When a Freedom Struggler meets a Freedom Fighter

Background :- I was walking down the scenic route from the place, where the bus dropped me, to right up to the high mountains. I didn't know where I was heading to. I was middle of nowhere. I was dying of hunger and thirst.  It seemed that some powerful energy was dragging me to a definite destination. The mountains already hid themselves with snow blanket. They seemed denying to help. The reflection of the solar rays at the snow cover made my eyes twitching. I completely lost my energy to move further but a spiritual sound caught my attention and poured the energy in my body to reach the cave, which originated the vibrations of the sound 'OM'. As I reached the cave, the sound got stopped and a very old person held my hand to pull me into the cave.

"Namaskaar, Please drink some water. Wait ! I bring something you could eat." 

The looked-like Monk offered his help. I swallowed the food. The charm and the help of the Monk rejuvenated me. 

Once I settled down, he asked me ' Dear, I am Subhash. Who are you ? What are you searching for ?'

'Subhashji, I am Utkarsh Mishra. I am from Faridabad. I was an IAS officer. I have left my job, family and friends to find peace. I have heard that Himalaya is the best place to get peace, isn't it ?' briefed him.

He laughed ' Indeed ! Why did you leave your job ? IAS is the prestigious job position to serve the nation.'

I frustratedly responded 'What do you know about IAS ? Its the worst job position created in Government of India. It sucks ! '

He spoke softly ' Calm down, my friend. Could you really share what really happened to you. I try to help you.'

   I agreed to share. "I was a meritorious student throughout my academics. I graduated from IIT Mumbai then went to IIM Ahmedabad to pursue Masters in Management. After working for few years in Europe, US and Middle East, I thought to return back to India and take Civil Service Examinations. As I was married, it was a hard decision to leave the job. The society made it even harder because the majority of the people around us estimate your success in terms of money one earns. The nature of the work is not at all considered. For example, a scientist who does great things for the nation but earns 40,000 Rs every month is considered to be worse than a Real Estate Agent who sells property and earns millions of bucks. I meant I couldn't choose a career just because of the money it brings for me but the nature of the work that personally satisfies me. I convinced my parents and started preparing for the exams. I couldn't clear UPSC in my first attempt but got 45 Rank next year." 

He clapped with joy " Oh ! That's simply superb. You studied hard. Please carry on."

    I continued "I joined the IAS cadre and was appointed as the District Magistrate and Collector in UP. I got numerous wishes from the family, friends, media houses, politicians, unknown ones, almost every strata of people I knew. No one missed to wish me. I was flying. 

But unfortunately, during my service as an IAS officer, the contractors/builders/businessmen offered me hefty amounts of bribes. The politicians forced me. They ordered me to either Accept it, Pass the files/tenders/applications or Get the transfer. I always chose the transfer, this lead me to have 19 transfers in my 3 years of service. I couldn't recall if I had spent some quality time with my family in these 3 years. People always approached me with a reason. A lot just called me to get their train tickets confirmed under VIP quota. I meant I studied 18 hours a day to get the train tickets confirmed ?" 

  "Before returning back to India, I used to travel across the world, earn lot of money, meet outstanding people of the world, read fabulous books. Now I have started drinking alcohol. I am struggling with 8 pending cases just because I raised my voice against the misuse of the government money by the Vice President of the National Political Party. My family got irritated by my behaviour. The people, who wished me, can't be found anywhere now. I have lost control of my life. So I decided to come here and seek the answer. I can't handle it anymore."

     I felt sleepy. My subconscious mind took over and I lost in my thoughts.

Subhashji was listening to me very patiently. I didn't know why I shared my story with him. Somewhere in my heart, I knew that he could direct me on the right path. He could heal my problems. I wanted to ask who is he ? How old is he ? For how long, he has been here all alone ? 

