What do you get if you put a tough semester, a tougher end semester exam and the toughest post-result alcohol session together? If it were me, it’d be a classic theory. And that is exactly what I would be mentioning this time. The theory stands for the greater good. And it’s christened as “Bringing down the average”.
By nature human beings are very peace loving creatures of God. They love sharing and caring. They love laughter and happiness around them and wherever they go. They want to spread happiness, love and peace even if it comes at a cost. But how many of us are ready to bet on that when it comes to spreading happiness at our own cost… Contributing to that greater good?
Though we all know how our grading system works, let me still mention it – that it’s all relative. That means that if majority of the class scores above 50 out of 100, the average would be above 50 and vice versa.
Flashback: 3rd Semester WASE 2003 batch.
We were lucky to have a teacher like Jura for Object Oriented Programming concepts. I hope I have brought back the memories, -- good or bad, we have our own versions of the same story. To start with our teacher was “Ultimate”, but we had a lot of “buts” about his teaching style or rather his examining style, and believe me when we saw the examination paper a lot of butts were in the line of fire. Mine included.
When I came out of the examination hall, in 45 minutes instead of the 180 minutes, I was not alone outside. We were all in the same boat, which apparently was sinking. But we were ignorant of the fact then. That day I promised Debu and Panky that if I escape an E grade [fail grade], I would throw a party on it. As God had cherished, his chosen ONE, was safe. That day, evening rather, God had touched me again… this time not with the blessings but with a thought. Well after half a bottle of Blue Label, you see God in everything and everywhere. Anyways.
That evening not many were lucky to be on the safe side of the “E” grade… a few of us could not make it. And that is because a few of us wanted to reach for the stars. I’ll tell you know.
Take for example a class of five students appear in an exam for a maximum of 100 marks. Lets say A and B score 50 marks each while C, D and E score 90 marks each. The average of the class is 74 marks. A and B have scored below average and both are sad. C, D and E are happy but they have made A and B sad.
Let us see what happened in real life. Our class had around 90 students and a lot of them had participated in the race to reach the top and in doing so, have taken the average up, very up. But at the same time, there was a Sourav, who was the chosen one of the God [after half a bottle of Blue Label that is]… who knew how difficult it would be to bring the average down single handedly. So what did he do? He scored below average, much below the average and hence his contribution brought the average down.
For example, consider a class of 100 students and the average score is of 52. Say Miss A. scores 50, and since she’s below the average she’s sad. Then comes Sourav and scores 10 or a more realistic 5 :-) and the class average comes down to 48. Miss A. is now happy and who knows might as well kiss Sourav… a thank you kiss… [Please remember, it’s the half bottle of Blue Label].
Whether you are the Miss A or not I do not know, but remember that you got an A grade because there was a Sourav, who brought the average down. Sourav busted his own ass so that you could be where you are now.
Now, whether Sourav really wanted to be in the who’s who list of the scoring list is a different track. I just hope that we would not forget the innumerable Souravs who have contributed in we being where we are now… and we owe them a lot of our successes. Everything is relative… whatever comes in, goes out…
Let us slow down a bit, let us score a little less, let us allow someone else to run the show…let us be the Sourav for someone else. Take care friends, believe me, there is a Sourav because of whom we are where we are today.
By the way, I am currently looking for my Sourav, to thank him… I got a QPCL of 116%
Sunday, 9 November 2008
Sunday, 26 October 2008
Uncle, aap office kyun jate ho?
Sam woke up on time and got ready to leave for his office. “Goodbye Tejas, bye-bye Arnav… ghar mein badmashi mut karma…good boy hokar rehna… Theek hai?” Both the kids waved goodbye and out of curiosity, that is so much associated with them, asked Sam, “Uncle aap office kyun jate ho?” Sam waved them goodbye and walked away as if nothing had happened out of the unusual, as if this question had been asked a million times and he knew what the answer was but the kids were too naïve to understand. Or was it the other way around? Even if it had been the case, Sam didn’t let it show on his face. The obvious answer to the kids would have been- Beta, humko company paise deta hai office jane ke liye. Throughout the way to the office, Sam was silent and I could figure out what was going on in his mind.
