Guns marriage..

Ganes.A , scored 452 out of 500 in SSLC.He stood school 3rd by missing first rank just by 6. Not just the HM, even most of the students from other class were not sure about this name. Who is this Ganesh? WHich class was he from. Back then there were A1 and A2 sections for English and then C to G sections for Tamil. First 5 ranks would usally be swept by students from A1 & A2. Is he a studious / from creamy layer. No !!. But Ganesh in 3rd rank noone would have guessed. It was like how Srilanka came to limelight from nowhere to world champions.

From there onwarsds the records and achievements reached by our Guns is just amazing.He just sweeped most of the first marks / ranks in +1. It was 1997, golden jubilee of our school (Bishop's Tirupur) and Guns stood 1st in +2 . He scored 1115 out of 1200, the highest total ever scored in the school's history back then. His name is written first in the record-holders name list engraved on the shool's stupi (which apparently started the same year and is still there).He is one of the rare student who finished +2 in the school from his LKG .14 year in same school and stood first in the end. Nobody else deserves this more than Mr. Ganes - this is how he wants his name to be spelled - a strong believer in numeroloy. I blv he still follows this. Scarry pace bowler..and a nice off spinner too..I remember now how he is specialist in picking couple of opposite team's top order.An excellent artist - infact I remember he is famous in class (during 8th I guess) for his arts - hopefully he draws nowadays.

Feb-18th, thursday is his marriage reception in Tirpur. I applied for twodays vacation and reached Tirpur.Its long time I met Ganesh and this will usaually be a very good get-togehere where you would meet most of your old time school friends - and if you are (un)lucky - your school time crushes too :). Well as expected it tunred out to be lucky a good number of old friends turned up. It was a good amount of crowd, afterall the bride and the groom are from the same place - plus - both are now working in USA. Yes Ganes had come from US for his marriage and so do Mrs.Ganesh. Both bride and groom from US !! Is this a love marriage ? Well atleast 10 people asked around. I said No - well atleast this is what I was told by Ganes :) !!

I have already been to the same Mandapam - for Ganes's Sister's marriage. All of his 3 sisters marriage happend here.

Myself and moulee were waiting in the queue to wish the couple. (ofcourse with empty hand. Unfortunately I haven't learnd the bad habit of buying a gift) thats when this gentlemen, just behind me asked "how r u doing"?I turned back, there were this three people and I couldn't recollect, meanwhile the he asked 'U couldn't recollect ??'. Oh my - I almost bite my foot - Its KV's Mum, Dad and his Sister. They were standing just behind me. How can we forget them. I really felt bad about my poor grasping power.I said I'm really sorry I couldn't see you ..how r u doing. And I was really suprised to see them too. .."It was surprise to see you and I didn't expect you here." While this discussions were going on we missed our 'order' in the queue but we didn't bother. KV's dad mentioned they came to Tirupur from Udumalai just now and were planning to go to Bangalore. Infact this is about one of the matching bride for KV.

"All these years he was saying no for marriage. Atleast now - after moving to UK it is changed to do-what-ever-you-want. So we dont want him to change his mind." We were all laughing..and he continued

"Just before he could take a 'U' with I-never-said-that. You never know what guys of these generation are thiking." We all blushed again.

He was mildly pulling our leg - our generation - but I liked the mild sarcasm in it. KV's dad, as I have seen, usually is not very out-spoken. But I think he changed a lot, even in my last visit to KV's house in chennai(2 yrs ago) , I was really surprise when he immediately recoganized me and called by my name.

"When are you ...you married?? " this is his Mum.

I said "no ma search is going in my house and still" After the recent happenings, may be I should be little more confident and do 'something' instead of just staring at things and expecting others to read me. Its just that am not ready to take any risk.Well in Abhishek comment - I should have more balls. If I don't do something, it will do me !!

"...same status as KV ma."

"Oh I thought may be Ganesh's is the last in the Queue", KV's dad.

"Haha...No, there are still some more !!"

"What happened to PV..Is he back?" PV is the, lets just say, 'interesting' character in our gang.

"No ma..he is still is US. He too in the same queue...". I wanted to add " but not sure if this over-american really wants to marry any girl. Not sure if he continued to be straight !! Who knows he might have changed his sexual orientation."

Me, "When are you visiting UK? KV was saying he is planning to take you."

"Yes he is saying that too. May be in march..we will plan some time." "Are your parents with you in Bangalore"

"No..They are here. they come once in 2 months for a week or so. Otherwis am alone."