    He shook my body and said ' Utkarsh !! Utkarsh !! I could imagine how hard it was for you to tolerate within the kind of the system we have today. You know, our freedom fighters sacrificed their lives to let their country free. I am very disappointed to see the condition of the people like you who would like to serve the nation but still have to struggle for true freedom. A Freedom to Work. But there is a solution to this problem. First of all, stop thinking about how the society perceives your decisions, stands or deeds. Just ignore their perceptions. As you truly said, you should opt the job that personally satisfies you. Its very hard to correct the whole system during your tenure of work. It requires persistent efforts to bring a significant change. It has lots of hurdles and challenges, one has to stand firm. There is another simpler way of serving the nation. Just do your job and opt any of the social cause like Education, Health etc and put all your efforts for the cause. This will bring the change in lives of lots of people, you could see the change and it will satisfy your soul. It will energise you to step further. You could motivate people and create more leaders. In the fight of evil and good, in earlier times, good killed the evils but now the good needs to be increased in numbers to dominate over evils. This may change the evils and our society gets better. "

   I collected my excitement after hearing the idea "Thanks for sharing your wonderful ideas to pursue my dreams. I would surely get back to work and frame such questions of the society and put my efforts to find their answers. May I ask you who are you ? Why are you here all alone ? Do you have a family ?"

   He smiled " Its not important, dear. You are an amazing person. It was nice meeting you. I hope you demystify your potential and find the peace inside, not here." 

I insisted a lot to tell at least something about him. I wanted to know about the person who heard me patiently, understood me, helped me in getting back to work and family. It was his energy which motivated me to think positively. It was his charm that I got convinced soon and agreed to return back.

    He then wrote something on the paper and asked me not to read it before I reach home. I promised him. I met my family. They were happy to see me back. I then recalled about the paper, Subhash ji had given to me before I left. 

It was written ' Subhash Chandra Bose. Jai Hind !! '  

           

"Bhaag Bablu Bhaag" !! A Passionate Runner

                  "Hey, where were you? I have been trying your mobile since morning. Did you see today's newspaper ? Your photograph is published with great legendary runner Mr. Milkha Singh." Ravi said with excitement. In addition to the numerous calls that day, Patel bhai blocked my way to the office. He pressed the doorbell for long enough to get me irritated. He taunted " Why are you always hurrying up, Milkha Singh of Ahmedabad." His sarcastic smile demystified his green strained teeth and its cavities.

 

 

                 I am now, of course, one of the best runners of my club but it has been a long journey to achieve it. I weighed 98 kg 3 years back. I used to ignore social gatherings because I was lazy enough to buy party wears to hide my flab. I was not supposed to skip the society meetings as I was the chief secretary. All the meetings started with a specific issue of the society but ended on my plumpness. Patel bhai used to behind the diversion. One day, I challenged Patel bhai that I would reduce 20 kg in 6 months. He was rather serious on the bet and started keeping an eye on me. Ahmedabad is an Ice-cream city and also famous for "gol-gappas" I couldn't resist myself in having these two. 

               One day, I was having a bite of Havmor softy ice-cream, Patel bhai passed by with raised voice " That's how you are making abs (abdominal muscles)". That irking tone didn't let me sleep that night. My wife could sense my frustration.                       

                Next day, I had to supply marble pieces to IIM-Ahmedabad.  Prof. Harsh Trivedi wanted to renovate his office's floor. 

 

"I can't reduce my weight !! Gym, Yoga, Dieting can't work at all." I shouted on my wife. 

Prof. Trivedi intervened " The marble looks great. Sorry but I heard you when you were talking about reducing your weight." 

"Oh yes, sorry. I was just..... !! Let me know if you need anything else." I hesitated. 

Prof. Trivedi noticed my hesitation and introduced himself " I am working in Personnel and Industrial Relations Department. I am also the member of Amdavad Runner's Club. It would be great if you come to see our activities there. We meet everyday at 04.30 AM."

 

                 Prof. Trivedi was in his late 40s but looked very fit and dynamic. I was quite impressed by his personality. I thought "IIM-A people are like that only, we can't compete with them. I made an excuse in my mind. "

"Okay, I will see if I could manage. Have a great time. Bye." I left. While returning to home, I kept on thinking why he offered me to join !!

 

               My wife asked " You should go at least once and check it out. If you don't like it , leave it. No-one will force you to join. " 

I argued " You don't know these clubs. There are lot of clubs in the city, all of them are to make money. We are not typical Gujaratis who have lots of money to spend everywhere. I am not going anywhere."

                 I woke up at 4 next morning without any alarm clock. I was amazed because I used to wake up around 9. " Probably this is the last chance to get rid of excess fat" I thought. 

