A humbling experience

Orientation on at the company and today we got to go to an institute for the mentally challenged children. Humbling is the only way to describe the experience. To be frank, I had my apprehensions and reservations before I reached the place. Situated right next to the Kidwai hospital, the place ensured that all my apprehensions remained nothing more than mere figments of imagination. Whatever awkwardness I felt might be there simply vanished when I spent some time with the kids there. Connecting with these kids and spending some time there is best not described in words. Challenged they might be, but it is exaggerated more by society and it's refusal to treat all people equally. You realise the importance of being normal when you see the struggles these kids have to endure to perform the everyday tasks that we take for granted. Sat and chatted with them for a while and then played cricket with them, and then we were all treated to an amazing dance performance by the kids. One day at the centre and a lot of misconceptions and stereotypes removed. The idea of giving back to society has been playing in my mind for a long time now, but just hadn't found a channel to do so. Today probably was a start in the right direction. Hope to work towards a more tangible contribution for the less privileged members, having just realised that there are multiple avenues for doing so. It is just about finding out the right place and taking the time and effort to see what is the best possible option for you.

Thanking the kids for an absolutely wonderful and amazing day, a real eye opener !

Not something I will forget for quite a while. Time for some quiet introspection now and then some real work in this direction.

Bangalored....First Impressions

May 24th, 2009. Today is the day I get officially Bangalored. Not maybe in the conventional sense of the term, but because of the fact that I start off my post MBA career in Bangalore. So, there I am all set to board the Jet Airways flight from the new Pune airport. To put this into context, I had the Kingfisher guys call me up a day before the flight telling me that the flight had been cancelled due to operational reasons, whatever the hell that means. That is when I guess my luck started changing for the better.

So here I am at the Pune airport, and as I reach the check-in counter, I realise that I have around 13 kgs of excess baggage. But surprisingly, and pleasantly refreshing for a change, the girl at the counter waives it off and I get to take in all of it without extra charges. Then after boarding the flight, me and another girl realise that both of us have been allotted the same seat in the aircraft. On getting to know of this, the cabin crew then takes both our boarding passes and a few minutes later they apologise and ask me whether I would be willing to shift to the Business Class. I thought long and hard, and after 2 full seconds I say yes and a Business Class seat is mine. The food and service obviously match the class and my first feeling was that the Bangalore part of my life has started off well.

Evening 3 pm and I land at the Bangalore (no, I am not calling it Bengalooru yet) Airport. The thoughtful guys that the planners are, they conveniently built the airport a good 65 kms from where I wanted to go. Not that it is close to any part of the city. Kind of kills all the fun of the flight journey as it takes me a little less than 2 hours to reach Electronic City. But the ride in the Volvo i pleasant enough and it doesn't take me long to confirm the fact that the Bangalore traffic has indeed improved a lot in the last one year. Bangalore the city has a kind of charm that you take to instantly (atleast I did) and I am beginning to like everything about the city. The last time I came to Bangalore was in April for a friend's wedding and that time I had come by train. You know you are down South, when huge 50-100 feet cutouts of actors and movie stills greet you wherever you go and you spot 4 theatres withing 10 minutes walking distance. The South knows its cinema and worships it. Period.

The Infy campus is one of the most beautiful that I have seen and they have thought of almost everything to make it comfortable, aesthetically neat and eco-friendly. Excellent rooms in the in house hotel and I vouch for the fact that this is one of the best places I have ever stayed in. A good start to my stint in the city and I hope it continues to be this way.

May 25th, 2009. I start off my post MBA career. Been a long time since I last worked full time in the corporate world. Looking forward to everything that this job will bring.

Posting here a little belatedly. Its been 3 weeks since I arrived here and I shall update this space with more soon.