The day I joined this company I told myself "I am going to stay here
for minimum two years and grow". Two years is quite a commitment if
my job is taken into consideration, I am a software engineer. This
is my second job. The first one was in India's one of the biggest
multinational companies. There I was recruited from my college, in
the campus interview. I worked there as a trainee for about 8 months.
I hated those days. In a big company there is nothing worse than
working as a trainee. Everybody thinks you are a kid and you get no
good work. All you have to do is testing of some software whose
functionality is not clear to you. While testing if you find lot of
bugs, you are in bad books of the senior developers. If you don't
find enough bugs, your boss isn't happy and thinks you are lazy! I
remember, once my co-tester found out a very easy and effective
solution to a problem that was implemented in a less efficient
manner. When he brought this up in our regular weekly meeting, I
found he has made a mistake. The system designer was shifting
uncomfortably in his place, the developers were uneasy and the
project leader told him 'good thinking, but we cannot change it
now'. That marked the end of his wonderful suggestion.
No wonder I was in search for a new job from the very beginning.
When I got the offer from another multinational with a better salary
and a position of a developer (no more testing, please) I grabbed it
at the first opportunity. So, when I joined Genesis, I told
myself "I am going to stay here for minimum two years and grow". As
I joined here with some experience, and not as a fresher, I got some
respect from my colleagues. They used to believe I must be real good
in my field and that is why I could switch job within a year of
starting my career. I was put in an overseas project. If you are
from software industry in India, you must be knowing that working in
an overseas project is considered as 'upclass' for a fresher. So my
friends from last job as well as college days agreed that I am 'damn
lucky'. Even I considered myself lucky with good project, good work
and not so good environment. Though I wasn't really ecstatic about
the new environment, I was not complaining. Frankly speaking, I did
not like it a lot.
The reason being primarily the memories from my last company where
things were more casual with colleagues and very formal and
methodical with the work. here it was casual with work and formal
with colleagues. Here design was made after the implementation has
been done. It was more of a postmortem without considering the
option of diagnosis when the patient was alive. Anyway, I was
getting acquainted to the system and was faring through. The project
was in the starting phase when I joined it. That was good for me as
I could join the design meetings where major decisions regarding the
project were taken. I learnt how the meetings were conducted and who
all were the important members of the team. The meetings also helped
me dividing my team members into some distinct categories... some of
them were good decision makers, but technically no so sound. Some
were technically very good, but lacked the personality to take up a
responsibility. Some were very enthusiastic but did not have much
directions. They were mainly the younger people.
Some were very reluctant to accept changes but once they are
convinced, they were the leaders. Also I found that only about 5-6
people actually contributed to the discussions, the rest were just
ornamental in the meetings. Very interestingly I found that there
was a lady in the team, named Yamini on whom our project leader,
Akash, was heavily dependent. She was of the same age as that of
Akash and both of them had around 5 to 6 years of experience in the
industry. The fact was Akash was a little hesitant to make some
decisions and Yamini was very quick in coming to conclusions. Though
she did not have exceptional technical expertise, she was the right
hand of Akash. Akash had a good knowledge of the project and he was
very good in his job but I felt he lacked the toughness of a leader.
I guess that is where Yamini was helping him out. Together, they
gave the team a good leadership.
Among the rest, were 3 people, Manish, Purvi and Nikhil who were
core members and had around 3 years of experience behind them. All
of them had noteworthy contributions to the design meetings. The
rest were like me and were about one year old in the industry. So, i
figured, there were five people above me in this project. Initially
the project started in a slow pace and did not need many extra
hours. But I used to sit back in office some evenings. I noticed
Yamini was among the first to leave for home and Nikhil and Akash
were the last ones. Those who stayed till late hours used to work
less and spend more time in front of th coffee machine and tennis
boards. But Nikhil was a exception. I saw him sweating hours after
hours in front of the computer with his tasks. As a result he came
late the next day and again had to stay back. He was the least
organised of all, but most knowledgeable in the team.
He could not speak up in the meetings, but in small groups of two or
three, he could explain his point very clearly. So, he used to
explain things to Purvi or Manish and they used to suggest those
ideas in the meetings and got all the credits. Nikhil never bothered
a bit. Surprisingly I noticed that it took him hours to implement
the ideas that he himself has given. He was a fast thinker, slow
programmer and a bad speaker. I concluded that he is not my
competitor. Manish and Purvi were very close friends. Rumors were
they are going to get married soon. Neither of them answered to
this, they just smiled and then changed the topic. Both of them were
above average, be it designing, coding or speaking. They also shared
a good rapport with Akash and Yamini and the 4 of them had worked
together in many earlier projects.
As for me, I found myself in the company of Nisha, Pavan, Sundar and
a bunch of other people. I mentioned Nisha, Sundar and Pavan because
it was the four of us always going around together, be it lunch,
taking breaks or returning home. I never considered them to be my
competitor because they were not ahead of me, and I consider only
those people as my competitor who are in a better position than me
in some perspective. They were not very ambitious also, just
ordinary programmers from the industry. They were like the school
children who don't know what to do if the teacher is absent. Worse,
like the children, they think it is a great day for fun as the
teacher is absent. Only, they forgot that this is not a school and
no matter how you waste your day, you have to give an account of
your work done at the end of it. That is where they faltered and I
never did. I had made up my mind that I will grow here in this
company... I did not come here to remain a programmer all my life.
Days went by and the project moved along. I felt that we are not
performing good enough. We could do more things in the time we had
already spent. Not everyone was giving their best.
The project was supposed to run for a year. After the first 4
months, one day we were all summoned in a meeting. This was no
ordinary meeting, our General Manager who looks after overseas
projects called for the meeting. Everyone was quite tensed up as he
was known to be a tough guy. After the initial introductions, our
GM, Padmanava, came straight to the point. 'I have been watching the
progress of this project very closely since the very beginning. I
have received a bunch of mails from our team in the US who are
sending us the project details and required specifications. In every
mail they have mentioned that the client is not happy and they are
not satisfied with our progress. In general I take the the side of
our guys here in India, but I must say, whatever they have said is
correct. In fact, if you ask me, I am extremely ashamed of the
project status. Not a single piece of work that we had sent is of
