Transition...

Once upon a time, there was a young, brash, cocky kid. Used to having everything he ever wished, the kid had an exaggerated sense of self respect that often bordered on a football ground sized ego.

That kid turned mature today.

The year that was...

I am back at home exactly one year after i left for Mumbai. Today, the 7th of July marks an year of completion at Accenture. A friend recently asked me "Salil, how has been the journey like?". All i could tell her was "Interesting !!!" .

Pretty and not so pretty instructors, a hundred tests, 9 months on bench, two completely different cities. That pretty much sums it up all....

Mediocre But Arrogant

It’s official now. Blokes down at the Xavier Labour Relations Institute won’t get a chance to rectify the mistake they committed last time. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to take me in, and they blew it.Bigtime.

My filling up the XLRI had given them false hope. It made the female professors sing in the rain ala Kajol in DDLJ,

“kaisa hai woh kaun hai
jane kahan hai
jiske liye mere hothon pe haan hai”

I had reached the examination center an hour before the exam. An hour.. They knew how important my time was. Had I not been there, I would have been at my office coding the fuel optimization algorithm for Chandryaan II , or may be reviewing the design of a killer application for human genome sequencing.

I am sure the people at XLRI’s admission office would have been watching every step of mine on CCTV with great anticipation. Clapping every second, applauding my determination, time management, crisis response time. “This is one guy who is going to make our institute proud”

But alas, that were not to be. At the last moment, I decided take back the candy I had shown them. Doing that makes one feel so strong and powerful. So I decided to immaculately take their joy away by screwing up my paper. Question by question, Section by section, determined to not give them any chance what so ever. In fact, just to make sure I ended my essay with

“Do not miss your chance to blow.
This opportunity comes once a lifetime”
Eminem

Time 9.30 PM. The Phone call

When the cable television or the internet connection fails to diminish our boredom, We all turn to the phone. It is a ritual again. Every night same time. It has to be either Varun Gandhi or Rohan Verma.

Tring Tring..
Rohan : Hello Salil.
Salil : Sale (expletives again. Actually that is how we greet our friends on phone.)
Rohan : Are yaar kabhi to izzat se baat kar liya karo. I am hanging up
Salil : Are listen. Dont hang up. I've got something very important. Are pata hai Sachin has started taking turmeric milk.
Rohan : What crap ? Is this what you wanted to talk about? I'll hang up
Salil : Are when are you coming to Bhandup. I'll take you to Tembhi pada. It has the city's
most beautiful waterfall. I'll take you there. Just you and me. Dont tell anybody else.
Just you and me. Get a bed sheet, a flying disc and a rubber ball. We'll go on a picnic.

And guess what ? The poor guy actually did come once to visit the so called waterfall.

Conclusion : I really must find something to do. All this vella-ness is getting to my head. The worst part- I'm luvin it.

Time :- 6.00 PM. Back to home

Puppy and Binit enter. They see the TV remote lying idle. Both make a rush towards it. Puppy dives Matrix ishtyle and once again wins the race. That is one advantage of having a small frame.

Salil : Are where were you people? And where is my vada pav ? Binit you (expletives agin)
Binit : Where is my money you... (Binit returns the favor)
Puppy: Are yaar.. I forgot to buy a baltee.

Puppy has been the caretaker of the group since college. His area of expertise.. Buckets, Mug, Soap, Dhobi, et al. His efforts ensure that we were never out of soap or shaving cream.

Time 11.30 AM. Ok, Time 12.30 PM. Work time

Venue:- Vijay or Viraj's workstation. The place has the strategic importance of having mathematically the largest distance from the place where all supervisiors sit. Sameer and Katara too join in.

Sameer : Are aaj itna jaldi kaise ?
Salil : Are kya batoon. Mr Prateek had called up. I had to show him my face at least once.
compensate by leaving early.
Vijay : Watever .. To fir kya karna hai ? When do we leave ?
Samer : Are pata hai eight people from Accenture Banglore were fired for not putting in eight
hours of work.
Vijay : What reason will they give Salil before firing him? He has put in eight hours of hard work. In four months that is..
Katara : I am tired. Will be changing companies very soon.
Salil : Total crap..He has been saying that for that last three months, but hasn't even prepared a resume

The reason this group gets along so well is that, all of us are convinced that we are absolutely useless and often tend to be on the recieving end of the supervisor's wrath. Talk of crisis bringing people to gather.

Time:- 9.30 AM. Tring Tring..

I take a look at my phone. Oh no.. It says Prateek calling. For those unaware, Prateek happens to be my supervisor.

Prateek: Hello Salil. Where are you ?
Salil : Sir... Hello ? Hello (I take this time to formulate a response). Yes sir. Sir.. I am at
(M2B happens to largest office among all Accenture facilities at Mumbai.)
Prateek: What are you doing there ?
Salil : Sir i had just come to get some bank work done.
Prateek: Ok.. Ok. Catch the next shuttle to M1 (my office that is) and see me first thing.
Salil : Sure sir.

Some times i wonder if Mr Prateek is trying to get me married to his daughter. Without dowry..

P.S. Not a bad idea actually. I am quite looking to home made food again !!