“The day I came to Calcutta, I never thought I’d leave the place so nostalgic. After 15 months, the 15 months which probably may go down as one of my best stints, Calcutta, here I bid adieu!”, this was my FB status on 29th Sept 2013. As they say all good things come to an end, this was the day my life moved on from Kolkata to Bhubaneswar. Odisha will be my seventh state in India that I will live in. Anybody out there looking for someone with experience in various geographies, here I am. After a year since the time I posted Oh Calcutta part 1, this blog post is on those experiences, which made an entry into my ‘memories for life’ book.
After my training stint, which included a free stay at the company guest house, I moved into a flat with Ashish, who would probably be my last and best flat mate. The flat located in one of the busiest areas In Kolkata, Kasba, came with its free entertainment system. The crowd, the early morning market noise, and the regular political campaigns became familiar. Within a few weeks after our busy lives started, our group of three musketeers was complete with the addition of Snehal. Park Street, a place so far away just a few weeks back, became our frequent hangout. I really started to believe that having a hangout place as in Friends or HIMYM is possible, after being to Bistro or Trincas. Our after dinner hangouts at the PrincepGhat was my personal favorite.
My ‘Commando training’, as my manager put it, started to get more and more demanding. I was selling airtel 4G internet, India’s fastest wireless internet service. Though it was expected to sell like hot cakes, I understood what it takes to sell, during this stint. I cannot forget the feeling when the sale for the day was in binary digits or the orgasm when we closed a bulk deal. Getting up at 4.30 AM to do newspaper inserts or the weekend demand generation activities started to become thrilling. I was lucky to have a channel partner who would allow me to do anything which struck me, and a team which adored me.
Then came April, when Ashish got busy in his wedding preparations. I gladly accompanied him for his many sherwani trials and other shopping; and mostly they all ended at a beer joint. The travel for his wedding in Siliguri was my second longest bus journey, 16 hours. Sourabh, as expected with his tendency to become impatient, demanded Ashish to buy us a full body massage after the bachelors that night, though it din't happen. After Dwai and Kapil joined us, we had a short and delightful trip to Darjeeling. As any hill station, people there were happy and content in their own world; a pleasant sight for anyone coming from Kolkata. The Sangeet and the wedding was the most filmy wedding I ve been to. Ashish and Anshu looked lovely together, and thus Anshu joined our little group.
Life was in the fast lane with work and fun taking their share of time. The fachchas joined, and yes it’s the same in corporate as in college. Thanks to Suvro, we had an amazing children’s home visit. For me, this was after several years that I visited a children’s home; and it was as refreshing as always. This was also where I met Nishita, my partner in crime for the 4G week. I induced my passion for 4G into her, in just a couple of days of market visits. The 4G week: Sept4th to 11th, 2013; a week aimed at making the employees brand ambassadors for 4G. A fitting end to my exciting stay in Kolkata, the week was full of gyan, masti and more. It was a college fest, one more time. Debate, design, run, organize, plan, execute, and celebrate… there was everything.
The countless dinners, parties, outings, drives, the church and many more… and it’s not just them but the people in them, which made life so wonderful. I left Kolkata with a heavy heart, but satisfied and content that I learned so much, enjoyed even more and made so many friends for life. Kolkata will always have a special place in my heart.
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