Sam does not have a poster-boy charisma. He was not in the who’s-who of his school. He was not the best in sports or in studies. Net net, he was a mirror image of you or me. He comes from a small town and carries the values and believes that are so quickly diminishing in our fast paced world.
Sam comes from the era when dad came home by five o’ clock in the evening from the factory or the office. Dad would bring samosa or jalebi while coming back home. Mom would have prepared tea by then and it would be a small family spending its time together, talking about how the day was. Sometimes Dutta-uncle or Raj Uncle would also come home with dad. The friends would have garam “chai” while they spoke about work or anything else. Their lives were so good, they were in control, and they were free. We kids envied their lives and vowed that one day we would also have a life like theirs. Sam’s dad earned less than 10% what he earns now, but I guess he had other ways of making up for the remaining 90%.
Sam works for an IT firm as a consultant. He’s earning good money, but he does not find samosas and jalebis to buy.
Sam takes the best food in the restaurant but the risotto or the burgers are nothing when it comes to simple sabjee with roti.
He stays in one of the best places to say, but still misses a place called home.
He works, works diligently but does not know whether the work is really making a difference, atleast not to him. Does he get a sense of fulfillment? Of personal satisfaction? Let’s not talk about it.
He’s not working on some cutting edge technology but plain vanilla process improvement consultancy. The work might be good, but is it challenging enough...:)
He stays in a place where his neighbors are from around the world, but he still misses his family.
Even if Sam returns home by five o’clock in the evening, even if he comes home with a few friends and has the garam “chai” he would still envy his dad’s life. The five o’ clock office won’t be for long. The friends won’t come everyday and the garam “chai” would not be garam for long.
Dads… we just missed your lives…
Sam does not have a poster-boy charisma. He was not in the who’s-who of his school. He was not the best in sports or in studies. Net net, he was a mirror image of you or me. He comes from a small town and carries the values and believes that are so quickly diminishing in our fast paced world.
Sam comes from the era when dad came home by five o’ clock in the evening from the factory or the office. Dad would bring samosa or jalebi while coming back home. Mom would have prepared tea by then and it would be a small family spending its time together, talking about how the day was. Sometimes Dutta-uncle or Raj Uncle would also come home with dad. The friends would have garam “chai” while they spoke about work or anything else. Their lives were so good, they were in control, and they were free. We kids envied their lives and vowed that one day we would also have a life like theirs. Sam’s dad earned less than 10% what he earns now, but I guess he had other ways of making up for the remaining 90%.
Sam works for an IT firm as a consultant. He’s earning good money, but he does not find samosas and jalebis to buy.
Sam takes the best food in the restaurant but the risotto or the burgers are nothing when it comes to simple sabjee with roti.
He stays in one of the best places to say, but still misses a place called home.
He works, works diligently but does not know whether the work is really making a difference, atleast not to him. Does he get a sense of fulfillment? Of personal satisfaction? Let’s not talk about it.
He’s not working on some cutting edge technology but plain vanilla process improvement consultancy. The work might be good, but is it challenging enough...:)
He stays in a place where his neighbors are from around the world, but he still misses his family.
Even if Sam returns home by five o’clock in the evening, even if he comes home with a few friends and has the garam “chai” he would still envy his dad’s life. The five o’ clock office won’t be for long. The friends won’t come everyday and the garam “chai” would not be garam for long.
Dads… we just missed your lives…
Sunday, 7 September 2008
One year hence...
A journey that had started five years back had reached a conclusive closure last year… and now its one year since the event. I know I keep going back to the past… but tell me who can ever forget the Wonder Years of WASE? Who can ever forget the day when WASE was finally over, or for that matter when it started? The dream… how strange it felt when it became a reality. I have dedicated two of my blogs to WASE but it still seems as if I have not done justice to the Wonder Years.
