Air conditioned ODC (Offshore Development Centre- A place where Software People Work), Leeds conference hall and the scene has set for the senior management Review (A meeting where mangers walkthrough the Status of the project), Gopal passes on one slide after the other and also presents it to the managers…The slide passes and also his memories.
June18 2006 , it’s a sunny day and also a Sunday @ College Of Engineering Trichy, The placement officer lights up the pre placement talk for ‘Dipro’ A technology giant and a dream company for most of the budding engineers.
Eyes glowing with aspirations, heart pounding with passion for the programmer profile, was the mood at the auditorium, Written test with logical reasoning, quantitative aptitude and technical questions, 10 min after the questions were distributed some were looking weird and a few wily. The reactions were synonymous to the kiwi bowlers thrashed out by Viru .Most of them were defensive and not diligent enough to take on the test. After 90 minutes of disastrous drama the guys and girls flanked out of the accustomed auditorium.
Machan Out!, its gone, hoogaya yaar! Cried most of the breed out side the cafeteria where most of the curious and the cunning have a cool time in college.Gopal was certain that he did well but was uncertain on the results, he pretended to be calm being a highly inquisitive intellectual inhabitant.
The guys had a quick lunch were moving towards the auditorium to know their destiny.Gopal, Goutam, Aditya and Kumar were discussing on the Quarterly results of Dipro as if they were at the Board room of “NDTV profit” these shrewd guys were at seclusion when they are in their group.
The room was filled with silence and spirituality where people were praying out to their desirable deities , parta the placement officer narrated the process and started reading out the list, while half way down he called Gopal a few names later ADITYA, next Goutam, and finally the listed ended out having a total of 45 out of the attended 200. It was a tough call said the HR and kumar was bawling a bit but felt good for his friends and was cheering them out.
The gallant gopal was feeling like winning gold for India @ Olympics (A Rare but a great moment).Then came the technical and the HR interviews in which Gopal was impeccable and was listed among the final 30 who have been selected for the Don of Outsourcing Dipro.
Aditya and Goutam made it similar like gopal rather Kumar lost it up in the HR round.
Lots of wishes, arrays of appreciation, where were these they for the past 3 years, an year later 15th June 2007, fabulous Friday @ SNS engineering college where a sea of 1500 fresher’s recruited for Dipro gathered up for the Inducing induction program .
Gopal was on row 7 enjoying the music played, all of a sudden he felt a breeze of aroma filling there, the strings of guitar in the music attributed along with the gorgeous girl . Hi Is this G13? she asked disturbing gopal who was lost in her glory.Hmmm replied gopal with a opened eyes and closed lips , that moment gopal should have got 100 beats /second. It took some time for gopal to come back to ground zero. He was literally sweating and shivering and was totally dumb struck.
Hay this is Aarthi Raghuvaran sizzled that soothing statue, gopal was a bit nervous but still shook hands and said I’m Gopal Subramanian. I’m from IIT karaghpur – Computers, watt abt you gopal?? Quizzed aarthi, Gopal replied hesitantly CEG trichy, the session was purely business till lunch, there wasn’t even a single girl in gopal’s life, no crush, no love, no lust, Gopal was @ cloud nine to have acquaintance with Astonishing aarthi.They shared a few good conversations and its now its end of day, the next day was the final day before all being posted to their respective locations among Chennai, Gurgoan,Noida,Banglore.
That night gopal was restless, hopeless and also sleep less, his mind was preoccupied and aarthi was omnipotent to Gopal, The clock struck 4 in the morning and finally gopal decided to sleep and was back to the induction program, and that day Gopal was in his Lucy Blue peter England and Pantaloon Trousers and Aarthi was sizzling in a Dark blue Salwar, Gopal has always been inspired by the color blue, he felt energetic, elevated.
It was lunch time and all the guys and girls were busy with the buffet, hay sambar my favorite giggled aarthi, gopal turned back and thought to express his interest and the new chemical syndrome he was having because of her. Hi Gopal sambar tastes fine yaar , aarthi I Love u…proposed gopal seeing her plate which had pastas and sambar with papad.What ???Said aarthi, gopal galaxied at her eyes and said I have not felt like proposing a girl ever since. But it’s a but strong impact that u have made in me, I don’t know to overlook my feelings and also to sublimate my sense.
