Skip to main content

An Email Letter

On June 7th, 2010 Arijit Ghosal - a close friend wrote this email commemorating 1 year of moving into his new apartment. It covers me as well, so I had planned to post it on my blog. Got time today to format and publish.

Yesterday was June 7th. So what you ask. Looks like a pretty mundane ‘at least once a year’ date.

More often than not, in the rigmarole of sustaining livelihood and keeping the EMIs on, we generally forget to keep track and celebrate that very thing which we all are chasing in some way or the other…happiness. It suddenly struck me and couldn’t resist myself sharing with those who were together in those moments and those who will appreciate it.

It’s been a year now - June 7th 2009 and the few days prior to that are very special to me, and to Nikhil & Anoop as well, I would assume.

June 7, 2009: I kicked my landlord and broker and moved in as the final addition to the list of the tenants at the legendary E 703, Bluefields, Powai. It was a Sunday evening. I remember Nikhil came with his iconic Wagon R and much to our surprise the vehicle managed the entire luggage by itself in a single trip.

But moving out of the clutches of landlord was not the only reason for joy and contentment (though it contributed significantly!).

On the back drop was perhaps the biggest decision made by me till that point of time. On June 5th2009, a Friday, with trembling hands, I had made the token payment of Rs. 1 Lac for booking the lovely 2BHK at Raj Legacy, Vikhroli West… my first own home! What a feeling it was, and what a feeling it still is.

Exactly a week before that, Nikhil & Anoop had made their big decision together and booked their flats with Nahar Amrit Shakti, Powai.

Much has happened since then to the three flat mates.

Residence
  • The three flat mates are now residing in 3 separate flats. Meetings are less frequent now.
  • There is no fight about who will bring the grocery. There is no choice.
Relationship status
  • Nikhil is no more single. Am really happy for him and Divya.
  • Anoop…is he single? Have my doubts.
  • Myself…will I ever be ‘not single’? Have my doubts.
Other developments

  • Nikhil has acquired a lot of furnishings at his residence. Hosts parties regularly. Is a very looked after damad…if his frequent visits to Indore are anything to go by.
  • Anoop has got a sedan. So very difficult to catch hold of him nowadays.
  • Have changed job. Lots of screwing happening…on me, that is.
But I guess very few things compare to the feeling of June 7th. After those innumerable home hunting trips to slum rehabilitations (we used to scoff at them) to the plushest of townships (they used to scoff at us), those data collection exercises, those long negotiations with owners and the brokers, those analysis paralysis about fixed rate, floating rate, stamp duty, registration, wealth creation….it does feel good to have a place of one’s own.

So this 7th of June, when I experienced the showers in Mumbai, looking over the rejuvenated hillock in front of my flat, enjoying a perfect cuppa tea and warmly ensconced by my French window, it felt, friends, that in our own small way, we have arrived.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How will travel industry transform post-Covid

Unlike philosophers, journalists and teenagers, the world of entrepreneurship does not permit the luxury of gazing into a crystal ball to predict the future. An entrepreneur’s world is instead made of MVPs (Minimum Viable Product), A/B Tests, launching products, features or services and gauging / measuring their reception in the market to arrive at verifiable truths which can drive the business forward. Which is why I have never written about my musings or hypothesis about travel industry – we usually either seek customer feedback or launch an MVPised version and gather market feedback. However, with Covid-19 travel bans across the globe, the industry is currently stuck – while a lot of industry reports and journalistic conjectures are out, there’s no definitive answer to the way forward. Besides there is no way to test your hypothesis since even the traveller does not know what they will do when skies open. So, I decided to don my blogger hat and take the luxury of crystal gazing

A Guide to Privacy on Social Media [apps]

The recent announcement by WhatsApp to update its privacy terms - and 'accept or leave the app' stance - led to an exodus of users from Whastapp to competing, privacy-conscious apps such as Telegram or Signal. A week after the exodus began, Whatsapp clarified its stance - and WhatsApp's CEO went about providing a long Twitter clarification . And then, many returned, many who considered moving stayed put on Whatsapp. This post is meant for those who are still sitting on the fence - it clarifies questions like: What is this all about? What do I do? Is Whatsapp safe? I've heard Telegram is Russian - so how is it safer than Whatsapp? I can't move because my business contacts are on Whastapp - how do I secure myself? PS: I've modeled this post based on several conversations I've had with friends and family on this subject, dealing with the chain of questions they ask, then objections they raise, then clarifications they seek - and finally the change resistance

Ekla Chalo re

Watched "Bose- The forgotten Hero" on Saturday. Gem of a movie and probably the best of Shyam Benegal. Subhash Chandra Bose has always been an inspiring character in the history for the youth. This post however is not about the movie, its about the lead song 'Tanha Rahee' which is based on the poem 'Ekla Chalo Re' by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. I had pasted the English translation of this poem on my blog earlier. http://the-complete-man.blogspot.com/2004/12/tsunami-times_30.html However, yesterday I found the original bengali text of the poem and found that the meaning in the above translation was not exact. So I have endeavourer (with the help of Shubham ) to re-translate it into English and Hindi by myself. Here is the output of my work: Bengali Jodi Tor Dak Soone Keu Na Asse Tobe Ekla Chalo re Ekla Chalo Ekla Chalo Ekla Chalore Jodi Keu Katha Na Kai Ore Ore O Abhaga Jodi Sabai Thake Mukh Firae Sabai Kare Bhay Tabe Paran Khule O Tui Mukh Fute Tor Maner Kath