Professional life is untidiness. After a while, mostly, everyone realizes it’s about buttering, politics, hatred, fake smiles etc bits and pieces. It’s about learning the expressions and feelings like: “I so much hate you”, “You are no friend of mine”, “Thank god, manager is on leave today”, “Good morning”, with a phony smile, “Oh, we got to work this weekend!” etc. It’s about trying to find peace in the unwanted meetings. It’s about being part of meaningless discussions. It’s about doing a work just because manager says so. Something like this, all that and all that!
It’s the time where college WhatsApp groups go idle and you get added to work group where there is one with all juniors and one with all higher management. The forged emoticons, the sloppy forwards, some very theatrical leg pullings and in no time it becomes one boring dramatic monotone ride. Though we do not ask, they naturally flow in with ease.
Luckily, that’s not how my professional life started! I could only get to hear this from my working friends and experienced it years later when I had started my PhD and joined a work place for some stipends. This post takes me back to my first working experiences.
After I finished my masters and joined back as a Professor, I looked like an alien among-st people who were already working there. I used to be idle sitting at my desk, with my associated works. This went on so for like two weeks. I used to join people at lunch, but it was mostly eating my box and boxing back to my chair. Those two weeks are the ones which I don’t remember anything else about. Because I was me, my works and you can call a boring version of me, which I did not like myself too.
Then slowly, as the conversations started, the staff room turned to a chatter box. The lunch hours turned to a vegetable market. Our HOD had to split us into two different rooms when professors from other department complained that “your professors make a lot of noise”. “Fish market” it was, just like teachers in schools used to say!
I became known to be the idiotic one in the group, to talk all the nonsense. I knew at times, it would hurt people. But, I was like, “who cares?” They are friends and they will understand. And I am pretty sure that everyone in the group had the same feeling that they were the most idiotic one! May be we all were!
It is not that we were not engaging in our works. We did them to the mark. We used to assist each other, while at need to prepare for the class hours. There was no disturbance for the work life. Students never complained. They did complain about one thing that, “Our professors have more fun than students.” We used to feel good to go for outings when students had exams. We used to post those pictures on Facebook so that students feel a little Jealous. But they used to feel a lot jealous than what we had expected. So, we were happy!
The little birthday celebrations, the unplanned outings, the planned outings which usually went flop, the huge lunch time talks, teasing each other, the funny Facebook group conversations, discussing about “The Big Bang Theory” and the “Vampire Diaries”, class adjustments, talking about students, the “I will do that work”, the evening snacks, late evening campus roams, I guess we were more like students. Back again, for three long years.
We never bothered for credit. We were equally happy for any one’s achievements. We did department events like a family event. There was no blame of work or complaint on any. Going to work was like meeting another family. For a change, we were not colleagues, we were still friends. On one of our water fall trips, only on reaching we got to know that there was no water at all. We found a temple on the way and had our lunch. The whole trip was travelling. But trust me, it was the best trip we ever had in life.
Though things changed a little with time, whatever went outside, our group still remained the same for all the time we spent there. You know, Cruel time. Then we all split out. Few got married, few moved to higher studies, few stayed there and that every possible things time gifts with. I know we might never have that kind of environment again. Like never. But those were the best 3 years and an awesome start to my professional life. Its’ all ancient now! But the memories have turned to priceless antiques. The traces give tears and smiles at the same time.
I dedicate this post to our group. We have so many memories that we could talk for next three years on what we did in those three years. Okay, we don’t have a name for our group. We were just a bunch of modern people behaving like stone aged ones. I am not going to thank any of them. Because we are still in touch and will be through (Yawn, we now discuss family issues and matters. LOL.). And here goes a scare crow for this post!
Also tagging the post for daily prompt post: Ancient
So many great memories you have…no wonder they would last a lifetime!
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True.. they are part for lifetime.. thank you so much.. 🙂
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Interesting to read what goes on in the ‘staffroom’, especially the part where they try to make students jealous!
Such memories are always priceless, especially when people remain in touch and talk just like old times.
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True! ha ha.. that happens!
They sure are priceless! Thank you so much Hargun! 🙂 yayy.. 🙂
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Beautiful nostalgic feelings in the post. I throughly enjoyed your writing but towards the end when I realized that you wrote it for daily prompt Ancient, I felt myself getting disagreed.
How can such great memories ever get Ancient? 🙂
Beautifully written!!
