They went crashing down...

It was sometime in the evening that we were strolling in our hostel’s lobby after a hectic day at college; we heard a loud expression from crowd of people, “oh shiiiiiiiiit..!!!”. I along with my friends were very near to our common room that was filled with couple of big tattered sofas, a table tennis  section, a 32 inches television safely placed on a podium and a large floor carpet that was occupied with almost 100 future engineers. As we entered the hall, we recognized that all eyes were glued to the television and the expressions went like, “America ki to lag gayi..!!!”.

The first plane had just crashed into North block of World Trade Centre. More than the impact on economy that we could understand, we were more amused at the vulnerability of American’s security system against the terror attack. We felt like if USA couldn’t escape such attacks than better not to expect anything from Indian government. Some seniors watching the accident felt terrible due to the fact that it might affect job opportunities while the ‘Engineer-in-making’ like us were hardly puzzled by such great thought. All that we were shocked and amused about was the way America was being shattered.

The news was still flashing at the bottom of television news channel about another plane wandering around WTC and was confirmed hijacked. In a short while another plane hit the south block of WTC and we gawked at it with full-blown eyes. The mood was tense as if the planes were hitting our own college building outside. Even the canteen person was interested more about what was happening in television rather than calculating canteen bills.

Post that event millions of MMS, SMS and videos followed in the network and it had left an indelible scare in our mind. The world still shivers after seeing those horrifying clips of destruction of two biggest establishments of America. We can’t even imagine the state of any of the passengers in two planes (infact four) or the officials who were trapped inside the two towers asking for help. What kind of cruelty is this? Taking a bullet in head would be simpler than watching own death approaching close. A group of dozen people took death close to 3000, what kind of terrorism is this? Only Spielberg can illustrate such action packed stunts in his movies.

Standing on 10^th anniversary of 9/11 attacks on WTC, I pay generous tribute to those who suffered the loss of their life in this tragedy and an honorable salute to American defense system that made the country invincible since then. 

A long journey to remember…the final

My last day at Infosys

As I enclosed myself within my 3 and a half walled cubicle and started drafting good-bye mails, I felt a bit low. There were many to whom I thought to get in touch with. There were many good managers and colleagues that I had interaction with and few of my friends and batch mates in the campus. But despite of them, I felt all alone. I used to accompany my friends towards food courts before, but for now I am all by myself. Most of my friends had either been transferred to another office or onsite or had left Infosys. Few guys that I interact with are no more than colleagues. Right from the start of my career with Infosys, I was deputed to projects that had smallest team (apart from Oracle Hyderabad project) that gave me less chance to hang around. There were very few with whom I could share my resonance, but they are not employed in Infosys anymore. As a professional I can say I had done my best, but on the personality front I would say I need to struggle more. I am looking forward to a good social network in Mumbai, the place where there is no space for isolation, I think so.

I have never complained about it but I always felt that my beliefs and my potential were always ahead of what I have in possession now. And that made me firm to quit a well-established job and run for a marathon. I know I would have to struggle a lot in a real metropolitan Mumbai, but that is the actual reality. This is the age to get out of comfort zone and feel the heat that will make you strong and more robust.

I would be missing the ornamental pathways, the luxurious guest house, odd architectural buildings, long queue at food court, people running desperately for spoons, table and chairs in food court, policy to spend atleast 9.15 hours in office irrespective of your work nature, bulletin board where you can sell or buy anything ranging from a needle to private aircraft or discuss any damn topic like cockroach in food or questioning the gender of a lizard, my last cubicle (4 places till now) where I could sleep whenever I wanted without being disturbed, multi-level-car-parking where I could never got a chance to park my car below 7th floor, endless mails asking for free laptop so that the guy can travel onsite, my desktop in which all networking sites are blocked along with USB/CD/DVD and sound drives, coffee machines that are 45% of the time running out of milk or steam, gym where atleast 2 people wait for their turn to arrive at each treadmill, performance appraisal in which almost 40% of the section doesn’t belong to you and even if you had filled that it doesn’t matter during actual discussion, dress code that makes you daily check the day of week, celebrity shows for which the amphitheater gets filled up much before than expected etc etc.

Sounds cynical?? Not really. If I had spelled these deficiencies in front of HR during my exit interview I would have expected the same reply every time, “Infosys is such a big company that these policies are made to control over 1 lakh employees”. I know they are right, actually helpless. Actually these issues/observations are felt by those who have good spare time that is destined to be wasted. I have never heard of these observations from a person at managerial level (except few exceptions), because he must be too busy for these petty issues. Infosys has good policies to keep the idle or new employees engaged in activities, but there is a need to pay attention to these ‘busy managers’ who form the valuable chunk of the population.

Anyways, my stay at Infosys was good. But I have to quit to explore the world outside, to become a good manager, a nice human being and a better professional. In the end I would again like to thank Infosys for providing a robust start to my career and made me think beyond my horizons. I would never forget the charm and hospitality of this organization. We’ll meet again if destiny allows…

Signing off,

Employee ID: 83965

A long journey to remember…part 2

The worst phase

Given the situation, I was made to sit on bench for sometime. But this was against my disposition. I could no longer sit idle and wait for opportunity to be bestowed on me. I retaliate and then I was offered (actually ordered) to join a big team (though, not the best team to work with) that was bound for a product development project with Oracle Hyderabad. Moving from consultancy business to product development wasn’t acceptable to me, but I couldn’t raise my voice. After all it was better than been kicked out of the company. During this 1-year project, I had a realization that I had to go and leave this company/industry. This was the first time that my realization was strong enough that made me look for opportunities outside. I had planned to shift my career to core supply chain intensive companies, but it was next-to-impossible for me to convince the employers that I could match their expectations; credit to my ‘IT consultant’ tag from Infosys. But one thing I had learned from this industry is that, you need to have good patience to survive for long time. My struggle for new employment coupled with bitter experiences at the project along with tough APICS examinations made this phase of my professional life, the worst one in my consulting career.

