“Ami Bohu Bahsonaye Pranponey Chai
Bonchito Korey Banchaley Morey”
“Many are the deep desires of the heart, depriving me from them has Thou saved me ..”. Rabindranath Tagore
As I woke up on a typical monsoon morning in Mumbai and sluggishly got ready to face another day in office, the thought suddenly occurred to me as to whether in my wildest of dreams could I have ever imagined doing what my current profession is.
Although brought up in a conservative environment in a cocooned atmosphere, my indomitable imagination knew no barriers and at various stages of my adolescence, I envisaged pursuing varied occupations for a livelihood, in reality ending up not getting anywhere near.
No specific reasons for my abject failure in pursuing my dreams; some attributable to extraneous factors like cost; some as all of us prefer to allude to mere ‘bad luck’; but most failures are a result of my lethargy and well chronicled habit of procrastination.
“Ami Kebol-i Shopono Korechhi Bopono Batashey
Tai Akasho Kushumo Korinu Choyono Hotashey”
“I have built castles in the air and pursued futile dreams in desperation…” Rabindranath Tagore
Soaring High Above the Heavens- In a Seven Forty Seven- Commercial Pilot
Lines from a Susan Ray song, but for me had a magnetic effect. Yes, wanting to be a commercial pilot was a secret ambition I nurtured for several years of my life till my tryst with reality. By the time I had come of age to pursue a career in flying, I found out that the expense involved was mercurial and even my considerably affluent background would not be adequate to meet the financial challenges. Not that I received too much of support from home; my professor grandfather did not even entertain the proposition for discussion and my central government executive father put the topic aside with as much alacrity as he would have put numerous junk files in his office.
The end result is that the world never got to hear the words “Captain Anindya Chaudhuri is in command”. :-)
Even today, after more than 100 official air trips and almost an equal number of personal ones; my heart skips a beat as I board an aircraft. From the tarmac, I try to catch a glimpse of the men in the cockpit and wish if I could be one of them.
Not to be let down by my dreams remaining unfulfilled; I sometimes end up speeding along the highway in my car, my humble way of experiencing the feeling of a pre- take off speed build up .
MIG for A-320- Fighter Pilot with the IAF
After a decent graduation with a first class in Statistics Honours from Calcutta University; my wings clamoured for the skies and I seriously deliberated with the idea of joining the IAF through CDS ( Combined defence Service Examination) or more charismatically put, I wanted to become a fighter pilot.
Almighty had blessed me with the physical pre-requisites in abundance but had never endowed me with the adequate courage and boldness required to defy my elders and go ahead in persuasion of my dreams.
As if to complicate matters; my father often quoted the example of one of his acquaintances who joined the Air Force but ended up in a tragic accident in a ‘sortie’, spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair, far from the battlefield.
The moral of the story is very simple- most of us prefer to sing “Janaganamana Adhinayaka Joyo Hey “in the drawing room; not on a battlefield.
Almighty had other designs; so instead of CDS; it was ISI (not the one across the border though :-) ).
A First Class Masters Degree from ISI followed by a cushy job in Citibank completely bound me to the pleasures on the ground rather than inspire me to pursue the ones off it.
So that is how, the flight never took off.
Managing A Tea Estate- Manager
I remember going to one of the Tea Estates for an invitation lunch with my father during his posting in Assam. The experience for me was breathtaking. The manager and his wife had a lavish bungalow with three to four bedrooms, each of the size of a small flat in Mumbai ably assisted by an army of ten odd servants; three cars with two for official use and one for personal; a small tennis court, a swimming pool and a garden that would put many of the Mumbai gardens to shame. As if all the above was not enough; the entire region was blessed with a beautiful climate; so typical of the forests of the North East.
In my imaginations; I pictured the manager going after man eating leopards and tigers; very similar to what we get to read in the Jim Corbett and Kenneth Anderson stories.
I had made up my mind; this had to be it. I wanted to be the manager of a tea estate. My father did not worry much about this proposition; he knew that it was impossible for me to be anywhere in the vicinity of a tea estate, forget becoming a manager.
Even today I Google on job sites trying to find if I can get anything similar but that remains a futile pursuit
That is one ambition I still harbour; a thought I still ruminate over every cup of tea that I have on a rainy afternoon in Mumbai.
“Ekla Boshey Badol Diney Bhabi Koto Ki
Ebar Amar Jabar Pala Boley Ketoki”
“Aimlessly my thoughts wander on a rainy afternoon as the screw pine flower prepares for its impending departure” Rabindranath Tagore
Born Free Syndrome- Wild Life Conservationist
One of my all time favourite films childhood was Born Free- while other youngsters may have been more interested in the Julia Roberts or Sharon Stones of the world; I watched Born Free over and over. For me the ultimate bliss was a job of a wildlife conservationist.
To that extent; I have even enrolled for a society that does lot of work in Africa on wild animals.
Most of these projects are self funded. Now I have the money but I do not have the time.
