Back!!!! (Hopefully with a bang!!!!!)

I am back to blogosphere!!! I really felt nostalgic and experienced goosebumps all around once I started back. After a brief absence (only 6 months long) there could not have been a better way to start off than answering a tag. Coming to the tag, the tagger Purnima has given me random - human traits, situations, values, virtues, vices etc. I am supposed to say how far or how closely I am associated with them and an incident that relates to it. I have tried my best in doing it, hope you people enjoy!!!
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1. Laughter ::Nothing can beat the amount of laughter that we friends (Roshan, Chinmay, Sandeep and myself) have induced in each others and also in the people surrounding us!!
Situation ::Out of the many situations, I would like to mention one big situation here. We were all watching a movie “Happy Feet”, the penguin movie. And incidentally, Chinmay’s nickname is Penguin. For the movie, my cousin Nikhil also was accompanying us, and he has an amazing sense of humour. Having coupled the humour of Nikhil the nick of Chinmay and the theme of the movie itself, we kept passing comments and cracking jokes throughout the length of the movie, that even people sitting around us were laughing to them. I don’t really remember what the theme of the movie was, but I definitely remember it to be one of those days, when laughter was in its peak in my life!!!

2. Embarrassment ::These are situations which though may not be the best to be in, but when you think about them in retrospect, these are the events which brings the widest smile on the faces
Situation ::When I was in school, maths class was going on. Theorems were being proved. The teacher said “Adding 1 and 2 we get…. “ Absentmindedly, I shouted “3!!” The whole class burst into laughter. The teacher actually meant Equations 1 and 2. After the noise settled down, from the look on the teachers face, I could not make out who was more embarrassed, me or her!!!!

3. Truth ::Truth, is an important part of life and I guess everyone agrees with me. I don’t know how much value each one gives for truth in their lifes, but in my case, I definitely am truthful to myself. In any scenario or situation, if I am countered with two options, and the stakes are high, I will ask myself, and only if I am convinced about the option, I’ll go ahead.
Situation ::There have been quite a few instances where I have listened to my conscience and done what my inner self has told, and I prefer not to write them down here. “Bhaavnaaon ko samjha karo!!!”

4. Lies ::Let me be frank. I have lied every day in my life, sometimes to escape something, sometimes to please someone, sometimes to make fun of someone or sometimes to make someone smile.
Situation ::
Now searching for this one big lie, would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. For me each of them are equally funny, equally witty and equally significant. And I am sure that you won’t be able to make out any sense of it, unless you are involved in that lie. Anyways, let me try.
One of the biggest lies in my life involves the project work I was doing. The groups for project work were divided such that no two toppers can be together. And for the project to be a success, there was a lot of lobbying going on for selecting the remaining 4 or 5 people for the team. The amount of lies that I have told in those days, to select a partner, the drama I had to play to convince people that I had no other option that this person, and further down, the lobbying and jugaad’s for the selection of a project guide, I will never forget for the rest of my life. As I said, unless you have really seen the events unfold, or have experienced the same, you will not be in a position to appreciate it!!

5. Loneliness ::This was something I was dying to write about. Being an introvert, I am generally one of those types who do not generally initiate anything. But that has put me badly at the receiving end, of late. I have friends, but each of them has their own priorities. Its morally unfair to expect each of them to be with me every time I want them to.
Situation ::My entire two and a half year stint at Hyderabad, has been more or less of a lonely affair. Though I would not like to describe it as the saddest period of my life, it hasn’t been joyful and enjoyable either. More often than not, I have felt lonely, ridiculous about things, have cursed ,myself for having taken the decision of coming here. Its not that I have not made friends here, I do have. But none of them, is really worth dying for. I know this is a very heavy statement, but then it’s the truth. In these 30 odd months, there have been many lows in my life. Be it on the professional front, or on the personal front. One of the most important one of them came in mid March 08, when things seem to have been going totally out of control for me, both in my personal as well as professional life. It seemed as if I never had any control over my life, and as if others were using me as a puppet. Even though I knew it, I could do nothing about it. Those couple of months were very difficult indeed and as if to rub salt on the wounds, my best friend Chinmay was also abroad. I had literally no way to connect to him and missed him a lot!!!

6.Pride ::I have not achieved anything so significant in life. But there have been moments when I have been proud. Of myself, my friends, my brother, my parents and so on.
Situation ::The greatest moment of pride I have felt is when my brother managed to teach my mother, on how to operate all new electronic gadgets. He has always had this amazing quality of patience in him that he will explain a thousand times, till the other person has understood. And making my mom understand the working of the mobile, the computer and all new gadgets, is definitely a great achievement. And mind you, especially the mobile teaching event, is really special. Because it was indeed mobile teaching. He was in Mumbai, and she was in Udupi. He had made a big manual, containing lots of pictures and instructions on how to make a call, how to store a number, how to send a message and everything. The surprising detail in which he has made the manual, will even put a Nokia or a Sony Ericcson to shame. I am indeed proud of my brother.

7. Forgiveness ::Forgiving is a virtue which not all people possess. My parents possess it in abundance, and as a result, I too have inherited a portion of it from them. I generally believe in the philosophy that all people are good. And no one will do a mistake intentionally. So I make a point that the person who has made the mistake realizes that, but also ensure that he is not embarrassed in public.
Situation ::I would like to quote a situation, where I was at the receiving end. And from that day on, I have inculcated that in my life and used it wherever I have gone. It was my first week in office. One customer came to office and started shouting at my company and all other people. I was one of the very few people present at office and most of my colleagues were on tour. As a result, I went and addressed his issues. Having newly joined, I was too overenthusiastic and I dealt with him politely. Having realized that he had found his Bakra, he asked me to give him something in writing, which I promptly did. He took it happily and left with a smile on his face. Others at office kept wondering as to what made him change in a matter of minutes. And I was patting my own back for having sent someone satisfied!! Only after a couple of days, did I understand that he had sent a legal notice to the company, based on whatever I had given him in writing. It was a blunder of sorts. And I was the culprit. Being a newcomer, my boss supported me immensely, but there was nothing to hide that the mistake was mine. He protected me from the consequences and also took a major part of the blame.
That was the first incident when I was brought down to reality. And having learnt from that incident, I have always been a team player, been with my people in difficult times, not let them alone for their mistakes and not let them suffer for their blunders. The same funda, I also use in my personal life also.

8. Hypocrisy ::Again, hypocrisy is a quality which everyone definitely has. There will only be a handful people in the world who can prove they have never been one throughout their life. I too have been a hypocrite, especially when I was in school and college. Even to this day, to some people, I do portray a picture of mine, which I actually am not. But in this world, in order to survive, you need to be smart, rather than being an epitome of truth and sincerity. And that demands an element of hypocrisy in the personality of everyone.Phew!!!! Now that’s only half the job done. I have to answer one more tag of Purnima’s, which I promise to do shortly. I hope to find enough time for that too.

@ Purnima: Hope I have lived up to your expectations in answering this tag.

@ Others: Anyone is free to answer this tag. I do not force it on anyone. But anyone answering it, please leave me a mail or a message, so that I too can see the fruits of your labour!!!!

And coming to title of this post, its really up to you readers to decide whether or not its justified!!!! Do let me know!!! Cheers!!!