Monday, August 25, 2008

TCS ZINDABAD



Yes you read it right ……TCS zinbabad. I will say it more more time TCS ZINDABAD.

Before my placement season began I felt an anti-TCS atmosphere in my campus. It was mainly because of the stereotype that TCS suffers form-Trespassers Can and will be given Service (TCS). But now I know better.

A lot has been said about how TCS hires trucks during its recruitment procedures as the number of offer letters can also be brought in using trucks. Bathroom humors like this and many more are common before the D day.

The D day should actually be rechristened as T-day. It is in this day that our desi MNC TCS comes alone but leaves after making 100’s of dream come true. In many campuses this is the first and last company to come as others are not required. That may be stretching things a bit too far but still as long as TCS is there all engineers and computer application students know that their chances of remaining unemployed is slim.

Even during the 2000-01 IT screw up TCS stood firm and now with depreciating dollar, rising oil prices, sub prime crisis and political uncertainty one would have been forced to believe that TCS’s dream run is over but in its characteristic way TCS has surprised every one but hiring if not more but at par with previous years.

But people still say “if not any where else than TCS”, well given the present crisis “no where else but TCS” is more apt. Lets not go into technicalities. Many may argue against my claim by talking about the type of work given there, the environment, the talent there blah blah blah….

I say at least it is giving you a job, a security. It has given all of us a cushion to fall back on. If you really think that you better than this then prove it by getting a “better job”, and even when you do that dare not look down on a TCS employee, as the work for a company which has revolutionized the Indian IT arena.

TCS today is a far of cry than the India of 70’s. A typical Amitabh Bachchan movie of that time symbolized the angry young man, frustrated from the system due to lack of opportunities. But today we can not be that grumpy. The youth of today has immense opportunities. It is a question of tapping it.

I guess bestowing TCS all the honor is not fair. The current opportunities are the results of years of toil by numerous organizations, but some how at least in my opinion TCS is the crown jewel. It has shown the way for others to be inspired and try to follow it.

Yes there are companies “better” than TCS but still no one recruits as many as TCS, no one leaves behind so many smiling faces as TCS, no one can sweep campuses like TCS.

Don’t get me wrong I am not an employee of TCS. I am just an admirer.
TCS zindabad.

Monday, August 11, 2008

IN TWO MINDS


‘Did you ever have the feeling that you wanted to go
And at the same time had the feeling that you wanted to stay’


Computer science engineering is always a trade off. Some of the greatest minds always strive to obtain the optimal code the best possible algorithm but invariably what they end up achieving is a compromise. They solution is almost always implementation dependent. So we end up with an “optimal” solution for a “particular” test case. So when all is said and done, it is always a ‘trade off’. Its is always about weighing the pros and the cons. It is about choosing one of the many correct paths.

Cut to real life and we have an almost same story. We are always in two minds. We always wanted the best of both lives and curse faith for making us choose one. Some may argue it is like having your cake and wanting to eat it also others may counter argue it is like having either cake or cookies but not both.

But many times it is not about choosing between two good things, invariably we have to choose the lesser of two evils, also no matter what decision we take it will leave someone heart broken and will make us the villain. It is as if we make one decision and are forced to stick with it, but all the time we wish that we had taken the other available path knowing fully well that the other path would have also led to this mind set of regret.

Yes there are a few who always know which path to traverse when they reach a crossroad. They decide; they stick to it; they face the consequences with no regret. But this is also true that such men are a rare breed. But for the majority of us are always in two minds. May be this is what separates the focused for the unfocused, the believers from the quitters, the leaders from the followers and the winners from the losers.

But many times it is not within our control. It is just human nature. It is human to want more and imagine ‘what if?’, also it is human nature to hope against hope and believe that no matter what I will end up fine.

Then again winners are not just mere human beings. They are ‘winners’.

‘Did you ever have the feeling that you wanted to win
And at the same time had the feeling that you wanted to lose’