“So, Mr. Roy, how are you feeling, pretty pumped up I suppose “… asked the guy in the white striped shirt, smiling perhaps sarcastically, across the table. My indecisive nod came almost, instinctively & too quickly to actually think and answer. But perhaps being impulsive at times, deceive others into believing what they want to hear & let them carry on with the moment, instead of remarking on our lack of understanding of the situation. My first day ( technically third , with the first two being consumed in sessions with HR department & completion of joining formalities ) in office of a multinational company & I had no idea , why I was here , other than to earn my share of bread & butter . The heaps of technical nuances with which this organization was dealing with, well to say the least were quite intimidating to a college graduate. To secure a job here, well was a matter of serenity & concern at the same time.
There I was sitting , in a small 5X5 room , surrounded by ‘ThinkPads’ & ‘Thinkers’ , trying to get a feel of what lay ahead on my corporate journey . During the course of the day, I was told in fractions & decimals about the job role by my more experienced counterparts. None of which, was actually going to my head, because all I could see was how people were glued to their laptop screens most of the time, with a hand & an ear on their phones. The room had a black tainted glass wall on one side & all you could see through it, were a couple of men flung through to a safety harness & cleaning building glasses. The white board on one side of the room had nothing but some random rectangles made out & connected to each other through lines across them. “That’s the SAN connectivity diagram for one of our clients “ , my curious look to the board had been answered immediately . The next 10 minutes I was goggling the meaning of SAN, since I thought maybe it had something to do with the client trying to have a connection with someone in Japan!!!
“Don’t worry, the initial few months are going to be like this only. Everything, almost well, is going to pass over your head like screaming MIGs . You’ll hear a lot of noise , might as well , catch a glimpse or two , but you won’t be able to get hold of anything . Just observe your seniors performing the daily task & keep asking questions in between. There’s no need to get into the action right away, just relax & chill, this is your honeymoon period “. Venky had probably waited for a year or 2 to pass on this advice given to him by his seniors to the first fresher he would come across & that was evident from the way he had said it , in a jiffy. “But if we just watch & observe on our honeymoon, what fun would that be “… & I kept this enquiry just to the mischievousness of my thoughts.
Sneezing & the grumbling sound your tummy makes are perhaps the only 2 physical body reactions that come without any warning & the latter one tends to be more stronger when you are in public. The first time it happened, when I was a kid & visiting my Buaa . My parents , like any other Indian parent , had strictly advised to behave nicely & show courtesy specially during meals . Perhaps , its one of the most misconstrued general notion formed by parents , that a child is obedient only if he refuses something to eat when visiting someone. My Buaa , laid down a Bowl of Rasgullas in front of us , knowing my sweet tooth & absolute craziness for Rasgullas . After having 2 , I was given a familiar look by my father , as if my Buaa would have billed him for an year’s supply if I would have leant on for the next one. Hesitatingly, I withdrew & my Buaa out of her love , asked me to take a few more , which I politely refused. My polite refusal was followed a loud grump from my stomach, telling me & my father not to indulge in fake courtesy & keep the Rasgullas coming.
“Roy , would you like to have something to eat , it’s almost 4 pm & it’s still some time for office to get over “, enquired Deboshri sitting alongside the glass panes. Out of the first day courtesy , I shook my head in negation & tried to opt out , but for my tummy , which made sure that the truth was indeed revealed. So , after being the butt of jokes for the next 10 minutes , finally I asked that what were we going to have . “The BARAKHAMBA BADASS “ in absolute unison , came a reply , which I had no clue about. A few dial ins on extensions & in a couple of mins , the no. of people had increased from 4 to 15 , all in the name of the ‘BADASS’ . “ Hey Roy, why don’t you come along , I would need a hand with all those BADASSES “ , asked Ronit as he was about to exit the room & there was no chance I would have missed any opportunity to go out of that room .
On our way , I asked Ronit what were we actually going to have , & he just smiled back at me . Being a die hard foodie , there’s nothing more excruciating to me than to have people talk about something to eat which I haven’t even heard about . Ronit & I , went across the road , my eyes were searching for cafes & restaurants , which could possibly answer my anxious tummy . Ronit asked me to take a closer look at a Peepal Tree , just on the foot notes of the famous Gopaldas Building . Besides the Peepal tree , there was an extremely small shop , good enough for 02 people to stand together & not more . The shop was surrounded by flocks of people in corporate formals & casuals , eagerly anticipating , what I was soon to find out. Ronit bought 15 tokens form the shop owner sitting under the shade of Peepal . He had asked me to stand in the long queue , which had formed very meticulously on its own , outside the delivery counter. Ronit finally , handed over the tokens to me & I started waiting for my turn .
Suddenly, there was a mad rush of people , & the sophistication & mannerism of people forming queue , suddenly vanished in thin air. I saw hoards of people, in ties , suits & oxford shoes , finding ways to lean over each other & hand the tokens to the person at the delivery counter . Every time , someone’s order was completed, I could see a ridiculous sense of achievement at their faces , beside big brown paper bags covered in plastic from outside . Ronit , sensed that I had fallen apart & it needed a more pro-Indian approach to get our order. Before he could lean over people ahead of him, suddenly the mad rush came to a halt & people went back forming a queue. The delivery counter had run out of deliverables. I looked at Ronit , & what he told me next I can never forget even after so many years , “ Roy , paying for something doesn’t ensure you get it , you have to fight for & earn it , Be the BADASS “ . “What , the heck is this BADASS “… I asked amidst the crowd , looking at us amused.
As we crossed back & reached back to our office Lift, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter & Ronit too. As me & Ronit entered the common Engineers room, the Brown bag of deliciousness sniffed onto the office corridors & invited not only those who were expecting it , but few more as well. Moments after , as I had my first big bite , I re-discovered the breathtaking deliciousness of India street food. The Barakhambha BADASS , was the most crunchy yet tender BrEad Pakora , I had ever tasted.
That moment of the first bite is now a Big Blur to me , not because of the time which has gone by , but perhaps the truest of emotions , voids our senses to record or analyse anything & in the process overpowering us to a hyper dose of ecstasy .
It’s been almost 10 years now & though having switched jobs , I still make it a point to visit the Bread-Pakora shop under Gopaldas building on Barakhamba Road & have my slice of tastefulness. In case you are wondering about its constituents, even I haven’t been able to decode it myself , apart from a few. The double layer of bread is filled thinly minced cottage cheese, applied with a mixture of grinded mint leaves, coriander powder, perhaps black pepper. The Add-On chutney is another delight in its own sense. Prepared freshly every hour, the chutney also consists , mint leaves , grinded with coconut & groundnut powder, topped with some selective spices .
The Life of a fresher in India I.T industry is like the like of a fresher, in any other industry. You have to put in hard yards to learn from established people. Go out of your comfort zone , extend those office hours at times & adapt to all the un-routinely routines. At times, you feel lost , at times you feel tired & at times you just feel out of perspective . But that’s what makes you ask questions to yourself , like how far can you go & how much can you bear . Your tolerance & inner strength might not come your aid every time , but the BADASS bread – pakora will . It will come , not that easily though ( there’s a fight for it too ) , but once you grab a hold , It will engulf you from inside & by the end of it , You will be IT … A BADASS !!!!
