Career Starts

The first job was in 1993. When I left "homestay" to join CDOT in Bangalore. A dream job of the time. Did not have to think twice to leave my PG to take this up. All done in less than a month and left to the new place, the new job, the new life, "the career". When I boarded the Kanyakumari Express from Alwaye, I had a bag, a suitcase and a bed roll. And Rupees 800 in my pocket. Thats where I started.

CDOT had arranged our stay in a (then) remote place called Kammanahalli - Jal Vayu Vihar. Thats where we lived for the first one year. Thats where we struggled to reach on holidays with very few buses connecting. Thats where we had a tough time locating good place to dine. The first one year of career where the industry basics were learnt. The new acquaintances. Non-mallu people around first ever in life.

One year later, while many people preferred to stay around JVV and the new AWHO that came up opposite to it, some of us moved out. A small vibrant mallu group was formed near R.T.Nagar. Best part of CDOT life. Sreeraj lassi on saturday evenings and Anand chettan's mess food on other days. Annan returning to Bangalore. Kutty returning to Bangalore. Anand leaving for Trivandrum. Biju flying to the US. Brehon and Maya getting closer stealthily to get married soon. Kutty finally finding his partner. Radhakrishnan, Ajith getting married. KK, Fine and Anand Mathew moving in. All in a span of two years. And I had one house shifting too during this time. On a small pull cart. Kept to the same locality.

When I started off in 1993, I thought I would stay for a long time. Like for 10 years. A couple of years down, moving out became the buzz word. The new software companies. New VLSI opportunities. The map of Bangalore just began to change again. And thats where I decided to move to Trivandrum. To a comparably modest salary and a modest lifestyle. A small attempt to venture into some software - following a crowd. Right or wrong - thats a question that I never ask. You have no power to find that out. Never.

So I moved out in 1996 Jun. Transported things by train again. A couple of aluminium vessels. A couple of clothes; Puttu kutti; Chirava; the few good items that I had - like the good spoons from MK Ahmad that I still have here. Had some furniture that I sold / disposed too. Two cots that were transported from home. Including the yellowish one that I slept for years in Kalamassery. The two chairs Anoop helped buy for Rs.100 each when Infy changed their office and sold the furniture to employees. The bent folding table which was my first furniture while I was in JVV - second hand from the shop owner George for Rs200.

So when I started in Trivandrum in Jul 1996, I moved into the new house I rented walking in with a bag of clothes. And almost no bank balance too. A 3 bedroom house with a yard and compound wall for a single guy with a bag load of clothes! I am sure the local guys who wanted to get money when a big truck unloads was taken aback.

I still remember the farewell card they gave me at CDOT. It read "The hardest word in the English language - Good Bye". A long way. 11 years back.