good quality and not once we have sent the things on time. I want to
know why is this happening?' There was a silence in the room. I
thought 'what else could we expect if we are interested in finding
other's mistakes rather than correcting our own?' 'Could you please
explain that statement, Ms. Tanuja?' When I heard my name being
called by Paddy (thats ! what we used to call Padmanava behind his
back) I realised that I have made a mistake... I was thinking aloud.
But now nothing can be done.
So I bit my lips, took a deep breath and started in a clear
voice 'Sir, we have a team working in the US who interacts with the
client and tell us what they have understood. We take over from
there and come up with the design and send it to them for
ratification. Now they run through the design documents and modifies
them and send that back. Now starts the problem. Firstly, at this
stage we are not sure what changes they have made. So, majority of
our time goes in finding their additions and alterations in the
documents. Then if we find any problem, we do not proceed with it,
we send it back to them for correction and we don't do any
substantial work that day. They again run through the thing and send
us back. This goes on for sometime before we actually sit down to
implement it.
While implementation, we come up with some more problems or new
ideas and again the process of sending documents to and fro starts.
Don't you think that we need a better and more organized method of
communication with our US counterpart?' 'What is your idea of a
better method of communication?' asked Paddy. 'There can be
improvements in a couple of places. Firstly, everytime a
modification has been made to the design documentation, an entry
should be made in some kind of log mentioning the date and reason of
the modification with the name of the person involved. Secondly, not
everybody should be allowed to work on the design documentation. May
be Akash with Nikhil or Manish should only handle it. Thirdly,
someone handling the design documents should be the business
knowledge base of the project. Thus, if anyone has any doubt
regarding the business logic or design decisions, that person can
answer those doubts.
This will eliminate the possibility of repeatedly asking the same
questions to our US team.' 'What do you think of this, team?' 'Sir,
this is very easy to say, but difficult to implement. Ofcourse, I
appreciate her initiatives, considering she is a fresher in the
team' said Yamini. 'What do you think, Akash?' 'I think she is
correct, we need to be more systematic.' Akash never likes to think
about something not technical. 'Manish?' 'I don't know. I think the
mode of communication is alright, but we need to put some extra
hours' Manish himself hardly likes to stay back for
work. 'Purvi?' 'I guess, we should divide the project into smaller
modules to handle them more effectively' Purvi is always with good
ideas. 'Now thats another interesting idea. Nikhil any
suggestion?' 'I was thinking, can we have regular team meetings to
check our progress? But I guess we already do that. No, okay, I
agree, we are lacking communication.' Nikhil is never sure about
himself! 'Any other suggestion?' No one spoke.
'So, here we have a bunch of new ideas. Improve communication
methods, work extra hours and divide the project into smaller
modules. Akash, I want to see all of these done and most
importantly, show me some better reports from our client.' Saying
that Paddy left the room. So that was it. Akash was visibly shaken.
Yamini was furious. Manish and Nisha were eager to talk about it.
The juniors were scared. Only Nikhil was unperturbed. I was
satisfied to make a mark in the meeting. The next few days Akash had
many closed door meetings with Yamini, Manish and Purvi. Sometimes
Nikhil was also asked to join. Nobody talked about what happened in
those meetings and we were left speculating. Finally, that Friday,
Akash called for a team meeting and we all joined him in the
conference room. He had a list in his hand and his face was quite
expressionless. Yamini was still very agitated. I imagined that she
could have an outburst at anybody at anytime. So, it is better to
avoid her for now. After everybody sat down, Akash came straight to
the point. He said that we are going to work in a different manner
from now on. Now, the project will be divided into three modules and
there will be a module leader for each team.
All the team members will report to their respective module leader
and module leaders will report to Akash. There will be a person in
the team who will not do any coding. That person will be the contact
person for any business decisions, explanations and communication to
the US counterpart. Any change request should come through that
person and all addition/alterations will be reported to that person.
We shall have a team meeting every Monday to decide on the course of
action for the week. Every Thursday the module leaders will meet
with Akash and report the week's work.
On Friday Akash will report to Paddy about the week's work and the
following week's plan. So far so good. I was waiting to see in which
module I am placed. Frankly, I did not work with Yamini. Somehow I
was not in her good books and she did not miss an opportunity to
make a comment on whatever I said or did. Akash had started speaking
again 'The first two modules are smaller than the third one. So, we
shall have lesser number of people working in these two modules. The
first module will consist of Manish, Sundar, Anu and Anand. Manish
will be the module leader. The second module will consist of Nisha,
Purvi, Pavan and Kuldip. Purvi will lead this module.' By this time
I started cursing because I was sure to have Yamini in my team. 'The
third module is the most important one. This contains the most
complicated logic. So the module leader will be Nikhil.
The other members in the team will be Vinod, Arvind, Sachin, Vishal
and Aruna'. 'Hey, where am I?' I was surprised not to find my name
in the list. 'Ya, we are coming to you. I had a talk with Paddy
regarding you. We know that Purvi and Manish will be going away to
the US after a few months. I pray that this happens after this
project is over. But if their H1 papers come sooner, then we shall
lose two important members of the team. In that case, we shall merge
the two teams and Tanuja will lead the team with Yamini's help. Till
then you will have to do some work for both the projects. Yamini
will be the central person who will be responsible for the business
decision changes and communicating with the US team.' Now I saw the
whole picture. Yamini never liked me. So she has convinced Akash to
give me the most ill-defined job.
They have convinced Paddy saying that I will be made the module
leader and will do a good job. On the other hand, I will never be
able to work as a module leader because when Purvi and Manish leave
there will be hardly anything left. Moreover, Yamini will always
have the ultimate word and she will use me as the scape goat if we
miss any project deadline. I needed to talk to Akash. I asked him if
we could talk and he replied that if we have to talk, we should talk
right now, in front of everybody else. So I constructed by words
carefully 'I am a little concerned about my ill defined
responsibility right now. Also, do you think that I will be able to
lead two modules combined? I am apprehensive because I am quite new
in this company and don't really know about how the things run.'
Before he could open his mouth, Yamini answered. Everybody could see
the sarcasm on her face 'Now you are going too far. Firstly, your
responsibility is not ill defined. You have to work for both the
projects.
That means, you will get well-defined instructions from both Purvi
and manish every Monday. Secondly, you are given ample time to find
out how things run in this company so that when they leave you can
pick their responsibilities. Thirdly, if you think you are not quite
ready for your position now, you shouldn't have talked in the first
