My days at school weren’t very eventful. I always considered myself to be a talented student; a student worth getting 90% in the I.C.S.E (The benchmark for meritorious students). But things did not fan out as I had then planned – I ended up with 84% though I did get an average of 90 in the three Science subjects. Then began the toughest days of my life that I’ve ever experienced. The following two years were very very stressful for me, I couldn’t cope up with what was taught at school (one reason was the partiality imparted by our Physics teacher to who joined his coaching classes and the pressure to who didn’t) and neither at tuitions which I had joined following my batch mates dreams of getting into the coveted IITs, result was that I had to go back to the basics and leave the dream of becoming an engineer. I failed in Physics while I got promoted to class XII (not even imagined in my worst nightmares) while in XII though I passed in Physics overall but that was due to a decent score in one of the terminal exams the rest I flunked or rather made to flunk. I was suffering from depression but I prayed to God and did what was in my hands- to study hard and with all dedication; during those two years I never gave up, I failed over an over again but every time it made my ambitions stronger. Finally the day came- results of I.S.C exams. I was expecting a 70%-75% so that I am eligible for purchasing forms from various colleges as I wanted to pursue a career in Chemistry( I was good at it). The results were good especially for someone who barely used to pass in class---84% again, anyways 80+ in our days was considered good and guess what I got, 88 in Physics. Though I got 86 in Chemistry and 83 in Maths I couldn’t manage a seat in Chemistry in St.Xaviers College but nevertheless I did get a seat in Physics. Then out of nowhere I got through in WBJEE and elders suggested to go on with engineering though I was averse to it but later relented counting my options. I joined Meghnad Saha Institute of Technology in Civil Engg. (my rank was low and I had no other option in that college and IT was a strict no no).
Then came the 4 years of my life which I can never forget, it was like a dream come true- it was like, I was in paradise. I still can vividly recall my college days. I soon became friends with a guy named Shamik Biswas- short, dark and a shade overweight. We started sharing the same bench and in front of us sat two more scholars(Sayandeep Dasgupta & Archisman Bhattacharya) and both were pretty tall and both of them got soon familiar among the girls of our class . In no time we four became very close friends, so close were we that for the first ever time I visited their home and they mine. Wherever we went, we went together. For the first time I went to see films with them, for the first time I began to gossip with them after college, go to restaurants, roam about in Gariahat, go to amusement parks. Our bonding was beyond description. We used to tell that if all of us get a job during campusing then it meant the college has got a 100% track for that year.
Four of us actually complemented each other and completed what friendship actually meant. Shamik was the care free guy always looking for the thinnest books for studying and referring to note books in case the book for a subject was too fat. Also he used to study the notes though a paltry number of pages for two days and he used to feel proud about it. But he was good player especially a good batsman. Both of us used to compete for the worst handwriting among the four of us, but I still could read mine which at times he was unable to read his. Now, Sayandeep was a more realistic guy, a good student especially when it came to mugging up something and retaining it for the rest of his life. He had a peculiar way of studying- writing with different colours, filling the reference books with very notes that were already in the respective page which were already underlined by him that too with different colours; and whatever he wrote was circular in shape—a mixture of Tamil & Oriya. He too was a good sportsman – a good cricketer and represented our football team as the main striker; riding on his shoulders we became the runners up in our final year. Almost forgot , he was great singer as well , he used to spellbound our class with his songs, very good at mimicking Sonu Nigam & Udit Narayan. He was a gifted singer though he repented that if trained he could have scaled greater heights. Towards the end he learned to play keyboard and eventually he became a good keyboardist as well as also a lyricist, also a part time performer in one of college bands- KRONOS. Archisman was the perfectionist, he was very famous among the girls . He had a wonderful handwriting , could write beautiful poems,could play the sitar(a certified Sitarist with distinction) was good at recitation and on stage performances , not to mention that I am still yet to see his on stage rape which he hid very well from me and Shamik. Being a perfectionist he always began solving problems beginning with the toughest and always studied almost 100% of our syllabus and revising more than once before the exam day which really made me feel that I was lagging behind. Finally, me…… but I've already written a few things about myself, the rest I will unfold in the near future.
