A surprisingly happy post.

Yes, I'm writing again. I know I said I wouldn't blog again, but this week has inspired me to do this.

As a short catch up, I'm living in Mumbai now, working with Deloitte Consulting. The extent to which life has changed after coming here is so immense, that it I've decided to dedicate a completely different post to it. Let's fast forward a bit for now.

So about two months ago, I receive a mail from my college, informing me of the date and time of the convocation.

I'll be honest here. I was exasperated at the thought of going back to college. True, I wanted to catch up with my close friends, but the thought of getting those umpteen signatures and certificates was tiring itself. In any case, I had to go.

A few weeks later, I proudly purchased the flight tickets with my own money for the first time.

The initial apprehension began fading away as the day of my journey, November the 1st, inched closer. I believe this was largely due to the monotony of work for a prolonged period.

As a result, I was pretty excited while packing my bags the night before my journey, not because I was finally meeting my friends who I hadn't seen for about a year, but because this was a welcome break from work. And I hadn't even gone home for Diwali, which has never happened before.

If you're wondering how someone couldn't be insanely excited at the prospect of going to a convocation, then here's your answer. After spending six solitary months training in Baroda, I think I hardened up a few notches. Inured, as my friend Rishav quotes.

I headed off for Pulkit's home via the metro after landing in Delhi at around nine. But I changed my mind midway, and went to Gunjeet's instead, since it was already getting late and our cab to Patiala would be starting there itself.

Following a series of instructions from Gunjeet for reaching his house from the metro station, I felt as a guy going to rescue his girlfriend from a kidnapper. Since his parents were around, I couldn't exactly yell out nonsense (like I imagined I would) when I finally saw him and Mathur at the door. While catching up with both of them, I looked forward to the cab ride next morning.


Sadly, the ride to Patiala wasn't as entertaining as I'd hoped it would be. It was easy to figure out why. They (Gunjeet, Mathur, Pulkit, Nitin, Karan) were all used to running into each other every other month. This was nothing new. The only interesting part was Mathur's handwriting analysis. It's funny how everyone wants to know what they project to the world, irrespective of their i-don't-care-what-people-think attitude


From the moment I got off in college, I saw a similar pattern. The people I wanted to actually spend time with didn't even seem moderately interested in doing the same. But then evening came, and people seemed to come in torrents out of nowhere. Hugs and handshakes galore.


Yet again, the juniors were the more enthusiastic lot. Some of my batchmates were an absolute delight as well. You just know from that first look when you meet someone, that he/she is genuinely happy to see you again. And that feeling just gets better when it comes from someone unexpected.


So much in life depends on the choices we make. The following morning I chose not to do some formalities to get some money refunded. And the day after that, I didn't take our cab for Delhi. Two great decisions. Two perfect days.


I call this a surprisingly happy post. Usually during college, my image was that of a moody depressed guy. This week, looking at everybody, I felt like the happiest guy in the world.
Chatting away like a gossip girl, skipping meals and other comforts like sleeping, just to meet everyone. Some sacrifices are worth taking.


I think my experience would've been different had this convocation been 4 months ago. But thanks to Mumbai, I've been re-programmed. More on that in the next post.

How I met my Employer: Epilogue

28th December, 2010.

The sun was setting in Vadodara, after a really long day. Dad and I had been house-hunting for four days now, and our efforts seemed to get vainer and vainer. Tired of waiting for a phone call, we were getting tea at some sub-standard restaurant. Not surprisingly, I wasn't in one of my best moods.

Yes, I had been placed in Evalueserve. I know I ought to feel proud of it, but for the repeated instances when my parents forgot the name of the company. An good healthy inferiority complex had built up in my conscience. Who am I, really ?

Jason Bourne : Who am I ?

So I was still looking out for any on-campus opportunities to come by. Some good consulting firm, which was more heard of, and didn't have a problem with a gpa of 6.9 . Sitting on some stairs, leaning carelessly against the wall, I checked my email. Our placement head had sent us a notice of the companies to visit.

Being in Gujarat, I couldn't afford to waste any time considering any possible travel to Patiala. Tickets had to be bought soon, if they were to be bought.

But my excitement and hurry weren't able to open the attachment on my phone. Or maybe I just couldn't figure it out then. So I called home immediately, and started instructing my mom. I had kept a simple password, so that I could reveal it in these situations.

Exasperated with my exasperation, mom called my brother to the computer as being a Gen-y'er he was faster.

"Tata consultancy services."
"Okay, what's the CTC ?"
"3.something (I don't remember)"
"Next please!"

Likewise went Wipro alongiwith some companies I hadn't heard of, until finally,

"Nomura services." If auditory neurons could shout, I can imagine 'Oh my God!' as one of their chants. But I didn't get my hopes up too much, and asked "Open to branches ?"

"CS, ECE, EIC."
"Package?"
"6 L"
It still wasn't time to shout.

"Minimum CG?" Tense moment.
"6.5"

They had recruited only one at NSIT, apparently. So I wasn't that pepped up yet. "Go on."

"Deloitte."

I had been waiting to hear or read that name since last september, when the placement season had started. And no, I didn't have the slightest idea what exactly they did, but this was a name you can't expect people to forget.

"CTC: 5.2 L , CS ECE EIC Elec."

"Good.. and minimum CG?" Super tense moment. I had long harbored fear that Deloitte eventually come to recruit, but will ask for a 7 gpa. Some people have a habit of imagining the worst.

"6."

My liver : "What is it now, you bloody neurons ?"
Chief Neuron: " Emperor brain calls for a party. Muster up all the adrenaline you can!"

I think I got carried away a bit. But you heard chief neuron. Not my fault.

The written test for Nomura was scheduled for 10th of January, and Deloitte on the evening of 12th, which would extend onto the 13th.

Dad somehow instructed Mom to buy the train tickets. Nomura was actually visiting on 17th, so the return was bought for the 19th. But then I also got one return for the 15th, in case I get through Deloitte. It felt stupid saying that, due to general lack of confidence, but still.

Later in the evening, we finally found a cyber cafe where I could properly see it for myself. There was an attachment specific to Deloitte, and the moment I opened the excel sheet, words like Java, SAP, oracle came screaming to my face.