Domestic onsite..!!

This time I got a really good opportunity for which I am still very much thankful to my new delivery manager. The project was based out of Noida. It was a short project and I had a good share of responsibilities that I had managed efficiently. This project was a turning point in my career. It bought me fame and respect within the group. People came to recognize me for my good work. My manager had planned a long term project in Germany plus 2 months trip to USA to get my H1B visa extended. I was feeling more confident as a consultant as well as manager. But then it was written in my destiny, that…

The decision

It was sometime in November, 2010 when I had got a call from TCS regarding an opportunity with them in the domain of business/management/strategy consulting. I was bit reluctant to attend this because I was doing well at Noida project and secondly I had negative notions about TCS as an employer. Then came an invite from the unit head of TCS to have a meeting over a cup of coffee in a coffee bar. Sounds interesting..!! I thought to give it a try. I met two managers from TCS and in half an hour or 45 minutes I was totally convinced that this is where I may want to go. It goes like: TCS came up with an idea to focus on real consulting capabilities and had formed a group within that will provide the consulting services to Indian manufacturing clients. It would advice on business, management and strategic issues of clients. To begin with, I would have been the third person to join this group at the time I was interviewed.

Clash of my opinions

The final offer from TCS got materialized in late January, 2011. At that time, I had initiated my visa for Germany, plus I had started my preparations for US based project. Lot of thoughts wandered through my mind. After all it was a big big decision to be made. On one hand there was Germany project with Infosys that was an overseas opportunity plus good money saving and stable career for another 1 year. On the other hand, the profile that TCS had offered was something I had been looking after for so long. There was good amount of risk but I would term it as calculated. For the savings, we came to the conclusion that savings in case of Germany project with my wife working as dependent would be nearly equal or slightly less than the case if I join TCS in Mumbai with my wife still working as before. Finally we broke the decision that I HAVE TO QUIT INFOSYS TO JOIN TCS..!!!

A long journey to remember…part 1

4th June, 2007

As I entered a big conference hall I saw a tall man with fair complexion standing over the podium and speaking with utmost enthusiasm. There were around 60 odd people spread across the entire room listening to this man with curiosity. The man was Mr. Narsimha Rao profoundly called as ‘Narry’, and he was present in the hall for welcoming us and introducing us to our new employment. Can’t imagine I have completed almost 4 wonderful years in Infosys. I would be leaving Infosys on 15th April, 2011 to join my new employer in Mumbai. These 4 years have been full of opportunities-fair and unfair, and I had my share of memories with this organization. Although the four years that I had spent with Infosys are not comparable with two years that I had spent with Chambal Fertilizers or two years in IIT, but still four years is a big time to gather the moments to be penned down one fine day.

Infosys hangover

I must say to be a part of Infosys family wasn’t easy enough. In the winters of 2006, during our placement sessions in IIT, it took me great pains to convince the Infosys panel that I had all the capabilities that they are looking for in this campus. After grilling and rejecting 4 candidates, the panel finally selected me and 3 more candidates. I being from manufacturing and supply chain background had this hangover of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) that finally took me to the ERP consultancy in Infosys. Right from the initial I had my priorities set and wanted to get associated with Supply Chain ERP modules, and so I got it. It was rare but perfect to get your priorities meet accomplishment at an early stage.

Examinations never end..!!

Even after clearing toughest of toughest semester exams in IIT, I found it tough to cope up with Infosys internal certifications. I couldn’t even believe that an organization could have a separate big institution within itself and we are required to pass through that with good CGPA..!!! Come on, how can your employment depend upon your consolidated CGPA that you score in internal examinations. Infact, it was announced that the project allocations might get dependent on these scores..!!! And on top of it, I failed the very first certification with valor. Anyways, at the end of 2 months training at Infosys, I secured the lowest position in my group as per my CGPA. Still I couldn’t digest the fact that CGPA means a lot for your professional career, and then, my thinking was proved right. I was the first person to get on-board a project out of my entire batch. Got my lesson there: These internal certifications are meant for enhancement of your knowledge, but not your career progression. These might be scary but I never took them seriously.

My first manager

My first project was with a European client that dealt with manufacturing of pneumatic valves. I haven’t heard about this company before. I was introduced to this guy, a short, agile and a true Bengali. He was my offshore project manager. He was too quick, active and sharp in his actions. He always speaks to-the-point and because of that I couldn’t dare to speak a word during my appraisal interviews. I had always felt that I got a wrong manager at first, but in 2008 he was the only guy who gave me an opportunity to travel onsite. My perception towards him got changed since then. Infact he was a good organizer and too knowledgeable. Now-a-days he is considered to be most valuable employee in the group.

My first onsite travel

Forget about Europe, I had never stepped out of Indian soil, not even Nepal..!!! The decision about sending me to onsite came as a shock rather than a surprise. I was required to travel to Netherlands in two weeks time during which I had to arrange for my visa documents, travel to Bangalore for some training and more importantly, travel to Jaipur to meet a girl (she is known as my wife now). Holland was an extraordinary place and it took my breath away at first sight. However my interaction with the client was gruesome. I felt like an inexpert in front of them. My brain was split between the beauty of Holland and torment at client’s space. But again, there was my second project manager who saved me every time I shook a bit. He has all the qualities that are adorable.

New inspirations

By this time I had completed almost 2 years with this organization. My onsite assignment infused a sense of confidence in me. I had realized that I had the potential to do much more than what I had been doing. Consulting is a vast industry and Infosys being most populous of them all. The big problem with this company or industry is that there are many employees like you to fill up your position. In order to stand ahead of them, you need to shout and fight, not literally though. I had started pursuing APICS certification that brought me to the realization that I was not exactly pursuing supply chain as I had planned to do. I took many trainings and internal certifications to make myself compatible with any kind of onsite projects. Unfortunately that was the time when the company was going low. The period was in recession. There weren’t many clients and the projects. The onsite employees were either asked to leave or return to India. The situation was scary and I preferred to keep my mouth shut for sometime.

