My Actual Work Experience...

Nov 2009 - Management Trainee

Arpil 2010 - Account Management Specialist

April 2011 - Senior Account Management Specialist

July 2011 - Account Manager

April 2012 - Senior Account Manager

April 2013 - Group Account Manager

Jan 2014 - Group Head

4 years for a journey from Management Trainee to a Group Head in Digital Advertising. Today I feel proud that the teams in which I worked earlier, I am managing multiple of such teams now. Lot of people around me tell me that I have grown quite fast. But those lot of them dont know about my journey before Nov 2009. There are lot of other profiles of work that I undertook before I joined a fulltime job as Management Trainee.

Below is the journey that was covered before Nov 2009:

In year 2001 I passed my SSC and had taken admission in Science in Wilson College. I had taken Science with desire to become an Engineer in IT. But a journey to become an engineer starts right from 1st year of your Junior College. Students start preparing for HSC even before clearing their 1st year as the competition to get an admission in a good Engineering college required not good but excellent marks. But there was a different script that was written for me. Forget about me starting to study for my HSC in first year I never got time to study for my 1st year exams. When I entered my junior college my Dad got ill and was not able to go to work due to his health. Looking at the situation and condition then I decided that I would start earning to run our family. It was just me, mom and my dad in my family. With SSC passed background if I would have gone to find work in any company I would have not got a job higher than an office boy with maximum salary of Rs 3000 per month. Also, my parents always had high expectations from me so they would have never allowed my to take up a job of any low profile. But luck shined on us and we got to buy a small milk vendor business in our area as the person who was running it wanted urgent money and so he had to sell it off. We never had savings to buy it so my Mom took help from her brother to finance the buying amount. Being a milk vendor business it had to be operated in early morning. So the work timings were early morning 4:00 AM to 8:00 AM to delivery the milk to the houses of the people. I took it up feeling I would able to manage it. Getting up at 4:00 AM every day was a huge challenge as I was not just doing this. My routine was 4:00 AM to 8:00 AM running the milk shop, then reaching college for 10:00 AM lecture, then coming home from college in evening 4:00 PM, then going to collect the cash from the customers who liked to pay on daily basis for the milk that we delivered to them in morning, then coming back home and study. I used to do most of it except the last part of coming back home and study. Because by the time I used to sit to study I used to dose off and sleep as I always had tension of getting up early again at 4:00 AM the next morning. I followed this routine for almost 2 years. It was hard along with my studies. But I was able to earn Rs15,000 per month to run my family and my own needs at that time which kept me going. It taught me a lot of things about work at a very early age of my life. It taught me how to interact with customers, how to deal with them, how to manipulate them, how to grow a business, how to multi-task and many more things. Out of everything it taught me one very important lesson of life that no work is small or big. Its your situation that decides what kind of work you would have to deal with.

As I was close to my HSC exams my Dad had recovered from his health and he decided to take over the Milk Centre business so that I get to study for my exams. By the time I left the Milk Centre business I had identified an opportunity to cross sell Tea Powder to local Chaiwalas who used to buy milk from us. They used to buy Tea Powder from local shops at Rs160 per kg. The same tea powder was available at wholesale markets at Rs80 per kg. I approached all the tea stalls whom we used to supply milk at a price of Rs140 per kg. Getting same tea powder for Rs20 less delivered to their shops was not a bad deal for them. I got few customers and was able to sell 2Kgs of tea powder everyday. This meant that I was able to make Rs120 profits by selling tea powder every day and this Rs120 was all my money and I didnt had to give a single penny of it at my home. This helped me of not getting suffered of not getting pocket money from my parents. I was earning more that what pocket money my friends used to get by doing hardly 30 mins of work every day. I sensed at that time that every business has an opportunity to cross sell something else. And if you can use that opportunity well you would be able to grow your business well. This learning I continued a lot in my first fulltime job and was successfully was able to do a lot of cross selling to keep growing companies business from exisiting clients.

I passed my HSC with average marks which didnt got me an admission in Engineering college but the marks were good enough to get me an admission in BSc IT. While I started first year in BSc IT I had not stopped Tea powder supply work. Also, as my spending needs were not very high so I started doing a lot of savings. One day I thought how can I make use of the money that is just lying idle in my Savings account. A thought came to my mind how about giving this money to people who needs it by charging them an interest. There were a lot of shop owners, local chaiwalas, footwear store owners who were in need of money. I started a scheme with such individuals. I gave them Rs9000 and they would return back to me Rs12000 in 3 months by paying me a fixed amount daily. I didnt continued this for a longer duration as I started realising I was taking a very high risk in this. There were individuals who werere not paying on time which was affecting me in long run. So after a time I stopped with this business of lending money to people and charging an interest to them. This sort of business taught me how to manage risks. Also it taught me that in your work sometimes you have to go by your gut feelings. If you feel that in a long tun you would make a higher loss then you should stop even if you are making short term profits.

By the time I completed my first year in BSc IT I was feeling lost. I had started feeling this field is not meant for me. Its not like I didnt Iiked computers but the subjects that we had were all about software programming and I was never able to cope up with programming languages. Then I decided to do a course in Computer Hardware and Networking. It was a 3 months course which taught me how to assemble a computer. Again I saw a business opportunity out after doing this course. I felt assembling a computer is not a difficult job and has good money in it if you are able to get customers. I along with one of my friend started approaching few of our contacts to enquire whether they would like to buy computers from us. At that time if we used to sell one computer we used to earn around Rs15,000 to Rs20,000. It was good enough money for efforts that were for a days time. Even if we used to sell one computer in 2 months we used to feel more than happy. Also, simultaneously I was doing a course in Graphic Designing and Animation. This was a fulltime course and fees of this course was equal to my 3 years fees of BSc IT. After taking up this course I started feeling I would not be able to pursue a career in Graphic Designing or Animation. I dont know why I felt like that but then in my mind I always wanted to earn back the money my parents had put in this course as it was not a small amount. Once I learnt graphic designing I started taking work to design and print - logos, visiting cards, letter heads, stationary, etc for small companies that were in my contact. I earned good enough money from these jobs but it was not good enough that I could tell my self that I recovered the money my parents had put in for the course. Computer Networking and Graphic Designing jobs that I did gave me higher satisfactions. This was something that I learnt and then used in application to earn money out of it. Also, these jobs were of higher status I would say compared to what I had done earlier.

