It was my last day at work yesterday before maternity leave and my team showered me with a lovely farewell and good wishes for upcoming motherhood. I was still struggling with words and emotions of sadness as if something I held close to my heart will no longer be with me. I am aware it is not the end but it is definitely a big pause, a pause I am trying to come to terms with. It is a pause which will be soon filled with happiness beyond bounds but until then as I stare at the emptiness with a heavy heart I will miss every single moment of the so called hectic work life and my TEAM. The issues, the analysis, the reporting, the risks, the management, the innovation demands, the Telstra clients and my colleagues, the beeping Blackberry kind of made me 'alive' during those 10 hours of the day :) The friendship, concord and merriment we share is too hard to find and something I will cherish for a lifetime.
They say bosses can make or break you and I am amongst the lucky few to have one of the most matured and level headed bosses, who guides concisely and appreciates openly. Thanks Kaushik. I have been equally lucky to have this wonderful and energetic team, everyone with their unique skills which makes the battalion an extraordinary one. Team, you are the best!
My typical day would start greeting Peter and Ketan and Venkat first thing (or vice versa as it was always a 'who comes first' game with Peter, even if it meant by few milliseconds!) Shardul would follow soon and before you know he would be ready with his bowl of cereal at Ketan's desk. Once rest of the clan Naveen, Raju, Murali, Preethi and especially Heera made their way the buzzing would start on the floor :) Application being down or an unannounced escalation made the mornings hectic but the cool attitude of the team made resolutions easy and working hassle free.
There would a pile of work at everyone's desk and I may have cluttered their mailboxes with more but they would still bear it with a smile (or maybe with a grumble too that I wouldn't hear:)) I looked forward to our daily lunch hangouts as that would be the place all discussions right from sports to politics to vegetarianism to funny videos to the latest buzz and technology would get discussed. It was quite a lovely time to open up and share our views. I have been lucky to handover the reigns to Veni the most wonderful of PMs and human beings I have come across who knew pretty much everything be it OOMs or ELFs or BVAs to what the clients like and what the senior management demanded. My new team the most structured bunch - the AIT heroes have been equally amazing. Effectiveness and diligence was like second nature to everyone I worked with. I will dearly miss the weekly catch up where we quizzed each other on various topics and I really hope the team continues to increase their knowledge and bonding through this medium.
I don't know if I will be able to work again with the same faces so I dearly and sincerely wish them all the love and luck in their personal and professional endeavours..! Adieu until we meet again!!
