Different Strokes

They say life teaches us lessons but we hardly notice it. I could notice one folding in front of my eyes. This one belongs to my in-laws. They thought me a new way of life, a way in which you can remain simple but achieve greater things in life. They changed the way I looked at acquiring things, they thought me how to live with bare minimum things and still feel at ease.

Even today, they don't have a refrigerator, it's not that they can't afford it but they didn't want to change. Even today they cook fresh vegetables and are not used to take in freezed old stuff, like we do. Whatever be the make, we all would agree that the freshness of the vegetables goes away if we store them. Someone rightly said, "the power of money doesn't lie in what you buy but not to buy things which you can afford".

Reach me at hifromsriram 'at' hotmail 'dot' com

A night before

Our marriage was arranged in a place called "Wallajah" some 60 Kms away from "Chennai" and so we (bride and bridegroom) had to move to that place for wedding. My relatives and myself boarded the bus which was arranged by my in-laws in the morning to go to "Wallajah". We were in a celebrating mood and sang all the way to "Wallajah". I was welcomed by my in-laws like a king and that was the first time in my whole life that people gave me so much of respect, I started feeling like an important person (courtesy my in-laws). I remembered the saying, every dog has it's own day and my day has come for sure.

"Gayathri" and myself were very eager to talk in person, all these days (some 90 days), we were talking through cell phones and the urge was there to talk atleast once in person before the marriage. Finally the chance came, we both met in the dining table just one night before the marriage and decided to sneak to a balcony to talk to each other, we fixed the time to meet as 11:00 PM.

We were struggling to start the conversation. All these days we were very fluent in talking to each other but suddenly we were struggling for words. Just when things were not moving, I started showing her all the messages that she sent me and it proved to a good point in flagging off things. Just when we were talking, rain started to come down and we were brushed by chill breeze in that cold night. I held hands of Gayathri for the first time and I could now understand why a hero always kisses heroin in hands in Bollywood.

The moment was so lovely and touching, I still remind it and I wish it happens to everyone in life. Nothing like holding hands of your girl friend in a cold night, try it and feel it for rest of your life.

Reach me at hifromsriram 'at' hotmail 'dot' com

My Reflection

I struggled in my early days of life. I didn't had the liberty of choosing the course I want to be in, choosing the college I want to attend. I don't want to blame anyone for whatever was given to me at that time but I think I made most of my offerings and was fortunate enough to finish my graduation and post graduation.

The atmosphere was not so conducive for studies and I ended up doing job to support my education from a very early age. At the age of seventeen, I became the youngest employee of a company called "ICNET" who were involved in email solutions for enterprise. Since, I got used to earn while learn, I continued with my pursuit of education but hanging on to my job. Although I wanted to make big in the software arena, my ambitions were cut short for a while. I knew that it's not going to be smooth ride for me and I have to slug it out at all cost.

Success came to me but I fought hard for each and every bit of it. The biggest difficulty I faced was that I didn't have anyone to coach me, guide me and take me to a right direction. I did whatever seemed logical and viable to me. So I decided that whenever I get a chance to guide someone, I should do so whole-heartedly. One such opportunity beckoned me when I saw Kedar in similar situation in life. I saw Kedar in same struggle as I was and I seem to see my reflections in him. Now I see him reaping benefits in life and I feel very happy for this boy who also has learnt things the hard way.

I am thankful to Kedar for not just seeking my advice but giving me a chance to see me again.

Reach me at hifromsriram 'at' hotmail 'dot' com

Journey called life

I had my first chance to travel with my would-be (from now on referred as GS) in a train and since my to be father-in-law works for railways, he had managed to book eight tickets for all of us. We (myself and my family) were heading back to Indore while GS was going to Vijayawada. First time in my life, I paid attention to what I was wearing while traveling. We reached the station where GS was sitting nervously, trust me railway station is not the best place to meet your wife / girl friend.

