that followed ultimately culminated in him getting inducted into the Chicago office of that organization. However, the arrangement was more a suo moto acceptance for Sameer with conditions like, "only on stipend until he was on a project", no assurance of H-1B being filed, legal binding to continue with the organization until they made good their investment on him, so on and so forth. However, they agreed to train Sameer on a new technology in IT, which was expected to usher in job opportunities soon enough. Wahid, Sameer's friend from school also followed suit and both of them started their new life at Prospot Technologies, from February onwards, in the western suburbs of Chicago.

As Sameer stepped down from the Megabus on a chilly January night at the intersection of Jackson Blvd & Canal St in Chicago, he wasn't really as excited. He was still unsure of how much longer would be the wait till he could land a project and start earning normal wages. He had little idea of how long his new organization would fend for him without a project. His confidence was on an all time low and as such, he was aware of this huge detriment towards his intended baby steps towards a new learning. The Ethiopian cab driver was trying his best to keep Sameer bemused and engaged through the drive, but to no effect. After an hour long journey from downtown, into the poised contours of Downers Grove, as Sameer stepped into the gateway of Extended Stay America, Sameer couldn't help but giggle at the hotel name. Only time would tell, if it spewed as much fortune for Sameer to truly extend his stay in America.

Trammel of Decisions!

The winter chill was settling in. Sameer knew his life in Houston was coming to an end, for the time being. He finished his school assignment and also gave up the CSR job. He was to stay with Sarika until he relocated to his next destination. A big task at hand was also to see to it that the entire amount of $43000, as part of his medical bills (hospitalization/surgery/equipment cost/metal transplant), was paid up (thanks to the insurance coverage and financial aid received from the Hamilton County). In the 3rd week of December, 2012, Sameer received his EAD (employment authorization document), since he was on OPT (optional practical training), which was required for him to seek a job outside his school and also continue to be a legal resident in the US.

Sharat had taken the day off, since he was driving to Houston. He started early in order to be at Sameer's place by late evening. Long drives, especially if alone, is always a tough proposition. With all his household stuff packed, Sameer was waiting for Sharat to arrive, dump his stuff in Sharat's car, and head to Priti's place for the night. It was going to be a long night since Nanda, Jit and their little son Gugul would also be there. Anil too had promised to catch up. As always, after dinner, it was the usual kerfuffle. Although some of the opinions would sound intransigent, all the same it would be mellifluous. At 2.30 am, it was time to hit bed, since Sameer & Sharat had planned to start their long drive very early. With merely 4 hours of sleep, as both of them headed to the kitchen for coffee, a rare sight awaited them. Everyone was there, resembling a claque, with Nanda at the helm of affairs. They were busy dishing out hot pooris with potatoes. An hour later, Sameer and Sharat were on their way. 

The morning Sun rays were a diaphanous streak. Both Sharat and Sameer took turns driving the car. It was a long journey ahead, through Chicago & Wisconsin. The GPS in the car indicated, they would arrive at their destination, late in the night. As he looked at the road ahead, Sameer gauged he was probably trammelled by his own decisions and no guidance. The journey seemed very long and uncertain. With logic to ruse his mind, Sameer stepped on the gas, unsure of his final destination and the miles therewith.

The Graduation

Life in school was finally coming to an end, by end of August 2012. Sometime during the 2nd week of July, Riya shared with Sameer, that she & Adarsh may be required to head back to India, for good. For the moment, there couldn't be anything more shocking for Sameer. Any single instance of happiness in Houston, seemed pulverized. By August, it became evident that the apprehension was more confounded than expected. To add to his woes, there wasn't a job in sight, though he was at the tad end of his course curriculum. Sameer became all the more miffed with his decisions in life and peeved at his fortunes.

Meanwhile, Dr. Rati offered Sameer a job as a Graduate Assistant under her and he also started working as a customer service representative at the Au Bon Pain at University Hospital. The meager income sufficed for his house rent and other bills. Finally, he was happy to see his social security number and pay check.

Adarsh was to leave Houston for good on Sept.19. Riya requested Sameer to be there at the airport. Although she was joining Adarsh back in India, in a month's time, she felt alone and sad. It was a tumult of mixed feeling, emotions and may be anarchy too. In weeks to follow, after Adarsh's departure, Riya and Sameer spent time packing her household stuff, checking with packers & movers, taking care of unpaid bills and closure of utilities. With a heavy heart, Sameer bid Riya goodbye on Oct.5th, 2012. 

