A cursed breed

This blog has thus far mostly been a mouth piece for my take on my life, I have a feeling that it is going to diverge significantly. When you have a routine grind that feels like you are walking on a treadmill, you are sweating, but yet you are going nowhere; there is usually not much to write home about. And as the whole kalachakram repeats itself over and over and over, you tend to notice things that were once overlooked in the mad rush. And these are exactly what i want to be writing about.


This is not from one of those wild mood swings that I usually have, this is something that has been bubbling up for a long time. And something just pushed the trigger. It was the sight of some misinformed idiot on Indian national TV who was cursing the hapless IT breed for everything that was wrong with the nation, the latest being inflation.


From what I gather taking potshots at the yuppie generation has become the national pastime. India has always been about the mad rush; trying to make a living and a life and "settle-down". So is it wrong that youngsters opt for "engineering" so that they can make use of the really few oppurtunities that are in fact available. Parents are often as much a part of this decision. And now that, those decisions are finally making life a lot more bearable for a broader swath of the population, why in the Freaking world, do people want to go cribbing? Sour grapes? Beats me.


For every layman who wants a ring side view of how things go on inside the Indian IT machine, read on. The bright young minds come straight out of college, raring to work on cutting edge technologies and prove themselves to the world. But when they do land up some place, realisation dawns - sometimes real fast, that this is not what they want to be doing in life. It doesn't help that people call you a software coolie to your face. But coolies do make a lot of money these days and money definitely talks - to the maid in your house, to the land lord who charges throough the roof for a couple of rooms and a kitchen, and all the way to the cop who pulls you over because you have a tag around your neck - you are a cash cow.

The IT creature has to take free advice on everything from money management to career to even getting married. Career advice is sometimes the most insulting - you know IT being a dead end job that even a school kid can do, you should look for something better. Like what? Go back to the employment exchange? When you hear someone say that to you in your face, the motivation just drains away from you. And the funny thing is, these same people come to you for advice, when they want to get their kids into the engineering colleges with the best placement records, or the best IT company to join when you have a brilliant kid with multiple offers. And I was under the impression that cognitive dissonance affects everyone uniformly. My A##!!

And if someone is really fortunate, even one on traditional Indian values that need to be followed. For the uninitiated, the core values of the Indian system, is followed to the T here. You have the BPOs which are the bottom most caste and considered untouchable sometimes, then you have the low level service companies- which are basically between here and there, then you have the MNC service companies and then the hi-tech research firms and their lot. Unlike the caste that you are born to, perseverance can ensure that you do move up the food chain. And within each tier - we are neatly split along languages, educational degrees and the designation. The engineer developer hates the B.Sc tester. They both hate the project managers and everybody in turn hates the MBAs. Isn't this what Indian society and culture is all about? How can someone in their right minds accuse us for the lack of moral values in the industry? Fools. All of them!

So here they are, doing a thankless job, burning up the best years of their lives in pursuit of happiness and security for a whole lot of people around them. In doing so, slowly pumping blood into the veins of a still born nation. Money that has rippled down and ensured that everyone gets a share of the pie. Do they get thanked - No!. Do they want your sympathy - absolutely not. All they request for is to be let alone. They are young and ambitious and know what they want in life. They might be having a good time - the fast life and the works; but please realise that deep inside are anxious beings that are always on the look out for a better future. So the next time you see a bunch of youngsters hanging out in a fmaily restaurant , YES! Girls and Boys togethor!, dont give them the scowl, they are just having some fun. They are sons and daughters too and a little smile will do you no harm.