These days I am bound to think about the feeing which keeps on banging the doors of my mind, helplessly. The thinking, I have been running away from but it too has been following me up very curiously. The whole scenario got changed when I received a call from my friend Vikas informing me about the list which have been uploaded by Punjab Water supply and sewerage Board on their website which includes the names of short listed candidates for SDO post on merit basis. It was an alarming bell for me. I could not react at the particular moment for the reason I was in sleeping mode. But next day when I realized that I have been short listed and have been invited by the department for document verification, a mixed reaction ran through my mind.
I was happy for the fact that my hard work during college have paid off finally and CGPA earned is getting recognized in some way or the other. On the other hand as I was already in mid way of my MS career and waiting for universities decisions hence was not so excited about the opportunity. I already had invested 9 months and 50,000 bugs in order to get an admission call from some reputed university in United States. Moreover, somewhere down the line I knew that my parents are going to take this decision at some other level as they are obsessed with Government job (that too) in Punjab. I thought, “It’s going to be difficult for me to handle the forthcoming situation.”
As soon as I explained my parents about the list published, they burst into joy and their happiness could not be expressed into words. I was numb. I too faked my consent on the deliberation we had over phone, just to make them feel happy. Some days passed, I started getting results from the universities. Status was 2 reject and one accept. Not bad at all. I was still hopeful for my first choice. I wanted an admission with funding which I had not got it yet. It was the only way in which I could debate with them citing the positives of higher studies and negatives of a job in Punjab.
I was desperately waiting for other universities results and keeping my fingers crossed. In the mean time I started getting calls from my relatives congratulating me. Irony is that “SDO” thing happened by luck and sheer chance and was getting applauded for it but. Then happened another reject and I was shattered as I was expecting a call from no one congratulated me in getting 1300 in GRE through my 5 months of hard work and dedication it. I kind of lost my confidence and could see the forthcoming future. I left it to GOD as normally people do while they are out of options.
“Yesterday is a history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift that’s why it is called present”, are the lines which have inspired me in latest days. I heard those watching “Kung Fu Panda” and felt astonished at its usage which is so simple yet so beautiful. As they, “whatever happens, it happens for a reason.” This was the time last year when I was gearing up to take GRE and today a year later, I find myself at the opposite pole.
In the past three years since my graduation, I have never been serious about my career while I could have used this time in paving my way to future. As a fresher I was satisfied with my first company and was busy doing official work only whole heartedly. But nothing came out fruitful. When I shifted to a new firm, I devoted my time preparing for IES along with company work. That did not work out. In my third year I shifted my job once again and started looking out for MS options which again seems to have disappointed me. Had I restricted myself to one field, I could have created a niche. At this point of time, again I am in dilemma of whether to join SDO or continue my job as a Structural Design Engineer.
Keep Reading to know.
Regards
Parul Goyal
Friday, November 18, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Bhangra Rockers Rocked it….
It all started when I got a mail from organizing committee asking for volunteers for the Technip Annual Day 2011. As one of the organizers was in the same project in which I was working so I contacted her and told her to include my name in Bhangra. I had done lots of Bhangras and other dances at school level. Though I had not performed any stage show in last 7 years including 4 yrs of college but I have been an active dancer in many parties that I have attended in these years. So there has always been a sense of rhythm in me. This time as soon as I got the mail, instantaneously I decided to take benefit from the opportunity and got my name included in the participants. Annual day was scheduled for 23rd Sep, 2011. We started practicing almost one month ago. We were total 8 members including 4 boys and 4 girls. Total duration for the performance was 5 min assigned by organizers. One of the engineers who joined Technip recently as trainees took the responsibility to choreograph the dance.
First day of Practice: I met with other patrons and got to know little about them. As most of them had been in Technip for more time than me hence I could feel a bonding among all of them. I also tried my level best to mingle with everybody in the coming days. The most tedious task was to select the songs. Everyone gave their inputs which ultimately created lots of chaos. Finally what we though that for some portion alone girls will be performing and for some portions alone boys; then in the end, whole group will cover the stage. But the first song we rehearsed together was including both the parties. We kept on rehearsing after office hours regularly and even on weekends. Finally after the hard work of about 15 days we finalized our combined portion with bits and pieces of individual ones also.
First Screening: Then the day came when our first screening was going to happen in front of the organizers. We all decided to showcase out combined portion which was well rehearsed. It was around 4 minutes. It went well as feedback was nice to hear except some minor comments like energy level, duration of the song and non-complete performance. From then onwards we all were really charged up and continued to work had to make it better. With in next few days we prepared our full song and the total duration of the song got extended up to 7.30 minutes. None of the parties was ready to cut their portion at all. Neither we were ready to shorten our combined portion as it was well rehearsed.
Final Rehearsal: After some clashes rather discussions we all decided to keep the same track and named our group as “Bhangra Rockers”. 3 days were left and we all were called for the final rehearsal. As soon as we were finished with the performance, all appreciated it. We saw other performances also. All were good and within 5 minutes range. Only Bhangra crossed it with quite a high margin. After all the performances, judges gave a comment that we must shorten the duration of the song as it was not fitting in their schedule. We all were really in tension. After listening to the song carefully we had some portions which can be cut without affecting much on the choreography part. Some rest pieces were there which were included between two songs to change the positions and regain energy level. Those pieces were cut eventually to make our performance duration to 6.15 minutes. We rehearsed on it and now it was more tiring & energetic. So everyone was keeping their fingers crossed about the final performance.
The Big Day: Finally the day came and Bhagra Rockers were 5th on the itinerary. We all were really excited and nervous. Bhangra was announced as soon as fourth performance completed. We took our positions. Dance was to be started with girls’ solo performance to be followed by boys and then combined portion to create the impact in the last. It got started with the bang, girls performed really well and it was time when boys needed to enter the stage. Initially I was bit nervous and anxious due to which I forgot some steps also but I think I managed it pretty well. Soon I got over with my nervousness and was completely enjoying the performance. After some time girls again entered the stage and we were heading towards the end. About 5 minutes were over when suddenly music stopped and lights were off. WTF…Power was gone. We were standing in middle of the stage looking at each other. Everyone in the audience was cheering and shouting. Crowd was chanting, “Once more! Once more!” We as performers were overwhelmed by audience response and hall was echoed with clapping and hooting. Soon the power was back. We all too tired to perform again but looking at the response we decided to perform from the scratch once again. Girls started the performance once again with same grace and energy. We all ended it beautifully this time.
So now I can tell proudly that I am a Bhangra Dancer.
Regards
PARUL GOYAL
First day of Practice: I met with other patrons and got to know little about them. As most of them had been in Technip for more time than me hence I could feel a bonding among all of them. I also tried my level best to mingle with everybody in the coming days. The most tedious task was to select the songs. Everyone gave their inputs which ultimately created lots of chaos. Finally what we though that for some portion alone girls will be performing and for some portions alone boys; then in the end, whole group will cover the stage. But the first song we rehearsed together was including both the parties. We kept on rehearsing after office hours regularly and even on weekends. Finally after the hard work of about 15 days we finalized our combined portion with bits and pieces of individual ones also.
First Screening: Then the day came when our first screening was going to happen in front of the organizers. We all decided to showcase out combined portion which was well rehearsed. It was around 4 minutes. It went well as feedback was nice to hear except some minor comments like energy level, duration of the song and non-complete performance. From then onwards we all were really charged up and continued to work had to make it better. With in next few days we prepared our full song and the total duration of the song got extended up to 7.30 minutes. None of the parties was ready to cut their portion at all. Neither we were ready to shorten our combined portion as it was well rehearsed.
Final Rehearsal: After some clashes rather discussions we all decided to keep the same track and named our group as “Bhangra Rockers”. 3 days were left and we all were called for the final rehearsal. As soon as we were finished with the performance, all appreciated it. We saw other performances also. All were good and within 5 minutes range. Only Bhangra crossed it with quite a high margin. After all the performances, judges gave a comment that we must shorten the duration of the song as it was not fitting in their schedule. We all were really in tension. After listening to the song carefully we had some portions which can be cut without affecting much on the choreography part. Some rest pieces were there which were included between two songs to change the positions and regain energy level. Those pieces were cut eventually to make our performance duration to 6.15 minutes. We rehearsed on it and now it was more tiring & energetic. So everyone was keeping their fingers crossed about the final performance.
The Big Day: Finally the day came and Bhagra Rockers were 5th on the itinerary. We all were really excited and nervous. Bhangra was announced as soon as fourth performance completed. We took our positions. Dance was to be started with girls’ solo performance to be followed by boys and then combined portion to create the impact in the last. It got started with the bang, girls performed really well and it was time when boys needed to enter the stage. Initially I was bit nervous and anxious due to which I forgot some steps also but I think I managed it pretty well. Soon I got over with my nervousness and was completely enjoying the performance. After some time girls again entered the stage and we were heading towards the end. About 5 minutes were over when suddenly music stopped and lights were off. WTF…Power was gone. We were standing in middle of the stage looking at each other. Everyone in the audience was cheering and shouting. Crowd was chanting, “Once more! Once more!” We as performers were overwhelmed by audience response and hall was echoed with clapping and hooting. Soon the power was back. We all too tired to perform again but looking at the response we decided to perform from the scratch once again. Girls started the performance once again with same grace and energy. We all ended it beautifully this time. So now I can tell proudly that I am a Bhangra Dancer.
Regards
PARUL GOYAL
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Lucky to Get there....
