The SideEffect of Success

What does the title of post suggest to you? But it is not what you are thinking, I am not going to talk about some kind of a bad change as a result of getting success. So what is it that I want to make a point about?
The story had started long ago, but we will read from where the climax began. It was the second Sunday of February 2008, the day for the GATE exam. I was very nervous. I started with the paper but it too was more difficult than what I had anticipated. Anyway the day passed and I was back to my life.
Every time I have thought of making a career I have always thought of research (in the abstract sense). This need of choosing a career intensifies as one reaches the end of college. And one really has to think hard if one's percentage is not the best one can get. The importance of it lies in the fact that it is the choice which defines what your life will be. The only way I could be into research now was by getting into BARC,ISRO or DRDO.
But there is no one who can guess what life can bring to your face. Along came the 15 of March and brought with it the GATE result. I qualified and got a just good enough rank which could possibly get me into an IIT. For the next few days I was meticulously filling forms to apply to the various Institutes. Anyway I still had to appear for the ISRO written exam. A few days later and I was attending calls from IIT Madras and IIT Guwahati. The result of the interview at IIT Madras was not declared, but I was selected for the MTech program at IIT Guwahati. So went back to the college and celebrated. Soon came the result of ISRO too, I was called for the interview, I had another interview call from BARC based on my GATE score. Not taking much time my selection for the MS program at IIT Madras was also finalized. This was the best I could have asked for. I wanted to do research and here was the best opportunity to start a research career.
As life moves there are thing which you can't stop from happening I had to leave college. To stop myself from feeling the pain of leaving the wonderful place, I decided to move around India and attend the interviews. Staying only for one night at home I left for Bhopal, to attend the interview of ISRO. After attending the interview I left for Mumbai where I had to attend the interview for BARC. Against all expectations, (owing to my preparations) I also got selected in BARC. I had a few days in hand there so I went around Mumbai well. Soon went to Pune to visit a friend and then back to Nainital to spend a week at home.
Then I had to leave for Chennai where my dreams were awaiting me. The first few days here were busy with filling up forms and getting things settled. It is a policy of the institute to call the research students early. So after all the running of six months I finally got sometime. This is the time when I started to realize what I had left behind. Past six months were the most successful months of my life I cracked every exam I gave but the coming next month evened it all.
Here I was at a totally new place almost alone with lots of time and nothing to do. Memories of the past were striking with full force. Also at this time I was reviled that my love for research had made me fall in love with BARC and ISRO too. Its funny but my heart at times demanded that I should not leave those opportunities. As the studies started, which an easy going person like me is not use to, the urge to join job offers at hand increased. Much of the time I used to think about them. This has continued till the time the last dates for joining were not past. Joining hands with nostalgia and patriotism it has given me a few of the worst feelings I have ever experienced.
Love against all the reasons in the world can make you feel things you don't want to feel. The heart doesn't care how successful you are. All it understands is that when you love something you should not loose it. And if ever in your life you are in love with things or people, such that being with one makes you part with another. God Help You!!!
In the mean time I have become used to the new system made a few new friends and got to know the importance of the old ones and moreover I have learned to see life from an angle unknown to me earlier....

The story of Change

Recently I passed out of KEC(my graduate college) and had to start with a new beginning, as I have written in my earlier post. Moving out of one system to another is like taking birth again. But I had never imagined that the change that seems so little can shake one's life so heavily.
The story starts with my leaving the college. Initially it didn't seemed that bad but when I came to IIT Madras (where I am presently studying) the realization of change slowly dawned on me. The new place demanded a completely new lifestyle from what I had earlier. The load of studies was different, the people were different, the climate was different. I have had to learn small thing like cycling which I didn't knew before. Things became painful at times with even small things. But I have grown over things and adapted to this new system, this is what they call growth.
I still miss all that I have left behind but there is a new life ahead and a completely new world to explore, new horizons to conquer.........