Into Mphasis

Hi everyone, I wrote this story during my free time in office. Read it when you find time.

Being a software developer was my biggest dream. But due to some financial problems I ended up as a tester in a small company called Webyog Inc. Though the company was small, my colleagues were very friendly but when it comes to work they were very rude on me. I was a fresh grad out of college at that time and I did not know much about the IT world. People were very selfish and they refused to share their knowledge. I had the habit of asking doubts from my college days, so I did the same thing in my workplace also. I use to go to everyone's desk and ask them for help. Everyone started seeing me like an irritation rather than a colleague.

I was very much discouraged and I was alone. No one was ready to listen to my problems and I was dying each day. I had plans to leave the job but it was the only source of income for me otherwise I won't have money to even go to office. The problem was not my parents, it was me. My father runs his own business and we get enough money. My father asked me to join him in his business but I was not interested because I was pursuing my dream job. In spite of all this pain, I had some happiness. It was because of a girl called, Sharmila. She was looking really great and I loved her from the first day.

I liked her so much that I planned different ways to propose her each day but nothing worked out. One funny thing was I spoke to her only one day, the day before I left the company. I will tell you what happened that day at the end.

She was a mangalorean; she was fair, slim and fit. Though I liked her I could not express my feelings. I was always working without rest. Everyone started using me. Though I knew it, I did not bother about it because I had to stay their anyway.

As I told you, I had financial problems which forced me to continue my job as a tester. I started feeling that I would end up like this for the rest of my life. One day I got a mail from Aspiring minds to attend an aptitude test. I was sound in technical but very bad in aptitude. What the fuck, who found all this fucking aptitude, I had to read the whole book like a kid preparing for the exam. I had to read that fucking book, there was no other way because the bright future I was expecting lay right before me in the form of that book.

It is not that I can't clear it, I did not like it. It was full of problems, though I knew I can solve them, I was not willing to learn it. I still don't have an answer, why I hate aptitude. For me it was the sole enemy failing me in all tests from some of the best companies.

But somehow I read something, flipped few pages and went to attend the test. My bad it was around 70 kilometers. Me and my brother went together to attend the test in my father's old Splender +. It was too far; I reached the test venue half an hour late but somehow managed to get into the exam hall. It was an online test and most of the questions were from the aptitude book, the technical stuffs were very less. I thought I will get screwed in this test as well. I finished the test by 7 PM.

The college I wrote the exam was Nagarjun College, very far away from the city. When I came out, it was pitch dark, no light. The only light that I could see was from a small street light near a 30 feet road near the college. I felt sorry for my brother; he was waiting for me so long. Then I had to argue with him for some time giving him some stupid excuses.

We left the college by 8, the highway too was dark. There were no lights. We went as slowly as we can, but after crossing several kilometers, we reached a fly over and there were street lights bright and it was all along the road. We started speeding and I had to apply a sudden break because there was a red signal. My bad, the bike's metal rod inside the wheel broke into two pieces and fell down.

I started blaming my brother and he started towards the bus stand. He was very short tempered and decided to leave me alone in a place I never been. I had to run behind him and pleaded him to come back and help me. After some time, we both reached our senses and realized the problem we were into. We both decided to work together and we inquired everyone if there was any mechanic shop in the vicinity. A bakery owner told us that there is a mechanic shop inside the village. My brother went with him to bring him but we were not lucky because the shop was already closed.

Then we had no other option but to sleep on the road. Everyone in that village was looking at us like vultures waiting for a dying prey. To my surprise, there was a puncture shop open right in front of us. It was only for Lories but we thought of trying our luck. We went to him and told us our problem, he asked us to bring the bike to the shop. With great difficulty we moved the bike and took it into his garage. He checked the bike and told us that the connecting rod is broken and nothing he can do. We pleaded him for help. By that time, calls started hitting our mobile phones from our parents.

Then that guy told us that there is a spare parts shop in the next bus stop but it will close by 9. It was already 8:55. We did not delay and my brother went in a bus to get the spare part that was broken. I was waiting for him indefinitely. The puncture guy was calling me again and again and told me that he will be closing the shop. Then my brother appeared out of darkness. He was running like anything. He came fast and handed over the spare to that guy.

After some hitting and flipping, he fixed our bike. But he warned us that it is a temporary fix and we have to drive slowly. We thanked him and asked him how much we have to pay. He told us 20Rs. But I took a 100Rs note and pressed it in his hands. He said, sir, I don't have change. I told him, keep it.

Then we drove home slowly and reached at 12. It was a horrible experience and still I can't forget that day. If my brother was not there, I would have slept on road that day. I really should thank him for that.

So the test was over and I was waiting for some positive outcome. I was expecting some mails from aspiring minds because they told us that we will get a mail from them if we have cleared the test. One of my friends attended the same test the next day.