Last Few Months..

“These roads are dark as always. But you may find some rays ahead”, the stranger replied me, smirking with his dry face. I had no choice to think and so I chose to move ahead. I was wearing a well-polished suit with fine ornaments. The roads ahead were sprinkled with clear water that offered a perfect mirage to the travellers. Few steps ahead I stopped again to see if my stranger is still holding his stick for support. He was there, smiling at my ignorance. I could never see his face after that conversation. I couldn’t even feel his presence though. I decided to continue my journey towards the path as directed by my ‘well-wisher’, the stranger.

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As I moved further with my excited limbs, the surrounding air suddenly got changed to a fiery storm. It was dry and full of warm mud. I couldn’t see my path anymore, but kept moving, gradually, straight. I could comprehend that odds were against my favor. The nearest help that I could estimate was several miles far. In the storm, I could get a glance of some non-strangers around me. I would term them as ‘Savior’. They already knew me, or some were made to be heard from me. Kneading their eyes with one hand, they hold me with the other and pulled me out of the storm. We moved forward, straight.
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I was still unaware of my destination. I was not sure whether I would succeed or fail. I was not sure where I would land up in this horizon. I was blindfolded but could sense the direction. Or maybe I was instructed to be so. It happened for 2 months. Then, one day, while I was progressing on my obscured path, I saw something. There was no one nearby. The ground along the path was all deserted. Then my right eye caught a glimpse of rays emanating from a mountain on a side. The ‘White rays’. The rays were as pure as heaven. It was warm and full of radiant energy. I smiled for the first time.
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I turned back to see if my stranger is still standing behind. I could see his figure in haze. He was still smirking at me. “No”, I thought. “This can’t be true”, I replied myself. With strong determination I couldn’t believe the rays. “These rays are not meant for me. Maybe they have forgotten their own path. Maybe I am not good enough for its pleasure”. With my head lowered down, I started crawling straight, on my path towards the search of ‘actual’ rays. During my journey ahead, my right eye couldn’t escape the warmth of the white rays. After another few months, my eyes caught another glimpse of bright streaks of light. It was dark, strong and coming from my path. With quivering eyes, I tried to look beyond the light, but couldn’t figure out the source. I turned back to see my stranger and for the first time, I found him happy and cheering for me. He clapped for few moments and then raised his right palm to direct me towards the source of this ‘Golden light’. As I stepped forward, the white rays could no longer keep my eyes warm. As I reached halfway towards the source of golden light, I could sense the presence of giant bottle of treasure behind the light. It was gold and was very rich.
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It was certainly a treasure, but was it made for me? I wondered if I really needed that. Was my path correct at the first place? Is this my correct destination? I kept on thinking till I turned back to see my path. It was full of mud and garbage. It seems there was no turning back. I had reached the extreme. “No”, I said. “I should not have been here”. I was suffocated with the thought that I had chosen a long lost path and reached a treasure that would give me fame and comfort, but it is short-lived. There was no turning back if I had possessed that treasure. It was good, but not as compared to the warmth of white rays. It was flashy, but not as challenging as following the white rays.
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I raised my head above the ground and against the treasure. I searched for the mountain that was emanating the white rays. The environment was still filled with scary mud and the stranger now looked as defeated and helpless. I smiled at him and progressed towards the mountain emanating the ‘White Rays’…

Corporate Ethics

As I was writing this blog I was wondering, I could sound a bit theoretical while sharing this experience. However every person I had reached to, is follower of ‘love your job, not the employer’, and I have seen some very true spirited guys religiously following this. Infact skill of defining your job periphery yourself is what I am amazed at.

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I must admit, we consultants have very tough life. No matters we are often made the topic of laughter by many. But seriously if you consider the circumstances we guys have to go through, it’s worth paying us monthly salary. We are supposed to know everything, almost everything, atleast the one for which we are paid and hired for. Even if you have slightest doubt in your mind regarding your competency or other, it can backfire you in future. If you are true in your doubt, you are saved, else you are screwed.

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As I am accompanied by a fellow consultant in this project, it reminded me of the days that I had spent in Holland. Those days were really struggling and gruesome for me. I was new, first international trip, first direct interaction with the client and moreover had only 50% idea of what I was expected to deliver there. Gosh.!!! Those were the days, when every day I felt embarrassed in front of the client. It was tough to consult about something that even you had lesser idea. On top of that, it’s worst to have client more educated than you..!!! But I was saved by my manager in Holland. He kept holding my hands and directed me to the safest shore. He stood like a wall and shielded me from all negatives.

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Anyways, reminding those days is really encouraging for me. Now I am accompanied by a fellow Infoscion who is as new as I was 2 years ago. He has the experience but may not have enough aptitude to stand in front of client’s expectations. My project is going well, touchwood. So what should I do now? Should I just leave him to client’s and Infosys manager’s mercy and let him drown? Or should I hold his hands and help him rise slowly and gradually?
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If I go by the saying that I had mentioned above, I should have chosen the first path. Infact this would have relieved me of any additional duties and moreover I could concentrate on my own project. Hmm..that sound very simple, logical and practical. But I cannot forget the days that I had spent in Holland. If my manager had thought of it like the one mentioned as first path, I would have been thrown out of consulting. So I followed the second path. It was tough to help others keeping your responsibilities on fire, but I had to do it. I call this as ‘corporate ethics’. While helping this guy, I faced some dents from client regarding his project and my project as well. But now we are a team. There is no ‘his project’ or ‘my project’, its customer project that is handled by Infosys as a whole. I took the brickbats from the client even though I was remotely associated with it. But I hold the responsibility of our future commitments rather than past mistakes. That’s how we work in consulting.

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Now put my case in industry other than consulting, be it manufacturing or marketing or any other, and see how people usually behave. These thoughts make my decision to join consulting stronger.

A Certified Professional..!!!