place in front of Paddy. Anyway, we can give you another chance. If
you think you are not quite happy, please write us a mail saying so
and we shall request Paddy to move you to another project.' So that
was that. 'Good.' I thought. Atleast now I know that I will be
living with snakes around. The meeting ended without another word.
Akash started avoiding eye contacts with me. Manish and Purvi did
not say anything, but they were uneasy while talking with me. Nikhil
was just the same. He never cared much about office politics. Rest
of the guys in the team were sympathetic with me. But almost all of
them mentioned that Yamini is a rattle snake and I have made the
biggest mistake of my life to speak against her in front of Paddy.
I remembered, Yamini has taken everything personally because it is
she who is always in lookout for errors from the other side and
delays the work no matter how trivial the error is. I did not think
it as my biggest mistake... I wanted to keep that title for future
use. Anyway, I already felt adrenaline gushing through my veins and
started to prepare myself for the battle. When I came to office the
following Monday, I found two mails, one each from Manish and Purvi.
Both had a list of things that I needed to do by the end of the
week. I expected that. So I started right away. This was not a
problem for me. But I found it difficult to go to two team meetings
at the same time. So, Manish and Purvi had to adjust their meeting
schedules to have me in them.
Also, two meetings meant less time for programming. Both of them
were given heavy workloads and as a result I got heaps of work from
both of them. I had to sit back till late every evening. Still I
could not manage to complete my work always. So I started coming on
Saturdays too. My personal life became a history and office was
everything for me. Sometimes I thought why don't they provide an
apartment nearby, so that I don't need to go home after work and
thus save the 3 hours for commuting. Many days I was the first
person to come to office and leave last with Nikhil after closing
the gate and giving the keys to the janitor. Since I could give less
time to Sundar, Nisha and Pavan, they also did not disturb me. In
fact, whenever they came to my cubicle to have some small talks,
Yamini made a note of it. Just after they left my table, she would
call them and start asking about their progress. So, they got the
hint and did not talk to me when she was around. Akash was in bad
shape. I have never seen a person so involved in his work. But still
he could not regain the respect of a team leader from the fellow
team members. Also, she was losing fast to Yamini.
She was in effect the project leader and Akash was reduced to the
position of a technical support guy in the project. That way she was
the leader in front of the team but Akash was answerable to Paddy. I
could feel the frustration in Akash but he could not say anything.
Whatever he will say, it will show how stupid he is and how smart
Yamini is. It was a Saturday when I saw Akash in office. I used to
enjoy my Saturdays because none of the seniors came to office on
weekends. So I was surprised to see Akash. He was looking very
different. he just sat in his cubicle and stared out of the window.
As the lunch hour approached, I went to him and asked if he would
like to accompany me to lunch. He agreed and we went to the canteen.
There we started talking about many things.
After a while, he asked me if I was looking out for a new job. I was
not expecting this question and immediately became cautious. 'No, I
am not looking out for one. Are you?' 'Ya, actually I am in a
dilemma, so I wanted to talk to someone about this. Can I talk to
you?' Now this sounds interesting! 'Ofcourse, tell me.' 'Actually, I
have been in this company for more than 3 years. So I was thinking
that I will make a switch after this project. Hence I gave my resume
to some placement agencies. Last week they called my for an
interview and I went. Yesterday they called me for a second round
and offered more than double what I am getting here. They are also
giving me a stock option. I will hold a good position in the
company.' 'How is the company?' 'Good. It is a product development
company. It has goodwill in the industry here as well as in the
US.' 'So, what have you decided?' 'I don't know.
I can't leave the project in the middle. But they won't wait for me
till the end of the project. Also, I don't want to leave this
company just because of money... I can learn a lot if I stay here.
Also I love working here.' I was thinking fast. If he leaves, Yamini
will become the project leader. I could not tolerate the very
thought of it. So I said 'you are correct, it is not possible for
you to leave the project this way. I think you better have a talk
with Paddy. I am sure if it is only the salary issue, he will give
you a raise.' 'I had a talk with him today morning.
Thats why I came to office in the first place.' So, that is why
Paddy has come to the office today! 'What did he say?' 'Naturally he
asked me to stay. He promised me to give a raise in next April. But
that is too far away! Also, how can I believe him? You know him, no
one believes Paddy!' 'So?' 'I don't know. What do you think?' 'You
know Akash, this is your life. You have to decide for
yourself.' 'Thats exactly what Yamini said.' 'Oh?' 'Ya, she said if
she was me, she would have jumped at the opportunity and would dump
this project. But this is my life.
So I should decide for it. She is right. Who cares for me? Why
should I care for the project? Not everyday I get this good a
break.' 'But a technical guru like you can bag a better one even on
your worst day.' 'Thats not how it works in the industry. Look at my
friends. They are all in US. Earning in millions. Look at me. I am
still living in a one bedroom apartment in a middle class locality.
You have to switch jobs often to have a better salary. I was a fool
to stay here for 3 years.' 'Thats what Yamini said?' 'Yes. And she
told me that even she is looking out for a job. The day she gets it,
she is out of here.' 'You could go to the US like Manish and Purvi
from this company only.' 'I don't want to go to the US. I have
dependent parents. They are old people and I am their only child. I
can't leave them and go. That is why I want to stay _here_ and earn
a lot.' 'So I guess you have already decided?' 'No, the problem is,
I can't leave the company like this. Paddy has requested me to stay.
He was so persuasive that I told him I'll stay.' 'But if you don't
feel like staying any more there is no point staying.' 'I don't
know. I would love to stay back if I get as much as they are
giving.' 'But Paddy promised you that already!' 'No, he promised to
raise my salary. He did not say how much. That too I have to wait
till April.' 'So, I think you better tell Paddy to give you a raise
now or you will leave.' 'I can't say that. I have already told him
that I am staying' Now it was my turn to be frustrated. I have never
seen anybody more immatured. I realised why Yamini has become so
powerful. She has always confused Akash with options. Akash was not
good in choosing from options. He needed someone to choose for him.
Yamini did that is such a clever manner that Akash thought he has
taken the decision.
So, if it shot back, it was he who was wounded, Yamini escaped
without a problem. It was obvious that Yamini will convince Akash to
quit. So I was upset. Not because Akash was leaving, but because
from now on I have to work under the leadership of a rattle
snake. 'Atleast now _she_ will be responsible for the results.' Next
Monday Akash gave his resignation to Paddy. Paddy was dissapointed.
He called a meeting and made Yamini the project leader. She was
smiling ear to ear. She gave a little speech 'I would need everyone
of your support to make this project a success. It is not YOUR code
that is not working or HIS module running late. it is OUR project
that is suffering. I know you are putting your effort into the
project.

