I had been eagerly anticipating the day wherein I will get my rightful claim to the ‘mortarboard’. Though on the said Saturday and after the early morning rehearsals, I was a bit disappointed to be wearing only the black robe and the hood with the academic square-cap missing. However the disappointment was short-lived and the joy of being part of an academic parade had enthralled each nerve in my body. The moment wherein I will be awarded a degree by an eminent academician in presence of other noted intellectuals with the throng of people (including my own proud parents and my dear wife) clapping in the backdrop was no less captivating.
Flashback half a decade, and it was my first chance at adorning such an academic robe, that I missed by a long shot. Among the hordes of engineering graduates passing out that year, my grades were too trivial to be awarded the gold medal and thus the distinction of being invited to the felicitated at the convocation ceremony eluded me. Cut to the present, I won’t let the history repeat itself. After three years of toiling and sacrificing the weekends over the same duration, I was determined to complete my education in management in timely manner. But it isn’t only my determination that helped me attain the distinction but much more than that, factors intrinsic as well as extrinsic. One of the major factor being Gaurish Ramesh Lotliker.
I just can’t imagine me persisting with the rigors without my bestest friend being there along with me. In fact I accredit the successful completion of my course to him. Be it waking me up from the Sunday siestas (thus being at the receiving end of my curses) to hitch-hiking me to and fro; from jointly working on the assignments to making presentations; and from proxies ;) to just hanging around doing nothing. Had he been not around, it wouldn’t have been half as interesting as it was. He in turn would be obliged to me because in a way I was responsible for him adding up to his qualification. You guys might get bamboozled to know that Gaurish had no plans to join the said course or wasn’t even remotely serious at getting a post graduate qualification and it was just my pestering to accompany me that got him into (and then eventually out of) it. With a tinge of modesty I would add (and he would acknowledge) that I even helped him to clear the hurdle of the aptitude test. All said and done, I think I owe him more than other way round.
But then getting enrolled for a weekend executive course was one thing and passing out successfully is another. More so if you have been recently committed, a criterion that applied to both of us. He did that jugglery with panache, sometimes directly zooming off to night shifts from college. Thus his actions were instrumental in motivating me to trudge our way to the beautiful riverside campus.
The very essence of management education, i.e presentations, case-studies and assignments, were hurled at us thick and fast. But together we successfully handled, quite often piggybacking onto others. And amidst these we always found time to dash to ‘Casa-de-cha’ for a quick tea or at times at Jaggu’s for a Aloo-paratha. It wasn’t that uncommon for us to bunk a lecture or two to head to the Ribandar ferry-wharf for the tasty and spicy ‘kalwaa tonaak’. Thus sped two-years in a jiffy.
Come the third year, it was a special year for either of us. We had our respective wedding dates scheduled separated from one another by 10 odd days. As luck would have it, it was also clashing with submission dates of our project which would decide the fate of our degree. So amongst the wedding preparation to the actual wedding and post wedding celebrations, we didn’t lose sight of our objective and came trumps up. Even in here, you deserve much more credit buddy for I know what grave personal crisis you underwent.
Notwithstanding the better grades I fetched over you, I think you deserve more of the accolades. For you has been the true manager amongst two of us. For you managed the situation in a better manner, made best use of the time and resources, faced crisis situation with tremendous self-belief and came out of it with élan, while not losing your calm and composure. And to top it all, you motivated others most importantly yours truly towards achieving a goal and drove me towards it. Hats off to you. Cheers Bro!
Flashback half a decade, and it was my first chance at adorning such an academic robe, that I missed by a long shot. Among the hordes of engineering graduates passing out that year, my grades were too trivial to be awarded the gold medal and thus the distinction of being invited to the felicitated at the convocation ceremony eluded me. Cut to the present, I won’t let the history repeat itself. After three years of toiling and sacrificing the weekends over the same duration, I was determined to complete my education in management in timely manner. But it isn’t only my determination that helped me attain the distinction but much more than that, factors intrinsic as well as extrinsic. One of the major factor being Gaurish Ramesh Lotliker.
I just can’t imagine me persisting with the rigors without my bestest friend being there along with me. In fact I accredit the successful completion of my course to him. Be it waking me up from the Sunday siestas (thus being at the receiving end of my curses) to hitch-hiking me to and fro; from jointly working on the assignments to making presentations; and from proxies ;) to just hanging around doing nothing. Had he been not around, it wouldn’t have been half as interesting as it was. He in turn would be obliged to me because in a way I was responsible for him adding up to his qualification. You guys might get bamboozled to know that Gaurish had no plans to join the said course or wasn’t even remotely serious at getting a post graduate qualification and it was just my pestering to accompany me that got him into (and then eventually out of) it. With a tinge of modesty I would add (and he would acknowledge) that I even helped him to clear the hurdle of the aptitude test. All said and done, I think I owe him more than other way round.
But then getting enrolled for a weekend executive course was one thing and passing out successfully is another. More so if you have been recently committed, a criterion that applied to both of us. He did that jugglery with panache, sometimes directly zooming off to night shifts from college. Thus his actions were instrumental in motivating me to trudge our way to the beautiful riverside campus.
The very essence of management education, i.e presentations, case-studies and assignments, were hurled at us thick and fast. But together we successfully handled, quite often piggybacking onto others. And amidst these we always found time to dash to ‘Casa-de-cha’ for a quick tea or at times at Jaggu’s for a Aloo-paratha. It wasn’t that uncommon for us to bunk a lecture or two to head to the Ribandar ferry-wharf for the tasty and spicy ‘kalwaa tonaak’. Thus sped two-years in a jiffy.
Come the third year, it was a special year for either of us. We had our respective wedding dates scheduled separated from one another by 10 odd days. As luck would have it, it was also clashing with submission dates of our project which would decide the fate of our degree. So amongst the wedding preparation to the actual wedding and post wedding celebrations, we didn’t lose sight of our objective and came trumps up. Even in here, you deserve much more credit buddy for I know what grave personal crisis you underwent.
Notwithstanding the better grades I fetched over you, I think you deserve more of the accolades. For you has been the true manager amongst two of us. For you managed the situation in a better manner, made best use of the time and resources, faced crisis situation with tremendous self-belief and came out of it with élan, while not losing your calm and composure. And to top it all, you motivated others most importantly yours truly towards achieving a goal and drove me towards it. Hats off to you. Cheers Bro!
4 comments:
Thank for that man.... but frankly speaking if it was not you, I wouldn't have made it till here. You were the soul reason for me getting selected for the course. And thank a lot for that.
Giving credit where it deserves is the mark of a true manager....way to go.....
ALL THE BEST
what about my contribution? LOL
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