               I freshened up, dressed up and reached the destination. The group consisted of people of all age, both the genders and of varied professional backgrounds. They were from Army, Government , Business, Stock Exchange, IIM-A. They were students, housewives, grandmothers, foreigners etc. I was embarrassed to be the fattiest among all of them. Some of them were assigning the group challenges of running 300-400 km/month to others. Some indulged in the stretching while also listening to the instructions given by one of the look like expert. 

           A foreigner congratulated the expert "What a benchmark ! You ran more than 186 km continuously on the treadmill. Hiren bhai told me it took you more than 24 hours. Hats off buddy." 

I was shocked to hear that. How could someone run the whole day ? Crazy people !!

 

            In the initial days of training, I used to run around 2-5 km everyday. There was no other option other than running. It was hard to skip the roadside "Fafda-Khandvi-Dhokla Shops" while running on the road.  

It was an amazing feeling to run 10 km continuously for the very first time. I started being recognized by everyone in the club. 

                Parimal bhai, after 6 months of my consistent hard work, handed over the weekly schedule to me. I was required to run 15-20 km everyday for 3 days, 1 day for cycling 50 km, 1 day for swimming 800 m. It was quite tedious and a tough test of my will power. I started running barefoot on several occasions. 

 

In December, 2013 I conquered "Neelgiri 100"  Run held in Ooty, where I run more than 8 hours on hilly terrain. 

Again in Dec 2013, Delhi Marathon was held in dense fog at 0° C. It was 21 km. 

In Jan 2014, I ran 42 km in Mumbai Marathon. It was really challenging to run in humid environment. 

The Trail Marathon was held in Mount Abu in March, 2014. It was of 21 km. I ran on rugged terrain.

Recently in April, 2014, I finished Trithlon (Swim+Cycle+Run) held in Ahmedabad.

 

 

 

Today, I weigh 74 kg. Patel bhai has no choice other than admiring me. Of course in his own way. 

Today,  there is no road untouched in the entire Ahmedabad.  

I have had an opportunity to meet some of the exceptional people of the world who have redefined the words passion, dedication and will power !!  

Today, I feel young and rejuvenated. 

 

               It's a world of runners, passionate, highly enthusiastic, fittest people on the planet. I am privileged to be the part of it. Today I have medals hung on my bedroom's wall. They remind me of my accomplishments and motivate me to go further and conquer new goals. My life has a meaning now !!

The Article is inspired by the real life experience of Mr. Rakesh Vijay (Bablu) !! He is a passionate runner, quite an inspiration for all.

                  

Aey Bhai !! Zara Dekh ke Chalo " Traffic Sense in India"

It was a Sunny day in Frankfurt, Germany. I stood up on a bridge waiting for my friend to head towards Frankfurt airport. I was just watching the fast moving German vehicles on the highway. They were being driven in the lanes. A lane is a division of a road marked off with painted lines and intended to separate single lines of traffic according to speed or direction. Every vehicle switched on/off the indicators each time to change the lane to overtake the other. It seemed like playing a computer game. 

                                         Source: www.news.nationalpost.com

          I checked in and boarded Air India's Boeing 787 to New Delhi. It was after 8 years I was returning back to India. As the flight took off, I dived into the ocean of my thoughts about changed India. Being the developing country, a drastic change was reported in India during the last decade, as heard from the media. Now it was my time to sight the change.

          My parents live in Jaipur. My brother hired a taxi from Jaipur and was desperately waiting outside the Terminal 2, New Delhi International Airport. I was overwhelmed to see him there. His eyes were curiously traversing each passenger coming out of the gate. It was very noisy outside. After a long time, I heard a sequence of horns, blown impatiently for no reasons. I hugged my brother and both of us got down the taxi and headed to Jaipur.

           In few minutes, we entered into Delhi-Jaipur NH-8. In spite of feeling sleepy after a long journey, I was eager to witness the development of the landscape. India is a country of villages. If the country is developed, landscape must be advanced in the same proportion. After a while, I was completely annoyed by my driver. He never noticed any of the traffic signs. Though there was hardly a vehicle being driven in a lane. I instructed him to drive in a lane. He argued with me. My brother intervened and asked " bhaiya, yeh India hain (Brother, it's India)".