The scene was terrible when I reached ISBT, Delhi at around 10pm on 12th August, 2011. I was cursing Delhi Metro for it’s under designed capacity, less number of trains in festive days and mis-management by authority. But that entire curse turned into blessings once I got to know about the traffic problems other patrons had faced in reaching ISBT that night. 13th, 14th & 15th August, three holidays had come together which was a boon for employees like us who always remain in search of these occasions to pay visit to their respective hometowns or to plan out some trip. Thanks to Raksha Bandhan, Sunday and Independence Day Anniversary this time. About 8 pm, I got a call from my friend (Gobind) to confirm that we were finally going and I had to reach ISBT as soon as possible. The plan was to go to Katra and offer our prayers to Goddess “VAISHNO DEVI”. All excited, I packed my bag and left for the holy journey. Without much trouble, I reached Sector 15 Metro station to board a metro going towards Rajiv Chowk. An already overloaded metro reached the station; very few people including me opted to wait for the next one while majority of people boarded the train to meet their respective schedules. After 4 minutes when a new 6 coach metro arrived, I took a sigh of relief being among lesser number of passengers to board the train. I managed to find a place to stand comfortably near the door and occupy an envelope of around 1 ft radius around me. “Thank God, I didn’t board earlier one”, were the lines which everybody was chanting. As soon as the next station arrived & metro gates were opened, a flood of people headed towards my coach and I also got carried away with the flow. Within seconds, I ft radius area got converted into a small rectangle of ½ ft by ½ ft where I could place only one of my feet and helplessly second foot above it, I was squeezed like a soft toy to infinity. Even “to quit” option was not available. As slowly and steadily I recovered from the situation and adjusted myself to make a space for my second foot to rest on the floor , I got to see the same persons who were waiting with me at 15 sector metro station and boarded that overloaded metro. Upon talking with them, it was clear that I was still in better situation because they had to bear the same circumstances three times within last 7 minutes; One while boarding at 15 sector, second while deboarding at next station and thirdly while boarding the next metro.
25 minutes passed, Rajiv Chowk arrived and without maintaining gap (which is always announced in metro) we got off the train. I was not alone anymore, a bunch of people were always with me. I was a part of a crowd in which everybody was heading towards the yellow line. Unfortunately, Railway Station and ISBT put up on the same metro line (a known fact) and hence the row of people hoping to get into the coming metro looked like endless. As metro arrived, the crowd went uncontrolled and everyone was trying to get into the coach by hook or by crook. I wonder how ladies and children had managed to keep breathing while even some of the men were also struggling. The cue was so long that I got a chance in the third attempt. 4 stations from Rajiv Chowk, about 10 minutes ride seemed unending. I doubt if all the people were standing on their own feet including me. After my co passenger gave me a rough look then only I removed my feet and placed on some other person. While almost everyone was frustrated, even then some of the people were enjoying the scene. 10 minutes passed and Kashmiri Gate Station came. While getting down, the situation was worse. I was constantly cursing Delhi metro for its inefficiency until I reached ISBT. The sight was horrible. Fully crowded, filled with mud all around, most of the area under construction, it was a pity on our national capital to own such a low graded bus stop.
Gobind already booked a taxi till Jalandhar from where onwards we planned to drive his own car. Around midnight we started from Delhi and reached Jalandhar around 11am next day. The journey time got doubled, thanks to traffic jam, heavy rains and water logged roads. As we were already lagging in schedule and tired like hell, we decided to take rest for some time and departed for KATRA near about 5pm. We were accompanied by his cousin (Jolly). So we three and his Ford Figo, all in high spirits and excited, left for the holy journey. Around 1 am we reached KATRA and despite of being tired of driving (off course not me, but the other two; credit goes to my non-driving skills), we though to start YATRA but then we got to know about the non-issuance of registration slip between timings 10 pm to 6 am. We were left with no option but to take rest hence booked a hotel room and took a short nap.
In morning around 5.15 am, I and Jolly went to have the registration slip. A long queue had already been made by other pilgrims. Jolly opted to lengthen the queue while I went to checkout some shortcuts. After trying for about 2 hours, helplessly I went to see Jolly again but the queue was bigger and area was fully crowded. After searching for about half an hour I went to room and told Gobind about whole scenario. We both left to see Jolly hoping that he should have got the ticket by now. As we arrived at the venue what we saw was a bigger queue and we were unable to find him. It was already more than 3 hours since he joined the queue. We were worried and could not contact him because only I had postpaid connection which was working. After about an hour, all of a sudden Jolly came to me and asked did I get the slip. “Wholly sh** ” I muttered. It meant still he could not get the slip. He explained that queue was much bigger than we thought in the morning and since morning he has been able to cover only half the way. Gobind joined us and we all decided that now Gobind will stand in the queue with my mobile feeded with hotel room contact number. Frustrated and tired, rest both of us went to room to wait. Still we were relaxing that he called us to come there. Now it was my turn. Fully geared up, I took Gobind’s place. It was 10’o clock. Chit-chatting with fellow patrons and chanting the name of Goddess, I was able to get the slip by 12 noon. Finally, after 7 hours of hardships and dedication, we were happy to register ourselves for “Darshan”.
Around 2.30pm we started our journey and without much trouble we were able to reach the top by 6’0 clock. Most of the people who were standing along with me in queue, met on the way. And we were happy to cross them but were unaware about the strength of people who already managed to reach the top. After settling for some time, we got to know that from 6.30pm to 9.00pm, the temple remains closed due to evening AARTI. Hence we had about 2 hours with us to get ready for the DARSHAN. We hired a locker, had something to eat and took bath under iced cold water. In the mean time, queue got longer and again we tried some shortcut but in vain. Finally we settled in the queue and managed to meet the GODDESS personally by 11pm. As they both need to take some rest and save their energy for tomorrow driving hence they decided to take the way down to KATRA while I alone went for BHAIRON NATH temple. Within one hour I reached at the top and was lucky to get the blessings. Then I spent some time there outside the temple to thank GODDESS to give me opportunity to pay a visit to her. After some time I started getting down. As I was coming down with speed as almost running, I managed to meet both of them near BAN GANGA. It was 4.00 am when we reached our room.
We started from KATRA near about 8.00am and reached JALANDHAR by 2.00pm and they dropped at bus stand. Thereafter I took a bus to Delhi reached Delhi by 2.00am. Then as they say, is history……
Parul Goyal
25 minutes passed, Rajiv Chowk arrived and without maintaining gap (which is always announced in metro) we got off the train. I was not alone anymore, a bunch of people were always with me. I was a part of a crowd in which everybody was heading towards the yellow line. Unfortunately, Railway Station and ISBT put up on the same metro line (a known fact) and hence the row of people hoping to get into the coming metro looked like endless. As metro arrived, the crowd went uncontrolled and everyone was trying to get into the coach by hook or by crook. I wonder how ladies and children had managed to keep breathing while even some of the men were also struggling. The cue was so long that I got a chance in the third attempt. 4 stations from Rajiv Chowk, about 10 minutes ride seemed unending. I doubt if all the people were standing on their own feet including me. After my co passenger gave me a rough look then only I removed my feet and placed on some other person. While almost everyone was frustrated, even then some of the people were enjoying the scene. 10 minutes passed and Kashmiri Gate Station came. While getting down, the situation was worse. I was constantly cursing Delhi metro for its inefficiency until I reached ISBT. The sight was horrible. Fully crowded, filled with mud all around, most of the area under construction, it was a pity on our national capital to own such a low graded bus stop.
Gobind already booked a taxi till Jalandhar from where onwards we planned to drive his own car. Around midnight we started from Delhi and reached Jalandhar around 11am next day. The journey time got doubled, thanks to traffic jam, heavy rains and water logged roads. As we were already lagging in schedule and tired like hell, we decided to take rest for some time and departed for KATRA near about 5pm. We were accompanied by his cousin (Jolly). So we three and his Ford Figo, all in high spirits and excited, left for the holy journey. Around 1 am we reached KATRA and despite of being tired of driving (off course not me, but the other two; credit goes to my non-driving skills), we though to start YATRA but then we got to know about the non-issuance of registration slip between timings 10 pm to 6 am. We were left with no option but to take rest hence booked a hotel room and took a short nap.
In morning around 5.15 am, I and Jolly went to have the registration slip. A long queue had already been made by other pilgrims. Jolly opted to lengthen the queue while I went to checkout some shortcuts. After trying for about 2 hours, helplessly I went to see Jolly again but the queue was bigger and area was fully crowded. After searching for about half an hour I went to room and told Gobind about whole scenario. We both left to see Jolly hoping that he should have got the ticket by now. As we arrived at the venue what we saw was a bigger queue and we were unable to find him. It was already more than 3 hours since he joined the queue. We were worried and could not contact him because only I had postpaid connection which was working. After about an hour, all of a sudden Jolly came to me and asked did I get the slip. “Wholly sh** ” I muttered. It meant still he could not get the slip. He explained that queue was much bigger than we thought in the morning and since morning he has been able to cover only half the way. Gobind joined us and we all decided that now Gobind will stand in the queue with my mobile feeded with hotel room contact number. Frustrated and tired, rest both of us went to room to wait. Still we were relaxing that he called us to come there. Now it was my turn. Fully geared up, I took Gobind’s place. It was 10’o clock. Chit-chatting with fellow patrons and chanting the name of Goddess, I was able to get the slip by 12 noon. Finally, after 7 hours of hardships and dedication, we were happy to register ourselves for “Darshan”.
Around 2.30pm we started our journey and without much trouble we were able to reach the top by 6’0 clock. Most of the people who were standing along with me in queue, met on the way. And we were happy to cross them but were unaware about the strength of people who already managed to reach the top. After settling for some time, we got to know that from 6.30pm to 9.00pm, the temple remains closed due to evening AARTI. Hence we had about 2 hours with us to get ready for the DARSHAN. We hired a locker, had something to eat and took bath under iced cold water. In the mean time, queue got longer and again we tried some shortcut but in vain. Finally we settled in the queue and managed to meet the GODDESS personally by 11pm. As they both need to take some rest and save their energy for tomorrow driving hence they decided to take the way down to KATRA while I alone went for BHAIRON NATH temple. Within one hour I reached at the top and was lucky to get the blessings. Then I spent some time there outside the temple to thank GODDESS to give me opportunity to pay a visit to her. After some time I started getting down. As I was coming down with speed as almost running, I managed to meet both of them near BAN GANGA. It was 4.00 am when we reached our room.
