The problem with me these days is that I can't seem to stop sleeping in the weekends. I waste the two days doing just that. Had that not been the case, I would be writing atleast once a week. It makes me wonder how much I actually love to write/blog...Had I really loved it, wouldn't I have managed to find time to do so, no matter what, like Stephen King writes in his book, "On Writing", and not given stupid excuses like I just did? Who knows?
I will write about my pathetic life now some other time but this blog is dedicated to the blissful 3 months I had in Gandhinagar....It seems like a distant dream now.. While in my blog post titled, ILP Gandhinagar : Tower 3, TCS ILP Centre, I had concentrated on my official experience in the ILP Centre, in this one I will write about the AMAZING time I had outside it.
Before I left for Gandhinagar, I had limited expectations (compared to what I usually expect from everyone/everything else)-1)Have a really awesome roommate who ends up becoming a friend for a lifetime. 2)Make many new friends who I have lots of fun with. 3)Get awesome Tech and Biz Leads who I learn a lot from.4)Have a wonderful and memorable time overall.
God made an exception this time by fulfilling all those expectations and even going beyond them in certain ways.
When I reached Infocity, I fell in love with the place right away. The first thing I noticed were the shops-oh, the variety!!...Starting from grocery stores, restaurants, beauty and icecream parlours, even tattoo and piercing parlours, everything (except a Movie Theatre..:P) that one needs for "survival" exists within walking distance from the Studio Apartments...Whenever I go back in time in my mind, I always see myself walking with my friends (in pajamas!! :D) around Infocity, checking out the shops and scanning good looking guys. ("Anima! Dekh!! Chheleta ki bhalo dekhtee"..God, I miss our scanning sooo much, Anima!!).
Next, I saw the Security and Greenery of the place...The awesome roads...The special Gujarati-style swing..How could I not love it?!
Then, I got my room. 304. Block 3. I went up the elevator, feeling uncertain and apprehensive. When I entered my room, I met Madhuri. She was talking with someone over the phone, recounting the story of her HORRIBLE (comic, actually) train journey to Gandhinagar in detail. I liked her at once! I don't know if first impressions are ever correct..I usually always get them wrong (despite my pride in easily figuring out people) but this time, I was bang-on. She is one of the most amazing people I have ever met! True to her sunsign (Gemini), she has a dual nature-a fun-loving, C-R-A-Z-Y side and a serious side indulging in serious thoughts and movies. Her sense of humor is rare. Before I met her, I believed that I was quite crazy...My craziness pales in comparison to hers (and her friends'). Don't believe me? Okay, here are some examples. They crashed a wedding (I didn't have the guts to go, despite their insistence. My ma said-after hearing the story-that we Bengali girls are such cowards. Ouch), fired a firecracker rocket from our room's window to the guys' Block opposite to ours (it was Madhuri's idea...and thankfully it didn't enter any room and no-one was hurt...though some of the guys did get a scare!) during Diwali. I had to humbly step down from The Most Crazy Girl pedestal. Other than the fun-factor, what you require from a roommate is consideration and mental compatibility. She was both of those things. The realisation came, gradually, from the little things that she did..the kind of things that most people miss to observe but which provide real clues about people. How nice she is can be reinforced by the fact that we didn't have one single argument in the 3 months..and that's a wonderful realisation-that I can actually live with a person without losing temper at her even once!
Through Madhuri, I met Ankita (Sharma), equally crazy, fun-loving and wonderful. She was a half-roommate, really, because she spent most of the time in our room and her presence was always a welcomed delight..It's interesting to note that I got to know them well through our shared dislike towards a person. :D.
Udita was one of the first people I befriended and we seemed to be a lot alike. Through her, I came to know Kanika and Anima and I spent most of my time in those three months with these three treasured friends of mine. They are so special to me and that's the reason I miss them so much now (Thankfully, I don't have to miss Udita all that much anymore)...The best part was how comfortable I felt when I was with them...They felt...how can I say it?..familiar and intimate (best word to describe it would be "nijer" in Bangla). Being with them felt like being with my own kind..in a way, being "home". Anima was in my Dot Net class and I spent most of my time there with her. She is a crazy comedian and I still recall the times she made us laugh to tears (clutching our stomachs, saying.."Please, no more!")..She somehow always reminded me of my mother(maybe because she is also a Virgo). She was as blunt and frank as I am and unsurprisingly we both got into frequent fights...but just because she felt "nijer", like a friend-cum-sister, those fights were always forgiven and forgotten..and infact, they even began because of the "nijer" reason..You don't usually fight with acquaintances over trivial issues, right? They are always fought with people you love and trust.
