The Cosmic Crossroads

I went home this time as a happy-carefree soul. But during those few days, talks of "What Next for you?" kept popping up. Some people were talking rubbish like my wedding (which is not gonna happen anywhere in the near future) while my dad and uncles were trying to chalk out a plan for my future. I was literally dragged into the whole thing (which by the way is for me and not for them). But now I am a confused soul.

Once it was "to B.E or not to B.E. and where to B.E." Now the scope has grown much beyond. I was once at a crossroads, with may be 2 or 3 roads before me. I took a less trodden road (like Robert Frost and never regretted it. That road led to Manipal and to the best days of my life)

But now the scenario is very different. I’m at a crossroads again. But there are a zillion roads to and from that point. As if I’m stuck in a maze, deep within the Galaxy. There are signboards everywhere, pointing in every direction. Some of them read

MS, MBA, GATE, CAT, GMAT, TOEFL, IELTS….,

while others read

IIM, ISB, NTU, Caltech, MIT, Stanford, Kellogg……

The choice seems gruelling. More like words right out of Hamlet

"To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? "

I feel what I need right now is the “Hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy”, with the words “Don’t Panic” painted in Bold, Italic, Underline and in a very big font size. I need to find a grapevine in the desert.

It might be like Jack and the Beanstalk and I may find my version of Blunderbore there. May I conquer him and return to a life of prosperity, serenity, fun and frolic. Amen (or Tathastu in Sanskrit)