Separation Blues

A couple of months from now, I will be seeing the last(For now? For ever?) of the place that was, as is more common in this industry, like it or hate it, second-home for the last six years. Nice! Now, I have said it! I was not concious of how much this workplace might have come to grow on me, even until after I triggered off the workflow of my separation.I did not get a full night's sleep yesterday; and that's when I knew. May be it's coming out now. (Just a nice word it might be for resignation, but the intranet application for this purpose is actually called 'Separation'.)

I do not like the word 'quit', because I am really not quitting anything here. I also do not like the word resign in any meaning of it except that which implies 'give up a possession'. Because, not sure whether my employer saw it that way, all along I took my job and workplace personally. I made many mistakes on the way;but did not stumble upon them again. I travelled to many new places, made many friends and worked with some dynamic managers and, though did not contribute much to them, operated closely with some considered as thought-leaders within the company and outside.

I will miss several things. Foremost among them is the pristine campus that has all the comforts of a resort, if not home. This facility for more than twenty thousand people has two bank branches, close to a dozen ATMs, 5 food courts with more than 35'eateries' of all cusines, a pizza place, an upscale buffet-garden restaurant,two gymnasia, a swimming pool, tennis, basketball and volley ball courts, a brand-store for apparel and accessories, a photo studio and camera shop, a printing shop, a grocery store, a computer store, two beauty salons, two cellphone shops, several travel agencies, a couple of easy-bill-pay centers, a meditation room, a clinic and my hangout- a book store. Apparently, this green campus is home to more than 80 species of birds and more than as many varieties of plant and trees. I am sure I have missed a few things in the list.

I will miss the youthfulness that drives this place. Six years ago, I added to lowering the average age at this place. Today, I am dragging the average higher, but the place has only grown marginally older in those terms. There is at least one major event happening in any given week, making it the most happening place for many people I know. I will miss the sense of comfort that entered me the minute I entered my own 'manager's cube'; my personal fifty square feet.

I will miss the kiss of the spray, on the walk back from the gym, from the sprinklers turned on after sun down. I will miss the reflections of the crimson skies on thousands of glass panes on over fifty architectural expressions. I will miss the silhoutte of the library dome. On a rainy day, I will miss the waves of green-white-and-blue umbrellas with 'Ozone' (an internal eco-club) written on them. I will miss the Fridays that break the monotony of formal wear with an explosion of casual colors.(Out here, we 'boyz' say- No matter what season, here, it's Spring on a Friday).

When passing by Building 1 (quite aptly the corporate block), there would be a mild sense of anticipation of catching a glimpse of a corporate or international digintary or even one of our own IT gurus. Because, rarely have I walked the same ground as a leader whose words and values are sought after by an international audience. Working within walking distance of moguls never become second nature to me.I will miss that sense of expectancy.

I will also miss the inanities of the johnny-come-latelies who fall up from the comfort of their homes in to the comfort of this workplace and then complain about what more they want! I will miss such inanities like I would miss a Peter Seller's movie; something to to laugh back upon.

Of course there are a few things I will not miss and would rather forget, but I am not one to regret.

Simply because, yesterday is not coming back and I have tommorrow to take on.