Then I passed my BSc IT in 2006. I never sat for the campus interviews as all the companies that came for campus interviews had jobs for programming which I was never interested in. Also, I completed my course in Graphic Desigining and Animation. I had two options in front of me at that time - one get into some Software company and write programs and second use my course knowledge and get into graphic designing and animation. I kept my mind open and tried a job in both the fields. IT job I did for 2 days in one of the IT MNC and Graphic Designing job I did for a week in small Graphic Designing firm. As both the options didnt worked for me I decided to pursue MBA. It was a brave decision looking at the financial condition of my family. Getting admission in MBA college was a difficult task and if you got an admission than minimum amount that was required to pay the fees was Rs2,00,000 for 2 years course. All the past works that I did gave me a lot of learnings but didnt gave me that high savings. So, I convinced my Moms sister that she pay my fees and I would return it back to her in an year once I complete my MBA course and get a fulltime job. I studied for MBA entrance exams and failed big time as I scored very less marks. Luckily I got admission in one of not very reputed college. I took an admission thinking the course is same what other colleges has so I should be able to sail through. After my 1st year I got an internship in Digital Advertising company - BC Webwise. I did a 2 months internship in this company and I was loving what I was doing there. I realised that this is something that I would love to do for rest of my life. I decided I would pursue a fulltime career in Digital Advertising post my MBA studies.

In 2nd year of my MBA through a contact I came to know that there was a big requirement for a 3d animation work in one of the premium hotels in India. The scope of the project was huge and I looked at this as an opportunity to recover the money my parents had put in the course I did in Graphic designing and Animation and also recover the fees that was put into my MBA studies. I never had hands on experience of 3d animaton but I knew a lot of people who could do this work. I contacted one of the person who had good portfolio to present to the Hotels manager who had the decision over who should get the project. He was impressed with what we showed him and he gave us work for 4 properties across India. As I mentioned the scope of this project was huge so I was able to pay my Moms sister the money that she had given me for MBA studies well before the time I committed to her. In this work my role was more of Project Manager which involved man management and making sure to execute the project as per deadlines. I learnt a lot about how to manage people and get work done from them as per your requirements during this project. Then I completed by MBA in Marketing in the year 2009 and as planned got into a fulltime career into Digital Advertising in Nov 2009.

This was a journey that I covered before Nov 2009. It was a journey of lot of hard work, learnings, lessons that no course, no fulltime job can teach you. Be it client relationship management, cross selling, team management, timely executions, new learnings, etc all were the lessons that I learnt from each of the small works that I took at my early age and now I use them in my daily work now and they give me lot of positive results. Journey from Management Trainee to Group Head was a faster one is what I agree with the people who mention it to me but the efforts that went before actually becoming a Managment Trainee is what made it possible to cover the journey to become Group Head faster and now grow further in my Career.

May Hope be the last thing I Loose

May Hope be the last thing I Loose - These were the words which I recently heard from one of my dear friend which actually inspired me to go ahead and share my thoughts on the same and write down a blog post. Its been sometime now that I havent penned down anything and was HOPING that I write something soon and so here I finally arrive with a topic to write.

'HOPE' - Its a very important word in everyone's life. Just imagine what the World would be like if we didn't have Hope? We always keep saying to our self - Hope I get admissions in Engineering, Hope She says a Yes to me some day, Hope I have taken a correct decision by saying yes to marry this girl, Hope I buy my own House one day, Hope my Dad is proud of what I have achieved in my Life, Hope this and hope that and these hopes just goes on in our life no matter whatever we had Hoped once; it has been fulfilled and achieved or it just remained Hopes and we were not able to achieve them for some reasons. We probably never give up on our Hopes and start living with a new Hope in life.

Sometimes very strong hopes can achieve the impossible as Hope can see the invisible and it can feel the intangible. I think that hope ends when you stop believing. For no matter how tough your days might be or how long your nights may be, if you still hold on to the love of hope that is within you, you'll have something precious to keep you going. Because it is not who you are, but it is what you believe about who you are that matters. It has been said that hope is an abstraction of the mind. When you believe in yourself, so will others and so will your future change. A brightness of hope is all that is required.

It often happens that you have a feeling in you that you very badly want something very special in your life. You have that special feeling in you that if that special is with you in your life then you would achieve all other things for it. You try your best to get that in your life but still not able to get it and you know all the right reasons for why you are not achieving it but you still believe in yourself and in your love for it and even atlast when the world says to you, Give up its High time now, Hope whispers - 'Try it one more time'.

Saying all of these I also believe that - "hope is both man’s greatest strength and man’s greatest weakness”. If what you hoped for to happen in your life doesn't happen for you then you often take a wrong path and this proves to be a man's greatest weakness. We should not be so weak to feel that we have lost everything in life by loosing what we hoped to happen for us. Instead hope for a new Hope in our life to get us going.

No matter how difficult the situation would be, no matter if anyone is with you or not, no matter you loose everthing in life but one thing you should not loose is Hope - A Hope to live your life to the fullest as you are the luckiest of the one who has got this life to live and you would never again get to live it again once it is over.

What a Women Really Wants

To women - Please take time to ponder...!
To men - Just enjoy the story...!

The Story Goes as...
Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom.. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, if after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death.

The question was: What do women really want?

Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man. And to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end.

He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: the princess, the priests, the wise men, and even the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.

Many people advised him to consult the old witch, for only she would have the answer. But the price would be high as the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.

The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the witch. She agreed to answer the question, but first he would have to agree to her price.

The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table, and Arthur's closest friend! Young Arthur was horrified. She was hunch-backed and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc.

He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life.. He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden.

But Lancelot, having learnt of the proposal, spoke with Arthur. He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life. And the reservation of the Round Table. Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch answered.

Arthur's question thus: 'What a woman really wants?'
She said, 'A woman wants to be in charge of her own life.'

Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth, and that Arthur's life would be spared. And so it was. The neighbouring monarch granted Arthur his freedom. And Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding.