Sameer's Graduation ceremony was slated for December 15th, 2012. Sarika flew down from Minneapolis and both she and Priti ensured to share his moment of pride, when he took the 'Walk'. Sameer, finally took the walk with Jenny, Kyler, Pakhi & Wahid, among others. After a couple of photo sessions and a sumptuous lunch with batch-mates, the trio headed to Priti's home for a night of revelry planned by Pratik. For Sameer, it was the successful end to an arduous journey. Although undertaken in painstaking solitude, it was an experience, embellished with new-found gains. The Kentucky Bourbon that Pratik had got to celebrate the evening, could hardly live up to the Le Grand Sentiment that his achievement made Sameer feel. For a change, Sameer was too delighted to get sloshed.  It was a victory, hard earned. It was a battle, well fought. It was an enemy, well vanquished. It was a fort, truly conquered. 

Life with Dyspnea! .

With the Project Management exam, an entire ordeal of a quarter spent in boredom and servile continuation of attending classes, ended. The respite was eagerly awaited and more welcome than ever, since Sameer missed the serendipity in atmosphere and people around him. 

Sameer decided to visit Sarika during the Summer break which was only a week away, but the wait seemed to be an eon. On a bright Sunday morning, just a couple of days before he was to depart to Minneapolis, Sameer ventured out with friends for a game of cricket at the University grounds. It was an outdoor passion he was good at and actively involved in, till his first job in Philips India. Midway through the game, he tripped and fell. Though quickly back on his feet, he realized something was amiss. His right hand looked truncated and there was an eerie Dyspnea. The impact of his fall was so brutal that his right wrist was twisted upwards, so as to dislocate it badly. He was rushed to the emergency care at the University Hospital. In weeks to follow, he was swamped with prosaic medical procedures along with surgery, and Dr. Rehan Askar, reset his wrist with steel plates and screws. Yet again, it was Priti, Pratik & Avik who stood by Sameer, in his hour of need. They took him home and made sure, he convalesced before rejoining school. Sameer convinced Sarika and Sharat not to take off from work and join him at Houston, since it would have made things difficult for Janki. Although away in Boston during this time, Riya was the other solace, that Sameer could turn to, at this time. Mansi, Simba & Sameer's parents were in for a rude shock, upon hearing about the accident. Incidentally, during this time, Sameer met Dr. Rati in school, who proved to be a great help and support. She would check on him everyday, talk to doctors, offer food and also asked him to relocate to her houe, so that he could be properly tended to. Another friend Sameer could never forget was Kushal, who not only was the logistics support for hospital visits, but also offered him all possible monetary support, if it was required. Though indisposed, Sameer decided to continue with classes in Autumn. Riya and Anamika helped him with the occasional class notes & Jenny volunteered to be his scribe for the ensuing exams.

The entire turn of events enhanced the humdrum in life for Sameer. Physical trauma was not new to Sameer. 15 years back, he had underwent a near fatal train accident, which took him almost a year to trudge back to life. Having seen death from close quarters, Sameer was not to be overawed by a dislocated wrist or metal implant in his body. For sure it was painful, but more so for the scattered pages and mangled emotions in life than his broken bones! 

Brunch at Bruegger's Bagel!

The 3rd semester in school wasn't a fun outing for Sameer in true sense. For reasons unknown, often, Sameer used to delve into a delirium related to his life in school. There were frequent skirmishes with Riya, more often than not, over trifles. Riya would try coping with it patiently and try reasoning with Sameer, when better sense prevailed. However, the tranquility would be short-lived since Sameer realized that the turbid estuary of thoughts, even though baseless, stemmed from  a sense of insecurity. 

It so happened once, that the spat between them was more intense than asked for. Sameer was upset, sad and more appropriately put, lost. He sensed the loss of a true friend in Riya and was coping with thoughts of having to bear a morbid existence at school. Deeply pained, he didn't realize, it was well past 2 am, when finally his soul forcefully ushered him to a disturbed slumber. 

The loud banging on his door, early in the morning, startled Sameer. Who could it be to not only dare barge in so early in the morning, but also as uncouth to bang on the door, unless the apartment was on fire. With drowsy eyes, Sameer inched to the door and looked through the peephole. It looked dark outside and he couldn't see anyone. Reluctantly, he opened the door and pronto, Riya sprung from nowhere. She just trudged in and ordered him, "Get dressed. Lets' go get some breakfast". She seemed to be in no mood to heed to his reluctance and held her ground firmly. Finally, both of them headed out to Bruegger's Bagel on Clifton and drained their mutual misgivings in a sumptuous brunch. 

It didn't require much to dawn on Sameer that nuances of life are simpler than usually interpreted. Values and strength of a relationship is all about how it is perceived and shared. It is easier said than done to actually give up on people in one's life, who truly matter to you since they are the ones who intricately weave and hold the bonds together. 

Life is what happens to you!!