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I had equally enjoyed while writing this. I can understand that. When I saw the prompt “ancient”, I started with few things, then the post turned to this. Then for a while I kept thinking, “ancient? or not?” and finally decided to keep the tag for prompt. 😀
They sure are wonderful memories which we all cherish.. 🙂
Thank you so much… 🙂 I was happy reading this.. 🙂
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And, it was a good decision to write it for daily prompt 🙂
Enjoyed reading it 🙂
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Thank you so much again.. 🙂
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Ohh, this is just the best reply to the “ancient” prompt. I was/am one of those students who do get jealous when I see the lectures having the Time of their lives and I’m cooped up reading. I loved reading this, thanks for sharing the experience with us
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Thank you so much Ameena.. 🙂
Ha ha.. I am glad to hear that.. 😛 Thank you again.. 🙂
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Good to know your experience, hope you enjoy more.
Loved the introduction and specially loved the line…”the planned outings which usually went flop’…this one is very common.
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Thanks a lot Jyotirmoy.. 🙂
ha ha.. yeah.. that is very common.. thank you so much for the wishes… 🙂
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Great one Pak . I still remember our days everyday… This article or I can just say ur idiotic blabbering moved me to tears and joy at the same time. .;) 😦 …
As u said , I’ll not tell u thanks….
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Those definitely were the best! I had the same feeling while writing it! 🙂
Expected! 😛
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बहुत खूब
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Thank you so much… 🙂
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Thank you so much Pak for taking us back three years to memorise all our best time spent . Really miss those days
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Pleasure is all mine.. 🙂 I miss too.. 🙂
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Good one sir.
And yeah, we were jealous! 😀
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Thank you Viresh! 🙂
And that was very much true with your super seniors batch! (Had reduced by the time you all had stepped in.. 😛 )
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Wow!! Going back to the memory lane is always bring nostalgic feeling.
BTW.. You changed a lot. 😜👌👍
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True.. it is.. 🙂 Thank you so much… 🙂
Ha ha.. yeah.. they are old pics.. 😛
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Pleasure!
I know 😋
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Takes me back to those days 🙂 It’s just been three years but feel like a different lifetime with memories that will fade on a daily basis only to come soaring back.
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It just gets that way!
Thank you for the thoughts.. 🙂
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Interesting. Memories of good moments always cheer us. Sometimes what seemed trivial then, may remind us what we are missing now.
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Very true sir… thank you for the thoughts.. 🙂
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What a touching story Prakash. I felt your joy from those years!!
I felt like that when I went to College from 1989-1994. I was 34 when I started but I felt like 18 still. My health was fairly good & I had so many friends there. I got along with my professors well. I even used to have lunch weekly with my favorite Professor (who was intelligent & handsome; I had a HUGE crush on him!)
To this day we still write to each other & send emails & he even paid for Nylablue’s cremation & for new toys for Siddhartha Henry. (And yes he has a lady in his Life). He turned out to be a good friend & that means more to me than anything….
Getting back to College; those 5 years were some of the BEST years of my Life!!
Funny how those memories never leave us…..
Sherri-Ellen 🙂
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So happy to hear this.. It is an absolute pleasure to still be in touch.. 🙂 Thank you for sharing this.. I was happy to read.. 🙂
True.. Those days are definitely one of the best!
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I agree! I am in touch with the male Professor Gernot & my Psychology Professor also. I used to call her ‘Mum’ when I’d go to classes!! Some of the students actually asked if we WERE related, lol….
Joan was also my Academic Advisor so we had weekly meetings. She helped me so much!
I lost touch with all the students; they were all much younger so went on to bigger things, plus I moved away after College…
But the memories remain! ;0
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He he.. “Mum” is so nice to hear.. 🙂 That must have really felt good.
Happy to read about it.
True, memories always do! 🙂
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It DID feel good to call my Prof ‘Mum’ as I never had a proper relationship with my actual Mother. Joan was so kind & gentle & caring she ‘felt’ like a Mother to me….
And yes those memories are still clear in my mind. I wished I could have become a ‘professional student’!! I LOVED College that much!
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Kind, gentle, caring, Mum, i can understand.. 🙂
I agree, so is the college life! 🙂
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I knew you would understand!
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Amazing and very very interesting..!!
Even i can relate few things with my ongoing days ;P
Really, your article inspires me!!
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I can understand that you can relate.. Thank you so much Akash.. 🙂
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Simple people, great memories!
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🙂 Sure they are great memories.. Thanks a lot.. 🙂
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me parece, no sois derecho
sefton
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Fresh domestic stage after beetle out:
http://gilda.forum.telrock.net
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