It would not be out if place to argue that my passion may have been triggered also by reading “Chander Pahaar” by late Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay where the protagonist Shankar, a country lad finds himself in the land of the lions when he takes up a job in Uganda. However, given my well publicised fear of domestic animals ranging from dogs to rats; my detractors would argue that this is a classical case of insanity.
As Boman Irani said of some Abbas Bhai in Munna Bhai MBBS – I would argue that a lion is an animal “of principles”, not an unscrupulous creature like a field rat.
Not quite sure if I will ever get to this mission but if I do; I will be the happiest person on earth.
Retrospection
I would not like to believe that thoughts on any of the above professions which I wanted to pursue were absurd. However, on hindsight, I feel that most of these desired professions had one common point – that they were unconventional.
We grew up in a very conservative atmosphere. In our times; the thought was ingrained in us that one had to be a doctor, engineer or accountant in order to ensure a basic security. Benchmark of success was getting a good job in a good company with a decent salary; ensuring a decent standard of living and so on; all aimed at minimising the element of risk.
Society is changing; so also people’s outlook towards life is changing. Alternative professions are becoming the order of the day. Kids of today have started looking at different avenues which we could not have dared to explore.
Even today’s parents have become more daring and flexible as far as their children are concerned- may be the financial support that they already enjoy is driving this flexibility. Young mothers have started believing that their sons can be Sachin Tendulkar or AR Rahman or Mani Ratnam.
My father always used to say that it is natural for Rohan Gavaskar to be a cricketer or Saikat Mitra to be a singer- true to say that they did enjoy a genetic advantage.
However, come to think of it; neither was Rahul Dravid from a cricketing background nor did Rathindranath Tagore become a poet.
Nonetheless, yes, I think one profession that has still remained elusive to the middle class is flying ( at least, I feel so and would be happy to stand corrected if otherwise)
Also, one more thing I feel about our systems and society is that it is too rigid, We need to bring in more flexibility- why should an engineer not be allowed to learn medicine at the age of 50 if he meets all the medical criteria?
I do not lament that I could never become one of the above- may be I was not destined for the same. I am happy with what I have achieved, not complacent though.
There are lots more I would love to do- only time will say if I can.
But till the last day of my life, the above four options will remain my most cherished ones
To close again with Tagore
“Joboney Joto Puja Holo Na shara
Jaani Hey Jaani Tao Hoyeni Hara
Je Phool Na Phutitey Jhorilo Dhoronitey
Je Nodi Moru Pothey Haralo Dhara-
Jaani He jaani Tao Hoyeni Hara”
“Nothing in life is a waste; be it the stream that dried into the sand or the flower that did not bloom. Every event in life has a purpose and hence woven by the Almighty” Rabindranath Tagore
Bonchito Korey Banchaley Morey”
“Many are the deep desires of the heart, depriving me from them has Thou saved me ..”. Rabindranath Tagore
As I woke up on a typical monsoon morning in Mumbai and sluggishly got ready to face another day in office, the thought suddenly occurred to me as to whether in my wildest of dreams could I have ever imagined doing what my current profession is.
Although brought up in a conservative environment in a cocooned atmosphere, my indomitable imagination knew no barriers and at various stages of my adolescence, I envisaged pursuing varied occupations for a livelihood, in reality ending up not getting anywhere near.
No specific reasons for my abject failure in pursuing my dreams; some attributable to extraneous factors like cost; some as all of us prefer to allude to mere ‘bad luck’; but most failures are a result of my lethargy and well chronicled habit of procrastination.
“Ami Kebol-i Shopono Korechhi Bopono Batashey
Tai Akasho Kushumo Korinu Choyono Hotashey”
“I have built castles in the air and pursued futile dreams in desperation…” Rabindranath Tagore
Soaring High Above the Heavens- In a Seven Forty Seven- Commercial Pilot
Lines from a Susan Ray song, but for me had a magnetic effect. Yes, wanting to be a commercial pilot was a secret ambition I nurtured for several years of my life till my tryst with reality. By the time I had come of age to pursue a career in flying, I found out that the expense involved was mercurial and even my considerably affluent background would not be adequate to meet the financial challenges. Not that I received too much of support from home; my professor grandfather did not even entertain the proposition for discussion and my central government executive father put the topic aside with as much alacrity as he would have put numerous junk files in his office.
The end result is that the world never got to hear the words “Captain Anindya Chaudhuri is in command”. :-)
Even today, after more than 100 official air trips and almost an equal number of personal ones; my heart skips a beat as I board an aircraft. From the tarmac, I try to catch a glimpse of the men in the cockpit and wish if I could be one of them.
Not to be let down by my dreams remaining unfulfilled; I sometimes end up speeding along the highway in my car, my humble way of experiencing the feeling of a pre- take off speed build up .
MIG for A-320- Fighter Pilot with the IAF
After a decent graduation with a first class in Statistics Honours from Calcutta University; my wings clamoured for the skies and I seriously deliberated with the idea of joining the IAF through CDS ( Combined defence Service Examination) or more charismatically put, I wanted to become a fighter pilot.
Almighty had blessed me with the physical pre-requisites in abundance but had never endowed me with the adequate courage and boldness required to defy my elders and go ahead in persuasion of my dreams.
