My trip to Pune has been a rollercoaster ride. I had mixed experiences with people. It has given so much food for thought that it will surely reflect in my some or the other writings.
I had come to Pune with lot of expectations about my colleagues, whom I was going to meet for the first time. My team mates sit in Pune and I operate from Bangalore.
I had talked to them online, on the official messenger, but hadn't met anyone personally in our association of 8 months. I only knew one person in the team very well, rather she was a good friend of mine as we were together while doing post graduation in German. I remained in touch with her on mails and calls and we meet once a year either in Mumbai or Bangalore.
I had also bonded well on the messenger with a few other colleagues and I was very curious to meet them. And the first meeting with those colleagues gave me a rude shock. Those girls were totally different than what I had imagined. We had gone to the cafeteria for breakfast and they were bitching about every single person that was walking into the cafeteria. I was sitting there, feeling lost. How can someone be so blunt and rude outright? Every person is different and unique and when God has created us all, what right have we got to call others names?
When something like this happens as in when I do not like the way a person behaves, I generally withdraw in my shell and speak less to that person. This girl, who was really very close to me till I arrived in Pune suddenly seemed stranger to me and I didn't know whether I should confront her or just leave her as she was. Then as I slowly as I mixed with the other team members, everybody had something to say about her and everybody was of the opinion that she bitches big time about everybody and anybody under the sun. I was even more zapped. Spending 2 weeks with her in front of me who had a smiling face, but a rotten heart was extremely difficult as dislike about something clearly shows on my face. She realized that I was not the way I was talking to her when I was in Bangalore. But she was happy in her own world, so I didn't talk much to her on any issue.
On the contrary, my opinion about 2 other girls, which was not quite good initially, changed completely after meeting them and spending time with them personally. They showed the desire and will to change and it showed in their attitude and their work. They talked to me freely and shared their concerns about the team and the work pressure. I assured them that they were doing fine and I appreciated the change in them. i bonded with them so well that we talk almost daily on issues other than work also!
After I left Pune, this girl (whose image had changed to negative from positive) had the audacity to talk about me to that close friend of mine who was in the university with me. I do not understand why she did that. And to top that she asked me if something is wrong and why I am not talking to her the way I used to. How can people be so double standarded? I was sad and hurt when I heard her tales about me. I had trusted her so much and told her about my personal issues and I had thought that I had got a friend for life. But as it always happens, I often misjudge people and get too close to them to get hurt very badly in return and exactly the same happened with this girl. But this is life, isn't it?
It is a part and parcel of life. I learnt one good lesson from this episode. No matter what, colleagues should remain colleagues and while confiding in them, we have to be extra cautious. You never know how they will use something u said at some moment of time against you at completely different occassion and time. I will feel bad for some time and as it happens most of the times, I will take it in my stride and move on..
I had come to Pune with lot of expectations about my colleagues, whom I was going to meet for the first time. My team mates sit in Pune and I operate from Bangalore.
I had talked to them online, on the official messenger, but hadn't met anyone personally in our association of 8 months. I only knew one person in the team very well, rather she was a good friend of mine as we were together while doing post graduation in German. I remained in touch with her on mails and calls and we meet once a year either in Mumbai or Bangalore.
I had also bonded well on the messenger with a few other colleagues and I was very curious to meet them. And the first meeting with those colleagues gave me a rude shock. Those girls were totally different than what I had imagined. We had gone to the cafeteria for breakfast and they were bitching about every single person that was walking into the cafeteria. I was sitting there, feeling lost. How can someone be so blunt and rude outright? Every person is different and unique and when God has created us all, what right have we got to call others names?
When something like this happens as in when I do not like the way a person behaves, I generally withdraw in my shell and speak less to that person. This girl, who was really very close to me till I arrived in Pune suddenly seemed stranger to me and I didn't know whether I should confront her or just leave her as she was. Then as I slowly as I mixed with the other team members, everybody had something to say about her and everybody was of the opinion that she bitches big time about everybody and anybody under the sun. I was even more zapped. Spending 2 weeks with her in front of me who had a smiling face, but a rotten heart was extremely difficult as dislike about something clearly shows on my face. She realized that I was not the way I was talking to her when I was in Bangalore. But she was happy in her own world, so I didn't talk much to her on any issue.
On the contrary, my opinion about 2 other girls, which was not quite good initially, changed completely after meeting them and spending time with them personally. They showed the desire and will to change and it showed in their attitude and their work. They talked to me freely and shared their concerns about the team and the work pressure. I assured them that they were doing fine and I appreciated the change in them. i bonded with them so well that we talk almost daily on issues other than work also!
After I left Pune, this girl (whose image had changed to negative from positive) had the audacity to talk about me to that close friend of mine who was in the university with me. I do not understand why she did that. And to top that she asked me if something is wrong and why I am not talking to her the way I used to. How can people be so double standarded? I was sad and hurt when I heard her tales about me. I had trusted her so much and told her about my personal issues and I had thought that I had got a friend for life. But as it always happens, I often misjudge people and get too close to them to get hurt very badly in return and exactly the same happened with this girl. But this is life, isn't it?
It is a part and parcel of life. I learnt one good lesson from this episode. No matter what, colleagues should remain colleagues and while confiding in them, we have to be extra cautious. You never know how they will use something u said at some moment of time against you at completely different occassion and time. I will feel bad for some time and as it happens most of the times, I will take it in my stride and move on..
