పోటుగాడు in College

Disclaimer: Tried my best to recollect, pen down everything I could remember accurately. If something is wrong, I will blame it on my memory. Instead of using my friends’ names, I am using short forms.

Timing: 1^st or 2^nd quarter of 2008 – 11 and half years ago:

Those were the days when I and my friends - PP, SP, SD, NP and K started attending few off/pool campus interviews of small companies. I was not able to clear atleast the 1^st round – written test in probably 4 or 5 instances. At that time, getting placed in a company was my biggest desire.

Through JKC – a job training & placement program for engineering colleges, some students of our college were invited for a campus interview of a MNC in a college near Ghatkesar, Hyderabad. This was the first time that we all were attending the placement program of a big MNC.  We all were given hall tickets and then written exam followed. I guess it was by late evening the results were announced. As usual, I was not in the list, along with me the left outs were my friends. Only NP made it to the technical round and eventually was offered the job.

We started back from the venue to reach home by night. On the way till Uppal, in the shared auto, we were discussing of not having job placement opportunities at our own college and to compete with a large pool of students from multiple colleges. We came to a firm decision of bringing this to the notice of the higher college management by boycotting the classes.

Next day, we organized a classroom meeting – a reasonable number of students combined from different engineering streams. While we were waiting for some more to come, whoever present in the classroom started making noise, were not listening to what we wanted to say. I then raised my voice, shouted, asking them to calm down. Then followed up with a mini speech, explained some instances why we have to take this up seriously as finding job outside the college in pool/off campus interviews is difficult. They calmed down reasonably. SD, SP, K were also in the process of explaining the issues to the individual groups. PP was in background. Our seniors also told their experiences on how they tried the same thing but to see no results.

I, SP, SD, K were constantly on phones, messages even during the classes. At home also, I was constantly on phones such that my father warned me not to do anything stupid.

Finally, on 3^rd or 4^th day, after the first 2 class lectures, we all came out of the college building and sat in the lawn. I remember our principal coming out shouting at us. The next part I remember was the crowd built up near the college indoor sports building, students divided into groups and involved in arguments/discussions with the staff. At one instance, saw the principal shouting at one of the students and questioning his attendance. Immediately, I interfered in middle, shouted back at him to check my attendance, announced loudly my roll number. Also, emphasized the point that we would talk with the senior management regarding our college placements problems. Finally, we all were assured that a meeting will be held with the senior college management.   (My other friend NN told me “నువ్వు అనవసరంగ ఆవేశపడ్డావ్. Sir already ఒప్పుకున్నాడు meeting కి)

It should be after a couple of days that the management came and we all sat in a meeting hall. Handful of us explained the need of having job placement programs at our own college, disadvantages of off/pool campus etc. My friend K stated “A college like XXX which is comparable to XXX (our college) bathroom can host a placement program. Why not us?”

I do not remember what the management final response was after hearing all our grievances.

I remember PP telling me that my face turned red when I was shouting and explaining in the class in the process of controlling the crowd. I was proud and was thinking high about myself for handling them. My imagination went wild - I saw myself as a political leader in the coming future.

Note(s): 

-- I was selected by another MNC shortly after this incident through a pool campus. Well almost, surviving as a software engineer.

-- PP did his Masters in US and currently working there. Eventually he will return to India ‘one fine day’. I foresee that ‘fine day’ is not in the near future – definitely not in the next 3 years.

-- SP went to US to pursue his Masters and now settled in US. He would not come back to India.

-- SD joined a big MNC subsidiary after graduation, thereafter completed MBA, worked in some company. Currently he is taking care of 2 startups in Hyderabad.

-- The MNC which selected NP ran into a financial scandal due to which the jobs of such students were at stake. Thus NP, with steady persuasions by SP went to US for Masters and is almost settled there.

-- K went on to complete his M Tech from a renowned college and currently working in a big industrial company in India.

So as to not to forget this page in the college history of mine, published as a blog post.

నీది ఒక చరిత్ర, ఇది నువు చేసిన ఒక పెద్ద ఘన కార్యం, ఇది చరిత్ర లో కలిసి పోకూడదు అని రాయడం ఆహా - అని నేనే అనుకున్న కానీ PP చెప్పిన్నట్టు ఎవరి కథ లో వాడే hero కబట్టి నేను పోటుగాడిని