Pass And Aggregate: Chapter 11 Decision to Dream

Chapter 11: Decision to dream

Mind is always in action it can take you to places without actually being there. While I prepared tea for Kripal he had a look at the packages for vacation, I almost reminisced my vacation.

“Here is the tea, so did you find any suitable package?” I asked.

“No, yaar, leave it, I will go there and search for myself, all these packages are a bit too costly. Bye the way how was the convocation? Maybe I will be there someday” he said remorsefully. Kripal was unfailingly giving CA exams but could not pass his final. The last attempt was his 9^th attempt of CA Final yet he could not clear, his knowledge was extraordinary yet the ICAI were miser in granting him marks. His writing skills always lagged behind his practical knowledge. For three consecutive attempts he passed in all subjects but failed to make in aggregate. He had a sad story which deserves some space but right now I will stick to mine.

After flunking for the first time in PEE-II my mother seriously considered that I should start pursuing MBA since she thought that would require less time as it had a definite time frame unlike CA where exit from the course was unknown. Actually she very instigated by fact that even Abhijit, our neighbor and the biggest dumb a** in my knowledge got admission into MBA. A heated debate transpired between us, my mother was now hell bent on proving that MBA was far superior then CA.

I did not started this career because I loved it but once selected I loved it, no question of leaving it ever occurred to mind. It was like an arranged marriage where love blossoms with every passing day (just a simile, I am not a Khap Panchayat holding views against love marriages). I just could not hear any more of it, I almost revolted. Then it was more a question of prestige. I am in no way trying to portray that the CA’s are better than MBA’s but the years we put into get the degree are certainly more than those spent on earning a MBA degree and the larger part of populace does not even acknowledge it. Also we have only one ICAI but MBA colleges are too many in number. No offences to MBA colleges but they are mushrooming everywhere, the good ones are few but most of them spreading like cancer, they are safe havens to park black money. (I guess earning money by selling learning would have been a CA’s idea).  

Abhijit was selected by GIMS, Behror (famous for the mid way motel between Delhi and Jaipur) at a CAT score of 22 percentile but the funniest part was the name of the Institute, GIMS the acronym stood for Gobarmal Institute of Management Sciences. I almost died laughing after learning the name of the institute such a funny and stinky thing to hear, but my mother now wanted me to go in line of mass producing MBA Institute. I would have loved to be in IIM but that institute is involved in its ego inflation by bringing papers which can be easily solved by some engineering nerd but hardly ever by a commercian geek. Those papers are artificially created to destroy any hope or aspiration of getting into the so called premier institute by a person belonging to a non-math non-science background. ‘IIM are meant for engineers’ this is the tagline of IIM, they want homogeneity in their students, a person who could think, differently belongs to a different background or league is a big no. I had no hopes of making even into the minority of IIM who despite their field (read arts or commerce) were in the top notch place.

Finally and thankfully when I passed exams I escaped going to the Gobarmal Institute. It was a celebration time in my house, now my mother was confident that I would be able to make it one day (obviously she would not have thought how would the future exactly unfold) yet she was happy.  Despite of all the fan following that I gained in our neighborhood I was saddened by the fact the people still were unaware of the CA course, I mean that knew who is a CA but how to become a CA was still theory that they had no idea of. A neighbor of mine wondered which college of DU offered CA. This question irritated me the most. This was a usual question, 80% of people who were in awe by the fact that I was doing CA, asked me “Which college?” When I replied “ICAI”, the next question came to them was “Does that come in DU?” I was aghast by their lack of knowledge. All these people knew everything about engineering or MBA, the preferred coaching, the good colleges, the best line and pay packages but with respect to CA all they had in mind was he is a TAXMAN, neither an inch more nor an inch less.

After having cleared the second step of my professional degree I had to complete articleship. The word articleship sounds good, a period of three years where we get the stipend and we learn the ropes of the trade, it is like an internship, where we learn on the job. That would be great fun, I guessed (may be a wrong guess).

I was so excited to get the job of an article (I mean the one who undertakes articleship is called an article clerk but in common parlance called as an article) that I could not wait to give interview in prospective firms. But then a thought struck to me, why not move to Bombay instead of Delhi, which would add an extra tint of adventure. I had to convince my parents, which in any case was not at all easy. They argued that the ICAI is HQ at Delhi and I wanted to go to Bombay. They also suspected that may be I was going to Bombay because of some girl but that was not the case. I wanted to live alone and manage my life, I wanted to grow up and to me moving out was the best option. I called one of uncle who stayed in Matunga (a ghetto of Tamilians in Bombay). He tried reasoning out with me but when he found that I would not budge he convinced my parents to let me come to Bombay, the  Eldorado.

Reluctantly my parents agreed to send me to Bombay. My mother wanted me to stay with my uncle but it would have been the same thing as in Delhi so I made it quite clear that I have to move out. She did not argue with me any further, maybe she thought that it was time that I should be given freedom to grow up as per my wishes. I was super excited in moving out, Akshyaa was even happier, she got the hold of the room on all weekends, unrestricted.

The day I was leaving I became sad; the euphoria of new life did not excite me enough. My dad once again tried convincing me to stay back, even I wanted to but I said no to him. With a heavy heart and even heavier luggage I set off for my journey. My family came to see me off on Nizamuddin Railway station. My mother was almost on the verge of crying as if I was going on border. There she gave me a handwritten list of does and don’ts. I still have it; I stuck it on the wall of my room. As the train started moving I felt my life is on a move. I was feeling bad and home sick even before the train could leave Delhi borders.

Then something unexpected happened, Shruti called. I had no idea why was she calling. I picked the call (almost trembling); she told me the long story of her break off as if nothing ever happened, such an insensitive and selfish person. I got the point at once, she was trying to use me again, I understood this time. I refused her proposal as I cannot visualize myself with her. For once I felt triumphed in front of her and realized that my decision to leave for Bombay was not at all hasty.

I woke up till late night and the next day I reached Bombay, the land of dreams.