Terribly frustrated about people's attitude!It really beats me how people can speak lowly about something they got into by their own choice. Take for example, how most people feel about their jobs...8 out of 10 people I meet speak ill about their previous companies or their current companies. Think about it, you are in a situation because either you chose to get into it or were in one or the other way forced to get into it based on the situational factors. Once you are there, whats the point in bullshitting about how bad the role was or pay was or ur boss was....heights of MEDIOCRITY. If you felt you were capable of being in some other better role/company/pay then you should have got it..for whatever reasons you did not get it and landed up in your current situation, one needs to focus and make the most of learning from it.
This is a major attitude problem in most employees today...what they don't probably understand is they are questioning their own thinking and decision making ability by bullshitting about their situation. Arre, you try to get the best of all - you want to be in your home town, work in a office where ur girlfriend works, you want to get a meaty role despite ur misfit for the role and over and above that u want a 6 o 7 figure salary!! I wish life was so easy...where you got all this on a platter.
Time and again, I have seen such people who cannot take pride in what they are doing or their job, fail miserably in their careers..world is a very small place- this statement could not have been truer than before. One should think twice before speaking ill about their companies and roles and managers as there is not too much option for such people. Its just a churn happening all the time, where there are 6-7 companies and you keep jumping from one to another among these 7 only. One could be genuinely unhappy with their current jobs, but whats the need to publicly speak ill about it, cause you are degrading urself by accepting that "YOU" did a mistake by getting into that situation. Realize what you have done, and silently look for something better or whatever you feel is good for you. Confession is different from Complaining..I have heard some people genuinely confessing that their current roles or jobs are not crafted out for them and hence they need to change..such people silently find their way out, instead of cribbing and sticking on to what they are currently doing.
With no shortage of skilled people available all the time, companies do not take lightly to this kind of Attitude where one is always cribbing about them. Apparently, it will show in your work. To go beyond these 6-7 companies, it requires much more than medicore thinking, especially in your attitude..you could probably fit the role in terms of skills, but you will get outrightly rejected because of your attitude...and let me tell you,only such companies can offer you meaty roles!
God really help such people who despite all their education, do not have the ability to take resposibility for their situation. If one does not cultivate this culture of taking responsibility or being accountable in the beginning of one's career, they do not or rather "cannot" go far! Having the right attitude is important to succeed in one;s profession. Someone somewhere said -"A professional is someone who can do his best work when he doesn't feel like it." So true!
"The cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." -Oscar Wilde,
Someone beautifully summarized it:
Responsibility begins with the willingness to be cause in the matter of one's life. Ultimately, it is a context from which one chooses to live. Responsibility is not burden, fault, praise, blame, credit, shame or guilt. In responsibility, there is no evaluation of good or bad, right or wrong. There is simply what's so, and your stand. Being responsible starts with the willingness to deal with a situation from the view of life that you are the generator of what you do, what you have and what you are. That is not the truth. It is a place to stand. No one can make you responsible, nor can you impose responsibility on another. It is a grace you give yourself - an empowering context that leaves you with a say in the matter of life.-Werner Erhard
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Placements- My Perspective
Heartthrobs of Recruiters
Ajay Bailur-the heartthrob of Infosys- the kudos he got from Infy HR and the tempting offer of role they made to him, says it all.
Kuldeep Singh Tahim - his CTS interviewer is so impressed with this chap that he takes him around to introduce him to the other panelists from the company. Do I need to say more?
Indranil Das - Castrol is so impressed with our Dada that the company creates a role specifically to suit Dada's strategic (?)requirements...they created a strategic role for this guy!…hats off!
A true gentleman -Karthik Ravichandran - heartthrob of Infy & HCL - they literally fought to get this guy, this guy agreed to stick to HCL as per the college rules when his dream was to work for Infosys. Amazing display of maturity! One might argue that anyone would have agreed to what college said…well, yes…but with a lot of coaxing to be done and by feeling totally dejected. But this guy amazed me with his calmness, composure and the grace with which he accepted to stick to HCL.