The timing for this blog couldn’t have been any better… five years back, on this very date -8th of September, I had set foot on the Wipro campus… A beginning of an era. I know it’s not cut to cut one year since we have completed WASE but for all practical purposes it is.
I’ve had enough of looking back at WASE. This time I wanted to write about where all the ex-WASEians are, one year hence after closure of their WASE. Apart from that, I wanted to comprehend how a WASEian faces life and career after the completion of the course. I guess one year is enough time to look back and evaluate how we have put into action what we’ve learnt from WASE… in life and in work.
I’m not sure if I would be able to remember all so please utilize the comments section, should I miss you or otherwise as well. Here we go…
Call it coincidence or whatever. The guy with whom I shared my work for the four years of WASE happens to still be working with me… even after WASE was over. He is working as an associate consultant for a Private Banking company based out of Zurich. Still in Wipro, his name is Libin Thomas. He has lost more hair than the waist-size that he has gained.
“Tum humsha haste hi kyun rehte ho?”. “Kya karun Ma’am… meri shakal hi aisi hai”. That shakal (face) is something that has not changed except for the extra pounds that he has gained. His dream of having a six pack abs is still a dream. Having traveled to the US for a couple of times over the short term visa he is currently resting in Bangalore, before Uncle Sam gives him the H1. He holds the position of a Senior Software Engineer for a telecom major. Name: Debabrata Bhattacharya
She was beautiful when I first saw her… she still is. But I never knew that she talks so much and so fast!!! She’s a good blogger as well and a topper. No wonder I do not know much about her… I always kept my grades and myself as far away from the toppers. She’s a module lead for a Stock Exchange major based out of New York. The name is Kimi Shrivastava.
The first thing you would notice about this lady would be her ability to crack a joke without much of an effort. She has a big heart. A voracious reader, she had worked out of the US for quite a lot of times before she finally answered to India calling. This Module Leader has a remarkable mind and is fantastic with words. The name is Vrushali Nayak.
A pure coder and a technical guy, he didn’t know the meaning of A**Hole when he joined Wipro. Over the next four years he has improved a lot. Having worked out of the US, he is now back to Chennai as a Solution Delivery Analyst for a financial major. The name is Hemachandra Jayapal. “Ada Paavi”- his favorite quote.
He often gives the look as if he’s just been dropped from the sky. The curly hair adds to his composure well. An excellent and analytic mind, but extremely down to earth. The Hindi is pure, the jokes genuine and the look hilarious. After completing a short assignment at Montreal our Solution Delivery Analyst is back to Namma Bengaluru. No points for guess the name… its Deepak Aravindan.
Her smile is the most remarkable part of her. A ready 100 watt smile greets everyone. She prefers to be in Bangalore and not move too much though she works for a US major in Consumer Goods. She holds the designation of Senior Software Engineer. The name is Abitha Gujala.
They were together always. They came from Pune to Bangalore and were the members of the Pune Party. They worked for the same Insurance client. Having worked for a few months at the US, they came back home, got married and went back to Uncle Sam’s land. One is an Application Lead and the other Senior Business Analyst. Both complement each other… but he is lucky. The names are Azima Afrin and Fakhrudin Munshi.
“Yo, yo yo”. The American from Hyderabad. A dream to be in the US. Loves a certain genre of rock which is hard to pronounce and even harder to understand. Having been to the US for a couple of times. Getting ready for the final leap. Working as Module Lead for a Finance giant, he sees to it that he gets what he wants. The name is SaiKrishna Rao.
Size is deceptive. This lady is a potential atom bomb. Working as a Project Engineer for an Insurance major based out of Pune. Ask her something which she does not want to answer and she will ensure that she confuses you such that you would think (a) What was my question? (b) Why did I ask? If you have learnt how to surpass these two questions then believe me this atom bomb will never burst. She is now a content woman with a steady married life. The name is Anna… oops Annie Mathew.
Living life in slow motion- this is the mantra of the next person to be described. Her Hindi is masha-allah but atleast she tries. Jai Prakash Mishra loves playing pranks on her. A hardcore Bengaluru-wasi, she has been currently deported to Canada working as a Module Lead for Healthcare major. The name is Shylaja. “Aarey tum log hass kyun rahe ho”.
