A night after long

We gathered at Mr.K's house, our usual hub, for his birthday yesterday. It's been almost an year now since I joined in for such midnight celebrations. I was pacing on the verandah with nostalgia springing steadily within me.

I remembered, that was the first birthday we ever celebrated in our group! Majority of our group stay in that house. The group that took shape in the training rooms and over lunch tables during our initial days of our first job. All possible common things bound us- the trainings, the new place, the nothing-to-do weekends, the chain mails, the module tests... We, some 10 to 15 of us, jelled together slowly and steadily.
Each one known by, and only by their pet names, as if we knew each other for ages! Skely, prof, dada, rupoosh, CPda, tuby, chells, paaji, swamiji, t2... Whenever we gathered there was lightness, laughter and pranks throwing an air of enthusiasm and fun all around.

I felt a silent realization to myself. Our group was one that went through steady changes right from the beginning! First we were put in a 3 months training that was more like an extension to a care-free college life. Occassionally strangers were allowed for trainings along with us. But for us, they were as good as non-existant. May be we bothered them but we never bothered about them! It was we for ourselves all the time.

When the trainings got over, we were put into different groups altogether... pre-sales, consulting, development... but we were happy that we worked in the same building, may be just on different floors! Our meetings and fun was restricted to lunch and snacks time, which we all used to religiously adhere to... and we forgot time in our gossips most often!

It was then that Ms.S, now Mrs.S, had to work from Hyderabad. How we all clinged to the phone everytime she called from there! Then it was turn for pre-sales guys to work in night shifts... We had to sacrifice our lunch meetings then! Our snacks time was saved at the most, but the strength of the group who met then, started dwindling and the reasons- work/ meetings/ client calls... you name it!

It was then time for consulting group, to which I belonged, to move out of the original office to another building... that left us with nothing more than our weekends and the birthday celebrations! Occassionally we did go to the other's offices but those were short trips of mostly official purpose. These were compensated by the enthusiasm during those birthday celebrations! The zeal with which we planned, the gift selection, the cards and cakes... and finally the treat destinations... it was a festive time, every moment to be purely enjoyed and cherished!

I was standing behind the gates of this house, looking at the opposite one - the once Ms.R's house - where I had stayed overnight many times during such times! Chill winds laden with moisture, typical of rainy night, brushed the hair off my face. There was no light in the house. "No one is staying there now?" I wondered. That very house, as did my office buildings, stood as a silent spectator to the changing times, holding with it the fresh fragrance of the past.

With time, the group shrank more and more. Some went for higher studies... some to other companies, and even to other countries, absolutely out of sight - leaving just memorable days to be pondered later on! I sighed at the reality, in the light of the streetlamp shining brightly outside the house.

Suddenly I realized something and a smile seemed to light up the entire place... Even now, I thought, everytime we called up eachother, no matter from where to where, we were conquering the distance! Everytime we remembered the special days to care for and wish the others, we were breaking the time! Everytime we took some time off to catch up with the rest, we were fighting that change!

I went back in, feeling proud about my mere presence there.