Adios..

Honestly, I find it quite hard to record my day on the designated page in the journal. How do you even begin to capture the years gone by? Human memory is a super-complicated, unreliable business - and so meaningful reflection is a tricky one. Add to that the sentimentality of change and parting. Given all that, I was surprised by the love I got for both my farewell e-mails, including from people I least expected it from. It's not like I took writing these e-mails super-seriously, but I was conscious about not following a standard (and boring?) professional template. As paradoxical as it sounds, I have always believed that the content that makes the most universal impression is the content that's most personal and comes from a true, deep place within.
So with that bold claim, here's hoping that these somewhat resonate with any reader in general -

From: Bharde, Madhumita
Sent: Friday, January 31, 2020 10:55 AM
To:
Subject: Farewell

In hindsight, three and a half years feels like a stint of a perfect duration. It’s neither a blur, nor a drag. It’s short enough to be sweet and long enough to have a lingering presence.

Numerous of our days were so long; yet somehow, as I look back, these years feel short. We discussed, we disagreed, we debated – but more importantly, we worked hard, we learnt, we delivered.

                                                                                                                                                                     

I wish I could have done this without letting my honesty, passion and impatience (for lack of a better word) affect you in whatever way they did, if they did - but frankly speaking, I have just not known it any other way.

So you may well choose to remember me for my resting face, annoyingly loud voice and strong opinions ; but it would be the exact opposite for me – I genuinely felt a sense of warmth, camaraderie and togetherness.

Thank you so much for the opportunities, interactions and experiences. I have a strong feeling that these years shifted something critical in my professional life – although I won’t be able to articulate exactly what.

                                

Wish you all the very best! I am and will be HCI InfoSight team’s biggest (both, literally and figuratively J) cheerleader.

~ Madhumita

From: Bharde, Madhumita Sunil
Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2016 12:48 PM
To:
Subject: Farewell

On one of my early days as a New College Graduate, as we were sitting down in cafeteria having our customary afternoon tea, my mentor (who I absolutely adore) told me — working in NetApp is like a roller-coaster ride. I smirked. I thought of myself as perfectly capable of being selectively engaged and disengaged, of switching off and on as required. Fast forward to seven(!) years later, I know exactly what she meant by those highs and lows, better than ever. 

There were early mornings when I could not wait to get to office and there were countless late-late nights. We have all been there, done that. After all, this is a kind of workplace which makes you develop a strong sense of ownership and belonging to work, people and surroundings. Case in point: as I was running around in the morning with my exit checklist, a security guard met me in the elevator, asked if today was my last day and gave me a warmest of smiles.

I feel a sense of deep gratitude, pride and fondness. It’s overwhelming.

Goodbyes are hard. But what is a journey without a sense of change? And what is life, if not a journey?   

~ Madhumita