Another topper so I do not know much about him. Apparently we belong to the same for our graduation degree. God knows how many A+s he has got while I struggled to keep out of the Es. Works as a Technical Lead for a Retail major based out of Minneapolis. The name is Gupta babu... aka Niladri Gupta.
Another member of the Pune party, the most vocal. She has Bangla written all over her. A mischievous smile always on her she has finally resolved to India calling. Designated as Project Leader for an Insurance major she had once shared a plane trip with our annadata Azim Premji. The name is Cinema Ghosh… sorry Sunnyma Ghosh.
He could touch the ceiling while his hair could touch the floor. No flesh only bones. Based out of Boise for a Retail giant this Project Engineer is another potential topper. The name is Abhinav Das.
A lawyer would have been a suitable role but not a Senior Software Engineer. There is no autowallah left in Bangalore who has not had a row with this powerhouse. A charmer with the ladies, but luckily only once. His UP-70 Splendour does not leave him come what may. Someone once told him that he looks like a DJ and since then there is an honest attempt at pursuing this art… atleast the photos in orkut say so. The name is Kartikeya Roy. No no, he is no Bong…
Intense. Practical. A module Lead working for a banking major based out of London. Everything has a limit and every problem has a solution. Like me he also believes that daru peene ke liye sahi partner hona zaruri hai. This guy will make it big. Mark my words. Meet Sonal Srivastava. Please… it’s a he and not a she.
This guy is already big. Its hard to miss him. Debu had once seen a huge body coming from quite a distant and told me Panky is coming “Itna bada aur koi nahin ho sakta”. Over the years he has grown in all directions. His marriage was also one reason for him to grow. A perfect advertisement for the power of the Pulsar 150, a module leader for an Embedded product based company. Over the last few months has made the NSE/BSE as additional source of income. Meet Pankaj Dwivedi… Bade Pankaj.
Another lady with a ready smile on her face. I never knew that behind a serious face there was a funny character… leave that apart I even did not know that she was in my WASE batch. She had to do a lot of arm twisting to get into where she is now: an associate consultant for a private banking major. Just back from a two week business trip from the US; the name is Supriya Ananth. Always giggles. Her Hindi is lovely.
Late night Romeo. This is what the orkut profile says. Otherwise he is module lead for a manufacturing company. Always the heart of a party… loves to enjoy the jokes, most of them would be on him. Had worked out of Canada and would be traveling to the US… thanks to the H1. The name is Jaiprakash Mishra. “Aarey Saala…”
My erstwhile roommate. Loves to live in a world of his own. At times confusing but otherwise fun to be with. An application analyst with a financial major based out of Boston. Books, “Friends”series and any untouched concepts are his favorite. Otherwise he would be seen gyming or jogging. Meet Pankil Shah.
Netaji. Breaks all deadlines and promises. Too good with the Hindi language and caught in the wrong profession as a project engineer from San Francisco. He has the remarkable capability to talk gibberish about anything and to such an extent that you’d go mad. Meet Niloy Sen.
Mr Cool... the silent one, he speaks little but never one of those who misses out on the fun. Working as a module lead based out of Pennsylvania for a healtcare major. Loves his Apache... Its our own Awinash.
Last but not the least. Seth. Based out of Beaverton this Solution Delivery Lead has a secret dream of owning the BSE, NSE and the NYSE. And he has embarked on the journey long long time back. Everything is planned and there is a plan B always ready. Till that place its fine… but I get mad when he comes out with Plan C and D as well… supposing A and B does not work. This is one of the toppers who happens to be quite close to me… Life cannot be boring when this Hyderabadi is with you. The name is Bhavesh Heniya.
Of-course there are many others whom I have missed due to lack of information on my part. And that brings us to a couple of important questions: Are we there where we wanted to be? Have all the ex-WASEians started the journey towards their dreams? One year hence…
The timing for this blog couldn’t have been any better… five years back, on this very date -8th of September, I had set foot on the Wipro campus… A beginning of an era. I know it’s not cut to cut one year since we have completed WASE but for all practical purposes it is.