          Some sequence of events horrified me. The truck drivers, probably drunk as liquors were easily accessible on the national highways, furiously changed the lanes to overtake the other vehicles. During the journey, I saw pedestrians crossing the highway as they were walking in their homes. I witnessed cycles, motorcycles, bullock-carts and funnily designed overloaded vehicles moving in both directions of the traffic. It was unexpected for me to see vehicles moving wrong side, just to surpass a few meters U turn. Some even crossed the divider to accomplish the task. My driver shouted " yeh gaav walo ka roj ka hain sahab, iski wajah se hi accidents hote hain. aur aap bolte ho lane me chalao (These villagers have normal practice, sole reason for accidents and you say to drive in a lane" 

                                Source: www.viewpatna.blogspot.com  

           After 3 hours of journey, my brother insisted to get relaxed and eat something at the road side dhaba. Our conversation was interrupted by the election campaign going on in the university next to the dhaba. Coincidentally, the candidate raised the issues of number of accidents in the town. His confident voice enlightened me that at least young leadership is committed to solve the traffic problems in India but on way back home, his campaigning pamphlets stuck on the radiators (Radiators are made of radium, gets enlightened when the lights falls on it. It's very useful in the night to direct the traffic) brought down the hope falsely generated few minutes before. 

           The journey came to an end, we entered into the city. Entering Jaipur has always been a pure interaction with the cultural heritage preserved here. We were supposed to meet one of my cousin on our way. He came on a motorbike with his father. He cheerfully asked "Hi bhaiya, how is Germany treating you?" I greeted my uncle and asked my cousin " Where is your helmet ? Isn't that compulsory in Jaipur? " He replied "  Arey bhaiya, is time police wale nahin hote ? ( Traffic police doesn't work till now) ". My uncle intervened " We live nearby, not more than 2 km. There is no need to wear helmet for such a closed travel." That signifies the ignorant and unaware mindset of the people. 

 

                                      Source: www.tribuneindia.com

            Finally I reached home. I was upset and sad that my country became worse, than I left it 8 years back, in the context of traffic sense. The civic sense is lost. The people blame the politicians and they blame others. Wearing helmets and fastening seat belts are used to save the penalty. We don't hesitate to go in a wrong side of the traffic just to save few meters. We like to argue with the traffic police personnel to get the penalty charges reduced or even freed. The people are unaware of the traffic signs and assume the white painted lines, to form the lane, as designs on the road, nothing else.     
             According to WHO, India suffers from the highest deaths due to road accidents in the world, more than 1,00,000 every year. The lost civic sense and the lack of political (system's) will power are the sole reasons for this. What else to expect from the system which issues the driving license after driving 8 in reverse direction. In reality, one doesn't have to form 8 in any of the direction.

           The solution is simple. The government has to build or improve the infrastructure. The system needs a strong leadership to spread the awareness about the traffic rules. Its the responsibility of the people to understand the importance and act sensibly. Children could be the best medium to spread the message. Altogether, the next generation will learn how to behave on the road. I wish that.  

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) by Germans

Background:- Germany is undoubtedly known for its quality of research and training. In general, I found German society very curious about every field it encounters with. This behavior enables them to dig into the depth of the source, they get the information from. The most favored source of information are Documentaries telecast on BBC, National Geographic etc. They deliver precise knowledge about a topic in a short span of time however those curious minds raise questions within, which remain unanswered. These unsolved queries get mixed up in such minds and build up a perception about the topic.

         During Summers of 2013, I was a part of the training program conducted for Master students of our Institute. It was about "Role of Remote Sensing in Glaciology." After dinner, few folks suggested to meet up at the Lounge . Despite I only shared smiles with most of them during the training, I agreed to join them. I was quite shy to proceed towards someone and talk. But being the only International student in the group, that too from India, made some curious minds approach me. One folk asked me to have a beer. His name was Stefan. Despite my denial, he couldn't resist to appreciate the Bavarian beer and let me know what I missed to have. A girl named Anne shook her hand with me and asked everyone to sit down. Though German is the first and most spoken language of the country, they switched to English for my comfort.

However, Florian deliberately asked " Sprechen Sie Deutsch" (Do you speak German ?)
I fluently replied "  Ich kann ein bisschen Deutsch sprechen aber verstandis ist grosse Probleme. " (I can speak little bit of German but understanding is still a big problem for me. )
Julia and Kathrin high-fived me, completely astounded about my fluency. "It was just practicing of one single line" I broke their surprise.