The honeymoon hour approached and, Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen was sitting by the bed.

The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened. The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth become her horrible and deformed self only half the time, and be the beautiful maiden the other half.

'Which would you prefer?' She asked him. 'Beautiful during the day .... or at night?'
Lancelot pondered the predicament.
During the day he could have a beautiful woman to show off to his friends,
but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch!
Or,
Would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day?
But by night a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous moments with?

(If you are a man reading this...) What would YOUR choice be?
(If you are a woman reading this...) What would YOUR MAN'S choice be?
And Lancelot's choice is given below...
BUT... please make YOUR choice first before you scroll down below... OKAY?

Knowing the answer the witch gave to Arthur for his question,
Sir Lancelot said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself.
Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time..
Because, he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life.
Now... what is the moral to this story?
The moral is...
1) There is 'witch' in every woman, no matter how beautiful she is !
2) If you don't let a woman have her own way, things are going to get ugly !

So, be careful how you treat a woman and always remember
IT IS EITHER ' HER WAY ' OR IT IS ' NO WAY ' !!

Destiny

Its been few days now that for some reason I want to write something on Destiny. I am been figuring out how should I start on this topic. I am going for a picnic with my friends in next 30 mins and thought let me not think on what I have to write on Destiny and just pen down whatever comes to my mind. May be what I am writing is not something I planned but its Destiny ;)

As we go through life, we all experience pain, hurts, adversity, wounds - sometimes self-inflicted, sometimes inflicted by others. The wounds that we suffer may be physical, emotional, spiritual, or financial. They may be small wounds that we can easily recover from or so devastating to us that it takes weeks, months or even years to fully recover. People respond in different ways to these wounds. Some people are so hurt and broken that they give up, surrendering to bitterness, self-pity and victim-hood, while others grow stronger and become better people because of the adversity and struggle they've fought their way through.

When I was a kid my mom used to always say that 'God' already has foreseen what is going to happen in your life. Some people might that think that's encouraging and that we're all part of a pattern. I don't know about that. If I die tomorrow by getting hit by a truck while crossing the road talking on phone while returning from my office, I don't want to know that my death was already written down and maybe guided in some way.'God' is waiting for you to cross that road, and for the driver was avoiding the obstacle but swirled to hit me. That my family and dear friends lifes and even the driver's life will be destroyed and ruined forever.

I'd rather die from my own stupidity for not looking at both the ways of the road and talking on the phone while crossing the road. Somehow, I don't like the idea about destiny. I prefer to think that our life depends on us and the decisions that we make in our present would lead into the destiny for our future.

We make choices every day. When we don't like the consequences of those choices, we're faced with another choice - that of changing direction, making a new choice and enjoying different consequences or staying stuck where we are. "Change is a door that can only be opened from the inside". "The willingness to change can be inspired by others but change itself is a personal choice. If you want to change something in you then its your own choice and no one else is responsible or depended for it. It is 'Choice' not 'Chance' that determines your destiny."

I'll end the post with the lines I had read somewhere which I would never forget - "Control your own destiny or someone else will, remember destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice".

School Buddies to Office Mates

This post is about three individuals who are now termed as '3 idiots' by their colleagues in the office for some strange things we do and we are known for. Its about me, Rohan and Pushkar. The 3 colleagues working in an Online Advertising Company named Logicserve.

But what is the big deal that I am writing about my office colleagues. I know you can write about them too but then what so special to write about them. It is special and this will be known when we read this post further.

10 years back I met Rohan at private classes when I was in my SSC and since then we became best friends. It was the time when it was me for him and he for me when there was anything to be shared and talked about. It may be studies, professors, school, friends or girls. But then with time and more friends things did change. We got parted after SSC as we got admissions in different colleges but still were in touch with each other even though we didn't even had a mobile phone that time. I know today we realise how important a mobile phone is.

2 years after SSC, we came back together in KC College as luckily I scored less marks in HSC and didn't got admissions for Engineering and had no choice but do a BSc IT course. One of the reasons why I selected BSc IT was that Rohan too had chosen BSc IT.

Then in 1st Semester we were joined by Pushkar and we became three from two. Then as time passed during our graduation years from Friends we became Good Friends and from Good Friends we were Best friends. We were known as one identity as others started to recognize us together.

We passed our graduation with good marks but luckily all three of us were not placed through college placements as we never attended campus placements and so for some reasons we decided to do MBA and started studying for the entrance exams. We cleared the entrance but unluckily got admissions in different Colleges.

Those 2 MBA years the contact was limited between the three of us. MBA studies made each other so much busy that we didnt had time for each other. MBA course ended and again luckily all three of us were not again placed through campus placements. I and Rohan had taken up a job till the time we get a job of our choice.

Rohan left his job in 3 months time and joined Logicserve and then luckily again there was a vacancy in logicserve and so me and Pushkar came into picture again and got selected in the same company.

Today we are again together. It’s a different feeling now to be termed as Office Colleagues from School Buddies. But no matter what others term you some relations would never change. Its been few months now in this company and we like the job, enjoy our work and are again being recognized together. Thanks to Logicserve to getting us together again. Work can't get better when you have your friends working along with you in the same company giving you company. I know that sounded confusing.

Even when we leave Logicserve after a successful career here(hopefully) I wish we continue in other companies together and this bond continues for years to come and we remain best friends forever.

Luck By Chance

I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.

When you live for a strong purpose, then hard work isn’t an option. It’s a necessity.

Unless you are willing to drench yourself in your work beyond the capacity of the average man, you are just not cut out for positions at the top.

When you read on the above quotes written by some of the greatest philosophers we are all inspired by them and get on to work hard in our lives. Even though we decide that and we do really work hard in life to achieve the things we aimed there come instances in life when we sometimes look at an other person and say "How lucky He/She is. I wish I was like him/her". No matter how good life would be to us this thought comes to us sometime or the other for some of the aspect related to us. May thats because life is not perfect to us in all aspects. There would be something missing for all of us.

When we try to figure out what is it that makes one successfull - Luck or Hardwork? Preparation plays a vital important role in life success. When opportunity comes to a person who is prepared, he can take the opportunity. So if the luck knocks an unprepared mind, there is a high probability that he missed the opportunity and hence misses his luck.