"Looks like they'll recruit only people from computer science then." Before I could hopelessly agree, there was a section titled minimum requirements. Good analytical and communication skills.. the usual. There had to be a reason they entitled the electronics' branches.

Then I sent a mail to Harry, inquiring for the number of computer science students applying, because when I checked it a few days later, not many from my branch had applied.

Harry replied with the entire list. Clearly I could see that the bigshots had opted out, as dream companies like Yahoo and Microsoft were yet to visit. (Deloitte was given 'dream status'. And once one gets selected in a dream, he's ruled out for the rest.) That's when I realised, I seriously had a shot at this.

For all you patient readers, I'm sorry I have to fast forward at this point. I'm not disclosing the details of the process publicly. In case any of you are really interested, you can ask me privately.

This will most probably be my last blog post. Any forthcoming ones will be purely psychological. I doubt anyone's interested.

500 people, including the Head of the placement council laughed at me in an introductory seminar in September for asking a valid question, which was misinterpreted by the entire fourth year somehow.

Seniors told me my gpa just wasn't enough to hope for too much.

Ten months ago I said there is no way in hell I can make it to a dream company.

I'm going to Mumbai day after tomorrow to join Deloitte, as a BTA (Business Technology Analyst).

A moment I'd like to see again soon.

Episode III: The Aftermath and Afterthought

'Totally got molested.'


Pulkit and Harry were waiting outside the placement cell, and these were the very words that popped into my head, and out of my mouth, after the second interview.


One might say after reading the interview now, that it wasn't that bad at all. But then comparing my walk and talk during and after the first interview the day before, this really was something.

I waited outside for further instructions, since I saw some people going for a third interview. Now I had no idea what that meant; but at that moment I could only suppose that these interviews were like levels to cross in Mario.


It was almost 3 o clock, and I went to get some lunch in the cafeteria. When I got back, a girl I knew was going in for her fourth interview.


Was she using a cheat code ?


Worries had now started to crop up in my head, which was obvious as my nervous head was the perfect fertilizer, and the interviewer had so kindly planted the seed. With nothing else to do, I kept on asking the guys assisting the whole process, whether I was supposed to wait for another call.


It was half past five, and still I hadn't been called. Many got a third interview, and I didn't like being left out. Finally, they said they had completed the interviews and were ready with the results.


We were asked to gather in another room. Harry and Pulkit were standing alongside me, and so we waited. After what seemed an eternity they entered, and we all instinctively stood up, as we've always done when someone in a tie and a suit enters the room.


They were recruiting in three different categories - Business Research, Investment research, and IPR; I had applied for BR. They started announcing the list with the very same.


The silence was deadening, and I felt cold inside. If dementors were real, they were in that very room.


My heart paced more and more with each name spoken out in BR, until they stopped. I think my heart would've followed suit, but the very next second, they proceeded with IR, and my name was the first spoken out.


Sachin could've been a few feet away, a dragon might've flown by, but once my name was uttered, there was no way in hell I would've noticed.

Twelve students had finally made it. I felt sorry for the girl who got left out in spite interviewing four times. Twelve, out of the 280 odd that started.


I would not go into details of the celebration, although I assure you all I didn't run naked on the street, kiss anyone or get high that day.


Jokes and brags aside, there are a few things I notice once I reflect back on those couple of days. I believe these tips might be of some help.


Note: This is what my experience was. Interviewers are unpredictable, and what follows may not be true in some cases.

• Resume: Be wary of everything you write in your resume. Every single word. Especially the extra-curriculars. More than half my interview was about that section.

• Certificates: Neither of the two interviewers asked for my folder of certificates. So save yours and your friends' time by telling them that running around and begging for an Aranya certificate will do no good. Whatever you did or achieved should be on the resume. They're not interested in a fat colorful stack of cursive handwriting.

• Cheating: Okay this is tricky. I didn't cheat to get through, but the reason might have been that they shortlisted around 90 out of 280. Say it took just 30, then groups of students might put a loner into disadvantage. Watch out.

• Luck: This is a bit more deep, and ought to be shared.

I honestly don't believe in luck. Yes, I believe in chance, but I don't hope for it to work wonders.

I'm usually referred to by people as pessimistic and/or cynical. But when it comes to stuff that matters, believe me I'm the most optimistic guy in the world. Those hours I waited with an empty stomach, for my second interview, never did my optimism waver. Many would get frustrated in the same scenario, and trust me that is bound to reflect in their interview as well. 

There are some questions to which many answers are possible with multiple explanations, but only one perfect set pleases the interviewer. I didn't prepare any of them beforehand, but was spontaneous. Where some might say I got lucky, I'll say that my blooming spirit did it's job. When you're thinking positively, the things you say in your spontaneity will reflect that. So, try not to get frustrated during the procedure.

Also, don't beat yourself up if you realise you've given a wrong answer. Nobody who gets selected has all the right answers. Sometimes it doesn't even matter whether you're right or wrong.

All the best to everyone gearing up for this !

Of Movies and Musings.

1.This post is not intended in any way to criticize anyone's opinions.

2. When I say movie, I mean Hollywood.

Just like for anything else, everyone has their own opinion of movies they watch. Where once only the Academy existed, now there're entire websites dedicated to reviews and ratings. IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes.. you get the point.

This, inevitably has led to the biasing of the public's judgement. Many worship IMDb and their list of the top 250, and some of them don't watch anything rated below 7. Others call the movie total crap if it somehow passes over their head, or doesn't live up to their expectations.

Personally, I don't judge a movie by its rating. Not entirely, at least. I think I've more faith in the Academy.

Now you can all come at me flying with daggers, 'Tera kya jaa raha hai... Sabki apni choice hai..' etc.

Before you do so, I'm not here to tell you to make the right choice. This is not about what movies you like, but about those you don't like and tag as nonsense. The minds behind the movie deserve much more respect and credit than what we give. After all, it's a work of art.

Consider Da Vinci's art as an example. Most of you would be aware about the plethora of interpretations of The Last Supper, or the symmetrical beauty of The Vitruvian Man or the mystery behind that Mona Lisa smile. Heck, these very intricacies form the grounds for so many novels, and subsequently documentaries/movies.

That's the power of one single image.

Imagine the possible depth in a string of such images. Vis-a-vis, a movie.