Anyway, now getting back to the Studio Apartments, the room was awesome. The facilities provided almost made life a luxury. There's 24-hrs security, gymnasium, indoors table-tennis room, open T.V lounges, canteen facility, T.Vs installed in all the rooms, Geysers, laundry service.Add to that maids who clean the rooms and bathrooms daily (and change the bed-sheets and pillow-covers weekly) and you have yourself a divinely comfortable life. The open-space outside our Block, where we would all sit and chat in the evenings and after dinner hold a special place in my heart.
Whenever I close my eyes and think of these things, my heart always skips a beat. And I know then that I will never ever forget my 3-months in Gandhinagar. The only other place which holds such a special place in my heart, which I often dream (literally) of too, is Navrachna Higher Secondary School in Vadodara. Coincidentally both of these places are in Gujarat. No wonder I love Gujarat so much!
P.S-Here's a list of the places that one must check out in Infocity.
1)Sam's Pizza-Imagine this. Unlimited DELICIOUS (veg)pizzas of different flavours and delicious salads. All for Rs. 150. Dream? No. It's a reality.
2) Shambhu's coffee-As a school friend/senior told me, they make the best cold coffees. Even if you don't find it to be the best, you will love it..and it won't hurt your wallet either.
3)Silver Spoon-I know how difficult it is to be a Non-Vegetarian in a Vegetarian place like Gandhinagar. This place was tailor-made for guys like us! Chicken broast is a must try!
4)Srinivas-Limited, good-quality thalis for lunch/dinner. It was most of our favourite place to have meals. Some preferred Matarani over it.
5)Dangeedums-Amazing pastries. And chocolates. I had planned to buy the latter before leaving Gandhinagar but it never happened.
6)Sardar-Another must-visit place for all the Non-Vegetarians.
7)Yash food Joint-And I am mentioning this keeping Anima in my mind. :P. Here, one can get dosas, chole-puris, lassis, milk-shakes (try the chocolate milk shake!), etc.
I will write about my pathetic life now some other time but this blog is dedicated to the blissful 3 months I had in Gandhinagar....It seems like a distant dream now.. While in my blog post titled, ILP Gandhinagar : Tower 3, TCS ILP Centre, I had concentrated on my official experience in the ILP Centre, in this one I will write about the AMAZING time I had outside it.
Before I left for Gandhinagar, I had limited expectations (compared to what I usually expect from everyone/everything else)-1)Have a really awesome roommate who ends up becoming a friend for a lifetime. 2)Make many new friends who I have lots of fun with. 3)Get awesome Tech and Biz Leads who I learn a lot from.4)Have a wonderful and memorable time overall.
God made an exception this time by fulfilling all those expectations and even going beyond them in certain ways.
When I reached Infocity, I fell in love with the place right away. The first thing I noticed were the shops-oh, the variety!!...Starting from grocery stores, restaurants, beauty and icecream parlours, even tattoo and piercing parlours, everything (except a Movie Theatre..:P) that one needs for "survival" exists within walking distance from the Studio Apartments...Whenever I go back in time in my mind, I always see myself walking with my friends (in pajamas!! :D) around Infocity, checking out the shops and scanning good looking guys. ("Anima! Dekh!! Chheleta ki bhalo dekhtee"..God, I miss our scanning sooo much, Anima!!).
Next, I saw the Security and Greenery of the place...The awesome roads...The special Gujarati-style swing..How could I not love it?!
