Life At Pune & Infosys

All my IIT batchmates were assigned the same training batch (14'th June LC) at Infy and thankfully, there were no extensions or delays. Like all of us, the

feeling of actually earning for the first time was really overpowering and hence I was really excited.

Pune: A City of Dreams:

My job posting was in Pune and the good part was that my closest friends were going with me.
We all started researching about the city and as we unravelled, we found that it has one of the best climates of the country, a cosmopolitan culture, good malls (Back in 2004, malls were still a rarity) & multiplexes, good restaurants etc. This city is rich in cultural heritage - be it the famous vadas & its peth areas or its annual palkhi pilgrimage.
This city is a potpourri of traditions interspersed with modernity and the good part is they have a harmonious existence.
The city is also known as 'Oxford of East' due to its famous colleges and universities which attracts the best & the brightest from across the world. Being a student's hub, you will find a lot of areas where students drive the economy. These areas are typical neighbourhoods surrounding famous colleges like MIT, Symbiosis, Bharti Vidyapeeth, Singhad to name a few. These places are always bustling with activity.Pune is also a global manufacturing hub with the likes of Bajaj, Volkswagen and a host of German multinationals setting up their base. It is also known as the software haven and is home to all the top software companies thereby generating quality employment to lakhs of IT professionals like me.
Overall, I had a good feeling that I'm going to a city which would open a new world of learning and some unforgettable experience. How true my feeling was!

Pune: My first feelings:

The D-Day finally arrived. I Was in a state of nervous excitement. Nervous because I was entering into a new phase of life, was going to a place far from Kanpur and won't be able to meet my parents so often. Excited because I no longer need to ask money from my parents, will be starting my career with a good brand and above all - the feeling of being independent at the age of 23.
When I landed in Pune along with my friends, we went straight to our hotel (Hotel Woodland near to Pune Railway Station) and then decided to explore Pune later in the evening.During 2004, there was only one multiplex - INOX at Camp and we went to watch our first movie that day itself, strolled & shopped at MG Road, ate at the famous Hotel George.

All in all, this was much beyond expectation - positive energy , young & ambitious souls out there to prove to the world, endless conversations, link ups & break ups etc. I could smell freedom in the air - there are no restrictions, no weight of expectations - just pure gay abandon. Creativity and dreams are nurtured in such environments where you are not judged by your pedigree but by your excellence, where the pressure of performance doesn't weigh you down, where individuality is respected & herd mentality is frowned upon. I have always believed that life lessons are much more important than class lessons. It doesn't matter how good are your grades if your HQ (Humanity Quotient) is low. We do not need intelligent robots but empathy filled humans to make this world a better place. I can't help but remember Michael Jackson's incredibly beautiful song called 'Heal the World' which effectively sums up the need to heal this world and make it a better place for you and for me and the entire human race. Really powerful lyrics combined with MJ's magical rendition.

14'th June 2004:

Finally, one of the most important mornings of my life arrived. We all were supposed to report to the campus at around 9 PM and our mode of transport was Bus. Since Infy campus in Pune is located at the outskirts of the city - Hinjewadi, we had to leave the hotel by 7:30 AM. We all were dressed in formals (including the tie) ready to take charge of our destiny. We reached the magnificient campus of Infy - Phase 1 and were ushered to a big training room where we were welcomed by our training head and some HR folks. Orientation process was pretty boring and by the end of the day, we were planning our evening dinner.

Training at Infy:

Our training program consisted of regular lectures followed by practical tests and a final exam. Since our batch consisted of Chem, Mech engineers etc, we were taught basics of programming and other general stuff. I was never particularly interested in the nuances of coding, so we used to plan early escapes from the training centre and explored nearby areas around Pune like Lonavala, Khandala etc. I was having a whale of a time. Just like college - last minute studying ensured that I passed my training attaining decent marks and was about to become productive to the company pretty soon.