If you think that you can comprehend that depth in one watch, you're kidding yourself. Of course, not everyone prefers to go that way. Some like it shallow. But please don't go mocking legends like Christopher Nolan, just because you didn't get Inception. 

DiCaprio with God.

Again, the problem is not is your depth or shallowness. Yes, some people just watch movies for fun, and some dig deep and try to look from the director's perspective. But no movie deserves to be called trash, especially when a movie blossoms after the painstaking efforts of hundreds. Ask yourself, does calling Mona Lisa stupid make any sense to you at all ? A movie is no different. They're both a work of art.

One of my friends made a movie (Antiparallel) in his first year. There was a lot of publicity before the screening, and expectations were high. I couldn't attend the screening for some reason. Afterwards, on what I heard from most friends, they didn't get one bit of it. Two years later, when this guy became a close friend, I finally watched it. Obviously, after what most people said, I wasn't too fussed about watching it.

It turned out to be superb. I had to watch a couple of scenes twice, and had a doubt about the last one. But coming from a first year, it was surprisingly intense and ornate.

I felt guilty about my earlier judgement. Art needs time to be perceived. 

The same goes for Inception too. Every time I watch it (5-6 times as of now), I observe something new, and it leaves me astounded every single time.

I'm not endorsing my friend's movie or Inception here (But I don't deny Christopher Nolan is my God). At some point, I'm sure many of you have discovered new insights after watching a movie again.

Lastly, this isn't a request to go watch the entirety of Hollywood and try hard to fall in love with every one of them. It's obviously up to you what you wanna watch. All I'm saying, some movies deserve more than one watch to be judged. And don't let sites like IMDb cloud your opinion even before you watch it, when you have a working brain to make your own opinions.

So, the next time you hear your mom tell off you, or your sibling, "Kitni baar dekhoge? Aajtak koi chapter toh padha nahi ek baar se zyada..", you can tell her that:

Mom, there are some things that are just meant to be done again.

What I miss about College

Today is 28th July, officially the last day in my college, Thapar University. People are celebrating the end of their exams, guys are getting clicked with every girl who as much as even looked at them once in their four years; roommates, old and new, are realising they never actually got themselves pictures with weird poses. The world looks as if it has gone from 16 bit colors to 250 million.

Me,  after my goodbyes.

At least that's what I could make out from facebook.


I'm sitting at home right now, looking at all those smiles and smileys, with a part of me wishing I was back there right now, just for a day, an hour, or even a minute. People commonly call that part a heart.


Yes, I know I went through all this six months ago. You'd think saying goodbye brings closure. Turns out it doesn't.


Earlier this month, I was going back home from Baroda in a Volvo. After the scheduled movie (Dum Maaro Dum) was over, the conductor shifted to songs, while I shifted to earphones. I thought I haven't opened my phone's gallery for a while, so I started exploring. 
There I stumbled upon some video clips from my last semester. I hadn't looked at them even once since I left, afraid of being hit with bouts of nostalgia.


Anyway, I got over it and started watching. This is an excerpt from one of the videos. It's Rishav's Birthday. Gunjeet is recording.


"Nahi jab main keh raha hoon mujhe nahi pitna !"


That was Ujjawal. We were done beating up Rishav. No, it wasn't his birthday too.


Rahul: "Abe kya baat kar raha hai, tu kabhi nahi pita??!! Ek baar toh banta hai saale."


Ujjawal: " Haan toh phir main maarta bhi nahi na kisi ko. "


Me: "Abe mujhe dekh, aajtak kisi ko nahi maara phir bhi pit ta rehta hoon."


Rahul(before anyone can respond): "Haan phir tu ch****** hai na."


Everyone bursts out laughing, amongst which the cameraman's laughter could be clearly heard. Including me, the butt of Rahul's jokes the entire semester.


I started snorting as well. Being a public place, I had to keep it down. Most people would think a guy would regret being the victim of someone else's jokes for six months, but not me. I never really had a problem with it. Now, I miss it.


Whatever you through in your college life, the highlights are never the sixes and fours. They're never your most 'successful' moments, or your most romantic one.. not even the memory of getting a job. But those random chains of thought leading to uncontrollable gales of wild laughter, those stick. If you call college a roller coaster ride, I don't think any of us enjoy the ride as much as screaming together while it happens.


A few days ago, I had a dream. Nishit, Raman and I were walking to a bench at the back of a class. Just before we sat down, I said  Raman, and Nishit started his wild laughter, which itself got me going.


And then I woke up. Those are the only ten seconds I remember. But they were enough to make me miss some very special times. There was a pang of guilt for not talking to Nishit for so long.


I don't know if others will or have experienced anything similar, but this isn't even the tip of the iceberg. People say these four years are the golden years of your life. Even so, I'd like to think and hope that, this was just one roller coaster, and there's an entire carnival waiting out there.

Episode II: Judgement Day.

"Sometimes the truth isn't good enough, sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded..."

The common room echoed with the calm and desperate growl of Christian Bale. Curtains were about to close on 'The Dark Knight', as well as our results of the first interview. The clock was carelessly approaching quarter to ten. It was time to go.

Off I went, with a friend along the lonely dark road, dressed in a tee and shorts. One simply can't resist showing off how cool he/she can be in the tensest of situations, which is rarely the truth. After waiting for about ten minutes outside the placement cell, a member of the placement council came out with a list and an important looking face.

They had shortlisted forty students, out of the 92 interviewed. I got through, along with most of my friends, and everyone was asked to be present there at 9 o clock the next morning.
I wasn't that pleased, to be honest. Yes, my interview was that good.
Back to the hostel, I had no idea what to prepare for the next morning. I just went through the stuff Rahul, Lovneet and Shruti had given and taught me, and setting the alarm to 6.30 am, I went to bed.

JUDGEMENT DAY:
It took me a few moments to realise why the alarm was ringing in the early morning. There was no real hurry, and I started grooming myself in earnest. After putting on the tie and looking in the mirror, a feel-good factor blossomed out of nowhere. Instead of doing the 'last minute revision', I asked Harry to take a few clicks, to which he sportingly agreed. I went into Rishav's room and told him, 'I don't wanna say it out loud, but I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get placed today!'

