I write this as I stand at the cusp of one of the most important days of my life. A day which forever transformed me, from a boy to a man. A day when I became self-sufficient and self-reliant. The day I started my career.
It's been quite a journey laden with varied experiences and explicit memories. Journey this long wouldn't be complete without it's own share of ups and downs. Sometimes more downs than one could fathom or comprehend. Looking back, one can't help but laugh at the goof-ups and screw-ups by me. However, one undisputable fact remains. I am rich with experience and wealthy with wisdom.
Starting my journey quite a long time ago .. not so long compared to others, sometimes it looks a miracle that I have lasted this long, I remember every single important moment of my career. This is a pensive of memories for me or someone like me to come and read at a later point of time. I am deliberately leaving names out, but for some it should be quite apparent.
First job, First day, First friend... Fortunate to have met this guy from a similar college.. An amazing human being, a hard-worker and as it proved later an excellent role model and mentor. He is doing well for himself and I wish he continues to excel always..
First job was also laden with rich real-life experiences of what Pygmalion was and how it could impact us. It was also a real live demonstration of what human ego can achieve when channelized. Don't get me wrong, I meant it in a positive manner. Actually, it landed me to take a leap of faith and switch jobs, which was actually a big deal considering my back-ground of coming from a traditional and conservative family.
Of course, justice can't be done to the first job experience without mentioning a couple of role-models, one an unassuming genius with a golden heart who practiced the-right-hand-must-not-know-the-left-hand policy in philanthropy. The other was an energetic and bubbly individual who constantly pushed himself to excel.. something I want to imbibe. Of course, my last mentor was a gem and I feel sorry that I had quit days after he became my mentor formally.
26 Jan 2001 was a turning point in my life. Gujarat earthquake with widespread destruction was a national tragedy. It also happened to be my first tryst with "Education doesn't breed civility or humanity" experience.
Ok.. with 15 months under my belt I jumped to my next job which I call as the first golden phase of my career. Compared to a lot of guys these days, I did land up spending quite a few years in this job. Start-up happened to me unknowingly and without design, something I am thankful to the almighty for. It was one hell of a ride, both for the company and for me. I saw the passion and dedication of few individuals which landed up creating jobs for 400+ people and enriching them financially when a logical point was hit. It was one hell of a ride with a constant endeavor to better oneself.
4.5 years is quite a long time to have a lot of pleasant and unpleasant experiences. Sometimes, these experiences can leave a scar on memory, but as time passes by, one would learn to cope with it as just yet another event. I am touch with a large population of my colleagues and I am sure I can write an paragraph for each one of them (being an relatively early member helps :)).
First, the guy whose dream transformed and shaped the dreams of a lot of people, inculcating long standing values into us. The definition of passion, commitment and dedication can't find a better example than this individual. He is a never-ending movie that never ceases to amaze and his ingenuity and brilliance was a masterclass. Just sample this. He is about to embark on a meeting with a client. He picks up the lonely planet book about this place, familiarizes himself and then quotes local idioms to break the ice. Brilliant.. A widely read person whose quotes were an inspiration, he remains my inspiration to become an entrepreneur like him or atleast an inspirational leader. And oh!! When we made money through the sale of the company, he led the way in Philanthropy by contributing a significant sum to different causes. An outstanding human being.
Next, I can't forget the guy who was my manager (I still would like to call him the same). An amazing and wonderful human being, his brilliance and dedication is on-par with the previous individual. His passion to constantly expand his horizons and keep pushing his boundaries was not very apparent that time. As they say, Everything is obvious in hindsight. He remains a good friend, an amazing technical brain (one of the best in my view) and inspiration for many. For me, he has remained the same in the last ~14 years I know him.
I was blessed to meet another role-model in the form of another manager. His simplicity and down-to-earth demeanor remains an inspiration for me. A complete team man, a very humble person and an amazing human being....He is by far definitely one of the top managers I have had the privilege to work with.
My peers or rather my competitors as I used to think at that time. A set of highly motivated individuals, these guys were absolute brilliant. I may not have expressed in as many words, but guys, it was an honor and privilege to have worked with you.
My team.. Oh yes !! The guys who endured the unflinchingly, unassumingly, raw ME.. It was quite a journey and requires a dedicated chapter sometime. However, it would be quite unfair if I don't remember a few individuals.
First, my little brother or the one I considered as one. Time, people, Chinese whispers destroyed the beautiful relationship we had. It has mended over time, but never is same as the time we had fun. He is doing well for himself and I am sure he will definitely achieve the highest echelons in life.
Next, an absolute inspiration. A girl who was very silent, fiercely independent, but brilliant individual. She is one of the inspirations who prooved that belief, time, space and opportunity can make anyone a superstar. She is an amazing individual whose later avatar literally made me realize, how wrong we are judging the book by it's cover. She remains a dear friend and I am sure she will continue to excel.. as always..
Along with her, is another girl who is an amazing person, sure about what she wanted in life and continues to tread this path.
Last of my team mates has a special connection with Gandhi Jayanthi. This person proved what positive pygmalion can achieve and achieve he did. Standing the cusp of one of the most important decisions in life, he demonstrated what belief can truly achieve in life. He is definitely one of my inspirations and am sure he will do very well (which he is already).
Many more are there whom I left out, but I want to end the list of persons with one whom we lost forever. An amazing human being and a role model for a young kid like me from my first job, this guy was a living example of what I wanted to become. Fate had different designs and we lost him forever. When we were waiting for his mortal remains, one of the guys commented, "Did we require this incident to convene together", which continues to haunt me till this day.
This job gave me everything in personal life. Tragedy struck in the form of my mother's death. However, the scene where around 10 Qualis vehicles came and all my colleagues were there with me will forever remain etched in my mind. This phase also included my marriage and the birth of my first child, events that are truly memorable. Of course, I can't forget the ice-cream treat I hosted for 20 ladies in Corner House and their reciprocation in the form of a picture and the gift, which remains a treasure for me.
Culmination of my journey here laid the foundation for my home. The money I got from ESOP became my seeding capital for my home and the fact I write this from the comfort of my home is truly because of this job.
Memories, some pleasant and some unpleasant remain. However, I will forever treasure the experiences and people whom I was privileged to meet. I have purposefully left out my gang of 4 friends as I think that relationship requires a dedicated section in future.
Next, a giant leap of faith and an amazing roller-coaster ride. However, one part of mine died with my second job. The rat-race of who-earns-more was something I left behind and I don't regret the decision till date. Pity, I didn't realize it earlier.
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