Welcoming Challenges with Hopes - Experience of a fresher into an I.T company and lessons learnt.

There is a famous quote in English... “Water Water Water everywhere!! Not a drop to drink!” in The Rhyme of the Ancient mariner.  Least I imagined in my tenth class when I came across this quote for the first time that I would have the same scenario in my life later. Here I am, to share with, my sufferings, experiences and even Lessons which would be a heads up for the rare and worst cases in the industry for the fresh faces stepping into I.T. industry. With so many campus recruitment offers for the I.T Majors, I thought I should share my experiences as Lessons for my fellow mates in the industry. 

I am a fresher with just 11 months experience into one of the biggest I.T companies in India. Lucky, I felt initially to be a part of training period with an awesome start given to my career and I felt even more luckier and privileged when I entered into a Project on the very first day I came out of training. Initial days of my project were very good with a splendid, motivating and mentoring Project Manager who took special care on grooming fresh minds into his project. It was a mammoth and big enhancement project which was given to the 10 new trainees. With such a project manager mentoring with his fullest enthusiasm and charm, it made me even more active to take up many initiatives apart from the actual  Project work.

My Team lead for this project, who is a star performer and a person with such a passion for the Coding, technology and Business, wanted the project to be completed with high standards. Known for his perfection and ambition to be the best always, he is such a great hard worker who has spent several nights and days continuously in office. There was ample time in the start wherein the policy makers of the project thought spending much time in training the fresher group was a useful investment. No doubt it was, but only a few got highly benefited.

There came a Quality Assurance(QA) lead who got promoted as a testing (QA) lead which she rightfully deserved for her experience and patience. But then, too much of involvement into her volumes of work, she had little time to spend on People Management. She was delegating works and handling pressures since she had to answer on-site calls and stuff. But then, the improper planning and her way of handling things made the Team members forget all her positive aspects.

I felt the team had the motivating think tank in the form of my Program Manager, who was later made to work at the client location. Now, there started the issue. There was no motivation, not even a light moment for everyone to share, nothing recreating and even a smile on the start of the day was misinterpreted. All that was there were a new offshore project manager and QA manager, loads and loads of works. Weekly status meeting turned out to be an inquiry session wherein the TL and Managers turned out to be the Ring Masters. 

Adding insult to injury was the problems I encountered in my personal life as well during these times with health issues & career cross-roads. Those times, I thought to myself about the above-said quote. I had everything around me. A Program manager, who can counsel everyone over phone to keep the spirits up and a TL who is a tech savvy guy and a team that toils day and night. But still, results’ producing was not up to the mark. What really lacked was found out when I observed my neighboring team. A rapport and ease of working was present uniformly with All Team members!! I compared my team and laughed to myself. A simple example goes like this. A defect raised by the QA team over my fellow friend who is a developer was blown up big and was closed “strictly as per the process” and when I pointed the defects over one of the fortunate guys in the favoritism band, the defect was valid and it was handled informally.

When I pointed out to my team lead that working for prolonged time curtails one’s productivity, he argued with me that only performance should be the Aim without understanding that one cannot deliver 100% always and in all times. I was even accused of “playing politics” within the team once for an open communication.

Many examples and illustrations popped, on what were stopping people mentally. A fresher, given a complex application to perform Quality Assurance testing and another fresher with a straight forward application were rated equally for performance and obvious things happened in the final appraisal. Then, I decided that If can’t change things presently which I observe, I need to play smart and put in my skills where that would be of some reach.

I am not that great a tech minded guy and nor a sheer hard worker on par with my Team leads who spend weekends in office and casually working for 14 hrs a day.  I feel that I would perform well in talking with people, business analysis things. Hence, I decided not to take things beyond the threshold and I started doing things that I liked much, which I had paused for few months in between as my mind was preoccupied with this project.

Now that I have faced a real time example, I wanted to incorporate the following things when I lead a team tomorrow. I wish to set up a team with the following aspects.

