Somasundaram weds Aishwarya, on a fine thursday morning. One more member in my friend’s circle is happily married. To a girl of his choice, his first love, the only wish he had for some time now.

Somasundaram – Met this guy during the second year of my college life at MIT. He was transferred from GCT, Coimbatore. He had the typical ‘Palam’ look in him. But he was ready to shed it the immediate instant he joined MIT. He could never speak more than a few sentences to any girl. No one ever imagined, he would fall madly in love someday, and never marry the same girl whom he loved.

Life is really a interesting piece of mystery! When it reveals itself, you are a bit surprised. And really we were, when he revealed that he was in love with his team mate at his company. She, Aishwarya was in the testing team, and Soms was in the development team. When he announced his love to us, we would comment, “Instead of fixing the bugs that she reported, you fixed her”. An interesting person, he was, the comedian of our gang, the rocker who never listened to Tamil songs, till he found his lady love.

I am reminded of the speech that Shahrukh Khan delivers in “Om Shanti Om”. “Happy Endings – If it is not happy, then it is not the end”. Here is one such really happy ending.

Wishing Soms and Aishwarya, all the wonderful things on earth. Let them be blessed and ever live happily. For all those who missed the marriage occasion, here are some of the moments.

Just when I was sitting idly this evening, flipping through a magazine’s page, this thought crossed my mind. Why is that I spend a lot of time before the computer nowadays? I would barely sit before a terminal in college for 5 mins to do real work. Mostly we used to watch movies, play games, that is what the computer was for in campus. Every computer in the hostel used to boast of holding 80 to 100 GB of movies. All downloaded from the internet. We never felt the need to learn anything from it. We used to play music all night on the computers, and that is it. I had a hell lot of work then, rather than sit before a dumb terminal. I had my friend (a roommate of mine) saying to me today as he was leaving out to meet his girl friend, why are you always talking to the computer these days. Am I really?

Yes! I spend most of my time on GTalk or Twitter, talking to people, we call it social networking. I am proud that I own a website.  I feel happy to see the blog stats on wordpress. But what am I doing? Whatever that I am proud of does not exist, they are all virtual, living on the servers globally. Am I missing the real fun.

Going back to the days in college, still they are the best days I could remember. No worries about the next day, no one to answer to, a hell lot of friends who were really doing the same time as you are, just whiling the time. Sitting on the MIT bund was a favourite past time. We had little pocket money, but life was fun and carefree.

Going to Airways Hotel (that is just a small fast food shop in chromepet, chennai) at 2 in the night, with just Rs. 20, ordering 6 parottas and then sharing it with friends on the railway platform. It was more fulfilling meal than a great buffet lunch at the Residency Towers, with office colleagues.

My college life shaped me well and taught me to survive. There was a(there were actually many.. but this is one I am actually speaking about now) girl whom I liked on the campus. We were friends; we used to chat on the phone the whole night over, talking on stupid things. It was the time when mobile phone market was catching up in India, so we had lot of offers provided by the Cellphone operators. My operator plan allowed me to speak at 10 paise per min. Wow! what a deal it was.

I used to recharge for Rs. 530 a day and then go back to recharge in a couple of days. Days were fun. She was staying at her home with her parents and me in the hostel, but we found place and time to speak. From “GM, wat r u doing?” to “GN, sweet dreams”, SMS was our lingua franca. We chatted and chatted. But one fine day, it all blew up, and we fought. There were multiple chances that I would have made up, but then, I didn’t want to break the ice and so didn’t she. With that ended my saga with girl-friends or girls as friends.

Now when I want to begin the conversation with a girl, I really don’t have a clue as to where to start with. (Kindly bear with me, I just reeling it all from my head, so I never know why things are not in the proper order… Anyway this is just a musing…) So why did I come to this girl-friend episode, Ya! No girl friend to spend the time with, and so I have more free time to waste.

What about friends? I stay with  my friends here in a rented house. As a matter of fact, all my room mates are also the ones that I studied in college with. We had great time together, we used to bunk classes, work on the college culturals, advice juniors and enjoy life. We never did study at college. Who wants to study, when being in MIT was itself a privilege? I was good at doing multimedia work for the college culturals. We used to have films screened at the OAT every month. Before the film, we used to have slideshows, and I wield my expertise to fight the opposite team. It was fun time all the time.  So I should be spending time with them. But then, everyone works late in office. Welcome to Indian software market, here Working Late is synonymous to Working Great! I come home at 7 p.m and have a lot of tine until when my friends trickle in at 10 p.m.  (Don’t feel that I am in a dream company where I work a job from 9 am to 6 pm, it is just that the situations have not gotten worse yet). So chatting with friends to pass time has been ruled out.

