5 Years of Work Experience.. Does Professionalism means Being Formal?

1860th BLOG POST

Today, I complete 5 years of work experience. When someone says, time just passes by, we generally don’t understand until we feel the same emotions. Something similar is going within me when I realize that it has been almost half a decade since I started my career in IT. It seems that I am yet not established but to say - 5 years have gone by. Working has always been a fright in college days whenever any professor used to make us realize that all this fun shall disappear once the companies shall start coming up for placements or we shall be out for trying our luck.

Luckily, for me, the experience of getting my first job was not that difficult. The first interview call that I received after completing my Post-Graduation was the company that ended up giving me Offer Letter with which I continued until this year. I have also ended up having my first company switch in my 5^th year. I have always believed that when you are a part of an organization, I understand that the primary job is always to earn and save money but it is also about the bond that you share with your employer. If you start leaving organizations just after you have learnt things, it is quite a selfish motive. I believe in learning within an organization, growing our skills and then giving back to the organization with our special skills and tact. Until and unless, it is not two-way process, working in any organization doesn’t feel like family.

I agree that organizations are selfish when it comes to laying off etc. but that is not what happens always with us. So let’s not work with a negative mindset. Let’s take things positively and contribute as much as possible. Make something that stays with the organization even after you leave. Your tenure should end but your legacy should stay. Innovate processes. Create useful documents. Establish great team leaders. Build great relationships. Serve your clients and customers as much as possible. Our actions should stay as determined as possible. We shouldn’t wait for any kind of credit or acknowledgement to come in our way. If it comes, its great. If it doesn’t, we shouldn’t worry because we should be assured that whatever we have contributed shall bear its fruits today or after we are gone – but it shall surely benefit people whom you worked with.

I have been lucky to have a great people with me in my first organization who didn’t thrash me when I did mistakes but always pulled me up and asked me to try again and complete the job myself. This also gave me courage to change my profile and come to a better place where my heart was/is. Like always, people helped me tremendously during this movement and the support that was provided shall always stay special to me.

Recently, when I thought of changing my job and I started giving interviews during this phase of Covid pandemic, the way HR and all the respective people who took my interview were so polite to me as they were aware about my tough decision taken during a situation when market is down and there aren’t much jobs in the market. All such compassion shows that when its about professional world, we need not be too formal – if we take things to human level, there can be relationships developed even right from the first call. There were certain issues in my process for which my current company and other companies who were in talks were helping me with which says a lot about how you can also have personal talks with the professional contacts in your first call itself.

I can only say that I have had beautiful experiences in these first 5 years of Work Experience – joining a company as a Fresher – taking responsibilities of something out of my profile and skill sets – developing great relationships with everyone- my seniors, peers and juniors – having spiritual talks with the entrepreneur of the organization – discussing personal issues with the Director of the company – changing my profile – leaving the job during tough times – being jobless for a month – my first few appraisals and promotions – switching the job – having multiple rounds of interview – accepting an offer letter out of many organizations etc. I wish the next 30 years of my work experience – in case I end up being an employee itself and do not initiate anything of my own – gives me many such experience and relationship which shall keep developing my personality each and every day.

May God Bless Me!

Thanks.

WRITING BUDDHA 

Can I call someone a FRIEND today just because they have been my FRIEND yesterday?

1859th BLOG POST

Well, this Friendship Day is all about revelations and realizations. Since so many years, we live within circles – circles of friends – acquaintances – people who claim to be our well-wishers etc. We have so many groups that in few people’s social media updates, I find 5-6 cakes being cut separately where each group has celebrated the birthday and made them feel special. But if purchasing or cutting cake for someone’s birthday would have proved the mettle of someone being your friend, this world would have been full of love which is not so. We are being ditched time and again. Trusting people have become so difficult that you shall never be able to understand with whom you can share everything that is there in your heart and still not be judged. There are rarely any such Friends left in our life. If they are, we can still say that we are lucky. But can you still trust them for your future if they shall remain to be the same forever? Somewhere there is always doubt. This has what Friendship has got reduced to.

I started the post saying “This” Friendship Day because during the lockdown, I have found many of my friends accepting the reality about the people they trusted a lot– sometimes more than their parents – and sometimes more than themselves. Now when they sat at home and thought about their relationships with certain people, they realized that it has always been so formal but coated with fake love and belongingness whereas there is nothing that they miss about them when they are alone in lockdown and actually looking for some company. We never got time to evaluate these friendships in regular days because we were always busy in work, traveling, people and as I said above – multiple friend circles. But now when we realize who are really our friends whom we can go to- oh shit – they are so rare – almost negligible. And if they are there, they are still judgmental at some level. Where to go to and pour our heart out- isn’t it?

I am just quite heartbroken with the way life has moved and come to a stage where I have so less friends with whom I can share everything and expect them to say – “No worries, my friends, mistakes happen and you are no God to not make one”. As soon as I tell someone about my activities which doesn’t set in the moralistic set of society, my friends give me such an expression that I feel like sulking back and getting lost in a world where no one can meet me again ever. Even when I try sharing something with someone- either its about my feelings or my feelings about them or a decision I am going to take, I find some other mutual friend talking to me about the same. This shocks me so much that there is always some kind of One-to-One connection too which should be respected. Yes, we are always friends in group, but because You and I are friends is also because You and I have certain level of Friendship between ourselves before our friendship in the group that we belong in. Respect That!