And here it is… on one hand India is celebrating the successfully closing of Commonwealth Games in Delhi, and here, on other hand I am holding my spirit high on clearing the final module of CPIM certification. CPIM is the certification offered by APICS, an apex American society for Operations Management and supply chain management.

Aahh.. !!! its been a long journey, almost around 2.5 years. It was in January 2008 when I had started my preparation for the first module. Since then I have never been sitting pointless at any moment. I can still remember the day when I had paid the fee for first module the amount of which was more than my monthly saving. Every exam had been special in some way or the other. Never had I felt that the exam was easy in any form. Sometime it was my marriage, other times it was project work. Struggle for any exam was never painless for me. I had sacrificed many moments, many free moments I would say, for this target, for which I am really thankful for my wife, Divya. I could have gone to vacations, or could have relaxed a bit instead of burning my head over solving supply chain theories.

I don’t know how much I know about supply chain, but one thing is sure, I have a proof that could reflect my dedication towards this area. I agree that I may not have enough number of years of experience in this field, but if we talk about commitment, yes, here is the proof..!!! This was single point of motivation for me when I had started this journey. Every time I waited for the results, I had to cross my fingers out. There was a confidence but the qualifying criterion always scared me. But today, as I hold a can of beer in my hand (this had been a tradition since first time I cleared the test..!!!), all I can say is “Thank God”, thanks for believing in me. I don’t know what benefits should I expect from this achievement, but attaining a benchmark is more than enough for me.

I had excelled in what I had dreamt; this is more heartening than any feeling..!!!

Ciao

Vipul (CPIM)

A memorable return..

The buildings haven’t changed much. The roads are all the same, even better. The traffic has increased a lot. Now there are more Bullets and ‘Sardars’ than before..!! The girls have gone more casual, I mean I was told that girls here now-a-days don’t mind wearing shorts in public.
After around 7 years I came back to this place, my place…Chandigarh, the ‘city beautiful’..!!
Saturday morning, I took my camera and straight went to the place where I had spent 4 significant years of my life. DCET, Panjab University. Now the name has been changed to UICTE (I came to know about this when I was making changes to my resume..!!). I had reached there while the sun was almost about to set, so the college lanes wore a deserted look. I couldn’t find any visible changes in the college. It seems the same as we left this place 7 years back. The classrooms looked the same, the result boards were still filled with student’s fate, the galleries were vacant as if “mass bunk” was recently announced, could find some students standing at front entrance discussing everything except chemicals. The only change I could figure out was the plastic tags fixed over toilets that clearly mentioned which one is ladies toilet..!!! For all Fluid Mechanics fans, Rattan sir currently holds the title of Chairperson.
My next destination was student’s center casually called as “StudC”. This place has really grown up. Within the small perimeter, lots of brands have flourished. Lots of love birds roam around here and there- the boys stuffed with muscles, head high and possessed with a Bullet- the girls, much happening, wearing exotic dresses, and giggling at the attention paid by the boys. I could sense the presence of lot of sardars than before, maybe the reservations had increased…!!! The Gandhi Bhawan looked deserted as always, just that now the water in the pond had also dried up.
My next preferred destination was Bhatnagar Hall, boy’s hostel number 3. This looked more occupied and shabby as compared to our stay. As I entered the main lobby, I could see the hostel engulfed with years old war with an army of monkeys. As per our trusted and verified strategy to tackle this situation, I left the place ASAP, caring a damn about visiting the canteen and my room- 3/57. While coming back to my home (Local Guardian ‘LGs’ house), I paid a visit to Xerox shop at university market, owned by two oval shaped brothers, Johar. These guys are still the same just that their shop is now more clustered and filled with ball pens hanging from every corner. Then I went to hair salon that was owned by Amar since ages. Even he faintly recognized me once I reached there…what a memory he has got. While on the way, I passed through the 15 market that used to be one-place for all shopping. The shops are now branded and more sophisticated. Even 2-3 liquor shops are there amidst a group of department stores…!!! The “pahalwaan-da-dhaba” is still occupied with hungry souls..!!!
Well in the evening I got the chance to roam around the whole city and saw Infosys campus, Sukhna lake, ‘gaidi route’, sector 17 market, City Heart, Aroma, Kiran cinema hall etc etc. This place still holds the heritage and order for which it is known worldwide. Even all vehicles obey the traffic lights at 12 midnight. Here I could see people following yellow light before it gets green..!!! The side lanes are there and a waiting of more than 10 seconds in traffic is considered as jam..!!!

It was nice refreshing break for me after a long time. Anyways I wasn’t expecting radical changes in the city but yes, it has grown well to become upcoming destination for companies. I hope Chandigarh is able to hold on to its heritage, culture and beauty in the future as well..
Ciao.

My visit to Assemly line

I kept smiling at my excitement while I was wearing a white lab coat and changing our shoes with slippers. Within few minutes I was standing in front of a gate that opened up to assembly line of India’s leading wrist watch maker. There were 100s of ladies wearing lab coats and white caps sitting quietly in a line and working over the components that were just passing over moving conveyor belt. We saw the complete manufacturing of precious watches step by step. This was quite interesting. This wasn’t the first time I was watching an assembly line, but the best of all that I have seen in past. The manufacturing started with a small needle and ended up in complex looking wrist watch.

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The factory is located over the beautiful hills of Baddi, a place in Himachal Pradesh. The whole area was so scenic that it gave us impression that who will work here with concentration. We had lunch that comprised of simple ‘rajma chawal’, ‘dal chawal’ etc. Despite after travelling such a distance and getting straight to business, we weren’t feeling a bit lethargic. This might be the effect of environment or the pressure of winding up the things in 2 days but it was fun. In the night I travelled back to Chandigarh on a very disturbed road, but next day, I could appreciate the beauty of the valley accompanying our way to Baddi.

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Anyways, after spending some good moments in Baddi, now I am back to old shit place, Noida. The same old routine is going to start from Monday.
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Ciao.

Official bachelorhood starts..

