Monday, October 4, 2010

The Graduate

As a child, I remember watching the night sky for hours (rather hour, sigh...early bedtimes), and knew that one day I would become an astronaut and see the extremes of the universe unaided by a telescope. Every distant light twinkled with opportunity and every passing night brought me one-day closer to my dream.

As fate had it, this dream was soon dashed by the realities of growing up in a middle class family and less than 20/20 vision. And this September, I grew up to become an electrical engineer.

A proud engineer, I may add, as not only did he bust his chops over two continents, but also wrestle past a potential IAS officer, step over a could-be investment banker (a crappy one at that I think) and draw over the faint outlines of a writer/photographer and a social worker. Some of them false-starts, others just hobbies not taken seriously.

But is it true, that our lives have that one definitive calling, that one trail where every step feels right? The moments of clarity preached by the Karate kid's and Wake-up Sid's, which wear off by the time you reach the car and start complaining about the overpriced popcorn, are they really as true as they seem for those few minutes? Or are we just victims of oversimplification, and between the jack of all trades and master of one art, we might just have a few more options.

The next 4 years of PhD feel like a beginning of a journey of a different kind of "self-realization" like they say, as the electrical engineer tries to navigate past the self-doubts and arranged marriage, to test himself across a vast range of skill-sets and determine if an electrical engineer is all he is meant to be. He also plans to build some of those triceps they keep talking about. People will smirk, "another one of those lofty day-dreamers" they will say before going on to comment on his tiny eyes and how they are always closed in pictures. And he will stay firm. Because he knows no better.

But before that, its time to get wasted with drinking binges and affectionate females. After all, I just graduated.

9 comments:

Debasish said...

Good to know that you've found your true calling while I'm just trying out random things as they come my way.

Hope you enjoy the attention of affectionate females. Unfortunately, when I graduated from IIM, there were very few females around, and fewer still were affectionate towards me :)

Debasish said...

However, drunken binges and overall merriment was had :)

rider of rohan said...

thats the thing deba, how do you know what your "true calling" is when you are exposed to a limited set of occupations. I ended up doing something i am good at and enjoy, but does that make it "my true calling"?

Temme more about the merriment sometime?

Anonymous said...

I came across your blog at a time when you alas stopped blogging!! ...but i still used to go over your posts time n again specially whn i felt down or sloppy...i donno how but you just seem to choose right words to evoke right feelings nd thoughts..kudos to you :)

Unknown said...

Ah... true calling... that ever evasive temptress! Keep me posted on how that particular search goes.

By the way, Anonymous really seems to be in love with you. Even without the triceps! Such is calling.

Sridevi said...

I was wondering what to type, when I noticed Anonymous!

Ooooh!!

Must be one of those affectionate females. Or a dude. One can never know these things.

But for now , I part wishing you luck, for all those things you want to do. Yay yay!!

Anonymous said...

Another awesome post !

Abhijit

Anonymous said...

Aweosme post Rohan,I am follower of your blog. I use to check you blog, even when you stopped blogging. Keep blogging :)

anandkhot said...

Hey Rohan,

Nice post! Cheers to the last para! ;) :D

Kudos!