Who likes breaking friendship or downgrading the status of the same? I never like doing this. There was a time I lived for my friends. I always had my phone besides me while sleeping so that in case any of my friend messages or calls me, I am there to take it up even at late night. I used to literally reply during early morning hours in case someone used to text me. My friends used to be surprised about if I even sleep or not. But I stopped doing this. Now my phone is silent when I sleep or work. I do not like being available for anyone every time. Yes, if I am available, I will do every bit I can for you. But I do not make extra efforts to be available to anyone at any point of time. I have lost the trust. I have lost what I believed to be Friendship which is all about sharing secrets or feelings and expecting things to remain between me and the person.

I want Friendship to remain the best relationship of all always and forever. But the level of our humanitarian ground has stooped so low that it has affected this beautiful word heavily as well. I remember when earlier people used to introduce anyone they knew as their “Friend”. Now, there are apprehensions. At least with me it has been so. Now I introduce anyone as per their status in my life- my college-mate, colleague, neighbour, lives in my society and so on. I never introduce anyone as my friend until and unless my heart doesn’t say that the person has the distinction in my life where I trust him/her to support me in my vulnerable state.

When you are all okay, everyone can call you as their friend. They will even make extra efforts to be with you. But the moment you become vulnerable- mostly in case of mental health issues – these friends start making fun of you. Yes, you do mistake when you are in a state of mind which is not your best- but isn’t that the time when you need your friends the most? What when they leave you or make fun of you or share about your vulnerability to everyone in the circle? How sick you start feeling – isn’t it? I have suffered this even now when I have crossed 30 years of age – just imagine what teenagers or people with weak heart might go through or – are going through.

On this Friendship Day, I would like to say that please respect this relationship called “Friendship” otherwise it shall become very hard to survive. Already people have started disbelieving in siblings, spouses, colleagues, neighbours etc. People still have certain expectations from people they believe to be in this relationship called “Friendship”. Let us keep its sanctity alive. My best wishes to everyone who needs a best or good friend to go through this heavily stressful life.

Happy Friendship Day to everyone.

Thanks.

WRITING BUDDHA 

The Signet Ring by Kapil Dabur (Book Review: 3.5*/5) !!!

1858th BLOG POST

23^rd Book of 2020!

This lockdown has certainly made me a little more religious along with the spiritual belief that I already have in everything that’s happening in nature and around us. This took me towards watching Ramayan and Vishnu Purana that were telecast recently on DD Bharati. Since then, I have started believing in Lord Vishnu like anything and I feel the energy associated with it since then. Hence, when I came to know about this book named “The Signet Ring” which is written by the author, Kapil Dabur, I thought of going through it as generally, the book based on mythology, religion, epic and Gods are thick but this one was a short read of around 170 pages and majorly talked about phenomena of Lord Vishnu.

The book is a thriller and co-incidentally talks about a pandemic that has broken around the world which has been spread by a group not realizing that they are also a part of it and shall suffer later on if it grows. From here, right from the first page, begins the introduction of several characters from this Brotherhood group. Their leader believes himself to be a devotee of Hiranyakashyap and wants to take revenge from Lord Vishnu because as per him, he had fooled Asuras when Amrut was found out during Samudra-Manthan and cheated his ancestors. Later on, we are also introduced to the followers of Lord Vishnu and then the real story begins where a group is in search of things needed to make them powerful which are left by Lord Vishnu’s avatars whereas there is another group who is trying to find out where they would be landing up next based on some clues.

It is not easy to write on the facts based on religion and mythology as generally, these days, authors find it very easy to fictionalize them as per their will, which I believe, has not been done in this book, as every tale of Lord Vishnu that has been described has been almost the same as I have read them while my search for religious knowledge. I liked how all the avatars of the Lord Vishnu are mentioned. Even the names of few characters are kept considering the mythology and its context. The characterization is nicely done and the reaction of each of them as per their personality makes you imagine them as they are.

The way author binds the story running in two different time-zones and connects them is a fine attempt. The locations and several temples etc. that are mentioned adds to the curiosity of the readers as to what secrets are going to unfold there which shall connect us with the tale of God. The few sections and descriptions are really informative and I believe, if someone doesn’t have any idea of Hindu religion, shall get to know meaning of why certain things are the way they are, while reading this book. I am also glad that author has added a philosophical part in the climax which gives the book a nice ending.

Now, talking about the drawbacks, I must say, that, the pandemic part should also have been connected with the tale of Lord Vishnu as that is how the book starts but the thing is closed down somewhere in between. Secondly, I felt that the characters of Dr. Indira and others in the team of Kartik could have also been connected with some mythological characters as it would have added layers to the story. Thirdly, as the book is based on thriller genre, I wished if it had more shocking revelations in between the story which could have given more twists and turns. Lastly, I believe author could have described few more incidents from our religious and mythology books based on Lord Vishnu or his avatars as very few people are aware about Lord Vishnu’s tales specifically.

Overall, this is a fine attempt as a debut book considering that it has been written in just 170 pages itself with a thrilling factor connecting two different stories running in parallel time. I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

WRITING BUDDHA