Day 1 @ AUP

Prologue

It was the third time we assembled at Thiruvanmiyur bus depot on November 11 2005 to take a share auto to TCO. Surender, Preethi, Karthik Sundaram, Kalai Sundari, Sridevi, Karthik and I. With our usual bid to push Karthik Sundaram out of the auto, we reached TCO at around 9:30AM. Two batches, CHN05AJ032 (My Batch) and CHN05AJ033 were waiting anxiously at the ground floor TCO auditorium for their projects to be allocated on successful (!?!) completion of the Java training at Cognizant Academy.

We all know the infamous algorithm Cognizant uses to allocate project to ELTs. All the 25 people will be sorted by their last names and the first 3 or 4 would go to Project X, the next 3 or 4 would go to Project Y and so on. Amazing right! I don’t know who came up with this billion $ algorithm. So I knew most probably I would be working with

Tamilvanan Ananthakumar
Ulaganathan LakshmiNarayanan [It’s me!!!]
Vadivelmurugan Preethi
Vaiyapuri Jeyachandiran

in my very first assignment in Cognizant.


Chapter #1: Deciding our fate in Cognizant

It was around 10:30AM when Divya J, HR came into the audi to publish our fate. After a short informal chat, she came to the point. She declared that the whole batch AJ032 would be working together in a same project in SAP technology. So we all screamed in joy! Then she started reading out the names just for formality. But we all looked at her with a blank face as all the names were strange. Not from AJ032. Simultaneously, we heard a grand applause from the AJ033 batch. Oops! It was AJ033 which was set to work together. Divya apologized to all cheerless faces and started allocating projects for us, AJ032. Though none of us were interested to hear our manager’s name, we were to. I knew I would be in the last chunk to get a project according to the algo. Finally, I got my turn. As expected, Anand, Preethi, JC & I got into a same project and were asked to meet Mr. Sidharthan Swaminathan (contact no - 9443088808) at Siruseri, the farthest away Cognizant office in Chennai. Storing his no as Swaminathan in my mobile, we all started dispersing from the audi. So, it was time to end the AJ032 era. We congratulated each other and started moving to their allocated offices.

Chapter #2: 12:00 Noon Siruseri Shuttle

Anand had come in his bike to office. And JC joined him and they started their journey to explore the Siruseri Cognizant office, which we know was under construction. Preethi & I went to the security to know the shuttle timings. It was just around 11:15 and the shuttle was only at 12:00 noon. We had the guys got posted in Navalur were with us as their shuttle was at 11:30A.M. I just called up my dad and mom to inform that I am posted in Siruseri office for my first assignment in Cognizant. Next I called up Vinoth and Loka to inform the same. Vinoth did not pick his mobile. His mobile was out of service then, if I remember correct! After 11:30A.M, Preethi and I were left out in the TCO security room waiting for the security guy to inform us about the shuttle. We were talking about our training sessions just to kill time. My mobile then alerted me for Lakkshme’s call. I explained the same story to her in a short conversation. The time went past 12:00 noon and the security did not inform us about the shuttle. Doubtfully we enquired the security just to know that the shuttle has left on time! And he added that the next one was only at 3:30PM. So we called up Anand and JC who were in the verge of exploring the way to Siruseri office and informed that we will have our lunch at TCO and come by 3:30PM shuttle.

Chapter #3 Quick Lunch @ TCO

Next we called up the guys posted in TCO, Surender, Karthik Sundaram, Malar and Vadivu for an early lunch. Before even we start our lunch, I got a call from Anand. By the time Anand and JC had met Mr. Sidharthan (he was not Swaminathan!) at Siruseri. Anand said, Mr. Sidharthan would like to meet all four of us at Navalur office. So he asked us to be at Navalur ASAP. Preethi and I finished our lunch in a hurry and went to the security room again. We were said that the same 3:30PM shuttle would take us to Navalur as well. So we dropped catching the shuttle and decided to take a bus to reach Navalur immediately.

