The Fresher Syndrome

2:46 PM Shanky 3 Comments

*************
Disclaimer: After/While reading this post you might feel sick, bored and other allied feelings. But I am least bothered. This is my space and I am going to pen my Brownian thoughts here.
***************
The seed for this post was sowed by two of my close friends. One living hundred miles apart with whom I communicate via email and another who sits just across my cubicle. I shall explain each one of the incidents one by one. First my friend who currently works in eastern part o f India mailed me saying he is all fine but has been frustrated from last night. Now, how can one be fine and frustrated at the same time? Lemme explain... “I am frustrated” part is a signal for me to interfere into his train of thoughts with a red flag and change its track. “I am fine” part is for my train of thoughts to remain intact. Got it?! When asked about his reason for frustration, here is what he said "Yesterday, an acquaintance of mine called me up. She works here in ***. She said that she wanted to meet me. We spent an hour together talking around and then when I was about to leave she said “I have got through **** B school.” I said why were u this late to say this, we met an hour ago and u should have said it right then. She replied “I wanted u to have something to think when u start walking back to ur flat." Don’t know exactly why da, but I feel that life is not moving ahead. Nothing positive is happening in the professional front."

Let me explain a little more about his woes. He hails from a small town, finished his B.Tech from a reputed college. He has a younger sister studying in college. He works (he joined as a fresher from college) in Kolkatta for a *** IT, MNC. His family is in an economic trough and he is the elder son. First problem starts here, "Should he pursue MBA or Should he support his family?" The company he is working for has a great name but pays peanuts. His visa is stuck and is not moving anywhere which annuls the possibility of onsite. To add to this there is the recession. To add some more he has no liking for the job and feels his heart lies in people management. So here is the second question, "Should he do a career switch or should he stick around till an onsite with the company?" His friend's (who I refer to as "MBA gal") remarks were like adding fuel to the already existing fire (With all due respect to her positive intentions). I believe most of the freshers have this feeling. This feeling of indecision and the stagnation that results from this indecisiveness. Though the circumstances are different, the basic problem and dilemma is the same. Especially when we see other people moving up, moving on, this feeling makes us more uneasy.

So, I got his signal and ran with the red flag. I ran as fast as I could so that I could to save his positive attitude and confidence. I knew that he will come out of it and its just matter of time he did that. Once you pull him out, any human for that matter, he will limp back. After all we are built to survive, by nature. So my main aim was for him to realise that it is a tough situation and he has been doing his best. The rest will be Magic! I mailed him all philosophical things, hoping it made some sense to him. The thing about philosophy is that little will you expect from it until you follow it in your life and see success. I firmly believe in it and go with it. This is what I told him (I believe this is true for every one of us. I believe hard work always pays. All that we need is a little patience and self confidence):

"Da! when you handle an experiment, how do you solve it? You have a look at the variables. Then you see how many are controllable and how many are not. Then you try to vary the controllable variables and try to get the result (All College students know how to manipulate to get the results... I knew that!). right? Life is the same. Every decision you take is an outcome of the experiment. Every decision that you make comes with a consequence attached to it. In this experiment of MBA you have lot many variables to adjust and combat than any of us do. In that case you are doing a tough experiment. You are taking a tough decision. So I would like to think that if it were so easy an experiment as mine or as the MBA girl's, by now you would have got through something. No wonder that it is moving slowly than how you expect it to.

Consider yourself free of every other worry that you have and preparing full swing for the exams. I am dead sure that it will be a cake walk for you. Sachin said after his century (in the one against England in Chennai recently): "I don't know exactly what I think about. I was just telling myself that I was going to watch the ball as closely as possible and keep my mind free. If your mind is free, then the rest will happen. If your mind is preoccupied, the bat flow is not going to happen. I just kept my mind free and reacted to whatever was coming at me."


So when attempting such a tough experiment, with so many worries around it tends to take time. You need to be patient. Take a path and stick to it. I know there are many factors. So take your time to choose the path. This is what we did for IES (We thought if he gets through IES he will have govt managerial job. But his heart was simply not there). we decided, based on the outcome, that the decision was not that good. But after that we never chose a path. As of now I think we are travelling without knowing the destination with limited petrol. So fix the destination. Then work towards it. Sis marriage, aunty and uncle's health, money for them... everything is there. You can not run from them. At the same time you can not just sit there and watch it. You need to take a decision. The best possible one based on what choices are available. Then you implement the decision and then you come to know if your decision was good. That is how it is in life, just like in experiment. That is how it is in corporate world or for that matter anywhere you see. No man can claim that a particular decision is the best. You only know when the outcome is seen. So dude... Get up and Get going."

The second incident shall be dealt with in the next post! Another sequel (he he he)!

3 comments:

Jaya Hey!

1:36 PM Shanky 1 Comments

I thought of writing a sequel here. What with every one, from the book authors to TV screen writers to Kollywood to Bollywood to Hollywood, writing sequels, why shouldn't I? Also this can make a person irritated which is one of my favourite pass-time. Are you asking how? If you have not read my previous post you will not be able to understand this and so in the urge of understanding this you will read/re-read my earlier post :D sweeeeet!