"Oh Why dont you ask them to stay with you. Shouldn't they be with you now?. Why are they in Tirupur?", KV's dad really concerned

"Ya they shuold be. But my brother is here..so..and someone has to look after the house here. But yes am insiting them they should be with me now..."

I can't agree more.By now I should be their (my parents) only concern, if only 'things' at my family were simple. There are some simple & smallest things in life which you could only 'wish'. They may be so abundant in any common man you see. But its just not in you. Whilst things that you are not worth of - just comes on your way with no effort. Strange world huh !! Ahh so philisophical...whath happened to me.

Meanwhile the crowd sorrounding the bride & groom slowly moved away and we moved close to wish the couple. Gane is wearing a neat white blazer..iits not fully blazer. I couldn't descibe it fully. It has a very nice artwork in the place of shirt - which partly resembles a kurtha - a beautiful light blue in color. He is wearing a couple of rings and a bracelet. Not so much of makeup. Girl is in a red - kancheevaram - pattu saree, I suppose.

KV's family & us wished the couple - We with the barehands and KV's with a nice gift :) Me & Moulee stood shamelessely, looking at each other.

Ganes 'How are you doing ma. Did you find a matching girl for KV'

"Yes we are in serious search and infact we are going to blr today for this. He has changed his mind now. Atleast it appears so. We dont want to let this go. When you get a chance tell (convince) KV about this."

"Yes sure. Not just me ask Peri also to do so.." We all laughed.

After a nice photo shot we slowly moved to the dinner hall, which was packed.We were trying to find a place for all of us. It was very crowded and we could find limited seats. We convinced KV's to take this place, while we wait for other friends (Jayaram was on the way). I could see KV's felt upset since we couldn't have dinner together. We promised them to meet outsied and not to worry about this.

July 2001: Ganes & PV, KV, and me graduated from GCT, IRTT and CIT resply.Only point worth mentioning is PV was a gold medalist in his dept. We all got placed thru campus and then soon it became an old story because of the .com buble-burst !! None of us had either plans for higher studies or girl friends.(Well am sure about the first part, while second part am presuming ;) for others). Since all our joining dates were delayed KV, Ganes & me attend interview with TVS Lucas in Chennia - this came thru one of our college placement-room. We all were interviewed in the same time and were all offered a job in chennai a week latter. Ganesh took the offer and joined TVS - Hosur, while KV joined Chennai, TVS. PV meanwhile got in to a construction company and started his career in chennai.My campus offer finally got confirmed and I decided to take that and said No to TVS.I have already told about my stand-by-status of my old offer during my Lucas interview.Knowing TVS being very conservative and the interview was conducted specifically for we people, I liked the way Lucas HR acknowledged when I finally returned the offer letter saying am going to take accept my old offer.

Vendors meet...

This customer being a golden customer (i selectively avoided 'one of the' :-) here ), and biggest ever license deal for us, this meeting is really a big deal. Yes, the customer is conductin a metting in CTS office for all the (Indian) vendors .. (yes that what we are called as..I was fuminng for the first time in Singapore for DHL..but I got used to this). Being a big company and knowing the size of the implementaion, the project has been given to lot of Vendors. We were one among them. Other are CTS - doing the bigger pie (legacy systems integrations), HCL - handling the testing part of the implementation (well the final go-ahead has to come from them), Infy - handling the ESB integration (they were not present in the meeting for some reason) and then the Cap Gemini - implementing Siebel.

Since CTS is handling most of the IT part the meeting was completely hosted by CTS in their office - Manuyatha park. 30 Kms far from my office. Meeting was planned at 9:00 AM - a video con and hence I have to sacrifise my breakfast and morning aerobics (not necessarily in same order !!). It felt like a trip going to the other end of bangalore.. When we crossed the old madras road, technically, we are 'entering' the bangalore city again - atleast that is what sign boards smiling at as.

Well there were not many signing or checking process in CTS thank god and the tech park was quite good. Just that I was keeping an eye on the people's language, since I was expecting if people is speaking a different language as I have travelled so much.As instructed we are in formal attire. I was in a light blue striped shirt and a kaki pant, brown shoe and Ramkumar (my manager) was with a blazer (I didn't realise he was having this untill I get in to this room). The facility was classy look and as if it is used only for such high profile meeting (cheap thinking..!! can't help..). It was well planned to the extent that even the seating locations for induvidual were pre-allocated. I was seated next to the this chap - Anand a guy with a thick mush from CTS chennai - should be a Lead or a buddign manager (I like his answer that "Well my team members discuss with him regularly for mapping..I discusses about plans.." OK buddy, you are a manager - not developer, my mistake). My a/c manager Avijit too was there in a blazer..well all-most all of them were in a formal balzer. Am I the odd one without the blazer. I looked around..but no some one interesting is there for my company too. WIll come to her soon.I was just carrying my jacket which looked almost like a formal blazer (thanks western stores - commercial street !!) from distance. I could have used it.

