Goodbye Noughties

Okay…I admit that the headline is copied from our DNA’s special issues. But I kinda liked it. Today we are going to bid adieu to the 2000-09 decade. This decade will always be very special to me as I spend my teens, my young adult days. I passed my SSC, HSC, I graduated, post-gradated and started working in this one decade! Phew…too many things have happened in these ten years and here’s a year-wise lowdown of them all.

2000: The year when Hritik Roshan became popular thanks to Kaho Na Pyaar Hai and we got a new actor to have a crush on. This year was the last year of my school, so the whole year was spent in filling scrapbooks, performing at the last annual days and sports says and clicking photographs with classmates and teachers. Then there were of course the scary board exams that were fast approaching and the cut throat competition to stand first in school. The year was the ‘innocentest’ in this decade.

2001: Time to finish school and join Junior College. Board exams went on peacefully, without much copying and cheating and now time was to decide what stream to join. As a bright student the obvious choice was science. And also because of the fact that I liked the subject, the only hitch being Maths and Physics- but just because of Biology and Chemistry I decided to take up science. Results were out and I missed a place in the Fergusson College by 0.2%. But then aamcha Modern College was not a bad choice. The feeling of entering a college was a bit eerie for me as I used to watch too many films and colleges were portrayed very wrongly in the 1990s chaap movies. But slowly I got accustomed to the setup and started enjoying my life.

2002: A very normal year for a Junior-Collegiate. Lectures, practicals, katta, jokes, PJs- we did it all. I missed (again) a seat to the ‘scholar batch’ of my college and had to satisfy being in the F division (the second best division). This is the year when I realized my love for foreign languages as I had taken up German as a second language.

2003: I can never forget my 12th std board exams- they can be described in a word- bad! My Maths paper was very bad as I had joined a class where they didn’t teach anything! This was the year when I aspired being an architect and had appeared for all entrance exams in Pune. But after giving it a thought, changed my liking to Biotechnology. So after this decision, I landed back in Modern College doing my BSc. The year was fun as I participated in college plays and other activities. I made new friends and started liking the ‘other side’ of college.

2004: The second year of my senior college. This year is special to me because I met Amey. He was in my class in the first year too, but amongst the 200 students I had hardly noticed him. We became Chemistry practical partners and we so hated it. We used to argue with each other and hate being with each other. The year just flew away with some interesting moments such as our annual gathering where I danced and surprised all and our trip to Mahabaleshwar.

2005: The year was last year in college- which is always a senti one. The thought of leaving the college and friends always makes you shudder. This year for the first time we went for an overnight trip to Amboli- a very beautiful place in Konkan and had a great time. Of course, we hated that it was a Botany tour and we had to collect plant samples, even on the beach! The college, the parking lot, all the places we used to hang out, all the college festivals- I miss them all.

2006: Exams again….so boring. Passed, graduated, stood first. (Shabash :) now was the time to choose a profession- learning German further or joining mass communication. But when I became one of the University of Pune’s 30 short listed I decided to give it a shot. The year was full of the separation pain- my 3 magicals years in Modern doing BSc with fab friends were over- and I kinda didn’t like the Ranade (my mass comm. Dept was popularly known as Ranade Institute) setup. But the year went in making the student’s paper- Vritta Vidya, doing an internship in Maharashtra Herald and making merry with new friends from all over India. This year I went to Goa at a friends place and got a chance to ring in the New Year partying all night long.

2007: The year of growing up. We had the Bangalore trip- a very beautiful city and we visited Mysore- another beautiful city. This year I joined the Japanese classes and met a crazy bunch of people who became very good friends of mine. The Japanese song contest, which we won and our various expeditions around Pune were the highlights.

2008: The year if many things. The judaai ka gam with my Japanese friends. My not-so-good MA farewell party and campus selection in 2 companies! The excitement of doing a job in Mumbai and staying all alone and the sadness of leaving family and friends behind! They year I changed 2 places in Mumbai and learnt life’s lessons and enjoyed working in DNA.

2009: The year of changes and boredom. This year gave me a chance to meet celebrities- from Dev Anand to Leander Paes to Minissha Lamba. I went to some posh hotels- JW Marriot, Hyatt, Taj, Trident, ITC...I loved my job only at these times! ;) I stayed in the oh-so-posh area of Bandra and enjoyed jogging with stars- Nagma, Farhan Akhtar and so on (I saw them when I went to jog...thought I should clarify ;).
There was a stable period due to recession… hope that 2010 brings a lot more happiness and peace in everyone’s and my life. Hope some of my wishes are realized.

Time to say Goodbye Noughties and wishing you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year 2010. Ciao.