19-Sep-10, this day reminded me of the time when I used to be struggling for getting a shelter in various places in Hyderabad. Today I was standing again in front of house broker and shelling out big bucks out of my pocket just to get a room for myself. Time repeats itself and reveals scars every time.

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Today morning I got up with an agenda in mind: I had to find a nice, comfortable 1-bedroom house for my stay at Noida for 4 months. I stuffed my tummy with heavy breakfast and got ready to explore the options. My cousin accompanied me in this journey of finding shelter. Yes, my company doesn’t allow me to live in a hotel for 4 months; otherwise it might get bankrupt because of me..!!! Anyways we were waiting for the broker near a metro station while it was raining all the time. All of a sudden a mid-aged guy wearing old helmet, chewing tobacco and riding on historic LML scooter halted in front of us. He introduced himself as a broker and ensured us that he’ll prove to be a god for us. Suddenly he was surprised and realized that we were three and the vehicle was one. The basic equation went wrong in our first meeting. But hey, haven’t you seen ‘Flop Show’, or more recently ‘Swades’??? I hope now you realized what I am talking about..!!! I was smiling continuously for 5 minutes without embarrassment as there was no side mirrors in the scooter. Forget about mirrors, there wasn’t any headlight in this creature..!! With respect to ‘Flop Show’, I was playing ‘Jaspal Bhatti’..!! (or Shah Rukh in case of Swades)

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Somehow we managed to reach one house where there was an independent room over the terrace. The owner looked so sophisticated that I couldn’t see a smile over his face, even while discussing the rent. Later I came to know that he was doctor, and then I felt pity for his patients. We passed on couple of hours while looking at various kinds of houses. Basically it’s very difficult to find a 1-BHK house and that too in a good locality and manageable price. We also saw a PG that was filled with different kinds of people and stuffed with smell of books, laundry and what else. Then I realized that time has passed and I am no longer fit for adjusting in PG. We also saw one house the size of which was much less than my hostel at IIT or Chandigarh. The owner was asking me `4000 for providing me a cot that was 75% of my length, a table that was barely standing, and area that was slightly more than me as it’s diagonal. This was crazy. If Divya would have visited this room, she would have killed me..!!! Anyways I saved my ass out of this place and specifically told our to-be God that this would not go with me. With heavy heart we went to see one room that belongs to a typical Punjabi family. There was one room- independent, with attached bathroom and a separate entrance. The looks weren’t really impressive but I could sense that it could fit my budget and I can spend some months in this one. I had no really a choice but to finalize this house, and here we go…big bucks out of my small pocket..!!! Since then we have been running, to check out from hotel, find a auto, reach my new room etc etc. As I came back to this room and lay over the bed, I could sense that struggle for house never depletes over time. The sad part is that I am married and we have large big house in Hyderabad..

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Anyways, this is part of life.

My Journey-new, tough and interesting

It’s been close to 24 hours that I have been into this room for a while before I realized that it’s evening outside, again.
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Last one week was full of experiences and happenings that were quite new and expected. Here I am in Noida for some time for project related work and working for a luxurious watch maker (my hopes of getting some consolation gifts were put on hold on 2nd day itself..!!). Noida no longer is isolated land that used to be in our times. Our times ‘bole to’ 10 years back. Now you can find the traffic jam right as you enter Noida. In fact it seems that you pay toll tax to enter into a jam..!!. But I can’t resist smiling at the work done by Mayawati to decorate the entire place with elephants, pillars and idols of ‘maaniniye sri Kanshi Ram ji’. Great, actually I can figure out that I have entered the state of ‘mahamaya’.
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Working in north Indian state is altogether different. You are no longer faced with language barriers and especially in terms of food and accommodation. In fact I was quite amused looking at guys ordering south Indian dishes with excitement. They don’t know actually they have ordered something that has been in abundance somewhere in south. The place has changed a lot. I can sense that girls are feeling much safe and secured while working in these places. This is with assumption that amount of clothes girls wear is inversely proportional to the security they feel. The moment I had landed at Delhi airport, I felt that something is wrong with the location, maybe I had landed at Mumbai rather than Delhi. But yes culture shock really shocked me well.
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It may not be the politics or the politicians but Delhi Metro had definitely changed the face of Delhi. And after looking at the way passengers travel in these trains with composure, with i-pods stuffed in ears, wearing 'haulter-necks' and ascending the metro without hassles, I can definitely appreciate Mr. Shreedharan for his invaluable contribution. But on the other hand what makes me feel down to the earth is the same old story of 'auto rickshaw walas'. They haven’t changed a bit. In fact they look more animated and interesting than before. All of them are legally devoid of meters and so the rates are totally upto them. Anytime their mouth is stuffed with ‘paan’, and so you need to be extra conscious while listening to their theories.
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Delhi being the most populous city of this country used to host many of our relatives, but somehow I feel lonely sometimes. I know the reason as well. It’s been more than 3.5 years that I had stayed in Hyderabad and more than a year, in Hyderabad with my wife, that now I feel a sense of inertia while leaving for a different place for such a long time. I know 4 months is certainly not a very long time, considering that I am still in India and I can anytime fly down to my place. But the limitations are there intact. Maybe the inertia now is more on emotional side rather than being tactical.
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Anyways let’s hope for better..

That's our machine..

So finally we are in possession of something really great. Our new car, Hyundai i20..!! We had booked this car a month ago, but because of its huge demand, we got it delivered a bit late. It took us with disappointment, but the whole idea of buying something that is in good demand, made me happy. We had tried number of cars as suggested by Divya (after her careful research) but as we stepped into this car, our decision was almost instantaneous. Next, we compared every car with i20 and found our choice the best.

