India Visited

During my training in NADT, I have to visit many places, some for work and some just for sight-seeing. India thus is coming to me in many unseen ways. And the diversity and the associated pride of its uniqueness is shown when I travel across the length and breadth of the country. While Mumbai was chaotic in its centre and beautiful in the Necklace Marine Drive, Kolkata has been an assault on senses and invigorating on perception both by its madness and historical beauty.

Now at present I am in Bangalore, the so-called Garden City, IT City or Silk City of India. While the sprawl of urban development is very noticeable, the underlying breakage of it by the population growth is also on the cards. So, while it excites, it also makes you pity about the coming days. Anyway isn’t it the story of the whole India? However, the visit to Mysore was a long-time dream fulfilled. But how dampener it turned out to be. Mysore Palace was good, if not stupendous, but the biggest letdown was Tipu Sultan’s museum, palace and kingdom of Seringapatam. The place is nothing but a dilapidated state of affairs with nothing reminiscent of yore existing. That’s why people say, “Don’t expect much when visiting places, because every person is mortal and every place nothing more than mortar”.

I have to go to the unchartered terrains of North-east next week. And I can’t help being excited about it. Guwahati, Shillong and Arunachal Pradesh are on the itinerary. Above all though, I am roused to feel the isolated but beautiful part of the country which has so long remained in maps only for us. Different food, different language and culture, different environs …. India never fails to amaze me!!!

Life at NADT

Post UPSC result and marriage, I spent my 6 months at home. This was the longest I had spent at home since going to boarding school in my childhood. So, in more ways than one, it was a memorable stay. However, it was also devoid of the usual hustle-bustle which my life had got accustomed to in previous years. In short, the period was an extended relaxation phase, prior to the onslaught of the rigours of government job I was about to undertake.

I arrived at National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT), Nagpur on 22^nd Dec, 2012, for my training for Indian Revenue Service (IT). As I had heard, the academy was very attractive from the first look itself, nice verdant environs, good hostels nestled in between, with various sports complexes dotting the space. It was reminiscent of Sainik School Tilaiya, only with better facilities. And I was absorbed by the settings like a bee to a flower. The pain of staying away from the family for such a long time (16 months) is thus lessened to an extent by the opportunity the academy provides in sports, academics and other activities. And I know there are a few things which I might be doing for the last time in life here.

So, life at NADT is actually reliving the life of learning, where its wheels keep on moving non-stop, but at the end of day, I do realize I have traversed some distance of substance, some distance of self-discovery.