A Journey to my Core

Known-known faces, are they half-known?A full life makes the faces full-known!

This was my preconceived notion when the idea of a re-union was being nestled. I had been debating with myself, whether to be or not to be there. I was confused whether the ‘known’ faces might turn up to be ‘half known’ after two decades of separation!!

Twenty long years, is not a short travel. I remember, during my student days, I used to go through “Employment News” regularly to look for job vacancies. And for most of the HR jobs, the minimum post-qualification experience required were 15-20 years. That was quite an absurd requirement for a fresh college pass out, who was only having an MBA degree and a bagful of aspirations in his possession. Now, when I look back at the 20 years which I spent in corporate rat-races, then I realize, oh, what a journey!! Though the journey, sometimes, was tiresome and difficult through hilly terrains and rough patches, but whenever an oasis was found, it was so fulfilling, so pleasurable.

The gang-ho Batch

Can twenty long years change a human being? The world in which I was a student, has completely changed. In those by-gone days, I didn’t have the luxury of smartphone (the present day third-eye), branded apparels, ready to eat cereals, fancy cars, and so on and so forth. Did all these modern availability have changed me?

I thought yes, it changed me. But after the batch-mates started pouring in for the re-union, I realized, I didn’t. I am the same as I was 20 years back!! Where did I keep so much of emotions secretly? How was I away from such warm hugs? The etymology of the term “personality” ways back to “Per Sonare” (Latin), which means wearing a mask. It is said that during our life, we keep on changing this mask. Sometimes I am a responsible husband, sometimes a loving father, sometimes a caring son, sometimes a darling friend, sometimes a task oriented manager, sometime a nervous reportee to an expat boss, sometimes a loaner and sometimes a social entertainer….the mask keeps changing. But does my core change? I, now, strongly believe that it doesn’t. Had it changed, how could I get such spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions by meeting my batch mates after such a long time?

Indebted to those who have planted the seed of a re-union. It was not a mere meeting with old pals, but for me it was a life changing event, where I could realize that I am still the same old old-fashioned guy who cries secretly in the dark corner of his room when his friends leave. Thanks to all for gifting me this feeling.

This was a learning for me towards my small steps to the great world.