We started from KATRA near about 8.00am and reached JALANDHAR by 2.00pm and they dropped at bus stand. Thereafter I took a bus to Delhi reached Delhi by 2.00am. Then as they say, is history……
Parul Goyal
Saturday, July 23, 2011
STATEMENT OF PUROPSE
Having seen my father working hard for his small business through days and nights, has invigorated two traits in me: Hard work and Dedication. The third trait which I inherited from my mother is Regularity. In my childhood days, I was always amazed at her regular daily routine from waking up early in morning to sleeping till late in the night. Combining all these personality features with my interest in studies landed me in taking Engineering as my career path deviating from the legacy business line of my forefathers.
Choosing Civil Engineering as my career did not happen overnight. From my adolescent age only, I was keen in pursuing Civil engineering based on the fact that it could only pave a path for me to personally interact with buildings and their construction which had been fascinating me all over the years. Marvelous infrastructure, their applications and the complexity involved in constructing them were the factors which always used to amuse me. Looking at the construction of my own house gave me a big boost in learning civil engineering. This was one of the reasons that I had decided at an early stage of my cognitive development that I would like to devote my life to civil engineering. Everything from playing with sand sculptures in a muddy earth to the games of building blocks in a limited space reinforced a young mind’s aptitude towards Civil Stream. With an added advantage of growing up in a developing country where one could really have an idea about the importance and complexity of civil engineering involved in the progress of that country, I was fortunate enough to convert my fascination into reality by pursuing my graduation in Civil Engineering. Transformation from a Civil Engineer to a Structure Engineer occurred through four years of my graduation. Slowly and steadily, I was heading towards the goal and on the day of graduation when I tried to foresee my future, only Structures were present as far as I could see. The fascination of a child of knowing about structures, now, has got converted into passion of a young boy to know more about structures. About a decade later, Structural Engineer by profession now, revolution from a child’s aspirations to a civil engineer’s reality to a structural engineer’s interests, again those three strengths of mine are ready to prove as a helping hand in furthering myself in Structural Engineering Research area. Giving due regard to my research interests and future ambition of being a structural researcher, I am interested to pursue my graduate Studies in the field of Structural Engineering.
I have been performing excellently throughout my education and work career. At high school, I was always in the top 2 positions in a class of about 100 students. Also, I participated and succeeded in many national-level exams like National Science Olympiad, National Talent Search Examination, and Junior Math Olympiad etc. In recognition of my outstanding academic performance, the federal state government also awarded me with Merit Scholarship. Excellent academics, interest in studies & determination were the factors which helped me rank among the top 5% (among about 0.4 million competitors) in the prestigious AIEEE (All India Engineering Entrance Examination) and choose my alma mater from among the best universities in India i.e. THAPAR UNIVERSITY. To make my dream come true and live it in reality, I decided to undergo my undergraduate degree in civil engineering. During the course of my undergraduate study, I tried to delve into each and every subject in general and was successful in my attempts. This is visible in my grades and soon I was in a position of strength, the 2nd position of the departmental class of 45 with an overall grade of 9.61/10. I faired well in the design courses, be it steel, concrete or earthquake resistant design and this is reflected in my grades not only in the theoretical aspect but as well as in practical aspect.
During my undergraduate studies, with my career interests in view, I soon realized that certain value addition to curricular knowledge is necessary to carve a niche for myself and have an edge over the others in this competitive world. I volunteered for Institute for Steel Development and Growth (INSDAG) membership to be updated with latest advancements in the field of Steel. I tried to put my knowledge and creativity to use. In my sophomore Year, I lead a 3- member Thapar University team under guidance of professor Dr. Naveen Kwatra that got selected for the Earthquake Resistant Design competition held by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) –Bombay. This was my first experience of exposure with Earthquake Engineering. This provided me, for the first time, with an opportunity of brushing with the most amazing and incomprehensible natural force. Though I had earlier heard about a devastating earthquake in year 2001 in BHUJ, Gujarat, India but at that time I was totally unaware and curious to know about its origin, effects and its remedies. After almost 5 years, then I got a chance to answer all plethoras of questions which an inquisitive mind asked unconsciously. Continuing the enthusiasm, I participated in a national level Urban Area Planning event called NIRMAAN organized by Thapar University and won it. It gave me an in-depth understanding of various loadings and design factors involved in engineering of different infrastructures. Looking at my interest and passion with structural engineering, Dr. Maneek Kumar, Head-Civil Department, Thapar University gave me an opportunity to work under his guidance in designing a new 8 storied Boys Hostel which enlightened me about practical aspects of designing a structure and its construction. As a part of my senior year project at college, under the guidance of Professor Dr. Prempal Bansal, I completed my 6 months industrial internship at M/s. Consulting Engineering Services (India) Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, India whereby I designed Industrial multistoried buildings for automation and testing centers for automobiles using STAAD Pro and while sharing my experience and knowledge, I was commended for Best thesis paper presented. Apart from that I was also elected as a faculty assistant to teach a fresher course Structural Analysis. This involved engaging weekly tutorial classes, evaluating term papers, programming assignments etc. After completing graduation, I was on my way to enter industry as a Structural Design Engineer and to get myself acquainted with professionalism.
Based on my project work, in-depth knowledge, strong academics (2nd Rank out of 45) and keenness to learn, I got placed with M/s. Fluor Daniel India Pvt. Ltd, a company that delivers engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance services in diverse industries around the world. Embarking on my career, I was involved in design aspects of various steel & concrete structures and foundations in oil & gas energy sector. The company gave me good exposure to the burning issues in research of steel, earthquake engineering through various seminars and conferences. Also, I was given additional responsibility of giving presentations on steel design based on AISC to the new hires. This fruitful and enriching experience at the company gave me a better idea in terms of the scope of steel structures & its diversity which persuaded me taking my career further in Steel Structures specialty. After Fluor stint, I joined M/s. Reliance Infrastructure Ltd, India's largest infrastructure company which introduced me to the field of Power Sector. There also, according to my interest and knowledge I was handed over the sole responsibility of designing a steel Power house building of a 4000MW power project. Since the site was in earthquake prone zone hence I needed to apply my fundamentals of earthquake engineering in a more concrete way which ultimately helped me in excelling earthquake resistant design of steel structure. Moreover, I was nominated on behalf of my civil team for attending a lecture series on revised Indian Standard for steel design and construction (IS 800 – 2007) by professors Dr Satish Kumar( IIT-MADRAS), Dr. Arul Jyachandran (IIT-MADRAS) and Dr. R Senthil (Anna University). Thus I got exposure in both national and international codes and design standards for steel structures and earthquake resistant design. Taking on my research interests further once again I was in search for better opportunity and I was appointed as a Structural design Engineer by M/s. Technip KT India Ltd, Noida, India. It gave me a chance to practice all of my knowledge in my own way and I completed a project starting from developing the basic layout to finalizing the seismic force resisting braced frames to successfully optimized design of a composite concrete- steel framed technological structure. It remarkably raised my level of confidence and prompted me to learn more in the field of steel and earthquake engineering. I also organized a workshop on Structural steel Design using Indian Standard IS: 800-2007 edition and Comparison with AISC LRFD so that everyone in the department should get benefited. Recently I have been made a member of Technip R & D department for latest developments in Steel in onshore and offshore applications and took an initiative in encouraging 50 people to sign up for AISC membership. After spending enriching more than 3 yrs as a professional structural engineer with renowned organizations, time has now come that I should be in my study shoes once again. I feel a need to continue my formal education in the subject where I can integrate my work-experience and academics with research.
With the same motivating force, I wish to nurture the young researcher in me, who can contribute substantially to technological advancement that benefits mankind. Gaining the bird’s eye view of the industry, I would like to pursue cutting-edge research in Structural Engineering & Earthquake Engineering with renewed passion. I am confident, the graduate studies at the -------- University would provide me with the knowledge and tools to develop a deeper understanding of the subject. I would like to take with me, in addition to the knowledge of structural engineering, a network of strong and lasting relationships with my teachers and fellow-students. I wish for an opportunity to strengthen my ability for research, develop original ideas and to be a part of the creative process. My long term goal is to obtain a PhD and take up profession as a faculty to pursue research in Steel Structures associated with earthquake resistant Design. I have conducted a thorough search to find a match for my research interests, and I feel that _______ University for its Structural engineering research area stands to be the undebatable choice to pursue my Doctoral Studies. The research works being carried out by Prof. _______ interest me immensely. I hope this statement would be the first step in my pursuit of an inspiring and fruitful association with the ________ University.
Choosing Civil Engineering as my career did not happen overnight. From my adolescent age only, I was keen in pursuing Civil engineering based on the fact that it could only pave a path for me to personally interact with buildings and their construction which had been fascinating me all over the years. Marvelous infrastructure, their applications and the complexity involved in constructing them were the factors which always used to amuse me. Looking at the construction of my own house gave me a big boost in learning civil engineering. This was one of the reasons that I had decided at an early stage of my cognitive development that I would like to devote my life to civil engineering. Everything from playing with sand sculptures in a muddy earth to the games of building blocks in a limited space reinforced a young mind’s aptitude towards Civil Stream. With an added advantage of growing up in a developing country where one could really have an idea about the importance and complexity of civil engineering involved in the progress of that country, I was fortunate enough to convert my fascination into reality by pursuing my graduation in Civil Engineering. Transformation from a Civil Engineer to a Structure Engineer occurred through four years of my graduation. Slowly and steadily, I was heading towards the goal and on the day of graduation when I tried to foresee my future, only Structures were present as far as I could see. The fascination of a child of knowing about structures, now, has got converted into passion of a young boy to know more about structures. About a decade later, Structural Engineer by profession now, revolution from a child’s aspirations to a civil engineer’s reality to a structural engineer’s interests, again those three strengths of mine are ready to prove as a helping hand in furthering myself in Structural Engineering Research area. Giving due regard to my research interests and future ambition of being a structural researcher, I am interested to pursue my graduate Studies in the field of Structural Engineering.