My favorite - Bala Pradeep Raj - Gives up one passion -finance (HSBC) to pursue another passion - work for Wipro! Apparently, the passion he gave up fulfilled Sriram's passion to be in HSBC. Both you guys have done enough good karma to have been in this situation!
Never say die! -Punit Vasu - this guy ran from pillar to post, attending a series of interviews, mostly in vain. I could see his tears clearly, till he bagged 2 offers in the evening. Punit, I'm proud of you for having chosen MindTree...a person of your character should be working with someone like Subroto Bagchi.
Lady Luck's favorite - Manan Sharma - He lost out on Grow Talent which was 99.999% through...he attended DSCL just to give it a shot and made it, only to know he had lost on Grow Talent…after this he goes to Genpact and comes out with flying colors!!I was almost in tears thinking of how will I tell him abt grow talent!! However, his good karma kept him in good stead..
You WILL get what you deserve if only you persevere - Pradeep Sonthalia -the finance stud (a true marwari too) was not too happy abt his TCS offer…obviously what will a marwari do in an IT firm:-)) the dude just rocked in Langham's interview and ended with a tempting offer in investment banking! Now that’s what u truly deserve!
Life is not about maths, always...So close, yet so far - Chandrashekar - This person accepts an offer from IBM and signs out of the process only to know that CTS has made him an absolutely tempting offer. Does he sulk? No..instead, cooly analyzes the roles and goes on to say, after the role is still good. Not an iota of depression because of the compensation difference. True display of life's experience and maturity. My respect towards you has only doubled, Sir!
Best Buddies -Recruiter's pick
Genpact -Mahalakshmi - This cute little girl impressed Genpact so much that they requested her to be the buddy next day as well, and on the final day asked her why she din apply to any IT companies(well, u can guess what they were hinting at?)...she single handedly handled a company that recruited 2 VPs!
Tenacity at its best - Neha and Balaji.A who acted as buddies to IBM. They only know what all they had to go through! It was by large, the toughest company to handle..Almost nothing was in place to begin with when this company landed at Green Meadows. They ended up making the maximum offers! Kudos to you both!
Vinodh Jeyraj- Ramco Systems -All those people who are placed in Ramco, you definitely owe big thanks to this guy! Btw, he also handled Godrej/CSC…tremendous effort, Vinu!! Thanks a ton!
Akash, Tejas – Wipro – the less said the better about the confusion these guys had to deal with…upon that the efforts they put in to “send people in”- u know what I mean :-)
Simplicity Personified - The following buddies came in, worked and just left as though it was their duty towards other students...when they are one among the students! Its amazing how some of them carried out the roles with little help from the committee...A real-time display of team spirit! Kudos to all you guys!
The sad part is most people among the batch probably don’t even realize what it takes to have been a buddy on that day and have slogged it out for others sake! Nevertheless, what these guys did only defines their strength of character! You guys were a boon to placement committee on these days. Thank You!
Ajay Bailur-the heartthrob of Infosys- the kudos he got from Infy HR and the tempting offer of role they made to him, says it all.
Kuldeep Singh Tahim - his CTS interviewer is so impressed with this chap that he takes him around to introduce him to the other panelists from the company. Do I need to say more?
Indranil Das - Castrol is so impressed with our Dada that the company creates a role specifically to suit Dada's strategic (?)requirements...they created a strategic role for this guy!…hats off!
A true gentleman -Karthik Ravichandran - heartthrob of Infy & HCL - they literally fought to get this guy, this guy agreed to stick to HCL as per the college rules when his dream was to work for Infosys. Amazing display of maturity! One might argue that anyone would have agreed to what college said…well, yes…but with a lot of coaxing to be done and by feeling totally dejected. But this guy amazed me with his calmness, composure and the grace with which he accepted to stick to HCL.
My favorite - Bala Pradeep Raj - Gives up one passion -finance (HSBC) to pursue another passion - work for Wipro! Apparently, the passion he gave up fulfilled Sriram's passion to be in HSBC. Both you guys have done enough good karma to have been in this situation!
Never say die! -Punit Vasu - this guy ran from pillar to post, attending a series of interviews, mostly in vain. I could see his tears clearly, till he bagged 2 offers in the evening. Punit, I'm proud of you for having chosen MindTree...a person of your character should be working with someone like Subroto Bagchi.
