Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" poem is an expression of brimming confidence in defying the routine and choosing a less traveled path in life. But this post is about the charming experience I had in the not so different road I took.
Many of us, who have our careers with the Indian IT industry go through a routine. It is the well known path of pursuing academic degrees in a different city or state or country, getting employed in varied locations, and later getting deputed to various foreign work locations.
For a person who walks this road, separation from family happens either for academic or employment opportunities. Parting ways and bidding adieu from family are better said than done.One gets to lead a life that is "independent" then on. The independence always keeps one to task. One learns to count the pennies when the wallet is yet-to-be replenished, be accountable for one's deeds, adjust with people, and then raise to any occasion. This learning is valuable and these experiences help one mature in life.
The level of maturity one gains depends upon the variety of environments, one has to adapt to. One tends to create a conducive atmosphere wherever one goes. If one succeeds in this task, it is an accomplishment of getting a "second-family" or "family-like" set up. And this "family-like" set up continues for a longer period of time for most of the folks.
I traversed the same path and ended up in getting such a good setup. Friendly work environment and family like colleagues.
But as few people come across, my path too had a twist. I recently had to bid adieu to my "second-family" environment in Minneapolis, often reverentially referred as the twin cities.
Many of us, who have our careers with the Indian IT industry go through a routine. It is the well known path of pursuing academic degrees in a different city or state or country, getting employed in varied locations, and later getting deputed to various foreign work locations.
For a person who walks this road, separation from family happens either for academic or employment opportunities. Parting ways and bidding adieu from family are better said than done.One gets to lead a life that is "independent" then on. The independence always keeps one to task. One learns to count the pennies when the wallet is yet-to-be replenished, be accountable for one's deeds, adjust with people, and then raise to any occasion. This learning is valuable and these experiences help one mature in life.
The level of maturity one gains depends upon the variety of environments, one has to adapt to. One tends to create a conducive atmosphere wherever one goes. If one succeeds in this task, it is an accomplishment of getting a "second-family" or "family-like" set up. And this "family-like" set up continues for a longer period of time for most of the folks.
I traversed the same path and ended up in getting such a good setup. Friendly work environment and family like colleagues.
But as few people come across, my path too had a twist. I recently had to bid adieu to my "second-family" environment in Minneapolis, often reverentially referred as the twin cities.
I was blessed to work with a team which fits to the grammar laid by the famed industrialist Henry Ford, "Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success." The team can definitely be called a "work-family".
Our Team demonstrated exemplary resilience on the effects of external and internal factors. Never once did we fail to recognize other's work. Never once did we fail to celebrate an individual's contribution to the team.
As it happened, I had to part ways from the team. When we had to part, I quoted Rumi, the renowned Sufi mystic poet to say, “Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws one person to another, not words.”
I had a parting gift from one of my team mates just as to endorse the quote. A bouquet of chocolates, famed products of Minnesota. When I relished on them, they were refreshing on my tired senses(worn out on the ordeal of shifting from Minnesota to Austin)
But now when I relive those memories, the distinct taste of each confectionery presented to me reminds me of the grandeur of my team.
Ginger Crystallized Dark Chocolate indicated me of the spirit and spunk we had as a team. Work was demanding at times, but the collective spirit of the team won.
Chilies & Cherries in Dark Chocolate tasted like the discussions we had. Cajoling each other in the midst of heated debates and hectic discussions helped us tread on the dreaded situations.
Orange Feel in Dark Chocolate implied the sweet and sourness in every glitch we had as a team towards success. The sourness enhances the sweetness. When there was a glitch, the moment seemed to sour; but when we overcame them, we had sweet memories of team work.
Sea salt caramels were the moments we thought our endeavor was in jeopardy and success seemed evasive. But at hindsight, those moments triggered us to work towards success.
Sea salt almond alligators were the hard nuts we had to encounter as a team. These nuts ranged from mind boggling technical issues to challenging cohorts. None of the alligators could pull us from working towards our goal.
The assorted chocolate pack allude to the matchless individuals who partnered to work as a praiseworthy team and the butter almonds remind me of the cherished moments spent together.
These are reflections of a beautiful journey that we had as a team. I am not sure if I paid attention to these beautiful imagery when I took that voyage. But now when I am far off, I realize that distance promotes new perspectives in life. And always new dimensions can be visualized only when one gets detached.
If opportunity confluences me back with my team in any of the future endeavors it would be more of a home coming for me.
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