But I will go one step further and request you to put your BEST
efforts and some extra hours if necessary. We will miss Akash very
much but I am very happy that he is shinning in his career.' I could
not help but start clapping my hands. It was too much for me. Since
then it was an all out war between Yamini and Tanuja... the whole
office came to know about it. Akash left after a month. In that one
month he hardly took interest in the project. I could feel that he
is not happy to leave the job. He never talked to me after that long
discussion in the canteen.

So, I did not disturb him. I could not have disturbed him anyway
because of two reasons, firstly because I had too much work and
secondly because Yamini was always with him. I guess she was scared
to the fact that Akash may change his mind. We gave a nice farewell
party to Akash. He was overwhelmed. With his departure the project
ran into chaos. Yamini tried to curb everybody's power. Purvi,
Nikhil and Manish were not allowed to write mails to our US team.
Everything went to Yamini. She assimilated things and wrote to them.
As a result there were a lot of communication gaps. Neither did she
understood our problem statement, nor she could explain the proposed
solution given by the US team. She had a weird ego and never showed
us the mails she got from US team. So, with her in between, we were
facing trouble.

Manish and Purvi were quite irritated and in one team meeting the
topic was brought up. Yamini realised that she has done a mistake.
With her tyranny she has lost confidence of the two most important
members, that of Manish and Purvi. She tried to make up for the
loss. Things again became as it was when Akash was around. But it
was late. Now Manish and Purvi were not so loyal and often made
sarcastic remarks to Yamini.

Then suddenly, one day Yamini did not come to office. She called up
Paddy and said she was not well. SO she will be away from office for
a few days. It was a sigh of relief for us. Each one of us worked
very hard to prove we could do just as well without her. Things were
moving along. The day when we had a major deliverable scheduled for
US, Yamini came to office. She started looking busy and was asking
every one about the state of the project. When she came to know that
we are running on schedule, she ran to paddy to give the news. That
evening she stayed back and wrote a mail to US saying that we are
sending the software on time.

Next day when the acknowledgement came, she forwarded that mail to
all of us thanking us for helping her in meeting the deadline. ALong
with that I received another mail from her marked a copy to Paddy.
it said 'A note of Appreciation for Tanuja. I am happy to notice the
way she had worked in both the module successfully. The US team is
also very h! appy in her work.' 'Is she trying to make peace? Or is
it a coverup for the next strike?' ...was my immediate thoughts. The
design phase was long over. The implementation phase had started. So
we had more frequent deliverables those days.

Every alternate week we had some major work to be sent to the US.
Yamini called for a meeting and told us that she is getting married
and so she will not be coming to office regularly. She need to stay
home for all the rituals and also need to do a lot of shopping. Also
after her marriage she will take a months leave. So, Manish will be
looking after the project while she is away. 'Good timing' I
thought. Paddy must have thought the same and one day when she was
absent, called Manish, Nikhil, Purvi and myself to a meeting. He
gave us the good news first.
The H1 papers for Manish and Purvi have arrived. They will be
leaving for the US soon. Then he asked me if I am ready to take up
from them. I wasted no time in telling him that I was. This was my
best opportunity. Frankly, I never believed that I will really be
leading the modules. So, he rearranged the three modules and merged
them into two. Nikhil was the leader of one and I was the leader of
another. Manish and Purvi had waited long for US. Now when it
arrived, they were ecstatic. We arranged a great party for them.
Naturally they became busy in making arrangements for their journey.
So, it was left to me and Nikhil to hold the fort. Yamini was
irregular.

The project was coming to an end with about 2 months work left. We
had the support of the team and deadlines were met. Things were
going smooth enough. With about 3 more weeks of the project to go,
Yamini gave us her wedding card and invited all of us. Then she went
for a long leave. I found that Nikhil was not ready to take up the
responsibilities of a project leader. So I started doing what Yamini
was supposed to do... talking with our US team, seeing that
everything is being done on schedule.
If not, then sit back and see what is the problem and find out the
solution. I used to log each days progress and report to Paddy twice
a week. Nikhil was relieved to find that he doesn't need to look
into these things, so he devoted his time in programming. The
project delivery went through on scheduled date and Paddy was happy.
Most importantly our client was happy. It took about another two
weeks to formally close the project. Then the team was divided and
people were put in different projects. Yamini called up once and
extended her leave by another month.
A new project came up. This was a small domestic project. Paddy
asked if I would be interested to do it. 'Anything is better than
sitting idle.' I thought. So I said yes. Paddy said 'In that case
you go over the analysis document that we received today. Tell me
what you think about this one. If you think you can manage it, go
ahead and pick your team.' I could not believe my ears! He wanted me
to lead this one! 'This is my opportunity!' I thought. So I took the
analysis document and spent the rest of the day reading it. The
project seemed fairly small. This was kind of a small pilot project
for a much bigger one. I estimated that this project will need
around 3 months with about 4 to 5 people working in it.
The next day I gave the estimate to Paddy and after some more
discussions the project was mine. We selected the team, two from my
last project, two new comers and me. I gathered the team and had a
talk about the project. All members were young and enthusiastic. All
of them wanted to prove themselves. I was very lucky to have such a
motivated team. The project went along well. I used to send a report
to Paddy once a week, stating the progress and concerns. He helped
me from his side with suggestions. I used to think about my days
when I had to work with Yamini. I thought how she led the team and
what all I hated about her.