First Salary and the perks of being an Infy Product:

Since we joined in the middle of the month, our first salary day was approaching fast. It was such a nice feeling to receive my first paycheck (some 10k odd for 15 days - nothing much by today's standards but a decent amount for a bachelor in those days) and we all celebrated our independence by downing some beers at a local pub. I had a good sleep that day.
Although Infy isn't known for being a generous pay master, in those days being a Infy product had some unusual perks - discounts at malls, restaurants, cheaper loans, credit cards at your doorstep etc. I used to feel good. In those days, I got a credit card with some 30k odd limit which was very good at that time. I was never a thrifty spender, so by the end of the month, I was left with practically nothing.

My first Purchase - A Gleaming Red Pulsar Bike:

Pune is a small city and travelling by auto daily is an expensive proposition, so I thought of buying myself a bike. With the help of my parents (pitching for the downpayment), I bought Red Pulsar bike which was roughly around 60k - expensive during that time but a real good mean machine. This event occured during the second month of my job and this was the second time I felt liberated.
This bike was about to become my most trusted companion and would be witness to my highs and lows of entrepreneurship. BTW - I still drive that bike. It has a special place in my heart and life.

With life at Pune going at a steady pace, it was full masti time with friends. With Naukri part being set, we all thought of Chokri and what better place than Pune to find your life partner.

My personal life from here on was about to witness a techtonic shift. The atmosphere and the stage was set. I was about to enter into a whirlpool of events which brought me face to face with that special someone - who would change the very fundamentals of my existence, show me life from a different prism and would help me rediscover myself.

This personal part has shaped me where I'm today. This phase is really interesting, eventful and has taught me the most.

Stay tuned for the third part.

Life At College & Seeds of Entrepreneurship

I have a story to tell. It is engrossing, engaging, emotional and entertaining. It is my life experience and which has shaped me who I'am. By telling this story, I will relive those days. Who knows, there is a lesson or two in hindsight.

They say when you want something so badly in life, cosmic forces conspire to help you achieve that.

I'm a guy with above average intelligence and a sprinkling of common sense, so I considered myself lucky when I triumphed with flying colors in my IIT-JEE exam. I was good at studies so like everyone else I took science and dreamt of being an engineer. One year of preparation and I was inside the largest engg campus in India (IIT-BHU) whose hostels are bigger than some of the colleges. I was told to study hard so that I get a good placement which (if you fast forward it to the next 5 years) is considered as a precursor to a good and comfy life ahead.
Coming out of a cocooned atmosphere of home, here I was in the company of the smartest students all standing on the hallowed land of Kashi. A new life beckoned me and I had to embrace it.

We all fondly remember our college days and I'm no different. I learnt lots of life's lessons in those 4 years of engg. I can summarize them as under:

1. Life is not about grades but wisdom: 

Within the first month being on campus, I realized it is a melting pot of wisdom in which pearls of learning are waiting to be taken, you just need to choose which one you want to take in the limited time you have at your disposal. Some chose how to come 1'st in the batch or how to make that perfect weed or  etc etc. I chose to let myself float and flow with the moment and enjoy these four years like there is no tomorrow. I studied, played, read and made some really good friends. I opened my eyes to a whole new world slowly unfurling in front of me. I was happy and optimistic about what future would  hold for me.

2.  The word FRIENDS got a new meaning: 

They say that your bond with your college friends is like Fevicol - the strongest. I Was fortunate to forge some really close friendships which have stood the test of time. College friendship is pure, unbiased and without hatred. It is unconditional, full of life and always equal. It teaches you your first lessons and helps you to explore new horizons and realize your potential.

3. Chem Engg is not my cup of tea: 

After my 1'st year (though passed with decent grades), I realized that I'm not meant for working in a petroleum company or some chemical/fertilizer plant. It didn't excite me, so I decided that for the next three years, I would enjoy to the fullest and in the process decide what I want to become.

