Destination Kolkata

I have a history of ending up at places I never thought I would; places that were not my first or second choice.
Back in 2007, I landed in Bhopal to join engineering college. In June 2011, I went to Hyderabad to work. Bangalore was my preferred destination both times. But life had something else planned for me.

In the beginning, I had my apprehensions about the places I was going to. I worried if I would hate the place, if I would be able to fit in with the crowd there. But somewhere along the way, I fell in love with the cities that were my second home. They were far from perfect but as it went, each had it's charm, each had something to offer me. If Bhopal had it's lakes, Hyderabad had it's biryani.
But what's common to both cities are the friendships I made and the sense of belonging I felt. Moments of magic were shared. Memories were made. And as I sit at home writing this, I can't help but feel a yearning to go back to these places.

My next stop happens to be Kolkata and this time around, the apprehension is huge. Huger than before. See, I first went to Kolkata when I was 3 years old, got sick and had a terrible time. I have hated the city ever since. The taxis, the crowd, the smell. Everything.
I try not to think too much and tell myself I am okay with it, but when I get paranoid, I start wishing I had gone to Pune! The only comforting thing about staying in Kolkata is that I won't have to spend 20k or take connecting flights to travel to my hometown. That's a big thing. But other than that, God save me! 

June 2011 - April 2013 : An Ode

I landed in Hyderabad late one night in June, 2011. I was fresh out of engineering college then. I was young and extremely excited about the new life that I was about to start. I looked forward to the freedom and independence that came with living alone, far away from home. I wanted to live on my own terms. I wanted to experience life.

When I left Hyderabad in April of this year, I looked back and realized that I had learned, I had grown, I had experienced, and I had lived.  The city gave me all that I had hoped for and much more.

Back during my engineering days, I had decided that I would not jump into post-graduate studies right after graduation for the simple reason that I wanted to live on my own in a big city for a while, face the little challenges that a single girl in an unknown city would and test myself. I am happy I made that decision.

The last two years were filled with “firsts” and little moments that made me smile, cry, laugh, curse. To start with, I got my first paycheck. (The “salary credited” message never failed to bring me a smile.) I partied at five star hotels. (Thanks to my very generous employer, there was no dearth of parties during my 22-month stay there.) I took my first road trip from Hyderabad to Bangalore during which I wouldn't close my eyes for a second because I was so scared the friend driving would ram the car into a truck or something if I dozed off! I touched 55 kg for the first time, I think. (55 kg is that weight I wish I could always maintain.) I had my first “relationship” and a crazy one at that. I had my first breakup as well. I had my first chilled beer. (The beer in college used to be warm.)  I wore real heels. I started to cook. I traveled alone with three guys to another city. (My mother must never learn of this!) I went to the movies alone for the first time. (English Vinglish on my birthday.)

All the times I got drunk. Like the day I drank three bottles of beer and punched my friends for an hour. (The next day my hand was hurting so bad from all the punching I felt terribly bad for my friends.) The night I drank too much and passed out in the club. And that was the same night I met the handsomest guy ever but screwed it up.  (I know his first/nick name, that he works in the US and was visiting his parents in Hyderabad (January, 2012) and specifically, on 14th January, he was in Rain, the club! Someone please find this guy. I wanna ask him out for a date, if possible!)

Most of all, the friendships that were forged. The friends who went out of their way to let me have my way. The guys who took me as one of their own. The free rides and the free dinners. The love I got. The boyfriend who taught me what it means to care for someone deeply. The boyfriend who’s no longer my boyfriend but will always be a great friend.

And there were the other moments. The times of utter doubt and disappointment. The terrible days in office when nothing seemed to go right. The months of MBA preparations and the sleepless nights. The results that made me hurt. And the ones that gave me hope.  The little battles I fought. The moments that broke me. The moments that made me.

All in all, I learned to live alone. I learned to enjoy my freedom. I learned to believe in myself and the strength inside. But I also learned the importance of friends and of having someone to love. 

I landed in Hyderabad a girl. I left the place a woman.