I tried to avoid doing things that people disliked when Yamini did
them. I learnt from her mistakes. After a month Yamini returned from
her extended vacation. At that time there was no new project and she
was too senior to work as ordinary team members in any running
project. So she was put in the quality assurance team. The QA team
had to interact with all the project leaders to assure that the
projects are upto the quality standard of the company. This way I
had to interact with Yamini once in every two weeks. No doubt she
left no stone unturned to find loopholes or bugs in our project.

In fact that was her attitude towards all the projects. I think that
way she made a very good quality assurance personnel. Even I started
enjoying my meetings with her because I knew, the more she points
out problems, the better stability and robustness the project is
going to have. Hence, when we deliver the end product to the client,
they will be able to find lesser bugs. It was like a contest between
the two of us. She finds a bug, we fix it immediately. She questions
the techinical decisions we have taken, we read through manuals and
other documents to prove our point.

At the end of the day we go home with some extra knowledge. Some
additional work came up in the project. Paddy asked me to talk to
Yamini about the feasability of the new work and the estimated time
required. Once we came to the conclusion that these additions can be
done in reasonable time, we started the work. This time Yamini took
active interest in the progress of the work. She insisted that we
call her in team meetings. I did not like this but I could not do
much about it. Paddy did not see any problem in it as Yamini was not
placed in any project.
Since she had enough time to spare to the project, Paddy thought it
is better if she tracks the progress of the work. After all I was
very inexperienced in handling projects. The project gained
importance as time went because we were expecting more and more
modules will be added to it if we could deliver the present job in
good time.

One day as I came to the office, Paddy called me to his room. As I
entered, he gave me an envelope and said 'here is the ticket for
Boston. You have to go to Boston for a month. The ticket is for the
coming Saturday.' I was shocked, to put it mildly. I could not
understand what is this all about. Then he explained that the
previous project was in the implementation phase in Boston and was
being handled by our US team. Now they are facing some serious
problems and somebody from the implementation team need to go there
and help. 'But Purvi and Manish are already there!', I argued. 'Yes,
but after the initial one month they have been shifted to another
project. Now they cannot be brought back. So someone from here must
go. We have only two choice, you or Nikhil. Only you two have a
complete understanding of the project other than Yamini. I don't
want to send her as she never did the programming.
She only has the business knowledge, but may not be comfortable with
technical difficulties.' 'Why not Nikhil?' I asked? 'Well, he was my
first choice. But his mother is very ill. He cannot leave town
now.' 'I guess that leaves only me' I said matter of faculty. 'Do
you have any problem to go to Boston?' 'Just the worry... what will
happen to my present project?' 'I have thought about that too. Until
you come back, Yamini can look after that.' 'Well, if you have
decided everything, then I better go home and start packing.'

'Before you go, take the necessary documents from my secretary. You
need to go to the consulate to get your visa stamped.' So there was
I, left with an envelop of documents and letters for my visa
stamping. I was feeling horrible. Not that I don't want to go to
Boston, but I hate surprises like this. Moreover, I hate to leave my
work half done. I handed over the project to Yamini. There was
nothing much to hand over as she was already conversant with the
project.

Obviously, she was very happy. After all I was going to be absent
for a while. I left for Boston 4 days later. There I had to stay for
almost two months. During my stay I had so much work that I hardly
had time to inquire about the project I left behind. 'I really don't
need to worry about it. After all Paddy is there and he is more
concerned about projects than I am'. I told myself. When I returned
I found things have changed a lot. The project that I was leading
had gained so much volume that now it was broken into two parts.
Yamini was leading one of them and another guy was leading the other
part. I realized that Yamini now won't be released from her
responsibilities and hence, I won't be placed in the project any
more.

Then came the worst disappointment of my life. It was appraisal time
and time for announcing promotions and increments. To my surprise I
found that I was given just a small increment with a mere Rs.10000/-
incentive whereas my colleagues from ex-projects got incredible
raises. Yamini bagged a promotion and a Rs.50000/- incentive.
I was very unhappy and decided that I should go and have a talk with
the Human resource manager. I got some incredible information there.
They told me that they had taken feedback from Paddy and Yamini
about me as I had work under their supervision in the last financial
year. Paddy has given a reasonably good report about me but Yamini's
report was extremely damaging. That is why I was not rewarded the
way I had expected.

They said I can talk to Paddy or Yamini if I wish, but nothing can
be done now. 'Nothing could be done now... that is idiotic!' I
thought. But I didn't have a clue as what should I do now. They were
right, no point in talking to Paddy or Yamini. They have already
expressed their impression regarding me. This time I had no work as
I refused to join the quality assurance team. Paddy told me that new
projects are coming up and I will get good work soon.

But frankly, I wasn't looking forward to it. Somehow, I had lost the
vigor. This did not go on for long as I was put in a new project.
The first deliverable was in two months. Again started the process
spending extra hours in the evenings and weekends. I was getting
tired. It was around that time when Akash called me up one day. He
wanted to meet me. I wondered why! In any case, we fixed up a time
one evening and we met at one of the cafeterias. There he offered me
a job in his present company. He explained me the position I will be
holding, the kind of projects they are having and other relevant
things.

