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.
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.
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