4. Quizzing:

Since I didn't use to study daily (apart from exam days), I used to play cricket, read Agatha Christie thrillers and English newspapers. I always had this habit of reading newspapers from the back - since it had sports news and I made a resolve to try reading it from the front like a gentleman. In the meantime, I also got interested in Quizzing - especially corporate & business quizzing. Two of my batch mates were really good at that and this is how I developed my interest. I started reading business magazines, business sections of newspapers, stories of companies on the internet and general trivia. Inspiring stories of entrepreneurs and their businesses started to interest me. I was really amazed to read stories of people who dropped out of college and created multinational corporations of today. I wanted to understand their rationale of doing so, their motivation, their conviction and their resilience against all odds. I wanted to feel that feeling, that passion, I really wanted to be like them.

5. MBA: 

By the start of fourth year, I was damn sure I wanted to do management. I had read enough and had known enough and nothing could change my conviction. I decided to try for an MBA so that I get some good corporate experience, save enough money and then I can think of starting on my own. On paper this plan looked unbeatable and perfectly sensible. After IIT, next step was to MBA from IIM (Can't settle for less you see). I started preparing for CAT (like others in my batch), gave exams but alas, my percentile wasn't enough to get me an IIM seat. I was surely disappointed. This sudden brush with failure really affected me for some time. Oh, in the meanwhile, I gave campus interview in Infosys and I got selected. I came to know from seniors that life at Infy is pretty relaxed and a lot of them chose this company so that they get a good brand as a launchpad and they can prepare for MBA simultaneously. Since I got the job at the start of the year, the entire last year seemed to pass in a blur. No more interviews, no more stress. My planning was clear.

But life is not so simple. Life at Infy was to start another chapter in my life.

Stay tuned for the second part.

Technopreneurship : Go for IT !!!

