My Article Days...

Just read a blog of a friend from where i had done my articles and reading hers let me on to think about the fun side of my article days...

I never attended regular college.. so my article days and article friends are my one and only college memories and i never missed an actual campus experience becos of them..

My life as an article and as a paid assistant thereafter spanned a period of 4 years... July 2002 to Dec 2006... rich expeience.. had met so many people in that time.. my peers.. seniors and almost 3 batches of juniors...

It was purely by chance i had joined SNB.. I was blank as to where to join and heard coaching classes head recommend some student SNB's name.. cos there would be a lot of TRAVEL... That word sounded like magically spoken for me and i hopped in on the opportunity and applied.. Balki had interviewed me and i was selected... Nandu had asked if I'd be ok with meat.. Hell yeah if i am going to be traveling.. there started my journey...or at least not after a whole 9 months in the same audit...

My first outstation audit was Varkala.. beautiful locale.. had a Cold Coffee shake every day... and gained 5kilos in 15days...by the end of the audit my team lead wanted to throw me off the train... yeah he hated me so... i did do MANY newbie mistakes... but he grew rather impressed after i made a presentation at a training programe and displayed in depth knowledge of the work i had done... I was unofficial bible to reliance audit then..

My most memorable audits thereafter were CALICUT..been there 3 consecutive years.. the first trip me n my friend salted our team leads coffee... and we and few other articles in audits in Cochin, planned and made a visit to Kumarakoam... a once in a lifetime vacation.. banana boat rides and fresh toddy for the drunks and live crabs for the meat eaters..

The next time to Calicut was a team of 4.. we had a WHALE of a time.. playing.. pranks mostly.. and buying KARUVADU for a friend.. visit to Wayanadu...throwing water balloons... the best ever... we also ended up missing our return journey and travelled in without... thats an interesting story altogether.. Three of us from that team headed to another audit where the office seemed like it was underground.. left to work in a conference room by ourselves... we could only thank the gods that they did not have cameras and mikes in there... FUN FUN FUN all the way and a report with some decent points in it...

The 3rd visit was with Sangeetha, whose blog inspired to write this.. as the team leader.. i delegated all my work.. and did the royal OB.. it was fun.. (for me mostly).. visited Guruvayoor.. it was a wonderful experience.. and got one ladoo maari audit point and opathified with that...

There was also one memorable trip to Ooty and Connoor in the peak of Dec winter.. 2004.. the year when Tsunami hit.. The accounts office was warm and cosy.. and the walks to our rooms thereafter BONE CHILLING.. the wooden floors of the dining hall would creak each time u walk.. a beautiful British experience.. Oh ya we stayed in a makeshift room in the Kids play room with loads of toys...

Coorg..another beautiful experience...i had oodles of fun.. it was still very early in my artciles..feb 2004.. being young, reckless, carefree and loud... we were a total riot me n suganya.. everyone else in the 6member team were entertained by our antis thoroughly.. and yes friends for life...

its tough to put 4 amazing years into few lines.. my article days were spread with fun.. fun.. travel... exams.. exam leave... and yes a little bit of WORK..

the memories are so vivid.. and the years that have passed since seem to have vanished in thin air.. btw my connection with SNB still continues.. but then this chapter is based out of Bangalore... been there since Sep'09... More memories in the making..