A better word for Luck is opportunity. A person, who wants to learn more, who wants to accomplish something great in life, who focuses on only realizing his dreams, is bound to succeed and the right opportunity will definitely knock his door. We all get opportunities in our life sometime or the other and the ones who are able to grab those opportunities are the ones who are later sometimes termed as the LUCKY by the other who were not able to grab those opportunities. It is important being at the right place at the right time and I will add further WITH RIGHT KNOWLEDGE.

It is true that there might be many people who got success just of sheer luck. But since exceptions are not rules, we should not take these people as our role model as it is not necessary that if someone wins a game of poker and become millionaire, the same cards will open up for you too when you sit on the poker table.

If we are a student, we can do our best to concentrate on our studies and do as much hard work as we can and dont depend on luck saying the paper would be full of my favorite questions and I'll score without studying. If we are a college passout then we should give our best to crack the interview for the job which we always wanted to do with all the knowledge we have. If you are an employee, give your best to your job. If you have a dream to follow, start immediately on it.

Luck waits for no one. Before it comes, be prepared for it.

A Message to Remember...!

Recently a friend of mine sent me a very beautiful message which touched my heart as soon as I read it. The lines of the message said:

In life we all have an unspeakable secret
an irreversible regret
an unreachable dream
and an unforgetable love
But in the end its all about being
Happy anyhow.

There is something in this message that is very much connected to most of our lives. You cant stop living as something in life doesn't happen the way you wanted it to happen. Many times things don't go the way you want it to and you feel giving up on everything else just because of that one failure. A single not your way going incident in your life should not lead to not a single happy day after that.

When I read on in the newspaper headline that a student commits a suicide because he thinks he got less marks as per his parents expectation or when I come to know a friend of mine is no more in this world as he came under a train and died because the love of his life had to listen to her parents and marry someone else or when I see a father and a son not talking to each other all their life remembering not so good incidences in their life and forgetting all the other better moments they spent with each other and not understanding by not talking they are missing to be good moments of their present and future.

These things sound familiar to most of us. May be not and I really hope that they dont sound familiar to any one. I feel in such instances everyone of us has a choice. A choice to remember that one thing and regret for not making that one thing happen in your life or as the above message says a choice to still be happy and find alternatives to your failure on that one particular thing. I feel the 2nd choice sounds much more advisable. After all its not that difficult to stay happy.

May be there are few instances when you cant get over few things and feel sad about things not going your way but I guess there are solutions to get out of it. There are few things that you can do in times when you feel you are in deep pain and need help. May be a call to a friend would make you feel better or else meeting up a friend or may be your best friend can make your heart much more lighter. I dont read much but many of my friends say that books are your best friends so if you dont feel like calling or meeting up your friend you can turn to books and make them your best friend and feel better about your self.

May be better thing to do is to have faith in God and believe that whatever happens to us is written by God which is for our own good, it's just that we cannot see it now. There are many things in life apart from failures and we all should live forgetting the few bad moments in our life. When you get to live a life live it to the fullest so that few years down when you look back you dont have to turn back and say I should have enjoyed more and stayed a lot more happier than I did.

Staying sad is difficult but many of them choose to stay sad due to some regrets in life and staying happy is easier but still few instances makes it difficult for many of us to stay happy. As the above message states that no matter how unspeakable secret we have, how irreversible regret is there in our life, no matter how unreachable is our dream and how unforgetable love one has in the end we can always forget these things and remain and stay happy forever.

KEEP SMILING as it is the second best thing that you can do with your lips. I hope you understand what is the first best thing....! ;) ;) ;)

What is Happiness?

Recently a friend of mine asked me a simple question - What is happiness? for which I had to think for a while to answer it and when I didn't had answer to her question, I came up with some weird answer. This is a question which is bothering me for some time now, because I don't know how to answer it.

I know I may not be the only one on this earth who wouldn't be having a perfect answer to this question. We are happy for many many reasons in life. But in the eyes of all whom I know from my heart, I have found that there is always something missing.

Some people seem to be happy at all time in the life without much thinking about it. There are others who make so called being happy in life plans like “I’m going to have a beautiful wife, two children, and a big home where we four will live happily for years”. And the day they achieve it they feel they are the happiest. While this keeps them occupied, they are like bulls looking for the bullfighter: they don’t think, they just keep moving forward. They manage to get their what they desired, so they never ask the question. Yet, despite all that, their eyes betray a sadness that they themselves are quite unaware of.

May be I am sounding like everyone around is unhappy. So when you ask people around “What makes you happy?” They answer: “I have everything that a person can dream of – a family, a home, work, good health”. And then you again ask them: “Have you ever stopped to wonder if that is all there is to life?”. They answer: “Yes, that’s all there is”. So we can conclude that meaning of life is work, the family, children who grow up and leave you, a wife or husband who with time will become more like a friend than a true love-mate. And one day the work will come to an end. What will you do when that happens?”. And then we get an answer that there is no answer to it and they try to change the subject.

But there is a answer to it. Happiness is different for different individuals. Its different for the businessman who has still to close the deal he has always dreamed of, the housewife who would like to have more independence or more money, the new graduate who wonders whether he has chosen his career or has had it chosen for him, the software programmer who wanted to be a singer, the singer who wanted to be a writer, the writer who wanted to be a painter, and the painter who wanted to be a MBA graduate.

When I see the people I know, I see everybody are laughing, everybody very happy when they are together. Sometimes we know it is like that everyone is laughing or enjoying themselves at the moment that photo is taken, but at times when they are not together, the story is quite different.

When I was a kid a toffee that I got from my Dad on my results gave me so much of happiness, the girl in my school whom I liked smiled at me for the first time gave me happiness, as a college student a feeling of independence gave me happiness, as a graduate a well deserving job gave me the feeling of happiness. I guess happiness should be something which shouldn't change with time. It's a feeling which should be permanent irrespective of time.