Almost everyone came on time to the placement cell at 9 am. No sequence was put up on the notice board. In fact, they started the interviews at ten.
Eleven o clock. Nishit and I were still waiting for our turn.
Noon. I was getting hungry, but only went for water. Nishit was getting frustrated.
Somehow the delay didn't bother me. I was prepared to wait all day for this. Such crazy optimism is highly unusual for a person like me. So I decided not to eat till I was done.

They finally  called us both in to wait at 1.30 pm. The people that were coming out said that they were getting a different interviewer. I tried to find a pattern, but there was none. Some students were even going for their third interviews.

At long last, the moment arrived. In contrast to the previous one, my walk was steadier, more confident. This time the glass door did open smoothly, but contary to what I expected after forty minutes, it was a trembling hand that left the door knob.
The ones who got the surd (sort of leader of the team), wore a bewildered look after they came out. Thankfully (I thought then), mine wasn't him. He greeted me with a smile. I wonder if his jaws were hurting after doing that all morning.

All was still well, as he asked me my name and a general introduction. But right after that my panic alarm started ringing. I'm so glad he couldn't hear it.
"Okay Kishore, tell me something interesting about yourself." Inspite of my love for spontaneity, it's always reassuring when you hear a usual question. I had no idea how to react to this.
"I've lived in a variety of places, Sir. I've experienced diverse cultures and dealt with many different people."
"Even the army goes around in many places. What's so interesting about that?"
That totally took me off guard. But I supposed this was some kind of test, so I decided not to back down.
"Sir, I'm a very creative person." (I was thinking, 'Yeah, that ought to show him!')
"I see. Then design an advertising campaign for this paperweight."

I spent the next few minutes staring into the paperweight, thinking of a witty tagline, instead of a plan. But my creative instincts, usually so good, weren't there. His retort about the army seemed to have ruined it. The words came out incoherently, but they weren't that bad.

"With the sole function, sir, it would be difficult to market it, unless we increase its functionality. Bluetooth chips are embedded in all sorts of places these days, so maybe we can install a bluetooth chip along with an MP3 player. It would obviously increase its price, but it's necessary if we have to make it viable for the market at all."
After his thoughtful nods, I leaned back on my chair. Some would say that's not polite, but I felt a need to show I'm relaxed (which I wasn't.)
"Why do you want this job?"
"Sir, firstly I want a non-tech job. Secondly, I think I have the necessary skills for ..."
"And what do you think those skills are?" He cut me off.
"Umm..good communication and analytical skills..the skills which aren't reflected in a gpa, and I appreciate that on your part."
"Why do you think other companies give weightage to gpa so much?"
"They obviously think that a good gpa shows sincerity and a hard-working regime."
"So you're saying you're not sincere or hard-working?"
"I'm not saying that, sir, that's my point. You can't make those judgements purely on one basis."
"Hmm...so you think we're all duffers, we don't know what criteria to choose for our employers."
Maybe he was trying to shut me up, but it didn't work on me.
"Not at all sir, no.  You can look at my grades, for instance. If you look at any technical subject, I'm not quite the expert, but look at the other stats. Like the summer training."
"Summer training...everyone scores well in those."
"I topped my class, sir. I'm really good with presentations." I was actually second best, but this was a call of desperation.

"Okay Kishore, I'm going to give you a case study to solve. Your college has a cultural fest, right? What's it called?"
"Saturnalia."
"So let's suppose that Saturnalia is held in..umm..Thapar University. I want you to estimate the amount of wheat flour consumed in your college, in those five days. I'll be back in a while." And he left the room. It was just the two of us now; me and the wheat problem.

I approached in the standard way; first classified all the population into the hostels, teaching staff, guests.. upto even the guards and peons. (Well, they eat too.)

As I was approximating the numbers staying, he came back in. I started explaining my assumptions to him, "..the first year strength will be quite low as most go home during the fest.."
Then I considered the usage of wheat flour in the hostels; parathas and rotis. He'd asked me to leave out the vendors coming from outside."What about bread?", he asked.
"Sir you said the wheat flour consumed within the college. Bread is manufactured outside. Otherwise I'd have included Maggi Atta noodles as well." Yes, I actually said atta noodles.
Then I made more assumptions, like the amount of wheat used in a parantha - 100g. I also considered the consumption according to the time of the day. For instance very few people have lunch in the hostel, during the fest, and prefer to eat elsewhere.
I worked my way to a very unrealistic number. I wasn't sure about my calculations. "Do you think it's realistic?" "Yes sir, I do."

"Kishore I've got one last question for you. Say you work a year at Evalueserve. Then you get an offer from McKinsey, who offer a better package at the same position. What would you do?"
"Sir, if I ever thought I was good enough for McKinsey, why would I apply for Evalueserve?"
He repeated the question, "No, I'm saying you will get the offer. Then what?"
Thankfully, I made up for the dumbest answer of my interview with the best one.
" At this point, money's not that big an issue for me, sir, it's all about the experience right now. And if, after one year I'm satisfied with my job in Evs, and if money's not a problem for me, I don't think there's any reason for me to leave the job."
He seemed pleased this time, "Good. Thank you Kishore, that'll be all."

And that's why the hand trembled.

The longest wait of my life (yet), had just begun.

That night sky

I've always heard people use the phrase, 'when time seems to have stopped'. But there wasn't any phase of my life in particular, where I could realize that, until this friday.

Nowadays my life isn't very interesting. I go to office, open facebook, and rush back home when the clock strikes five...only to open facebook again. It's not that I'm obsessed with it, but it keeps me in touch with someone or the other. The most tangible form of communication, in this intangible life.

It's like sitting in a theater all day, you know. You watch the same movie over and over again, all the while hoping someone comes and sits by your side, so that you could finally talk to someone.

Anyway, when I got to my seat on thursday morning, I noticed something odd. A lot of employees seemed to be wearing T-shirts, including the scanning guy who was wearing a quoted one. This made me check the calendar in my Galaxy 3, and sure enough, it was friday. The informal casuals day in most offices, being the last working day of the week.

I simply couldn't believe it.

When you get up in the morning, you always subconsciously calculate the days left to the weekend, and apparently I was one day behind. And usually it's the opposite case with people. I can imagine a cartoon of 'time' pointing and laughing at me in a race, 'Wow, someone actually lost to me!

I expected my happy neurons to cry out 'Yaay !!!', the same way kids shout when the school bell rings. But there was no such jolt, as I also realised there was actually nothing to look forward to this weekend.