I have been performing excellently throughout my education and work career. At high school, I was always in the top 2 positions in a class of about 100 students. Also, I participated and succeeded in many national-level exams like National Science Olympiad, National Talent Search Examination, and Junior Math Olympiad etc. In recognition of my outstanding academic performance, the federal state government also awarded me with Merit Scholarship. Excellent academics, interest in studies & determination were the factors which helped me rank among the top 5% (among about 0.4 million competitors) in the prestigious AIEEE (All India Engineering Entrance Examination) and choose my alma mater from among the best universities in India i.e. THAPAR UNIVERSITY. To make my dream come true and live it in reality, I decided to undergo my undergraduate degree in civil engineering. During the course of my undergraduate study, I tried to delve into each and every subject in general and was successful in my attempts. This is visible in my grades and soon I was in a position of strength, the 2nd position of the departmental class of 45 with an overall grade of 9.61/10. I faired well in the design courses, be it steel, concrete or earthquake resistant design and this is reflected in my grades not only in the theoretical aspect but as well as in practical aspect.
During my undergraduate studies, with my career interests in view, I soon realized that certain value addition to curricular knowledge is necessary to carve a niche for myself and have an edge over the others in this competitive world. I volunteered for Institute for Steel Development and Growth (INSDAG) membership to be updated with latest advancements in the field of Steel. I tried to put my knowledge and creativity to use. In my sophomore Year, I lead a 3- member Thapar University team under guidance of professor Dr. Naveen Kwatra that got selected for the Earthquake Resistant Design competition held by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) –Bombay. This was my first experience of exposure with Earthquake Engineering. This provided me, for the first time, with an opportunity of brushing with the most amazing and incomprehensible natural force. Though I had earlier heard about a devastating earthquake in year 2001 in BHUJ, Gujarat, India but at that time I was totally unaware and curious to know about its origin, effects and its remedies. After almost 5 years, then I got a chance to answer all plethoras of questions which an inquisitive mind asked unconsciously. Continuing the enthusiasm, I participated in a national level Urban Area Planning event called NIRMAAN organized by Thapar University and won it. It gave me an in-depth understanding of various loadings and design factors involved in engineering of different infrastructures. Looking at my interest and passion with structural engineering, Dr. Maneek Kumar, Head-Civil Department, Thapar University gave me an opportunity to work under his guidance in designing a new 8 storied Boys Hostel which enlightened me about practical aspects of designing a structure and its construction. As a part of my senior year project at college, under the guidance of Professor Dr. Prempal Bansal, I completed my 6 months industrial internship at M/s. Consulting Engineering Services (India) Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, India whereby I designed Industrial multistoried buildings for automation and testing centers for automobiles using STAAD Pro and while sharing my experience and knowledge, I was commended for Best thesis paper presented. Apart from that I was also elected as a faculty assistant to teach a fresher course Structural Analysis. This involved engaging weekly tutorial classes, evaluating term papers, programming assignments etc. After completing graduation, I was on my way to enter industry as a Structural Design Engineer and to get myself acquainted with professionalism.
Based on my project work, in-depth knowledge, strong academics (2nd Rank out of 45) and keenness to learn, I got placed with M/s. Fluor Daniel India Pvt. Ltd, a company that delivers engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance services in diverse industries around the world. Embarking on my career, I was involved in design aspects of various steel & concrete structures and foundations in oil & gas energy sector. The company gave me good exposure to the burning issues in research of steel, earthquake engineering through various seminars and conferences. Also, I was given additional responsibility of giving presentations on steel design based on AISC to the new hires. This fruitful and enriching experience at the company gave me a better idea in terms of the scope of steel structures & its diversity which persuaded me taking my career further in Steel Structures specialty. After Fluor stint, I joined M/s. Reliance Infrastructure Ltd, India's largest infrastructure company which introduced me to the field of Power Sector. There also, according to my interest and knowledge I was handed over the sole responsibility of designing a steel Power house building of a 4000MW power project. Since the site was in earthquake prone zone hence I needed to apply my fundamentals of earthquake engineering in a more concrete way which ultimately helped me in excelling earthquake resistant design of steel structure. Moreover, I was nominated on behalf of my civil team for attending a lecture series on revised Indian Standard for steel design and construction (IS 800 – 2007) by professors Dr Satish Kumar( IIT-MADRAS), Dr. Arul Jyachandran (IIT-MADRAS) and Dr. R Senthil (Anna University). Thus I got exposure in both national and international codes and design standards for steel structures and earthquake resistant design. Taking on my research interests further once again I was in search for better opportunity and I was appointed as a Structural design Engineer by M/s. Technip KT India Ltd, Noida, India. It gave me a chance to practice all of my knowledge in my own way and I completed a project starting from developing the basic layout to finalizing the seismic force resisting braced frames to successfully optimized design of a composite concrete- steel framed technological structure. It remarkably raised my level of confidence and prompted me to learn more in the field of steel and earthquake engineering. I also organized a workshop on Structural steel Design using Indian Standard IS: 800-2007 edition and Comparison with AISC LRFD so that everyone in the department should get benefited. Recently I have been made a member of Technip R & D department for latest developments in Steel in onshore and offshore applications and took an initiative in encouraging 50 people to sign up for AISC membership. After spending enriching more than 3 yrs as a professional structural engineer with renowned organizations, time has now come that I should be in my study shoes once again. I feel a need to continue my formal education in the subject where I can integrate my work-experience and academics with research.
With the same motivating force, I wish to nurture the young researcher in me, who can contribute substantially to technological advancement that benefits mankind. Gaining the bird’s eye view of the industry, I would like to pursue cutting-edge research in Structural Engineering & Earthquake Engineering with renewed passion. I am confident, the graduate studies at the -------- University would provide me with the knowledge and tools to develop a deeper understanding of the subject. I would like to take with me, in addition to the knowledge of structural engineering, a network of strong and lasting relationships with my teachers and fellow-students. I wish for an opportunity to strengthen my ability for research, develop original ideas and to be a part of the creative process. My long term goal is to obtain a PhD and take up profession as a faculty to pursue research in Steel Structures associated with earthquake resistant Design. I have conducted a thorough search to find a match for my research interests, and I feel that _______ University for its Structural engineering research area stands to be the undebatable choice to pursue my Doctoral Studies. The research works being carried out by Prof. _______ interest me immensely. I hope this statement would be the first step in my pursuit of an inspiring and fruitful association with the ________ University.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Dedicated to my Father…
29th June, 2011 at 3.30 pm in office, thinking about performing my KARMA on time, I realized that only 1 day is left, before deadline for this month will expire and I will be lacking in meeting the target set by me. My inner writer was again in his frame of mind. He was fully determined to hit the iron though it was not red hot yet.
I had to surrender and started brainstorming about the content to be written. First and the most recent thing which came to my mind and which I wanted to share with all of you is about the TOEFL exam I took last week. In May I appeared for GRE and to advance in my dream of getting graduate from a world class university, I had to take TOEFL. It is all about English language traits like speaking, listening, writing and reading. I was well prepared for it except the speaking part as it was a kind of phobia for me. But after a decent preparation I managed to handle it pretty well. Result is yet to be announced. Let us rewind the time a bit.
25th june,2011 at 12.00 noon in test centre, Gurgaon, break time appeared on my test screen indicating that I have successfully completed my reading and listening section. After ten minutes of time, when the test resumed, speaking test instructions appeared on screen and I was on the edge on my seat due to nervousness and excitement. As soon as the instructions ended, I readjusted my headphone and microphone just to be sure and topic of the extempore blinked on screen.” Discuss the recent news you liked hearing about.” Then a beep and a time clock started indicating that 15 seconds was the duration after which I needed to speak in microphone. Where 15 seconds went, I did not even realize and was about to begin speaking but what!!!
The Delhi Times is the only news paper I generally read for news apart from the editorial page of HINDU which I read only for vocabulary purpose. So the recent news section never made a space for itself in my memory area. But this time “Delhi Times” proved its worth. “The recent news which I liked hearing about is that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan got pregnant.” That was my response, OMG!!!!! I still get Goosebumps whenever I think of it. It is one of the weirdest answers to a question I have ever given in my life. However I was able to speak for almost a minute, the time allotted for the task. Rest every thing went fine. Hoping for the good result!!!
June month has been full of celebrations like Father’s day celebration, Welcoming Monsoon etc. 19th june,2011 the Father’s day, took me to a different era of my childhood. I was deeply touched by an article in the paper about a father’s qualities like generosity, patience and responsible nature. I could relate to that article very easily. There was a time when my father used to pamper all three of us. “Three includes me along with my two younger brothers.” He used to take us a ride on his scooter, though a very small one, but it used to give us the immense pleasure. Sometimes he used to bring ice cream for whole family and my mother used to distribute her portion also among three of us. As ours is a very small town so there are not many options for hanging out with family or friends but occasionally he used to take us to a market to have some junk food etc. On those days we would feel like dancing on cloud nine. As I grew up, he has always stood by me in every important decision of my life. There is a kind of faith in between two us. I need not to ask him before taking any decision though I ask him regularly but he has kind of trust in me that I would not be doing any thing wrong and I trust that he would not deny my decision.
That day I remembered all those days and cherished all the moments of my childhood. These days I visit my home after many months due to other commitments but till today he calls me up every single day. Even I also keep waiting for his call till I get the one. This Father’s Day, I wanted to express my feelings to him. I wanted to tell him that I love him and respect him a lot. So I called him up as soon as I finished the article. He was very surprised that I had called him in early morning which usually is not the practice. After few seconds of general talk I wished him. Although he did not know what exactly a Father’s Day meant but soon he realized that I was addressing him as most important person in my life. Soon he got emotional as he usually does and also made me full of proud. The post-call feeling was very unique and great, full of satisfaction.