As a child when I used to do anything good my mom used to say today you made God happy. That used to be the moment when I used to feel very happy for atleast that day. Even today I feel I have the same feeling when any of my good deeds makes me feel that I have made GOD happy that day even today I feel happy. Its a feeling which has remain permanent with time. I guess when we are sad we make God sad and when we are happy we make him happy.

The feeling of his existence makes us believe that no matter how difficult the way ahead is we will overcome it with all the happiness in life...

Give Me another chance I wanna Grow Up Once Again!!!

Give me some sunshine
Give me some rain
Give me another chance
I wanna Grow up once again.

As a child I always wanted to grow up as fast as possible and do all possible things which I could think of once I am a grown up. Today when I am grown up I feel how stupid was I(its another thing that I am still stupid) to feel like that. If I would had understood how complex things gets in life with age I would have never thought like that. Today I feel what if I can rewind my whole life, travel back in time, and do it all over once again. To see what would have happened if I had taken the other road. To see that what could have happened if I had said the right thing at the right time. To curiously find out what would have happened if I had said a NO instead of a YES. What if life had ‘Undo’ options and ‘Backspace’ keys, may be I would had logged in again for second chances.

Kandho ko kitabon ke bojh ne jhukaya
Rishwat dene to khud papa ne sikhaya
99% marks laaoge to gadi varna chhadi
Likh likh kar pada hatheli par alpha beta gamma ka chaala
Concentrated H2SO4 ne poora poora bachpan jalaa daala

As a child I was a nerdy kid who went to school with neatly oiled and combed hair (all thanks to my mom), who was always ranked very high in the books of my teachers (i feel so). As a child I always wanted to become an engineer. I don't understand did I even knew at that age what an engineer actually does and what different engineering fields exists. To be true for me an engineer was one who drives train's engine. I know it sounds too funny now. But what you learn as a child is engineers and doctors are the last thing that you can do in this world to survive and I too had that feeling(thanks to my parents and teachers) till some years of my school. For that studying hard was always necessary and I always use to study hard but with time and more matured age learnt to study smart then to study hard. What If I wouldnt had studied that hard. May be I would had got say maximum 10% marks less. What difference would it had made to get 70% instead of 80% in school days. May be my name wouldn't had beeen announced every annual day to get the prize for the best lot of students in that standard. But then may be my name would had been announced at other events like singing competitions, drawing competition, craft competition, etc etc.. which I liked to do but never did as studies were the priorities for me and my parents. 99% marks laaoge to gadi varna chhadi this line really goes very very well for my school days.

Getting into college was different feeling after a disciplined school life. There were no rules and regulations to be followed. The heart beated 1st time for someone but never had it that it would go on and express it to the heart for which it beated. What If I would had expressed my self with all the feelings in the heart may be the one whom the heart loved the most would had been along with the heart it loved (sounds too complicated I know).

Childhood went into studies and only studies and Teenage into finding what I actually want to do with my life. Today may be I have the answer to what I want from the life but whether I get it that the future will tell. But for the past may be if I get an another chance I will like to grow up again not because I regret the decisions I made in past as a kid, child or a teen but to see what the results would had been if I had taken the other path.

Moments of 2009..!

There are few hours left for 2009 to end and 2010 to start and sitting ideal on my pc i thought to pen down the moments in 2009. 2009 had many flavours for me and there were good, better and best moments as well as there were bad, worse and worst moments.

The year started off with a bang and 'WE' - (tats the name of my MBA friends group) celebrated a so called 'WE DAY' on 2nd Jan, 09 by meeting up and exchanging secret gifts with each other. This was one day which I guess I may not forget for a long long time. WE hardly had college this year as WE were in our final semesters but whenever WE met we used to go around together to some or the other place.

Education wise this was the year when I completed my MBA. I miss my MBA days the most but then now I feel work also has its own importance and enjoyment. After completing our MBA studies 'WE' went for a 4 day trip to Kudal and Goa. This trip was really very enjoyable one but deep down my heart there was a feeling that this might be the last time I am going out with all my MBA friends for a trip.

Once WE returned WE all started to find jobs as the recession had hit our batch so badly that there was not a single company that had turned up to our college this year for campus recruitments. But once WE returned from Goa I guess things were not the same as it used to be when WE were studying during MBA. May be the priorities in life had changed for all of us and now there were many new things in life for everyone then just friends. During college days WE decided WE will meet once a week which we never met, but WE used to meet at each others birthdays which after some time WE decided should be stopped and WE should meet once a month so that WE can spend quality time with each other but then its almost 3 months now that I haven't met all the WE's together at one place. Being in college I always thought that once the college completes things really change and also the people with whom you are so close during college days do. But never expected things to change so fast. Nevertheless I miss all my friends and still want to go for atleast a one day picnic with everyone and recollect all those moments. Hope this will happen very soon in 2010.

Professionally it was the year when I could say yes I finally started earning and have become responsible in life. I got a big big project from Taj Group of Hotels where I was the Project Head for a 3d animation project for Safety Evacuation Film for Taj Residency and Vivanta By Taj at Taj Bangalore properties. This was the best achievement for me professionally and I got to learn many things during this project. And yes I never did MBA to just do projects but to get some good job and join the rat race i mean to join a company and start working. And I did got a job and luckily I got not just 1 but 2 jobs. No, I wasnt working at both the places at same time but I had to quit my 1st job within just 3 months time as I wasn't happy with the things turning up for me over there. But right now I am enjoying my current job and feel I am learning many new things about the Internet industry every new day.

The 2nd job I got was the best thing that could happen to me at work as in the same company I had 2 of my best friends working along with me. I had kind of lost contacts with both of them after joining MBA but now I would like to thank my current company to bring us back together. We have lot of fun at work which makes work more enjoyable and less stressfull. We three just returned from a 3 days trip from Pune, Talegaon and Lonavala and had a great time together.

Many things did shaped up this year in my personal life as well. I guess I'll avoid to disclose those moments but only say that those were bad, worse and worst moments rather than being good, better or best. The best thing to happen in my personal life was that my sister got married to the love of her life this year and I feel very happy for her.

So to sum up 2009 was the year full of events which had its ups and downs and showed me many faces of life. I enjoyed this year as well as there were few moments which were depressing as well. In few hours time I am going for a party with few friends to celebrate the success we had this year and to welcome 2010. I will end up this post by saying that 2009 had many different flavours but somewhere I have a feeling that there is more coming up in 2010.