We began our enchanting journey. They offered us curd rice and idli which they had packed for us and we accepted it gracefully. My family was in a lookout for something to eat because normally while traveling through train we utilize our mouth to its full extent. I didn't realize that I should use this opportunity to talk to GS instead ate a lot and then slept. Vijayawada where GS stays is just six hours from Chennai and when I woke up it was already time for them to get down. GS was starring at me like anything. I told her that I would ring her up from Indore and continued my sleep.

Even today she taunts me :-( I didn't start well like scoring a duck while making debut but I have moved on and today I have lots of records under my belt.

Reach me at hifromsriram 'at' hotmail 'dot' com

New Responsibilities

It was in November 2002 and my parents and grand parents were already looking for my soulmate. It was during my brother's wedding that I was cornered and people saw me as the next prospective bridegroom as I had a decent job to support a family.

In May 2003, the search for a bride for me got intense and very soon I landed up with three girls to choose from. Since, I didn't like the idea of visiting and evaluating girls, I told my parents that I would marry the girl I see first and so I want to cut down the list to only one. We then evaluated the list and then singled on one girl. We all arrived at Chennai before and had a meeting to discuss the finer points. I told everyone that nobody would ask me, whether I like the girl or not in front of the girl's family and we would return back to our base and then convey our decision.

After having agreed to terms and conditions, my grand parents, my parents and three of my relatives set out to see the girl at "Madipakkam", it was a 45 minute drive from Chennai and we had a maruti van and a car to take us to that place. The moment I landed in "Madipakkam", I was received by a large group all belonging to the girl's family. I was not at all comfortable sitting with everyone starring at me but I had to do this, there is no other way of getting married as per the customs. After having a cup of coffee, my grand father started the conversation regarding his family background, our family background and then about myself, obviously it was to impress girl's family. Then he passed on orders to bring the girl, the girl was sitting in a near by room and was escorted by her relative to the hall in which I was sitting. She was nervous and was made to touch the feet of elders including me and I felt like "oh no". She then sat in front of me and started glancing at me every now and then. My relatives now started asking questions about her education and her hobbies. My grand mother chipped in and told her to sing a song, after all these, the girl's parents decided to take her in. Suddenly the environment turned serious, the girls parents were looking at us in anxiety. I told my grand father that I would like to talk to the girl for 5 mins and the girl's parents nodded immediately. I asked the girl about her opinion and told her that I would break the ice.

As soon as I came out of the room, I told my grand parents that I like the girl and he can invite her parents for further talks. Girl's family was going mad with joy and it was time for us to leave, girl came out and waved at me while I was leaving in the car and I responded. The day still remains fresh in my memories and would never die off.


Reach me at hifromsriram 'at' hotmail 'dot' com

Friends - Thought me how

In my life, more than anybody else friends have shaped my career. Here are some of the noteworthy friends

1> Belov a.k.a Prashant Pathak - We studied together in Jabalpur and then he went to Jabalpur where as I headed for Indore. Belov lives in Bhopal with his family and is in touch with me even today.

2> Rakesh Soni - The savior as far as my post graduation is concerned, he lives in Indore. We studied BSc and MCM (Actually he only studied) together. I keep calling him every now and then just to keep in touch. Rakesh I still remember your number (0731 - 2473072).

3> Roopesh Kaushik - Roopesh was a great friend of mine when I did my 12th standard in Indore. We were the left outs of the class as we struggled throughout the year but we got together well. I met him recently in a train to Nizamuddin, he is going to pursue his career in Indian Economics.

4> Chintu a.k.a Ankit Munjal - Chintu was a student of mine, I used to teach him all subjects when he was in his 9th class. He was my neighbor when we first came to Indore and was a great support. I got him a part time job in PMS India which he did for sometime. He manages his father's business so he is keeping busy nowadays.

5> Kedar - Kedar comes from a middle class family and is a relative of Chintu. I got introduced to him through Chintu and I also took tuitions for Kedar. Kedar this year managed to clear exam for management exam and is now going to pursue his MBA degree. I managed to get a job for Kedar in PMS India and he is still working there.

6> Santy a.k.a Santosh Yadav - Yes this is the same Santosh Yadav who was working with me in the call center. I got a job for Santosh in PMS India and he works with Kedar in the role for which I was recruited.

