I write this from 40,000 feet above the ground. But this is no regular
trans-Atlantic crossing. My mind has taken me far away from here. I was thinking
about the B-school pass out reunion I just had, celebrating 10 years of passing
out. It was good fun, and everyone around had put in a lot of effort to make it
happen and happen well.
That got me to contemplate things that have happened to me besides B-school.
As I tried look for things in life altering perspective, I was conscious of not
trying to be too journalistic, of not trying to label every other event as an
epoch making one. Of calling every little twist as a turning point in the annals
of history. Or closer to now, calling every li'l new feature in an Apple iphone
design a paradigm shift.
Of all the things my mind took me through, it got stuck at something that
started twenty years ago: that fateful day on the Ides of March, 1993.
The day I landed in Jamalpur and the day Jamalpur Gymkhana became an integral
part of my life.
It set about the transformation of a pretty routine, straightforward,
academically oriented life to the experience of being a Gymmie boy. It gave me a
massive amount of exposure to stuff I had never known before, it made me self
sufficient and independent. It got me loads of confidence. It got me into a very
strong network, with extremely well laid out operating principles.
The rationalist in me poses a set of counter questions. Would I have been a
different person had I not been a part of Jamalpur Gymkhana? Wouldn't I have
achieved financial independence and a confident outlook anyway? Would I be
looking at Jamalpur with a different lens had I still been on the railways, with
a possibility of getting posted there. Doesn't everyone say the same thing about
wherever they spend this stage of life in ?
So, what's different ? Or is there anything different ?
It's not that red building, it's not that playground, and it's not the
impressive portals. Most of the people with whom there are a large set of shared
experiences are also not a part of Jamalpur Gymkhana anymore. Nobody at JG
these days even knows about, leave alone look at, the three different Jamalpur
Gymkhana websites I had created in the 90s which spoke about life @ Gym in those
times.
( http://jamalpurgymkhana.tripod.com/ )
( http://www.jamalpurgymkhana.co.in/ )
So what is it ?
I think it is the feeling of home. The feeling that this is a place I can always
go back to,. A place where I will always have stories to share. And listen. A
place where I can feel comfortable just being myself. A place where I need not
have to put on pretence {as long as I follow the club rules ;-) }
I like this. I feel good at my answer.
What of the future? I further the question. Is Jamalpur Gymkhana still relevant
(for me)? Will it remain relevant?
its a question almost akin to asking "Do your parents remain relevant to you
after you become an adult". Just as one does with parents, I derive a lot of
strength from my association with JG. And I always live with the feeling that
Gymkhana is home. A place where I will always be welcome.
I look out of the window. The ocean below never looked nicer.