Right then, I came across this news about the supermoon. I've always been fascinated by the night sky, and observing the moon used to be a great pastime.

So today evening (Saturday, i.e.), I planned to go out to grab a bite and finish just in time to watch the supermoon. Darkness had fallen outside the cafe, while I was munching on my Mexican sandwich, and sipping a very delectable strawberry frappe, watching Brett Lee bowl fiercely to Pakistan. It was the first thing I saw, the moment I stepped outside.

The supermoon was statistically supposed to appear 14% bigger. I couldn't tell the difference from the usual full moon. Maybe it's freckles were looking more prominent. Kind of like looking celebrities closely, only that this was celestial, and not a celebrity.

As I was walking back to my rented apartment, the familiar strings of 'Nothing else matters' by Metallica, had started playing in my earphones. Music like that starts showing in your walk, and I galloped back home, noticing the other pedestrians, enjoying their own chores, oblivious to the closeness of the moon.

I couldn't wait to look at the all the jealous stars, who were even more jealous of the moon tonight. Just as I reached the stairs to the terrace, the earphones were still plugged in, and the solo was about to begin in three or four seconds. Fifteen steps lay in front of me. Could I do it?

I did. The first note of the solo coincided with my last step on the stairs. Words cannot describe how great I just felt. Moments like that make me blog about the moment.

"So close no matter how far. Couldn't be much more from the heart. Forever trusting who we are. And nothing else matters..."

As the solo subsided, onto the gentle ending lines, I felt immense despair and solitude. I long for, and wait for the time, when I won't be alone in the enchantment of the night sky.

Episode 1: The First Interview

The glass door opened smoothly, despite the trembling hand pushing it. I had just walked into the first interview of my life. The silence was so chilling, I hoped my heart beats weren't audible.

"Good evening, Sir." I put on my most humble and confident voice, with a hint of a smile.

The interviewer told me his name, which I didn't pay attention to. He ruffled around some papers on his table, probably from the previous interview. "Would you please throw these away ?" I promptly did.

As I settled on the chair comfortably, he asked, "Are you all right with the temperature ? Or you want the AC to be turned off ?". I honestly didn't care. "No sir, it's all right."

He gestured for the resume in my hand, which I had kept outside the folder. As he started to read my name, I helped him out. "Pisapati Kishore, sir. I'm a south Indian." I was counting on the name to make him grin. It worked.

Skimming through the second page, he saw my gpa record. "Tell me, why are some students having their grades upto six semesters, and others, just five ?" I wondered whether he was checking my senses, or genuinely interested. "Sir, actually the mechanical and ECE students had their training in the 6th semester, and their results are not yet out."

"Okay. So, you can start now." Start? Was there a paradigm? So I spontaneously gave my intro, "I'm Kishore, doing my BE in Instrumentation. I belong to Hyderabad, but since my dad's in Indian Oil, my home keeps shifting every now and then."

Everything I said was spontaneous. I just had glanced over the common HR questions before the interview.

The page flipped, and now he was reading my favorite part; the extra-curricular activities. "An editor. Can you explain what kind of editing did you do?"

"Sir, the newsletter's basically divided into four sections. I was the editor of the most popular one, C.G.P.A. And I didn't just edit the content submitted to me, I made a few contributions myself too, especially in the gossip section." "Gossip, I see.", he smiled. "Yes sir, it needs to be really witty and funny, as it's obviously the most popular." He looked impressed.

"Okay, so what would you say is your biggest achievement in college?" I didn't need to think twice. "Sir, there's a inter-hostel literary fest held here, called Acumen. I was elected as the representative of my hostel, which meant I was personally responsible for seven hundred people." I paused for his jaw to drop a few inches. It didn't. Just the usual head bobbing.

"Events like debating, poetry, role-playing, and some word games are conducted. I not only chose the participants, but entered myself and won my team a couple of events. Plus, there were marks for publicity too, which I handled pretty well. My team and I eventually won the trophy." There was no mistaking the reassuring nod this time. I was completely relaxed now.

He skipped over the theater part, and read the last line. "Football." "Sir, whether it comes to TV, computer or  real life, football is.." He broke me off, "Do you think Liverpool will win this league?" That caught me off guard. Despite it being an interview, there was no way I'd say it would. "No sir, their performance has been dismal this year."
"Hmmm..did you watch yesterday's match? I can't remember.." He tried to recall the outcome, but it seemed outlandish. Was he faking it ?

"I did, sir. It was against West Brom, I think. Torres scored the winner. It was a fantastic volley."
"Ahh.. yeah yeah!" Being a United fan, I couldn't believe I had watched it.

"So Kishore, why do you want this job?"  What was that ?! I felt as if someone had dropped a bucket of ice cold water on my head all of a sudden. "Firstly, sir I want a non-tech job. Secondly I've heard a lot about how valuable the work experience from this company could be. And I really appreciate the fact that gpa is not a criteria for.." He cut me off, "Okay, what was your favorite subject then?"

This was the only answer I'd decided before stepping in. "Total Quality Management, sir."
"TQM...are you familiar with the probablity curves?" It took a moment to sink in.
"Oh, you mean probability distribution? Yeah, somewhat." Surely he wasn't going to ask me the theory?
"Okay, Kishore. Ever seen a mustard seed?" He couldn't be crazy. Probably hungry, I thought. "Sure sir."

"So there's this refill manufacturing company. Mind you, refill, not pen. What they do is, they have a huge vat of ink, from which the ink flows into the plastic tubes to be made into refills. Two months ago, a mustard seed fell into that vat. It's just thick enough to enter one refill. I bought this pen yesterday. Find the probability that the seed is in this pen's refill."

"How much time do I have, sir?"
"How much do you need?"
"About 5 minutes, sir."
"Fine, you have two minutes."

Yeah, there was no time to curse myself for saying TQM. I took a rough paper, drew my pen out like a sword. As if I'm playing an ancient warrior who got confused whether it was Lord of the rings, Gladiator, or Troy. I thought I'd better start asking some questions, and work it out slowly.

"Umm..what's the volume of the vat, sir ?"
"Ten thousand litres. And consider the refill volume to be 20mL."
"And how much time does 10000 litres take to be used up?"
"Once in a month."
Ten thousand divided by twenty. "No, you've got it wrong.", he interjected. Then I noticed the unit inconsistency, and said, "I'm not done, sir. ", multiplying the 10k by another thousand.

