
This is a guest post on TCS joining experience by Debapriya Mukherjee. The views expressed are entirely of the author.
Isn't it really exciting for you when your earning suddenly jumps from minus seventy bucks per day(as I always took it from my parents) to a +ve 0.7k per day(aha!!!dats mine)? You can materialize all your fantasies into real.You suddenly metamorphose to a "Please marry my daughter" type bachelor from a "good for nothing" material. You start getting more attention from your family though your proposed idea were equally bad like before. Yeah!the mother Earth starts moving in your orbit when you bag a job. That was the exact scenario with me when I bagged the job in my first campus interview in the 3rd year of my college.
This is why we were taught Panchatantra and Aesop fables, the very first fable that came to my mind was "the farmer and the golden goose". Hence, I was feeling like the golden goose who will lay golden eggs.My smiling stopped when I recalled the end.
The first thing that caught my attention was to upload the news in Orkut, as if I won an Olympic gold in 100m sprint.But when I was almost ready with the photos of all locations of my office across India, all my TCS joining joy turned to shock at a glance.I may get a Gold in Olympic but in Orkut I don't deserve more than a tin or plastic medal. The "update" section was like 100 printf statements running in a for loop as every ones updates looked the same.
Almost everybody had fixed the same photo, those I googled for the medal."Uff!!! They will get a girl earlier than me". Even my tag also deserved a tin."Deboprio ,stamped employed" looked like the movie BLACK in comparison to their DHOOM2 tags.
"X-now a member of Tata family" - as if X married Ratan Tata's daughter. "Y-TCS calling"- as if Ratanji came to his home.
Some guy put Ratanji's picture in their display picture.
But suddenly the scene got changed when the sensex had a backpain,and all the software companies of India started cost-cutting(i mean butt-saving).
" X - now feeling to commit suicide"- as if two girls will come and hug him in utter sympathy. "Y- Software companies are like hell"- it was a universal truth from before, it was your fault that you didn't know it moron.
I maintained a good one." Deboprio enjoying home after 4 years of college". Now that's an oxymoron. The only guys who were happy and boozing were the guys who worked in monster/naukri.com. Probably their tags were like "Recession rocks!!!!". The mailboxes started flooding with job-adds.B.Tech guys started hiding their certificates to join BPOs.Almost everybody started working for CAT/GATE/SBI/CBI/UBI/ etc.
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People with moustache turned cleaned shaved, because Police were searching Ramalingam Raju badly.
Now it was the time for the fathers of the hot chicks, the hot chicks themselves, the jealous neighbors, and most of all the ragged juniors. Few months back they used to ask : "Can you give me some tips on technical Bhaiya? I am planning to stress on Technical.TCS or INFY will be coming first.When are you going to join? If you are free can i come to you? Can u suggest me some good books/sites? Can I have your number?..."
Now every cow will have his day.
"Did you got pinkslip before TCS joining bhaiya? I am planning to go for an MBA.These software companies sucks.Will you sit in CAT this year?I am taking coaching from TIME.Should I look a good institute for you? You are out of touch. Please call me if you require my help..Its 98....." Scrapbooks started overflowing with complimentary gifts from juniors.
Frustration is such a thing that increases exponentially and decreases gradually.
I started cursing Paulo Coelho for the famous quote, because I was not ready to start a new battle, and I was wanting the Job desperately,not only because of some girl will come and fill the blanks because I wanted to see the change in the scenario.My families joy was disappearing like my hope.
Orkut communities became busier than Pentagon, thousands of boys and girls shared their frustrations, spread rumors, protested against the companies.
Suddenly a day a topic in the forum appeared stating : we started getting TCS joining.
It was like cool breeze blowing everywhere in the scorching heat of summer.Still I was in a dilemma to believe as plenty of rumors already spread. But I got relieved when I got a call from my ex-roommate. He got the joining and the guy who created the topic to spread the news was absolutely true.
I was feeling like beating the junior black-blue, and pluck all the left hairs from the jealous uncle's half bald skull.
Still I have to wait.It was 9th,January 2010.The day after my birthday I got a call at 22:30 from one of my best friend. "We got it" - he stated.
I opened my mailbox.There were 1295 unread mails.the first two caught my eyes.
"Wish you a very, very happy birthday Deboprio -TCS family"-the first one stated.The next mail stated the date of TCS joining.
After a week I started for Bhubaneshwar - Kalinga Park.
Between I changed my Orkut tag:"GOT MY BIRTHDAY GIFT, A HAPPY FAMILY".

Hi Mr.Rahul, I had read ur birthday gift article. It was amazing story i really enjoyed while i was reading end of ur article..Ur article improves my belief on TCS. I have been placed in TCS on august off campus intervies and waiting for joining letter.Now u can understand my situation..bye