Bengaluru is India’s IT hub, so interviewing is never a problem because there are firms of all sizes here - giants, mid-size, small-size, and one-room startups. Gagan got a new job, but it was in another part of Bengaluru, around 10 kilometers away from our King Size flat. Those who live in Bengaluru are well aware of the city’s chaotic traffic. Traveling 2 hours daily is a difficult job, and he did it for a month before deciding to relocate closer to his office, which made sense but was sad news.
After that, I went to the workplace at 10 a.m. and stayed later because I didn’t have anything to do at home. I was keen to hold larger elements of the business tech stack, which drew some criticism because I was shaking some trees with deep roots.
Our new year at the office began with a new VP of engineering for the team. We went out for drinks on the first Friday, and it was a complete success. Throughout the night, everyone drank like a fish, and “Best VP ever” was the call for shots. The situation quickly shifted. Two people, including our new VP, collided on the bar’s entryway. I was on top of my game when it came to drinking back then, so I drove home with Anuj while shouldering our new VP. That night, I was feeling good about the course of events, but it turned out to be a nightmare for his family, as his phone shut down owing to a low battery. The entire organization was aware of what had occurred the night before by the morning. He didn’t hang out with us much after that.
Things were not going well for me. I was annoyed because despite putting in all the effort, owning and moving software parts daily, I was still not recognized. My manager was still skeptical of my talents. He still assumed I was the same person he recruited - a novice at best. He would introduce all of the items as he did them all and would not share credit or shine a light on other team members. To make matters worse, he was a dear buddy of mine, and I didn’t want to lose him as a friend. I decided to start looking, and I was able to secure a couple of employment offers. But there’s a catch… Coming soon!
My cousin visited Bengaluru for a workshop and stayed with me for one night. My niece was surprised that I lived in such a little room. “This is it?” she screams on her first step in, and the next thing she realizes is that “Mamu has a fridge in his room itself?” 😁 KIDS!
My mother and sister then paid me a visit in July. I had cleaned my house(1 RK) well, including the location of the WiFi router. It was clean to the core, according to me, but according to my mother - IT WAS NOT, IT WAS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO WHAT BEING CLEAN IS. I can ignore stuff I don’t use, and there were a few cabinets that fit this description. I expressly instructed my mother not to open them. You can guess what happened next…
She insisted on fixing the cabinet and cleaning it herself. By the time I returned home, everyone had heard about my spotless room.
During my one-month notice period, I was acknowledged and promoted to Senior Software Engineer. But I chose to move on and work for this gentleman who interviewed me for 15 minutes in a CCD and then made me an offer. I loved the way he spoke and the figure on the offer. This thrill faded quickly. I joined the team and worked there for one week, however, I was unable to acclimate to the travel and work atmosphere there. I believe I was not ready to start afresh at the time, or I was hesitant to step outside of my comfort zone, which was built on my domain expertise of Furlenco’s business.
After a week, I called my Furlenco boss and asked him to allow me to rejoin the squad. Furlenco people welcomed me back with the example of The one who returned. It was clear that a number of my coworkers were dissatisfied with this decision and saw me as a loser. I believed I’d rescued myself, but the boomerang had become an office joke. Other people had begun to switch companies and were ready to poke fun at me by this point. It was a joke that Boomerang was mentioned in their farewell statements. I can’t complain because it was something fresh for everyone. Things were no longer the same.
My disagreements with my manager escalated gradually, and we stopped talking. I stopped hanging out with him, and the circle of coworkers who partied together shrank. It did not affect my employment; I was still clocking 10 hours. I was also not looking out because I had just boomeranged.
There was another team leader, a politically sound and knowledgeable individual in a comparable position to my manager, and I began working closely with him by opening myself up to his criticism. He possessed the ability to roll the dice at the proper time and make an effect.
I was taking things one at a time, thanks to Anuj’s consistent support. We used to spend every day at Pappu Chaiwala. It was an Indian bakery with a tea specialty. We were their favorite customers who sat for 2-3 hours at once. It served as an after-office cooling space.
Lovish was visiting me in Bengaluru for the first time. More friends arrived from Pune. We had known each other since college and they lived together with Karan in Pune. The next few days were insane once more. We experienced a bar fight, police stopped our rooftop party… what else could we expect in just three days?
I skipped Diwali this year as well, but I promised Mummy that I would be home for Diwali from now on!
Things continued to move…
So, another year had passed… My cousin came to see us this time. She belonged to our Hyderabad group! There was a cousin reunion in Hyderabad this time. I flew to Chandigarh from Hyderabad to join Lovish for a New Year’s Eve celebration.