Goodbye to the old and welcome to the new

August 18, 2013 was one of the most poignant days in my life. For all practical purposes my weekend Executive MBA classes had ended that day. Yes officially there was still one more lecture left and I still had to clear an examination and complete a project. Since my presentation had been completed on that day I had the option of not attending the last lecture on August 25. As I walked away from Welingkar College that afternoon on towards Matunga station, my classmate Ajeetabh yelled out “Is this the last time that we are seeing you?” I don’t recollect what I said. My mind was filled with doubt. Was I doing the right thing by not opting for a specialisation programme in Finance which would have taken another three months? My weekend classes had kept me sane during a trying period in my life. I was jobless (a condition of my own choosing) during the first year of my MBA. These classes had been something to look forward to during that period and had given me the much needed mental stimulus and morale boost. Also interacting with a young class and being part of the college jokes had been fun. Plus the priceless friendship of Rohinton Lala who was a genuine source of comfort during that tough period. In a sense I was walking away from all this. At the same time, the classes had come at a price after I entered formal employment. I had to sacrifice my family life entirely. Although I worked five days a week, I had often been on calls on Saturdays. Added to this was the stress of transitioning to a new career role. Also during this period my father had fallen terminally ill and passed away in April this year. In a sense I had been looking forward to the end of the course. Yet when the moment came I was filled with indefinable sadness. I decided to come the next week for purely sentimental reasons. I didn’t want to miss out one last day with the class. Plus I wanted to attend the last lecture as I had missed the first lecture due to an injury. The last day was of course the time for saying the sentimental goodbyes. I still hadn’t been able to make up my mind on whether the decision to not opt for specialisation was the right one. As I rang the doorbell, my son came forward to open the door. Even before I could come in the question was out of his mouth “What will you do next Sunday”? I said,” I will now be at home on all Sundays”. He clasped me in a tight hug. At that the cobwebs were cleared from my mind. The decision to take a break from academics was certainly the right one. It was tough not to feel sentimental about what was changing. There was also the promise of a new beginning. More time for the family, who ultimately is the single biggest reason for our existence. Goodbye to the old and welcome to the new. A cliché perhaps. But like many clichés, it captured the essence of the moment.