We were discussing about a lot of things that evening.
All of sudden, Stefan stopped me. "What ? You invited 1000 people in your marriage ? Did you know everyone ? " Stefan bombarded the set of questions. Each one of them equally puzzled.
" Yes. we invited approx 1000 people. My parents and extended families invited them. That's how it is."
Kathrin intervened " I saw in the documentary that Indians spend too much on their marriages. They even borrow money and take the loans. Is that true ? How much does the marriage cost ? Who pays for the marriage ? "
I replied " Its not just a ceremony to begin a legal bond  between opposite sexes. Its a colorful celebration. It happens once in a life time. Above all, Indian wedding celebration is a demonstration of family's status in the society. We strive for maximum."

Julia asked " I had one Indian colleague three years back. He went to India for 3 weeks, got married and returned with his wife. He didn't even know his wife before. "
Florian blurted out " Was hast du gesagt ? (What did you say?) " True emotions and sudden responses often come out in your mother tongue.
He then switched to English and asked me" How come you just go to your country and get married to someone without spending no time. Unbelievable."
I laughed the way Julia asked. " In India, its a belief that marriage is not just a bond of two people but of the extended families. Families play major role in this bond and with the prior consent of both the boy and the girl, they agree to arrange it. This is often called "Arrange Marriage". In such cases, your family shortlists some girls (or families) while you are abroad. Once you are there, you visit the families and finalize one as your life partner. Quite simple" I blinked. ;)
Kathrin praised my explanation.

Anne was patiently listening to our conversation. She then stepped in " I heard that you live with your parents after marriage."
"What's wrong in that !" a thought generated by neurons in my mind, as a response to her question.
 "Yes, of course, we try to live with them if the career choices allow us to do so. But a couple of decades before, all generations lived together under one roof. Its a cultural belief to live united." I responsibly responded.

Kathrin curiously asked " Do the women even share the kitchen ? "  Somewhere down the line, women across the world think of a similar way.
I replied with a smile" Yes, that's what we call family system. Though hardly any system works perfectly in India, the family system always rocks. "
Everyone chuckled.

At the end of the conversation, the table was full of emptied bottles of Bavarian beer. Germans are proud of their beer and its the part of their culture. I am proud of India and its culture. It is well deserved to spread across the world. I was privileged to spread it on my own way and hope to be like the undesignated "Indian Ambassador to the Rest of the World."    

Conference on Mars: Part I

"It is August 27, 2005, according to the Earth's calendar" said Mr. Spatial Mars",  the chairman of the "Solar System Research Platform", headquartered at Mars, one of the important planet of the solar system. The conference date was chosen to be on Mars Hoax, a phenomenon in which Mars gets closer to Earth, a preferable situation for the participants from Earth and its satellite Moon.

     On the conference day, participants from all the planets gather at Mars, majorly from Moon and Earth, as a lot of research being carried out at these planets. During the lunch break of the first session, Mr. Prithvi Raj, a PhD scholar from Earth Space Agency (ESA), Earth met Mr. Chand Eclipse, another PhD student from Moon Space Research Organisation (MSRO), Moon. They soon got acquainted and decided to meet after the conference schedule for that day.

     "Did you see guys from Pluto having fun in the CLUB right there ?", Mr. Eclipse pointed at the Club Marsomania. 

"What else they could do? Pluto is no longer a planet, it belongs to Kuiper belt now. SSRP is going to stop funding Pluto's research from next year onward. Its a life time opportunity for them. Let them have fun." said Mr. Raj. 

      Mr. Eclipse curiously asked " Does Mars appear as big as Moon today, from Earth ? I heard people from Mercury having this conversation." 

"Certainly not. It can't be. They absolutely have no idea of the gravity because Mercury hardly has any. It revolves very fast around the Sun, perhaps that's the reason why its people are fast and furious in spreading the rumors around." laughed Mr. Raj " Its a misconception. Mars can't appear as big as Moon because it will lead to imbalance the gravitational forces of itself and Earth."

      "OK. Thanks for the clarification. You know a lot. Its a sign of the kind of work you do on Earth. I am willing to know about how a research work is carried out on Earth. I have heard from my professors who got scholarships to pursue PhD on Earth. I am fascinated about the infrastructural facilities and freedom of research, you get there."  

"Thanks. Interesting to know but I have to review my presentation for tomorrow. What about tomorrow at the end of the session ?" said Mr. Raj. "Perfect, See you tomorrow" waved Mr. Eclipse.   