As if to complicate matters; my father often quoted the example of one of his acquaintances who joined the Air Force but ended up in a tragic accident in a ‘sortie’, spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair, far from the battlefield.
The moral of the story is very simple- most of us prefer to sing “Janaganamana Adhinayaka Joyo Hey “in the drawing room; not on a battlefield.
Almighty had other designs; so instead of CDS; it was ISI (not the one across the border though :-) ).
A First Class Masters Degree from ISI followed by a cushy job in Citibank completely bound me to the pleasures on the ground rather than inspire me to pursue the ones off it.
So that is how, the flight never took off.
Managing A Tea Estate- Manager
I remember going to one of the Tea Estates for an invitation lunch with my father during his posting in Assam. The experience for me was breathtaking. The manager and his wife had a lavish bungalow with three to four bedrooms, each of the size of a small flat in Mumbai ably assisted by an army of ten odd servants; three cars with two for official use and one for personal; a small tennis court, a swimming pool and a garden that would put many of the Mumbai gardens to shame. As if all the above was not enough; the entire region was blessed with a beautiful climate; so typical of the forests of the North East.
In my imaginations; I pictured the manager going after man eating leopards and tigers; very similar to what we get to read in the Jim Corbett and Kenneth Anderson stories.
I had made up my mind; this had to be it. I wanted to be the manager of a tea estate. My father did not worry much about this proposition; he knew that it was impossible for me to be anywhere in the vicinity of a tea estate, forget becoming a manager.
Even today I Google on job sites trying to find if I can get anything similar but that remains a futile pursuit
That is one ambition I still harbour; a thought I still ruminate over every cup of tea that I have on a rainy afternoon in Mumbai.
“Ekla Boshey Badol Diney Bhabi Koto Ki
Ebar Amar Jabar Pala Boley Ketoki”
“Aimlessly my thoughts wander on a rainy afternoon as the screw pine flower prepares for its impending departure” Rabindranath Tagore
Born Free Syndrome- Wild Life Conservationist
One of my all time favourite films childhood was Born Free- while other youngsters may have been more interested in the Julia Roberts or Sharon Stones of the world; I watched Born Free over and over. For me the ultimate bliss was a job of a wildlife conservationist.
To that extent; I have even enrolled for a society that does lot of work in Africa on wild animals.
Most of these projects are self funded. Now I have the money but I do not have the time.
It would not be out if place to argue that my passion may have been triggered also by reading “Chander Pahaar” by late Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay where the protagonist Shankar, a country lad finds himself in the land of the lions when he takes up a job in Uganda. However, given my well publicised fear of domestic animals ranging from dogs to rats; my detractors would argue that this is a classical case of insanity.
As Boman Irani said of some Abbas Bhai in Munna Bhai MBBS – I would argue that a lion is an animal “of principles”, not an unscrupulous creature like a field rat.
Not quite sure if I will ever get to this mission but if I do; I will be the happiest person on earth.
I would not like to believe that thoughts on any of the above professions which I wanted to pursue were absurd. However, on hindsight, I feel that most of these desired professions had one common point – that they were unconventional.
We grew up in a very conservative atmosphere. In our times; the thought was ingrained in us that one had to be a doctor, engineer or accountant in order to ensure a basic security. Benchmark of success was getting a good job in a good company with a decent salary; ensuring a decent standard of living and so on; all aimed at minimising the element of risk.
Society is changing; so also people’s outlook towards life is changing. Alternative professions are becoming the order of the day. Kids of today have started looking at different avenues which we could not have dared to explore.
Even today’s parents have become more daring and flexible as far as their children are concerned- may be the financial support that they already enjoy is driving this flexibility. Young mothers have started believing that their sons can be Sachin Tendulkar or AR Rahman or Mani Ratnam.
My father always used to say that it is natural for Rohan Gavaskar to be a cricketer or Saikat Mitra to be a singer- true to say that they did enjoy a genetic advantage.
However, come to think of it; neither was Rahul Dravid from a cricketing background nor did Rathindranath Tagore become a poet.
Nonetheless, yes, I think one profession that has still remained elusive to the middle class is flying ( at least, I feel so and would be happy to stand corrected if otherwise)
Also, one more thing I feel about our systems and society is that it is too rigid, We need to bring in more flexibility- why should an engineer not be allowed to learn medicine at the age of 50 if he meets all the medical criteria?
I do not lament that I could never become one of the above- may be I was not destined for the same. I am happy with what I have achieved, not complacent though.
There are lots more I would love to do- only time will say if I can.
But till the last day of my life, the above four options will remain my most cherished ones
To close again with Tagore
“Joboney Joto Puja Holo Na shara
Jaani Hey Jaani Tao Hoyeni Hara
Je Phool Na Phutitey Jhorilo Dhoronitey
Je Nodi Moru Pothey Haralo Dhara-
Jaani He jaani Tao Hoyeni Hara”
“Nothing in life is a waste; be it the stream that dried into the sand or the flower that did not bloom. Every event in life has a purpose and hence woven by the Almighty” Rabindranath Tagore
