I could see the glint in the eyes of the GM (QS) now VP & COO of TPL at that time when during my interview he said' "Take Rajkot as your center." Without a second thought I accepted with a smile when he stated "that I was the first person to take Rajkot with a smile" - to which I replied I am going to Rajkot to stay at home with my Elder Brother who is in Tata Tele. So from home to home.
That was the time when my dear loving granny was enjoying her old age and we always admired her courage which she demonstrated through thick and thin in the family to stand proudly undaunted.
I bid farewel to my family who then were staying in Sharda Nivas in Chandanagar - Hyderabad. The new flat was in the making and Rosey draging the wonder kid Sushrut along took real pains to see that the flat was completed in style.
Mid July or August was the bad time in the family when my granny had a slip and fall and she fractured her thigh bone colse to the hip - same style as my grampa when he was still young - I think we can term that Osteoporosis the decay of the bone practically making it hollow and very brittle.
My proud granny wouldn't give up but went on to manage to stand up but again fell, refusing help from her daughter-in-law (my mother) she pushed her up to watch a programme after which she could not move an inch from there. My dad, mom, and their neighbours in my home town managed to get her back to bed but she refused in seeing a doctor.
The intution had crept in of the fag end of life was slowly inching its way through. Some how after a lot of pressure from my eldest brother who is a doctor who kept the facts away from us lest we get tensed up far away in a different state he took all the care and saw to it that granny was comfortable and would undergo the operation. Infact she must have asked a million times, over and over again, "After the operation - will I walk again" when she always got the confident yes. She finally gave in. She was operated and was improving - but the osteoporosis was doing its damage.
After the operation and a few days of rest she only walked for a few steps one day but after that she was bed-ridden. The doctors who were treating her gave up as she refused to take intravenous fluids. Her intake of fluids other than IV also lessened but she indicated to see Suresh and Self before she passes away. Due to non availability of reservations as both our families had small children we left them and both brothers went on the journey to visit Granny for the last time before she goes off on the pleasant journey to heaven for all the good she did.
We reached home - granny refused to respond when mother called her - daddy shouted at the top of his voice - no answer - our neighbour in Rajahmundry - called her aloud and indicated that we have come to see her. As bravely as she watched on to see us she braved a smile, we were there with her for a week talking to her every day. But she slowly reduced her intake of fluids. I must say she was a happy granny and saw whom ever she wished to see in the last moments. I reminisce the moments and thoughts of granny thats all I have of her now.
We bid her a warm farewell and started back to Ahmedabad. The day I reached Ahmedabad I received a call from my dad that granny passed away a happy lady with a cheerful face. I guess she deserved that. Daddy and mother went through an untiring phase in life wich suddenly ended and there was a certain amount of emptyness in the air in the house for an year to follow. Granny left a deep impact in the house a hollowness, an emptyness which no thought can replace. She is a woman every family must have and also be proud of.
But life does not stop we slowly went on with life, although the emptyness remains that's how life is and must be allowed to move on.
Ahmedabad saw a rapid change in the way I perceived life. With the first opportunity to return to my family yes I did and in June 2005 I was called back to the corporate office in Hyderabad for a greater responsibility.
Certain changes in the office setup and my posting caused a state of flurry in my life wherein I was almost certain to put up my papers if I was not shifted back to where I wanted to belong to in TPL Hyderabad. The fight was long and arduous almost a staggering three months finally I was sent of onto various postings including consultancy activities at NMDC Kirandul and Baliadila - close to my place of birth. Since the places always rung a bell of closeness to my place of birth I loved the feeling to go and stay there amongst the mountains and greenery and to feel one with nature.
After that trip of mine I was packed and bundled off to Delhi and then onwards to the Petrofac KOC Site in Kuwait where my journeys to the foreign legions began.
First posting in documentation - A field surveyor being put in documentation - My incharge in Petrofac Sharjah later indicated that from my next assignment onwards I would be given only inspection activities. But till competion of the PO placed upon TPL Hyderabad I was to continue. Yes I did perform to the fullest of my capabilities and both self and my Petrofac incharge at KOC site and Sharjah were pleased and to this day they acknowledge the work done by our initial team - Sunil Kumar (Fabrication - Inspection Engineer), Suresh Durga Rao (Documentation Coordinator - Sharjah), Umasankar {(Documentation Coordinator - Sharjah Posted at Kuwait) thats me}
Before I left for this KOC posting My better half the love of my live Monica whom I lovingly call Moto, got admission for the star of my life - Sushrut, in one of the finest schools in Hyderabad. All I was to do was go and pay the fees as a responsible father. Take the books cover them while my family was away for the summer vacation and keep them ready for the kids to go to school without any delay.
Children were still on vacation holidaying in Monica's favourite haunt her maternal uncle's (her favourite) house in Ludhiana, when I received my first overseas posting order and I started the first in my list of overseas assignments to come.
4th December 2006 was the end of the tenure in my first posting at KOC Kuwait site. Came back to Hyderabad to find my family off again to Jalandhar this time for a different occasion marriage of my brother-in-law. Further below I shall be posting some of the priced pictures of the ocassion:
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