Hi,
This was the third weekend of March’05. I had frantically tried the previous weekend to travel to Coimbatore to meet up with Jagadeesan (My Ex Colleague – Festo & Esma) and few others. To my utter despair, I could not get a bus ticket to Coimbatore the previous weekend. The desire to travel to Coimbatore was immense and I made it a point to get my tickets well in advance for the 17th of March. Being the proud Kannadiga, I decided to patronize KSRTC Volvo (Airavatha) for the journey from Bangalore. The price that KSRTC offers on these routes is amazing and that contributed to my decision too. The journey back was to be in KPN, as KSRTC was running bus full!!!!! I must thank Jagadeesan for having the return ticket arranged. Good friends always help out.
I boarded the KSRTC “Airavatha” on the 17th of March from the diary circle @ 2130 hours. This was Bangalore – Coimbatore – Ernakulam bus. Good number of mallus to keep me company!!!! Damn, I hate them. My seat number was 42. It was the last row and I knew I was in for a tough time. As the bus moved towards Hosur Road, I had a flashback. My initiation into Sales @ Festo Coimbatore under my mentor (Raghavendra Sir), the initial tough phase getting into the sales, my room in Saravana mansion, my food in Om Darshana, my clients & obviously people who had showered me with loads of love and affection (Jagadeesan’s parents, Mercy, Gunaseelan, Ramesh, Chandrasekhar sir & obviously Raghavendra Sir) in Coimbatore.It was a 30 minute movie that my mind played for me. I firmly believe that one cannot just forget the first job he takes up in his life. I must admit, I still have great memories of my tenure as a Sales Engineer working for Festo. I was fast asleep, as the bus moved on.
It was around 4 AM in the morning. I woke up to find the bus zipping on the Avinashi Road. I must admit, I again had a flashback. Though it was dark, I could still make out the landmarks on the Avinashi Road. I reached Gandhipuram at around half past four. The place had not changed one bit. I actually had a shock of my life, when I came back to Bangalore from Abu Dhabi (7th of March) last year (2004). Bangalore had changed beyond recognition. Coimbatore, on the contrary, had hardly changed. I felt as though I had come home. I walked down from the Gandhipuram towards the X cut Road. My destination was the Lakshmi Complex, where I had decided to camp. As I walked on the X cut road, my eyes were searching for familiar landmarks (Hotel Aryas to be specific). The reason being, that “Hotel Aryas” was the first hotel I visited for breakfast on the 23rd November 2002 & Lakshmi Complex was dead opposite to Hotel Aryas.
I checked in and requested for a single room, AC though. I had a good nap and found the room to be clean and cozy. Jagadeesan called me at around half past eight and told me that he will be there by nine. I got ready for the day, for which I had waited for over a year. I was getting a bit anxious and had a few butterflies in my stomach. I really did not know the exact reason and frankly did not want to know either. Waiting for Jaggu is quite a task. It was half past nine, when Jaggu announced his arrival. I was hungry and wanted to have a solid breakfast. We visited the Hotel Annapoorna, beneath the Lodging. If my memory serves me right, I had a Masala Dosa and Roast. Jaggu did with a Masala Dosa too. The coffee there is great and it got me back to my days in Coimbatore, when I and Jaggu would occasionally visit Hotels. You see, we used to earn quite a paltry amount (myself INR 4,800) and could not afford visiting these places regularly. Man, I was happy to be back in Coimbatore.
Our immediate target was “Festo Controls India Private Limited – Coimbatore” in the Mayflower Complex. Its 5 minutes walk from the X Cut Road. The office building has not changed one bit. The very same Photo Copy shop, the same watchman & the same maid, who used to clean our office. The lift had not changed too. It had the same warning message. We landed to find the Sales team giving projections to their Manager. We chatted very briefly with Mercy, Gunaseelan, Ramesh & Vinod. It seemed as though most of them were busy. We decided to come back at around 12 noon. We felt, that’s when we could talk, as most of them would be free then. Mercy had not changed one bit and she greeted the both of us with the customary smile of hers. Gunaseelan was looking better, as I believe his health had improved considerably. Ramesh was the same and so was Vinod (last I saw him a year ago in Abu Dhabi).