Lady Luck's favorite - Manan Sharma - He lost out on Grow Talent which was 99.999% through...he attended DSCL just to give it a shot and made it, only to know he had lost on Grow Talent…after this he goes to Genpact and comes out with flying colors!!I was almost in tears thinking of how will I tell him abt grow talent!! However, his good karma kept him in good stead..
You WILL get what you deserve if only you persevere - Pradeep Sonthalia -the finance stud (a true marwari too) was not too happy abt his TCS offer…obviously what will a marwari do in an IT firm:-)) the dude just rocked in Langham's interview and ended with a tempting offer in investment banking! Now that’s what u truly deserve!
Life is not about maths, always...So close, yet so far - Chandrashekar - This person accepts an offer from IBM and signs out of the process only to know that CTS has made him an absolutely tempting offer. Does he sulk? No..instead, cooly analyzes the roles and goes on to say, after the role is still good. Not an iota of depression because of the compensation difference. True display of life's experience and maturity. My respect towards you has only doubled, Sir!
Best Buddies -Recruiter's pick
Genpact -Mahalakshmi - This cute little girl impressed Genpact so much that they requested her to be the buddy next day as well, and on the final day asked her why she din apply to any IT companies(well, u can guess what they were hinting at?)...she single handedly handled a company that recruited 2 VPs!
Tenacity at its best - Neha and Balaji.A who acted as buddies to IBM. They only know what all they had to go through! It was by large, the toughest company to handle..Almost nothing was in place to begin with when this company landed at Green Meadows. They ended up making the maximum offers! Kudos to you both!
Vinodh Jeyraj- Ramco Systems -All those people who are placed in Ramco, you definitely owe big thanks to this guy! Btw, he also handled Godrej/CSC…tremendous effort, Vinu!! Thanks a ton!
Akash, Tejas – Wipro – the less said the better about the confusion these guys had to deal with…upon that the efforts they put in to “send people in”- u know what I mean :-)
Simplicity Personified - The following buddies came in, worked and just left as though it was their duty towards other students...when they are one among the students! Its amazing how some of them carried out the roles with little help from the committee...A real-time display of team spirit! Kudos to all you guys!
- Kamal/Sathya – Infosys
- Hardeep/Tejas – HCL
- Sandeep Khanna- CTS
- Anil/Divya Arora – Langham Capital
- Parag Kulkarni- MindTree ( they were very impressed with him:-))
- Preethy, Srinidhi, Srivathsan Sridharan, Indra – Photon Infotech
- Sathya Sainath Reddy - HSBC - A true professional! I can't say more...
- Mahesh/Sandeep/Tommy - TCS
- Balaji.M/Srivathsan - TVS Electronics
- Satyam - Pramod/Tamoghna(apna Tommy) -All those people who are placed in Satyam, you definitely owe a big thanks to these guys!
I must say a few lines that I love the most....
"Make no display of your talents or attainments; for every one will clearly see, admire, and acknowledge them, so long as you cover them with the beautiful veil of modesty"The sad part is most people among the batch probably don’t even realize what it takes to have been a buddy on that day and have slogged it out for others sake! Nevertheless, what these guys did only defines their strength of character! You guys were a boon to placement committee on these days. Thank You!
A perfect person to work with - Mathangi Ashok -she slogged with me day in and day out on those 3 days even while she had her own interviews to worry about. What amazes me most is- she never ever craves for even a thankyou at the end of all her hard work...what matters to her is only to get the work done and then she vanishes before even u realize what she has done and want to thank her.
A selfless character - Praveen Pantula- the amount of work this guy has put for our placements is simply unmatched. Period. Especially when he was not even looking for placements!
A really strong character - Vishal Prasad - this guy did all the running around for 3 complete days...at the end when he did not get anything that he was looking for...he did not even blink a eye...something which very few can actually take in his/her own stride...amazingly strong character!
