Full credit to Kaushik and Anwesha for us being able to create this intersection point. Last couple of trips to Boston, we just could not get our timetables to match. Therefore, I was delighted when they let us know that they would be in Atlanta for an event. This time we got together and had a great time catching up and adda and laughter!!!!
Navin Saxena!!!
Became very close to him in 1983-85. Then lost touch. Had a fleeting glance of him in 1994. And then lost him again. Decades later today, managed to catch him in his own lair – or at least his hometown.
Early morning today, in Atlanta airport, called up Rahul in New York to enquire if he had some contacts of Navin in Portland. Six hours later, landed in Portland, called Navin and surprised him by saying I was in town. At the end of the day after all the meetings were done, went to have dinner with him and his family. Missed his daughter who was out of town for a tennis tournament.
So many fond memories came back from the past – we were in junior and senior (high school) together. Those studies in hostels… the cricket games in dorm courtyard… those common friends… the trip to Dip’s house in New Chumta tea estate … visiting Navin’s house (my first exposure to a swimming pool and playing tennis), Rahul’s house (Kolkata), Rajeev’s house (Asansol), Rakesh’s house (Hind Motor)… the paper clipping that his parents had saved that had his and my picture next to each other (we had done not so bad in our high school exams). [my parents even today have that clipping of our picture together in the newspaper]…
The only sad moment was learning about his dad’s demise. He was very nice to me that one time I had visited them in their house.
It was a magical time. I was so absorbed in catching up with him and following his successes that I did not get much of a chance to get to know his lovely wife and really smart son a little more….
It was great to sit down with him for a couple of hours and talk like those days … nearly thirty years back.
While vacationing in Orlando, found out (thanks to FB) that good old Hari was in town for a conference. A few months back, I had met him after over twenty years. Had promised not to let another twenty years go by before we meet again. No challenge there!!
Sharmila captured some moments during our discussions at a bar – you can see that they were as intense as the good old days!!! 🙂
This time it was after security check in Orlando airport. Nikita and I went thru TSA PreCheck and breezed thru in fifteen seconds. As we were waiting for Sharmila and Natasha to clear thru the normal security lines, I jokingly suggested to Nikita “Let’s take the train and go to the terminal. They have their boarding passes with them. They can always come there by themselves”.
She got extremely concerned by my attitude. “Dad, you have no heart”!
And in three seconds added, “Just like your hair”
🙂
Niki and I were discussing geometry as we waited at the airport. We were talking about octagons when she excitedly said “You know dad, how I remember that octagon has eight sides”? I asked her “How”?
“Remember octo-mom? She had eight babies. That’s how”, she said!
And in my mind I went “I wish I had such props to remember my math when I was growing up” 🙂
What good is a vacation if not to see somebody you have not seen for over 12 years? Found out that Vijay Ramachandran lives within an hour of where we are vacationing. I did not have a car but he was gracious enough to drive down with his family. Had almost four hours of great time with his family.
Talking to Vijay after such a long time, I was reminded of one of the core reasons why i2 had succeeded – it had one heck of a bunch of really smart guys. Vijay was Exhibit A!!!
It was great to meet his family who I had never seen before. Sitting with his daughter and son on the boardwalk of Hollywood Beach eating pizza reminded me of an identical situation when my kids were that age and Sharmila and myself had pizza at the same place nine years back!!!!!
This morning I wrapped up office early and came home to pack up. We were leaving for Florida for spring break.
Finished packing and all travel logistics and still had time in hand. So, I slipped into my night clothes and hit the bed to catch some sleep. (Readers of previous post must have sensed the additional satisfaction I had of having the whole bed to myself 🙂 ).
Sometime later, Nikita came back from school. She was not expecting me at home, far less sleeping at that time. Upon seeing me, she went back downstairs straight to Sharmila and asked “Did he lose his job?”
🙂
Since Monday is a non-run day for me usually and my first meeting was close to home, I did not start very early this morning from home. And thanks to that, I experienced something interesting. I heard Nikita’s alarm go off – multiple times – once at 6:00, once at 6:15 and then again at 6:30. Interestingly, the three alarms were completely different tunes.
When she came down, the following conversation took place:
Me: “Good morning! Had a good sleep?”
She: “It is Monday morning. I never have enough sleep on Monday mornings!”
Me: “Hmmmm.. seems like you need to go to bed earlier on Sundays. By the way, why do you have three alarms?”
She: “The first one says ‘Time to get up’. Second one says ‘Get up now’. the last one says ‘GET UP ALREADY'”
I am totally amused by now. So I pressed on:
Me: “So much focus on organization! Can you not apply the same skill to go to bed early?”
She: “No”
Me: “Why not?”
She: “Dad. You won’t get it. It is a young people thingy.”
Me: “Really? Ok, tell me this – why different tunes for different alarm times?”
She: “So that when I slam the alarm off, I do not have to open my eyes to check what time it is!!!!”
I stopped there. Again, so much thought process and planning…. Why not go to bed half an hour earlier? One of these days, I am hoping to catch up on this “young people thingy” – whatever it is!!!
