My Score Card

Time Flies. Time also asks you to take stock. What’s your scorecard. And no better way to take stock when you turn a new leaf in your life. When you turn one year older, or younger.

Today I turned 38. Not too sure, whether I turned wiser, matured, experienced or just turned old. Could it be a time to stop a while, take stock of things I have accomplished, lost, learned, understood, or not understood. I call it my scorecard.

Scorecard, where I score myself, I rate my successes, my failures, and throw my life book open.

How I fared average in my school days and was clueless about what I wanted to become in life. Dreamt of joining defense and never cleared NDA/CDS. Appeared for engineering only to realize that I cannot even clear entrance not once but twice. Still cherish my school friend Samir Goel, who went on to become a Dr. (PhD) post pursuing his B.E., M.Tech, MS and a PHD and now working with Google. Proud that we still share strong vibes between us. My scorecard here was perhaps 6 on 10.

My dad tried for getting me into donation engineering college, but for the greediness of college trustees, deal fell off. Still dont know should I thank trustees of that college, my dad, or god, I never became a engineer. What I however miss is Amit Saxena, whom I lost to engineering degree. Proud that I helped him somewhere in later years to get a job in Kodak and also helped him get married. Very proud that today he is in Australia and having a happy family life with Seema and 2 kids. My score here perhaps 7 on 10.

My graduation days and my most fond remembrance of Abhijit Vakil, my friend, guide philosopher, who succumbed to Cancer at an early age leaving behind wife Sugandha & 2 kids. I still feel I missed communicating to him so many things, I wish I could in time. My score of relationship with Abhijit perhaps 7/10.

My graduation days were the best days which somehow gave me exposure to SPICMACAY, Dr. Shailendra Pandit, how gave a sense of direction to life, how he introduced me to Email, and where I had my first Vodka shot with fruit punch. My close gang of Pankaj Kataria, Sanjeev kingar, how I miss the interactions and role each of them played in my life. My score for my college life – 7/10.

My life changing years my Post Grad days. Perhaps days I miss the most. We had a group called FARAR (Farokh a.k.a. Dau, Ashish, Rama, Abu & Raja). What a group we were. Trips to hotel Mashal in Indore, listening to Hotel California in Farokh’s Maruti 800. This was a group which deserved a 9/10.

My failed love affairs, evolving communication skills, interest to my advertising world, my first collage in my bedroom all pointing to something that I still do best, visually expressing my thoughts. Never learned that I can explore Photography as a possible career option. Still not able to gather courage to do that full time.

Loved this era, played important step in my life. My score 10/10

My first job and coming together of three best sales/space marketing geniuses in Indore. Self, Manohar & Prasanna. We dared the market and delivered our stuff. Kudos to leadership of Uday Zokarkar & Parthasarathi Kharga. Sense of Discipline, evolving business communication, negotiations and breaking the ice. I owe it to Times of India.

Moving to Bhopal, meeting friends like Satyen Purandere, Ravindra Chapekhar was amazing experience in my life. Miss my fiends Praveen Rao whom I learned the art of reading.

Changing times and Aditi entered my life, where I married her and still enjoy her company as a caring wife. moving to Mumbai before a short stint at Delhi, My score here – 9/10.

My job at Portland, having a lovely boss in form of Sanjay Shah, I admire for his patience. My score with Portland 9/10.

Living life in Mumbai and how I fared – perhaps 7/10. Lovely senior colleagues like – Ravi kiran best thing to happen to me in Starcom. loved this ear. My score 10/10.

More on my life, to be continued..