WHAT AM I UPTO ( IN SEARCH OF MY FINAL PROFESSIONAL ABODE)

Disclaimer: These are my very personal view on things and issues I have learned over the years. There is no intention to hurt anyone, custom, practice or institution. Life is too short to waste time in criticizing others. No one has a monopoly on truth and the correct way Neither you need not to be a hero or martyr to say what you sincerely feel is truth and worth sharing with others. It is just one person's views on things at a particular time. I have learned that everyone evolves and should evolve. Views that one holds true at a moment may change. So will be with me. I am just writing for my younger friends if they may gain from my experience, whatever worth it may be. But they must be the judge of what is good for them for no one can choose for another human being. The only promise I make is that I will always earnestly strive to pen down what I believe in my heart to be true or worth sharing about.

It is a tough and perplexing decision deciding what to do and how to do with your life. I have studied from a government school, then had had an Engineering and Management degree, been active into student politics, an Entrepreneur by choice now a CEO with of an new ITES company in North India and still am striving to achieve my ultimate destination. Most people don't think much about it and go with the flow - perhaps they are right. Ask me, perhaps the greatest outcry I faced while experimenting with my ventures came from my family.

SCHOOL:
I studied in a Government school, then popularly known for its notoriety of student, that beautiful place is called as ‘MINTO CIRLE’ or S.T High School, Established in 1909 named after Lord Minto, the then Viceroy of India. The school campus is well spread in well over 20 acres, with more than 4 playing fields, basket ball court and a huge Football ground, its palatial architecture capable of giving complex to any school infrastructure in India. This year school is completing its 100 year and centenary celebration is happening in October, and I have full intentions to attend it, my love for school will never die as it is a one of best place to get groomed at the lowest possible expenditure on earth (Thanks to Government of India). Very sincerely, The ONLY disadvantage of central government schools over convents / private schools is lack of English speaking environment. I never regretted this SINGLE shortcoming as advantages heavily outnumbers disadvantages.

School days: Since school days I have been an active student and every year I was always awarded the coveted Call monitor badge. Being active into sports (Roller Hockey) my studies were always neglected, at the age of 13, first time I participated in All India Championship in New Delhi. And since then participated into numerous state level, All India and National level Events. We all know benefits of being good at studies so I would not like to add more to it but here are few important lessons I learnt from sports.

First is the value of team work, I think no Management institute in the whole world can inculcate and teach you team spirit the way sport does, Working in an team and yet concentrating on my own performance was the mantra I learnt very early in life. And till date it helped me immensely while managing people I never lose focus of my own responsibilities.

Second and a very important lessons that you learn to accept defeats gracefully, with your head up and eye open, with a grace of a man not with the grieve of a child. This helps you learn not to criticize and complain about your ill fortune instead you introspect to identify the pitfalls and lose ends and make sure that next time this shouldn’t happen to you.

ENGINEERING:We lived all our lives in small towns of Uttar Pradesh, a state in northern India. We four sisters and one brother. Except me, all were exceptionally good at studies, but I was better in sports. And like any other middle class parents of small town India, our parents wanted their kids to be either Engineers or doctors. My two elder sisters Safia and Saba, qualified to enter the Engineering entrance at Aligarh University; and the third one Heena, opted for Law degree, so the option of medicine. Actually, forced upon Seema (youngest of all sisters) she was extremely hardworking and unlike girls, surprisingly good at Mathematics. Now she is a successful doctor in Delhi.

Every-time I won medals or came back tournaments after skipping 7-10 days of school (what a respite it was then) After initial appreciation I was put to counseling by my father, uncle etc ( supposedly well-wishers) and I was given example of how ex-Indian players are living their livelihood, who even have represented India in Olympics, however, this never de-motivated my love for sports, nonetheless, grim reality of how Non-cricketers suffers was embedded in my mind that prompted me to get little serious with studies while pursing sports. To my luck the very year University announced that sportsperson who has either played at All India or National levels will be considered for nominations under “Outstanding sports Quota” in Professional courses provided he/she qualifies the written exam (Now abolished, but earlier University had two Tier selection system in professional courses i.e. All India Written entrance exams and Interview thereafter) this scheme was there in statute, but was never implemented before or after I was nominated. I somehow managed to clear written entrance exams of ZH college of Engineering and Technology, (AMU, Aligarh) exams and so studied (or tried to study) Mechanical Engineering. Seems, as if GOD wanted me to do Engineering and my love for sports paid me good dividends.

