My MBA dream

My leadership qualities in school and college gave me a gud enough reason to go ahead and make an MBA degree my calling.I was always ahead in all the events either participating or organizing.I could relate myself easily to Economics and Stats
than to Physics and Chemistry.My friends called me a Guru,always ready with some info or the other.The money and the respect that comes with the job made it sure that this is what i was looking for.

My attempts at cracking the entrance of top institutes met with no results except calls from less respected colleges,which were out of question once i checked out their fees.Well i guess my Dad was right when he said that it takes something else to make it to the Best of the places.A job offer from a top company after i graduated made me put everything on hold(well money is a great motivater!!)

Having spent 2 yrs in the job and after one more unsuccessful attempt at the tests i don't know where im going next.Probably this time i had more excuses to please myself for my failure to get through the tests....Work pressure left me no time to study...how do u expect me to study after working 12 hours a day??....Also the fact that the money i spent(or wasted)on all the forms went from my pocket and not Dad's gave me some relief.

I don't know if i can give the exams with the same enthu again and put in the same amount of hard work.It does take a lot to sit with books with work and sleep going through your mind.But somewhere i know that this is what i want to do in my
life.May be the path will change but i know where i am finally going.....i guess thats what matters.

My Tuesday Plans

It’s been two years since I left my home and came out to face this world alone and become that 'Something'. I started living with some guys who happen to be from the same city as mine. One of my roommate visited temple near our home every week on Tuesday. I started to accompany him as he used to go alone. Slowly it became a habit for me too.I don't remember exactly but I think we have followed this schedule since one and a half years now (some achievement by my standards). Some more friends have also joined us now.

I belong to a religious family to a sense that food is first served to God and then to us at home. I have performed many rituals for years together not knowing their significance just because "Mom Said So". My parents are regular to different spiritual places in India to offer their prayers. My dad is a great believer and listens to discourses every morning before he begins his day (that taught me to wake up early!!).I don't remember how many times we have performed Havan and Bhog at our home to keep the evil spirits away.

My friends tell me that u don't need to be a regular to temples to pay your regards. If u believe in him and think of him being present everywhere u can get his blessings sitting at home. I haven't thought on the reason but I go regularly just to thank God that I have survived another week in this chaotic world and would come again if I can next week. I don’t ask him for anything. I think he knows very well what we all want. If he doesn't know then who will.I don't need to go and tell him that this is what I want please give me. I think people who go to temples and ask him for This or That are selfish.Its like bargaining with him 'U do this for me and i will do this for u". I have always believed that if it is there in your Destiny u will have it and if it is Not no matter how much we try we wont get it. So it’s best to leave all in his hands and put in your best work.

That’s it from me for now....it’s Tuesday and it’s my time of the week to meet God.

Hey Dad, how are you??

It’s been almost 2 years that I have left my home in search of independence and a better future (for a job …in simple terms) but I don’t remember a single time that I spoke to my Dad for more than fifteen minutes on phone or in person since then.

All my calls are mostly answered by my Mom who tells me everything from what is happening in our home to our neighborhood (Now you know why Telecom is growing the way it is!!!). I speak to my brother often for career related issues. My dad talks to me if he picks up the phone sometimes and asks me if I need anything and hands over the phone to Mom. My visits to home are very limited and It’s mostly twice in a year that I get a chance to go there. On home visits my time is taken by friends, shopping, relatives and some rest. Dad is as busy as he is and the only time I get to talk to him properly is when he is there to pick me up and drop me at station.

It has always been like this. Even in my teen years I haven’t spent much time speaking to him. His business keeps him badly busy and there are not many weekends that he has spent at home. A day for him starts at 6 and by 8 he is on his way to work. Salvation from work is mostly at 10 and by 11 he returns to bed. With such a schedule for almost 7 days a week I can’t expect much time from him.

But I do admire his hard working nature and the passion for his work. Working so much at this age is no less achievement. I have seen the respect that he gets from the people he works with. Trust me it takes a life to make so many people love you so much.

He has been there when I needed his guidance and support. Infact he used to drop me at 6 in the morning to my school for my football practices. But as I grew up and my dependence on him reduced we have spent lesser and lesser time together. As I entered college it was only for my pocket money issues that I had a conversation with him. Mom has always been there taking care of all my needs. She knows everything about me, my likes, my dislikes, my friends, my crush and everything I can’t even think of. So some how the bridge got filled up.

I know that even if he has very less time to spare for me he is proud that I am independent today. He is happy that I respect him and follow what he says. Some where he feels strong as he knows there is someone to take care of him and the family.

May be we will be able to spend more time together when he decides to retire(that won't be before 80 i guess) . May be my children will be able to make up for all the time that I have lost by being with him without being interrupted by the outside world commitments.

Another frustrated IT guy???