I’ve had enough of looking back at WASE. This time I wanted to write about where all the ex-WASEians are, one year hence after closure of their WASE. Apart from that, I wanted to comprehend how a WASEian faces life and career after the completion of the course. I guess one year is enough time to look back and evaluate how we have put into action what we’ve learnt from WASE… in life and in work.
I’m not sure if I would be able to remember all so please utilize the comments section, should I miss you or otherwise as well. Here we go…
Call it coincidence or whatever. The guy with whom I shared my work for the four years of WASE happens to still be working with me… even after WASE was over. He is working as an associate consultant for a Private Banking company based out of Zurich. Still in Wipro, his name is Libin Thomas. He has lost more hair than the waist-size that he has gained.
“Tum humsha haste hi kyun rehte ho?”. “Kya karun Ma’am… meri shakal hi aisi hai”. That shakal (face) is something that has not changed except for the extra pounds that he has gained. His dream of having a six pack abs is still a dream. Having traveled to the US for a couple of times over the short term visa he is currently resting in Bangalore, before Uncle Sam gives him the H1. He holds the position of a Senior Software Engineer for a telecom major. Name: Debabrata Bhattacharya
She was beautiful when I first saw her… she still is. But I never knew that she talks so much and so fast!!! She’s a good blogger as well and a topper. No wonder I do not know much about her… I always kept my grades and myself as far away from the toppers. She’s a module lead for a Stock Exchange major based out of New York. The name is Kimi Shrivastava.
The first thing you would notice about this lady would be her ability to crack a joke without much of an effort. She has a big heart. A voracious reader, she had worked out of the US for quite a lot of times before she finally answered to India calling. This Module Leader has a remarkable mind and is fantastic with words. The name is Vrushali Nayak.
A pure coder and a technical guy, he didn’t know the meaning of A**Hole when he joined Wipro. Over the next four years he has improved a lot. Having worked out of the US, he is now back to Chennai as a Solution Delivery Analyst for a financial major. The name is Hemachandra Jayapal. “Ada Paavi”- his favorite quote.
He often gives the look as if he’s just been dropped from the sky. The curly hair adds to his composure well. An excellent and analytic mind, but extremely down to earth. The Hindi is pure, the jokes genuine and the look hilarious. After completing a short assignment at Montreal our Solution Delivery Analyst is back to Namma Bengaluru. No points for guess the name… its Deepak Aravindan.
Her smile is the most remarkable part of her. A ready 100 watt smile greets everyone. She prefers to be in Bangalore and not move too much though she works for a US major in Consumer Goods. She holds the designation of Senior Software Engineer. The name is Abitha Gujala.
They were together always. They came from Pune to Bangalore and were the members of the Pune Party. They worked for the same Insurance client. Having worked for a few months at the US, they came back home, got married and went back to Uncle Sam’s land. One is an Application Lead and the other Senior Business Analyst. Both complement each other… but he is lucky. The names are Azima Afrin and Fakhrudin Munshi.
“Yo, yo yo”. The American from Hyderabad. A dream to be in the US. Loves a certain genre of rock which is hard to pronounce and even harder to understand. Having been to the US for a couple of times. Getting ready for the final leap. Working as Module Lead for a Finance giant, he sees to it that he gets what he wants. The name is SaiKrishna Rao.
Size is deceptive. This lady is a potential atom bomb. Working as a Project Engineer for an Insurance major based out of Pune. Ask her something which she does not want to answer and she will ensure that she confuses you such that you would think (a) What was my question? (b) Why did I ask? If you have learnt how to surpass these two questions then believe me this atom bomb will never burst. She is now a content woman with a steady married life. The name is Anna… oops Annie Mathew.