Coming to the TV, another idiot box. Only Star Vijay airs nice programs, and all nice programs start at 9 p.m, leaving me to do something from 7 p.m to 9 p.m everyday. Saturdays and Sundays are even worse. Unless or until everyone is home, it is a hell of boredom here.

So why don’t I catch up with my family, my mom and dad and sis on the phone. Hey come on, how much time will you phone your mom and dad!

That explains it! I am becoming dumb as the terminal before me! Someone cure me of this disease that has caught up on me, or which I have willfully embraced. What I need now is company! A real company, whom I can just chatter with! God, forsake!

I am sharing the content of a email, I received today.  Author unknown. A story about a software engineer. Here it goes:

It was raining heavily outside. Dark clouds gathered in the sky and nature was in its ominous best. I took a break from my work and went to the pantry to grab a cup of coffee. I had a sip and went near the window to see the rain pouring down heavily outside the glass structure. I was inside our huge office building, unruffled by even the fierceness of the nature.

Through the heavy transparent glass, I could see a small girl trying to hold on to her umbrella which the wind was snatching away from her. I felt sorry for the girl, and was happy that I was not in a similar pathetic situation. Yes. I take pride for the fact that I am a software engineer.

I have everything which a common man would envy; money, status, respect, you name it I have it. I always wanted to be software professional and here I am, working for one of the best firms in the world. But then, am I really happy? Now, I could see an imprint of my palm on the other glass window, through which I reminisced my past, basked in the warmth of the sun shine.

My childhood was so much of fun. I vividly remember those rainy days, when I hugged my mother tightly during sleeping listening to all the stories told by her. Now, I have a big house here, but then it is just a house, not a home. My parents are pretty far away from me now. I have a cell phone to talk to them everyday, but then I really miss those dinners which I had with my family everyday. I could easily afford to taste all the different cuisines these days, but the best of food there, lack the love and affection which is present in the food prepared by my mother.

I threw a lavish party for my colleagues for my birthday, but then they would never replace the birthdays when my friends secretly brought a cake and at the end, half of the cake would have ended up on my face. The couple of hundred bucks that u save for a long period just to give a treat to your friends in the road side chat shop can never give the pleasure even after spending a few thousand bucks these days.

The scene of me crying and refusing to have dinner on the day when I fought with my best friend came to my mind. Today, she has gone far away from me, taking away my love and with it my life, but I am sitting and coding here with a false smile on my face. Everyday I meet new people, but then I long ceased to make a new friend.

It’s true that I have a lot of things now. I have a nice bed, but no time to sleep. Lots of money, but no friends to spend it with. The latest designer clothes, but a worn out body . Awards for technical excellence, but no reward for the crave for peaceful ambience. A confident demeanor, but a reluctant and apathetic mind. Full of rain, but no sunshine even in the farthest distance.

Now, I could see the small girl on the road enjoying in the rain with her umbrella firmly in her grip. She might not have all the comforts which I have, but then she has the innocence and fun which I lost a long time back.

I have decided to come out of this false fantasy, even if it is at the expense of losing the tap of the software engineer. I am going to again enjoy my life. I am going to go out in the rain and play with the small kid now. I removed my tie, and went near my computer to shut it down. Just then, I saw a new mail alert in my mail box. I slowly opened outlook and I found a message from my manager with an attachment saying that there was a critical defect in the code and I have to fix it soon. I convinced myself that I am not going to get bogged down again by these pressures and stick to my decision. I ignored the mail and went to the rest room. After a couple of minutes, the software engineer in me came out, his shirt tucked in with the perfect tie knot, sat before the computer, and started typing,

Hi XYZ,

I am looking into the defect and will send the patch files before EOD.

Thats it!

Chapter 4:
My new found crush for this girl lost its interest gradually. The reasons which I could figure out were,

• I didn’t know what to talk to her when I met her;
• She got busy in her project works;
• My friends were pestering whether I loved her and I just could not find the right answer to it;
• She was not interested in love marriage and preferred arranged marriage;
• I too got work as time passed;
• Last but not the least, a new girl arrived in my project and my mind said ‘This is your girl; why search elsewhere when you have it in hand’.