"Ha ha, okay. Kind of reminds you of those molarity concepts from twelfth. Do you recall them?" I was an ace at chemistry. And there were some things you could never forget. "Of course, sir."
He then asked me the formulae for molarity and molality, and asked them twice, trying to wound me up. But the mind is always racing when you really need it to be, and he was satisfied with my answers.

"Sir I was wondering, to how many companies these refills go to?" This was the most critical question, I think. Not many would have given it a thought.

"Four."

"First step, obviously, sir, would be 1/(no. of total refills). Since it would be shipped to four different companies, we'll multiply it by 1/4." With his approving expressions, I continued. "How many cities is the ink going to get shipped to, sir? "Let's say a hundred." Multiply by 1/100. I did not consider the different shipping process for each company.

"And where did you buy this pen?"
"Here in Patiala."
"Since you chose one of the four companies, multiply by another 1/4. And let's assume the number of stationery outlets in Patiala are.."
"Enough, enough! That will do. It was a pleasure meeting you." He was smiling. So was I.

I'd left my bag outside the hall, in the corridor, with no one watching it. It had both my wallet and cellphone. Precarious, but that's the way I live. Forty minutes, I was in there. Felt like ten to me.

The shortlist for the interview next morning was due in an hour or so.Back in my cluster, I waited, while narrating the story of my first interview to my friends, like a grandfather to his grandchildren. I just had a great date. Who cares whether I'd have a second one?
The world is full of possibilities.

Episode Zero: Rumour to the rescue

So where were we ? Ah yes, I had already left for college, where the real story begins.
Note: For people who haven't read it, this is a continuation of a story, so reading the previous post will help you enjoy.

Episode 0: Rumour to the rescue

Just like everybody else, I stepped into the 7th semester with a conviction to work harder than ever. But then, the moment I saw my friends again, I forgot about all that, and started enjoying life as usual. Only when the first notices from the visiting companies were out, we started to study. The marathon had begun.

One day, I saw Harry reading a novel called Dork. Intrigued, I asked what it was about. It turned out to be a series of diary entries, composed in a witty and funny manner, about the life of a guy just graduating from a management college and going through his interviews. Now I really wanted to read this.

Meanwhile, we were looking for aptitude questions, lateral thinking puzzles etc on the internet. It's a lot of fun,  honestly. Very few things in life are both fun and useful.

The day I finished reading Dork, I was fascinated with the idea of working in a consultancy. It's not that the book showed consultancies in a good light. I just wanted a non-tech job, in a consultancy. I had decided that.

The first notice was that of Grail research. With a package of 4L, and exactly the profile I was looking for, it was heartening to see they required a minimum gpa of 6. Plus the office was in noida, where I've lived nearly 14 years of my life.

Two other notices were out too, namely EXL (4.5L) and Evalueserve (3L). Someone had spread a rumor, that these were the last 3 companies visiting in the non-tech area.

Obviously, that was scary, as I knew there was no way I could get a tech job, and I just didn't want to enter the IT sector anymore. So despite the lousy package, I applied for Evalueserve (Evs) too. EXL wanted minimum gpa of 7, so this was the picture: Grail & Evs, as per rumor, were the only companies I was interested in.

But just a few days before it all started, Grail announced that they were raising the gpa bar to 7. I reacted as if I'd been rejected in an interview. Gloomy-ville.

So still riding on the rumor, Evs was going to be the last company visiting our campus, with a profile close to consulting. This stark realization hit me hard, and shook me out of my moodiness. Around two weeks were left to my judgement day, and I finally became serious. And I'm telling you, being serious in college is rare.


Borrowing the career launcher packages, learning more shortcuts from my friendly CAT aspirants, might give you an idea of how desperate I had become. I also applied for Nagarro Software, just to get the aptitude feel, which was two or three days before Evs.

Evs Eve:

I learnt the guess estimate problems from Lovneet & Rahul. Shruti taught me how to make a business plan on a one-hour phone call. And there I was, like a literary glutton, just absorbing everything I heard.

As night fell, my cluster (group of 11) were going out for dinner. I refused, saying I really needed to study, blah and blah.

And instead of doing blah blah, I switched on the TV and watched Liverpool vs. West Brom, in which Torres had finally cracked and scored the winner. (Yes this is relevant to the story.)

Later that night, Shruti and I were on gtalk. I remember just two things she said in that chat:

1. Don't expect to clear the written without cheating, as everyone does it.
2. It's your first company, so don't have too many hopes.

I didn't cheat. No matter what people say about the non-existence of concepts of honesty, I did not want my job to be based on a lie. And telling her that, I slept. Peacefully? Yeah right.

JUDGEMENT DAY:

Next morning, in the auditorium, I was seated in the thick of my friend circle. This bothered me a lot for some reason. There were more than 200 people in the audi, and I foresaw innumerable potential distractions. At the very last moment before the test started, I got up, and went to the outer edge of the crowd. Here it was much more silent. So when the question papers were being distributed, I felt relaxed.

The test was of half an hour, and I finished it 2 minutes before time. Apparently, the set I got (there were four) was the easiest. It was 2.30 pm, and the result was to be announced around 4.30.

And I waited. By 3.30 I was cracking stupid jokes. By 3.45, I was skimming through the HR interview questions. By 4.00, my head had heated up, and I had fever.

I heard music. My cell had started to sing, and joining the band, was my heart and its beats.

I'd gotten through. There was about an hour left before my interview, and the cold water from the shower pacified me completely. Anxiety had changed to excitement. 90 people were about to have their interview.

And that moment onwards, I had but one feeling throughout myself: I am going for my first interview! It did not matter anymore to me, what the result would be. I forgot everything else, put on my Arrow apparel, relishing the fact that, no matter what happens, I'll never forget this experience in my entire life. (reminds one of the SRK speech from Chak De - Sattar minute)

Outside the placement cell, people were nervously walking in and out. The people coming out were obviously being interviewed again, by the people yet to go in. I just eavesdropped a bit once or twice, nothing more.

The clock struck seven, and they called out 'Pisapati Kishore', mispronouncing my name, like most people. Despite the attitude I had built up, the heart rate has a nasty habit of jacking up when you expressly don't want it to.

