It was in June 2004 that i got a call from IBM for a technical interview. I was getting bored doing nothing at Wipro, and decided it was time to move on to greener pastures. Though Wipro did give me an opportunity of a lifetime to freak out with my fiance, it was 6 months of idleness which would make anyone lose his patience and i was no exception.
I went to Embassy Golf Links office of IBM to be ushered into a meeting room by one Kiran Ramesh, who looked smart and seemed to know his way around. I took him to be some senior guy who would tear me to pieces asking all technical questions; when it comes to interviews, i like to be on the other side of the table, asking questions rather than answering them!!!He called one more friend of his(as if he was not enough to grill me), and all the three of us went and sat in a conference room. Kiran was the first to start off, asking me all personal stuff(hoping to make me feel comfortable), and then he excused himself from the room!!!!Then this other guy started pounding on me, firing questions one after the other, and kiran was nowhere to be seen, he had left me at the mercy of this person who was taking me on a ride!!!At last kiran comes in and asks whether everything went well and says i will hear from him about the outcome of the interview. This was the first time i met kiran and didnt have the faintest idea at the time that this would end up in a good solid friendship.
I joined IBM on 21st June and was in a project called Qualex with around 25 team members on different technologies supporting the photo finishing products. Kiran had gone to US for a
knowledge transfer when i joined and he came back after a month and before we realised we had become good pals. We usually spent our time together in office maybe helping each other on project issues or even discussing family matters!!!There was some kind of closeness and a warmth of friendship that i felt with him. Similarities were unbound among the two of us, this snap will tell it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Though he was younger than me, he was married for a couple of years now and was expecting a baby shortly. His wife, chetana, was admitted to the Apollo hospital in may 2005 and she delivered a baby girl, and i took this snap on the very second day. The baby was very cute and
chubby, and kiran was high in the clouds cherishing the happy moments of becoming a father. In september, they had arranged the naming ceremony in shimoga, which was the hometown of chetana. Me and sush keep waiting for a chance to freak out and never missed such an opportunity. We took the night train to shimoga, and early morning were surprised to see almost the whole compartment filled with kiran's friends and relatives. Kiran was waiting at the railway station with chetana's dad and uncle to take us home. We piled into a waiting car and they dropped us at a hotel where they had booked enough rooms to accomodate the whole town. There were a couple of other friends of kiran who offered to take us from the hotel to chetana's house where the naming ceremony was to take place.
We had nice breakfast, met all of their relatives & friends, and felt at home by their hospitality. The baby girl was named Tanvi and the function went well, later we went to a nearby hotel where they had booked a hall and arranged for lunch. After an overwhelming 'bomman oota', we thought we will visit the infamous 'jog falls'.
Chetana's uncle helped us arrange a taxi to take us on this short trip and we were on our way. It was our first time there and people were telling it was in its peak, we stayed around for sometime and then came back to the hotel. Next day morning, again we went to chetana's house, most of the relatives had left, and some were still leaving, we played around with tanvi for some time, and then kiran had this mindblowing idea of visiting a nearby 'dam'(i really dont know whether it was a dam or something else he had planned coz we never could make it there). So he asked one of his friend to give him a car and we set off in it, first we had to go to one of chetana's cousin's place and then from there we were only around an hour away from home and we had a flat tyre!!!It was a hot summer afternoon, and we were stuck in the middle of nowhere, luckily we found a mechanic who didnt have the necessary tools to repair!!!!Since it would take time, we decided to send everyone back home in an auto and we returned after fixing the car. That marked the end of our short but pleasant trip to shimoga.
I went to Embassy Golf Links office of IBM to be ushered into a meeting room by one Kiran Ramesh, who looked smart and seemed to know his way around. I took him to be some senior guy who would tear me to pieces asking all technical questions; when it comes to interviews, i like to be on the other side of the table, asking questions rather than answering them!!!He called one more friend of his(as if he was not enough to grill me), and all the three of us went and sat in a conference room. Kiran was the first to start off, asking me all personal stuff(hoping to make me feel comfortable), and then he excused himself from the room!!!!Then this other guy started pounding on me, firing questions one after the other, and kiran was nowhere to be seen, he had left me at the mercy of this person who was taking me on a ride!!!At last kiran comes in and asks whether everything went well and says i will hear from him about the outcome of the interview. This was the first time i met kiran and didnt have the faintest idea at the time that this would end up in a good solid friendship.
I joined IBM on 21st June and was in a project called Qualex with around 25 team members on different technologies supporting the photo finishing products. Kiran had gone to US for a
knowledge transfer when i joined and he came back after a month and before we realised we had become good pals. We usually spent our time together in office maybe helping each other on project issues or even discussing family matters!!!There was some kind of closeness and a warmth of friendship that i felt with him. Similarities were unbound among the two of us, this snap will tell it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Though he was younger than me, he was married for a couple of years now and was expecting a baby shortly. His wife, chetana, was admitted to the Apollo hospital in may 2005 and she delivered a baby girl, and i took this snap on the very second day. The baby was very cute and
chubby, and kiran was high in the clouds cherishing the happy moments of becoming a father. In september, they had arranged the naming ceremony in shimoga, which was the hometown of chetana. Me and sush keep waiting for a chance to freak out and never missed such an opportunity. We took the night train to shimoga, and early morning were surprised to see almost the whole compartment filled with kiran's friends and relatives. Kiran was waiting at the railway station with chetana's dad and uncle to take us home. We piled into a waiting car and they dropped us at a hotel where they had booked enough rooms to accomodate the whole town. There were a couple of other friends of kiran who offered to take us from the hotel to chetana's house where the naming ceremony was to take place.We had nice breakfast, met all of their relatives & friends, and felt at home by their hospitality. The baby girl was named Tanvi and the function went well, later we went to a nearby hotel where they had booked a hall and arranged for lunch. After an overwhelming 'bomman oota', we thought we will visit the infamous 'jog falls'.
Chetana's uncle helped us arrange a taxi to take us on this short trip and we were on our way. It was our first time there and people were telling it was in its peak, we stayed around for sometime and then came back to the hotel. Next day morning, again we went to chetana's house, most of the relatives had left, and some were still leaving, we played around with tanvi for some time, and then kiran had this mindblowing idea of visiting a nearby 'dam'(i really dont know whether it was a dam or something else he had planned coz we never could make it there). So he asked one of his friend to give him a car and we set off in it, first we had to go to one of chetana's cousin's place and then from there we were only around an hour away from home and we had a flat tyre!!!It was a hot summer afternoon, and we were stuck in the middle of nowhere, luckily we found a mechanic who didnt have the necessary tools to repair!!!!Since it would take time, we decided to send everyone back home in an auto and we returned after fixing the car. That marked the end of our short but pleasant trip to shimoga. As me and kiran spent our days at IBM, we always tried to explore the possibilities of getting ahead in our career and always looking out for better opportunities in and out of our project. But it took really a long time for anyone of us to establish ourselves in our account and grow ahead. Kiran was always telling me of what i had missed by not making to US for the knowledge transfer, he had made good money in a short while and we were always hoping to make it to the land of green currency in our lives. Both of us had similar needs in our lives and that was to make fast money, and going onsite was the only way out. But being in a project where the client was not doing quite well, we were doubtful of achieving it.
I think my future with IBM should take up a new blog as this is dedicated to the couple who will always cherish in my thoughts as being very understanding and supportive in all times. Kiran and his family will find many places ahead in my future blogs as i write them. Thanks kiran for being a good friend.
Aaha!!!!!En Bomman Kale!!!!!