Placement Director's favorites - Manik/Sitashwa/Souparno - Every day, these guys will religiously go and meet him and sit on his head till they get status on every company. Without these guys' behind-the-scene efforts, those 3 days would have been a nightmare. Believe me when I say that.Period
Admin's favorite - Prasad/Kotler/Amit -These guys gave it all to ensure smooth functioning of activities on those 3 days ...from cabs to be arranged for recruiters to buses for students, food at the right time for all, they really made it a memorable experience for all! Thanks, guys! The arragements truly reflected your experience of handling things.
Guys -Not to forget Jagannath, who provided such a support in his unique style by adding humor to the entire process, every now and then! Thanks, Uncle:-)
A big thanks to all those who did not feature here but definitely contributed by just being with your friends and motivating them on those 3 days.."Actions speak louder than words" and you guys really proved it..some names come to my mind and some don't, at the risk of forgetting to mention them and hurting them, I chose not to name those I remember.
Each one of you will remain special to me in your own way.....thanks for being what you are!
Well, friends- as with every good thing there are some bad memories too…like some of the self-centered characters that I witnessed, the "I care a damn about who gets placed unless I have an offer" kind of people, 'why should I offer to work, someone else will take care of it' kind of characters...we saw them all...the less said about them the better. God help such people in their corporate life with this kind of an attitude!
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
International Womens Day 2007!
I vaguely remember the first time I heard about existence of such a day..it was 4 years ago, probably. I still cannot figure out the reason behind having a single day dedicated to celebrate something like womanhood, same with a day dedicated to express your love-valentine's day...such psuedo celebrations really beats me. Nyways, after hearing all the hype that is being created around regarding this day, I decided to dedicate a piece to one woman I admire the most, other than my mom, of course!
Sudha Murthy. This name needs no introduction. Also the story of how she wrote to Telco on an open post card, only to be called for an interview, her meeting with Narayana Murthy through a common friend, their getting married eventually is also know to most people. When Narayana Murthy started Infosys, Sudha Murthy was a receptionist-cum-clerk-cum- programmer, and had to look into organising everything, a venture that was started with Rs.10,000 given by her to her husband.When she was asked to join the board of Infosys by Nandan Nilakeni..her husband did not approve of it... it would be either one of them on the board. The lady too the tough decision, though it was very difficult for her to accept the same at that point in time.
Now, this is where the crux of the matter is...this lady sacrificed something which many girls of this age would die for, but the beauty is despite all this, she goes on to make a name for herself through her writing & philanthrophy.Her sucesss lies in being a good mother, a good wife, and most importantly,being a good human being. One does not to be the smartest engineer or a smart corporate manager to be branded as successful woman! It takes a lot to have sacrificed all that you aspired for in career, but just move on and create a space and stature for yourself! Hats off to this woman!
Her idea of woman’s empowerment as she says, “is old-fashioned. I believe that it is the woman who should make more career sacrifices for the sake of keeping family values intact. She has to work harder than a man to keep the balance between work and home. But it is always worth that extra effort,’’ she says and adds with a smile: ‘‘The children end up being closer to their mother.’’
Great words from a woman who could have been an engineer/manager/entrepreneur/ceo ....what not? But she chose to be a woman and only that! no wonder, every guy searches for qualities of his own mother in his girlfriend/wife...
M'am, here's an heartfelt thanks for being an inspiration to so many, by just being yourself!
Final words:
Dedicating one particular day, organizing lavish functions and inviting speakers to come and give gyan does not make any sense to me to celebrate this day, especially when the listeners invited to such functions are the last people who will need this gyan. An ideal thing could be to probably empower the powerless by helping them in whatever way we can...as our Philosophy guru says..there is no replacement to "Karma Yoga"...few ways of doing karma yoga to those who have to start from scratch - be polite to your maid,she is after all another woman trying to making a living by washing your dirty pots and clothes,pass a smile at the sabziwaali/phoolwaali..ask her how her kids are..the joy on her face is something that you cannot probably replace by giving a 100 rupee note..
All you women out there, please do some good karma of making some powerless woman's life better than what it is... now, that is what I would call a reason to celebrate everyday as a happy womens day!
