Dear Deloitte,

This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to tell you. But I had to do this. Today is the last day that I am going to spend with you, as yours.

If you’re wondering why, I do want you to know that it’s not you, it’s me. No, it’s not the food. Everyone knows that you aren’t particularly good at it, but I could always live with it. And no, I haven’t found another. I wouldn’t leave you for another. You know that. And certainly it’s not because of my parents. They love you, and they’re proud that I’ve been with you.

I know I’m being selfish. I’m sorry, but I do think I need some time for myself. There are so many things out there for me to achieve, and I want to achieve them all. I tried doing all of that while still being with you, but it didn’t quite work out that way. That’s when I figured I needed some more time for myself. I’m young, and this is probably the best time that I can risk doing something on my own. So I need the time, and I’m afraid that will be the time I usually spend with you.

I still remember the first time I heard your name. I was instantly attracted. For some still unknown reason, I fell in love with your name. And then I wanted to know you better. When you came to my campus almost 3 years ago, you left me mesmerized. Despite a lot of odds, I could impress you enough to like me. Although we had to wait for 10 long months before we could be together, I knew we were meant to be with each other. So I waited. You initially promised we would be in Mumbai, but then suddenly changed your mind to Bangalore. I complied. I just wanted to be with you.

The first few months were awesome. We got to know so much about each other. We met others like us. But me and you, there was something special. I cherish all those times we had together. The countless photos we clicked, the awesome videos we made together – how can I ever forget all that?! And boy, did we party like crazy? I can’t forget the days I brought you home, and those few late nights we spent together. We flew places together. We met new people, made new friends and spent a lot of time talking on the phone. Coming to think of it, two years just seem to have gone by in a flash.

You noticed my talents and you helped me nurture them. You’ve always supported me, and always stood by what I’ve wanted to do. You’ve cheered for me and you’ve let me make you proud. You’ve made me bolder, more mature and you gave me confidence. You’ve gifted me enough, more than what I could ask for. I couldn’t be ever more grateful. And then you asked me to follow my passion. I perhaps took that advice too seriously. It made me think a lot about it. And that led me to this decision. I started doing that. You should check out my new facebook page. I’ll be doing a lot more creative stuff and posting them here. Please do like my page. I know I’m being shameless, but this is perhaps one last thing I ask of you. Your “like” would mean a lot to me.

I’ll miss waking up thinking of you. I’ll miss seeing you every day. But I will have to live with it. This doesn’t mean I’m saying goodbye forever. I’m still going to be in Bangalore. And we will always be friends. We should meet up sometimes. I know it won’t be the same. But at least we would still be in touch and continue to be there for each other, although not to the extent that it used to be. Our email address, srraghavan@deloitte.com – I can’t have it anymore. It had both our names in it, and things would be awkward. You know you can mail me at s********9@gmail.com.

I cannot help but tell everyone who I meet about how wonderful you are, and the lovely relationship that we’ve had. Perhaps one day I might return. If such a day comes, I only wish you would take me back, as yours. I don’t think I would find anyone else like you.

Love,

Sreerag

P.S: I didn’t know how to put this across in a better way. There’s only so much that the CE* program taught me about dealing with relationships.

*CE – Communication Excellence