7> Nettai a.k.a Ashok - Ashok worked with me in PMS India for a year and then he went to Chennai to join his family. We had a great time together and he is working as a Project Manager in I-Flex solutions, Chennai now.

8> Chdha a.k.a. Veerpal Singh Chdha - Chdha too was working with me in PMS India for a year before he went to US to join Boston computers. He still works in US and is married to a Punjabi girl there only. He works for CA now.

9> Venky a.k.a C.N. Venkatesh - Venky was working with me in PMS India for a year, he is not in Singapore working for citicorp. Venky, Chdha, Ashok and myself were a gang at that time in PMS India.

10> Elumalai - Elumalai was from Kanchipuram and he was weak in Hindi, I used to hang out with him and help him with getting a hang of the language. He works for EDS, Chennai.

11> Suku a.k.a Suman Kumar - Suman was with me in CSC for nearly two years, he is now with Wipro, Pune and is my room mate now :-(. He was the one who told me how to blog and inspired me to write my heart out.

12> Nags a.k.a Nagarajan Karuppiah - Nags works for CSC and we were together with Suman, Sam and Lu for nearly 2 years. Nags likes Basketball but doesn't know the rules, it's OK. His hobbies include Basketball, Dandiya and he has a soft heart for...let me finish...Kids.

13> Sam a.k.a Bright Sam - Sam was a part of the gang at CSC. He hails from "Marthandam" near "Nagarcoeil". He is good at running and has deadly biceps.

14> LU a.k.a Sreenivasulu Chenupati - Lu is like a fatherly figure in CSC. He completes our gang at CSC and heads it too. Lu is known for his umpiring and being steady always, I mean even after few drinks.

15> Manish Yadav - Manish is from Indore and he works for CSC. He is like a Hindi pandit at CSC. We have travelled together to "Vaishneo Devi" and "Tirupathi". I had a great time with him.

16> Goti King a.k.a Ashok Kumar Tripathi - Goti King is known for his cheats. You can never rely on him but for friendship, he would go any further. He works with CSC as Administration Executive.

Without this bunch here, I would have just struggled and struggled throughout my life. Thanks you all for all that you have done.


Reach me at hifromsriram 'at' hotmail 'dot' com

Perception

Many would have stopped after getting a job of a software engineer in their own home town but I looked at it as a first break in my life and started looking for more options. I think that differentiates me from the rest of the crowd. I had a great respect for Krishnan for what he did, actually the policy of higher education says that if the company reimburses the fees then you have to stay for a minimum period of one year after your degree. Even though Krishnan didn't force me to sign a promissory note, I made it a point to stick for one year after I passed out in 2001.

In the year 2002, I entered into a second contract for one more year, this time the basis was "Quality training". This forced me to stay there for one more year and suddenly I had completed 4 years in the company. Since the first year that I spent was as a consultant, I had completed 3 years as per the records. I had to stay for one more year to get an award for completing four years and I did so. I received my award in November 2003 from my manager. People looked at me as a person who has dedicated his life time for the company but I wasn't one. I hanged just because of the circumstances and soon after getting the award, I started looking for options.

I think people perceived me wrongly, the five years that I spent in PMS India was just a beginning but many thought that I had done with the hunger to excel in life. I left PMS India in Feb. 2004.

Reach me at hifromsriram 'at' hotmail 'dot' com

Start of a beginning

When I first walked into the PMS India, it was like my dream office. I knew for sure that I am going to spend time here and I also knew it that I have to somehow get into software development. To start with I was put under Lakshman Krishnan and my immediate manager was Suren Bhandari. It was Krishnan who assured me that I can get into the main stream if I perform well in my duties. His favorite line was "Even if you are a cobbler, make sure you are the best in the town". So, he wanted me to excel in whatever I handled and I blindly followed him.