This is the sequel to my earlier post ermmm... should I reveal it? Or should I make you guys search for yourself? Considering the options and the harmful effects each can contribute, I choose to reveal it! This is a sequel to "Brave or Wise?" And to reduce the damage that will be caused, I shall start from where I ended (similarity to QoS is co-incidental :P ). I had ended the earlier post saying that the world will unite to fight out a common enemy and asking should we be brave or wise. I shall be addressing both these things in this post as well. As mentioned previously, the entire human kind will come together to fight one common enemy as boundaries are increasingly becoming irrelevant in this global village. Just that the enemy has been qualified given a proper name and identified in this post. Earlier I had given them a common name called "Animals" and named a few examples of the kind.. Like elephants, tigers. I had blamed humankind for having ventured into their territories inviting their wrath onto us. This time it is just the mirror image. After all kaleidoscope has a mirror!


By now I presume, being the intelligent-smart-brainy reader that you are, you would have guessed where I am coming from. Yes! When the whole world is talking, it is very difficult to stop thinking about it. Mumbai Terror attacks! And the common enemy is anyone who calls himself an extermist/terrorist/jihadi/worker of god etc... No religion, no state, no nation associated. Though there are 101 other reasons/flows/logics that can be associated with what might happen next, but the first step has already been taken.

That is the step of showing solidarity, extending help and mourning in oneness by other nations to what has happened half way across the globe. Earlier as well, governments condemned any act of barbarism a.k.a. terrorism. But that was that. Nothing more and nothing less. Just a cursory-official-I care too statement from some unknown ambassador of the state clad in a black suit. But now, the equations have changed. People on the other side of the equation have now been included as variables (in the count of deaths, I mean). Thanks to Al Qaeda, LeT and the whole lot of others. US is alarmed at any Islamic terror happening in the world. They have been given the shock already with 9/11. So, With Israelis coming to offer help, Brits pledging solidarity, US sending its top diplomat to India and most importantly the candle light vigils of citizens from various nations have flagged off the unity in fighting the common enemy.

But just in any other conquest there are lot other disturbing elements to this one as well. First there is still this divide of pride-of-my-nation thought in accepting help from others. Well, if this is reflected while scandals come out, I will be happier. So get out of your damn ego and accept help. I am citing the refusal of Indian government for the help from Israeli's and holding up of FBI officials at IGI Airport here. Please! I know how duty bound the customs officials are.... especially after my Aussie-returning friend lost the precious liquor bottle, to the officials, for no reason, that he had brought us. Second, the bureaucracy is so deep just for one country. Imagine the depth and breadth of the line when multiple nations come together to fight an enemy!
Now to the question: How should we be "Brave or Wise?" In this post though, I shall go further than asking the question. I do accept that the answer here might completely be different but can we not do something from our part as citizens to help limit the attacks. We certainly can! Here is what I think we as common people need to do. First we must become aware of the law and be law abiding citizens. How many of us have travelled into a no-go zone? How many of us have travelled without our helmets? How many of us have voted? Have we ever used voter-id for its real purpose? It’s always just another ID-Proof for travelling and booking tickets. These may look disconnected with the situation. But these are the basic changes that we need to inculcate within ourselves so that the bigger picture looks good.

Just to give you some connected examples, I have seen many people bypassing security here at my place of work; zooming past the guards in their Yamahas and Hondas. Can you not spare 2 minutes to prove your identity. When such scenes are so common, how can we expect the security to distinguish a zooming terrorist from a zooming employee (you may be tempted to conclude that law breakers are helping terrorists here. please succumb to your temptation) How many of us have violated traffic lights? How are we to identify a bunch of terrorists who speed-past traffic signals (hypothetical) from normal citizens? Countries, especially India has become so corrupt that people who do their duty are seen as either idiots or idols. As citizens can we not be a little patient and get our work done rather than resorting to under-the-table dealings? How many of us have cursed AIRTEL for asking so many proofs? If you are one of them, then take this... All the sim cards used in the Mumbai terror attacks were procured using fake ids. Around 2 Lakh sim cards are in circulation that have been acquired using fake ids. So, are we to investigate all the 2 Lakh fraudulent people?

This is just a small list of mishaps happening around us, involving us. I can quote hundreds more that we common man do in order to "get things done”. People, please think. It is not about just the candle night vigils and spitting at our politicians. This is not to say that they are spotless. They are! But let’s put our house in order first. There are so many basic things to be corrected to make sure that the structure remains in-tact. I am a part of the group which I am accusing. I have shouted at AIRTEL, I have been irked by the security guard, I have jumped signals. I now understand the butterfly effect that such small violations can cause. Let’s pledge that we shall follow the rules and comply with safety and security checks. Let’s be wise!


PS: I salute the selfless police officers, army commandos, NSG who laid their lives fighting the terrorists.

1 comments:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...