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Now-a-days the cars are getting hi-tech and exuberant. We can find all sorts of auxiliaries encompassed in small cars that you don’t have to struggle a bit. Some of them that I found exciting in i20 were: cigarette lighter (which I don’t use obviously), USB port (my little mp3 player was happy to see this), interior defogger (no more swiping the wind shields with cloth during rains or winters), music controls on the steering (that makes the driver THE KING), electronic adjustable OVRMs (side mirrors that are operated from inside, so no more adjusting the mirrors during rains), outside temperature indicator and control in AC (and the AC is really chilling) and aesthetic dashboard (that was our point of decision) to name a few..!!! It had good power and smooth ride that makes your journey very comfortable. For more technical details, you need to contact my analyst wife. 75% of our decision to buy this car is attributed to her.

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It was late evening that we had reached the KUN Limited where our vehicle was ready for being driven. After completing all the formalities (basically all the payments), we were shown our dream in front of us, the shiny, sparkling, brand new i20, beautifully decorated with ribbons..!!! I had good time with an instructor explaining me the operations of the car. I was almost half bothered about the instructions at that moment (and I realized its importance the very next day..!!!). The beautiful keys of the car were then handed over to us coupled with a box of chocolates, a file folder and a bash of firework. We had clicked some of our pics with the car, but those expressions were half the volume that we were feeling within.

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It’s been quite some time that we were looking forward to buy a car but this time we actually made it. First it was our marriage anniversary, than summers and finally it went till monsoons. Good that we made it before heavy monsoon..!! It’s such a big car that we almost feel like moving in a castle, secured from outside world. Now when we drive our car back from work amid heavy rains, we did realize what angel we possess..!!

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Thank GOD for giving us the strength to buy a car before we grow old..!!!

'In-laws' are like that only...

I don’t know why the relatives from bride’s side are called as ‘in-laws’ after the marriage. Is it something related to Indian laws or whatever….anyways…. I just thought to pen down my experience with my ‘in-laws’ few weeks back.

Those days, the flights were running late as not expected. The flights to/from Mumbai and Delhi deserve special mention when we talk about lateness. It was evening that we (myself along with Divya, the organizer for the next 2 days) were driving towards airport. I was curious and at the same time, nervous, to meet my ‘in-laws’ after almost a year post our marriage. All of them were waiting ardently to meet us, especially me, I was told. Anyways I had my list of instructions or rather directions from Divya before we departed for Delhi.

Fortunately the weather in Delhi was pleasing that gave me good mood swings. All my in-laws were staying at Karol bagh, the place that host my father’s bank when we used to stay in Delhi. This time the place looks more deserted and altogether different than before. Our car swayed into small a narrow lane where all my in-laws were gathered outside the house ‘to receive us’..!! My mama-in-law was dressed in much formal attire than I was explained. As I entered the huge big central room I could see many people emanating from every corner of the house. All similar faced mausi-in-laws greeted us while rubbing their eyes trying hard to get off from their sleep. It was past mid-night and then we had special Delhi’s dish… ‘chhole-bathoore’.

For the next couple of days, I was coveted with extreme formalities. I was secluded from any work, was served with meals without moving an inch and was called ‘Vipul ji’ by almost every elder present in the house…seems awkward but nothing could be done. I am not even used to these salutations and formalities, and these guys must be thinking either I am kind of bore or feeling out-of-place there. But the truth is, I take time to get in flow with others. The house had all kinds of people, or ‘species’, as they called themselves. Different natures, different characteristics but all united at one place.

The two days at Delhi reminded me of my childhood days when we used to roam freely on the streets, play cricket with plastic ball, fighting with our peers and always busy with our past-times. It was refreshing to see that generations haven’t changed the way we expected and still the harmony exists….

By the end of trip, I had with me the memories of this place and an inflated tummy…!!! Thanks for the wonderful treat my dear ‘in-laws’..

1 and 1/2 bottles of beer

I really need a mug full of beer to pen down my experience with divine liquid. Those were the days when sharing 3 bottles of beer were good reason to celebrate without any reason. IIT is a place where carrying colored liquid inside the campus is always considered as an offence. But we hardly cared about the same, and this was never our constraint..!!! We normally had no reason to celebrate; it was just to spend time together after grueling days with seminars, classes, assignments and hell lot of other happenings.

The time was usually early in the evening. The menu used to be almost fixed. Before venturing out to get the bottles, we ordered 1 plate maggi (universal bachelor cuisine) and one pack of “kurkure” at hostel canteen. My bike was tattooed with “Tere Naam” and it looked like fragile piece of 3^rd handed vehicle. I am talking about my cycle which is a norm in IIT, infact all IITs. The campus gate was almost a kilometer from our hostel, so we decided to take our turn to ride the bike. The liquor shop was located just outside our campus gate followed with a small road-side cart (“thela”) of eggs, omlette and boiled eggs. After we purchase 3 bottle of beer, we used to visit this “thela” and had 2 plates of boiled eggs that seem awesome at that moment. We had to wrap the bottles with newspapers to avoid any noise that could hold us in suspicion in front of campus guards. Our next objective was to reach our room as soon as possible to have our drinks as chilled as possible. Since Vivek was strongest between us, he took the charge to ride the cycle. As we reach our room, our recipes were already ready in the canteen. Second room in ‘D’ block was our “adda”. Vivek had good collection of songs and movies (which doesn’t matter after two sips of drinks). Three bottles of beer was good enough for us. We shared half of these, always. We never complained, never regretted about the quantity and quality. It was always the same; one and the half bottle each…!!! We discuss all sorts of issues, right from latest movie to low GDP of our country. Sometimes we were accompanied with Supriya who had no relation with beer but acted as a chorus for two of us. We had our share of troubled life with us, and this was the best time to share. This was the time when everything seems to be the best.

It’s been 3 years that we haven’t met over the beer party, but I still cherish those glorious moments at IITK. We had our share of successes and failures but these moments can never be re-created unless we meet. Now we have been married and comfortably settled, but still the magic of this divine liquid remain the same.

As I gulp my last sip of beer, I could still remember the old days with my friend, the only moment I still miss now-a-days. We might have grown our life to new dimensions, but the beer party remains the same…

Ultimate divine..!!!

