A farewell to remember..

A little over 10 months back, i was saying goodbye to my colleagues from my very first and only organisation i had ever worked with. Had witnessed quite a few farewells but had never thought saying goodbye could be so tough..particularly to a place and people who had been so much a part of me for almost 4 years...

Then again..as they say..life moved on..a new country..a new job..entirely new set of people..can still remember the first day i joined work...apprehension, anxiety, excitement..all kinds of things playing in my mind. Had no idea what to expect..will there be discrimination? would i fit into their 'system'? would i be good enough? an entirely new chapter to begin and perhaps a point to prove, yet again...

Now that i say goodbye to my new found colleagues and friends here..i take with me a bunch of beautiful memories..associations made over these past few months that have added a whole new dimension to my thinking and personality. My workplace here truly epitomised the 'multi-cultural' fragment of Melbourne..i worked not only with Aussies, but with people from Singapore, China, Israel, South Africa, New Zealand, UK, Spain..we were literally a 'global' organisation! and all i can say is that i feel immensely blessed and fortunate to have had this experience..i have had learning that goes beyond the scope of 'work'..i have been exposed to a whole new paradigm of work, interacting with people and much much more...

So, no i did not face any discrimination...in fact i have received much more warmth than i had ever expected for..to the extent of being overwhelmed..in terms of talent/intellect i would still maintain Indians are as good as or even better than anyone else in the world..but i cannot help but appreciate the 'systems' and 'processes' that these guys have for each and everything..the desire and 'habit' of 'planning' everything in advance and NEVER assuming or taking anything for granted, the thoroughness and attention to detail (at times i must admit it annoyed me to bits!), the respect for time and deadlines (yes even in media and advertising!), the true partnership and singularity of objective in the client-agency relationship (agree my view could be myopic due to the experience of only one agency..for me that is good enough)..a mutual respect and admiration for 'work' and 'only work'...all in all a completely PROFESSIONAL approach towards the 'job' at hand...yes in all these respects..we do have a long way to go...working here has certainly increased my faith in true ability, talent, focus and professionalism...virtues i had always believed in..believed in to be sufficient enough to be successful...

As my colleagues bid me farewell here with a huge box of gifts and a beautiful card..i can feel a special bond..a bond that will stay with me for a long time to come..yes they too have now become a part of me..i will probably never see these people again in my life (though a few have promised me they will visit Delhi during the 2010 Commonwealth Games!!)..but memories will always remain..once again i part with a heavy heart..somehow the words...'we will miss you Ipshita' seem very genuine....:-)