CALM BEFORE THE STORM

Dedicated to "soft"ware people going through "hard" times



God has his bizarre ways of keeping things on an even keel. Most students simply cruised during the recruitment process while some students had to toil hard and fight their guts out to get a job. The tough times and the bitter experiences have paid rich dividends and a large majority of students who got recruited in the latter part of the season have kick-started their careers much to the frustration of the other guys who are yet to get a glimpse of the call letter. The break which seemed like a welcome respite for the students after graduation slowly turned into an uncomfortable pain in the back side(this is a family blog and i condemn use of bad language in it). The departure of friends pursuing their higher education abroad havn’t done any good to the morale of the dejected lot of guys. By far, these are the most irritating and annoying holidays anyone can get. It can be really depressing every morning when u wake up clearly aware of the fact that there is nothing useful to do and look forward to. Even the mere sight of a software firm’s bus gives me a burst of blood pressure and intolerable hatred. The hesitancy of my mom in giving me money did not impress me either even though I realize that it is not fair on my part by asking her everyday.
My social life has obviously taken a beating largely due to the absence of my close friends. The poorer souls are those of my friends in trichy, karaikudi etc who don’t even have decent hang-outs and are trapped in primitive and conservative societies( other metropolitans consider chennai to be highly conservative). However, I must say that lately, I have kept myself pretty occupied with this entire "blogging episode" as it gives me great pleasure especially when I receive accolades from my friends(I am human after all!!). the last month was a real fantastic experience for me as I started my part time career in a low-key fashion. Teaching a bunch of primary grade students on road safety wasn’t actually my cup of tea but I acclimatized swiftly to the environment. It was a wonderful learning curve and I must consider myself fortunate for having this opportunity which not all can dream of having. (pay is also handsome)
The indefinite deferment of the "joining date" has made students all over the country deeply anxious and the least we can do is "pray for the best". National disasters like inflation,recession have accentuated our troubles and one gets a feeling that someone has performed "voodoo" magic on software firms. however, I have been extremely optimistic and I keep waiting for a message from one of my friends about the call everyday. There are interim arrangements in the form of jobs in call-centres but one wonders whether speaking in pseudo-american accent to mundane foreigners would do any help. The sad part is that these are the jobs which are abundant in our job-market.
I feel that these times are not for repenting on past and it has to be used judiciously by us. We must understand that this is the only period of our lives where we can pursue almost anything we desire. The "abominable lull" in our lives might be a touch unpleasant but the solution lies in our hands. What we can hope that this calm in our life is not the "calm before the storm".

TEENS AND TEAMS

My life in sports has not been prolific by any stretch of imagination. I was passionate towards cricket and basketball but was never able to deliver the goods when most needed. Some friends in school thought I was an excellent player in basketball and I had all the ingredients to make it big on the grand stage. However, I hardly did justice to my talent.
My college life wasn’t any different as far as sport was concerned. I loathed being a part of the bench of my college basketball team and as a result, started skipping practice(which itself happens rarely). Eventually, I was thrown out of the team which virtually ended my career in basketball(as if I had a glittering one).
The game of cricket in my college was more than just a game. Students took the game damn seriously(even more than exams) and the aura that the sport created among us was something remarkable. Teams were manufactured with the available resources early on in our college lives.
Tournaments went flying past and the same results replicated regardless of our team composition. Friends became foes and fresh faces emerged from the shadows. Still, the same old story was scripted.
I was part of some great teams but it was a pity that I hardly contributed to the success of it. The “11 strikers” had a cohesive unit but we were reduced to “paper tigers” time and again. The constellation of stars present in the “sonnets” made sure that I hardly got a chance to show my prowess. Even when the opportunity was presented in a platter, I failed miserably.
Then came a team named “detonators”. There were certain misunderstandings as a consequence of my migration but I must admit that I immediately fit into the team dynamics and shared a great rapport with my teammates
Be it rajiv’s bohemian style of play, sami’s aeolian shots of elan, manickam’s panache and extremely gifted selvam, the team had all components of a fine one. It obviously wasn’t the best, but it certainly could become one.
To append to that, we had the services of the flamboyant “varun”, highly committed “arun” , the perfect team man “shankar” and sarvo’s fiery pace. The hefty aravind was a touch rusty but it was his keen acumen of the game that made him an integral part of the game.
The fact that the entire team stayed under the same roof meant that we were extremely united. Most people thought that the team was divided and we had a lot of differences between us. But I strongly felt these pre-concieved notions were a mere myth. We were a different team altogether on the field. We also had great moral support in the form of simbu,ajit,kalyan and simmesh.
Unfortunately, after all the tom-tom, our first campaign was a disastrous one as we succumbed meekly in a match, which we should have prevailed with ease. However, we were determined to show our mettle in the next season. No one had tasted success and that really motivated us for the challenge ahead.
Success is indeed counted sweetest for those who havn’t tasted any. Will we atleast have a sniff of it?
Only time would have the answer………….