By the end of my college days (despite having a job in hand), the obvious question lingering my parents' minds was, What Next? "When are you scheduling your GRE?" My dad asked me out of the blue. How would he understand the ecstasy and sense of accomplishment an 'engineer' feels when he has managed to pass all his subjects with just a week's prior preparation. Now he wants me to do Masters in a discipline which I got my Bachelor's degree in the most 'undisciplined' way. "Sorry Dad. Maybe when monkeys start using tools..." (a smile was all that was evident to him though). "I had saved money for your MS, but maybe now I would invest it in something". "You do that Dad. You should know a bad investment when you see one (by now)". There ended my tryst with MS and to live the "American Dream" the rest of my life.
After that came the question of CAT. I had to show that I was interested in something other than a software job. So during family functions, I would play the 'Padawan' to the masters in the family who would lecture me how to go about getting an MBA. (sorry cousins... no disrespect meant). It served the purpose for 3 years, since I traveled home utmost twice a year and the probability that I met up with any of my relatives was close to zero (since most of them were located at different time zones and my time zone ensured that tickets were impossible to get when they traveled home). But I did burn my hands on CAT once. The day was unforgettable. (My 'friend's' engagement). There, she indirectly applied for a visa to a 'cleaner, whiter' place, here I was sitting in a dingy Mumbai classroom surrounded by guys and girls glued to the monitor pondering over the answer to an English passage, half of the words used in which would invite a comment "What the f*** does this mean!!!!" I was done with 'THE CAT'. After that I never dared to think about IIMs let alone "beyond IIMs" ;).
My troubles did not end there. I was happy with the 'work' I used to do, especially since my leaves were approved every time I raised them (most were for a period of not less than 10 days), I got to play football almost everyday and when my team lead realized my 'potential' to lead a team, my life was made. I could practically 'allocate' work to my team to 'optimize' the efforts and 'maximize' the output (you learn the true meaning of these three quoted words, your life is set in any services industry). In short I was paid to travel, play and party as long as I made sure that 'Delivery was not impacted'. But by that time, my friends started flying to other countries as "Onsite Coordinators" AKA "ONCs". I, being a son who seldom hides anything from my parents and also being someone who grew tired of finding 'stuff' to talk to my folks back home who called me twice a day, divulged this fact to them. But the biggest heart breaker was when the counter question came from my mom, who was always at the brink of tears when I left home from the yearly visit. "Mom!!! You want me to go thousands of miles away from you?" "It is OK son, now is the time to make a few savings. After all you must get married within a year or at the maximum two".
Now I was in serious trouble. Marriage within two years? Housing loan, car loan, kids (only if they could come in loan), utility bills, tuition fees (I myself hated going to those chambers, now I was to bring some poor soul into this world to do the same) no more travelling or trekking, no more football, no more late night drives... all these came gushing into my mind. Having spent considerable time with the opposite sex I was well aware of the disasters one could commit. Some pointers to those budding young minds in search of 'true love'. Once you find your 'true love' you...
1. Must never look at another girl's face in an 'admiring' way. Be extra careful with your eye ball movements.
2. Be ready to spend your weekends and your evenings in malls and shops and be ready with "this looks good on you honey", "the red is too red" (goes for all the colors) "the color of the dress really highlights your eyes", "don't look at the price tag, if you like it, take it". Before you throw the last comment, be sure YOU have had a good look at the price tag. (Thanks Dad, for looking after me every last week of the month for a year after I started my career earning more than you did for the first 20 years of your life)
3. Play the above dialogues in an infinite loop as long as you go shopping.
4. Never forget dates. The day you first met your 'true love'. The day you first said 'I love you', the day you had your first kiss (if you turn out to be that odd lucky bastard) and most important of all the day your 'true love' was born.
Enough of pointers. Let's get back to the problem at hand. I was to be chained forever in the 'sacred' bond of marriage within two years and here I was managing my finances for a month at a time (thankfully by myself now). Something had to be done. That something was done. You know, nowhere in economics is it said that market value decides the inherent strength of an economy. But in India, marriages are decided by the market value of the groom. Here I was working in an MNC, with a highly probable chance to live the 'American Dream' either as an ONC or after GMAT (another CAT, only this time you get to burn your hands in front of the whole world, especially the Chinese), my market value was high enough. Not as much as those who had BTech from IITs and then MBA from IIMs (the four abbreviations, parents are ready to kill for in the middle class India), but still pretty high.
So what did I do. I said the same thing to my parents and my boss back at work. "I AM QUITTING MY JOB".
Six months of unemployment and 20 kilos of extra body mass later, here I am, at peace, enjoying a cloudy summer afternoon in my home, all alone, thinking what is wrong with all these people, running behind luxuries that will only lead them into a never ending spiral, and of course enjoying my mom's food. But the count down to the obvious question has already begun in the remote corners of my parents' minds.