• An open place and platform for exchange of ideas and discussion of issues with a motive to arrive at the solution than to pin point others for a blame game
• A big project with expected rush at its end and the significance, if communicated as it is to the entire crew well in advance, the entire team would be entirely prepared to handle all unexpected things mentally as well as in work. Bottom-line: Planning and communicating the need of Toil well in advance and a small assurance that the toil would be of some recognition later
• A healthy competitive spirit between the members aiming at symbiotic growth and also for the wellness of the Team
• Better degree of mental ease wherein everyone is made comfortable to work with and coordinate with each other for the real learning and sharing
• Mainly, the phenomena of prejudice due to some unacceptable reasons would be avoided. Though it is too impractical in a workplace to be done, it would be a dream come true motivating factor when everyone is given the same race to run
•   Encouragement to enhance individual’s skills, irrespective of its use to the present project. This will make that individual feel motivated and it will again reflect in performance, indirectly. A small appreciation brings in tonnes of positive spirit
• I would make use of what someone is good at and explore the possibility of using that for the Project instead of loading them with works which they don’t like doing 

Truly, experience matters and this one year of significant learning, for which I am really grateful for. This article is not aimed at showing the dark sides for fresh minds.  There are much more things to see, and the hopes of seeing better things drive me. Me, the fellow fresher just wanted to make the new joiners anticipative and aware of the all the sides. No doubt it’s a race for every individual. But then, I wanted to make that a Team one so that even the losers are taken care of by the winners. 

ACCUSED!!!!!!

It’s ironical for having heard such a term in a so called POSH and corporate world while I have the faint memory to connect the term with Police Law and judiciary.

I, Vaibhav Srinivasan, solemnly declare that this article is based on a true experience and some introspection, I encountered few days back in my “Air-conditioned” and creativity confined office campus, which stands erect as a beauty of modern day steel structure completely glossy and amusing in the SEZ outside city limits. Yes., Very same office building, the perfect capitalist in terms of current consumption when the whole state sacrifices their needs for few thousand machines and professionals working inside.

The incident was very simple. Late night beyond 11:30PM, house keepers were allowed to clean our floors and one young fellow, probably of my age has manhandled a small glass article kept on a table. The ability of the sweeper to enjoy the artistic beauty of the fancy doll kept in my colleague’s table was kindled and when he tried to do it away from the eyes of his supervisor, he had failed and in tension he dropped the same.

It resulted in a fuss created by his superior to show off. He scolded very badly and used the term accused. The poor fellow was sent out of the scene getting tagged as misfit and I met him at the corridor when I was on my way for a late night coffee. I took him along with me when I realized the tears rolling down his cheeks.

We were in the fourth floor corridor and he started to talk slowly after wiping his cheeks... Let me put the terms in his plain blatant style and of course I just translate here and surely no exaggeration. He started as…

(Pointing out to a distant place down) There can you see sir? Some small hill kind of thing... I am coming from a village near that hill. We were, of course, a happy family with my dad and mom being the Farming coolie and I was busy with my schooling. We had very little money. I was like all other village lads, who were benefited by the free education from Govt.

Rains betrayed us.. Tractors and other Farm Equipments completely ruined us.. There was no need for Farming coolie and then came the announcement from our Govt. Our Village, safely inside from the sea border, was identified as hot spot for SEZ. We were assured of regular jobs, development, infrastructure, connectivity and what not. For the first time in my life we all had dreamt of seeing our village turning like MADRAS!!  

Cars, internet, Tar roads.. Facilities to come and cater us... It’s going to employ us as well. We were asked to leave our lands and we left our huts and even an asbestos sheeted accommodation was given to us.

Land owners gave away their land to Govt. and were settled with prices. We, the landless laborers were either taken as security guards, or house-keeping assistants. Initially, my mom was washing plates in the cafeteria you eat and my dad was the security guard in Gate-2. Now that competition came for us from North and those guys were ready to grab our chances for very less wages. Helpless, we were… My dad is now sent out of job and he turned lunatic and my mom falls ill often and she couldn’t work well. When I had the dream of learning something artistic, now I am left with no other options to run my family.

He continued with lots of his own story. I came back to my seat and googled with some serious thoughts and here are my findings…

Suicides have become common nowadays. Be it IITian or a farmer… It is a serious problem now. In Tamil Nadu alone, number of farmer suicide occurrences were 500 in 2008 and 1260 in 2009. For a quintal of paddy, manufacturing cost is like 1500 INR and the acquiring cost by Govt. itself is 700-1100 INR.

