We joined the company on June 1st, 2006. Around a hundred odd of us fresh graduates. And we wanted a freshers' party. It seemed as if this wasn't to be, but one fine day, we received word that we will have a "party" at a five star hotel. It was titled "Ice Breaking and Team Building Program". All of the partyheaded people just concentrated on the "ice breaking" in the name and forgot to look beyond the title into the itinerary for the day which clearly indicated a full day of "fun".
Something fishy, don't you think. An all-day-long party. Now that's not gonna happen, is it. So anyhoo, we reached the designated place, and "surprise", there was no party. It was in-fact just another day of the programs that all HR divisions in companies speak of with unprecedented glee, some kinda motivational talk/lecture that was to continue for all the day. Some party.
Then again, we are all a bunch of hotheaded newcomers into the corporate world of treachery and backstabbing. We agitated against the wrongs that had been done to us, or rather "protested" (as my dad would like us to call it - protest is a positive word compared to agitation). Surprisingly, our protests did not go to waste. We got a mail that we will be having a “Poolside” dinner with the HR Big Boss and our “buddies” who have been recently appointed to guide us during our training and accompany us on the outbound. Word spread around of the party, and some more digging around brought to light the facts the there will be a DJ, and most importantly (for a majority, not everyone) booze.
And a party it was. I got to drive the car to the venue, a privilege level that I have only recently achieved. Picked up a few friends on the way, and reached there really late, thanks to the Delhi-Gurgaon traffic jam. At first, it seemed that the digging around hadn’t given the correct information, but soon all that was promised was delivered.
The DJ, the dance floor and the rest of the stuff. Almost two hours of almost non-stop dancing (and in my case, jumping around on the dance floor) to the beats. Flashes of cameras capturing the moments. Shouts of excited people. The smiles on the faces of the “grown-ups” who preferred to sit and watch. And it was also a good day for one of us whose birthday coincided with the party.
The food was brilliant, with a wide selection of tasty items. The cake and the ice cream as a part of the dessert were nice. The three hours spent there were real great. My numb and “still in pain” legs are a testament to the party mood. (Trust me, I don’t usually jump around on dance floors). It really was a lot of fun. It was what parties are supposed to be :)