Now we came to the third year and campusing was on the prowl . Our first company was Cognizant Technology Solutions and by God’s sheer grace three of us – Sayandeep,Myself and Shamik got selected , which did make us happy that three of the best college pals will join the same company but at the same time we felt for Archisman. But he was not to be left behind ; he bagged the following two companies- Wipro and Infosys and he preferred the latter. So we were already basking in our glory along with the other students as the campusing in our year was more than 100%. For the next few months we were in Seventh Heaven, but then things started becoming tough and then worse--- recession wasgradually setting in in US . We were hearing news of lay-offs in the US and cut in benefits in India. It was then for the first ever time I felt insecure and started thinking for alternatives. As the crisis in India was yet to set in I thought that I should look for other jobs but my mind was still glued to Cognizant. I followed it up with three more jobs in Jindal Steel Power Ltd., L&T Ltd and Reliance. But the three of my friends were unmoved they were still happy with whatever they got. The one mistake I made was that I did not force Sayandeep to sit for L&T which came to our campus, for which I deeply regret today and will for the rest of my life, because had he taken the test there was no doubt that he could have got easily selected and both of us would have been together.The rest had more than jobs- Shamik Cognizant & L&T, Archisman-Wipro, Infosys & L&T, myself - RIL, JSPL, Cognizant & L&T. It was then things started looking bleak -all the IT companies postponed their joining and I did not want to take any more risks having already let go JSPL offer for Cognizant and joined L&T at Maithon site during Aug’08 and was the first one to get separated, followed Archisman in Infosys at Mysore during Feb’09 , Shamik in Cognizant at Pune during Jun’09 and lastly Sayandeep hopefully Cognizant in Dec’09 . The hardest hit was Sayandeep and he is definitely grief stricken and thus he is who is my concern. We hoped to join at the same the time and may be at the same place but God had other plans. Today Sayandeep is studying for MBA entrance exams and I hope he make it to the place where none of us made it because I feel from the bottom of my heart that to Every Cloud There Is Always A Silver Lining and that silver lining could well be Sayandeep making it to one of the better MBA institute next year which is actually a dream we four shared at one time, but now the scenario is such that he is the deserving candidate to make it to the top not because he is having bad time but because he is the most helpful and caring guy around and of course he is talented riding on which he should make it to a good MBA insti. But its not going to happen in the near future for the remaining three of us given the situation that we need to settle down where we are make a mark and then make a fresh beginning. This my friend is my short story of how UNITED WE STOOD BUT NOW HOW DIVIDED WE HAVE FALLEN. I still long for those long lost days and my very existence now rest on my remembrance of those beautiful days because today we have entered a cruel world and in due course of time we will get battered and eventually evolve into one of the many animals existing , the only point to look forward is that how gruesome an animal we evolve into.
Then came the 4 years of my life which I can never forget, it was like a dream come true- it was like, I was in paradise. I still can vividly recall my college days. I soon became friends with a guy named Shamik Biswas- short, dark and a shade overweight. We started sharing the same bench and in front of us sat two more scholars(Sayandeep Dasgupta & Archisman Bhattacharya) and both were pretty tall and both of them got soon familiar among the girls of our class . In no time we four became very close friends, so close were we that for the first ever time I visited their home and they mine. Wherever we went, we went together. For the first time I went to see films with them, for the first time I began to gossip with them after college, go to restaurants, roam about in Gariahat, go to amusement parks. Our bonding was beyond description. We used to tell that if all of us get a job during campusing then it meant the college has got a 100% track for that year.