And with a wide range of feelings, mostly positive, I opened the door and stepped inside.

How I met my employer: Prologue.

Okay kids, it's the story you've all been waiting for. The story of How I met my employer.

PROLOGUE:

It's the summer of 2010. Vacations have begun, and there I was, idling away the most boring period of the year. Yes, I hate vacations. They give me a sense of restlessness. Maybe it's because I've no friends in Gujarat.

And like every other 3rd year, I was waiting anxiously for the grades to be out. For those who don't know, I had a gpa of just 6.8 (Instrumentation). This used to depress me a lot, since my best friends were all nines. I got 7.6 in my first sem, and no matter how hard I tried (although usage of the word 'hard' is questionable), I constantly got 6.8 after that.

But in the sixth sem, I finally let go of my gpa insecurity, and decided to be passionate about stuff I like. This consequently led me to my biggest achievement in college yet. I was chosen as the HR (Hostel Representative) of my hostel, for the literary inter-hostel festival called Acumen. Actually there were three HRs, but since I was senior to the other two, I was the one pulling the strings.

No, that wasn't the achievement. Our hostel won it, and I led them to it. And for those not familiar with it, it is a big deal.

Anyway, it has a great relevance to my story, that's why I had to give you a gist.

So this time, when I got my grades, I was prepared. Prepared to accept the fact that everything has a price. Sure enough, I'd ended up on 6.5 this time, with my first ever D grade.

But guys, getting your lowest ever gpa, right before the placement season was about to begin, gets you bothered. Perturbed.


My gpa ended up on 6.86. I was heading into job-hunting as a six pointer. Scary. And no matter how many seniors I talked to, none gave me a positive vibe on the placement front. So I finally accepted the fact that IT is my only hope. And so, in the last two weeks of my vacation, I started solving placement papers of Accenture, TCS, Infosys etc.

As I waved goodbye to my parents from the Volvo to Ahmedabad, I couldn't tell what was on their minds. I had tried to assure them that I'll find a way into some IT company, somehow. But parents have their own magical way of knowing things, and they could clearly see, that I wasn't sure of anything myself.

Coming up next: Season 1, Episode 1, The First Interview.

6 minutes at the police station

For those who're getting really curious, here's a disappointing news. I did not get arrested for assault, shoplifting or adulteration. In fact, I did not get arrested at all.

I went there to get an agreement signed about my PG accommodation. I don't know if this rule is applicable all over India, but here in Baroda, you're supposed to get an agreement signed by you and your landlord. Kind of like an 'OK tested' from the police.

It was 6.25 p.m, and there I was, sitting on my chair, tired after office (without doing any work). Fifa 11 was on, and Wayne Rooney was all set to score a hat-trick, when the door bell rang.

Exasperated, I paused the game with an angry press on Esc. It was my landlord and his broker. After asking whether I was free, he told me to get dressed quickly, as that identity check, can be done only from 6 to 7 pm.

I've never been to a police station before. My familiarities are restricted to the ideas created by Dabangg, Hungama, and other movies with distinctive cop roles. There were a few 'SWAT vans' parked outside, and being my first time, I couldn't help feeling a bit nervous. I regretted wearing my awesome black Tee I bought from Thailand. And so, in I stepped.

It was as if I walked thirty years backwards. Probably the dingiest place I'd ever been to. The air was rotting, with the mixed smell of Pan and alcohol ( Gujarat is a dry state, I know), with mosquitoes swarming all over the place. I don't know how they could take it. Maybe they are the mosquito cops.

This was just a local branch of the main police station. There were two or three rooms, labelled something in Gujarati. I could only make out 'Inspector'. And there they were, the khaki pot bellies.

As I followed our broker into one of them, I figured instantly, that the only thing in the room which reassures you that it is indeed 2011, is the calendar. The room was just about the size of a hostel room for one. Just one difference though; the wall opposite to the (clerk cop's?) desk was not a wall.

It was a jail.

Five or six people were squeezed into this dark, black hole. They had all strangely bewildered looks on their faces, and I did not look again. On a corner, a huge red pan spit was lying. I remembered those computer games, in which you shoot a guy again and again, and blood is spattered all over the place.

I made my most innocent face, at the bald cop, waiting to be questioned, the environment already making me feel I had done something wrong.

My authentication was over in about six minutes, which involved some guj-hindi conversation, and a lot of nodding from my side, and 'jee sir' from the broker.

As I stepped out into the cool evening, I said to myself, that it's a lot more worth to commit a crime in perhaps the states, but definitely not here.

"Could it be Rooneyy ?? Yes! It's a hat-trick !"  Martin Tyler's commentary brought me back to the woo-hoo world.

Sachin Shrugged

The icon for so many. The man, for whom runs, records and respect, know no limits.The God of so many.
And finally, the best, and worst thing...the hope, for so many.
Sachin Tendulkar.


You could say that an introduction is quite unnecessary. Heck, I'm even angry with blogger, for underlining his name in red. But then, we should consider the possibility of someone from, I don't know, Argentina, stumbling upon this post. (And don't you dare make that face. It happens!)

When I wake up and get The Times of India every morning, I almost always flip directly to the sports page (the exception being some picture of a rich beautiful celeb on the global news, perhaps Carla Bruni).
Anyways, for those of you who're following, you might have noticed, there's a daily section for comments from celebrities(ranging from Priyanka Chopra, to Jeev Milkha Singh), on who's going to do it for Team India, in the forthcoming World Cup.


About 90% of them picked Sachin. And if you're surprised by that, then I am too.

As the world cup inches closer, the buzz is becoming louder, and louder. That if India has got any hopes of winning this cup, he is the man. That he is the master key, to all the gateways leading to eternal glory.

If there's a budding mathematician out there, here's a question for you: Calculate the weight of expectations on Sachin Tendulkar. Let me know when you're through.

Moving past the crazy math, in a way this really reminds me of Atlas, supporting the entire earth on his shoulders. Can he take it ?

The unfortunate thing, about being one of the best sportsmen in the world, is that no amount of records is enough. People want more, more, and more. An ODI double century. 17000 plus runs. 97 centuries, etc. But ONE failure. Say, in a critical do-or-die situation. ONE off performance. And it's ALL forgotten. Everything.

