Three years at work

Been a while since my last (and first :-)) post...was at a loss for inspiration..until the other day, when I got chatting with a colleague. Sweet girl, this colleague of mine, and as nutty as nutty can be...so we'll call her Nuts.

So that's what it is about today...my colleagues at work and my workplace itself. Surprising choice of topic? Not really, given as a large part of my waking hours are spent here...However, a description of the exact nature of my work is something that will take more than a couple of lines, and is therefore something I will reserve for a later post...after having lost count of the number of times I've been at the receiving end of uncomprehending, incredulous stares when I've told people that I am a corporate lawyer, ergo, a lawyer who does not go to court, I have given up trying to explain my work in a couple of lines.

But to get back to the topic at hand, it's been approximately three and a half years since I first walked in through the main doors with Ma and Baba, who wanted (a) to see where I would be working and (b) to speak with the Boss, to request him to take care of their lil girl in the big bad world outside. I distinctly remember being torn between indignation and feeling touched about the purpose behind the parents' visit at that time. Really now, one part of me had wanted to say, while the other part was super thrilled about Baba's rare display of concern for his (in his eyes) little princess.

Didn't manage to meet the Boss (who was away for a meeting), but met the Big Bosses, who took turns to scare Baba about how I would, in the future, run off for modelling assignments while lying to him about how I was working hard in office :-) before proceeding to assure him that I would be well taken care of, while I looked on incredulously, trying hard to maintain a straight face becoming of a young go getter who knew where she was headed in life.

Meeting done, I was ushered to my workstation by the recruiting partner. Was delighted to discover that I would be sitting next to a guy I had kind of become friends with during the time I was here as an intern (I had interned here the year before, before I finally joined) and was especially touched when I found out that he had arranged for it so that my work station was next to his, so that he could be around during my transition from wide eyed awe struck fresher to someone who at least had a faint idea of what was happening around her :-) and generally see me through any teething trouble that I may face.

That's when I felt this warm, fuzzy feeling growing within me about this new place that was my workplace and this whole new bunch of people who were the sweetest, most helpful bunch of guys around. I know that sounds really cliched and agonizingly similar to the mush that most freshers spout about their respective workplaces, but for me, after over three years, countless conversations/ fights/ differences of opinion with my colleagues, the statement stands. Of course, there've been innumerable ups and downs in the intervening three and a half years, but those are separate stories for another post.

Over time, I've come to realise that commitment and passion for work are all very well, but having a good workplace to walk into every morning goes a long way in helping one retain one's enthusiasm for their work.

And then of course, there's the office itself...located in an old building near Kalaghoda at Fort close to the Bombay High Court and the imposing building that is the Mumbai University, the place exudes a lovely old world charm, that had me captivated from first sight.

So that, in a nutshell, was a description of a crucial part of my life and identity in this city. Will gradually introduce, over time, several more people who've touched my life in various ways, big and small, in this place. But for now, it is time to stop and get back to reading an agreement as a part of a due diligence exercise. What's that, you ask? Well, it's just one of the many things we corporate lawyers do for a living...details to be given later, in another post. Watch this space!