Once Upon A Time in Thrissur - Part I

Year 2015 is here. As I say goodbye to the year 2014, it’s also time for me to bid farewell to a city that had been my home for the past one and a half years - Thrissur. This blog series is a tribute to everyone whom I had a chance of interacting with, during my stay in the city and especially to those who have left behind an indelible mark in my life with their warmth, love and affection. First part of the two-part series. 

The town had been painted yellow, thanks to the “Pulis” on the streets. The “Men-In-Yellow” had thronged the streets of Thrissur in huge numbers. “Pulikali”, an inseparable part of Kerala’s Onam festivities, is a treat to watch, especially when you are in the “Land of Vadukkumnathan” Thrissur, where it is celebrated with so much vigor.It was my first day in Thrissur, and seeing the celebrations around, I couldn’t help but say, “Wow! Now that was an awesome welcome!” It was the September of 2013. Little did I know back then, that it was only the beginning, of one of the most wonderful phases of my life. This is the story of how I came, I saw and fell irrevocably in love with the cultural capital of Kerala – Thrissur.

I have always been a believer of destiny. I believe I was destined to be in Thrissur, as my relocating to Thrissur, was not by choice, but by chance. I was pretty much confident, when I joined my company after my higher studies, that I would get a posting in my hometown itself. However to my surprise, nothing like that happened, and there I was on my way to Thrissur, three months into joining the organization, hopes of being with my family, all shattered by a mail from the H.R department informing me to join the Zonal Office of the company at Thrissur. The hardships of the being a novice at the job, coupled with the feeling of being lonely in a new city, made my initial days in the city worse than my worst nightmare. For the first time in my life, I found myself giving orders to others, many who were more senior to me in age and experience. Honestly, it was the strangest of feelings; I was not sure if I would be making a total fool of myself infront of them by saying something totally stupid, or whether they would snap back at me if I asked them to do something by saying “Who are you to tell me what to do?” I am sure most M.B.A’s who get into a managerial role, straight out of college, could relate to this. There were many times, when I wondered why and for what on earth I left my job as a software engineer with an I.T firm for an M.B.A degree! I used to think, "Writing programs was so much better than managing people; the worst that could happen with a program was that it would throw me an error!". Well, I was to get the answers to my questions shortly; I just had to hang in there, till the time was right. 

Struggling, stumbling, falling (many times) I made it through the rest of the year. And then came year 2014, bringing along with it, the winds of change – recognition and appreciation at work, new friends, new experiences, and lots of memorable moments. 

To be continued..