Iconic Ad slogans like ‘Just Do It’, ‘Impossible Is Nothing’ and its ilkare slowly and steadily being used by an entirely different variety ofhuman beings and this particular species are growing by the day inIndia. They possess inherent qualities of grit, gumption, passion amongothers. This group lives in voluntary isolation and refuse to swim withthe flow, in short THEY ARE REBELS. I hope you would have got it by now.I’m talking of the band of non-conformist collectively called Entrepreneurs.
Popularized and glamorized by the technical geeks of America, Europe,this word is suddenly acquiring a new meaning in Modern India. Economicliberalization of the 90’s has thrown India into the global centre stagewith tons of lucrative opportunities and millions of Jobs. This has also fostered the global mindset of Indians and an urge to do something ontheir own. Last decade also happens to be the watershed period for theInformation Technology industry and this resulted in numerous intellectual and visionary Indians making their presence felt in theglobal arena.The first such breed consisted of the likes of Vinod Khosla(Co-founderand Investor in SUN), Vinod Dham(Father of the Pentium Chip), SabeerBhatia(Founder of the Hotmail,later acquired by Microsoft for aneye-popping 400 million$), Jerry Rao and Pramod Bhasin(Father of theIndian BPO industry) and many more and these were called as Technopreneurs. Our very own NarayanMurthy, Azim Premji, Shiv Nadar,Ramalinga Raju etc took the plunge when any Indian hardly knew the word‘Technopreneur’.
Post the Dotcom craze and the subsequent Big Bang emerged our secondgeneration of Technopreneurs ready to take on the world with theiramazing ideas, unbridled passion and enthu. Mr Bhikhchandani(man behindnaukri.com,99acres.com etc),Avnish Bajaj(Bazee.com:now e-bay india) andthis list is too long to count.
The fact of the matter is that today Technopreneurship seems to be real,it adds value and normal intellectual junta appreciates it. Infact todayis the right and ripe time to indulge into the unknown world ofTechnopreneurship. All the aspiring Entrepreneurs have so many rolemodels to look up to in time of distress. Their lives have been dissected well enough for everyone to know how they managed to not onlysurvive but thrive. In other words Inspiration is plenty.
Infact inspired by them, I myself have quit my job at a well establishedIT giant in India and have plunged into the food industry in Pune andalso working on some mobile commerce ideas.
I am looking forward to attend this two day conference on Technopreneurship event in Pune incollaboration with Sinhgad Technical Education Society on Sep 29’th andSep 30’th, 2006.Eminent Speakers includes Mr. Hemant Joshi(Associate Vice-President,Symphony Services, Pune), Ishwar Jha(S*r. Vice President - Business.Technology, Zee Telefilms Ltd), Monish Darda ( GM , BladeLogic India,cofounder of Websym Tech),Rahul Bhimjiani ( IIMA graduate,qualifications in Engg, Law and management, CEO/COO’s of variousstart-ups), Gaurav Bhatnagar ( Founder Tekriti software and ex-MicrosoftUSA employee), Anand Chhatpar(*named by BusinessWeek as one of the*“**Best Entrepreneurs Under 25*? in October 2005, featured by CNBC amongtheir “Young Turks” a show featuring upcoming young leaders,foundedPyxoft Infotech Pvt Ltd and OZ Innovations, holds 5 issued U.S. utilitypatents and has 2 patents pending.) to name a few.
Some talks at the conference includeDifferent phases of building new products - validation,prototype,funding, build, launch by Hemant Joshi, Anand Chhatpar willencourage entrepreneurs to take more risks and will attempt to advocatea new paradigm for tech startups i.e of 'ready, fire, aim, fire, aim,fire' methodology, instead of the conventional 'ready, aim, fire' whichis slow and expensive, and Gaurav Bhatnagar's talk on team building istitled as "Dream merchants - selling dreams to build a great team".
I spoke to Ajay Sanghani of ITVidya.com and he quoted, "Young minds arevery fertile. They are full of energy, with high creativity and know how to work as a team, we want to encourage some of them to consider entrepreneurship as a career andPlan to take the technopreneurship event in different cities of India tocreate a large pool of young entrepreneurs."
Good thoughts, I think this is an extremely unique initiative taken byITVidya.com for spreading Technopreneurship and nurture young andup-coming technopreneurs. So folks recharge your technopreneurialinstincts and be prepared for one hell of a Technopreneurship ride thismonth-end in Pune. Run,Chase and catch hold of your dream during thesetwo days.
For more details of the event visit : http://technopreneurship.itvidya.com

Are we really independent?Do a soul search this independence day-Part III

Are we religion-wise independent? Now, there comes the proverbial thorny question. The root cause of modern terrorism around the world. From Iraq to Iran to Syria to Lebanon to Israel to Palestine to India to US…. the list of affected places is never ending, so you can imagine the enormity and sufferings that come with them. The hatred w.r.t religion is at the peak and the tolerance level for them has hit an all-time low. In India it is the case of Hindu vs. the Islam, in Israel it is the Jews vs. the Islam and thanks to these religious fanatics Islam has earned a bad name even though it being internally and morally harmless. This is the Frankenstein monster that we have to fight with and render it toothless and spineless. Terror instills fear and collective fear weaken the nation so its in our own interest that we fight this scourge and emerge victorious.

Are we economically independent? Now here is the question whose answer is a medley of positives and negatives. Yes, we can proudly call ourselves a developing nation but the journey has just begun and we have to change our internal fiber to herald a revolutionary metamorphosis of India. We as a nation is plagued with systemic corruption ,genetic incompetence and lethargy and we are content at calling ourselves the ‘Chalta hai’ country with a ‘chalta hai’ attitude. These shortcomings drag us down and we fail to live the ‘developed world’ dream. India has to shed the cobwebs of casualness and indifference to become a true economic superpower. Atleast we have a realistic chance in this case.

