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Pune and me




Three long years has passed since I had first come to this city. Belonging to a small town, life had a complete different meaning to me, till this journey began three years back.
 24th June 2009, I jumped out of Azad Hind Express with some huge load on my shoulder. The load was not of the luggage, but of the dreams, of the responsibilities, of the fear of surviving in this huge city, all alone. I knew no one in this city. A complete stranger was this huge city to me. I struggled out of the station, trying to find a way to reach the accommodation which had been pre-booked for me. Not that I was new to a huge and busy station with streams of people flowing in all directions, I have had similar sights in Howrah stations as well, many a times. But then what was new this time that was giving me Goosebumps? The fact that this was the first time I was all alone. This time I wasn’t holding dad’s hand and waiting for him to rescue me out of this crowd to safety. This time I had to manage myself, that’s what my parents had told me when they were swaying me farewell with teary eyes.
Lonely nights and scary days were the beginning of my journey in this city. I was an adult, but probably only by age. The experiences here made me a real adult. I had done my schooling from a convent, where I had spent 13 years of my life. When I say 13 years, it probably describes itself, that school wasn’t a school for me, it was a big huge family where 62 of us siblings had grown up together. Friendship had a completely different meaning. Sharing tiffin, sharing homework, getting punishments together, crying together when any one got scolding….that was friendship to me, rather to us in school. This city redefined friendship to me. Using each other for personal needs, back bitching, jealousy….these were the new definitions I got to learn.
If I end writing here, it will surely be an injustice to whatever the city has given me. No doubt I have had toughest of time here; I also had the time of my life in this very city. It taught me to live life. Life is no fairy tale, but still its worth living. If there are pains, we need to find the joy as well. This city made me fall, skin my knees but at the same time, this very city helped me get up, gave me the medicine.
There is so much I owe to the city and am sure the story will get longer as I continue my journey in this city for at least the coming 2 years.

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