28 Days Later – The departure !!!

28 Days Later – The departure !!!

Hold on....... ( It is not about the one of the part of movie where people turn zombies & rip apart another man for a thirst of fresh blood due to a viral infestation..... Alright…… I stop it here !!!)

This story is dedicated to all the youths who are staying away from their native, parents & unforgettable past memories, especially IT professionals and also dedicated to the IT industry & my experience in it which actually has given me thoughts, strength & eventually forced me to come with this write up.

This story is entirely fictitious and has no resemblance with real life, it will be merely a coincidence if it relates to any one's life.

Rinks is the main character of my story who is currently flying to his native and looking out of the window & starts thinking about 28 days back from today, what happened & how his life changed.

It was 12:30 at night Rinks was sitting on a chair in front of a computer screen which doesn't stop staring at him.... for a moment Rinks thought why doesn't this whole building blows away so he can get out of this curse. (Not to worry Rinks not going to blow the building away!!! Wishing & having such kind of thoughts have become habitual for Rinks!!!).

Suddenly a message pops up on his screen (with an annoying sound !!!), momentarily he ignores but later (from his consciousness) he realizes that he is on a crucial job “ The Support “ ( ya enough ! don’t laugh !) which he can’t ignore for anything. Rinks looks the issue and handles it accordingly from the “BOOK OF TRICKS” which he developed over last couple of months. Let me share one with you which Rinks told me, might come handy, like

Forwarding it to concerned developer and keeping a huge set of people in cc whom he hardly know (that is mandatory in order to pretend that he has done his work…clever…huh !!!) and throwing the golden & un evitable arrow “Please look into this as it is a matter of high priority” which he developed over a period of couple of months since he moved into this CIRCUS. Rinks laughed his ass off initial whenever he used to utilize this tool but later it became a “Bhramastra” for him.

Back to the story !!! Now Rinks once again leans backward on his uncomforting chair goes back to the “ocean of thoughts”. Rinks dreams back to the days of school & colleges, he recalls all the fun, flirts, affairs, mischief & what not.

Then he thinks ” Did I become or doing what I wanted to do, I believed I would become a pilot one day, I always lived in a world of jet planes. I knew in & out of a plane. That speed, that adrenaline, leather jackets & aviator glasses all of these always made me felt that I’m alive.”

Now Rinks starts blaming…. ” I think we all are living in an over secured world, since you come to life you born with

some set of responsibilities & goals which someone else marks for you. Slowly & steadily your culture, society moulds you

and you become a robots who has a set of instructions embedded on a chip. Would it ever change…? Why we have developed a world around us who runs your life not the way you want it to run….? Are we evolving …? Ha Ha Ha Ha Ho Ho Ho Ho….No ..No.. I have not gone mad on a sudden !!! The word “Evolution” made me laugh, there is a project in company called “P**S Evolution” which is evolving big time in a way which would lead it towards the “Extinction”. Anyways who cares where it goes!!! Where was I..?”

But suddenly an outlook alert comes up on his screen, it was about a call which he had to attend in 5 mins, that is at

1:30 am. Rinks goes through the list of issues (open or closed) & jumps into the call which he named as “Game of Blames”.

Rinks always try not to open his mouth in front of pack of starved wolves who are ready to attack anyone for nothing. He keeps listening to all the stupid questions and explanations which he could not listen anywhere else in this world. He thinks for a moment “ What the hell man !, I don’t understand how & who puts these people on these jobs.”

Then all of sudden Rinks start admiring the qualities of these high profilers “ First of all these guys don’t have a clue about what they are talking about & with whom, they drag the purpose of the call to different track & start talking something else until someone like me reminds them there is a separate call later on for the things they are discussing. Later they come back on track the issues in the list get discussed over and the attendees also have sets of same repeating explanations that they throw on face every time & day and people buy it daily.”

Suddenly Rinks hears an echoing voice “ Rinks….Rinks….Are you there….?”.

"Is it from sky…?" Rinks thinks.

Then he comes out of the moment and realizes some English man is calling him, “ Rinks..Are you there on call…?”

Rinks replies,” Yes ..! I’m here. Sorry I was on mute, was on an urgent call on my cell. Please could you repeat your query?”.

English says “ There is an issue number 12345 raised which is blocking all our testing”.

English tells to the customer,” Mr A****h, this is a major blocker & blocking the whole kind of testing”.

English says “ Rinks could you please update us on this ?”

Rinks thinks for a moment & replies,” Give me a minute & I’ll update you”. Rinks then opens his notes in hurry and turn the papers over and over again but he doesn’t find this number. The he turn to the system and notices that some tester has raised a blocker fault 2 minutes back.

Rinks thinks “ Are they are on weeds or something….? How the issue can be resolved at 2:00 in night & that is too in 2 minutes…?” He calms himself down & replies which again from the “BOOK OF TRICKS”.

Rinks says” Mr A****h, I’m aware of this issue & actually I was earlier on the same call with the developer discussing the fix. It is getting taken care of & I’ll update you within half an hour. Is it fine with you?” Bingo !!! Rinks does it again tonight.