PS: In the next conversation, they will discuss about the difference of research work at Moon and Earth. Would be fun to know about that.

Gear 3. Getting a Job

BACKGROUND: Semester based Engineering curriculum is like Shatabdi Express which only stops at few important stations along the route and one can't even read the name of in-between stations because of its high speed. Semester Exams and their Results are the two NIGHT stops of Engineering. Why NIGHT STOPS ??
The Night before the EXAM plays a tremendous role in an Engineer's life >> The night of exploring the syllabus, xeroxing the toppers' notes (always GIRLS' notes), building a roadmap to crack questions based on last 5 year's Qpapers, making numerous phone calls to spread paper leak rumors etc.
In addition to it, the Night before the RESULTS is also very critical >> In my times, folks used to gather outside the regional print media office which published the university results. As soon as they released the print of the results, the whole sight turned into a kind of wild protest which demanded for "Right to Know the Results." Intolerable shouts consisted of two crucial words "All Clear (Pass in all subjects)" and "Back (Fail in one or more subjects)".  In general, nights are very essential for an engineering student. They talk (BC), watch all sort of movies, smoke, drink, copy the assignment, in short everything except sleeping.
Anyways, that's how a normal school pass-out becomes an Engineer ("or rather gets the Engineering degree) !! Nevertheless everyone expects a good JOB, which is an obvious expectation.

TRAINING: As we entered the 5th semester (III year), the Head of Training and Placement Cell addressed to us and handed over the Placement Forms. She claimed " Last year we got (> 300) offer letters and this time I expect more." That politician's like speech was full random statistics and expectations which left people wondering. Who crosschecked the statistics and cared about her raised expectations ? But we clapped after her speech.
The team also distributed "Placement Forms". Those were the funniest forms I had ever filled in. It asked questions like >> What is your dream company ? Which sector you want to work in (like IT, Embedded or so on ? It was hard to believe that TPO team created the form like that because they seemed like ones who needed training and placement both. My friend laughed at the form and doubted " Do we have all choice in life ? "  
Interestingly a new subject "Soft Skills" was introduced, dedicated completely to train us for the upcoming months of campus placements. On the first day, the teacher jotted down five English words down and asked us to raise hands if anyone knew the meaning of any of the words. I was amazed to see that few of my batch-mates in the class knew the meaning of the words, I was not even sure if they existed in the language. My friend whispered" they all go to CAT coaching classes". (In this semester, the class was broadly classified in two strata >> Going AND Not Going to CAT coaching classes)
"Okay, that's good to know that ~ 10 % of the class is getting job during placement, very impressive" He said with pride. I didn't understand how that correlated with jobs. May be, only CAT aspirants could withdraw that conclusion. For me, it was the class of losing self confidence and self respect. Tough aptitude questions and never heard words of English were the only attributes of the class. That's how Soft skills were taught in a hard way. 

GETTING A JOB: In the beginning of 6th semester, several companies (Only IT companies) visited colleges of my city to organize centralized placements for eligible students. Everyone was so desperate to get a job in whichever company one was eligible for, quite contradictory to what one had filled in the so called "Placement Form". I was NO EXCEPTION.
Few smart folks downloaded Model CVs and others including me copied from them. Including a fascinating career objective was quite a challenging task because one could hardly make plenty of changes in Freshers' CV, however   majority of folks had more or less the same career objective, some of them had the same even (word to word). Hard to believe but sometimes while making changes from others' CV, few folks even forgot to change Father's Name, DOB, Gender (quite funny but you cant help it if you copy from girl) etc. Some folks thought why to waste energy in changing the hobbies' section ? 
After all who actually knows what they love to do in spare time ? They all do BC or sleep in spare time :) 
Written exam has to be qualified prior to Interviews. For interviews, either one had to buy "Let Us C" (Beginners guide to learn C language) or borrowed from someone who had not qualified the written. Buying was rather better option. Anyways some programs like "Fibonacci series, Calculate the factorial" were quite famous programs among the interviewers. I mugged up all of them though was not much sure of explaining them to the interviewer. In addition, answers of some FAQs were also mugged.
A group of 10 students were told to wait outside the room of Panel-1 interviewer. On one hand, majority of them explored "Let Us C", I whispered to my friend "Let Us See who all get through". I became very nervous as my name was called. Interviewer was very busy with his seemed like new "Blackberry Phone" (Blackberry was known to be a status symbol those days and reflected your social status. Iphone was not quite popular, so as Samsung).
He asked me to sit without deflecting his eyes from his BB and put 3-4 questions.
1Q Tell me something about yourself ? He stopped me in a "Not Interested tone" when I said " .... my hobbies are ..."
2Q Why do you want to work in IT industry despite you are from EC cadre ? I wanted to answer " Do we have any choices ?" but I answered what I found on Google.    
3Q Do you want to work in Development or Testing ? I said " Development" because that seemed more creative than Testing, though I was completely unaware of both the terms. I argued but interviewer explained with sarcastic smile " There is no creativity in Development, we develop what our client says and Testing Team tests what Development Team develops"
4Q Write a C program to traverse the string ? Oh my god, I didn't mug up that program even few strongly recommended me to do so. I confidently picked up his pen and jotted down the basic structure of a C program then he said " You may go now and send the next one". "Okay sir, thanks. Have a nice day" I said with smile.
I wondered what did he see in me and the folks like me. But that's how I got my "First Job".
My photo was printed on next year's college advertisement which claimed " Highest Placements for 2008 batch" OR "100 % Placements" (Some studies claimed that ~47 % of Indian graduates are unemployable for any job) !!  OR "Best Placements" 
They took all the credit to attract next year's aimless mass. That's how it is :)