I wrote this blog to have this experience with me throughout my life. I would strongly recommend you all to keep expressing your feelings to your parents. It will make you a proud child to your parents and vice versa. Now I am eagerly waiting for The Mother’s Day to come.
Regards
PARUL GOYAL
I had to surrender and started brainstorming about the content to be written. First and the most recent thing which came to my mind and which I wanted to share with all of you is about the TOEFL exam I took last week. In May I appeared for GRE and to advance in my dream of getting graduate from a world class university, I had to take TOEFL. It is all about English language traits like speaking, listening, writing and reading. I was well prepared for it except the speaking part as it was a kind of phobia for me. But after a decent preparation I managed to handle it pretty well. Result is yet to be announced. Let us rewind the time a bit.
25th june,2011 at 12.00 noon in test centre, Gurgaon, break time appeared on my test screen indicating that I have successfully completed my reading and listening section. After ten minutes of time, when the test resumed, speaking test instructions appeared on screen and I was on the edge on my seat due to nervousness and excitement. As soon as the instructions ended, I readjusted my headphone and microphone just to be sure and topic of the extempore blinked on screen.” Discuss the recent news you liked hearing about.” Then a beep and a time clock started indicating that 15 seconds was the duration after which I needed to speak in microphone. Where 15 seconds went, I did not even realize and was about to begin speaking but what!!!
The Delhi Times is the only news paper I generally read for news apart from the editorial page of HINDU which I read only for vocabulary purpose. So the recent news section never made a space for itself in my memory area. But this time “Delhi Times” proved its worth. “The recent news which I liked hearing about is that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan got pregnant.” That was my response, OMG!!!!! I still get Goosebumps whenever I think of it. It is one of the weirdest answers to a question I have ever given in my life. However I was able to speak for almost a minute, the time allotted for the task. Rest every thing went fine. Hoping for the good result!!!
June month has been full of celebrations like Father’s day celebration, Welcoming Monsoon etc. 19th june,2011 the Father’s day, took me to a different era of my childhood. I was deeply touched by an article in the paper about a father’s qualities like generosity, patience and responsible nature. I could relate to that article very easily. There was a time when my father used to pamper all three of us. “Three includes me along with my two younger brothers.” He used to take us a ride on his scooter, though a very small one, but it used to give us the immense pleasure. Sometimes he used to bring ice cream for whole family and my mother used to distribute her portion also among three of us. As ours is a very small town so there are not many options for hanging out with family or friends but occasionally he used to take us to a market to have some junk food etc. On those days we would feel like dancing on cloud nine. As I grew up, he has always stood by me in every important decision of my life. There is a kind of faith in between two us. I need not to ask him before taking any decision though I ask him regularly but he has kind of trust in me that I would not be doing any thing wrong and I trust that he would not deny my decision.
That day I remembered all those days and cherished all the moments of my childhood. These days I visit my home after many months due to other commitments but till today he calls me up every single day. Even I also keep waiting for his call till I get the one. This Father’s Day, I wanted to express my feelings to him. I wanted to tell him that I love him and respect him a lot. So I called him up as soon as I finished the article. He was very surprised that I had called him in early morning which usually is not the practice. After few seconds of general talk I wished him. Although he did not know what exactly a Father’s Day meant but soon he realized that I was addressing him as most important person in my life. Soon he got emotional as he usually does and also made me full of proud. The post-call feeling was very unique and great, full of satisfaction.
I wrote this blog to have this experience with me throughout my life. I would strongly recommend you all to keep expressing your feelings to your parents. It will make you a proud child to your parents and vice versa. Now I am eagerly waiting for The Mother’s Day to come.
Regards
PARUL GOYAL
Sunday, May 8, 2011
An Increment Letter - A Tale of PRIDE, LUCK & DISAPPOINTMENT
After reaching office, as soon as I settled down on my work station, the phone started ringing. The caller ID was indicating the extension number of our HOD. Date and time on the phone was 4th May, 2011 and 9.50am respectively. With in seconds, several thoughts ran through my mind. If he wants to know where I have been for so many days or Is he curious to know about our project progress? Does he want any kind of assistance from me in some department activity? Amidst all the queries and confused I picked up the phone haphazardly, answering the call,” Good Morning, Sir.” He greeted the same in return but without the subject “SIR”. “Come to my office and collect your letter”, were the words he uttered. Oh shit! That was the reaction in my curious mind. How I could forget about this? I have been informed while I was on leave by my Lead through a phone call that along with all other eligible employees, my INCREMENT letter has also been prepared based on my performance of last financial year though I have not served the year fully in the company.
For ten days I had taken leave from the office to prepare for my GRE exam which was scheduled on 3rd May. During that period, one day when I was having my self cooked lunch, my Lead called me to inform that they all have got increment letters which they were expecting from last one month. He was quite happy the way his performance was appreciated this time or for that matter of all the employees ‘coz this time company had shown generosity towards everybody by giving many promotions and good hikes in the salaries. He continued and told me that HOD was also searching of me reason being, my letter had also been prepared. At first I told him not to joke at this time as I was involved in study mode diligently but then confirmed the news and congratulated me. I was quite happy and was feeling PROUD of myself that observing my performance in the last 4 months only, management has decided to take this step.
As soon as I put down the phone, I gathered myself for the big moment of my life. After all it was the first time in my 3 years of career that I would be getting an INCREMENT letter. The reason is, instead of increment letters I have many resignation and appointment letters. I was in dilemma of PRIDE or SHEER LUCK. It was already 10.10am. It’s been 20 minutes since he called me and I was still at my workstation. For these 20 minutes I was guessing my increased salary. “Whether it would me a meager increase or a decent one” was the debate. Without wasting much time, I went upstairs to his cabin. He was busy on the phone. After having a glance at me standing at his door, he nodded his head to grant me permission to enter his cabin. Without disconnecting his call, he pulled his drawer handle and his hand went in to come out with a white envelope bearing my name. He shook hand with me and without saying a single word, he handed over the letter. A bit surprised, I also made a quiet exit.
I was studying, in evening when my roomy returned from office. He also confirmed the news about my increment letter. Once again adrenaline was running through my body parts. I asked him about his status as we both joined almost in the same period except the fact that I had joined 10 days earlier. He replied with little reluctance giving the notions of not getting it. Upon asking the reason, he explained the fact that increment letters has been given to all the old eligible employees and the new ones, who joined before 1st Jan, 2011. Since I joined on 20th Dec, 2010 and he joined on 1st Jan, 2011 and thus, just because of 10 days, I was feeling lucky. But the feeling of PRIDE got converted into SHEER LUCK as I was not only the chosen one based on my performance. Nevertheless, I was happy with the fact that I some days I would be getting my first increment letter of my life.
Upon reaching my workstation, I opened the letter in excitement to find out the net increase in my salary. Reading, through the contents of an A4 sheet, had never been so amusing, thrilling and shocking. First some lines had the distribution of my revised salary in tabular form. Apart from a new component called “Productivity Incentive” all other categories seemed familiar. The figures corresponding to Basic, HRA, Flexi Pay were also same as that of my joining letter. That meant ZERO increase in my base salary keeping in mind all the similar distribution of various components as it was in my previous salary distribution. All hopes shattered except a few pertaining to the new component which was a decent amount. But how it would impact my earnings was explained in following lines. “Based on your performance in 2010 financial year, your salary has been revised as above and a productivity bonus is being allocated which will be the part of your monthly salary”, were the lines that I could read. But the main surprise was still to come.
After a 4 month preparation, it was the time for me to perform. Finally 3rd May came and I went to take my GRE test which would be deciding my fate from now onwards. I was pretty confident about my preparation and was ready to strike the hot iron. The test center was in GURGAON. I reached center on time and was bit nervous before entering the examination center. From 9.00am to 1.00pm, I was busy in writing my own destiny. As soon as I finished with all sections of the test, computer screen blinked with the most difficult question of the entire test that,” Whether I want to report my score or not?” After analyzing my performance for 5 minutes and quite confidently I clicked on YES option. Annoyingly, it again asked me,” Whether I am sure or not?” This time I just ignored it and clicked on YES option once again keeping the confidence intact. Within less than a blink of an eye, my score was displayed on the screen. It read as “510- Vocabulary and 790- Quantative Section” which made a total of 1300 out of 1600. “Yuppie” I made it, was the feeling that overpowered my emotions. Now, at least, I could think of becoming a graduate from World’s top ranking colleges.
Ahh!!! I took a sigh of relief. I was quite relaxed and happy that, at least, there is some increment in my in-hand salary. As I read further, I was shocked to an extent that I was numb for sometime. It was only few moments later that I realized I had been gullied by management. “Thus the bonus which was promised at your joining, stands covered”, were the lines which took me into gloominess of DISAPPOINTMENT. Same dish was offered to me but in a new wrap. The bonus which I was entitled to get after completion of one year of service will now be given in my monthly salary only. I was the cursing my HOD, Management, HR people and all others related to this act of treachery. For almost ten days they played with my emotions and in end they handed over an A4 sheet bearing my reason for sadness.
We all must have seen and enjoyed the mails with zero increment or less increments but it happened to me in reality and Trust me! it was not funny at all. In the end I had to console myself with the fact that now I need not to stay in this company even for full one year. Company itself gave me the reason to continue with my faith in Resignation and Appointment letters rather than in INCREMENT letters. But this time hopefully, the appointment letter will change to an I-20 letter. I have no liability pending now and moreover increase in my take to home salary would certainly be helping in my applications to the universities. If everything goes as per plan, I would soon be flying to get admission in some good reputed university.
Regards
PARUL GOYAL
For ten days I had taken leave from the office to prepare for my GRE exam which was scheduled on 3rd May. During that period, one day when I was having my self cooked lunch, my Lead called me to inform that they all have got increment letters which they were expecting from last one month. He was quite happy the way his performance was appreciated this time or for that matter of all the employees ‘coz this time company had shown generosity towards everybody by giving many promotions and good hikes in the salaries. He continued and told me that HOD was also searching of me reason being, my letter had also been prepared. At first I told him not to joke at this time as I was involved in study mode diligently but then confirmed the news and congratulated me. I was quite happy and was feeling PROUD of myself that observing my performance in the last 4 months only, management has decided to take this step.