Tamil Nadu’s demand of food grains annually is 170 Lakh tonnes while the production is just 80 Lakh tonnes. If Karnataka and Andhra doesn’t supply us food, my friend, we are on the verge of starvation. The cost of fertilizers too increasing and the land loses it productivity gradually due to chemicals.

Statistics shut me down and I seriously realized even the domination is in power supply. I started wondering in what way the SEZs are qualified enough to exploit our Agriculture and small-scale industries. I got reminded of my project mate in college, Prasanthi, with whom I had argued much and only now I realize that I had nothing worth arguing and even now I can’t let off my job and stop anything that’s beyond my control. 

I frankly admit that I am currently eaten up by present-selfishness rather than future worries. I want to eat today and so I earn... But when the fear of tomorrow’s food availability comes in me, I get worried. My community should not stay hungry. I am currently developing software which in no direct means would feed a hungry person. And in due process I am sure I would have indirectly exploited farmers to whom the land originally belonged to...

By all means, I tried to justify my stand. But despite doing that.. I admit I feel guilty..

No solution... Whatsoever from me!!!

Just the article ENDS and not my worries…!!!

Pictures courtesy: Google!!! :) 

How “Good” are we???

A small break between works always makes way for some self introspection. Here, I am with few observations, rather questions for which I am searching for answers amongst the readers…

The main aim of this article is to recognize and pull few hearts amongst the millions inside the limelight. What makes those few hearts very special?? I began to question myself for which I sum up the answers here that I got in the due process of arriving at the solution.

I point out to the honest tax payer who does not drop even a penny to a well-built beggar and who just crossed the politician known for looting in crores and distributing few hundreds to the beggar lot, busily posing at the press photo-clicks. You can find a person in his mid forties standing in that long-queue at the temple for dharshan when a young couple quickly jumps in between bribing that authority.

When millions suffer due to power-cuts, I find a person buying emergency lamps for Govt. school children facing board exams and ironically a private party celebration being thrown, stealing the grid power by the kid of a minister, probably tomorrow’s minister. When I do not find a cop at a signal, I wish it never turns red to avoid that self pricking and embarrassing testing time.

But at the very instant of red, I find a middle aged man signaling to followers that he is going to stop his vehicle. I watched the busy city folks overtaking him and laughing at him. 

 I met a person recently who busted out due to helplessness that he could not book a tatkal train ticket at the counter for his newly married daughter and son-in-law and for which he had come to station by even 4 AM. I could even hear his wife scolding him in phone for not booking. I could not stop myself from getting annoyed against that reservation staff patiently reserving for his sister-in-law and was coolly flirting wither over cell-phone.

Honesty is surely the best policy. But to what extent is my question?? You can find all kinds of people in all shapes of this society like Work, education, travel, prayers, worship, road-discipline, entertainment and so on. There are few colleges which get millions as black money for capitation and pay a huge sum for companies for mass recruiting.

 I find majority of people being focused to their families, working day and night and who are afraid to commit any mistake. They seem to focus on future and always believe and dream that there is a better tomorrow for them.

I myself am an example from such a lot. The moment I stepped out of my college, I had several dreams and plans to live for a cause and for the society, environment etc…But now after 7 months into my company, I totally am caught into the cob-web of self-centered thinking. Competition on one side and promises and hopes for a better tomorrow on the other drives me. I am guilty of changing myself according to the tunes of my masters. I never bargain these days and pay twice for products and I don’t bother to stop for RED signal when my followers blast their horns. I don’t wait for white board buses anymore. Time is ticking and so is my strength and enthusiasm. The willingness to achieve maximum & enjoy to the fullest extent when I am healthy and the literal fear of tomorrow drives my today’s life.

I contribute to pollution sitting in AC 24/7 and I have a lion’s share of net electric power being in city. I download songs from internet throwing IPR laws to trash bin. But, some inner voice pulls out my guilt feel and the result is this article. I wanted to portrait those minority people who still believe in following laws and who still feel happy and secured for not breaking the rules and who still believe something good will happen in the future.

I sometimes feel the advent of technology has brought equity to a certain level. People book in internet and there is no favoritism in any form.  People question and share any issue in social networking and media and it makes them aware of what is happening around. More importantly, they express out much.