Four of us actually complemented each other and completed what friendship actually meant. Shamik was the care free guy always looking for the thinnest books for studying and referring to note books in case the book for a subject was too fat. Also he used to study the notes though a paltry number of pages for two days and he used to feel proud about it. But he was good player especially a good batsman. Both of us used to compete for the worst handwriting among the four of us, but I still could read mine which at times he was unable to read his. Now, Sayandeep was a more realistic guy, a good student especially when it came to mugging up something and retaining it for the rest of his life. He had a peculiar way of studying- writing with different colours, filling the reference books with very notes that were already in the respective page which were already underlined by him that too with different colours; and whatever he wrote was circular in shape—a mixture of Tamil & Oriya. He too was a good sportsman – a good cricketer and represented our football team as the main striker; riding on his shoulders we became the runners up in our final year. Almost forgot , he was great singer as well , he used to spellbound our class with his songs, very good at mimicking Sonu Nigam & Udit Narayan. He was a gifted singer though he repented that if trained he could have scaled greater heights. Towards the end he learned to play keyboard and eventually he became a good keyboardist as well as also a lyricist, also a part time performer in one of college bands- KRONOS. Archisman was the perfectionist, he was very famous among the girls . He had a wonderful handwriting , could write beautiful poems,could play the sitar(a certified Sitarist with distinction) was good at recitation and on stage performances , not to mention that I am still yet to see his on stage rape which he hid very well from me and Shamik. Being a perfectionist he always began solving problems beginning with the toughest and always studied almost 100% of our syllabus and revising more than once before the exam day which really made me feel that I was lagging behind. Finally, me…… but I've already written a few things about myself, the rest I will unfold in the near future.
Now we came to the third year and campusing was on the prowl . Our first company was Cognizant Technology Solutions and by God’s sheer grace three of us – Sayandeep,Myself and Shamik got selected , which did make us happy that three of the best college pals will join the same company but at the same time we felt for Archisman. But he was not to be left behind ; he bagged the following two companies- Wipro and Infosys and he preferred the latter. So we were already basking in our glory along with the other students as the campusing in our year was more than 100%. For the next few months we were in Seventh Heaven, but then things started becoming tough and then worse--- recession wasgradually setting in in US . We were hearing news of lay-offs in the US and cut in benefits in India. It was then for the first ever time I felt insecure and started thinking for alternatives. As the crisis in India was yet to set in I thought that I should look for other jobs but my mind was still glued to Cognizant. I followed it up with three more jobs in Jindal Steel Power Ltd., L&T Ltd and Reliance. But the three of my friends were unmoved they were still happy with whatever they got. The one mistake I made was that I did not force Sayandeep to sit for L&T which came to our campus, for which I deeply regret today and will for the rest of my life, because had he taken the test there was no doubt that he could have got easily selected and both of us would have been together.The rest had more than jobs- Shamik Cognizant & L&T, Archisman-Wipro, Infosys & L&T, myself - RIL, JSPL, Cognizant & L&T. It was then things started looking bleak -all the IT companies postponed their joining and I did not want to take any more risks having already let go JSPL offer for Cognizant and joined L&T at Maithon site during Aug’08 and was the first one to get separated, followed Archisman in Infosys at Mysore during Feb’09 , Shamik in Cognizant at Pune during Jun’09 and lastly Sayandeep hopefully Cognizant in Dec’09 . The hardest hit was Sayandeep and he is definitely grief stricken and thus he is who is my concern. We hoped to join at the same the time and may be at the same place but God had other plans. Today Sayandeep is studying for MBA entrance exams and I hope he make it to the place where none of us made it because I feel from the bottom of my heart that to Every Cloud There Is Always A Silver Lining and that silver lining could well be Sayandeep making it to one of the better MBA institute next year which is actually a dream we four shared at one time, but now the scenario is such that he is the deserving candidate to make it to the top not because he is having bad time but because he is the most helpful and caring guy around and of course he is talented riding on which he should make it to a good MBA insti. But its not going to happen in the near future for the remaining three of us given the situation that we need to settle down where we are make a mark and then make a fresh beginning. This my friend is my short story of how UNITED WE STOOD BUT NOW HOW DIVIDED WE HAVE FALLEN. I still long for those long lost days and my very existence now rest on my remembrance of those beautiful days because today we have entered a cruel world and in due course of time we will get battered and eventually evolve into one of the many animals existing , the only point to look forward is that how gruesome an animal we evolve into.
No comments:
Post a Comment