As soon as I put down the phone, I gathered myself for the big moment of my life. After all it was the first time in my 3 years of career that I would be getting an INCREMENT letter. The reason is, instead of increment letters I have many resignation and appointment letters. I was in dilemma of PRIDE or SHEER LUCK. It was already 10.10am. It’s been 20 minutes since he called me and I was still at my workstation. For these 20 minutes I was guessing my increased salary. “Whether it would me a meager increase or a decent one” was the debate. Without wasting much time, I went upstairs to his cabin. He was busy on the phone. After having a glance at me standing at his door, he nodded his head to grant me permission to enter his cabin. Without disconnecting his call, he pulled his drawer handle and his hand went in to come out with a white envelope bearing my name. He shook hand with me and without saying a single word, he handed over the letter. A bit surprised, I also made a quiet exit.
I was studying, in evening when my roomy returned from office. He also confirmed the news about my increment letter. Once again adrenaline was running through my body parts. I asked him about his status as we both joined almost in the same period except the fact that I had joined 10 days earlier. He replied with little reluctance giving the notions of not getting it. Upon asking the reason, he explained the fact that increment letters has been given to all the old eligible employees and the new ones, who joined before 1st Jan, 2011. Since I joined on 20th Dec, 2010 and he joined on 1st Jan, 2011 and thus, just because of 10 days, I was feeling lucky. But the feeling of PRIDE got converted into SHEER LUCK as I was not only the chosen one based on my performance. Nevertheless, I was happy with the fact that I some days I would be getting my first increment letter of my life.
Upon reaching my workstation, I opened the letter in excitement to find out the net increase in my salary. Reading, through the contents of an A4 sheet, had never been so amusing, thrilling and shocking. First some lines had the distribution of my revised salary in tabular form. Apart from a new component called “Productivity Incentive” all other categories seemed familiar. The figures corresponding to Basic, HRA, Flexi Pay were also same as that of my joining letter. That meant ZERO increase in my base salary keeping in mind all the similar distribution of various components as it was in my previous salary distribution. All hopes shattered except a few pertaining to the new component which was a decent amount. But how it would impact my earnings was explained in following lines. “Based on your performance in 2010 financial year, your salary has been revised as above and a productivity bonus is being allocated which will be the part of your monthly salary”, were the lines that I could read. But the main surprise was still to come.
After a 4 month preparation, it was the time for me to perform. Finally 3rd May came and I went to take my GRE test which would be deciding my fate from now onwards. I was pretty confident about my preparation and was ready to strike the hot iron. The test center was in GURGAON. I reached center on time and was bit nervous before entering the examination center. From 9.00am to 1.00pm, I was busy in writing my own destiny. As soon as I finished with all sections of the test, computer screen blinked with the most difficult question of the entire test that,” Whether I want to report my score or not?” After analyzing my performance for 5 minutes and quite confidently I clicked on YES option. Annoyingly, it again asked me,” Whether I am sure or not?” This time I just ignored it and clicked on YES option once again keeping the confidence intact. Within less than a blink of an eye, my score was displayed on the screen. It read as “510- Vocabulary and 790- Quantative Section” which made a total of 1300 out of 1600. “Yuppie” I made it, was the feeling that overpowered my emotions. Now, at least, I could think of becoming a graduate from World’s top ranking colleges.
Ahh!!! I took a sigh of relief. I was quite relaxed and happy that, at least, there is some increment in my in-hand salary. As I read further, I was shocked to an extent that I was numb for sometime. It was only few moments later that I realized I had been gullied by management. “Thus the bonus which was promised at your joining, stands covered”, were the lines which took me into gloominess of DISAPPOINTMENT. Same dish was offered to me but in a new wrap. The bonus which I was entitled to get after completion of one year of service will now be given in my monthly salary only. I was the cursing my HOD, Management, HR people and all others related to this act of treachery. For almost ten days they played with my emotions and in end they handed over an A4 sheet bearing my reason for sadness.
We all must have seen and enjoyed the mails with zero increment or less increments but it happened to me in reality and Trust me! it was not funny at all. In the end I had to console myself with the fact that now I need not to stay in this company even for full one year. Company itself gave me the reason to continue with my faith in Resignation and Appointment letters rather than in INCREMENT letters. But this time hopefully, the appointment letter will change to an I-20 letter. I have no liability pending now and moreover increase in my take to home salary would certainly be helping in my applications to the universities. If everything goes as per plan, I would soon be flying to get admission in some good reputed university.
Regards
PARUL GOYAL
Saturday, April 16, 2011
03rd May, 2011- Not Just a Calendar Date
Here is a date, which I would not forget throughout my life and I would always remember the hardships and obstacles came in the way of deciding it. Finally GRE date taken, yuppieee!!!!
Although the process was not much difficult but still, being a fresher in this business, I was a bit reluctant in taking it myself. Moreover, it is always better to have guidance from the experts. So I made up my mind to visit my friend’s apartment on last weekend of March because he had already gone through this stage. Mixed feelings of anxiety, nervousness and confidence accompanied me. One thing I was very sure about that I need to take the test either on near about end of April or start of May. Though I could have delayed it a bit more as per applying stage yet I wanted to take it as soon as possible because of keenness and enthusiasm I have these days. Otherwise it might happen that I could have become more relaxed which would hamper my performance for sure.
That was not my day, I thought because the particular site was under maintenance and hence was unsuccessful in setting a target. Nevertheless, I understood all ifs & buts of the site and now I was self sufficient in hitting the bull’s eye. On 30th March, in night, when INDIA was on its way to finals of ICC WORLD CUP, 2011 after beating PAKISTAN in semi-finals; I was on my way taking up GRE date. Finally website was in full swing and everything happened within ten minutes and I was sitting with the registration slip in my email inbox for GRE test scheduled on 3rd May, 2011 at 9.00AM in Gurgaon. Within few seconds, I received a message from ICICI bank stating that my account has been debited around 9000 Rs for the just made transaction. Sadly that day, dollar was also in full swing which resulting a big hole in my pocket.
About one month to go and my fate would be written, was the thought which was bulging up in my mind time and again. As INDIA also won, we all celebrated. But for me it was the time for double celebration. As they say, once started is half completed. Now I had the motto in my life though for a short period of time and if successfully executed, would be my inspiration for living throughout my life span. Having said that now it was the time for final preparation.
Today 14th April, 2011 is the date and 15 days have already passed since I took the date for GRE. Last 15 days I was very busy with office work and delivery schedule resulting I could, really, not give my best shot in last 15 days due to unforeseen reasons. Though I have been preparing at a good pace but I need to brace myself a little tighter before final landing. Final countdown has begun and I hope I would cater to the pressure in a positive & strong way and not allow myself to yield.
3rd may is not just a date on calendar for me. It’s like a life changing day for me. My entire future life will depend upon those 4 hours of test that I would be spending in the test centre. It does not matter whether how hard have I prepared or for how long I have been preparing, what really matters is how I would be performing on 3rd of May,2011 from 9.00AM to 1.00PM. So it’s not just a simple day among 364 days of a year. It will be stamped on my mind for ever, whether as a sweet memory or as a soaring woe, that is yet to be decided. After almost three years of professional life after having seen many ups and downs, this is the first time I desperately want something good to happen, that too, for my career.
The next month blog shall definitely carry my performance scale and outcome of the test. So this is the last blog in which I could express my concerns and seriousness towards GRE. That is all for now hoping to start the forthcoming blog with a joyful gesture.
Regards
PARUL GOYAL
Although the process was not much difficult but still, being a fresher in this business, I was a bit reluctant in taking it myself. Moreover, it is always better to have guidance from the experts. So I made up my mind to visit my friend’s apartment on last weekend of March because he had already gone through this stage. Mixed feelings of anxiety, nervousness and confidence accompanied me. One thing I was very sure about that I need to take the test either on near about end of April or start of May. Though I could have delayed it a bit more as per applying stage yet I wanted to take it as soon as possible because of keenness and enthusiasm I have these days. Otherwise it might happen that I could have become more relaxed which would hamper my performance for sure.
That was not my day, I thought because the particular site was under maintenance and hence was unsuccessful in setting a target. Nevertheless, I understood all ifs & buts of the site and now I was self sufficient in hitting the bull’s eye. On 30th March, in night, when INDIA was on its way to finals of ICC WORLD CUP, 2011 after beating PAKISTAN in semi-finals; I was on my way taking up GRE date. Finally website was in full swing and everything happened within ten minutes and I was sitting with the registration slip in my email inbox for GRE test scheduled on 3rd May, 2011 at 9.00AM in Gurgaon. Within few seconds, I received a message from ICICI bank stating that my account has been debited around 9000 Rs for the just made transaction. Sadly that day, dollar was also in full swing which resulting a big hole in my pocket.
About one month to go and my fate would be written, was the thought which was bulging up in my mind time and again. As INDIA also won, we all celebrated. But for me it was the time for double celebration. As they say, once started is half completed. Now I had the motto in my life though for a short period of time and if successfully executed, would be my inspiration for living throughout my life span. Having said that now it was the time for final preparation.
Today 14th April, 2011 is the date and 15 days have already passed since I took the date for GRE. Last 15 days I was very busy with office work and delivery schedule resulting I could, really, not give my best shot in last 15 days due to unforeseen reasons. Though I have been preparing at a good pace but I need to brace myself a little tighter before final landing. Final countdown has begun and I hope I would cater to the pressure in a positive & strong way and not allow myself to yield.