Then, I got my room. 304. Block 3. I went up the elevator, feeling uncertain and apprehensive. When I entered my room, I met Madhuri. She was talking with someone over the phone, recounting the story of her HORRIBLE (comic, actually) train journey to Gandhinagar in detail. I liked her at once! I don't know if first impressions are ever correct..I usually always get them wrong (despite my pride in easily figuring out people) but this time, I was bang-on. She is one of the most amazing people I have ever met! True to her sunsign (Gemini), she has a dual nature-a fun-loving, C-R-A-Z-Y side and a serious side indulging in serious thoughts and movies. Her sense of humor is rare. Before I met her, I believed that I was quite crazy...My craziness pales in comparison to hers (and her friends'). Don't believe me? Okay, here are some examples. They crashed a wedding (I didn't have the guts to go, despite their insistence. My ma said-after hearing the story-that we Bengali girls are such cowards. Ouch), fired a firecracker rocket from our room's window to the guys' Block opposite to ours (it was Madhuri's idea...and thankfully it didn't enter any room and no-one was hurt...though some of the guys did get a scare!) during Diwali. I had to humbly step down from The Most Crazy Girl pedestal. Other than the fun-factor, what you require from a roommate is consideration and mental compatibility. She was both of those things. The realisation came, gradually, from the little things that she did..the kind of things that most people miss to observe but which provide real clues about people. How nice she is can be reinforced by the fact that we didn't have one single argument in the 3 months..and that's a wonderful realisation-that I can actually live with a person without losing temper at her even once!
Through Madhuri, I met Ankita (Sharma), equally crazy, fun-loving and wonderful. She was a half-roommate, really, because she spent most of the time in our room and her presence was always a welcomed delight..It's interesting to note that I got to know them well through our shared dislike towards a person. :D.
Udita was one of the first people I befriended and we seemed to be a lot alike. Through her, I came to know Kanika and Anima and I spent most of my time in those three months with these three treasured friends of mine. They are so special to me and that's the reason I miss them so much now (Thankfully, I don't have to miss Udita all that much anymore)...The best part was how comfortable I felt when I was with them...They felt...how can I say it?..familiar and intimate (best word to describe it would be "nijer" in Bangla). Being with them felt like being with my own kind..in a way, being "home". Anima was in my Dot Net class and I spent most of my time there with her. She is a crazy comedian and I still recall the times she made us laugh to tears (clutching our stomachs, saying.."Please, no more!")..She somehow always reminded me of my mother(maybe because she is also a Virgo). She was as blunt and frank as I am and unsurprisingly we both got into frequent fights...but just because she felt "nijer", like a friend-cum-sister, those fights were always forgiven and forgotten..and infact, they even began because of the "nijer" reason..You don't usually fight with acquaintances over trivial issues, right? They are always fought with people you love and trust.
Anyway, now getting back to the Studio Apartments, the room was awesome. The facilities provided almost made life a luxury. There's 24-hrs security, gymnasium, indoors table-tennis room, open T.V lounges, canteen facility, T.Vs installed in all the rooms, Geysers, laundry service.Add to that maids who clean the rooms and bathrooms daily (and change the bed-sheets and pillow-covers weekly) and you have yourself a divinely comfortable life. The open-space outside our Block, where we would all sit and chat in the evenings and after dinner hold a special place in my heart.
Whenever I close my eyes and think of these things, my heart always skips a beat. And I know then that I will never ever forget my 3-months in Gandhinagar. The only other place which holds such a special place in my heart, which I often dream (literally) of too, is Navrachna Higher Secondary School in Vadodara. Coincidentally both of these places are in Gujarat. No wonder I love Gujarat so much!
P.S-Here's a list of the places that one must check out in Infocity.
1)Sam's Pizza-Imagine this. Unlimited DELICIOUS (veg)pizzas of different flavours and delicious salads. All for Rs. 150. Dream? No. It's a reality.
2) Shambhu's coffee-As a school friend/senior told me, they make the best cold coffees. Even if you don't find it to be the best, you will love it..and it won't hurt your wallet either.
3)Silver Spoon-I know how difficult it is to be a Non-Vegetarian in a Vegetarian place like Gandhinagar. This place was tailor-made for guys like us! Chicken broast is a must try!
4)Srinivas-Limited, good-quality thalis for lunch/dinner. It was most of our favourite place to have meals. Some preferred Matarani over it.
5)Dangeedums-Amazing pastries. And chocolates. I had planned to buy the latter before leaving Gandhinagar but it never happened.
6)Sardar-Another must-visit place for all the Non-Vegetarians.
7)Yash food Joint-And I am mentioning this keeping Anima in my mind. :P. Here, one can get dosas, chole-puris, lassis, milk-shakes (try the chocolate milk shake!), etc.