Are we medically independent? I would say an emphatic no! Actually in this case there is a huge chasm between the haves and haves not. On one hand we have the apollos, the lohias who are providing the best-in-class service so much so that the foreigners are making a bee-line to India for getting a world-class yet cheap treatment and I salute our brave and competent doctors for that. But on the other hand majority of the population is devoid of the most basic healthcare services, the govt is as usual non-receptive and there are thousands of deaths because of lack of medical care. Sincere efforts are being made here and there but that’s just a trickle, we need a tsunami of such individual and organizational efforts to make India a healthy place to live in. May be we should give it another 40 years.

Are we politically independent? Its answer involves satire and irony.How? Let’s check it out. India is more than independent in terms of the formation of the parties; every groused soul can or rather forms a party and uses tax-payer’s money and other public resources to further its own sinister political goals. Does any informed soul has any idea of the no. of regional and national parties in India. I bet I won’t get one as the number keeps changing by the day. In this respect I seriously feel that the freedom is far too much, it should be curtailed and India should introduce 2 party system as in the US. This would help immensely the average Joe like me in making informed decisions and would also keep the incumbent government on its toes. Yes, Yes, I know that I’m living in a fool’s paradise to even imagine such a scenario but guys its independence day and every patriotic Indian has a right to live in this utopian world even though for a few minutes in his dreams.

Remember we can live this dream longer, brighter and closer to reality. Amen. Long Live India.

Are we really independent?Do a soul search this independence day-Part II

In this part we would try to answer the questions posed in the previous section.

Are we democratically independent? Yes we are. India enjoys theoretical democracy for the past 60 years and save for three wars with Pakistan and an odd one with China, its national security has had a good track record and unless neighboring countries force war on us we don’t see any immediate national threat.
Are we socially independent? The answer is a big and vehement NO! India of the 21’st century reeks of bygone social structure where discrimination is based on things which are not in our control like color, race, sex, caste etc. Why for heaven’s sake do us imbecile Indians continuously dig our own graves by harping over such issues? Why can’t a human be judged by his rationality, his thoughts and actions? Why we as a nation of highly educated Indians tolerate such hypocrites as Murli Manohar Joshi and Arjun Singh? Why and I ask Why have we forgotten to fight for our own cause and why have we increased our tolerance level in this duration of 60 years. Why don’t we have a modern Bose, Bhagat or Azad who can show and blaze the way to us mere mortals? Just think over it.
Are we culturally independent? Again my heart shouts a loud NO! India has been the land of diversities and glaring complexities since time immemorial. We have had the cultural influence of the Aryans, Mughals, British and a myriad others and this should have made us culturally more tolerant, but the reality is quite the opposite: we spare no chance to resort to petty mud-slinging and harsh vitriolic. We make all the right noises demeaning one cultural tradition and glorifying the other and this group include not only the illiterate but the intelligentsia of the country. We have always been poor of appreciating our own internal wealth: be it the Kama Sutra or the Kohinoor, same is the case with our varied cultural heritage. Come on, lets learn from our past mistakes and starting appreciating the kaleidoscopic culture of India.
Are we regionally independent? This has to be a bolded NO! Again our short-sightedness and our vested interest are the main culprits. People can fight for a Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and what not just to gain political brownie points! Organizations like Naxals, ULFA, Ranvir Sena, MCC etc can spread terror and hatred just for a tract of land! Have we gone down to such low moral depths so as to justify thousands of lives for some acres of non-living land? This is not what our forefathers dreamt of. We need to change the mindset and I sincerely hope and pray that this doesn’t take another 60 years.

