I had 2 choices in
the January of 2004...!
One : Stay back in
Pune and take up a job with Tata Technologies, which was a result of my Dad's
influence being associated with the Tata Group.
Two : Ride high on
the fact that I had cleared an Open House, to get employed with one of the top
5 IT companies in India - all on my own
merit ! My Father of course, made that choice a lot easier for me, by allowing
me to get out of my Home Town and experience life on my own terms .. !
So here I was in
Hyderabad, staying as a PG in the Cosmopolitan area of Begum Peth in
Secunderabad with make-up loving & extremely pure-hearted girls of Mumbai !
:) I was now going to earn almost double the amount compared to what I started
out with, in Pune.
However, funding
expenses as a result of staying away from home, made me feel the salary was still quite
meagre. This time, I ensured that my purchases were reflective of my earnings, in line with my monthly budget, and yet very tasteful. I bought a modest pure silk saree for my Mum from Nalli Silks. I even remember
returning my Dad's cheque of INR 5000 which he had handed over to me as
contingency funds - I did make him so proud for a change ;) …!
It was also the very
1st time I owned a cell phone and shopped for 'only' branded clothes. One day
when I stepped out shopping with a bunch of friends and picked up this Pendant
and Earrings set made of white sparkly stones, Santosh instantly commented "You
can't fake these for Diamonds !!". Now, ME, being the rebel I am/was, went ahead and bought it! But that statement had a profound impact on me and
would shape my purchase of jewellery going forward ! N oh.. It's also worth
mentioning that on our very 1st official outbound event with fellow Entry Level
Trainees, both Santosh and Myself were voted to be the best dressed - so
surely, the comment had been made from the Male best dressed to another female
who was perceived to be best dressed and ought to have been taken seriously !
So what does that
have to do with Finances you wonder ? Well it's this...
When you cannot afford
what you love or aspire to own, you must settle for an affordable classic - and
I settled for the 'Timeless Pearl Studs' !
(somewhere in the September of 2013, anchoring the Vodafone India IT Townhall, I had a chance to sport this astoundingly beautiful set of pearls gifted by Abhi in 2011 when I returned to work from a sabbatical of 3 years & the ring of course is what I robbed from my Mother ! ;) )
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