Give me back those sweet childhood and early youth spent in South Mumbai.... the accessibility to travel anyplace without thinking twice.... away from the suburban crowds!
Give me back those lucky days wherein I used to win everything I laid my hands on....
Give me those sweet non-working days spent in leisure and around FM..... calling radio channels, writing to them and winning many contests...
Give me back those days which went in painting, writing, making cards for friends/ family, making pretty things of craft......
Give me back those intelligent friends, the group of like minded people, which we called SCAMS and met occasionally
Give me back those days wherein least time was spent travelling between office and home (Fort to Mumbai Central)
Give me back those precious 8 YEARS I SPENT SLOGGING AT WORK!
Those eight years of sincerity, hard work, without distractions sacrificing on personal life, time, everything.....
Give me back those last 6 years out of the 8 years, which were spent in the present job, working quietly but sincerely....and more harder....even letting others take credit of many things at times
Give me back those last 3 years out of the 6 years (which were the most painful of all), spent in house arrest at Chandivli (my job location)....
Those three years... where I changed residence, changed department, changed myself....
Those three years spent in pollution at Andheri East... spoiling my hair and skin texture... taking in impure air
Those three years working at such a location missing out on 'being at the right place at the right time'.... missing job and matrimonial prospects!
Those three years cancelling meetings with friends and relatives since work was more important for me!
Those three years spent inside closed four walls cut off from the world for 10- 12 or more hours (in a BPO kinda set up)! somebody help me.... i am suffocating!
Those three years, where people smile on face and bitch behind your back!
Those overall eight years of working, wherein I gave specific instructions to friends and family not to call at workplace coz 'work was worship' for me!
Those last 6 years, where I've not seen my relatives for ages..... those relatives, who have just become telephonic voices for me.... coz even if they come from afar to meet us, I am at work and Mom just dials my number and makes them speak to me....
....All because, I was a workoholic and never tried to ask to leave early or took leave unless ill.... never even asked for time concession during tough fasting in Ramzan (though lunch hour was also spent working!).... so my few leaves became topics of issues.... asking for a day off became a calender consulting rituals...
And the end of all this, what do I have ? .........
EMPTY HANDS (and bank balance)
A LONELY LIFE
A WASTED YOUTH
And all because I never lied, I never bluffed, I never showed off, I never boasted, I never talked about my accomplishments, I was humble....