Aur bhi gam hain zamaane mein mohabbat ke siwa....

You bet it!! Everything does not boils down to love at the end. There's more to the life of Vineet Aggarwal. Misfortunes somehow manage to find out their way to me..... notwithstanding my carefree attitude.

Melbourne Business School, Australia.... thats where I am headed to in this August. Couple of months back, I could find out various other mates (that's Australian for friends) heading to the same destination. 1 guy and 1 gal from gurgaon, 1 guy from hyderabad, 1 gal from Pune, 1 guy from Mumbai and another one from somewhere near Chandigarh.

I was confident that atleast one of them would be proficient in cooking and I would manage to share accomodation with one of them. Other administrative work could also be handled by that 'proficient' person. Worse to worse, each could have provided me one meal a week and I could have covered most of my diet quota by that itself.

However, I dint have a clue that God sitting up there was humming this song, " Zindagi ka safar, hai ye kaisa safar, koi samjha nahi, koi jaana nahi...."

This gal from gurgaon got her offer deferred to next session, owing to some reasons which I was least bothered at that time. I thought I could afford one meal from here and there... this should not be a reason to worry. Then there was this mate (actually I am trying to practice this word, so please bear) from hyderabad, who was the most active among us. Every news and inputs were flown to us through him. I was not required to apply any mind in any administrative issue, which even otherwise I rarely apply, but this guy was truly amazing. Unfortunately (for me), he got an offer with 100% scholarship from a US B-school, and he started thinking on trading off between a better MBS brand and financial aspect elsewhere. Needless to say, I tried my level best to make him stay. Had lots of conversations with him. At the end of all this, I realised that I am not very strong in making people convince on my ideas, which i used to wrongly presumed to be one area I am strong at. Anyways, I thought that the only loss is that I would have to start functioning my brains.

The guy from Mumbai was never sure what he wanted out of life. He scared the hell out of me by asking endless questions at length everytime he used to speak to me. I was wondering what he would do to the professors during the lectures. He seemed to have contacted almost every Indian who ever studied in an International MBA program to make his decision of going to some unknown b-school in singapore. He could not explain me why!! But...I was convinced.

This gal from Pune, didnt seem to be of social nature. Never contacted us for any proceedings, but shouted at the top of her voice in the very beginning that she is joining MBS. After numerous days, she shouted again... she is going to some lower ranked US School. I was not ready for any more shouts so I dint ask her the reasons. But a loss, indeed.

2 more guys left. My chandigarh pal was already apprehensive of getting a visa, right from the day he first talked to me. He couldnt get this one simple thing that if I can be granted a visa, then why the high commission would give him some step treatment!! He finally, as expected, succumbed under his apprehensions, and got his admission deferred by 2 sessions!!! This guy really has got lots of time in his life. I wish I was also so patient. 2 sessions....it means something...!!!!

Now the final blow....the last standing man...and the best pal among all above mentioned...plus nearest to my place in gurgaon. I was actually counting on him. I had not been able to contact him for a long time. But hearing the above news in succession, I got bit worried and called him to make me cool down a little. Perhaps, somewhere deep I was thinking that he might ask me not to worry for the food...and that he would take care of that. I know, all my worries ends with the food. Its like, I am alwaz worried about the core thing in life. I wont mind not earning...as long as I am getting a constant supply of food. Anyways, destiny had something else in store for me. He told me that he got his offer deferred to next session for some personal reasons! Oh no!!!!!!! not again..........

All the 6 people, are not going finally for their own reasons. But this is something very unexpected. All unexpected things have to happen wid my life. Tragic indeed!!! ab mere liye khaana kaun banaayega???? And thats why I say....aur bhi gam hain zamaane mein mohabbat ke siwa....

(Request you all not to find humour in the above piece of information... I want all my true friends to sympathise with me this time)