'This is a new twist in the story' I thought. 'Not bad. I am feeling
tired and frustrated here. Possibly a new job will brighten things
up for me.' A few days later he fixed up an interview for me. It
went fine and I liked the company. They offered me good salary and a
better designation (though that does not mean much to me any more).
I accepted the offer. Next day I gave my resignation letter to
Paddy. He was shocked. He tried to convince me to stay. But this
time it was too late. I had lost my attachment with Genesis.
Not because I did not get a good salary raise, but because I was not
given the due respect. I never liked the fact that the project was
taken away from me and, more, it was given to Yamini. Paddy tried
his best to retain me, but I had already made up my mind. I left the
company exactly after 2 years and 4 days after I had joined. Even
after joining the new company, I was in touch with friends from
Genesis. The latest news always came to me. I came to know that
Yamini hasn't changed at all and she is continuing her ways
around...not many juniors are happy with her. Her latest prey is a
new comer by the name Dipesh. "Poor thing..." I told
myself..."genesis is just going witness history repeating itself..."

After a while, he asked me if I was looking out for a new job. I was
not expecting this question and immediately became cautious. 'No, I
am not looking out for one. Are you?' 'Ya, actually I am in a
dilemma, so I wanted to talk to someone about this. Can I talk to
you?' Now this sounds interesting! 'Of course, tell me.' 'Actually,
I have been in this company for more than 3 years. So I was thinking
that I will make a switch after this project. Hence I gave my resume
to some placement agencies. Last week they called me for an
interview and I went. Yesterday they called me for a second round
and offered more than double what I am getting here. They are also
giving me a stock option. I will hold a good position in the
company.' 'How is the company?' 'Good. It is a product development
company. It has goodwill in the industry here as well as in the
US.' 'So, what have you decided?' 'I don't know.

I can't leave the project in the middle. But they won't wait for me
till the end of the project. Also, I don't want to leave this
company just because of money... I can learn a lot if I stay here.
Also I love working here.' I was thinking fast. If he leaves, Yamini
will become the project leader. I could not tolerate the very
thought of it. So I said 'you are correct, it is not possible for
you to leave the project this way. I think you better have a talk
with Paddy. I am sure if it is only the salary issue, he will give
you a raise.' 'I had a talk with him today morning.
That's why I came to office in the first place.' So, that is why
Paddy has come to the office today! 'What did he say?' 'Naturally he
asked me to stay. He promised me to give a raise in next April. But
that is too far away! Also, how can I believe him? You know him, no
one believes Paddy!' 'So?' 'I don't know. What do you think?' 'You
know Akash, this is your life. You have to decide for
yourself.' 'That's exactly what Yamini said.' 'Oh?' 'Ya, she said if
she was me, she would have jumped at the opportunity and would dump
this project. But this is my life.

So I should decide for it. She is right. Who cares for me? Why
should I care for the project? Not everyday I get this good a
break.' 'But a technical guru like you can bag a better one even on
your worst day.' 'That's not how it works in the industry. Look at
my friends. They are all in US. Earning in millions. Look at me. I
am still living in a one bedroom apartment in a middle class
locality. You have to switch jobs often to have a better salary. I
was a fool to stay here for 3 years.' 'That's what Yamini
said?' 'Yes. And she told me that even she is looking out for a job.
The day she gets it, she is out of here.' 'You could go to the US
like Manish and Purvi from this company only.' 'I don't want to go
to the US. I have dependent parents. They are old people and I am
their only child. I can't leave them and go. That is why I want to
stay _here_ and earn a lot.' 'So I guess you have already
decided?' 'No, the problem is, I can't leave the company like this.
Paddy has requested me to stay.

He was so persuasive that I told him I'll stay.' 'But if you don't
feel like staying any more there is no point staying.' 'I don't
know. I would love to stay back if I get as much as they are
giving.' 'But Paddy promised you that already!' 'No, he promised to
raise my salary. He did not say how much. That too I have to wait
till April.' 'So, I think you better tell Paddy to give you a raise
now or you will leave.' 'I can't say that. I have already told him
that I am staying' Now it was my turn to be frustrated. I have never
seen anybody more immatured. I realised why Yamini has become so
powerful. She has always confused Akash with options. Akash was not
good in choosing from options. He needed someone to choose for him.
Yamini did that is such a clever manner that Akash thought he has
taken the decision.
So, if it shot back, it was he who was wounded, Yamini escaped
without a problem. It was obvious that Yamini will convince Akash to
quit. So I was upset. Not because Akash was leaving, but because
from now on I have to work under the leadership of a rattle
snake. 'Atleast now _she_ will be responsible for the results.' Next
Monday Akash gave his resignation to Paddy. Paddy was dissapointed.
He called a meeting and made Yamini the project leader. She was
smiling ear to ear. She gave a little speech 'I would need everyone
of your support to make this project a success. It is not YOUR code
that is not working or HIS module running late. it is OUR project
that is suffering. I know you are putting your effort into the
project.
But I will go one step further and request you to put your BEST
efforts and some extra hours if necessary. We will miss Akash very
much but I am very happy that he is shinning in his career.' I could
not help but start clapping my hands. It was too much for me. Since
then it was an all out war between Yamini and Tanuja... the whole
office came to know about it. Akash left after a month. In that one
month he hardly took interest in the project. I could feel that he
is not happy to leave the job. He never talked to me after that long
discussion in the canteen.
So, I did not disturb him. I could not have disturbed him anyway
because of two reasons, firstly because I had too much work and
secondly because Yamini was always with him. I guess she was scared
to the fact that Akash may change his mind. We gave a nice farewell
party to Akash. He was overwhelmed. With his departure the project
ran into chaos. Yamini tried to curb everybody's power. Purvi,
Nikhil and Manish were not allowed to write mails to our US team.
Everything went to Yamini. She assimilated things and wrote to them.
As a result there were a lot of communication gaps. Neither did she
understood our problem statement, nor she could explain the proposed
solution given by the US team. She had a weird ego and never showed
us the mails she got from US team. So, with her in between, we were
facing trouble.
Manish and Purvi were quite irritated and in one team meeting the
topic was brought up. Yamini realised that she has done a mistake.
With her tyranny she has lost confidence of the two most important
members, that of Manish and Purvi. She tried to make up for the
loss. Things again became as it was when Akash was around. But it
was late. Now Manish and Purvi were not so loyal and often made
sarcastic remarks to Yamini.
Then suddenly, one day Yamini did not come to office. She called up
Paddy and said she was not well. SO she will be away from office for
a few days. It was a sigh of relief for us. Each one of us worked
very hard to prove we could do just as well without her. Things were
moving along. The day when we had a major deliverable scheduled for
US, Yamini came to office. She started looking busy and was asking
every one about the state of the project. When she came to know that
we are running on schedule, she ran to paddy to give the news. That
evening she stayed back and wrote a mail to US saying that we are
sending the software on time.

