The dawn of a new day

A SIGHT TO BEHOLD: The morning sun lights up the sagging spirit.

GITAM: The myriad golden rays emanating from the rising sun, which seems reluctant to leave the horizon, serves a mute siren to the paddling silhouettes, set off for yet another venture into the sea. The medley of the grayish black clouds against the backdrop of the sky holding the crescent moon and sparsely scattered stars appear waiting for their metamorphosis. The chirping birds seem to give an ovation to this aesthetic harmony of the nature or perhaps due to their bafflement at the paradoxical panorama of the sun and moon's coexistence. The veteran mountains stand gravely with an air of nonchalance, presiding over the proceedings. Peering through the window of our vehicle at the Marina beach in the wee hours, I stole a glimpse of this breathtaking landscape, which seemed to bear a significance. I visualized myself sailing towards the dawn of a new day leaving behind the waning darkness of the previous night. The abating darkness implied the receding days of college life - the golden days of one's life. The juvenile life spent with mirth and enjoyment. But emerging through the fading darkness comes a new phase of life with challenges to face and responsibilities to fulfil. On the threshold of a new facet of life I stand ready to confront the world with its multifariousness. The environment around me would metamorphose from college to office, books to files in accordance with the transfiguring clouds.

The joyous birds signified my friends and well-wishers, elated at my eventful voyage and the grave mountains represented my teaching personnel bidding me an adieu. The sudden screeching of our car brought me back from my thoughts and I felt nostalgic for being far off from my alma mater.

*****Please find below the link to the e-version of this article published in THE HINDU*****
http://www.hindu.com/edu/2006/10/23/stories/2006102300850400.htm

All for the dream job

CLIMBING THE LADDER OF SUCCESS: Students are busy with campus recruitments.

GITAM: The academic year 2006 has witnessed a revolutionary breakthrough in the campus recruitments by the IT industries. Never had one expected so many recruitments in the first two months itself.

Companies, which were not even heard of in our brief sojourn in the campus, are approaching with a voracious appetite for students.

What could be the reason for this sudden improvement? Perhaps an unforeseen downpour of projects!! My seniors (mechanical) recruited in the software companies account for only 1/5th of our present number.

But at the end of the day, what effect does this IT boom have on us?

While it could be a dream-come-true for the software streams; for other branches it is a debate to be argued upon. It is a choice between lucre and job satisfaction.

Handsome salaries and attractive incentives are the focal point of software companies.

The ladder of growth is very steep and a person working there for quite a time is destined to be rich.

Notwithstanding all the allurement of the IT industry, a person cannot be sure enough if he could sustain the turmoil and competition.

The breakneck work schedule keeps the employees preoccupied and could lead to debility in the long run."Stress" is another cause of concern which most of the employees are reluctant to admit being affected of.

On the other hand stand core companies (as the terminology goes to indicate a company of one's own branch)-

The ultimate destination of an engineer and being placed anywhere else would make him feel incongruous. A place where a person would feel he is applying what he has learnt and could seek job satisfaction.

But the major criterion for a job nowadays seems to be "growth factor" and "monetay benefits" and the software jobs have an edge over the core jobs in both these respects.

Further aggravating the adversity, the "only one job" policy empolyed by the college managements has left the students with no choice.

Though desperately aspiring for a core job, a person cannot be sure if he could make it when the company comes which is usually towards the second semester.

One cannot wait and brood over his dream of landing into a job of his choice while his peer group settles down.

In this mad man's race for jobs everyone seems to have landed up on the common platform of software industry, where it is the survival of the fittest.

*****Please find below the link to the e-version of this article published in THE HINDU***** 
http://www.hindu.com/edu/2006/09/25/stories/2006092501260400.htm

My first Mobile

Yesterday, I had the opportunity of acquiring the most effective tool of communication. Finally, I am the proud owner of Nokai-1110 a sleek phone in black and silver. Now, I needn't hire my sister's mobile or request friends to lend their's for the occasional sms'ing :)

Though I had the desire to possess one from the past one year, I could only express it after getting placed. Am very grateful to loving mom for being resolute in granting my wish though I had not got a green signal from dad and chacha. They said, it would affect my studies (They had a point though). Thank you Lord for your grace and help me in preserving it.

A visit to GMR

'One day batting' at its best. Third year second semester rolled past with little recess to recollect. Our exams were conducted quite early this time. With just two days between the announcement and the actual commencement we were warriors on battle field with hardly any preparation.

I luckily wrote my exams well. Excepting Automobile Engineering, all other subjects were alien to me. The pace at which concepts are learnt and subjects dealt, I wonder if the tempo was maintained throughout the semester, we could work miracles.

A week before the exams, we had done a paper presentation at GMRIT. Suresh was the co author. We had worked on 'hydroforming'. It came out quite good and people were impressed with our simulations (Special efforts from Mr Balaraju). The queries session was where we took a beating though.(Reson : We were naive enough not to do an indepth research into the topic)

GMRIT was an impressive college. The infrastructure and the faculty was outstanding. Students could actually boast of having good lecturers. I know am stressing by mentioning twice but that's intended. It was Deepika's insistence and persistence that we finally ended up doing at least one good thing which would could add value to our resume. At campus, she was as usual full of energy and cynosure at the event. She made sure our stay was comfortable. We were treated like "Hey look... Deepika's friends". lol

We went around all the departments while having a curious look into the presentations. Deepika herself had built two models : a Bridge and a Dam. We made good friends with - Chandu, Krishna, Karthik and Netaji (not to forget his unique humorous accent)

Deepika accompanied us on our way back home. Childhood and schooling, two important and synonymous phases in one's life flashed as we talked thourgh our journey back home. We fancied our school life and inevitably compared with our present college life. A Philanthropist and an extremely caring person, she is sure keep her environment at high spirits.

Suresh was joyous that I had such a good friend !!