Satisfied

Satisfaction manifests itself in different ways. Satisfaction could come from the sense of achievement, peace, joy or relaxation derived from any one of the many activities one could possibly do. But the beauty lies in the fact that its effect leave an imprint on your head, a scar one wants to see over and over again to relive those times that have been. Again scar may not be the perfect word to use in a positive connotation but I simply use it as a last symbol of an event that led to strong emotions.

I was scarred twice in the last fortnight. Two very different reasons led to two very different results but gave me the same amount of satisfaction.

The first event I am talking of was my rafting trip to Kolad. The dense forests, the pristine waters, the unpredictable skies and the beautiful flora and fauna looked even prettier when observed from the quiet and fast moving rafts. There was no way I could have seen and absorbed so much natural grandeur in so little time. When added to the adrenaline rush of braving the rapids and the spirit of working as a coordinated team of your best friends, I had one hell of a package.

For those three hours, I lived in the present, without memories of the past and concern about the future. It was there that I felt closer to myself than I had ever been before. If I had to recall a time when I sincerely felt at home, it was while I was oaring through the 12 KM stretch of the Kundalika river. (I wish I could show you how I felt but cameras are a strict no-no in white water rafting).

The end of our journey in River Kundalika

The second event was one closer to the world of materialism we live in. We faced an uphill task of pulling of a mammoth event in one-third of the usual time. 'Mammoth event' refers to Illumina, the annual disguise market research festival of MDI and 'We' refers to the Illuminati (no, Dan Brown used it later in Angel and Demons), the core team that makes the event happen every year.

Due to an unexpected break of 10 days due to reasons mentioned in the post below, our entire plan had gone for a toss. At one point we weren't even sure if it was possible to hold the event with the little time available for the preparation. There was an incredible amount of work to do and we were a leaner team than there was last year. Though the batch could volunteer for bits and pieces of the total work, there was a considerable amount left for the team in addition to putting those bits and pieces together.

It is here that the entire team stood up together and made a seemingly impossible event possible. 6 days of non-stop work, lack of sleep, a lot of physical exertion and stiff deadlines at every stage comprehensively tested the team's mettle. Illumina was a grand success, at least as successful as the previous year if not better. Post the event, the sense of weariness was tremendous but short lived but the sense of achievement remained and will continue to remind us of the time we all did our bit and made the difference.

The fireworks at Illumina 2009

It is said,"One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching." These events have surely made watching my life a worthier prospect.