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!!

The Boston Bonhomie!!!!

“When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.” 

― Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

Spring was round the corner. It was almost the end of February and Sameer and 3 others in his class were busy preparing for the regional finals of the Hult Case Challenge, a competition for the business schools around the world, to be held at Boston. His team, lead by Damodar was the first to qualify from their university. The others in the team were Anamika and Kevin. After school, it used to be fun, being huddled up in the SAP labs at the basement or presentation rooms in the library, where each shared the others view points and nurtured fruitful discussion. There were times when Anamika and Damodar would flay each other amidst fits of rage and Anamika had to resort to late night Skype chats with Sameer to ease off her temper and keep focused on their team presentation. Finally, the team landed in Boston. All four remained awake the entire night before the final presentation discussing the finer nuances of how to put the best step forward in the available 10 minutes in front of judges. Dr. Dheeler, their academic director, too had accompanied them. Unaided by the gloomy English weather at Boston, the foursome tried remaining unnerved and put up a good show. Due to paucity of time, Sameer had to conclude the presentation hurriedly and realized immediately it was a blemish that could be avoided if Kevin had stuck to his time limit. All the four walked out of the presentation hall in good spirits and Anamika, for one, made it a point to ensure everyone got their share of kudos and appraised each other's contribution as the best. As expected, Riya called Sameer as soon as he was back in the hotel, to hear about the event in detail. In the evening they all headed out to the glitzy award ceremony, where the best team stole the limelight in winning the competition. Finally Dr. Dheeler took them out for a sumptuous dinner where Sameer had Fish & Chips with Boston Lager to his heart's content. They were also elated at meeting a lot of students, some of them from the most prestigious and ivy league business schools in America. Their chat carried on well into the night where they analyzed the pros and cons of their presentation and preparation. 

Sameer, Kevin & Damodar were to drive down to Providence the next day for their flight to Washington, en- route to Houston. Heaving a big sigh of relief that the nerve-wracking day was finally over and at the same time with pride of living up-to expectations in competing with the best, all the four headed out to their respective rooms. It was a very long day. More importantly it ushered in an experience par excellence for a sleep well earned.