Next day when the acknowledgement came, she forwarded that mail to
all of us thanking us for helping her in meeting the deadline. ALong
with that I received another mail from her marked a copy to Paddy.
it said 'A note of Appreciation for Tanuja. I am happy to notice the
way she had worked in both the module successfully. The US team is
also very h! appy in her work.' 'Is she trying to make peace? Or is
it a coverup for the next strike?' ...was my immediate thoughts. The
design phase was long over. The implementation phase had started. So
we had more frequent deliverables those days.
Every alternate week we had some major work to be sent to the US.
Yamini called for a meeting and told us that she is getting married
and so she will not be coming to office regularly. She need to stay
home for all the rituals and also need to do a lot of shopping. Also
after her marriage she will take a months leave. So, Manish will be
looking after the project while she is away. 'Good timing' I
thought. Paddy must have thought the same and one day when she was
absent, called Manish, Nikhil, Purvi and myself to a meeting. He
gave us the good news first.
The H1 papers for Manish and Purvi have arrived. They will be
leaving for the US soon. Then he asked me if I am ready to take up
from them. I wasted no time in telling him that I was. This was my
best opportunity. Frankly, I never believed that I will really be
leading the modules. So, he rearranged the three modules and merged
them into two. Nikhil was the leader of one and I was the leader of
another. Manish and Purvi had waited long for US. Now when it
arrived, they were ecstatic. We arranged a great party for them.
Naturally they became busy in making arrangements for their journey.
So, it was left to me and Nikhil to hold the fort. Yamini was
irregular.
The project was coming to an end with about 2 months work left. We
had the support of the team and deadlines were met. Things were
going smooth enough. With about 3 more weeks of the project to go,
Yamini gave us her wedding card and invited all of us. Then she went
for a long leave. I found that Nikhil was not ready to take up the
responsibilities of a project leader. So I started doing what Yamini
was supposed to do... talking with our US team, seeing that
everything is being done on schedule.
If not, then sit back and see what is the problem and find out the
solution. I used to log each days progress and report to Paddy twice
a week. Nikhil was relieved to find that he doesn't need to look
into these things, so he devoted his time in programming. The
project delivery went through on scheduled date and Paddy was happy.
Most importantly our client was happy. It took about another two
weeks to formally close the project. Then the team was divided and
people were put in different projects. Yamini called up once and
extended her leave by another month.
A new project came up. This was a small domestic project. Paddy
asked if I would be interested to do it. 'Anything is better than
sitting idle.' I thought. So I said yes. Paddy said 'In that case
you go over the analysis document that we received today. Tell me
what you think about this one. If you think you can manage it, go
ahead and pick your team.' I could not believe my ears! He wanted me
to lead this one! 'This is my opportunity!' I thought. So I took the
analysis document and spent the rest of the day reading it. The
project seemed fairly small. This was kind of a small pilot project
for a much bigger one. I estimated that this project will need
around 3 months with about 4 to 5 people working in it.
The next day I gave the estimate to Paddy and after some more
discussions the project was mine. We selected the team, two from my
last project, two new comers and me. I gathered the team and had a
talk about the project. All members were young and enthusiastic. All
of them wanted to prove themselves. I was very lucky to have such a
motivated team. The project went along well. I used to send a report
to Paddy once a week, stating the progress and concerns. He helped
me from his side with suggestions. I used to think about my days
when I had to work with Yamini. I thought how she led the team and
what all I hated about her.
I tried to avoid doing things that people disliked when Yamini did
them. I learnt from her mistakes. After a month Yamini returned from
her extended vacation. At that time there was no new project and she
was too senior to work as ordinary team members in any running
project. So she was put in the quality assurance team. The QA team
had to interact with all the project leaders to assure that the
projects are upto the quality standard of the company. This way I
had to interact with Yamini once in every two weeks. No doubt she
left no stone unturned to find loopholes or bugs in our project.
In fact that was her attitude towards all the projects. I think that
way she made a very good quality assurance personnel. Even I started
enjoying my meetings with her because I knew, the more she points
out problems, the better stability and robustness the project is
going to have. Hence, when we deliver the end product to the client,
they will be able to find lesser bugs. It was like a contest between
the two of us. She finds a bug, we fix it immediately. She questions
the techinical decisions we have taken, we read through manuals and
other documents to prove our point.
At the end of the day we go home with some extra knowledge. Some
additional work came up in the project. Paddy asked me to talk to
Yamini about the feasability of the new work and the estimated time
required. Once we came to the conclusion that these additions can be
done in reasonable time, we started the work. This time Yamini took
active interest in the progress of the work. She insisted that we
call her in team meetings. I did not like this but I could not do
much about it. Paddy did not see any problem in it as Yamini was not
placed in any project.
Since she had enough time to spare to the project, Paddy thought it
is better if she tracks the progress of the work. After all I was
very inexperienced in handling projects. The project gained
importance as time went because we were expecting more and more
modules will be added to it if we could deliver the present job in
good time.
One day as I came to the office, Paddy called me to his room. As I
entered, he gave me an envelope and said 'here is the ticket for
Boston. You have to go to Boston for a month. The ticket is for the
coming Saturday.' I was shocked, to put it mildly. I could not
understand what is this all about. Then he explanied that the
previous project was in the implementation phase in Boston and was
being handled by our US team. Now they are facing some serious
problems and somebody from the implementation team need to go there
and help. 'But Purvi and Manish are already there!', I argued. 'Yes,
but after the initial one month they have been shifted to another
project. Now they cannot be brought back. So someone from here must
go. We have only two choice, you or Nikhil. Only you two have a
complete understanding of the project other than Yamini. I don't
want to send her as she never did the programming.
She only has the business knowledge, but may not be comfortable with
technical difficulties.' 'Why not Nikhil?' I asked? 'Well, he was my
first choice. But his mother is very ill. He cannot leave town
now.' 'I guess that leaves only me' I said matter of factly. 'Do you
have any problem to go to Boston?' 'Just the worry... what will
happen to my present project?' 'I have thought about that too.
Untill you come back, Yamini can look after that.' 'Well, if you
have decided everything, then I better go home and start packing.'
'Before you go, take the necessary documents from my secretary. You
need to go to the consulate to get your visa stamped.' So there was
I, left with an envelop of documents and letters for my visa
stamping. I was feeling horrible. Not that I don't want to go to
Boston, but I hate surprises like this. Moreover, I hate to leave my
work half done. I handed over the project to Yamini. There was
nothing much to hand over as she was already conversant with the
project.
Obviously, she was very happy.. after all I was going to be absent
for a while. I left for Boston 4 days later. There I had to stay for
almost two months. During my stay I had so much work that I hardly
had time to inquire about the project I left behind. 'I really don't
need to worry about it. After all Paddy is there and he is more
concerned about projects than I am'. I told myself. When I returned
I found things have changed a lot. The project that I was leading
had gained so much volume that now it was broken into two parts.
Yamini was leading one of them and another guy was leading the other
part. I realised that Yamini now won't be released from her
responsibilities and hence, I won't be placed in the project any
more.
Then came the worst disappointment of my life. It was appraisal time
and time for announcing promotions and increments. To my surprise I
found that I was given just a small increment with a mere Rs.10000/-
incentive whereas my colleagues from ex-projects got incredible
raises. Yamini bagged a promotion and a Rs.50000/- incentive.
I was very unhappy and decided that I should go and have a talk with
the Human resource manager. I got some incredible information there.
They told me that they had taken feedback from Paddy and Yamini
about me as I had work under their supervision in the last financial
year. Paddy has given a reasonably good report about me but Yamini's
report was extremely damaging. That is why I was not rewarded the
way I had expected.
They said I can talk to Paddy or Yamini if I wish, but nothing can
be done now. 'Nothing could be done now... that is idiotic!' I
thought. But I didn't have a clue as what should I do now. They were
right, no point in talking to Paddy or Yamini. They have already
expressed their impression regarding me. This time I had no work as
I refused to join the quality assurance team. Paddy told me that new
projects are coming up and I will get good work soon.
But frankly, I wasn't looking forward to it. Somehow, I had lost the
vigour. This did not go on for long as I was put in a new project.
The first deliverable was in two months. Again started the process
spending extra hours in the evenings and weekends. I was getting
tired. It was around that time when Akash called me up one day. He
wanted to meet me. I wondered why! In any case, we fixed up a time
one evening and we met at one of the cafeterias. There he offered me
a job in his present company. He explained me the position I will be
holding, the kind of projects they are having and other relevant
things.
'This is a new twist in the story' I thought. 'Not bad. I am feeling
tired and frustrated here. Possibly a new job will brighten things
up for me.' A few days later he fixed up an interview for me. It
went fine and I liked the company. They offered me good salary and a
better designation (though that does not mean much to me any more).
I accepted the offer. Next day I gave my resignation letter to
Paddy. He was shocked. He tried to convince me to stay. But this
time it was too late. I had lost my attachment with Genesis.
Not because I did not get a good salary raise, but because I was not
given the due respect. I never liked the fact that the project was
taken away from me and, more, it was given to Yamini. Paddy tried
his best to retain me, but I had already made up my mind. I left the
company exactly after 2 years and 4 days after I had joined. Even
after joining the new company, I was in touch with friends from
Genesis. The latest news always came to me. I came to know that
Yamini hasn't changed at all and she is continuing her ways
around...not many juniors are happy with her. Her latest prey is a
new comer by the name Dipesh. "Poor thing..." I told
myself..."genesis is just going witness history repeating itself..."