The advent of 3rd semester at school meant fresh topics and newer set of study materials. Subjects unfamiliar or hitherto unheard of, ushered into Sameer's academic curriculum. The rigor of daily routine on weekdays left him with very little free time beyond school. After an early dinner, an hour or two would be spent on movies on you tube, once he was done with the informal tête-à-tête with Riya (or occasionally Anamika/other class mates). Catching up with Sarika & family was slated for every alternate day on phone while that with Priti & family was on weekends, sometimes in person. Sunday mornings were mostly kept aside for Skype sessions with Simba, Mansi and his parents. Without choice over a long tenure, Sameer gradually started making peace with his agony of missing his family back home. To be alone, became tetchy. He nurtured an unknown fear and disrespect for solitude, since each time he delved into thoughts of good times back home with Simba and Mansi, it was difficult to hold back tears gushing down his cheeks. He missed his parents so badly. It was as if, his mind was on the prowl to deliquesce and his eyes yearned to be moist, on the slightest pretext. He felt elated and delirious, each time he got to talk to someone, especially if it was Sarika-Sharat, Priti-Pramit or Riya-Adarsh. The only detriment to this halcyon would be the harbinger for desperation, in the form of intermittent tests or exams at school, when Sameer was forced to seek solace in study matter and class assignments.

Days passed and so did weeks. The fervor of initial days at school seemed to ease off. Sensing from his friends comments, observations or company, Sameer understood that unlike the times when school started, there was a strange sense of ennui for other things in school, be it short trips to nearby food joints, like-minded chats & fun-sessions, haute couture display or popping eyeballs at femme fatale. Most were caught in the enigma of thoughts related to grabbing internships or plush job opportunities after school. Paucity of sponsorship initiatives for generic disciplines at various organizations and knee-jerk reactions in the name of placement drives for business school students by the faculty or career center at school, hardly left things for international students to ensconce with. It appeared that the vociferous zeal of and for life had got truncated by the uncertainty of road ahead. To bear the grind and share the grin simultaneously, seemed to be an arduous task. Moreover, different electives also meant Riya and Sameer had fewer common classes and therefore lesser time in each others company, at school. For the first time in Houston, going to school felt appalling for Sameer. 

In the turbidity of passing moments for Sameer, thoughts of missing out on his son's growing years kept him relentless company. Probably, only a father could understand this yearning. Sameer loved traversing back in time on the pre-marriage days with Mansi. He longed for those innumerable trips in yellow cabs, his Hyderabad sojourn (since he was posted outside on work) to spend time with her, the good times at  Ban-Thai, Tangerine, Atrium, Waterside Cafe, Chinoiserie and many such. His sessions of movies, drinks & cricket-watching with his dad, joint cooking sessions with mom during festivals, soirees and late-night chats at his in-laws place and Sunday trips to his aunt's place were mere fleeting glimpses of joy now. The heart-to-heart talks with Sarika and her family reminded him of his growing years, when Sarika used to be the only friend, to whom Sameer could open his heart out, thread-bare. An unforeseen friend in the form of a new-found sister in his life, in Priti, made him ecstatic.Times spent with Priti's family helped him tide over his monotony to a large extent. Sameer reared a selfish pride in the discovery of a best friend at school in Riya. His blind faith and trust on her wasn't without reason. The sessions at Olives with Adarsh (with Riya joining them sometimes) were so cherish-able. 

The war inside was far from over for Sameer. What he missed not being in Hyderabad, was irreplaceable. At the same time, Sameer realized his valued gains in having taken this tough decision. Needless to say, knowledge transfer was a significant addition. For a person like Sameer, mere acquaintances and good company were like bells & whistles of life, he could do without. But the very specific few new additions in his life in the form of choicest people and relationships bore testimony to his only reason for happiness away from home. People, who for him, touched and expanded the selective & rigid contours of his current tumultuous core. For once, Sameer seemed to be in complete unison of the famous quote...........

“Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.” 

― Allen Saunders

MBA Case Challenge!!!!

The second quarter in school was to culminate in 2 weeks, by the 3rd week of March, 2012, with MBA finals presentations. Unlike Hult or ACG, this case competition had more to do with grades and for Sameer and his teammates, it was all about reclaiming lost prestige. 

