Kabhi alvida na kehna

(This is an email I wrote to my team yesterday, when they moved over to another company as part of an acquisition. I was scheduled to move too but some last minute changes prevented that from happening.)


My dear VCA team,

It feels odd writing to you like this. I am more used to writing to this group to announce a working Saturday or to give a stern message about Junit tests!

Anyway, I hope you are all settling down in your new surroundings. Life in Cyber Towers must be quite different from that in Parklane! No garbage bin outside office, clean lifts, pretty girls and more.

As for me, I am already missing you all badly. I walked into office on Monday morning not quite ready for an empty third floor. It took some time to realize what had happened. Well, the reality is slowly sinking in.

I guess I need to accept that life is all about change. For better or for worse.

Some of you might feel a sense of betrayal on my part because I have been saying I will be moving with you all. Believe me when I say that the change in plans was almost a last minute change due to circumstances beyond my control.

I am sure you will all rock and make sure the VCA project is taken to completion. You now have some great support too.

Few things -

Ramana, are SWATONE-4983, 4985 done? For some reason, these 2 kept getting postponed!

Thrinath, how is the orders page coming along? I'm sure you'll do such a good job that the VCA staff will keep creating orders even without customers just to be able to use the orders screen!

Tarun, please be careful about the check ins!

Kiran, great work with sync.

Sriram, continue to rock with generic search!

Veerababu, make sure Ramana runs the correct version of the security scripts!

LN, you were doing most of the management even when I was there. Thanks so much for making my life easier!

Ankur, your joining the project really made a huge difference. Thanks!

Vijay, it was great working with you. Too bad it lasted only so long.

I would like to thank all of you for the great time I have had since I joined the project in January this year. If I have hurt anyone, please forgive me, it was not intentional.

In parting I would like to say:

Chalte chalte mere ye geet yaad rakhna
Kabhi alvida na kehna, kabhi alvida na kehna.

Thanks
Kamal

Comments

Santu said…
Kamal,

It sure felt very nostalgic with you at CyberTowers today. It's pretty ironic that I had to move to the new company just a few days around the day I received my offer from Effigent a year back (2007), 26th July to be exact.

I still very well remember the time I had the few days before joining Effigent. I had already quit my earlier employer and was taking a break and giving my home a well needed face lift to welcome my 3 month old son and my wife. It was then that Vinod asked me to drop over at the office just for a while to meet up with you and then I got to you.

Ratheesh & Akki were seated in the first floor and I had a wonderful chat with them (almost an hour or so). That was also the first time I got to touch a Mac. Once the chat was up, I met Raj and Chit (Chittaranjan) and came over to meet you and Vinod. It was then that you mentioned the LiveNeutral customer and project. You asked to see if I could drop by the following Monday, which I did and got to understand more of the customer and the project. The following Thursday ie on the 23rd of August, I joined Effigent.

Also a point to note is that you mentioned the dustbin (garbage bin) right opposite our office premises. Incidentally, the day I came for my interview at Effigent and the next time when I came to accept my offer, both times, the only place to park my vehicle (car) was adjoining the bin. Though I very much detested the stink that emanated from the bin, yet the positive factor here was when I was with my earlier employer, parking was a real big problem and I had to roam around miles and hours after reaching office to keep finding a spot to park. And with the bin, it was safe haven. None would want to park anywhere near it and my car would always have a "home". A place where it can rest while I work in utter peace and harmony.

It was not until three or four days after joining when I found some colleagues taking the flight of stairs next to the basement next to the elevator on the ground floor, when they mentioned that we had parking. I immediately called up Molly, who did the needful to allow my vehicle a royal entry to its most coveted parking slot. Much away from the bin, well protected from the sun and the rough weather. A place it really loved.

Now after joining the new office, I am back to where I was a year back. Parking with all the commoners out in the open and with absolutely no safety what so ever. I dunno if the Americans actually mean it ("In God we Trust"). But, I have to when I park my car in the open space opposite CyberTowers.

I have technically completed a week of joining the new place. Though there are some things I don't like, yet there are so many other reasons that compel me to like the new place. That I shall have to leave to a different blog post for some other day.

For now, the memories of having got to work at an environment I loved much and could at most times produce my best really matters to me. And I shall cherish it all my life.

Hope sometime in the near future, I get the chance to work with you again.

Cheers,
Santu !!