We walked down and the next on our radar was “Saravana Mansion”. I knew these roads of Gandhipuram/Tatabad extremely well. My legs were just following my mind, which was giving me directions to go to “Saravana Mansion”. I felt so good, as I did not put a foot wrong. I never had such command on roads in Bangalore. We reached Saravana Mansion and I felt that it had got a facelift to compete with various other bachelor accommodations that were prevalent. There was one just by side, where there was previously a household. There was “Dhobi” who would take your clothes for wash or ironing them there. So something had finally changed in Coimbatore. The Land lord and Land lady had not changed and they recognized me instantly. I was pleased to see them and they expressed their happiness in seeing me too. The Land lord was a disciplinarian to the core. The doors of the mansion would be shut by half past ten in the night and would open only at five in the morning. He was instrumental in keeping the mansion and the rooms neat and clean. You had to pay a premium to stay at his mansion. I bet, it was worth the money he used to demand. They were extremely hospitable and made sure we did not leave without having a bottle of Pepsi. It had been ages, since I had gulped down a cola drink. They thought that, I had come over to invite them for my marriage. I had to clarify that it was not happening as of now and also assured them, that I would personally come over and invite them, if and when it happened.
We then went to the food joint “Om Darshana” that I used to frequent on a daily basis. Pandian, the joint owner of the joint greeted us and immediately apologized, as he could not offer us anything. The breakfast time had just got over and the joint was closed till lunch. We immediately hit upon the years gone by and caught up with what was currently happening. Pandian is a few years elder to me and was more like a friend. There was one more buddy of mine (Thiraviam, Pricol) from Saravana Mansion whom we discussed about. I had not heard from Thiraviam for ages now. His contact numbers still remained elusive. We met his elder brother too. The brothers would serve food to us, with great love and affection and the food prepared was hygienic and tasty. I remember having taken each and every one from Festo to this place for food. Nobody came out dissatisfied. I remember Sengu (Product Manager-Bangalore) coming with me to this place and having food, like never had before. Some sight to behold.
Then we met up with Murugadoss of SKS Systems and spoke with him for quite sometime. He was one of our loyal customers. I must admit, he had great admiration for Jaggu. He showed me the notebook, in which Jaggu had given the Festo part numbers 4 years ago. He still follows the same and just goes to the Festo office and changes the quantities and gets the materials. We also caught up with old times and also on the stringent billing practices prevalent in Festo. It was quite fun, recollecting the old days.
We then moved back to Festo office. It was almost half past twelve. It was decided beforehand that I would be having lunch at Jaggu’s house. There was a small twist in the tale. Mercy insisted that we should go to her place. We then traveled in the local transport to Mercy’s place (Cheran Nagar). It’s been ages since I traveled in the local transport. The roads in Coimbatore seem to be devoid of any traffic. The bus, despite the pathetic maintenance was cruising on the Mettupalyam Road. That road has not changed at all. It’s still full of potholes and bumps. I really fail to comprehend, why this road has been so neglected when compared to the Avinashi road and the Trichy Road. We reached Mercy’s moms house. We met Fiona, Mercy’s sweet kiddo girl. All of 5 years, she was as chirpy and naughty, as one could imagine. We then moved to Mercy’s house and she forced us to have food. With great difficulty, I munched 4 chapathis with Potato curry. I had to have some space in my stomach to do justice to the lunch prepared by Jaggu’s mom. It was turning out to be my day out eating and munching, everything that was offered to me. When I was leaving Festo, Mercy had called me for a dinner at her place. As I had run out of time, I could not make it that time. I did not want to refuse her request this time around. For food, anywhere anytime had become the order of the day.
After finishing off this mini lunch, we then moved to Jaggu’s house. It’s on the very same Mettupalyam Road and is in a place called Thudiyalur. This is around 3 to 4 kilometers from Mercy’s house. We got on to a bus, which took us and dropped at the doorstep of his house. Great levels of customer focus and customization by the local transport. It was great to see uncle and aunty waiting for us expectantly. We were late and I had to render my apologies for having kept them waiting. The plankton leaves were rolled out and we are asked to have the lunch. I just could not believe this. I had just munched on 4 delicious chapathis and here I was, still hungry looking at the feastings on offer. I had a great admiration for the “Poriyal (curry)” that Jaggu’s mom used to prepare. It always was very simple and yet great to taste. I made sure, that I did justice to the lunch being served. It seemed to me that day, that I was one big vessel, which could take in whatever was offered. I spent some quality time with them and revisited the days, when I used to visit their place once in a while for lunch. Uncle and aunty have showered me with great love and affection, whenever I have been there. They have always made me feel very comfortable and one amongst them. It is a special bond that I share with Jaggu and his parents. I hope I can visit Coimbatore time and again and spend some time with them. I just wish them a great health in the years to come. Meanwhile, Jaggu’s sister arrived too with her kid “Kausika”. Kausika did not recognize me initially though. Maybe it was my fault, having put in good number of kilos in the past few years. However after much goading, she wilted and posed for a photograph. I believe that was the turning point. What followed that was a procession of photo sessions, with Kausika being the star attraction. It was quite some fun and I just felt so happy. It was getting late and we had to move on. We left their house at around five in the evening and reached Gandhipuram.