Show must go on...

As I laid my hands on the red cushion stacked over the dilapidated chair, I felt the streak of pain rushing through my spine. The fluid was gushing through my veins at lower pace than few days before. The eyes seem to be relaxed mood. I slowly sat over the chair with my palm resting over my thigh bone. I rolled my eyes all over the place around. Now, there were no heated fumes. Chairs were placed up-turned over the tables. Waiters were off with their dresses. Lights were few and dim. Suddenly I was felt a bit cold, sitting in large grass-ware…!!!

I looked at the sky above which was not as dark as few hours before. It was waiting for new rays to strike….

…our house was filled with swarm of guests, most of them I hadn’t received at all..!! The momentum picked up as the sound of instruments reached its maximum peak. Some were singing while others were just humming. The soon-to-be-bride was sitting in the middle of the room surrounded with numerous gaping ladies. Secluded, as always, I was standing over the room’s gate, with my elbow resting over the support. Few days from now, the house will return to its original state, deprived with one of its member.

Anyways, I wasn’t prepared to receive this call, but papa called me and revealed that the days ahead weren’t going to be simple for all of us. All of a sudden I went blank and couldn’t think of what expressions should I portray. Don’t know, I could have called mummy and Divya and explained them about this or remain calm and wait for papa to return to home. God..!!! I couldn’t stand the music anymore.

She was admitted to hospital, struck with needles and glucose. I wasn’t aware if this was the best option, but this was the only option we were left with. We all were avoiding facing each other to avoid the basic question in everyone’s mind, “what to do now, and how???”

Show must go on…I don’t know if we all were feeling confident or not, but our intentions were clear and strong….the show must go on. Everything went on plan, I think almost. Few hiccups, few changes and few disappointments...but we all tried to manage our grace. Danced as if nothing happened…wore as if it is pleasure…ate as if it doesn’t bother...laughed as if it never happened…cried as if it was usual..!!! But the only thing that kept us motivating was the strength behind her tired eyes. This wasn’t the first time; almost after 8 years. Probably she is one of the strongest among us.

As I looked at the sky above which was not as dark as few hours before, I thought, the show finally went well. Few turns..few twists..but at the end it went well. Pains were receding and smiles were back..

It’s been 52 days since I had that night, one of the most strenuous of all. But now it feels pleasure to know that our efforts have finally paid. She is happy, bright and healthy…

God bless…

It was, as if, yesterday..

31 January, 2009 06:30 PM
“It isn’t the same; the breeze that is shivering me in the month of February in Jaipur. As I am standing in front of a large dressing mirror in the room that practically belongs to me after my marriage, I kept thinking about what’s going on here. Is it the atmospheric chillness that is making me weak or the tepid environment around me that is making me tense? I know it is not the best time to think about why and how, but still, are these events so captive that I am so worried about?”
All of the sudden a loud voice intruded my engrossing thoughts and I quickly lift up my maroon ‘pyjama’ while holding my long and heavy ‘sherwani’ with one hand as I was sitting in front of the large dressing mirror…
Probably this was my last chance to be with myself completely, I wondered. The ‘sherwani’ wasn’t light as it looked from a distance during my trials at showroom, and my fever-ridden body was making me fragile from inside. Anyways the noble idea of getting married kept me motivated and energetic. As I had completed my ‘self’ make-up and was progressing towards the assembly area, I could hear the chants of numerous guests that were slowly evolving into loudness. Maybe they were mixed with music played by the band outside. Hundreds of people looked like millions of designer molecules in front of me and all discussing the same topic. All of a sudden, oxygen level dropped to a lower level and I was looking for holding somebody that could regain my strength.
Oh my God, I am going to get married now..

31 January, 2010
It’s been a year that we have been together and truly speaking, still, we have no guts to hear that we have completed one year of our marriage. The year had been so engrossing and action-packed that had left no time for us to think about what had really happened exactly a year ago. Seriously time truly flies. We pinch ourselves when someone congratulates us with anniversary wishes. These ears are still not adaptable to these wishes except the birthday ones. I am sure that we have evolved better in this one year than before. However it doesn’t prove well after looking at us, but still I can feel the differences. The priorities have changed and the concentration has been strong. Now I have someone to look upon. I can no more drive my bike recklessly on roads. I have no more time to introspect and look for my solutions alone.
Marriage is a good institution that makes you learn what you have been kept aloof for a long time. It makes you feel like a master balancing over a thin rope. Sacrifices and compromises automatically flow in your blood. As I was writing this blog, I kept reminded myself about many things that got untangled during my married days. On one hand, many things have become straight forward and on other hand many of them have become complicated. I can not resolve these amazing complicated puzzles but I feel lucky enough to know their worth. Priorities have certainly changed over the time. Now I feel more pleasure when she enjoys her work and dedication. No two hands can be equally active at same time; it’s very rare, but true. And this was the first lesson that I had learnt after my marriage. Not only me, I guess, marriage makes our family complete and bigger than before. Now we have more reasons to celebrate and more opportunities to share. What else changes do we require in a stale nomadic life?
In the end, all I want to say to my wife is, “I have thoroughly enjoyed the time we had spend together. Certainly there were hiccups in the last one year, some were realized and some weren’t; but still we overcame all of them without much anxiety. Till now our journey of life had been smooth and cozy, but I am sure, with our relationship we can face any fears of life with strong determination. I may be rude, I may be soft, and I may depict many other peculiar moods throughout, but all I can guarantee you is, these are all short-lived. I am sure you had never realized, what positive changes you had introduced in my life, but to me, it matters a lot.
Just continue this relation with your sparkling smile…Love you forever…”

Hyderabad Blues

..the traffic is still furious, the shops are open and stuffed with thin fumes of incense sticks, the offices are packed with insensitive employees, some of them cursing and some being passionate.