What Next? Banyan trees, starvation and penance have become too old fashioned (definitely starvation!!!!). The answer may lie where water and earth meets and you have divine air and the drink of Gods filling your mind, when you ponder over the ultimate meaning of cycle of life and death. Confused? Think Goa, booze and green.
After that came the question of CAT. I had to show that I was interested in something other than a software job. So during family functions, I would play the 'Padawan' to the masters in the family who would lecture me how to go about getting an MBA. (sorry cousins... no disrespect meant). It served the purpose for 3 years, since I traveled home utmost twice a year and the probability that I met up with any of my relatives was close to zero (since most of them were located at different time zones and my time zone ensured that tickets were impossible to get when they traveled home). But I did burn my hands on CAT once. The day was unforgettable. (My 'friend's' engagement). There, she indirectly applied for a visa to a 'cleaner, whiter' place, here I was sitting in a dingy Mumbai classroom surrounded by guys and girls glued to the monitor pondering over the answer to an English passage, half of the words used in which would invite a comment "What the f*** does this mean!!!!" I was done with 'THE CAT'. After that I never dared to think about IIMs let alone "beyond IIMs" ;).
My troubles did not end there. I was happy with the 'work' I used to do, especially since my leaves were approved every time I raised them (most were for a period of not less than 10 days), I got to play football almost everyday and when my team lead realized my 'potential' to lead a team, my life was made. I could practically 'allocate' work to my team to 'optimize' the efforts and 'maximize' the output (you learn the true meaning of these three quoted words, your life is set in any services industry). In short I was paid to travel, play and party as long as I made sure that 'Delivery was not impacted'. But by that time, my friends started flying to other countries as "Onsite Coordinators" AKA "ONCs". I, being a son who seldom hides anything from my parents and also being someone who grew tired of finding 'stuff' to talk to my folks back home who called me twice a day, divulged this fact to them. But the biggest heart breaker was when the counter question came from my mom, who was always at the brink of tears when I left home from the yearly visit. "Mom!!! You want me to go thousands of miles away from you?" "It is OK son, now is the time to make a few savings. After all you must get married within a year or at the maximum two".
Now I was in serious trouble. Marriage within two years? Housing loan, car loan, kids (only if they could come in loan), utility bills, tuition fees (I myself hated going to those chambers, now I was to bring some poor soul into this world to do the same) no more travelling or trekking, no more football, no more late night drives... all these came gushing into my mind. Having spent considerable time with the opposite sex I was well aware of the disasters one could commit. Some pointers to those budding young minds in search of 'true love'. Once you find your 'true love' you...
1. Must never look at another girl's face in an 'admiring' way. Be extra careful with your eye ball movements.
2. Be ready to spend your weekends and your evenings in malls and shops and be ready with "this looks good on you honey", "the red is too red" (goes for all the colors) "the color of the dress really highlights your eyes", "don't look at the price tag, if you like it, take it". Before you throw the last comment, be sure YOU have had a good look at the price tag. (Thanks Dad, for looking after me every last week of the month for a year after I started my career earning more than you did for the first 20 years of your life)
3. Play the above dialogues in an infinite loop as long as you go shopping.
4. Never forget dates. The day you first met your 'true love'. The day you first said 'I love you', the day you had your first kiss (if you turn out to be that odd lucky bastard) and most important of all the day your 'true love' was born.
Enough of pointers. Let's get back to the problem at hand. I was to be chained forever in the 'sacred' bond of marriage within two years and here I was managing my finances for a month at a time (thankfully by myself now). Something had to be done. That something was done. You know, nowhere in economics is it said that market value decides the inherent strength of an economy. But in India, marriages are decided by the market value of the groom. Here I was working in an MNC, with a highly probable chance to live the 'American Dream' either as an ONC or after GMAT (another CAT, only this time you get to burn your hands in front of the whole world, especially the Chinese), my market value was high enough. Not as much as those who had BTech from IITs and then MBA from IIMs (the four abbreviations, parents are ready to kill for in the middle class India), but still pretty high.
So what did I do. I said the same thing to my parents and my boss back at work. "I AM QUITTING MY JOB".
Six months of unemployment and 20 kilos of extra body mass later, here I am, at peace, enjoying a cloudy summer afternoon in my home, all alone, thinking what is wrong with all these people, running behind luxuries that will only lead them into a never ending spiral, and of course enjoying my mom's food. But the count down to the obvious question has already begun in the remote corners of my parents' minds.
What Next? Banyan trees, starvation and penance have become too old fashioned (definitely starvation!!!!). The answer may lie where water and earth meets and you have divine air and the drink of Gods filling your mind, when you ponder over the ultimate meaning of cycle of life and death. Confused? Think Goa, booze and green.