I checked into the hotel again and then decided to freshen up. Jaggu was watching the television and coordinated for me to meet up with 2 other gentlemen, who are very close to me. Mani , was my colleague in Esma and we both shared a very good professional and personal relationship. A simple, down to earth guy, who had great talent. I suppose he is putting his talent to good use in Coimbatore, as he is taking care of a pump manufacturing unit and even doing some Special Purpose Machines. He arrived with his friend and we met up at the lobby of the hotel. After brief discussions on what each one of us was up to, we decided to go in for a cup of coffee. I was tempted by the “Vada Sambhar” that the server was serving. So, after such a hefty meal in the noon, my stomach indicated that it still had some space for it. We had causal discussion over a plate of Vada Sambhar and coffee. I was delighted that Mani could make it to Gandhipuram and meet me, despite his professional commitments. It spoke a lot about this guy’s simplicity and how much he valued the time we spent together in Abu Dhabi. I take great pride in friends like Mani, as they are friends to me by heart.
Enter, Chandrasekhar Sir at around half past seven. It had been close to 4 years now, since we had last met. RCS, as he is known, was a great senior colleague to have during my stay in Festo. He unfortunately has the dubious distinction of having served Festo Coimbatore the longest (close to 15 years) without reaping rewards for his hard work. However, he moved out of Festo last year and has set up his own business. He has taken up the dealership of a few Italian brands and is doing well now. What transpired in the discussion though was the enthusiasm he exhibited in explaining these products to us. I felt that he was happy doing this and just thought that he should have done this a lot earlier. Better late than never. A person of his age and experience, coming down to meet me was a humbling experience. The relationship that I shared with RCS was a brotherly one. He was always there to help me professionally and would stand by me and guide me towards the right path. He also during my initial days in Coimbatore helped me find out good food joints. I, Jaggu & RCS discussed in detail about our current lives. We did not realize that it was close to quarter to nine. We then decided to have our dinner in Hotel Aryas. My stomach was willing to accommodate maybe a few dosas. We had a great dinner and then RCS left wishing me and Jaggu luck in our future endeavors.
I realized that the time was half past nine and my escapade to Coimbatore was about to end in a few minutes. I went back to the hotel with Jaggu and checked out. Jaggu gave me company to the bus stand. He had to leave, as it was already close to ten in the night. I was left alone at the KPN’s office and for a moment I felt as if things had come to a standstill. Here I was standing alone, after having spent a day in Coimbatore with people, who have in a way or the other contributed to my progress today. I just did not want this day to end. But as they say, “all good things need to come to an end”, this was a perfect case to prove it.
It was at around half past ten, that my bus arrived. As I eased into my comfort chairs, I reflected on the day well spent. I met all those, who mattered to me. I spent quality time with them and the interactions left a deep impact on me. What we earn or how we scale the echelons in our professional life actually do not bring in the real happiness. Its got by realizing the amount of love and affection your near and dear ones have for you and how you reciprocate the same to them. Personal relationships/friendships bring in unbounded joy, as they are not built on the bricks of any specific needs. They just happen and you just need to relish them. To sum it up, it was great day with people who matter to me the most in Coimbatore. I will never forget this day in years to come. This day will always be close to my heart and I will savor these moments for my life time.
The city and people of Coimbatore have taught many a lessons to me. The city has great energy in it and this aptly reflected in the number of entrepreneurs, both small and big, that the city boasts of. The people in this city are humble and loving. They have the great ability to make outsiders feel comfortable in their city. The city has great resilience. This was showcased after the serial blasts in Coimbatore. The city within years has risen and the businesses which were affected are back on track. There is a great talent pool in Coimbatore, which awaits tapping. I see this southern city of Tamil Nadu being the next IT hub, with CTS setting a huge hub here.
Jaggu, before I end, you have been a great friend to me. There are no words to describe you as a person. Just be the same and keep in touch.
That brings me to the end. I just wish this never ended.
I have plans of visitng coimbatore again, sometime next year. The nostalgia just does not die away.
I thank you all for your patient reading.
Regards,
KP.
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