HEART is WISER than INTELLECT..!

"The heart is wiser than the intellect". As I read on this quote I thought is it really so. What do we really follow when we have to make any major decision in life. HEART or MIND...?

When I was growing up I always liked singing but then I never even thought of making career in singing and instead choose a career in IT by taking up Information Technology and later did MBA Marketing in order to make money and make status.

As a kid you are always told by your parents that the society respects the one who has a well paid job and so you are always forced to take that practical approach and choose a career where you see yourself having a good job and earning good money. But now I am not a kid. I am mature enough to understand what my heart really wants. Is a good 9 - 6 job and money everything in life or is living doing what I want to do is everything.

After my MBA, I wanted to be an entrepreneur by starting my own company but today I am working for someone, as the more practical approach in life says that its too early for me to even think of starting a business as there is lots of risk involved in starting own business. So I should gain knowledge and experience right now and make good enough money to start my own later. But the Idea which I have today may be someone else would use it in coming years and may succeed with that business idea and then I would regret that why I didn't followed my heart and feel It was worth taking the risk few years back.

When I think about marrying someone, would I run away with the convict whom I love or would I marry the sweet girl whom my parents feel is good for me. Practical approach would be not to run away as the society won't accept you later as if I have done some sin by eloping with the one whom I always loved but to marry the one my parents selected even if deep down in my heart I know that I dont love her.

So how do we know what to follow? Stay with our intellect as most people do and take the practical approach or follow our heart and take the so called emotional approach? Deep down in our heart we always know which approach we want to take between the intellect or the heart. It is our life, we know ourself, and therefore we know what approach to take. No matter how much we may think that we are confused, if we take a long hard look at the equation, we always know it. But its not always that we take the decision which we feel is the decision we want to take as between heart and mind most of the time we tend to follow our mind than the heart and what the mind says gets heavy on the heart most of the time.

But then there is no turning back the hands of time and we cannot go back and change a single thing. All we can do is regret our decision and wonder what it would have been like if we had taken the alternate path. And that is painful!

Now I yet have to come to the end of my life to see how my decisions will turn out, but so far I think both intellect and heart have provided me with decent choices. But then I feel one should often follow his heart as I do believe that the HEART is WISER then INTELLECT but even then what you feel is not what you always do as in most cases I am still not following my Heart...!

I Love You..!

No I am not proposing anyone.. Looking at the title of this post you may feel I am writing this because I cant say it to someone in personal so I am using Internet as the medium to express myself. Nah but thats not the case..

I Love You.. the three golden words which every one in this life expresses to someone or atleast feels like he or she will express it to someone one fine day. There won't be a single person on this earth who has not said I love you to someone or doesn't even has a wish to say it to someone special. Recently I also thought of expressing these three golden words to someone. Now dont ask whether I expressed or I didn't.. Thats not the question that I want to answer and not the reason why I am writing this post. After this thought came to my mind I thought I will write something about expressig these three golden words and so here I am writing on it.

Why is it so important to express these three golden words. Is it like if you dont express the feelings that you have for that special person are not true or is it you have to prove to that person that yes you really love her by saying it and letting her know. Dont you feel that such things are to be made felt not by saying. Your eyes speak and what you want to say through your mouth can also be conveyed through your eyes. But then Why is saying I love You so important.

Sometimes both the partners know that they love each other but then they always keep on expecting that who would be the first one to say those three golden words. The girls I dont know for some weird reason say that even if they like someone they wont be the one to take an approach to say those golden words as they always expect their guy would say it to them someday. But then why wait for that someday to come. Sometimes waiting for that someday can be too late and the feelings that you have for someone would always remain in your heart.

Expressing it by only saying it is not important. Its making the person feel that what you are saying is what you are feeling. Ya it sounds little complicated but then thats how it is. When you feel something for someone its not necessary everytime its only love. It can be infatuation also. But then how you know its love or infatuation. Whats that make us feel no its not just infatuation but its love. You may like many but you will always love one and that one has to be the one to whom you express those three golden words with all the feelings in your heart making that person feel what you are feeling.

Sometimes you always know that the answer after expressing those three golden words is going to be NO but still you feel that you have to express so that in future you dont regret that you didnt even had in you to express to that person. But then if you know the answer why is it still so important to express. Is it you do it for sake of doing it or is it you really do it because you feel like doing it.

I guess making someone feel what you are saying is really very important and someone told me that 'It takes just a moment to change someones mind'. So the way you say I LOVE YOU should be in such a way that it touches that persons heart in such a way that she does changes her mind.

Better to Quit than to get Kicked..!

Few months back I left my 1st job. It was hardly just 3 months and I decided to quit that job. I still remember the day when I had got this job and the amount of happiness that was there on my face. After all it was my first job after completing my MBA and more importantly it was into the field I always wanted to get into after my MBA. Advertising always excited me and I always wanted to get into advertising morever into online advertising but then getting a job into even mainstream advertising when all the students were facing the effects of recession was a kind of gift for me.

But then few months down the lane I quit that job. I know some may feel how could I judge a company on just 3 months time and feel I should have continued a little more. But then the situation wasn't the same as it was at the time of joining the company. The person who interviewed me showed me dreams to join the company but once I joined the profile wasn't the same as it was discussed in the interview. I told my self that its ok I'll adjust myself in this profile as even then there were no jobs there in the market due to recession. Client Servicing is what excitied me to take up this job but for 3 months I was doing only telesales job. The motivation level in the company among me and my colleagues was 0.

But then even this wasn't the reason for me to leave the job. I had adjusted myself and told myself I will continue till the time I can. But then one fine day the HR fired 2 of my colleagues who had joined along with me telling them that they cant come to the office from tommorow as the company has decided to terminate them. It wasn't fair as the company expected a weeks notice if someone wanted to leave the company and then how can they just ask someone not to come from tommorow. As it is there was enough pressure earlier and this incident just builded up the pressure. The same day I decided that its time now I should say good bye to this company as I never wanted the company to tell me that I cant work in the company from tommorow rather I would walk out of the company with my own dignity.