Those minority lots inspire me to be an honest tax-payer, a civilized common man. I am still confused “How good I am??”  Now, its time for you to think!!! Feel free to discuss, argue and ponder on this. If even a small percentile of inner feel makes you think after reading this article, my guilt feel would reduce much.

Fiery!!! More fiery..!!! & finally... Even more... !!!

There were moments in my life where situations set me on fire and I had to do something dramatic and encounter that. This one, happened during my college days is probably the worst ever that someone could even think of.

I was staying in a college hostel and it was the eve of beginning of study holidays. We were busy in packing our luggage and I was so excited the moment I was thinking about the home food, Mom's care and recently brought DVD player at home. Little I had known that time that this little gadget was going to spoil my entire vacation.

I had a friend in the next room of my hostel and we both were fans of actor Kamal Hasan. He had a collection of his comedy movies in a DVD and I had got his permission earlier to take home that DVD and enjoy watching it with my family. My family members are very much conservative and I wanted to surprise them with this movie collection as soon as i reach home. I had a night long journey and the moment I entered my house, I could smell the aroma of specially cooked dishes exclusively for me. It was a Saturday morning and my younger brother and Dad were getting ready. I hurriedly inserted the DVD into the player and I was asked to fill in a water bottle for my brother and I went inside the kitchen.

Few moments passed by and I could hear my Mom screaming on top of her voice and it later burst out as cry. When I came inside the hall I could realize the DVD reduced to pieces and My Dad too entered from another room. For few moments, I couldn't even realize what was going around me. Everything stood still for me as i was standing frozen, dumb and I could recollect that moment. My mom was shouting heavily which was evident from her annoyed face. My dad too joined in unison with her and brother was watching us.


I was brought back to senses with a slap I received on my left cheek. The reason was simple. The DVD I had brought was not a Kamal comedy movie one but it somehow got mixed up with other ones in the room and this one was a porno flick and it got resumed from an obscene part in the movie. This was more than enough for my highly conservative parents to burn out, as the anger gradually turned as tears and it made my situation even worse.

I had to convince my parents about my innocence and this took a lot of diplomatic efforts. I even had to do some justifications that No guy would ever dare to bring these things to house and I had to quote examples about hostel life, freedom given and we constructively utilizing the same. I returned back to hostel the same day and for a week almost I was engrossed with this issue. My other roommates came after ten days and I found the culprit who took my DVD instead of his. Once I narrated this remarkable happening, they all were initially looking at me helplessly. But, after a few minutes of silence,all of them busted out in laughter at the same instant and one even complained that I had to lose a DVD!!!

Anyways, with the belief that my parents relied on me and with the help of friends and brother, I brought back things to normalcy and this happening eventually turned out as something to be laughed at nowadays.

A beautiful soul!!!!

Now here is a story about a woman, who is very shy and not so expressive, highly conservative and orthodox. Maybe the first time I write about a woman and I wish to make it more special. She completed her graduation and was married to another not so expressive and humble fellow and they moved to the capital city at the start of 90's.

Initial fears of city life and the boredom associated with that and people around, everything was so new and even intimidating. She even felt for a moment that she was losing her freedom to express what she felt within. A boy was born and that brought her back to normalcy. She started loving her life and lived every moment of her life for that boy. She was blindly affectionate to her child that even her husband was not catered at times.

There was a time where she never sits when her husband was around and on the contrary her husband was a sceptic and rationalist who hated few meaning less custom. He practically believed all individuals irrespective of their sex deserve equal respect. Now that the boy grew gradually, the mom turned herself more dearer to him. Sacrificing a professional career to care for the child and always worrying about the welfare of her child, she was truly mad and blind in love. She even sacrificed materialistic world pleasures like televisions and she gave up watching movies and always was keen on saving for her kid's toys and needs.

The boy, with the freedom given at home had his option of choosing his career. There came a break when the guy moved to a hostel for a professional course. Mom cried because of this and she never wanted to spoil the mood of the guy when he left and she controlled herself and cried for many days secretly. Every time the guy calls from the hostel, she inquires about the food and money needs first,while the dad scolds for something or the other. She started saving in household to secretly deposit in her child's account.

The guy took so many years to realize how special his mom was. There was a family function at her brother's house and people had gathered and typical family comments by relatives mocking the attitude and behavior of the guy. The lady gets red and she even dares to fight and question her people, her brothers owing to the blind belief and love towards her son. She boycotts the function and walks out. This made the guy to realize how special his mom was.

