18th of August

18^th august 2006, the day I will always remember. This is the date when I joined L&T, and how happy I was and still am. This is the day when I for the first time felt that I have grownup and am independent and responsible. Till now I always had my parents as my support, I still have the support just that their role has changed from being great sculptors to great consultants. This life is full of surprises and so it was on this day.

Unknown and uninitiated about the company I landed up late by misjudging the distances involved from my flat in Kandivali to office in powai. Still in the college mode, I got up late and then hurried towards the office. The very first day I got to travel in the much famed BEST bus and was more than motivated to be on time from now on ( I am still trying to be up on time, but I don’t miss the office bus what so ever)

Anyways, after the horrid bus ride I reached the office and then reported to the corporate HR at Gate 5. Reaching there was a relief, I had forgotten that all those who are joining with me are none other but the students of yesterday, and many were late. Dressed up as we all were to our best, we could have easily passed off as an executive than a new joinee, and I took advantage of the situation.

After the orientation, and into the department (Switchgear Design and Development Centre, SDDC), I was asked by my IS to sit in the library and fish out some technical information for an ongoing project. I went in, sat with a few journals and technical papers and got bored. All new in the department I knew no one but my IS and GM and no one else knew me. So what to do? I already knew that many fellow joinees will be in a dilemma similar to mine. So I used this as an opportunity to entertain myself. I waited for a person to enter and plastered a serious look on my face. The guy who entered the library saw me and then looked around. There were a few hundred books and me. He took my permission to sit down, and I graciously granted him one. After all here I had an opportunity to make a new friend and have some fun. So as soon as he started reading a journal, I looked up and in a very serious tone asked him details about his college and the like, and in between the conversation all of a sudden, questioned him if he had wished me. Perturbed by the suddenness of the question and it being so off the topic he fumbled. I got an angry look on my face and there he was all flushed red with shame of not wishing a “senior” and his head drooped. After this small act of mine I graciously forgave him only to know that he was a senior who had seen me with my IS and this group had decided to have some fun so as to make me get along with them. All of a sudden the tables turned and I was more violet than red with shame. Could not breathe at the very thought of acting unprofessionally in an organisation and that too on the first day. My seniors had a good time looking at the face of a moron who tried acting smart and we have been “enjoying” each other ever since. After this small prank as if it was not enough I was told a task to be completed by next morning as a way out to the act I committed in the morning. Anyways I worked harder that day and ran all over and finally when I thought I had completed the work came to know that it was a project completed a few years back and I was doing things already done. Again all had a gala time enjoying innocence of a kid. But then I got to learn a lot and know a lot of people. The next day I was assigned to a project and a team and since then it has been a dream run in this organisation.