I vaguely remember the first time I heard about existence of such a day..it was 4 years ago, probably. I still cannot figure out the reason behind having a single day dedicated to celebrate something like womanhood, same with a day dedicated to express your love-valentine's day...such psuedo celebrations really beats me. Nyways, after hearing all the hype that is being created around regarding this day, I decided to dedicate a piece to one woman I admire the most, other than my mom, of course!
Sudha Murthy. This name needs no introduction. Also the story of how she wrote to Telco on an open post card, only to be called for an interview, her meeting with Narayana Murthy through a common friend, their getting married eventually is also know to most people. When Narayana Murthy started Infosys, Sudha Murthy was a receptionist-cum-clerk-cum- programmer, and had to look into organising everything, a venture that was started with Rs.10,000 given by her to her husband.When she was asked to join the board of Infosys by Nandan Nilakeni..her husband did not approve of it... it would be either one of them on the board. The lady too the tough decision, though it was very difficult for her to accept the same at that point in time.
Now, this is where the crux of the matter is...this lady sacrificed something which many girls of this age would die for, but the beauty is despite all this, she goes on to make a name for herself through her writing & philanthrophy.Her sucesss lies in being a good mother, a good wife, and most importantly,being a good human being. One does not to be the smartest engineer or a smart corporate manager to be branded as successful woman! It takes a lot to have sacrificed all that you aspired for in career, but just move on and create a space and stature for yourself! Hats off to this woman!
Her idea of woman’s empowerment as she says, “is old-fashioned. I believe that it is the woman who should make more career sacrifices for the sake of keeping family values intact. She has to work harder than a man to keep the balance between work and home. But it is always worth that extra effort,’’ she says and adds with a smile: ‘‘The children end up being closer to their mother.’’
Great words from a woman who could have been an engineer/manager/entrepreneur/ceo ....what not? But she chose to be a woman and only that! no wonder, every guy searches for qualities of his own mother in his girlfriend/wife...
M'am, here's an heartfelt thanks for being an inspiration to so many, by just being yourself!
Final words:
Dedicating one particular day, organizing lavish functions and inviting speakers to come and give gyan does not make any sense to me to celebrate this day, especially when the listeners invited to such functions are the last people who will need this gyan. An ideal thing could be to probably empower the powerless by helping them in whatever way we can...as our Philosophy guru says..there is no replacement to "Karma Yoga"...few ways of doing karma yoga to those who have to start from scratch - be polite to your maid,she is after all another woman trying to making a living by washing your dirty pots and clothes,pass a smile at the sabziwaali/phoolwaali..ask her how her kids are..the joy on her face is something that you cannot probably replace by giving a 100 rupee note..
All you women out there, please do some good karma of making some powerless woman's life better than what it is... now, that is what I would call a reason to celebrate everyday as a happy womens day!
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
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Trip to Kodai Kanal (26th of March to 28th of March)
Feb 26th –
8.00 pm- Abhi’s dad picked us up & dropped us at Egmore Station
9.30 pm- We board Pandian Express
10.00 pm – Hunger strikes! Thanks to Abhi and Balaji, they offered to bring dinner for us. Idli with tomato chutney, & curd rice. Eternal bliss to all of us, except Dada, who is unable to figure out the pleasure we south Indians derive out of eating curd rice.Mathangi resists the temptation as she had had her dinner at home, at last, she gives up and goes for a second roundJ
Feb 27th
3.00 am – Mathangi & Balaji are olarufying as they don feel sleepy! Dada is keeping an eye on everyone by lying down in Padmanabha swamy styleJ
5.00 am – We reach Kodai Road station from where we took a cab to Kodai Hill, which is an hour and half long journey. Actually, we hit straight to Mathangi’s estate, which is like 30 mins drive from Kodai Hills. The journey was simply mind boggling as our car zigzagged through the curvy hills. As we started climbing up, the chillness only increased and all our tiredness seemed to vanish due to the encapsulating beauty around.
7.30 am-Mathangi’s Estate – Till the time we reached the estate, we were all discussing of resting for a while, probably take a quick nap before we started towards Kodai. However, as we landed in this beautiful estate in the middle of the hills, we all were so captivated by the beauty of nature around us that all our tiredness of the journey just vanished. Nature at its best! That is what it was! No internet, no traffic noises, no pollutions, no programs on television (though they had done), the only noise was that of birds chirping, various noises from insects and cool breeze blowing across our face.
