Serendipity

When I first arrived in Stockholm at the end of October last year, winter was about to set in. It was actually quite a late onset when compared to the bitter winters of the past couple of years. Rather than the cold, what was most disturbing was the absence of daylight. The sun used to be out for rarely four to five precious hours of the day. You start for office in the morning, it is dark, you get out of office at evening, it is dark again. Having lived all my life in a country bathed in sunlight all through the year, it was quite difficult to cope with. It was actually quite depressing. However, help was never far away. Lend your ear and you would most certainly hear a summer story. Summer - the magic time in the lives of the Swedes. Glorious sunshine, crystal clear skies, budding leaves and blossoming flowers, long, balmy evenings, the all-pervasive white of the snow giving way to a vibgyor-like, spectacular burst of colors. It was almost as if the Swedes would live through the

                                        The high point of my trip to Amsterdam - The 'Achterhuis' (meaning 'back house' in Dutch) or The Secret Annexe - now The Anne Frank House. On that balmy summer evening, when I stood by the Prisengracht canal, I almost felt I was taking a journey back in time. In fact, that was the overwhelming feeling when I entered the Anne Frank house. Within those walls, time stands frozen and Anne is still a beautiful young girl with dreams in her deep,dark eyes. My first introduction to Anne Frank when I was probably in the fifth or sixth standard, through a Bengali children's magazine. Then,later on, I read the the annal in its entirety and the moving foreword by Eleanor Roosevelt. Life, seemingly ,turned a full circle for me on 22nd June 2012,when holding the entrance pass (picture above) in my hand I stood at the entrance to the Anne Frank House and Museum. Though I was initially a bit disappointed to know that photo

It's been over eight months here in Stockholm, at H&M. Learning a lot of new things, unlearning some old stuff, gathering valuable experience and, most importantly for me, forging bonds that leave an impression on people's minds. Build not only a professional relationship but ties that surpass it. It has been a pleasure interacting with the people here, everyone has been extremely cordial, helpful and supporting. And I have tried to reciprocate their candor with the genuine warmth that I have felt for them. Maybe I am a bit too emotional by nature  and I accept that as a folly. I tend to get too affected at times by the circumstances. Today was one such day for me. It was very difficult to say the least. Two of the nicest persons I have met here left the project today. It is an integral part, a way of life at any workplace, of all professions - people coming and leaving. But I will take a bit of time to adjust to it. It is because they were more than just colleagues, I