The End of an Era

Sriram will be leaving for India tomorrow morning, and by the time he comes back, I will have moved out of our house. 2155 Acton St, Apt 2, has for 3 1/2 years been an eventful chaar dewaari of cooking, gossiping, smirks and shrill laughter, and most of all, a friend who has in many ways been an inspiration for swiftness and unending optimization. Through these times, I've been a witness to uncountable meetings, conference calls at 7AM, globe-trotting of the likes of consultants, on-the-fly innovation in the kitchen and to top everything, infinite enthusiasm. I secretly know that his creativity and sharpness is meant for very big things in life.

It seems like just yesterday when he moved into the house, and knowing that I was preparing for my prelims, cooked me dinner and came invitingly into my room with a plate in one hand and an unmistakable gleam in his eyes. "Yeh lo, khaao!" We spent so many memorable times together - our temple trips during birthdays and festivals, Yosemite, Tahoe, ice skating at Union Square, the Chinese Parade in San Francisco, clicking the lunar eclipse on a freezing December night on the Acton Courtyard terrace and infinite techno-management discussions in the kitchen.

You've got to excuse me for getting emotional. Here's raising a toast to the quickest guy that I know - Sriramkumar Venugopalan. A CEO coming to a company near you.