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Cycle of Life

Now that I am done with the last presentation of last semester. Ending with a issue which got me started on this journey. So it all happened that in June 2013 some city cops (Chief of them an IIT grad) woke up and thought lets ban cycles and rickshaws they don't look Londonny enough. I wondered people will just gulp it down as well. But then this was Kolkata. And so some young and some old people got together to fight this ban. In my life everything was going good. I was going places, having my own Swadesh moments. And thought of work for last one or two years, but then went to XIMB and my close friend while giving a campus tour rekindled the desire to pursue higher education. And so on a rainy day in front of Lalbazar I found myself asking my boss (an MBA) about so many things about MBA. But destiny had something different planned for me. As the monsoon progressed and cleaned the city and flooded as well. Emotions in mind did same things as well. Here was I in city where more cycles are used than cars, has so less roads yet the administration was worried only about 6% who drive cars. So many questions raced through my mind. Meanwhile I got to visit so many place in the city. Learnt how many permissions you need for a peaceful rally. And how easy it is to be called Maoist and then joke about it. There were times I cared more about papers in my bags than myself being soaked in rain. And so finally I got my answer if anything I would like to study how policies are made cos they didn't look as simple as what we were taught in college there was way more than that. I would fill part of TISS application every evening after office hours and then run to GPO to post those RTI letters. Then came winters when I would have letters to police or some city officials, or some survey questionaire, sitting happily with GK Refresher or any other books for preparing for TISSNET. While I hated through my life waking up early especially so during winters I was on road surveying traffic with the best boss anyone can have Ashimda. And then came 22nd Dec even though tired that I was from two day journey and week long workshop on the other end of the country.  I pulled myself and made that journey to the far end of the city. I never knew that would change my life but it did. 
In the meantime cyclist got their first victory, with a cabinet minister promising not to ratify the ban. But the distance was still long in weeks that were left I got to see the oldest High Court of our country and how things work there. Saw a PIL took shape. All these in less than 6months. Now when I look back I feel myself to be so lucky that I was part of something, something important, something which did good to the city, to its people and changed my life. I dont think where I would have been if this never happened, atleast I wold never have cycled my way through these two years so effortlessly. I feel so thankful to Ekta di, Vinay da and Ashim Da who considered me "smart, young kid" and gave me different responsibilities and I tried my best to carry them and succeeded most of the times. And also who taught me so much. Guess from where I picked up my Powerpoint and Excel and poster making skills. I will be forever indebted to you all for giving me that oppurtunity. 
Now you know why I am crazy about cities and transport. About the presentation today I dont know how much I will get I never cared in my life but I think I am the happiest person in the class who got to present a part of his life in front of the class
For last few weeks I was asking myself whether I did the right thing by not joining Air Force. Now I know why elders in my family advised me not to. As I said in that Republic Day speech in 2012 we have way more problem on this side of borders than on the other side. I feel so thankful that they helped take that decision and never pushed me to do a vocation only for money. I know I my mom was not always happy with my pay-cheque but then she realised it all her and Papa's fault that they instilled the spirit of service in their kids and wanted us to have good lives and not just get rich. 
Now that I am about to complete one of the amazing journeys I have been part of, from this amazing institute called TISS. I hope I get to spend my rest of life in service of this nation and its peoples who have given me everything this life and made me what I am today.

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