3rd may is not just a date on calendar for me. It’s like a life changing day for me. My entire future life will depend upon those 4 hours of test that I would be spending in the test centre. It does not matter whether how hard have I prepared or for how long I have been preparing, what really matters is how I would be performing on 3rd of May,2011 from 9.00AM to 1.00PM. So it’s not just a simple day among 364 days of a year. It will be stamped on my mind for ever, whether as a sweet memory or as a soaring woe, that is yet to be decided. After almost three years of professional life after having seen many ups and downs, this is the first time I desperately want something good to happen, that too, for my career.
The next month blog shall definitely carry my performance scale and outcome of the test. So this is the last blog in which I could express my concerns and seriousness towards GRE. That is all for now hoping to start the forthcoming blog with a joyful gesture.
Regards
PARUL GOYAL
Sunday, March 27, 2011
AN UNIGNORED MAIL……
12.03 pm was the time when a pop up blinked on my screen claiming that I had one new mail in my lotus notes mail box which was already full to its brim. As I was busy with my work I did not dare to check the same. Moreover I was avoiding it ‘coz I was expecting a mail from the project manager asking for commitments dates and %age progress. In last 2 days, it would have been his 10th mail, if at all it was. Without checking the mailbox I continued doing my job. At 1.30pm, in lunch time, I dared to open mail box. By that time total unread mails were 5 and none of them was from the PM. What a relief!!! Two were from the accounts department, pleading to employees to submit their investment proofs, if any since March end is nearing. I am sure all people celebrate New Year eve at 1st January except who work in accounts sector. For them 1st April should be the celebration day. IGNORED!! One was from administrative department, reminding the date for food coupon collection. IGNORED!! One was from HR department, instructing to fill the last week time sheet. Last week time sheet, Huhh!!! And what about the ones which are pending from last whole month. IGNORED!!! Last of them was from one of my colleagues, basically a forwarded mail with a very inspiring message in the end.
March 26, 2011, it was 9.10pm when I reached home. It was a Friday night; last whole week had been full of work pressure, commitments, project progress reviews, calculations and clashes etc. To add to my woes, I needed to go to office on Saturday also. My GRE preparation was on the stake rather my dream to be a graduate from a reputed university. The resentment was inevitable accompanied by some baleful family issues. I was feeling bereft of courage, zeal, enthusiasm to face all the challenges and successfully overpower them. That was the time when I reminded of the UNIGNORED mail that I received today in the office. At midnight, I started the wordlists once again keeping aside all the worries. The last time I remember, it was 3.15am. My dizziness beguiled me. I found myself back in consciousness at 4.30am. I had slept many times on chair in sunlight but this was the first time in a night rather early morning.
Message:
“Be thankful for what you have. Think differently and positively. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.”
Each of above line gives me a MANTRA to handle each and every situation and fight back to all the difficulties.
• Be thankful to what you have: Family problems IGNORED!! I have my family with me, why should care about other things.
• Think differently and positively: Personal problems IGNORED!! I have always been positive and strong.
• When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile: Office problems IGNORED!! I have been doing my work sincerely and diligently, why should I be afraid of any consequences.
• Face your past without regret: Past problems IGNORED!! Past experiences always gives some lessons to follow.
• Handle your present with confidence: GRE Hurdles IGNORED!! My duty is to do my KARMA without fail.
• Prepare for the future without fear: Career problems IGNORED!! Everything happens for good, why should I care about the results.
All of the above MANTRAS, we all are aware of but still unconsciously we exhibit incongruity to them. Today, in office I was refreshingly energized and fully involved with my work. Last day I resumed my preparation also on the same pace so satisfied and fully determined to take the date for GRE test shortly.
Moral: Keep the faith and drop the fear.
Regards
PARUL GOYAL
March 26, 2011, it was 9.10pm when I reached home. It was a Friday night; last whole week had been full of work pressure, commitments, project progress reviews, calculations and clashes etc. To add to my woes, I needed to go to office on Saturday also. My GRE preparation was on the stake rather my dream to be a graduate from a reputed university. The resentment was inevitable accompanied by some baleful family issues. I was feeling bereft of courage, zeal, enthusiasm to face all the challenges and successfully overpower them. That was the time when I reminded of the UNIGNORED mail that I received today in the office. At midnight, I started the wordlists once again keeping aside all the worries. The last time I remember, it was 3.15am. My dizziness beguiled me. I found myself back in consciousness at 4.30am. I had slept many times on chair in sunlight but this was the first time in a night rather early morning.
Message:
“Be thankful for what you have. Think differently and positively. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.”
Each of above line gives me a MANTRA to handle each and every situation and fight back to all the difficulties.
• Be thankful to what you have: Family problems IGNORED!! I have my family with me, why should care about other things.
• Think differently and positively: Personal problems IGNORED!! I have always been positive and strong.
• When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile: Office problems IGNORED!! I have been doing my work sincerely and diligently, why should I be afraid of any consequences.
• Face your past without regret: Past problems IGNORED!! Past experiences always gives some lessons to follow.
• Handle your present with confidence: GRE Hurdles IGNORED!! My duty is to do my KARMA without fail.
• Prepare for the future without fear: Career problems IGNORED!! Everything happens for good, why should I care about the results.
All of the above MANTRAS, we all are aware of but still unconsciously we exhibit incongruity to them. Today, in office I was refreshingly energized and fully involved with my work. Last day I resumed my preparation also on the same pace so satisfied and fully determined to take the date for GRE test shortly.
Moral: Keep the faith and drop the fear.
Regards
PARUL GOYAL
Thursday, March 3, 2011
GRE Preparation- A woeful and joyful Undertaking
It was 3’o clock in the morning when I woke up and saw Barron in front of me as if pleading me to either close it or read it with devotion. I remember, the last time I tried to cram a word, it was 11.45pm and the word was indolent. Now I can not think of forgetting the meaning of this word even in state of unconsciousness. It was 24th word list out of 50. Spirits were high, @ 3’o clock in the morning when I realized that I was, already, half way through, I switched off the light and got into my quilt hoping for GRE dreams come true; but all the dreams were shattered when I really tried to revise the word lists one day later.
About three months ago, when I embarked on this journey joyfully after getting inspired for higher studies and hoping that it would result in something big and better in my life, I never thought about the affliction associated with it. After three months of preparation, though not continuously, I have reached a point where I find myself in fret about the verdict. I am not disheartened by my speed rather I am amused at the celerity of the passage of time. Nevertheless I am confident that I would be able to make it in a pretty good manner.
Whole of the experience has been life renovating for me till now and very enjoyable, full of fatigue also. As per the adage:
“When he gives, gives it whole heartedly.”
I was flooded with work in my new job as soon as I entered in it as they were waiting for me only. Everything was planned. They did not think even twice to hand over the maximum responsibilities they could. Sometimes it helps you being a less experienced in terms of amount of work and expectations. But the happenings had been in total contrast to this speculation. From 9 to 9 job, then cramming of words which are never heard before, including the ones which seem annoyingly useless and above of all, my cravenness for sleep, have been testing my endurance level.
The undertaking became woeful the day I experimented to revise the word lists. I could recall only 50% of words which was not a good outcome. I needed to improve a lot. So I strategized the pan to study. My first target is high frequency word list. That should be on my fingers at least. Next target are the words which I forget frequently. I keep on noting them down separately. I hope it works out for me and I succeed in hitting the bull’s eye.
I am quite optimistic and positive about my approach, not being over-confident. It’s all about the efforts one is putting in and how desperately one wants to achieve something. Results will always be positive. If succeed, they will get what they wanted; otherwise If God forbidden, they fail in meeting the expectations, they will have nothing but experience and I feel personally that it is the experience in life which takes a person high in life. So I will try my level best to transform this woeful journey to a joyful journey which will end on a reputed university.
Regards
PARUL GOYAL
About three months ago, when I embarked on this journey joyfully after getting inspired for higher studies and hoping that it would result in something big and better in my life, I never thought about the affliction associated with it. After three months of preparation, though not continuously, I have reached a point where I find myself in fret about the verdict. I am not disheartened by my speed rather I am amused at the celerity of the passage of time. Nevertheless I am confident that I would be able to make it in a pretty good manner.
Whole of the experience has been life renovating for me till now and very enjoyable, full of fatigue also. As per the adage:
“When he gives, gives it whole heartedly.”
I was flooded with work in my new job as soon as I entered in it as they were waiting for me only. Everything was planned. They did not think even twice to hand over the maximum responsibilities they could. Sometimes it helps you being a less experienced in terms of amount of work and expectations. But the happenings had been in total contrast to this speculation. From 9 to 9 job, then cramming of words which are never heard before, including the ones which seem annoyingly useless and above of all, my cravenness for sleep, have been testing my endurance level.
The undertaking became woeful the day I experimented to revise the word lists. I could recall only 50% of words which was not a good outcome. I needed to improve a lot. So I strategized the pan to study. My first target is high frequency word list. That should be on my fingers at least. Next target are the words which I forget frequently. I keep on noting them down separately. I hope it works out for me and I succeed in hitting the bull’s eye.
I am quite optimistic and positive about my approach, not being over-confident. It’s all about the efforts one is putting in and how desperately one wants to achieve something. Results will always be positive. If succeed, they will get what they wanted; otherwise If God forbidden, they fail in meeting the expectations, they will have nothing but experience and I feel personally that it is the experience in life which takes a person high in life. So I will try my level best to transform this woeful journey to a joyful journey which will end on a reputed university.
Regards
PARUL GOYAL
Monday, January 31, 2011
Bidding Adieu to 2010......
2010, what a marvelous year it had been. Though I am writing this in 2011 but its all about 2010, a year which has left an impeccable impact on my heart & mind personally and professionally both. Winding up the year, I would just bid this year a very warmth goodbye with a nice canto, “Miles to go before I sleep; Miles to go before I sleep.” In our childhood we all had read these lines on the pages of some English literature book but the actual meaning of the same I understood in 2010. Life is all about heading forward and that too with more enthusiasm rather than depression in mind. The career which I started considering it as a sprint; now seems to have turned into a marathon in which billions of other patrons are taking part and if I want to leave an impact on the community I will have to stand above all and that can not be achieved without trusting in yourself. For conquering my goal I need to work harder and harder, no matters what hurdles I face in the pathway. So it ends like,” Miles to go before I sleep, Miles to go before I sleep.”