I have read many articles where some or the other software engineer writes how boring his life has become since he joined an IT company.All the 5 days of the week appear to be the same.Get up early in the morning,catch a bus,go and sit into ur cubicle in between unknown people,do the same work again,eat a bit,have 2-3 cups of tea and some puffs,return back home,eat,sleep and get ready for another day.

I agree to a number of things being said and written.Life does become boring once the initial excitement of working in one of the best companies in the world goes away.One certainly realizes that the work has become repetitive and the only reason one is doing it is for 'Money'.One starts to miss the time spent with family and friends and the freedom of choice one had.And you ask yourself is there a way out??

I think life is not meant to be constant.As a child all we wish is to grow up and go to school.In school we want to get into a college.College life pushes us to start earning so that we can be independent.And once we do get that independence(trust we are a lucky few!!!) we start analysing it and wish things were different and we could go back to start all over again.But the clock runs in one direction only...

This made me take the whole scenario in a different light.I feel that the work we do can be taken up more as a challenge than a routine. I still remember the Zeal with which i worked all night after my manager told me that the work allocated to me will be given over to another experienced guy the next day, as I had made no progress on it for some time( two days to be precise).I finished the whole thing in the process and slept in office for the next whole day .It was great pride to know that something I developed six months ago was being used in a foreign land by so many users.I started discussing personal things with my collegue so that we can get to know each other better,I started enjoying my lunch with the team realizing that there is more to life than competition and work pressure hides the real qualities of a man.I guess there is a positive side to everything.If u keep ur face to the sun u cannot see the dark.

I don't want to sound like a Self-help guru but still analysing too much has never helped anyone. As they say 'Love what u do and u will not have a single working day in ur life'.

Will India Ever make it to Soccer World Cup??

That night when I was watching the Brazil vs Japan match and the national anthem of Brazil was being played in Dortmund stadium in Germany my friend asked me if we will ever hear the Indian national anthem playing in one of the World Cups in future.
I had no answer to the question so I just smiled but the truth is I am myself not sure if India can ever produce its own Ronaldos and Beckhams.Can India ever repeat the success in football that it has achieved in cricket?? Can India ever be a host to lakhs of crazy fans and footballers ???
Well the questions are many and the answers are few.

The infrastructure and the support for football in India no way matches those available for cricket unlike the trend all over the world.A lot is desired from different quarters if India has to make a mark in Asia itself ,forget the world.
I guess it is very difficult to pursue any sports as a career option in India.And only if its Cricket you manage to get some support from people.I have myself played football till my inter college days(captained good lot times) and had great interest in the game but when it came to choosing a career I took a safer route and decided to do Coding instead of scoring goals.I think this is what happens with most of the sports enthusiats in India.

With India taking big leaps in all the fields sports need a special attention.If smaller countries like Ghana can get qualified for World Cup why can't India do it.So hopefully when I sit down with my children in future watching the World Cup they will not ask me the same question "Will we ever hear the Indian national anthem playing in one of the World Cups?? "

From Student to a Professional

I always wished I could earn my own money so that all my fights with my Mom over my pocket money would end. So that I don’t have to show a balance sheet to anybody at the end of the month to prove that I have spent the money in the best possible way. Once I graduated I knew that my next step was going to be a job and if I was going to study ahead it will be with my own money.

Having cleared the test and interview of an MNC I got my entry into the shining IT sector of India. Of course that meant leaving my hometown and moving to a new place.
Suddenly everything seemed so difficult, “who will wake me up in the morning, who will take care of my bills, who will fulfill my daily needs”. The saying ‘No pain, No gain’ started to make sense to me. Anyway I decided to concentrate on the brighter side of things and arrived at the place of my Karma.

Settling to a new place is not easy if you have not ventured out of your home much and have lived a life of luxury with no responsibilities and minimum interaction with the outside world. Everything from waking up in the morning to making the bed for sleeping in the night has to be done on your own. Suddenly you realize that clothes have to be washed or they start stinking after some days, if you don’t take care where your money is spent the balance in your account goes from XXX Rs. to 0.00 in no time.

I learnt a lot of lessons professionally as well. At work you are supposed to behave in a certain way, you have to dress in a way and you have to be a professional in the true sense. That means no hanging around in gardens when you have work, no WWF t-shirts in office and no nasty language exchanged with friends and colleagues even if it is in the right spirit. So many of my friends told me that in order to be successful as a professional you have to look busier than all the others around (even if u don’t have work). I also learnt that it was more of your good contacts that mattered when it came to appraisals and better growth. I don’t know how many of these things told to me I have actually followed but then some extra knowledge is never bad.

The experience till now has been enriching and an eye-opener. The problems and focus areas in my life have changed a lot. Relationships and priorities have taken a shift but I feel that I am still the same guy I used to be. I don’t know what my next step in life will be but I know that someday I would love to have a fight with my Mom on my pocket money again.