Days, months and year just went racing. I was engrossed in my job but I didn't loose my sight of becoming a software professional. I took admission in a course called Master of Computer Management, it was a part time course. Since my office hours prevented me from attending any full time course, this one was a perfect match for me. I would attend the colleges on Saturday only and in most of the cases wouldn't do so because of work load. My friend "Rakesh Soni", took care all the activities in the college and gave me a great relief. Soon Krishnan realized my struggle and convinced the office authorities to sponsor the studies. At that time, there was no policy to cover this but he in his own risk did all that was needed. With my office taking care of my fees and Rakesh taking care of my college activities, I was left only with doing a good job in the office and study for exams.

I studied hard and my hard work paid, I scored a decent 69% in my last semester. With this score, came a chance of becoming a Software Engineer, as promised Krishnan had put me into the main stream. I was now a Trainee - Software Engineer earning 25K per month. My dream of becoming a software professional had just come true, but this was the beginning of a new journey.

Reach me at hifromsriram 'at' hotmail 'dot' com

Great Year

The best thing about my college days was that, there was no external pressure on me to peform well. Whatever I did was all I wanted to do and you know what, I always dreamt of doing some 20 things before 30. Though the things are secret, I am in the mid of the list now. I composed the list when I was in my third year of college.

Third year was a great year in my life. After having left out the option of taking tutions, I started concentrating more on my new job. I got a 100% increase and now my pay was 1500 Rs. per month. Just when I was getting used to the things in life, a bad news was waiting just around the corner. My company was deciding to close their unit in Indore and I had to search for new job. My elder sister 'Akila' was working in a call center and she spoke to the guys there for an interview for a post of Customer Service Executive. You won't belive but I didn't even had a decent shoe to go for the interview, I borrowed one from 'Chintu', my neighbour and I was there on time for the interview.

They checked my typing speed and it was seventeen words per minute, too less to be considered for the job but since my sister was already working there and she had already established herself as a front runner in her post, they decided to give me a chance. I was told to increase my typing speed to over sixty five words per minute in one week, which I did easily. After one week, my speed was eighty words and I had the highest speed amongst the operators there, replacing 'Santosh Yadav' with seventy five words. The quest for being the best, was showing results in the workplace. I soon became the most efficient operator and one with a record 180 transactions in one hour. I used to study at my workplace in between those calls. My work timings were 3 PM to 10 PM and sometimes, I opted for night shifts for doing practicals and attending tests in college.

We had just managed our 'Kamakshi' (elder sister's) marrigae and my brother had to take loans for it. I was now earning 3500 Rs. and started supporting my family. My share was more than what it was earlier. Things were getting harder but it was in manageable limits. Just when earnings and expenditure was going neck to neck, a miracle happened. One night I was doing the 4 PM to 12 PM shift and at around 10 PM a call came. The caller after telling me the message to page, was engaged in a chat with me. We were not supposed to tell our names to the callers and so I didn't divulged information to him. The caller was kind enough to give me the details about a recruitment happening at PMS India for a post of librarian.

PMS India was a good company and one of the MNCs in the city. I knew that the company would pay well and I decided to give it a try. I was skeptical about the call I received but just the thought of attending an interview at a top MNC forced me to believe it and I was soon on the way to attend the interview. It was for real and when I reached there, I was amongst the twenty odd people who had turned out for the post. I was first inreviewed by HR representative and then by the admin head, followed by admin manager and then HR manager. I went there by 10 AM and it was already 3 PM and still I had two rounds of interview to go. The crowd was now reduced to five and soon the HR representative came and told all the remaining 4 to go away. I started realizing that I have craked the interview but I was waiting for the official news. The moment came when the HR representative, told me that they have selected me and they would expect me to join in another week's time.

I was already flying and after saying OK to her, I was literally running with joy to my home. Back home, I was going mad with the news and my mother cried with joy after hearing the news. I was going to get Rs. 4000 from next month onwards and more than anything else a job in PMS India was a dream come true for me. I had to go for a new job from 26th of October 1998 and I was all prepared for it. The new job didn't affect my studies though, I continued to excel and I scored 79% in my last year and a record 98% in Statistical Methods. I scored eight position in the university but more than anything else, I was satisfied for having got a job in PMS India after my third year. It still remains as an eventful year, which I would relish my whole life.

Reach me at hifromsriram 'at' hotmail 'dot' com