The Road Taken

We all choose a road with the hope that it will perhaps change the course of our life. And after travelling through the road, when we sit and try to measure the distance. Everything starts appearing rosy, the pain disappears in the mist of time. Read...

By Surajit Sinha, New Delhi

Having gone through this beautiful Bishnupriya Manipuri blog, I thought of writing a few lines of my experience in my life starting from the village I born but the story is more of my life here in Delhi.

I was born in a remote village of Karimganj district close to Bangladesh called Chamtilla. I believe after 60 years of the independence the 2 km of the approaching road to my grandfather’s village is still crying to get a cover of "Pakkar Shorok". When I was three years old my family moved to Silchar in the year 1980 as my father got posted in Silchar. Our parents got admitted us in a Bengali medium primary school, despite relentless cry to study in an English medium school. The time went on and on one fine day I found myself in class 12 science without any clue what to do? I was not a bad student, but there is a say that human being use only 5 per cent of their brain potential so I added myself in that 5 per cent. I must say I didn't try anything out of the box to go for a so called our parents dream of becoming doctor and engineer.

By that time my brother has already got a job in Guwahati and I was forced to go to Guwahati, coz I was unknowingly falling into a web of mysterious self destructive activities. Thank God, I rescued myself, of course, my parents’ decision was right. Then I completed my graduation from Gauhati University with an average not to be shy score. In the third year of my degree the ghost of Delhi was already maneuvering all around me and soon engulfed my body and soul. At first, it was hard to convince my father. But with my repeated plea, he agreed, only if my brother gets a job. Not enough, he will finance me for one year, and not beyond it. As luck would have it, my brother got a job in a good company.

Finally, on a cold night of January 18, 1998, my friend and I left for Delhi (the train was on January 19 in the early morning; we felt better staying in the station a good choice than troubling relatives of my friend in the early hours of the day). We reached Delhi on January 20, at around 11.00 a.m and got into an auto rickshaw to East Delhi, Laxmi Nagar, where we had already arranged for a room through a common friend.

Since I had studied so much about Delhi I wasn’t finding alien to this place. It seems I had been to Delhi earlier and I felt like I know each and everything about Delhi. I joined a basic computer course with my father promised allowance of Rs. 3000 out of which 1200 was the computer fees and rest was spent on house rent and fooding. Now imagine how life was for me?

I got a job in the month of December that saves me from my father's deadline of financing (that is the 10th month of allowance) but my father kept the promise of financing me for 12 month so I had a buffer stock of Rs 6000. I was able to take care of my ends by the salary I used to get. Though I was not living lavishly but I could afford to see two movies in Shakuntalam, ITO.

During the course I had shared my room with three to four people. Coz the person with whom I came to Delhi got a job after six months of our staying together. Then in 1999 one of my best friend joined me, and I felt good that now I will stay with him for sometime. Since both of us had the same dream of doing something, though he had a better plan compared to mine. I was still the same person with no career goal, coz I couldn't visualize myself.

I was always smitten by the branded things, so buying a snicker was my ultimate passion during those days. So I bought an Adidas snicker for Rs.3000 with the Rs.6000 buffer stock I had. And I still remember the shoe; it is one of the best things I bought in my life. I still have the picture of that shoe in my mind. I was very possessive about the shoe. Here I would like to mention that she (the shoe) left me on 2002.

As everything came late in my life some teenage ecstasy poured in my life but it didn't last for long may be it came late or maybe it was not meant for me. But whatever happens in life it happen for good. I suppose you all agree.

I got married in the year 2006 and life has changed ever since. Now I am doing a job which has a good career promise. And I give equal credit to my lovely wife for the change in my life and she deserves it. Though I don't have a Porsche but managed a four wheeler all of my own and living a somewhat comfortable life compare to the pigeon-hole without a cooler where I used to stay.

I am not blowing my trumpet of achievement, but just felt like sharing with all of you. But I promise I will make my offspring let know everything from "nennam" to nanotechnology and beyond. And since its natural that every parent wants their children to be better then them, so I am not an exception.

Please SUBSCRIBE to the Bishnupriya Manipuri Blog.