Hyderabad has been blessed with an opportunity to encounter more than three ‘bandhs’ (actually I have stopped counting them after three..!!). The issue is related to the demands of a separate state as Telangana by some activists. The issue boiled up when one fragile looking guy famously known as KCR went on to fast-unto-death. Now a day this is one very common term regarded as one point mantra for instigating agitations. All the shops, malls, offices were targeted and then it was repelled strongly by government senior officials. I don’t know what resolution was devised or what measures were suggested at that time, but the only things that matter to me were interruptions in my daily routine life.

"3 cheers"... the first one..

The stage was all set. Every preparation was made to the point and with extreme finesse. The drawing room was adorned with aesthetic surroundings. The glasses were polished to the last blot. All the exotic drinks were placed on top of wooden bar. The room was filled with floral aroma. And yes, we were all dressed up and waiting for the guests, the special guests to arrive.

This December, we had a special reason to smile. Nikita was going to embark a new journey of her life. This 26th she got engaged to Nimit. Nimit, the name that means 'Destiny' (as per http://www.babynology.com/meaning-nimit-m30.html), belong to Delhi and is working in Infosys (now you know why I am specially attracted to him..!!!). I sometimes wonders, all Mathurs and Infoscions are inter-related in some way or other. Each family has atleast one member working in Infosys. Last month Infosys declared it’s quarterly results that were…err…ok ok, sorry to digress from the topic.

The Midnight 12

It was a whole new excitement.. I was waiting (made to wait) outside our second bedroom. Today the day was special. I had every reason to get spoiled. I was tired with my office chores and was crambling because of my old-found activity, gym. As soon as I entered the house, I could sense something was being cooked up. Surprise(s) was(were) being followed up.

As soon as the clock hit 12 in the midnight, I was instructed to step inside the surprised den, our second bedroom. The place was dark. It was filled with warm air that gave an instant relief from the outside cold. The room was midly lit up with yellow streaks of candle flames. I could see a nice small centre table ornated with four candle at each corner. Their flames could be seen as intersecting with the centre. At the middle of the table, there was a chocolate cake placed with a cutting knife besides it. The cake was beautifully carved with chocolate chips and layers of soft cream. The room was filled with the fragnance of cake and warmed with burning flames.

"Happy Birthday"

Following was the shower of gifts. Much needed gym bag, socks, travelling pouch, bouque of roses, perfume and two lovely written greeting cards. There was a ticket to movie 'Ajab Prem ki Gazab Kahani' for the next day. My day was made..

A beautiful wife and blessings from all who cares...what else you need on your birthday..!!

Thanks

Love u..

No pest-ering anymore

Letter to my juniors…

Once upon a time, I had a good time living with my family. After my marriage, we had decided to shift our base from a filthy locality called ‘Kamaan’ to some valley in a posh locality known as Banjara hills. It was called as ‘Amrutha valley’. It was nice valley with all sort of rich and average kind of people. There was an apartment on the ground floor that we chose to make our dream house. We knew it by our trusted spies that this apartment was recently rented to nice new wedded couple. We thought of giving them their wedding gift. On recommendations, all in our community decided to raid the house and spread our reach to every possible corner. My two little children and I along with my husband took shelter in a small, undersized gap in a joint in water pipeline located in the kitchen. We had a nice cozy environment there. During the heat, we used to squeeze in the gap and stick to the water pipeline to get a breeze from gushing water inside. Sometimes we used to dive from our residence into the deep, cool sink below where these humans keep their used utensils. The food stuck on to these utensils was more than enough for my family. Every night we used to treat ourselves by diving into these food particles, and normally roaming in around the gas burners to get some really big pieces. And please…I am not at all ashamed of this. I could see numerous of my species struggling around in the kitchen to get access to every bit of opportunity. Some were even able to make their way into the miniscule gaps in water filter that could leave the resident dumbfound with the whole idea of purified water. Some could get the access to the refrigerator and I must salute the one who could successfully enter the freezing area and stay their for some days or nights or weeks…actually I don’t remember, finally he was thrown out of the area as a dead.

This guy was super-cool. Every time he sees us; he took out his liquid machine and spray at us indiscriminately. Initially we were very scared with his actions as many of our species died because of this miraculous liquid. We had called an emergency meeting and decided to fight back these bastards. We all developed the resistance towards this liquid spray and whenever he tried to spray at us, we used to act for a while and as soon as he leave the place, we regain our conscious and start our daily chores. I must admit, after some weeks, I was even affectionate towards this liquid. It gave us the moment to get perfumed and attract other male species..!!! He was very irritated sometimes. I still remember the day when he found some of my relatives in a pack of tissue papers carefully stacked over the dining table. This was the dare-devil act and I must salute them as well.

We were living happily and our kids were now full grown species, but one fine day….

The lovely couple had returned from some long vacations, and it seems they were quite furious about the way we had explored the whole area. Two weeks later, we saw some unknown guy who was fixing something over the walls. All of a sudden he came close to our house and pasted a big drop of something really good. It was good time for a feast…I thought. We couldn’t resist our temptation and all of sudden barged upon that fruity cream. I had a sour throat, so couldn’t help but to resist such feast. I had a nice time looking at my family feeling happy and satisfied after such nice party. I was relieved…it was a nice break after long dry spell. After some time I had the most disastrous nightmare of my life. All of a sudden my husband and children started coughing and getting impatient excessively. As I look outside, many of our species were seen swallowed to death. All the bodies were seen scattered over the floor. The sink was filled with filthy layer of deceased ones. There was a hue and cry all over the place. And finally, I felt my family lying over my hands. They were all gone. I felt, we did a mistake to spread our cruelties over this human place. We could develop the resistance towards the magical spray, but couldn’t hold on our temptations towards a fruity gel.

As I leave this place in distress, all I want to say is… 'I am sorry'

Yours truly,
Mrs. Cockroach# 201
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Narration by: Cockroach residing in our house since many ages
The magical liquid is cockroach repellant known as ‘Hit’, and the fruity feast is the gel used by pest control people.

..and now by this time, you would’ve known who the guy is