10.15 am- Break fast – Hot Idli with chutney and sambar
10.30 am- Trekking! – We trekked downhill and return inside the estate. A really short trek, but felt good doing it after years!
11.00 am – On our way to Kodai. We hit straight to the lake to do boating, guess what? We took a rowing boat with no clue whatsoever as to how to row. I totally freaked at the thought as I do not know swimming. Kamal took the task of rowing, after a short period of trial and error; he started navigating the boat towards the other end of the lake. He mastered the art so quickly that we rechristened him Capt.KamalJ. Guys, everyone time the weight shifted from one end to another, thanks to Dada who could not stay stable for long, my heart skipped a beat. It’s a different thing that all the others – Kamal, Indranil, Mathangi and Krishna promised to save me if the boat tossed upside down…grrrrrrrrrrh!
12.45 pm- Cycling – All my friends decided to go cycling, except me and Balaji. We decide to walk along the lake till our friends return. Felt nice to have a long chat with mama, caught up on a lot of
things!
3.00 pm – Lunch time – We grabbed a quick lunch at Hotel Hilton before we started our return journey to the estate. South Indian cannot cook good north indian food and vice versa. Period. Halted at food world to pick up some stuff…oh man, you should have seen the variety of home-made chocolates displayed here.
4.00 pm – Most of the gang are fast asleep, except Mats, me & Kamal. We decide to play badminton. It was after 8 long years that I held a racket in my hand and I was playing against a State-level champion (Mathangi). She made me realized how long it was since I had played the sport. But it was good fun. Balaji joined us after sometime and before we knew all of us played the game for 3 hrs at a stretch. It’s time to freshen-up and settle down around the campfire.
7.30 pm- Campfire – I, Mats and Dada had decided on having a small drink (just to ensure that we don’t catch cold, guys, believe usJ). Dada went for red wine & we both settled for Vodka (this is why we stopped on our way back home from KodaiJ). Bonfire, drink in our hand, friends around me, music to soothe the ears and the setup is in a estate house located amidst the hills with chillness biting into our skin – do I need to say more?
9.10 pm– Feeling a little high, I start off on a 4 course dinner!
10.30 pm- Time to hit the bed. Before I know I’m fast asleep.
28th of Feb
6.30 am – Woke up to a beautiful view of sunrise from our room. Could not think of anything but grabbed the camera and ventured into the estate to do some photography. I managed to get some great pics. After one hour for strolling in the estate I walk towards the kitchen to have some chai, and what do I see? 5people, vaguely resembling my friends, are involved in some serious discussion with paper strewn all over the dining table. What’s the occasion? IB exam that was due next day. I tried in vain to disturb them so they would wrap up and we could chit-chat L hard luck! So, I decided to go back to my photography.
9.30 am – Breakfast – This time its dosa and upma with pudhina chutney
11.00 am – Boating at Kodai Lake, yes, again! This time around it’s the peddle boat J
12.00 noon – Cycling – This time me & Balaji joined the group, we took a tandem cycle J(Why??Coz I donno cyclingL) It was an amazing ride (probably not for Balaji, as he was the one peddling and I was the pillion rider). After a while Kamal and Mathangi took turns with me on the tandem cycle. Guess what, Kamal managed to race on this cycle, leaving all other single riders behind…yippee! 3 cheers to cycling champion Kamal.
1.30 pm – Coakers walk (also called the suicide point) - A British guy roamed around in the hills and discovered this spot, hence the name. Truly a breathtaking view from the hilltop. One wrong step and it’s the end all of a person.
2.15 pm – Lunch at a Punjabi restaurant. South Indian cannot cook good north indian food and vice versa. Period.
2.45 pm – A bit of shopping, spices and fruits!
3.30 pm – On our way back to the estate, with a heavy heart that all good things have to come to an end
4.30 pm – Sat in the garden to enjoy the peace around for a while, pondering how much activity has transpired in less than 32 hrs…time to pack up!
6.30 pm – On our way to Kodai station – The topic of discussion varies from communism in Kolkata to history of politics in TN. How important is to love the company for one to love the job?? A heated debate continues….