Aarthi was not surprised, rather smiled and said gopal thanks and carried on with her sambar, gopal was thrilled at her matured mentality .They finished the lunch and reached their seats It was tea time till that there was a sensible silence between the bewildered duo.
Sipping out tasty tea aarthi said gopal u look smart, I like your activities, but it takes time to understand each other and have a strong bondage of love. Gopal thought what a hell all these girls say the same dialogue of taking time to understand.(Gopal knew from his friends that Even lovers who have been loving for a decade hardly understand rather gossip and find time to fight, flirt and fashion out and say a with a flair that he/she is my boy/girl friend) That’s a bitter truth.
Gopal wasn’t happy but definitely not sad, they received the posting orders, gopal posted to Chennai and Aarthi to Noida, gopal was shell shocked to be separated from his sweet heart but life needs to move on. That evening Aarthi called on Gopal and they had a chat at the Anna nagar CCD (Café Coffee Day ) a paradise for lovers ,smokers, flirts and lots more .
Aarthi said gopal I really appreciate you being bold enough to propose among coward crowd I have come across. She said about Rakesh Rajagopalan her Boy friend doing His masters in Artificial Intelligence and Network Establishment at University of Texas, and briefed about their plan of getting married once rakesh is back from the states.Gopal’s heart felt the most pain and he still listened to her composed speech.
They disposed that day and the next day aarthi left to Noida leaving gopal a message that to consider her as a good friend and for which gopal didn’t reply, gopal dint believe in that philosophy. Now pity gopal started asking god why me ? Out of the 1000 odd people why did she sat next to me? Why did she spoke to me ?.
Consoling himself gopal moved to business and started to concentrate on work rather thinking on aarthi, when gopal started doing well in his office it started like adding oil to fire, he was overloaded with work, and he was in gloom. But this made him to get out aarthi and his virgin love , this time he made some good friends and spent nice time with them.
Gopal was hooked up with work which he had no idea and experience, most of the s/w professionals are at par with him in this status.
9Am-10 Pm sometimes 12@ Midnight during week days, washing clothes @ weekends, strange are the ways of life, he started to retrospect on his work which had literally no value rather a hefty pay every month for him and a zero mental peace and pride.
One year passed by like a donkey with a dobby man gopal was assaulted, aggravated and operated with too much work, making him stressed out physically and mentally adding to it the marriage invitation of aarthi getting married to rakesh, gopal started wondering how some girls (he knows many who are true enough !!) are so flexible in making and breaking out relationships, next came the appraisal and he got an Outstanding and an milestone award from the senior management and was promoted for his good work. Now gopal started thinking the 1000 reasons for he being at the right place at the right time, by now he is far ahead of his fellow joiners.
It was September 15 2008 a Monday morning Gopal decided to put on his papers affected by the strenuous job and lack of self satisfaction in his job. Though being awarded and appreciated for his work gopal was feeling that’s not the right place for him.
Gopal left for trichy bought 10acres of land through the money he earned and stared doing agriculture and also joined with a few NGO’s to educate the people in villages in and around trichy and also in building the basic infrastructure.
He also started his own Institute ‘ ADVETA – Energize and Educate’ a program for the well being of all the people below poverty line in his district and also in mentoring youngsters in enabling technology promoted farming.
He was selected as the NABARD youth chakra (National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development ) for financially enabling framers for better pasture’s. Its has been 2 years since his divergence in to his soul searching service. One fine summer morning he got a call from a meager voice, and it was Aarthi, she said she was in Chennai and rakesh has divorced her, gopal had sympathy for Aarthi and consoled her and asked her to travel to trichy.
Now gopal’s mind was clear, he’s still the same the love for aarthi is same and even now he is much clear in his destiny.Aarthi reached gopal’s house and he explained things to her and his family, and next morning all the near and dear gathered and gopal formally introduced aarthi as a protagonist for the ‘Vision For Women ‘Program a specially designed program for the up liftment of the women.
The next 5 years they were able to transfer 15 villages and made 150
Children learn computers, enabling materialized manufacturing and finished building 25 schools.Gopal thinks of off the 1000 reasons that has made him a person of action, progress and peace. Still aarthi remains as aarthi rajagopalan leading a young band wagon of potential women and their journey continues…
We may not know the 1000 reasons why certain actions happen, certain relations brake, certain deeds work out well…But there are 1000 reasons for us being blessed out a birth on Earth…
SANDY
