Hello All
Welcome to my blogging attempt :smile: . I hope I am able to keep u interested till the end !!
Thanks for Blog It Forward- Chandra Shekhar Agarwal who invited me to participate in this. I did not know that such interesting things existed in SCN :smile: and thought it was all about SAP SAP and SAP :wink: ....
So let me share things about my journey of life , my views and few things about my state.
I came into this world on this very date ( 12 Jan ) 31 years ago on a cold wintry evening in a place called Guwahati ( in the state of Assam ) tucked away in the north-eastern corner of my country India.
So yes its my birthday today and I thought there could not be a better day to share this blog with all.
To give you an idea, this is where Assam lies .
State of Assam in the Map of India.
Growing up in a place known famously as the Land of the Red River and the Blue Hills ( Assam : The Land of Red Rivers and Blue Hills | Assam Portal ) , so many fond memories are etched in my mind.
The mighty Brahmaputra river passes right through the heart of my hometown Guwahati and forms an integral part of our lives.
Oh I forgot the photo ! So here it is
Then !!
Wasn't I slim? ....... and Now !! 
Focus on the background - not on me :smile:
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Many years later , now when I visit Guwahati in my short job vacations - the drive near the river , makes me very nostalgic..
I had a wonderful childhood and school life surrounded by family and friends.
Did my schooling in Kendriya Vidyalaya ( often called Central School in India as it was mainly for transferable Central Govt Employees ) and its best part was that we had students from different corners of the country and it always fascinated me to meet people who speak different languages and came from different cultures .
Maybe this aspect played a major role in shaping my entire personality
Higher Education and Job took me to different parts of the country and the experience continues to this day .
Started with Kuruskhetra ( North India ) , Coimbatore ( South India ) , Kolkata ( East India ) , Hyderabad ( South Central India ) , and now in Kangaroo land ( Sydney specifically ) .
Did my mechanical Engineering in NIT Kurukshetra , Haryana . Its a place about 2100 kilometers from my hometown.
Traveling by train those days took close to 48 hours and I still remember making the train compartment our "transit home" for 2 days.
Long journeys , low on money , sharing train berths and traveling on Wait Listed tickets are stories we still share among the college friends even as we are now spread out in different corners of the globe.
Joined IT after 4 most memorable years in college as a Mechanical Engineering Student. Honestly never gave any serious thought about which job to select but only intention was to get a job quickly. Luckily was selected in the 1st day of the campus interviews and the entire final year went off in a party mode thereafter.
The college gang. My best mates who are all now big shots . And this pic was in the canteen near the Girls' hostel.
Looking at the pic above , cannot believe that its already 8.5 years in the IT world with 2.5 years as an Oracle DBA and the last 6 years in the wonderful world of SAP :wink:
I still smile when I think about the start in SAP . Let me share a small anecdote.
My first job was as an Oracle DBA, I loved it very much and thought my career would be built around "Thomas Kyte blogs" and "Metalink" . :wink:
I knew remotely that there was something called SAP, its a German based company and that was it.
I was working in Hyderabad during that time and One fine day ( it was in Nov , 2007 ) , I got a call - "Will you be interested in a SAP Basis Job with IBM " ;
I replied to the lady that maybe she has got the wrong number and I was an Oracle DBA.
I was almost about to drop the call when she said - " I know you are a oracle DBA and we are looking for people like you !! " Just to put her off , I asked her to drop me an email and I will check and respond back :smile: ( its a typical response when you are not interested )
My girlfriend ( who is now my wife !! ) encouraged me to go for the interview. She is an Oracle Apps Consultant herself and wanted me try for this.
Thanks to her perseverance to push me, I went to the interview.
Honestly speaking , it was not a good interview. I immediately called her to say - " No Luck!! I flunked it "
But lo and behold !! I got a call for the HR after 2 days , and that is how SAP started for me.
I came to know later that it was a program in IBM to move people with prior DBA experience into the SAP Basis stream. I was unsure whether it was the right thing for me at that time. But 6 years down the line , I can say I have cherished every moment of it. Apart from the work, more of it has been due to the people with whom I have come in contact with .
Office Pics :
With some of my office colleagues
Lunch with the complete team !!
I share my birthday with the great Swami Vivekandana , the best preacher of the ideals of the Hindu religion.
Jan 12th is celebrated as the National Youth Day in India.
Love these quotes from the great man -
Fear is the greatest SIN my religion teaches.
I am a die hard sports fan. Tennis , football , cricket , anything on the Sports Page of the newspaper interests me a lot . I am an avid reader of books and articles. Me and my younger brother have a mini library collection in our home.
Best thing about my current work location is the chance to meet people from different countries.
My current office colleagues include a Filipino , South African and German , and I am enjoying it :cool:
Technology fascinates me somehow. New things and new ways of doing things. Today morning was pleasantly surprised to see this birthday wish
Eating is another thing I cant resist. I love almost anything and everything served to me - South Indian Dosa , North Indian Tandoori , Bengali Rice , Thai Chicken , Pastas ( this will be a never ending list ) :smile: . I must share with you that I am trying to control this habit now :cry:
But my most favorite pastime - to have never ending discussions , be it with friends, family , about everything under the sun .
Starting from politics , technology, sports , business etc etc . And the best part is my wife also shares the same passion with me .
I guess having a relationship of 13 years and being in the same school since 7th standard helps :razz: .
And our conversation skills got honed while maintaining this relationship in a remote system modefor 9 years ( over thousands of rupees of mobile bills :oops: ) before finally deciding to stay together forever . So here's our photo together:
Some things about my state - Assam . Make a tour plan to this place and I bet you will not regret it.
- Assam lies in the North Eastern part of the country - often termed as "Paradise Unexplored!"
- It is the only natural habitat of the One Horned Rhinoceros in the entire world.
Found mainly in the Kaziranga National Park which is a major tourist attraction.
- Bihu dance is the traditional Assamese dance
- Assam produces 1/3rd of World's tea. The state is abound with lush green tea gardens and its a sight to behold. So logically speaking , every third cup of tea you drink has the possibility of coming from Assam :smile:
Are you still reading this. If yes then thanks - :lol: , hope you will continue to the end.
Now its time to answer the questions -
1.The dream job when I was kid :
Doctor !!! ( inspired from family .. but somehow lost it in between :smile: )
2. If given a chance to show your creativity, in which specific field would you make an attempt?
Cooking.
3.What is your worst coding program ? The program you would like never to modify ... ?
Being a basis guy , never wrote any code . But yes made some silly mistakes which I would not like anyone to do.
4.What is the craziest thing you would have done in your life?
My wife tells me I am crazy enough, so could not think of anything else :smile: ..
5. What 2 things do you like the least about working in IT?
Weekend Work and performance appraisals.
6.What 2 things do you like the most about working in IT?
Innovative challenges and opportunity to learn new things.
Thanks to all for reading my blog . Keep enjoying and keep smiling !!!
Rishi
Bloom where you are planted :smile:
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