Life at Engineering college was interesting and full of fun. Later I felt completely stifled in Applied courses. Except labs, I felt most of the subjects to be too boring and excessively methodical. Till date I could never understand why Applied Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry is taught in engineering. It is like asking a cricketer to play Kabbadi, Imagine, a young fun loving guy, fond of eating, and doing all sorts of things that are interesting and he is being asked to Study applied PCM subjects.

Finally, I reached to a conclusion that subject is never boring or interesting; all depends who is teaching you. Dry subjects like Engineering Thermodynamics (final Year) can actually engross your attention if taught by someone like Prof. Nafees, To me he is the best teacher i came across, he can make you understand the most difficult jet propelling process with extreme ease, and important subject like Material science can be funny if taught by Prof. TinTin, he was extremely famous personality, Tall and skinny, looks that would give Dr. Beam a complex and above all he was unreasonably strict and sadist with students. He always pronounced ‘C’ as ‘T’, so the metal like Copper, Cobalt and Cromioum were sweetly pronounced as Topper, Tobalt and Tromioum, every now and then these metals were inevitably mentioned in his class, and I was always at receiving end of his punishments because of my inability to resist smiles.

Being sincere at skipping classes paid me very well in building good relationship with seniors and juniors alike. Young students reading me should not get carried away by my lack of interest in classes, after years of my Engineering I sincerely feel that it pays to be a good at academics and side by side one can indulge himself/ herself in all kind of fun activities, social agitations etc.

Engineering books were so huge that no sensible person will read them. And the intelligent of course don’t read them. Instead of reading Fluids mechanics or machine design books , I resorted to look at the solving last few year of question papers during preparation leaves, that was the time I was most dedicated in studies , Five points to mug up about every subject without even knowing its practical application etc and simple line drawings using drafter was more than a fun and then I could never understand why we were being asked to draw something we never saw in reality, how can I then draw its cross-sectional views, I knew just to move ahead I follow the herd without questions, you make drawing that you never understood or relate to Engineering but you need to simply mug up the drawing! We Indians are great about mugging up things. We learn to recite even the 100 things that a boyfriend needs to do. Most of course, get so confused with so many different jargons, that they cease to speak. Now you know why Engineers are Intelligent.

K P Jain’s Material science book is off-course is a great fat book. It is best used as a dining table or writing pad and sometimes if kept in book shelve, realizes you that you are doing such a great course. Forget about reading it. Only those with nothing to do and no friends read such books. Forget reading it, imagine the people who write such huge books. Let us all appreciate the people who cut down all the trees of the world to print such books. After all, for the Engineers fraternity, if there are more trees, there will be less Industries/SEZ and hence less job opportunities.

The beauty of Engineering degree lies in its diversity of subjects, although I don’t remember much what I was taught in B.Tech (thanks to my excessive involvements in other activities) you are made to study all possible branches in final year now amazes me how we have been taught Steam Engine to Power Plant from Automobile to Aeronautics engineering and from Industrial Management to Entrepreneurship. Let me confess, of all these optional subjects (I chose in final year) I had just one criteria to choose, ‘who is the teacher’, after having spend good 3 years in college and being in good terms with seniors paid me well, I had complete feedbacks of all optional subjects, and how scoring they can be, so I opted not only the easiest ones but scoring ones too.