A****h says “ That would be fine I guess !!!”. Rinks enjoys as he know the meaning “Guess”.

Now the call is at urge of an end & then suddenly Rinks throws the final Ace from his set of cards because he know if stay longer than the kite of trouble might again swing in his way.

Rinks says “A****h, I think I should going out and follow up that blocker as I won’t be needed any more in this call”

A***h says “ Rinks I think you should go & look into the issue”.

Rinks takes a huge sigh of relief as he & people working with him understand what he has just came out of.

Rinks and his team used to continuously handles these issues, explanning scenarios, providing fixes themselves, giving work arounds, calls, demos etc..etc..what not...on 24/7 support.? Their life was hectic, above this all they had the pressure of developing RFCs and design. So they were 500% occupied.

Many other project members and managers who sleeping deeply in their home don’t know just what Rinks has done of them, other way around if Rinks would have screwed up then all of them would have been doing “BHANGARA” that night & all nights to come untill the issue gets resolved.

Their eyes are not opened to people like Rinks, how important they are. They always underestimate them, never show them a token of appreciation, compliments.

A fresh developer with few months of experience in technology & domain goes & takes such a huge responsibility, handles the customer directly which 15 years experienced Manager afraid to do. They are like INFANTORY of an Army who takes

the first bullet & save their commanders.

Aren’t company lucky enough to have such employees working for merely Rs 15 k/month & handling the responsibilities of Rs 50k/month and plus. But what company gives them in return, frustrations, dark circles & a big tummy. Even though there are Managers around who want to bring up such talent up but they get caught up in dirty politics & you know, humans do have limitations.

All these were actually going through Rinks mind that night…….

It is 2:15 am now, Rinks leaves for the day. He picks up his bike & screams it towards ????? Home….Naaaaaa….Cafe Coffee Day !!! where his colleagues/Friends would be meeting him. He calls his friend Maan to reach their & picks up Viv on the way after riding bike for around 27Kms.

Now this is what actually they enjoy most in the whole day. Having sips of coffee together. Rinks always orders “Cold Sparkle”, Viv “Cold Frappe” and Maan “Cappacino”, favorites of them. With each sip & fresh air, they used to chat & re energized themselves.

Now it is 3:00 am, they depart their ways. This was a routine for them for last few months.

Rinks reaches home at 3:15 am, he throws him self on the couch & turn the T.V on while his roommates were having donkey

kind of sleep. Rinks falls in sleep while watching the T.V, but he has no notion that this is the night will be changing his days ahead.

Next day, Rinks reaches office as usual at noon. While he was on his routine of handling issues, he receives a long lasting call from one of his colleague. He hung up on the call, his face turned pale as a parasite has taken the whole blood out of his body.

Rinks was very upset, he worked so hard, sacrificed so much so that he could achieve what he aimed for. It has been months since he wrote a single CURSOR. ( Cursorrrrrrrrrrr……Is it something which fetches some value….Right?)

But what he comes to know that someone else has been provided opportunity for which he worked so hard.

Rinks lost all the faith in the system which is corrupted from top to bottom. He realized he has been working as slave days and night. Someone has rightly said “ Responsibilities shouldn’t be served without a right pay”.

Rinks spent many days in thinking over this matter over and over again. Finally he got his act together. He planned himself a new future, a next wave. Rinks after some difficulties moves to the city called “Silicon Valley” of country for a new hope, for a new beginning.

He joins the office next Monday, as he enters the building he felt a wave of silence, it was like he just entered into a Grave Yard where dead are sleeping in their grave as employees here in their cubicles.

Now his first target was to grab a seat in an isolated corner of building so he reaches office earliest. He was amazed to see that hundred of employees have no work except sit in canteen chat & drink coffee or tea. Their daily activity was to kill 8 hours of a day and go home.

I was a great set back for Rinks, earlier he used to work over 12 hrs now, nothing till he receives some work.

Rinks recalls how he was earlier in all the fame & limelight, now it is like he has been thrown in an isolated & pitch black dungeon.

It took time to him to get adjusted, although he realized he has paid a big deal for his future or a new beginning. There going to be a big swing in his life & carrier, he knows exactly what he has to do from now onwards but he is mentally exhausted. Now he decide for a long break since he never had one for a very long time.

Present………. Rinks was in his past memories suddenly air hostess announces the landing of flight. He puts his belt on.

Rinks takes a big sigh and thinks “ Would this break give me the new meaning of life. Would I’ll be able to get success in what I planned. Did this huge step will pay off ? Hey ! must forget it now…I should rather enjoy the each & every moment of my break”……………..

All, we should enjoy each and every moments of life. There is no decision wrong or right, it is all about how you stand besides it. You loose some to gain some. These are the simple laws of life………

I’ll continue with Rinks, what he did in his trip ? what he learned ? was he able to kick off with his plans ? in my next write up

“28 Days Later – The rise !!!!!”

Till then think over…what you doing ? what you want from life and most important enjoy & live it heartly……

Manish Choudhary

19^th Oct 2007

1:45 am, Bangalore