Within 15 mts most of the seats were full and soon the meeting started. I like the intro part of the meeting. There first slide has the following questions..

• Your Name.
• Your company and the group of this project.
• Your home town.
• Where you studied your high school. (Not your graduation, your high school. Interesting)
• Your association withe them [customer].
• And one personnel note that you like to share..

The organizer also explained why this little unorthodox way of introduction....it small world and you can find some connections with some one in the room. And surprisingly yes, it was correct. [Actually a week latter there was a sweet 'small world' incidence happened again..]

There were 4 people in the room from coimbatore - city my town was part of and place where I did my college.Majority of them from chennai (considering CTS hosting this meeting). Surprisingly only a limited people are from nort india and all are from Hcl Noida - that explains. Majority of the people know and speak Tamil. Some people really did share their personal note..were interesting..some choosed not to..but nobody forced. Amit from Hcl sitting next to me has recently got promoted - to Dad position.There was this nice gentle man Mr.Srikumar, from Madurai and now settled in Chennai. He mentioned his hometown as "the city of temples" Madurai. I dont know how many people noted this but I liked !!

Aastha - the only oasis for me (since I blv all the others are 'Knot to be disturbed'.)- is from Delhi.She learns / practises dancing and feels that is one of her best stress-busters. I seriously repent about my discontinuing of free-style dancing 6 months ago (in my second class though !!) She is the only & nice looking girl in the room and she is giving company for my not-wearing-blazer-team.But her costume - a sleelve less black shirt - is not revealing but good looking. There was an other lady - Smitha - the Testing team's manger (Astha's manager too), but probably a second place only after Miss. Sleeveless - hopefully Ms

Most of the Names of the CTS folks are derived either from Haran or Hari..Harikumar,Anandha Krishnan (Hari again), Ramkumar (totally 3 in number), Rangarajan..and so on.My god the whole "belt gang" is sitting here. Some of the take aways of the meetings..

• As expected the meeting ran out of time - so all the (useless) brain stromming session were stopped abruplty ,but for a better reason - lunch.
• No solid plans were attained - which is good - else some one has to note it.
• Always have a jacket in meeting room - you never know the AC's condition.
• Never sit infront a Aastha. Well I mean any Ms.sleeveless. [But here, I didn't choose it]
• We (product company)are always ahead of the other players and Services company has no clue what is going to happen.
• Never take a seat - or sandwiched - between two bigs during lunch. You will be never be able to have nice food (Courtesy : My manager Ram. I never make this mistake :-) He mentioned 'he didn't even have proper lunch').
• Videocon sometime doesn't mean real video conferencing..Here we were not seeing the other party..only the US folks were seeing us.
• Wait for a while before asking for a project change, you may work with some Ms.Slvls..but its too late for me.

Naah...it just a suggestion..

I had a rare opportunity to talk to one of our customer's big head, the VP of outsourcing (why do I call this a rare opportunty is debatable but for the higher management of my employer , I was 'offered' this opportunity :-), well lets talk this someother time. )

Joe, he is a 55 year old, heavily built, bald, and a hard republican. While the meeting with him started very formally, but soon we realised Joe is a very casual and not so formal. In dinner he suggested to order varieties of dishes and share among them. But anyway it was a buffet dinner in "SSS" so..but very casusal experience.

Irony is he has been to India a dozen of times before and he actually has seen lot of places than any of us..kudoos..!! (Infact he had plans to visit Goa this weekend..My god, I have never been there yet..)He was telling during his first vist - it was 4 years ago when the blr was using the old-airport...It was around 4:30AM in the morningn and he just get in to the cab send to pick him from aiport, heading to Leela palace.It was somewhere after the shiva temple where the driver jumped the red signal..Joe was really panicked. For the moment he thought the driver is either drunk or sleepy. Incidentally driver is an english-speaking. Before he get out of this shock, there was an other incident. Driver just jumped an other red signal and was about to hit a Sumo ..and a narrow miss. Now Joe is really afraid. Within next 2 mts he jumped a 3rd red signal and take a U turn to reach to the hotel.

Relieved that the adventorous drive from the airport is just over, he asked the driver, "do you realised what you just did". Driver, "what do mean sir". You would have killed somebody, you have just jumped 3 signals in a row". Driver, with a careless smile, "ohh no no..they (signals) are just suggestions".