"Saint Patrick's Day"

I wanna share the meaning of St. Patrick's Day which is on March
17th. with all of you. Bcoz I'm sure there are many of you out there
are saying, "Exactly who is St. Patrick anyways?". What more is
there to St. Patrick's Day other than wearing green? There is a very
thin line between fact and myth when it comes to the real meaning
and purpose of St. Patrick's Day. We here at the Rainforest are
going to let you know what it's all about and how it all began.

The person who was to become St. Patrick, the patron saint of
Ireland, was born in Wales about AD 385. His given name was Maewyn,
and he almost didn't get the job of bishop of Ireland because he
lacked the required scholarship. Then, far from being a saint, St.
Patrick considered himself a Pagan until he was 16 years old. When
he was 16, Patrick was kidnapped by an Irish raiding party and
forced into slavery.

It was here, in captivity that St. Patrick supposedly became closer
with God. After six years of slavery, St. Patrick finally escaped
and made his way back home to Gaul where he studied in the monastery
under St. Germain, bishop of Auxerre for a period of twelve years.
Soon after, it is said that Patrick received a divine call in a
dream to return to Ireland as a Christian missionary. His superiors
instead appointed St. Palladius. But two years later, Palladius
transferred to Scotland. Patrick, having adopted that Christian name
earlier, was then appointed as second bishop to Ireland. Patrick was
quite successful at winning converts.
And this fact upset the Celtic Druids. Patrick was arrested several
times, but escaped each time. He traveled throughout Ireland,
establishing monasteries across the country. He also set up schools
and churches which would aid him in his conversion of the Irish
country to Christianity. His mission lasted in Ireland lasted for
thirty years. After that time, Patrick retired to County Down. He
died on March 17 in AD 461. That day has been commemorated as St.
Patrick's Day ever since. The St. Patrick's Day custom came to
America in 1737. That was the first year St. Patrick's Day was
publicly celebrated in this country, in Boston.
Hope now you can take a part in chat with your American friends
talking about St. Patrick's Day.