Once he returned back from the hostel, she completely took care of him. The moment the boy wakes up in the morning, she is ready with the tooth brush with paste and once he is done, she is ready with a glass of water and coffee. She reads the cookery recipes to serve his child with delicious food. She even gets scoldings from her husband for being over affectionate like this. She even never allows his child to polish his shoes or wash his clothes. She once traveled all the way from home to his hostel just to wash clothes for the guy.

That evening, she and her son were sitting in the college canteen and she refused to have anything and the guy just finished his sandwich. A worker came to their table and she cleaned the left overs in the table. The mom was silent for along time as she was observing her son and when the worker left, she said, “had I been working like this at least daily I will get to see you!”. The guy was stunned and even screamed at her for making such a comment. He figured out the most affectionate bonding in this world for him.

He started realizing her sacrifices and he promised to him that for this soul in this world I can do anything to see her smile. She prayed always for him. Later on, she was literally burdened with lots of family duties from her mother like to take care of her sister from her village and to grow up her sister's son and to cater the needs of older people in her husband's side. She runs all the time and despite this she never fails to attend her child's needs. Whenever she goes out for some work, she ensures that every little need of her son is taken care of. To be frank, whenever she is given an ice cream in a marriage reception she carefully packs it home amidst all criticism from her husband. Not that she doesn't like ice creams, but she knows her kid likes it much.

Mockeries about the mom feeding the guy even in his teen and she washing entire lot of clothes of the family without employing a maid or washing machine,made the son guilty. His attempts to stop her from working all day and night ended up in vain. People even complained that her son would turn lazy and lethargic and never become independent. Even then, She defended her son. The son aspires to grow responsible realizing her sacrifices.

I forgot to mention the name of that lady. Her name is Mrs.Dharmambal Srinivasan. Luckily, I observed this lady very closely and maybe the closest, from her son’s eyes. Thanking God every moment for such a bonding itself seemed an irony as we fail to realize or realize late the GOD around us. How true the proverb is.. “God cannot be everywhere and so he makes mothers”. Just felt like writing about this special person in my life to make the readers discover or rediscover their special ones.

Love you Amma!!!!!

The art of Being blunt!!! (My first Short story)

For a civilian in the capital of a small country with one end set ablaze in war fire and where the general makes people believe definitely that the state is in perfect peace and harmony, I laugh to myself!!! Situation going to dogs!!! Few hundred yards away from the country’s most protected security area, the country’s harmony was made a child’s play!!! I wanted to yell this out to Mr. President!!! Poor he is… He is busy signing the peace treaties overseas. How could I disturb him with internal issues? Let this page of my diary substitute Mr. General, the busiest person of this nation!!!

 Let me address you, Mr. General!!!!

  

17:00 hrs. 20/10/2011

Dear Mr. General,

Hope you would have tasted a refreshing sip of export quality tea and by now, enjoying the scenic beauty of prestigious royal house gardens. The aroma of the best of its kind trees and with the luxury of blooming inside your gardens, even the flowers have the best resources to nourish than the men in this nation. But I know Mr. General; you work for the people always, day and night. 

Colombo is too good nowadays with busy people & business flourishing town streets, blessed infrastructure at its best in the country. I belong to a section which earns its livelihood with the fortune of dwelling in the capital. The city offers me almost every basic need. I am grateful to everything present here. I owe a lot to the city. But, there came a situation when I started to curse myself to be a part of this city. 

I wish ours had been a city without the over-emphasized feeling of regional Ethnicity. I was forced to thank my forefathers and ancestors to have married within my own ethnic group. More blessed I am when my ethnic group has the regional majority here!!! A trial drill of fear of death and life was depicted today in this “peaceful” nation. Thanks to the ruthless hooligans in the name of saviors of regional ethnicity. I never know, threat to peace never arises from weapons but with attitude rich of narrow-mindedness. 

I am not a well-read press reporter, neither a diplomat, not even a person with the knowledge of using inoffensive diction to combat reader’s embarrassments. I am just another passer-by who witnessed a serious parody of the so called harmony in our state. For very obvious fears of repercussions of this “diary entry”, I am deliberately avoiding the direct pointing out of the victimized ethnic group. Let me address them as just victims.