We did not get any mails and I started losing hope. One day my friend called me and told me that he got a mail to attend the GD for HCL in the same college. I wondered why I did not get mail though I wrote the exam before him. He cleared the GD and he got selected in HCL. I was dying with mental pain every day and after a month I got a mail to attend the GD round for Mphasis in Vemana institute of technology. I felt very happy and I slapped myself for no reason. I was so desperate for this job and I know I needed it the most. By this time, I had attended lot of interviews. I knew what I had to do. The only thing that remained was to win the race. It was a battle for me and I was well prepared for the battle.

I mailed my manager that I'm sick and went to attend the GD round in Vemana institute of technology. I saw all new faces and I could see talent in all of them. Something inside me was telling me that you are the best among all of them and there was a strong belief that I can clear it. In my earlier interviews, I lost many times in GD round because of the north Indian assholes. They won't allow others to speak and when others are speaking they would intervene and block them. We were not getting any chance and in almost all interviews that I attended people like me lost to those northies.

But I was very determined this time that I should not allow anyone to speak. It should be a one man show, I had a strong feeling that I should carry on the conversation and I made sure that no one intervene when I talk.

In our GD round there were four people, whom I now know very well, they are Kavitha, Santu, Arun Bala and Jo. The topic was "Will the rise of IT sector in China impact India". The invigilator told us that those who start the conversation would get an upper hand. Santu was sitting right next to me and towards right there was a good looking girl. I don't know her name but that doesn't matter. When the invigilator said Start, the girl next to me started the conversation by putting a valid point. It was a big blow to me and I had to overtake her. It was clearly a race; it was reminding me of the Darwin's theory "Survival of the fittest". I started talking about Google. I knew so much about Google that I just kept going, everyone was listening carefully to my words and everyone started discussing about the point I put forth.

It was clearly my show and I was not allowing anyone to speak, I would block them but strike them with my points. They were dumbstruck and at one point of time, it was me talking and everyone was just listening. Meanwhile some people were trying their best to add their point but their ideas went pale in front of mine. I always had a bigger picture of the universe and I knew no one can match me with my thinking.

 As the GD round continued, others started getting scared that they may lose because they were not getting any chance. Then everyone started screaming so that others will listen to them. But I made sure that my voice is heard among the crowd. My voice is usually soft and not audible but that day I roared like a lion. After sometime the invigilator asked everyone to stop and scolded everyone for making the GD round a mess.

 Kavitha complained about me that I'm not allowing anyone to speak. Then the invigilator asked everyone to conclude their point one by one. Everyone added their points and it was over.

We were asked to move to a different room and all of us were waiting very eagerly. I knew I was the best among all of them but still I was nervous. I tried to calm my mind but it was trembling in confusion. Then Sunil Mahajan, the representative of Aspiring minds came and announced the GD round results. He started calling out everyone's name, I was waiting for my turn and he called my name at the end. I left a big sigh and looked around. Everyone started saying, you definitely will get selected, no doubt in that. Those words really added to my confidence and I was getting ready for the HR round.

Everyone took it easily because it was announced that it will be a casual HR round. Most of us thought that it is done just for formality and it has nothing much to do. But I was not one of them; I was prepared for the worst case scenario. I was prepared for everything and as I expected, it was a pure technical round.

The interviewer was a old man and he looked scary. There is saying that we should not judge people by their appearance, it was true. He was very calm; he asked me to sit, took my file and verified all the mark sheets. He showed me a web page and asked me how I will validate that web page and asked me to write an algorithm. Since I had a prior work experience I did it with ease. It was the toughest question and I asked him for some time. I wrote a complete algorithm for a live website. He was amazed at my skills and asked me questions from other streams as well. I answered them to the point (because I knew if I tell something stupid, he will ask me about that too). Then he looked at my mark sheet and asked me why you have scored consistently 65% in all the semesters.

I told him very frankly that "Sir, I know I can get 100 out of 100 if I read the books day and night but I did not go to college for that. I just went to learn something and I can prove that". He laughed and asked me "I'm confused, you answered all my questions but your marks are not up to the mark, what should I do" My heart started quaking but I was quick enough to say "Give me a job". He laughed again, I don't know whether he was serious but his laughs were striking my heart very badly. Then he asked me "Are you willing to relocate?” I told yes sir, I love travelling.

Then he wrote something on the paper and congratulated me. I left the place because if I stand there everyone will come and start asking me how was the interview and what they asked. So I fled from the scene in my new Pulsar bike.

When I reached home, I felt how stupid I was. I did not take anyone's contact number and cursed myself. Then it was a routine day, go to office, work like a donkey and fuck myself thinking about my fate. I was mailing Sunil Mahajan about the status of our interview. He was the only point of contact and he was not replying for any of my mails. I created a separate label in his name and tweaked my Gmail settings so that his mails won’t go to spam. I was checking my mail every half an hour like a psycho. But it was same, empty, empty, and empty with a message "No mails".

