Every individual, in his/ her lifetime does conjure, acceptable or otherwise, of coming to think of a moment/ phase from which they learnt the most, or in common parlance an instant where in, you could list out your greatest achievement, so far. This could be an out – n – out philosophical Sunday brunch exercise over Enya swooning in the background, or more apt in today’s times, a preparation of the so called probable questions expected from the savior across the table in the myriad interviews you’re about to face, to get so called in line with Life.
Most of the statements being made up, and at those rarest of the opening of the third eye, when you actually sit down with a scotch in one, and nothing much to put your other hand to, you wonder…..whether one is supposed to remember and list down in bullets, the learnings’ of the so called phase in life, that so damn-right changed you or when you felt like the Achiever of the decade forgiving All and sundry. Or should it come to you naturally, like the smile on your face, when you see the sun set against the water-line.
I till now fell in the former, but now proudly, spill onto the latter. The last one and a half years of my life, especially the last one year, has been nothing but the toughest and most grueling one, by far [in distance and context]. Having been able to complete my MBA with grounded colors, nonetheless, expectations were flying in weird capacities and imaginations. Contradictory to popular belief and my own expectations, I had been looking after the Rural Sales channel for a respectable FMCG firm in India.
Over these one and a half years, I have been given a life – time opportunity of travelling across the length and breadth of this gorgeous and delightful country of ours, literally, something which people would sacrifice, to do. Having worked in East, West and North already, considering a stage so early in my career, I couldn’t have asked for more. From the remotest of Maoist infected interiors of Bengal, to coming home to the city in the night, witnessing the two sides of India, and feeling helpless and drained. From the organized, and the awakening in rural Maharashtra, to the ‘colorful’ and celestial life at Pune. To the ‘final frontier’ in sales, UP, to the hills of Uttaranchal. Moving in and out of cities like it was my park and the lanes were there waiting, to be treaded upon.
But more than all of that, I would remember something else, for a long long time to come. I would recall how coming from a completely opposite background being in charge of a team from the grass roots of as they say the Real India. Its like putting the Colin Farrell out of the Phone Booth straight into the fields of the war at Troy. Having been able to see the life at the grassroots and villages all over the country, very very closely, their lifestyle [if I could call it so], their aspirations, their idols, their mode of entertainment, their grief…and more importantly THEM. Learning small things from them, which we in the city, or if you reading this write up, overlook, the humility, the small sources of happiness and the incapacity at times for deviation and hence insanity. The fact of how important Bollywood and Cricket actually is to this country and its citizens, can never be understood from the seats of our plush living room sofas. Of how life changes in these small villages at the onset of a festival or celebration, and how their belief in GOD just keeps them going on and on.
Courage and Adaptability were only fancy words, thrown here and there, making the world look a tad more intellectual and erudite. Living these words was a whole different Ball Game, only the stadia kept changing. To strangle your inhibitions and become a kid again, making a weird blank face whenever the word Ego was thrown into the dusty air was an experience in itself. To be away from all the things I have loved, so dearly, and yet maintain the relation passionately and believing in its magic has been a chapter in itself. Thrown into the world of sales [Note : FMCG sales is the only hardcore sales, please do not try and sound hard’ly’ working people by associating the sales you do with FMCG. It ain’t even come close enough, and I could write that for you, if you would require a copy] and its mannerisms, could be a whole different book series in itself. So I’ll keep that for later.
Character and Confidence carried a whole new different meaning now. The actual faces of Hardships were known, what with all its expressions thrown in as freebies. A separate new set of list became clearer, better known as the list of ‘Things for Granted’. All this would go a long way, as anything now, from here, would just seem like a luxury, a pampering. Adversity has been dealt with, at least for the time, I would like to believe.
If I said it was all a cakewalk for me and I could adapt like a surfer does to the waves, I would be lying like a - whatever evil comes to your mind [you have a quite a choice, at that]. Whenever I felt like this is it, I don’t deserve all this; I could get any other more ‘comfortable’ role, regretting all am missing due to this, the ol’ life, there was this infamous picture which erupted from some genius spot in my brain and it read, as the famous construction sign reads : Today’s Pain, Tomorrow’s Gain.
Value was known, and valued more, of time, pleasure, company and its moments, money, solitude. Travel in its truest sense, was absorbed, and not the package ones, with the glitter and handouts, the brochures and guides. The travel of unpredictability, travel of not knowing where I would be tomorrow this time, travel of how I would be wherever I would be that time, travel of just being able to travel, the joy of it, and nothing else, the rawest form that there could be. Of Living the Life, of mobility, literally out of a bag [and where-in the bag slowly takes the place of your BFF (as Paris Hilton would like to say)], of meeting new people, hearing a different dialect or language every other week, and take in to the nuances of the cultures at display. Of being able to think their way and understand their move before they did mine, because they were the majority and me the minority. I was learning, they were just being themselves, with their everyday routine. I was and am The Journeyman.
Today I move onto another sales channel, and again it’s quite an opposite of sorts, seems the unpredictable attribute just loves being my mate, gladly so. I take a crossover from Rural India to the new emerging India, handling the Modern Trade [swanky malls et al] end of the sales business now. Tomorrow there will be a new set of experiences, a different world, different challenges and a different force, and there would be a Different – ME too, ready and waiting at the other end with arms wide open. After all I’m 4 states, ‘n’ number of numbers [my friends love this part about me, Read: they are ready to kill me for the same], 4 visiting cards, a million bus, train, air tickets, hotel bills and a bag full of memories and experiences old.
So I’m equipped to bring on my A –Game….let’s see what the World has.
P.S : now at least I would have one answer ready for the interviews, god save me on the others!!!
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