I believed till today morning that I lived in cosmopolitan, citizen & immigrant friendly city. The incident was very simple and more usual as it happens almost every day in some corner of the nation. Probably I guess, I am the only person to even bother about the location of happening today. It was very close to your place Mr. General.

A small chaos as described by the media and in terms of local cops, it is simple expression of frustration by a group of youngsters driven by their passion towards their regional ethnicity. But, it was not so for me. In fact I was just a silent observer of the “crime” demonstrated there.

I even heard the quick disposal and burying the debris of the war and corpses of victims turned as an art in Northern Province. I am not some emotional psychopath. What I narrate is what I perceived through the eyes of the unarmed civilian, more a common man of this nation. Like all, even I don’t express out my feelings that freely. If my Government expects me to forget something, I readily obey. I have nothing against you people. I am a plain, candid and simple citizen

The hooligans bluntly stopped that car which had the victims in it. I doubt if am, as per your laws, allowed to use the term “innocent” to them. If I could replace the term, I will term it “Unfortunate”.  A family, two little kids and by the mere sight of it, I was able to judge they are the minority ethnic group people. 

Minutes passed as one opened the gasoline tin and started to pour it over the car’s body. You know, I just love the aroma of gasoline products. Weird I am, without knowing the danger of even standing close to the car, was engrossed to my senses of smelling and my ears were too busy to listen to the then screaming of the family. As acts like pouring of petrol & ignition is something usual nowadays, I even followed their step by step activities.

Suddenly, something breaking the routine happened. A hooligan from the lot pulled away the kids from the car. It was almost the start of the adventure by the fire. One unusual act was paid back by.  The victim rushed out of the car; partly set ablaze, picked up the kid on the road, and went inside the same car consumed by the initial patterns of flames.

It brought me back to senses. When the parent feels death would be better than him being made a destitute in streets, it was already a revolution and a complex decision for a common man like me. I was too active as I heard the sound of the door being shut down. It clearly was the best exemplification of his helplessness, agony and anguish. It conveyed a stronger message which is definitely beyond the scope of treaties you sign.

Evening, I took a stroll back on the same road. Everything was brought back to normalcy. The left out parts of the car alone is present in the roadside. I know, our city corporation is very shrewd and hygiene is their foremost duty. Well, I leave with no expectations. When you have time to go through the newspaper tomorrow, kindly think of that particular victim for a moment along with that sip of the best in class coffee tomorrow morning.

Enjoy your evening,

A citizen from Capital city!!!

To All My teachers!!!

When she stood tall there in the class and taught me how to write the alphabets, hardly I knew that she is lighting the lamp of my life. Like all, I cried in KG classes but from there I learnt what the teachers really mean to every individual. For every child, they are the first outsider whom they meet and who nourish their nurturing talents. But later we don’t even bother to mind our parents and blindly believe the teachers. We learn from them, and we even surpass them in knowledge. But, the gratitude we owe to them is something which one cannot repay in a lifetime.


We meet different teachers at different points of life and each one is different in their own aspects. Luckily for me, my teachers, both in school and college have been my role models and impact of them is seen in me in every aspect.
My school believed in the culturally sound “Guru-Sishya Parampara” and we even celebrated “Guru Poornima” on par with teacher’s day. In fact, I still remember few teachers who resembled a second mom and school being my second home.  My school taught me values beyond the books in which the teacher’s role was instrumental. School Teachers shape our dreams, drives and they even play a greater role in choosing our favorite subject to proceed on. We were even given a chance to handle the lower classes on this September 5 and it made me realize the pleasure in teaching.
College was fun and teachers were even friendlier. Never had I dreamed, I would call up a teacher on the eve of exam and get to know about a basic fundamental concept. How many times you ask, whenever you ask and where ever you stop them (I still remember learning a concept of fourier in canteen and my sir was patient enough), they are always eager, quench our thirst of knowledge.
This tradition even continues in office. Only difference is the way they are called… “Trainers”. Still, the tradition continues and will continue forever. I dedicate a sincere gratitude to all my teachers and I am sure they are the ladders for our heights. Happy teachers day to all!!
P.S: Tagging few of my teachers till date from school, college and Office here.  Thank you all!!