After two months of attending the GD round, I saw a mail from Sunil saying "On the basis of an interview you had with Mphasis blah blah ..... Selected". That was the only word I was expecting for and it was there. I jumped in joy and everyone felt weird about my behavior. Ashwin was the only guy in my office with whom I shared all this and I told him that I got selected in Mphasis. He congratulated me and asked me for a party. We both went to the nearby Dominos pizza and we ate nicely. 

All done, I got selected in MphasiS. I bought a big bag of sweets for my mom, dad, my brother and sister. I went home and shared my happiness with everyone. They were very happy and my mom cried saying "I told you, you will get selected". My mother was the biggest support to me all throughout my life, even now. I just thanked god for giving me such a loving mother and a supportive family.

But everything was not fine; we were waiting for our joining date. Since I did not take anyone's number I had no idea whom to ask. I was thinking that others may have got the joining date. So I started posting in all the forums I could and one of them was Chethanasforum. After three weeks, I got a call from a guy called sheriff Rana, saying that he too got selected but did not get the joining date. I convinced him that everything will be fine, though I myself was in a great depression. Then we called each other few times inquiring about our joining date. But the answer was a familiar "NO". Then one day when I was in office, I got a request in Gtalk from Dasarath. He told me that he too got selected and was waiting for the joining date. I told him that we will get it soon and we were in touch. After some days, we got a mail from Sunil with the joining date and location. It was 19th January 2011. A day which marked my rebirth.

It was 10th January 2011. My last working day in Webyog Inc. I decided not to come from the next day. There was one thing left to do, I had to propose Sharmila.

I had tried many times earlier to tell her about it but always something was holding me back. Then the day came where I had to leave my company, I knew I won't be able to see her again, so I decided to express my feelings to her before leaving.

It was 9th January 2011; I was googling to see how to propose a girl. I read lot of forums but all I found was a bunch of crap. Nothing looked good and I decided to do it in my own way. When I reached home, I practiced a lot about what I should say; I was trying to show my feelings in the best possible way. Then I woke up early the next day. I went to office very soon. I was there by 8AM. I was waiting for her in the first floor.

Our office was in 3rd floor. She always used lift instead of stair case. So I was waiting for her in the first floor with a beautiful rose in my hand. She always used to come at 9AM sharp but that day she took a very long time. All my colleagues were passing by and they were looking at me questioningly. One of them asked me, why I was standing there, I told him that I was waiting for someone. Then she appeared out of traffic from behind a Santro car. I still can't forget how beautiful she was that day. I was looking at her as If I had never seen her before.

Then she passed by me, I was standing in confusion. She was waiting for the lift. She looked at me and the rose in my hand. But she did not tell anything. When the lift door opened, she got inside. I was standing near the door but I was not ready to get in. She looked at me and asked me "Are you coming?” That was the first sentence she spoke to me in a year. I got inside the lift. She looked at me questioningly. I gave the rose in my hand. She took it but looked at me expecting what I would say.

"I like you very much, I love your smile, and I like everything in you. I'm in love with you".

I was expecting either a slap on my face or a yes from her but it was weird, she did not say anything. We reached 3rd floor and she got out before me. She turned back and looked at me.

I'm sorry to say this; I'm in love with Sagar. We will both get married in six months. You are a very good guy, hope you will find someone better than me. You have to come for our marriage; I invite you as a friend. Saying this she left the place with my beautiful rose.

I just felt one thing, “Who is this asshole Sagar. He ruined my life". I was heartbroken and I left my office. I drove my bike very fast; I ignored all the signals because she ignored me. I went as far as I can until my bike is out of fuel. I went till Bommasandra, a village in the outskirts of Bangalore city. I was alone. I sat on a stone and started thinking, what happened? I started questioning myself, what is this stupidity, why I have come so far for no reason; questions started pouring in my mind.

I was always thinking about technology, cool gadgets and books because I had a strong hope that there is someone special waiting for me in my life. I thought it was Sharmila but it turned out to be false. But one thing I still like about her is that she took the rose from me instead of throwing it on my face for which she should be appreciated.

I told myself that "she is not the one" and left the place searching for petrol bank.

I booked tickets for my mom, dad and me in Central railway station with my own money. I was feeling very light and I started doing my job with happiness. I was quite efficient and everyone was quite impressed with my performance.

One fine day, I mailed my manager Sabyasachi Ruj that I'm sick and I have to go to Chennai for medical treatment and I won't be able to work anymore. They were shocked by my mail and asked me what happened and tried to offer me the job once I come back from Chennai.

They didn't know that I was going after my dream job. Then I called our delivery manager Chirag and convinced him. He asked me to work for 30 days because there was a notice period of 30 days in Webyog. I told OK, but that was the last call and I never went to our office again.

I hope by now all of you understand how difficult it was to get into Mphasis. It was a battle I won with courage and Google.

I would like to thank Google, my previous company Webyog and my girl Sharmila.

I dedicate this story to Chatan Bhagath who inspired me to write this story.

THANKS FOR READING