Are we really independent?Do a soul search this independence day-Part I

Today as I was surfing channels I came across a movie called Sehar (featuring arshad varsi as the police protagonist) about which I had heard a lot but didn’t get a chance to see it. Sensing my habit of switching over channels by the minute, the last thing I had imagined was straining my eyes to see the entire movie but believe it or not I did manage this Herculean task in the end and I’m proud of my decision.
The movie although devoid of big stars and the usual razzmatazz, was based on a reality-based script and razor sharp execution.
Arshad Varsi has certainly grown in stature as an actor in my eyes after watching this movie.
This class of a movie vividly describes the symbiotic relationship between the local goons, politicians and the police and is very real, very believable and vulnerable (in terms of story set-up). It clearly sums up the frustration and helplessness of the honest souls in the system and shows how big and deep is the rot which is sucking the country slowly and steadily until it looses its power of resistance.
I tried to relate this movie with the auspicious date of 15’Th Aug and I found glaring deficiencies plaguing our country. There are still numerous questions begging to be noticed and answered and to which we are turning a blind eye for the past 60 years.
Let’s pore over some questions and try to access the ground reality related to them.

1. Are we democratically independent?
2. Are we socially independent?
3. Are we culturally independent?
4. Are we regionally independent?
5. Are we religion-wise independent?
6. Are we economically independent?
7. Are we medically independent?
8. Are we politically independent?

I will come up with the answers in the second part of this blog. Keep watching and a HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY to all the proud Indians.

honest reflection on everyday experience

After a tiring, drab and stale day I trudged forward enthusiastically to my favorite retreat: my window that is strategically located at my tenth floor apartment which overlooks a highly energetic road. Somehow I have developed this peculiar habit of staring blankly from this window and analyzing the humdrum on the ground.
Today’s setting was no different from the rest of the days: an avalanche of cars, buses, trucks etc going bonkers on the road, howling salesmen and harrowing customers, anxious passengers waiting for their right numbered bus, fearful but hopeful street urchins and their brethrens with tears in their eyes and fire in their bellies, bullying hooligans, hypocrite politicians once again promising the moon and other myriad characters dutifully performing their roles to near perfection. Do they complain of their fate? I don’t know. Do you want to know? Of course-blurted my inner voice in unison and that is the reason this window has become my gateway to reality or should I say pseudo reality!
Gosh! What on earth are you saying? It can’t be false, it is what I see.
And that is precisely why you are wrong, you only see it, you don’t feel it and experience it. You have this weird notion that big people with big cars and big houses and big money are happy. On the contrary happiness is inversely proportional to size: the more material you own the more you degrade on the happiness quotient and which results in the destruction of the moral fiber.
When I first started forming my opinion based on my observations on the ground I was like an amateur: feeling and praising the skin without bothering the soul, I considered myself happy and why not, I had a good job, an adoring family and a future full of hopes and dreams, I had no wants and hence I ignored God and his earthly drama.
Slowly as the time passed by I realized happiness is not one-sided but is multi-dimensional, is very referential and extremely fickle. One should seek satisfaction and happiness out of very small things that happen daily in one’s life. Cribbing about one’s fate can go on till eternity but one loses simple charms of life in the process. Humans are created for the sole purpose of being rational and intelligent, yet we hardly use this divine gift. We consciously or otherwise seek or discover ways to be angry, jealous, haughty and all other bad qualities that we know since time immemorial. Why do we do it? Because we want to fool ourselves into believing that we are actually happy and that’s the way it goes amongst the majority of us.
The ones who beg to differ are the truly happy and enlightened souls.
I’m in the former category training myself for that rarefied zone of people and this window helps me in that. It provides me with numerous examples where poor people are happy and satisfied with one good meal with their kiths and kins and their rich counterparts strain their lungs and intestines with five daily meals and are still groping for that elusive smile.
Why are they hell bent on self-destroying themselves when they have all the ammunition with which they can not only achieve self satisfaction but also can make a million hearts smile? I have this unflinching faith that this would change, that chaos would give way to rationality and happiness would win hands down in the clash with dissatisfaction but for that to happen we have to shed our cobwebs of complacency and ignorance and open our window to a rational and healthy mind. Then probably no one would need to sit and gaze emptily from any window of any house. Our open mind is our window.