Gear 1: Entering Engineering College

"Electronics and Communication (E&C) is an evergreen branch". While filling up the option forms to get an engineering branch in the college, it was the only rule I followed knowing all the illogical facts behind it. I got Electronics, Instrumentation and Control (EIC), a newly introduced branch in the curriculum of the university and not much people aware of it. My parents had a sigh of relief (knowing at least name Electronics in the branch) but Mr. Gupta clarified them the difference between E&C and EIC. In spite of my repetitive attempts explaining him the insightful facts about EIC, which I got from the first 5 google results on EIC, he was not convinced at all at the end. But the discussion ended with a suggestion made by Mr. Gupta that gave new hope to my parents. He said that first few rank holders of I year had the possibility to change the branch in II year. It was the VISA for me to enter the engineering college. 
I was completely unaware of majority of the facts that makes a college "A COLLEGE" !! I chose to stay outside the college campus. The area seemed to me like an education hub consisting of colleges and hostels. As I was dragging my luggage from the bus stop to hostel, a group of people, who had hockey-sticks, chains and punches, stopped me and asked "First Year ?" I stammered "NO, I am searching Vrindavan Hostel. They laughed and showed me the direction of my hostel. One of them whispered "ek aur aa gaya, aaj hi lete hain saale ki" !! I was scared like hell. They seemed like senior scholars who rag I year scholars. Once my friend informed that whenever whoever asks you "Intro De", it's ragging.
Anyways, I was relieved by being helped by few folks at the hostel's gate to get me in. A bunch of people caught me after dinner later that day. In addition to the conventional "Guide Book for I year students" and some obscene games, a list of tasks were assigned to me for the very first day of my college. I was asked to write the name, city, contact number and few other specification of the girls of my class in a tabular format. The task worked for me as well. On one hand, I gained the sympathy from the girls saying that it was an exercise under ragging, on the other hand, my database was also updated ;) Now the database was well analyzed later that day by seniors. The specifications were well cross verified with II year girls who shared the hostel with the girls. Seniors classified and allotted the girls amongst themselves by mutual understanding.
On Fresher's Eve, they celebrated because they were happy that no one among them could have got a girl. The chances of getting a girl for I year scholar (junior) were even lesser. How could anyone cajole a girl with all your hair cut, worst pair of shirt-pants, shoes with awkward laces and no style till Fresher's Eve ? Even then if you were caught with a girl during the day, a long overnight ragging session had been called for you.
II year scholars (so-called immediate seniors) were classified into "All Clear" (Pass in all subjects) and "Back" (Fail in one or more subjects) after their I year results that also declared during the crucial time till Freshers Eve. This classification doesn't exist for girls. Statistically, all Back class students were very good at making a group for fights, ragging and trying to get a I year girl. Their majority of discussions took place at "THADI" (An exclusive place for smoking, fights, ragging, creating accounts etc.)    
Engineering could be explained in terms of visionary Mr. Gupta at HOME and the way it's pursued at THADI. What a difference ?? :)