It so happened that my team planned for a trip to Kodaikannal. Viola! A great chance! I tried to speak to her, but language was a great problem. While I am so fluent in my mother tongue ‘Tamil’, she never knew it. How good can one try to talk to a girl and get her attention by talking in English! Atleast if you got the looks, you have half a chance! With no good looks, no chance. But  that didn’t stop my enthusiasm!

Chapter 3:
It was during the training in Siruseri, that I came across a girl who caught my attention. “She was not beautiful; but to me she was perfect“. She was my batch mate. Initially she paid no attention, and as always I pretended not. One hot afternoon, we were asked to assemble in a common room. We were to have a extra-curricular session (I don’t exactly remember the name that they gave to the session). One was asked to enact something and the others had to figure out what he was doing. This was child’s play for me and my friends. I acted and they got it in their very first guess. She must have been impressed with the performance, for she came and congratulated me. There was that unmistakable smile in her lips. Something that showed interest. I was in cloud nine.
After that first meeting, we used to send SMS and call each other. She was new to Chennai, and who can guide her around Chennai, than me. Late night phone calls, frequent SMS and such I got busy. Soms had developed interest in  another girl, but very soon found that she alrady had a boy friend. But she accepted him as his brother by sending him a ‘Raakhi’ on Raksha Bandhan.
As already told of, I was alloted to a project in Navallur and she was moved to Perungudi. We continued our chats through phone.
Soms found his first true love in a girl in his project. She was the girl of his dreams. She was two years younger to him. Soms had organised a tour to Munnar and there the love grew. She saw him smoking and she loved the ‘Rowdy’ in Soms. She wanted him to leave smoking. Soms was taken by this new found interest of a girl in his well being. We had never seen Soms messaging anyone or calling other than to his home, but for a week he was always on his cell. When enquired he just said that he was talking to his sister. We beleived him, as we know Soms was not that kind of person to talk to new girls. But as always an element of doubt lingered. One night, when lying next to me, Soms told us that he loved that girl. We were surprised. When asked if he had spoken to her about it, he said, it was two sided now. Too fast! And now Soms doesn’t listen to his Rock Gods, but to ‘Kannan varum vellai’ from ‘Deepavali’. He imagines himself as the Jeyam Ravi. When we ask him about his love, he just smiles. That has a lot of answers. He doesn’t know why he likes her or what attracted him. Love is blind, comes his reply. True, that is why they call it ‘Falling in love’.

Chapter 2:
The final year winded smoothly, with fewer subjects, project work and lots of time advicing juniors. In April 2006, my college days got over. I was spending the last big vacation in my native place, when I received a call from the HR of Cognizant asking me to join the next day. I packed my bags and  reached Chennai the same day night.
When I told Sri and Soms over phone that I got a call from HR, they too got eager and called up HR. To our surprise, they were also allowed to come the same day. On that Friday morning, clad in complete formals, there we were in TCO office, where destiny had brought us. The office seemed like a palace. We were not even allowed inside and had to wait at the security gate. We felt proud then seeing the tight security in office. Anyone wearing a company tag commanded respect from us. We were taken to the Academy block and given loads of papers to be autographed by us. Who knows what it was, the HR person told us to turn to each page and place a sign in the specified places. Once done, we were asked to come to Tidel Park for orientation on Monday. We also has a medical examination that very day. The gals (figures in our slang) were good, but most of them where my college.  So we didn’t care much about them. We knew we will get to see more people in the office than these girls. (One point to be noted here is that all three of us had no girl friends, the sad part of the story, but we manage to give the feeling that we didn’t want a girl friend).
In Tidel, it was just a full day of lecture, getting introduced to the ‘Exceeding customer expectation’ band wagon of Cognizant. One session that interested us was when they had all the lights out and asked each guy to take a seat next to a gal. But as fate would have it, again, I got to sit next to my class mate and when I turned to see who else was next to her, it was Soms. Cursing badly, we made it past the session and was back. We had no residence here in Chennai, so we got the Pallavaram office accomodation. We were a happy lot though many complained about the food and water.
Getting into the Siruseri Academy and seeing the facilities, we felt we were truly in the dream destination. The automatic coffee vending machine, the small pool at the academy with seats around it, the lighting, the feel inside an air-conditioned office, the boot polisher were all new to us. We felt we were on top of the world. Training was a honeymoon period. Fun, food, girls, mock tests, mock projects. It was as if we were being paid for attending college. We were not sure on what to do with the two point salary we got then. We wore the tag everywhere in the evening. When in formals and shoes, the textile shops which once would not serve us, showed interest in allowing us to window shop. With money came everything. But all joy should come to an end and so the training ended and we as lucky for Soms and Sri to be on the same project. But I was alone in a new project. I had to move to Navallur and they were in TCO. By now, we had our residences in the IT Hub, Thiruvanmiyur. Those were wonderful days.