Like for an artist, atelier is the place where he does wonders, in the same way, it’s my desktop in the office where I give wings to my imagination. This time I am bit late for letting them fly, but it was just a lull as I was waiting for the New Year to come. Moreover this time, I would raise some serious questions in all of your minds to make you all aware about the uncertainty of life.
Strutting in one cold night thinking about my past experiences in life, one day, my feet suddenly felt some shards mixed with dust. Got little bit hurt but more than that it was the melancholy which overpowered. I was just summarizing the memories related to 2010 and then I realized the impact that it had left on my mind. Within a year, my life took a U turn, and that too a steep one. In January 2010, I left my first job due to unavoidable circumstances and I joined another job in February 2010. Being a civil engineer my heart always dotes for structures. After the blizzard of leaving Fluor about a year ago, which lasted only for few days, winds became mild when I joined Reliance. Even before the completion of one year, I had to leave my second job also due to undisclosed reasons. Three jobs within 2.5 yrs is a thing to notice and especially by HR dept of various companies. People say to me generally it’s not good for my profile to change job so frequently, but I always reply when I will feel the same I would stabilize (hope so). For me it’s the quality of work that matters and where I am not able to get the same, I prefer to move on. I would not say me remorse on taking those decisions while, now I can now wit about my future without being gullible.
Moreover, I have always been one of the GOD’s favorite children as it was his mercy only that I could take such bold decisions at such early stages of my career. My journey has made me more gregarious from reticent, even lesser penurious than I was in college (in terms of money obviously). First job taught me the lessons of hard work while the second one made me aware about hedonistic behavior of life (to some extent). I hope that third job also would add to my values in a positive manner only. Sometimes depravity of life shows its true colors and we generally step back in fear. But we need to face it as they come, “the best way to handle a problem is to ignore the same (inspired by TKK)” Furthermore, sometimes one doesn’t understand which path to follow standing on a diversion as celerity of situation does not give enough time to our reflexes to chose the right path. But again as they say, “everything happens for betterment only.” Once you chose, no matter how many difficulties you encounter, but it’s always better to head in the same direction rather than be at the same diversion and chasing another path.
For me, the day I think I am complacent; I am ruined. I will be like a lake of stagnant water which will always be thirsty for a flood to come and rejuvenate its waters. Neither I am being braggart, nor am I trying to be a stature for you all, just I want to raise an alarming flag, in case you people have not thought about it. Each one of us is evasive about all the serious questions which life asks us at every stage, instead we try to cover it up in one way or the other. While at the same time in some silly situations, we overdo which is actually not required. Energy management is the one subject that lacks in our life. I am not a prophet to tell you the future as it is the most elusive job. But being a friend and having seen more tedious situations in life, I can always share my experiences so that, if needed, protégés can take learn some lessons.
That night, it was a starry night; I returned from office around 10.30pm due to some exigencies in work. After having my meal, as soon as I stepped onto roof with my floater on, to spend some time with myself lonely in open, I could see many colorful crackers being fired continuously. Fog and aberrant chilled winds were on their zenith, to aggravate I was only in bare minimum clothes. 31st December, around midnight, I could sense the mirth all around with people shouting and dancing on streets. But the whole scenery was making me hostile as I was deeply in conservation with my instinct to explore what had happened in past one year history. Suddenly I realized the importance of that one year which passed leaving some remarkable memories to cherish throughout the life. A cup of not chocolate milk was adding more sweetness to the taste.
Apart from above experiences, many of my classmates tied knots in 2010 and it felt really great in being a part of their happiness. Some religious trips to Haridwar-Kumbh and Vaishno Devi, Amritsar etc made me lucky enough to seek blessings of GOD. Celebration of various birthdays of my rummies at my place will be few precious moments to remember. From my jogging schedule to my health conscious diet, every bit of it is still fresh in my mind. Those lovely experiences of going to office in heavy rains several times, almost every Sunday, a morning show of latest releases and chit chatting with friends till late night. Not to forget, a wonderful person I came through, who inspired me and guided me in choosing my career which I was not certain about. I hope I would make that possible one day. Creation of Happy club in office and rebellion atmosphere are certainly the things which I am going to miss in 2011. After lunch, everyday visit to the Aggarwal sweets and punch on 5.00pm; everything I am going to miss and cherish at the same time.
Before writing a byline, I would like to describe each and every month of 2010 with few words. Each month helped me in understanding the critical philosophy of life in a better way, both socially and professionally.
January: Insatiable reasons to leave FLUOR
February: Happy being a part of Reliance Family
March: Excited about new city, roomies & colleagues
April: TG Building
May: TG Building
June: IS 800:2007
July: Bunker Building
August: Gloomy shadows
September: A Best Friend
October: Some interviews
November: Inspired for GRE
December: Being Nostalgic on leaving Reliance
I think it’s time to stop as I would not like to make it a trite for you all. Thanks for the patience and bearing me, if you have read it fully.
Regards
PARUL GOYAL
Like for an artist, atelier is the place where he does wonders, in the same way, it’s my desktop in the office where I give wings to my imagination. This time I am bit late for letting them fly, but it was just a lull as I was waiting for the New Year to come. Moreover this time, I would raise some serious questions in all of your minds to make you all aware about the uncertainty of life.
Strutting in one cold night thinking about my past experiences in life, one day, my feet suddenly felt some shards mixed with dust. Got little bit hurt but more than that it was the melancholy which overpowered. I was just summarizing the memories related to 2010 and then I realized the impact that it had left on my mind. Within a year, my life took a U turn, and that too a steep one. In January 2010, I left my first job due to unavoidable circumstances and I joined another job in February 2010. Being a civil engineer my heart always dotes for structures. After the blizzard of leaving Fluor about a year ago, which lasted only for few days, winds became mild when I joined Reliance. Even before the completion of one year, I had to leave my second job also due to undisclosed reasons. Three jobs within 2.5 yrs is a thing to notice and especially by HR dept of various companies. People say to me generally it’s not good for my profile to change job so frequently, but I always reply when I will feel the same I would stabilize (hope so). For me it’s the quality of work that matters and where I am not able to get the same, I prefer to move on. I would not say me remorse on taking those decisions while, now I can now wit about my future without being gullible.
Moreover, I have always been one of the GOD’s favorite children as it was his mercy only that I could take such bold decisions at such early stages of my career. My journey has made me more gregarious from reticent, even lesser penurious than I was in college (in terms of money obviously). First job taught me the lessons of hard work while the second one made me aware about hedonistic behavior of life (to some extent). I hope that third job also would add to my values in a positive manner only. Sometimes depravity of life shows its true colors and we generally step back in fear. But we need to face it as they come, “the best way to handle a problem is to ignore the same (inspired by TKK)” Furthermore, sometimes one doesn’t understand which path to follow standing on a diversion as celerity of situation does not give enough time to our reflexes to chose the right path. But again as they say, “everything happens for betterment only.” Once you chose, no matter how many difficulties you encounter, but it’s always better to head in the same direction rather than be at the same diversion and chasing another path.
For me, the day I think I am complacent; I am ruined. I will be like a lake of stagnant water which will always be thirsty for a flood to come and rejuvenate its waters. Neither I am being braggart, nor am I trying to be a stature for you all, just I want to raise an alarming flag, in case you people have not thought about it. Each one of us is evasive about all the serious questions which life asks us at every stage, instead we try to cover it up in one way or the other. While at the same time in some silly situations, we overdo which is actually not required. Energy management is the one subject that lacks in our life. I am not a prophet to tell you the future as it is the most elusive job. But being a friend and having seen more tedious situations in life, I can always share my experiences so that, if needed, protégés can take learn some lessons.
That night, it was a starry night; I returned from office around 10.30pm due to some exigencies in work. After having my meal, as soon as I stepped onto roof with my floater on, to spend some time with myself lonely in open, I could see many colorful crackers being fired continuously. Fog and aberrant chilled winds were on their zenith, to aggravate I was only in bare minimum clothes. 31st December, around midnight, I could sense the mirth all around with people shouting and dancing on streets. But the whole scenery was making me hostile as I was deeply in conservation with my instinct to explore what had happened in past one year history. Suddenly I realized the importance of that one year which passed leaving some remarkable memories to cherish throughout the life. A cup of not chocolate milk was adding more sweetness to the taste.
Apart from above experiences, many of my classmates tied knots in 2010 and it felt really great in being a part of their happiness. Some religious trips to Haridwar-Kumbh and Vaishno Devi, Amritsar etc made me lucky enough to seek blessings of GOD. Celebration of various birthdays of my rummies at my place will be few precious moments to remember. From my jogging schedule to my health conscious diet, every bit of it is still fresh in my mind. Those lovely experiences of going to office in heavy rains several times, almost every Sunday, a morning show of latest releases and chit chatting with friends till late night. Not to forget, a wonderful person I came through, who inspired me and guided me in choosing my career which I was not certain about. I hope I would make that possible one day. Creation of Happy club in office and rebellion atmosphere are certainly the things which I am going to miss in 2011. After lunch, everyday visit to the Aggarwal sweets and punch on 5.00pm; everything I am going to miss and cherish at the same time.
Before writing a byline, I would like to describe each and every month of 2010 with few words. Each month helped me in understanding the critical philosophy of life in a better way, both socially and professionally.
January: Insatiable reasons to leave FLUOR
February: Happy being a part of Reliance Family
March: Excited about new city, roomies & colleagues
April: TG Building
May: TG Building
June: IS 800:2007
July: Bunker Building
August: Gloomy shadows
September: A Best Friend
October: Some interviews
November: Inspired for GRE
December: Being Nostalgic on leaving Reliance
I think it’s time to stop as I would not like to make it a trite for you all. Thanks for the patience and bearing me, if you have read it fully.
Regards
PARUL GOYAL
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