The ordeal of bearing with mediocre grades in Marketing (that was mostly what Sameer did all his work life) was more than frustrating for Sameer and Corwin (he was an experienced pro in healthcare business development). What started off as a cameo in honing marketing skills was now grinding their nerves, especially with Riya and Brendon's team reveling in the glory of high grades in this class. Riya's assiduous nature made her an easy pick for many of her classmates to clarify doubts or exchange notes and Brendon was no exception. Riya, on her part, also used to reciprocate the connect and sought Brendon, whenever possible, in most of the teams she worked on. In terms of team working, Riya was to Sameer as Brendon was to Riya. This comparative avoidance also egged on Sameer to put in the best effort to not only reclaim lost glory in Marketing, but also make a mark in the presentations. Coincidentally, Sameer & Corwin's team (Executive Authority, hitherto named EA) was pitted against Riya & Brendon's team (Phoenix B, hereafter addressed as PB) in the qualifiers and invariably, EA lost. Moreover, during the presentations, one of Sameer's question to PB was deftly answered by Riya to the extent where it made Sameer look like beating a hasty retreat. It was a strange feeling for Sameer. A feeling of despair and anger because his acumen was being questioned in terms of mediocrity in class performance (if grades were to be taken as symbolic measure) as also the fact that Riya and Brendon's teamwork seemed poised to throttle his existence and new-found friendship. On the flip-side, Sameer was elated beyond means at each of such defeats, since, after all, it was his best friend in school who was winning.

It was the final day for presentations in the MBA case challenge. Sixteen teams, divided into 4 groups, were required to present in a preliminary round and 4 (1 from each group) would finally advance to the finals slated for the ensuing day. As was decided, Sameer was to introduce members and start his team presentation followed by Corwin and so on. While others sweated it out with last minute changes and practices, Sameer sat quietly in a remote corner of the basement trying to pep himself up watching a Hindi movie song, partly because he wanted to concentrate and build onto the tempo and partly for the ostentatious nature of the heroine's hip gyrations in the song sequence which he wanted to keep others oblivious of. Their's was to be the 3rd team in the group to present and all 5 members of EA trudged confidently into the conference room on the 4th floor of the school of business. The presentations went of well and as per plan except for a minor glitch on time limit. Finally, they walked out and waited patiently for all other teams to complete. 

The results were to be announced on the 6th floor lobby, over lunch. All tables were occupied and there seemed to be a cacophony of hushed anticipation. Hunger for Sameer remained more of a discreet remnant than completely elusive. PB was all but a staunch ally for EA. Yet, Sameer was seated at the same table as Riya and Anamika with Corwin by the side. Everyone sat with bated breath as all the 16 judges walked in. Each panel of experts, started of by describing the pros and cons of each team's presentation and finally read out the name of winner in each group who qualified for the finals. Riya's team was in a different group than his and Sameer prayed for both of them. But, as luck would have it, PB failed to make the cut! For the moment Sameer was poignant since coming up next was the panel of judges who would decide the qualifier from their group. Each word they uttered seemed to encompass an eon till Sameer heard the name of Executive Authority being called out as the qualifier for the finals. Happiness knew no bounds when Sameer & Corwin tumultuously stroked their palms to a prolonged high-five. Riya and Brendon followed suit congratulating them along with Anamika and others.  

For Sameer, more than anything else, it was a sheer moment of victory. It was not just the pride of his team making the cut. It was the reverberation of his inner self's confidence. It was rekindling a sense of satisfaction. It was a self-assurance and reinstatement of his beliefs and awareness of a subject that was his bread and butter for 16 years. Knowingly enough, Sameer seemed to pamper a sly grin since he felt he had put an end to his ectoplasmic existence and belief when it came to Riya's teamwork with Brendon. On her part, Riya seemed to be as immersed in glee on his win, as was Sameer himself. Since  Adarsh was still at work and she had to wait for some more time, she asked Sameer out for coffee at Sitwell's on Ludlow. Once there, she seemed more engrossed in discussing the ensuing finals next day. She wanted EA to put in their best and egged Sameer to win the challenge. Her expression of Sameer and his team's capabilities were more of an aplomb observation. Somewhere within, Sameer felt she wanted EA to win not just because the team merited it, but also because he too was a part of it. 

In the finals it was another team which finally won. Riya joined Sameer in the evening after the event in school with a box of homemade Biscotti (meant for Sarika and her family, since Sameer was leaving for Minneapolis the next day). They would be joined by Anamika, Anika (Anamika's 3-year old daughter) Wahid, Pakhi and another of her friends for dinner and chat thereafter at Sameer's place. As Sameer and Riya went about getting provisions from Kroger, for the get-together, Sameer couldn't help feel belittled and bemused by Riya's reaction even after her team lost out on the MBA case challenge. Probably, she had given it only as much weight-age in thoughts, as it merited. Yes, a win and thereby better grades surely was up for grabs and no one would be as insane to not seek it. For reasons that defied logic, Sameer used to feel tremulous amidst the unknown, stranded on a virtual isthmus when Riya and Brendon were around together. But throughout the bitter-sweet exchange she knowingly never exuded a feel, which should have made Sameer think the way he did. In retrospect, Sameer realized that Riya was equally happy for him and derived as much happiness in his success, as her's. Probably, she was a friend, more in deed, than in mere glittery words. Slowly but surely the mistake dawned on Sameer. The mistake that he misunderstood his friend, more often than he really understood!!