Disclaimer:
The places and figures presented in this story are real. The story is out of imagination and is fictitious based on real events.

Epilogue:
I am Rajesh. I am going to narrate a few years of my life. It is spun around three characters, Rajesh (me), Soms and Sri. Both my friends from my college.  It is altogether a different story how we became friends, but that we are now. This story starts from the 3rd year of our college life.

Chapter 1:
It was the peak of summer in Chennai in the year 2005. I, Soms and Sri were all seated in out hostel rooms in MIT(Not Massacheuts but Madras Institute of Technology, Anna University). We were cursing the sun for having out sweat out the day preparing for our placements. With 3 years of college life already wasted in culturals and chats, we were trying to cope up with the studies which we had missed the previous years. Though we had battled out in 12th standard to get into Anna University, studying was not for us. We desperately needed to attend the campus interview, as none of us three had any aspirations on GATE or GRE. We never has the pressure on us though. On May 27, 2005, in the afternoon, after our lunch in the mess, Sri was solving out Aps from R.K.Agarwal and puzzles from Shakuntala Devi. Soms as usual was sleeping hearing to his Rock Gods AC-DC, Metallica playing. I was seated in the bed wondering whether to join Sri or Soms.
Our placement representatives had gone for a discussion with the Placement Cell. In the evening they came and informed us the slot of companies. It turned out that placement started from May 29 and went through June 15, with a company turning up everyday. The first on the list was Cognizant, followed by Tata, Infosys and Wipro, the top recruiters. 3/4 th of the 3rd year students were aspiring to get into one of these four companies.
With just 2 days to go, we were bound shopping that evening, getting the needed business formals, tie and stuff. That night, we had resources pouring out from everywhere. Everyone was busy. Sri was busy brushing us C, I and Soms immersed in Puzzles wondering what in the world does one get in solving puzzles that the companies wanted to get it. The next day meant serious business with getting the long forgotten shoes polished, certificates and files in place. Also our class members had a secret meeting in our class sorting out the strategy for the next day.
May 29 dawned. It was the day when we attended our dream company, Cognizant. (It was a dream then, as our seniors here at Cognizant told us that it was headquartered in US, and offered many onsite offers to its employees). Written exams went fine. We had enough lime juice and water packets to get through the heat in the CEG campus. Results of the written exam were out and all three of us were selected in the 1100 selected that day. The next day was the interview. We just could get enough sleep that day with all the anxiety. After 10 minutes of interview and waiting in the University auditorium for 3 hours, the results were out. 504 were selected and it was a dream come true for the three of us. We were selected and we can enjoy the rest of the college days. Thus we landed a offer from Cognizant, a dream conquered.

Once there was a guy, enjoying life, doing whatever he wanted to. He was most interested in computers and wanted to make a challenging career in the field of computers. He was doing his 11th class then. If there is a guy, then there should be a girl. That is what all kollywood movies have taught us. And it happened that this girl was living in the house opposite the guy’s. She was studying 8th class.

As always the guy had not known about here existence till then! What is interesting if the guy and the girl don’t meet! So be it. Days passed and the guy now in first year of his college and the girl in 11th class decide to join a computer course. Also the girl’s sister (in her 5th class joins the class). It happens that the guy talks to the younger sister and by some way after a long … long… time, the guy speaks with the girl. They remain so as friends.

One fine day, the girl calls the guy over phone (not a cellphone), says that she is in love with the guy. The guy (hey! he is an aspiring lad), rejects the offer advising the girl that this is not the age to fall in love or to make a decision about life. Then the time cycle spins rapidly (imagine a bullock cart wheel spinning faster in MGR movies).

After 7 years, now the guy is a software engineer in a good company. He had long forgotten about the girl and the proposal. One day in a friend’s marriage function, the guy and the girl meet. The girl then meets the guy in person and expresses her love for the guy had remained intact. The guy is stunned. He is in a dilemma now! Whether to accept or reject the girl’s hand in marriage! Whether he loves the girl or not!

What can be the ending to this story! (Can you get some realistic ending rather than a cinematic ending! )