By Gods grace I did got another job very soon and morever this time I got into Online Advertising which I always wanted to get into. It was a hard task for me to convince the MD of my current company the reason behind why I was leaving my earlier job in just 3 months time but then I did succeeded in convincing him. I have no regrets today. But as it is said that you never forget the first things that happen to you I would also never forget my first job even though it lasted just 3 months. Some may feel I took a very early decision and should had given myself a little more time, some may feel I wasn't able to take the presssure and so I quitted, some may feel that I left just because my other friends also decided to quit. Whatever others may feel I still dont regret my decision and feel that It was better to QUIT then to get KICKED...!

Why I did MBA...!

Pratik Khot.. MBA in Marketing.. sounds good. I never thought when I was a kid that anytime in my future I would go on and complete my education in MBA. It feels good now as I have completed it.. But after completing my MBA studies when I was sitting ideal without any job a thought came to my mind that Why I did MBA...? And when I actually thought over it I didn't had a proper answer to this question.

Because I never aspired to be a management professional or pursue management degree when I was a kid not even when I was about to complete my graduation. Then why MBA... were there no other courses that time.. there were many other courses.. I had the option of doing MCA or MSc IT.. Was it because my friends did it.. no that cannot be the reason because at that time I was the one among my friends who initiated and told everyone tha they should also go for MBA. Was it because I didnt got a quick job after my graduation in IT as I never sat for any of the campus interviews.. But then later I did got a job which I left in 2 days time giving the reason I wanted to prepare for MBA entrance exams.. Was the reason that my parents always wanted me to do MBA but that wasn't the case as my parents were happy for me being an IT graduate and they wanted me to start earning and be more responsible in life. Was it like my dad had too much money and so I thought I would spend that in a better cause by atleast getting one more degree but then if that would had been the case I wouldn't had have to take loan to pay my MBA fees. Was it like I was going towards where thousands of other students were going after completing their graduation. But I wasnt the one who made decisons looking at what the crowds do.

So many possible reasons but then why did I choose to be a MBA proffesional. I still cant figure out what the actual reason was. May be all of these reasons were partially the actual reason for me opting to become MBA(hope you got what I meant by that line) or may be not.. Whatever the reason was but today I am a MBA.. Today I dont regret my decision.. I am happy with what I have in my hands.. I have a decent job with a decent salary.. Getting into MBA is difficult(the entrance exams would make you mad as the competition there is really tough) but once you get into MBA college then getting the degree is simpler. I hope a day will come when I will figure out the exact reason why I did MBA and I will rewrite this post once again with the same heading - WHY I did MBA...!

by Pratik Khot - MBA Marketing(sounds good)..!

Dedicated to WE

Hamesha yaad aayega ye dostana;
Jab na rahega sath hamara tumhara
Kitni hi khushiya mili joh yaha par;
Ke lagta kabhi ye sapana suhana

Woh har exam ke baad picnic pe jana
Jaha ek ek pal ek jindagi sa jeena
Har jagah ka he kuch khas yaadgana
Kabhi dil chahe sabka jisme kho jana

Woh sabki jaha jodiya banana
Aur bina baat ki baatein badhana
Woh sabko chidana, hasna hassana
Par khud pe aye to padta he sunna

Woh har roz sath me khana khana
Ke jese lage koi jashna manana
Kitne alag ho bhale, ek dusare se hum
Par basta he ek aashiya hamara

Woh har birthday bade pyar se manana
Aur Cards pe pyare se msgs likhna
Woh chehra sajana, b’day bumbs dena
Ek esa b’day he yaadgaar banana

Hamesha yaad aayega ye dostana;
Jab na rahega sath hamara tumhara
pata nahi hum agar mile na mile kalpar
dil me rahega ye khusiyon ka nazarana

- HETAL (MORNI...)

WEs KUDAL CUM GOA TRIP

EXPRESSING THE EXPERIENCE:
Our groups GOA cum KUDAL trip was the most memorable trip for me which i wont be able to forget for the time to come. Still remember how everyone was busy convincing their parents for this trip. We all met at CST station at 10:30 PM on 5th of May to catch the train for Kudal. Unfortunately didn't got to sit together in the train and all other people were around us in each and every compartment and there was no space for anyone to even move from one compartment to another to see each other. This was the first experience for me in the train to travel with people all over you and I guess for many others. Never the less it was just another experience. Then the next morning when there was little space free inside the train everyone started to move from their compartment to other to see each other. The compartment S4 was very much famous among guys for some reason and the gals were pretty much interested in knowing what was so famous there.

DAY 1: VISITED NEARBY PLACES AT KUDAL
Then WE reached Kudal station by 10:30 in the morning and the sun was beaming on us and WE took rick to reach Komals beautiful house inside the village. Then on the very first day WE went to some temple in Kudal which was situated near a Nadi. WE did peddale boating there which was first time experience for me and I had lot of fun there as all the others had. Luckily because me and Prabodh we pedalling the boat and we were rightly balanced and so the boat didnt sinked.(Right Apu). Then WE went to have a glass of famous drink there called limboo soda and then went to the villages main temple which was the KULDAIVAT temple as they call there. Then we had dinner at one Brahmins place and the dinner there was too good and the people who were not going to eat were also not able to resist and had good dinner there. Then we had a walk to home from the dinner place and that was one more experience for me for the first time to walk on the village road in the moon light with a group of friends. We reached home then had some time together and everyone was very tired so WE all went to sleep as again next morning we had to get up early.