You might say that, this being his sixth world cup, that being 37 years old, it's all old hat. Used to all this pressure. But every man has a threshold. This might just be his final straw. Things have changed a lot, since the 2003 world cup. They say he's at his best right now. The better his form, the more the expectations, more the weight on his back. Doesn't it sound unfair?

After witnessing 2010, the year of sport-scams, we've seen the very best topple. Yet, somehow, our little master here, has eluded that. A clean sheet. Never slept with the wrong woman, or endorsed the wrong brand.

Yet, a billion hearts beat for him, with him, every time a bowler is making a run-up to deliver to him. It's truly unbelievable how one mortal can affect a country like India, and beyond. Ask him, what is stress.

Sure, I want India to win the world cup, like any other self respecting Indian. But this is what I don't want. I don't want Sachin to take the fall for everything, in case India don't make it. I don't want him to be persecuted, after everything he has done. Countless people feel proud to be an Indian, just because of him.

Dhoni recently quoted, 'We want to win the cup for him.' I can imagine so many captains who would've pinned all hopes on Sachin, and added to that load called India, to his back. But by saying this, he has agreed to share the load. This is exactly why I like Dhoni so much. What a leader.

I'm not hoping him to blast away sixes and fours all over the place. All I wish, is that every Indian should understand, that Sachin Tendulkar is not the nuclear bomb in India's weaponry. He's just the bravest soldier in the infantry.

I hope that, towards the end, he feels proud to have played for India, and continue to be the hero, of  us Indians.

A day at the office.

Before I start,

- I'm referring to my 6 months internship, and not my job. -(1)

- From equation 1, it is evident that I don't have a lot of work, so this is pretty much a spectator's view. :P

Back in college, I used to be (and still am, duh) a big fan of the TV show, The Office (US). For those of you who don't know about it, this show is almost entirely shot in the office of a paper company, and has all the ingredients of any corporate office:

1. Receptionist (Yes, female. Yes, cute.)

2. Cubicles

3. Sales people, Accountants

4. The boss, and the protagonist of the show, Michael Scott !

It's the kind of show which doesn't have any audience laughs, like in Friends, or That 70's show. It all looks real, which amplifies its humour quotient massively.

So when I first came to my office, I'd painted myself a mental picture of how it would be. Who'd be the one to get pranked, who'd be the girl to stare at, etc.

Next thing you know, I'm sending a text to Rishav and Gunjeet (Office fans), "Dude, the office is great..on Television ! :|"

Seriously guys, it was a disappointment. Right from the vanilla receptionist, to the boring employees.

I mean, there's nothing wrong with them, as such. But when you watch shows like The Office, or too much Hollywood, it's no good. No one wearing a black tux and moving around conspicuously, like in The Matrix. No packages from unknown people, no calls from anonymous secret agents, instructing you every movement, as you hang on to your life, and breath.

But it's been a month now, and I'm starting to notice some funny patterns. For instance, I can assure you, that the longest hour in the day is from 2 pm to 3 pm. It directly follows my happiest and favorite hour of the entire day, from 1 pm - 2 pm, THE LUNCH BREAK !

Starting from 2, any person you talk to, just anyone, would yawn atleast twice, every minute. Even your boss. Effect of the rice, I suppose. The whole office, during that hour, falls into a sullen silence, as if half-asleep. I, myself, start day-dreaming about sleep.

But then, the chaiwala approaches, at around 3.30, to every desk. The moment the tea touches your lips, all hell breaks loose. Suddenly phones start ringing, people are getting up (read waking up) from their chairs, up and about, scurrying here and there. It's as if we're all Popeyes, and the chaiwala gave spinach to all of us. Like we were all in a dream, with the tea giving us the kick.

And about the girls, well, there's only one worth the stare. ONE.

No wait, there's more...she happens to be the daughter of the managing director of the company. Period.

I feel like I'm lying in a desert, and the one pouch of water belongs costs a million bucks.(which i obviously don't have.) As if I have Mark Zuckerberg's laptop, but I don't have the password. As if she's on top of a skyscraper, without stairs or an elevator. (don't ask me how she got there)

It's okay. There're a lot more things you can do in office. One of them is blogging about it. :)

Review: The King's Speech

There are few who wouldn't be curious about a movie, which gets nominated for 12 oscars.

For those who didn't know that, I bet you are now.

DISCLAIMER: The blogger is not responsible for anyone who feels their experience was ruined by reading this post.

I hadn't even seen the movie's trailer before watching the movie. And once you read the news that it got 12 academy nominations, you try to look for those parts only, and decide whether it's justified.

The King's speech is a story about George the sixth(Colin Firth), who was the duke of York, and the younger of his father's (the then king) two sons. He had a stammer almost since his birth, and could not speak fluently, with or without a million people listening. This greatly affected his overall confidence in doing anything, so he was never prepared to become King.

After his father's demise, unusual circumstances forced him, and not his elder brother, the actual heir, to ascend the Throne. And hereby, the real story starts.

This was the year 1936, by the way. Just before the second war. The age of Hitler. Imagine the duke's reaction when he was chosen.

Fortunately, he finds a suitable Australian doctor, who gives him elocution lessons, using the most eccentric methods.

All right, I won't disclose anything else. In fact, it doesn't matter that much. This movie is more about artistic performances, than the suspense. Now my remarks:

-Make no mistake, Colin Firth was unbelievable. You don't get to see that level of acting much, these days. The entire movie is worth watching just because of his performance. An oscar after the golden globe, won't be surprising.

- The music director, Alexandre Desplat, makes you feel like you're walking in a forest, with a hint of rain, and a gentle breeze blowing. I love piano. (Although I want to see Hans Zimmer with the Oscar for Inception)

-Helena Bonhem Carter, the female lead, was also excellent. And by the way, brace yourself, she's the same person who played the role of Bellatrix Lestrange, in the Harry Potter movies. You'd be truly amazed about this, when you watch the movie.

- Geoffrey Rush, the doctor, totally deserves his nomination for the best supporting actor.

- The dialogues, albeit in British accent, can make you rewind.

- The cinematography and film editing are commendable. Although, a real cinematographer would appreciate it more.

So should you watch it ? For those who fall asleep in slow-paced movies, don't. For everyone who thinks a movie is not just about action, romance and comedy, do watch this.

Pure Oscar material. I hope you fully understand what that means.