By final year, I was known by most of the teachers and till date I am in very good terms with most of them. Being known has both good and bad effects, on good part they help you and even guide you out of the way, at the same time you are deprived of Proxies in their classes. My majority of attendance came from Proxies by friends until teachers started recognizing me. I always believed that peaceful days of youth are not to be killed by attending lectures at 8:00 AM ( Yasser, you would agree with me on this) my house was merely a kilometer from college but I never went to college before 9:00 AM.

Needless to say, I wasn't fulfilling all my parents wishes. Back home, they were proudly telling everyone " our daughters are engineers, lawyer and a Doctor and even our youngest child, our beloved son a engineer”. I always passed with reasonable marks if I compare with the hard work I put in last three days, though. Last three days before Annual exams are generally good enough to mug up class notes and previous year papers... the rest of the story you can make up. Especially if your handwriting is good enough, you can just write some relevant terms in BOLD and underline them. I knew teacher tired from checking numerous copies - should just glance at the sheets and scrawl middling marks. The only true art is in knowing relevant headings and a few diagrams. The headings come from a detailed study of content. And, diagrams, well...... the secret is to go 45 minutes before the start of exam and request caretaker to open exam hall (this is where my PR skill played a major role) and make all important chart and diagrams on table with your pencil, If you had studied the subject and you get to see diagram than half the battle is over. “Geeta kehti hai karam karo, Jo dil main aaee likh diya karo, phal k chinta mut karo”

I remember my final year project was on ‘Robotics’ herein we (four students) had to compile latest trends on use of robotics in industrial applications and to make edge detection software. Compilation of study was easiest part as my other two friends were very dedicated but edge detection software programming was an issue so we asked Amit, our friend and batch topper from electronics engineering to do the software work for us. I would say ‘it pays to be good to others’.

I remember my final year Project Viva, as if it was yesterday, I was nervous when our beloved teacher Khusro Qasim Sir- the greatest teacher I have ever seen, told me that external examiner has come from USA, and he is an expert on Robotics I got so nervous, looking at my face he said don’t worry ‘bacchu’( he sometimes called me by this name) he is a gentleman and make sure that you are dressed in formals and whatever you speak, speak confidently rest I will manage – if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have done my engineering with so much of ease.

We four divided the presentation in four parts, conclusion and use of robotics was my portion to present, the moment I was about to start my topic KQ started praising us by saying, ‘these kids have done a lot of hard-work and they have done tremendous job in compiling detailed study which looks like a PHd work’, I don’t exactly remember what I spoke on the subject but we did mention use of robotics in Titanic film for under water expedition, and from there KQ started speaking on impact of robotics in industrial application and viva was over.

I can never forget him. He used to make everyone feel good - not the other faculty though! I owe not just my passing Engineering but what I learn't from him in all four years. He made you feel so good despite the inability to answer a simple question in the first go, that all my life since then, I have always tried to encourage and motivate people rather than criticize them. He helped me be a better person by his kindness. He was no fool. He knew more than anyone else in the Mechanical Engineering department on his subject but he was kind to young students. The most important thing that a teacher needs to learn is kindness - not cleverness. I don't know if I will ever be able to be like him in whatever I do with my life but I think I do try to be kind as (and if) I grow up.

Lesson for students on Viva: Dress smartly, Learn to speak well. If you shoot sufficient bullets in the dark, one will hit the target - if there is one.

Now, Looking at Engineering, I see it as more useful education, without Engineering and Engineers the world would have been a different place. On the other hand Management teaches the art of getting things done the right way at the right time with right decisions, I personally feel that if Engineering and Management course is offered in one Degree (In the name of may be ‘Technology Management’) that would be the best course on earth. If one day I ever become Education minister I will pass legislation that these two degrees are merged in one…

I have given you wisdom on benefits of sports and how to become an Engineer ... not a good Engineer. That lesson comes a bit later............. Do not be afraid... I am a self proclaimed teacher. So I will keep sharing as long as you keep reading. There is much more to Engineering education than all this.......

Next time I will talk why I joined MBA and about my story of experimenting with success, and how few individuals created impact on my life.

PS: I thank my Friends who encouraged me to write this piece of note.