8.15 pm – Kodai Road Station
8.45 pm – We start walking towards our platform, Mathangi is walking behind me. I just put my luggage on the platform and look around, only to find her shouting in pain. She has fallen and twisted her leg. We rush to her and help her get up and sit on the chair. Her leg is swollen beyond imagination L Kamal & Krishna managed to get some pain relievers and ointment. We kept ice pack on the swelling and it seemed to be subsiding. We have a train to catch in next 8-10 mins, she has to walk to the platform…she is not even able to put her feet down. Best part, train stops precisely for 2 mins at Kodai Road junction…what do we do? Take her to Madurai for treatment, she is in deep pain giving us a fear that it could be a fracture…Thankfully, swelling started coming down and we decided to continue our journey. Called for a wheel chair, shifted her to the platform… now the big question, will we be able to shift her inside the train, and all of us (6) manage to get in with our entire luggage. A real-time operations scenario- Kamal & Balaji decides to help her get on to the train. 4 of us decide to take the entire luggage and hop on to the train from the other entrance. Train approaches and the action began. We just manage to hop-on with all the luggage and train starts moving…right on time! It was a truly learning experience.
1st of March
5.30 am – Egmore Station – Helped Mathangi hop-on to her car and the rest of us took a cab back home.
Feb 26th –
8.00 pm- Abhi’s dad picked us up & dropped us at Egmore Station
9.30 pm- We board Pandian Express
10.00 pm – Hunger strikes! Thanks to Abhi and Balaji, they offered to bring dinner for us. Idli with tomato chutney, & curd rice. Eternal bliss to all of us, except Dada, who is unable to figure out the pleasure we south Indians derive out of eating curd rice.Mathangi resists the temptation as she had had her dinner at home, at last, she gives up and goes for a second roundJ
Feb 27th
3.00 am – Mathangi & Balaji are olarufying as they don feel sleepy! Dada is keeping an eye on everyone by lying down in Padmanabha swamy styleJ
5.00 am – We reach Kodai Road station from where we took a cab to Kodai Hill, which is an hour and half long journey. Actually, we hit straight to Mathangi’s estate, which is like 30 mins drive from Kodai Hills. The journey was simply mind boggling as our car zigzagged through the curvy hills. As we started climbing up, the chillness only increased and all our tiredness seemed to vanish due to the encapsulating beauty around.
7.30 am-Mathangi’s Estate – Till the time we reached the estate, we were all discussing of resting for a while, probably take a quick nap before we started towards Kodai. However, as we landed in this beautiful estate in the middle of the hills, we all were so captivated by the beauty of nature around us that all our tiredness of the journey just vanished. Nature at its best! That is what it was! No internet, no traffic noises, no pollutions, no programs on television (though they had done), the only noise was that of birds chirping, various noises from insects and cool breeze blowing across our face.
10.15 am- Break fast – Hot Idli with chutney and sambar
10.30 am- Trekking! – We trekked downhill and return inside the estate. A really short trek, but felt good doing it after years!
11.00 am – On our way to Kodai. We hit straight to the lake to do boating, guess what? We took a rowing boat with no clue whatsoever as to how to row. I totally freaked at the thought as I do not know swimming. Kamal took the task of rowing, after a short period of trial and error; he started navigating the boat towards the other end of the lake. He mastered the art so quickly that we rechristened him Capt.KamalJ. Guys, everyone time the weight shifted from one end to another, thanks to Dada who could not stay stable for long, my heart skipped a beat. It’s a different thing that all the others – Kamal, Indranil, Mathangi and Krishna promised to save me if the boat tossed upside down…grrrrrrrrrrh!
12.45 pm- Cycling – All my friends decided to go cycling, except me and Balaji. We decide to walk along the lake till our friends return. Felt nice to have a long chat with mama, caught up on a lot of
things!
3.00 pm – Lunch time – We grabbed a quick lunch at Hotel Hilton before we started our return journey to the estate. South Indian cannot cook good north indian food and vice versa. Period. Halted at food world to pick up some stuff…oh man, you should have seen the variety of home-made chocolates displayed here.
