Office Move

We just moved offices. The new location is your typical IT park set up at the outskirts of the city with every builders worth their salt have built towers of either offices or apartments. When you enter the area from the highway, its like entering a jungle albeit a concrete one.

The old office was located  between a Jail and a Mental hospital - which was very well cause in the industry I work for you have every chance of ending up in one of those two places.

There was greenery every where - thanks to a defense establishment and airport nearby which has dissuaded the builders from encroaching the land for their ugly erections. There was a great view of both sun rise and sun set from the office floor.

The surroundings were buzzing. A ground where kids played cricket, shanties which started illegally - later legitimized by local politicians for vote banks, food and cigarette stalls which were thronged by techies. Periodic ' raid' by the municipal authorities, demolishing these stalls , only for them to crop up the next day after suitable greasing of the government machinery with lubricant called bribe. Water logging during rains. In short, it was a perfect microcosm of life.

There was a wide and long stretch of road in front, which I used to take every day to reach office on foot. That road had  more character and life than the entire locality where the new offices are situated.

Kids taking a dump on sidewalk oblivious to a snake slithering away nearby. People from the shanties performing their morning ablutions by the road side. Street dogs establishing their dominions and going crazy when dog parents getting their child pets for their walks. Cows and Pigs sauntering in the middle of the road. Health buffs running, walking , performing calisthenics. People sitting and consuming desi liquor in mineral water/soft drinks  irrespective of the time of the day or those with expensive cars , drinking beer or imported whiskies. The addicts who rolled up joints and lighting them up. Couples talking sweet nothings, arguing, giving vent to their hormonal urges. And not to mention the quintessential Pune traffic, whic ia akin to playing Russian roulette.

At night it was a place for people to perform black magic (given it was a junction where three roads met and all that mumbo jumbo). You could see the remnants of  this in the morning, strewn on your path with the hope that someone would step on them and take all the bad luck with them.

All these will be missed.