DAY 2: EXPLORED THE BEAUTIFUL BEACHES AND VISITED MALVAN

Next morning everyone was ready as per the time and we left for the journey in two seperate Qualis. We first visited a place called NIVITI Killa which for some reason I call it NIYATI Killa (i guess the name Niyati sounds better for me). At Niviti killa there was nothing much exiciting except WE clicking photos there(WE can start clicking photos anywhere). Then we visited a beach near Niyati killa which was really a scenic beauty. It was the best beach I visited in the entire trip. After that we left that place and went to a temple which had samadhi of someone(i know i am really bad at recollecting names). Then from there we continued our journey and went to MALVAN(its also my native place but had never been there before). We had our lunch and went to Suppis teachers place there in Malvan where everyone relaxed for sometime. From there we went to Medhacha Ganpati mandir and then to Rock garden - a place I think we should had skipped. Then from there everyone except me had a famous COCKTAIL drink at Malvan and from there WE went to one more beach in the evening which was very sandy and had a game of soccer there where our team won by a score of 1-0(all because of gaurav). I had a bad time in the soccer game where I even falled down once and all the sand went in my mouth and eyes which made me feel a little bit uneasy and restless for sometime. WE left that beach and went for the dinner at the same Brahmins place. Before reaching to the place of dinner I was feeling a bit uneasy but then after reaching there and having some food I was completely alright. Then again WE had a walk in the moon light and reached Komals place. That day I thought that everyone was enjoying but were enjoying in their own way as the travelling was not together. That night WE had decided to do masti at home but then no one seemed much enthusiastic because of the whole day travelling so all went to sleep except Me, Mitesh, Gaurav and Sanket had a game of POKER where I lost all my money in the last game. Also Apu, Ruchi, Praju, Asu and Hetal were playing their favourite games whose names I cant recollect(some bachoo games). Then after I loosing the poker game WE four went to sleep.

DAY 3: OFF TO GOA
Next morning again everyone was ready ontime and WE started our journey to reach GOA. The in between journey to GOA was again memorable one and first time experience for many. We had to catch a ST bus to Sawantwadi first and then from Sawantwadi next ST bus to Mapsa(a place near Goa). The ST bus experience was first time one for most of them and some were even a bit afraid but luckily all went well and finally WE reached Mapsa. WE went to a hotel called RUCHIRA(the name was very famous in GOA) and we went there for lunch at lunch time but when WE got out from there it was almost a Tea time. Many of us management students had many suggestions for the hotel staff to improve on their Customer Services. After having lunch WE went to Prabodh's place and there as soon as WE reached WE played a game KHAMB KHAMB something(sorry again I forgot the name) which I played for the first time but enjoyed playing it. Then in the evening WE went to a nearby lake which again was a very beautiful place to spend time. From there WE came home and the gals of our group were going to make Pulav for everyone that day which they made and everyone enjoyed it. That night again WE had to sleep early.

DAY 4: VISITED SOUTH GOA

The next morning WE went to South Goa. In Goa WE had a small bus in which all of us got accomodated easily and all of them were together travelling and enjoying. First WE went to see COCO BEACH which is famous for Dolphins and WE got to see few Dolphins but they were all inside the water. Again there were many more placed there which were quite famous and one which got most famous there among us was JIMMY's HOUSE. The other spots were light house, Dil Chahta Hai spot, Central Jail, Vijay Malayas ships, etc. From Cocoa beach WE went to light house where WE clicked maximum photos together. Then WE had lunch and from there WE went again to some beach where we guys played volley ball(again I played volley ball for the first time) while the gals had rest under the shade. We visited few temples, beaches on the way in South Goa(Again I dont remember the names). Then in evening time all of us reached Kalangute beach(which I call kalingar beach) which had this rides facility where all of us had adventurous time of our life. WE did paragliding(where we fly in the sky through a parachute which is attached to the boat. Hetal was very much scared but then I was able to convince her to go for the ride. WE also did scooter boat riding in the beach which most of the gals were afraid of doing but finally they all did it.(WE have very STRONGGG gals in our group.. rite apuu..). The experience at this beach was the best experience for me and I had great time here. From there WE went to have dinner in pure veg hotel (as it was saturday everyone wanted to eat veg that day). Then from there WE reached home and went to sleep after the tiring day.

DAY5: VISITED NORTH GOA

In north goa WE went to old goa (place where the movie josh was shot) which is again a scenic beauty. WE first went to book our tickets for the cruise ship for which all of us were excited. As the ticket counter was closed WE went to a nearby garden and all of us enjoyed the kid rides there. Then WE booked the cruise tickets and went to a church where sunday mass was going on. The church was very beautiful (I like to go to the churches) and I got to know many new things over there. After that WE went to two other temples one being Shantadurga mandir (the other one I forgot) which were the famous temples there. After offering prayers in the temple WE went to have lunch. WE had lunch and from there the bus driver took us to some museum which no one of us was interested to visit as all of them were having good time inside the bus dedicating songs to each other. But finally WE decided to get out of the bus at Colva beach which was the worst beach I visited in Goa. They say that this beach ranks 2nd in Goa. The crowd here was unbearable and still WE were sitting there. Then WE left to Dona Pola which was again very beautiful place one should visit. This place had a history behind it that two lovers Dona and Pola had commited suicide at this place. After visiting Dona Pola WE went to Cruise Ship (the name was PARADISE SHIP) for which everyone was excited and waiting for. Cruise ship was great fun where WE danced in new style of GOAN dancing and 1 hour was far tooo less for us in the ship. From there WE went to have dinner and went home. That was our last night in GOA.

DAY 6: RETURNING BACK HOME

The next morning WE all left in our bus to the Thivim station. On the way WE went to Prabodh's uncle's place who greeted everyone with icecreams and also showed us their icecream factory. From there WE went to the railway station and caught the train to reach home. The whole day in the train was enjoyable and WE were having a very good time altogether. WE played cards, then again WE played POKER(this time I didnt lost any money), WE sung many songs and had talks with each other. The time in train was going good until WE reached Panvel station where Sanket had to get down. The feeling that everyone got after his depature cannot be expressed in words. After that the entire group got emotional and I wont be able to express those emotions in words here. Then Kalyan kumars got down at Thane station. I was going to get down directly at CST station first but just for few more moments with everyone I decided to get down at Dadar station. Said a good bye to everyone at Dadar and I came back home by 10:30 PM and yes my Mom and Dad had big SMILE on their face to see me back home.

This was a lifetime trip for me and the two years with you all guys were also most exciting and memorable days of my life. I still dont want to believe that it has ended and just wanted it to go on and on. But thats how the life goes. I am accepting this fact and moving ahead and wish all of you a great success and happiness for the time to come. LONG LIVE OUR FRIENDSHIP...!!!