4.00 pm – Most of the gang are fast asleep, except Mats, me & Kamal. We decide to play badminton. It was after 8 long years that I held a racket in my hand and I was playing against a State-level champion (Mathangi). She made me realized how long it was since I had played the sport. But it was good fun. Balaji joined us after sometime and before we knew all of us played the game for 3 hrs at a stretch. It’s time to freshen-up and settle down around the campfire.
7.30 pm- Campfire – I, Mats and Dada had decided on having a small drink (just to ensure that we don’t catch cold, guys, believe usJ). Dada went for red wine & we both settled for Vodka (this is why we stopped on our way back home from KodaiJ). Bonfire, drink in our hand, friends around me, music to soothe the ears and the setup is in a estate house located amidst the hills with chillness biting into our skin – do I need to say more?
9.10 pm– Feeling a little high, I start off on a 4 course dinner!
10.30 pm- Time to hit the bed. Before I know I’m fast asleep.
28th of Feb
6.30 am – Woke up to a beautiful view of sunrise from our room. Could not think of anything but grabbed the camera and ventured into the estate to do some photography. I managed to get some great pics. After one hour for strolling in the estate I walk towards the kitchen to have some chai, and what do I see? 5people, vaguely resembling my friends, are involved in some serious discussion with paper strewn all over the dining table. What’s the occasion? IB exam that was due next day. I tried in vain to disturb them so they would wrap up and we could chit-chat L hard luck! So, I decided to go back to my photography.
9.30 am – Breakfast – This time its dosa and upma with pudhina chutney
11.00 am – Boating at Kodai Lake, yes, again! This time around it’s the peddle boat J
12.00 noon – Cycling – This time me & Balaji joined the group, we took a tandem cycle J(Why??Coz I donno cyclingL) It was an amazing ride (probably not for Balaji, as he was the one peddling and I was the pillion rider). After a while Kamal and Mathangi took turns with me on the tandem cycle. Guess what, Kamal managed to race on this cycle, leaving all other single riders behind…yippee! 3 cheers to cycling champion Kamal.
1.30 pm – Coakers walk (also called the suicide point) - A British guy roamed around in the hills and discovered this spot, hence the name. Truly a breathtaking view from the hilltop. One wrong step and it’s the end all of a person.
2.15 pm – Lunch at a Punjabi restaurant. South Indian cannot cook good north indian food and vice versa. Period.
2.45 pm – A bit of shopping, spices and fruits!
3.30 pm – On our way back to the estate, with a heavy heart that all good things have to come to an end
4.30 pm – Sat in the garden to enjoy the peace around for a while, pondering how much activity has transpired in less than 32 hrs…time to pack up!
6.30 pm – On our way to Kodai station – The topic of discussion varies from communism in Kolkata to history of politics in TN. How important is to love the company for one to love the job?? A heated debate continues….
8.15 pm – Kodai Road Station
8.45 pm – We start walking towards our platform, Mathangi is walking behind me. I just put my luggage on the platform and look around, only to find her shouting in pain. She has fallen and twisted her leg. We rush to her and help her get up and sit on the chair. Her leg is swollen beyond imagination L Kamal & Krishna managed to get some pain relievers and ointment. We kept ice pack on the swelling and it seemed to be subsiding. We have a train to catch in next 8-10 mins, she has to walk to the platform…she is not even able to put her feet down. Best part, train stops precisely for 2 mins at Kodai Road junction…what do we do? Take her to Madurai for treatment, she is in deep pain giving us a fear that it could be a fracture…Thankfully, swelling started coming down and we decided to continue our journey. Called for a wheel chair, shifted her to the platform… now the big question, will we be able to shift her inside the train, and all of us (6) manage to get in with our entire luggage. A real-time operations scenario- Kamal & Balaji decides to help her get on to the train. 4 of us decide to take the entire luggage and hop on to the train from the other entrance. Train approaches and the action began. We just manage to hop-on with all the luggage and train starts moving…right on time! It was a truly learning experience.
1st of March
5.30 am – Egmore Station – Helped Mathangi hop-on to her car and the rest of us took a cab back home.
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