Living life in slow motion- this is the mantra of the next person to be described. Her Hindi is masha-allah but atleast she tries. Jai Prakash Mishra loves playing pranks on her. A hardcore Bengaluru-wasi, she has been currently deported to Canada working as a Module Lead for Healthcare major. The name is Shylaja. “Aarey tum log hass kyun rahe ho”.
Another topper so I do not know much about him. Apparently we belong to the same for our graduation degree. God knows how many A+s he has got while I struggled to keep out of the Es. Works as a Technical Lead for a Retail major based out of Minneapolis. The name is Gupta babu... aka Niladri Gupta.
Another member of the Pune party, the most vocal. She has Bangla written all over her. A mischievous smile always on her she has finally resolved to India calling. Designated as Project Leader for an Insurance major she had once shared a plane trip with our annadata Azim Premji. The name is Cinema Ghosh… sorry Sunnyma Ghosh.
He could touch the ceiling while his hair could touch the floor. No flesh only bones. Based out of Boise for a Retail giant this Project Engineer is another potential topper. The name is Abhinav Das.
A lawyer would have been a suitable role but not a Senior Software Engineer. There is no autowallah left in Bangalore who has not had a row with this powerhouse. A charmer with the ladies, but luckily only once. His UP-70 Splendour does not leave him come what may. Someone once told him that he looks like a DJ and since then there is an honest attempt at pursuing this art… atleast the photos in orkut say so. The name is Kartikeya Roy. No no, he is no Bong…
Intense. Practical. A module Lead working for a banking major based out of London. Everything has a limit and every problem has a solution. Like me he also believes that daru peene ke liye sahi partner hona zaruri hai. This guy will make it big. Mark my words. Meet Sonal Srivastava. Please… it’s a he and not a she.
This guy is already big. Its hard to miss him. Debu had once seen a huge body coming from quite a distant and told me Panky is coming “Itna bada aur koi nahin ho sakta”. Over the years he has grown in all directions. His marriage was also one reason for him to grow. A perfect advertisement for the power of the Pulsar 150, a module leader for an Embedded product based company. Over the last few months has made the NSE/BSE as additional source of income. Meet Pankaj Dwivedi… Bade Pankaj.
Another lady with a ready smile on her face. I never knew that behind a serious face there was a funny character… leave that apart I even did not know that she was in my WASE batch. She had to do a lot of arm twisting to get into where she is now: an associate consultant for a private banking major. Just back from a two week business trip from the US; the name is Supriya Ananth. Always giggles. Her Hindi is lovely.
Late night Romeo. This is what the orkut profile says. Otherwise he is module lead for a manufacturing company. Always the heart of a party… loves to enjoy the jokes, most of them would be on him. Had worked out of Canada and would be traveling to the US… thanks to the H1. The name is Jaiprakash Mishra. “Aarey Saala…”
My erstwhile roommate. Loves to live in a world of his own. At times confusing but otherwise fun to be with. An application analyst with a financial major based out of Boston. Books, “Friends”series and any untouched concepts are his favorite. Otherwise he would be seen gyming or jogging. Meet Pankil Shah.
Netaji. Breaks all deadlines and promises. Too good with the Hindi language and caught in the wrong profession as a project engineer from San Francisco. He has the remarkable capability to talk gibberish about anything and to such an extent that you’d go mad. Meet Niloy Sen.
Mr Cool... the silent one, he speaks little but never one of those who misses out on the fun. Working as a module lead based out of Pennsylvania for a healtcare major. Loves his Apache... Its our own Awinash.
Last but not the least. Seth. Based out of Beaverton this Solution Delivery Lead has a secret dream of owning the BSE, NSE and the NYSE. And he has embarked on the journey long long time back. Everything is planned and there is a plan B always ready. Till that place its fine… but I get mad when he comes out with Plan C and D as well… supposing A and B does not work. This is one of the toppers who happens to be quite close to me… Life cannot be boring when this Hyderabadi is with you. The name is Bhavesh Heniya.
Of-course there are many others whom I have missed due to lack of information on my part. And that brings us to a couple of important questions: Are we there where we wanted to be? Have all the ex-WASEians started the journey towards their dreams? One year hence…
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