Chapter #4 Polaam Poo Van Travel to Navalur

We both dint even know where the bus stop was! So we waited in front of the TCO office to get a share auto or a van. With in a few minutes, we got one such not-so-crowded van. Once we got in it, the conductor said, “Poplaam Poo…” In the mean time, we informed the guys at Navalur, Kalai, Mohaideen, Deepak and Saravanan that we are on the way to Navalur. As we reached Sholinganallur, the van was almost empty. Seeing our ID card tags, the van conductor asked us, “which company you guys are working in?” I said him; we are working in CTS and going to Navalur office. He then started telling his own gloomy story. He said, he did not study well and all those story and added that one of his class mates was even working in Sholinganallur TCS. What a difference education makes in our life! Hmmm… At last we reached Navlur office at around 2PM, after a bumpy ride. Curse the IT Highway. The front view of Navalur office was impressive. We met Kalai in the Phase I reception and she left immediately to meet her manager. Then we met Deepak and Saravanan near the Phase II cafeteria side entrance. Within a few minutes we saw Anand and JC coming our way. As they approached us, I asked Anand, “Have you met Sidharthan?” He showed a guy in T shirt and Jean with a red colored helmet in hand who was moving fast in front of them and asked both of us to follow. Without a next word, Preethi and I said bye to Deepak and Saravanan and started following them.

Chapter #5 First Meeting @ NV21AM09

All four of us followed him to Phase II first floor. We went past the first access card controlled door and entered the work floor. For the first time I felt as a Software Professional seeing the ambience of an IT company! It was a great feeling then! Sidharthan (I will address Sidharthan as Sid going forward) led us through the next access card controlled door and asked us to wait in the meeting room, NV21AM09. The meeting room was net even air conditioned. It was too hot to stay inside. A minute later, Sid came in accompanied by another guy. We were asked to introduce ourselves with our names, college, and degree and so on. Then he introduced himself as Sidharthan and said he was also from Anna University, 1999 Civil Engineering. And the other guy introduced himself as Hari Shankar. Sid told that the project name is “Automated (!?!…) Project”. I could not realize the second word he spelled.

Now it was turn to screw up us. Sid asked what all you guys learnt in Academy Training looking at me! Unlucky me! I started, core Java, Advanced Java, SQL, XM… Sid interrupted me before even I complete XML and said, “Leave the rest. What all you learnt in Advanced Java?”[After all we all belong to Advanced Java batch 32 right!] I though. (“Who the hell knows!?!”) I just paused for a few seconds. Seeing my black face, JC came to my rescue. He added, we learnt JSP, Servlets and all… Hmmm… That’s when I knew these were collectively termed as Advanced Java! Great na! Then Sid asked us to explain out roles in the MFRP (My First Real Project) which we ‘should have’ done during our training! I said, I designed the HTML for the UI of the project and did some JavaScript validation. I did neither but! Everyone in the room knew this expect for Sid and Hari.

Finally Sid came to the purpose of the meeting. He said we will be working in a core development project based on JSF, Java Server Faces. It sounded Greek to me. And he added that the project is in design phase and the development is yet to start. After pondering a lot of stuff about the project in Manglish*, both Hari and Sid left the room. Immediately Anand shook hands with all of us saying, we are into a very good project. It was true! I asked the other, what is our Project Name? It is Automated ..!!??.. Project…! That’s when I realized that no one understood the 2nd word!

And now it was Hari’s turn to talk. He picked up a marker and jumped to the board to explain what JSF is. He used a lot of Java jargons during the session. I could make out none, which I was suppose to! He was talking about “Life Cycle”, “MVC”, Request, Response… and all those stuff. Hari was an over enthu and quick guy, jumping between his chair and the board quite often. Once the session was over, Anand said that we dint have lunch, so we’ll go have our lunch and be back. Sid said OK and was about to leave the room, when Anand interrupted again to ask him the full name of our project. Sid repeated, “Automated Underwriting Project (AUP)”. With the satisfaction that I learnt at least the name of the project, I left the meeting room. The very first meeting in Cognizant came to an end.

* Manglish - Managers' Language

Chapter #6 Lunch @ Andra Mess

We again met Kalai, Mohideen, Deepak and Saravanan outside and shared each others experience with our respective managers. Next we went down stairs to the check the cafeteria, which was closed. It was 3 PM! We dint know then that Phase I too had one. We then went out of the Navalur campus to search for a hotel. We saw a direction board named “Andra Mess” in front of the campus. We followed it to find a small hut hotel. Even though it was almost empty, it was not closed. Anand and JC started their late meal for the day. Preethi and I were just sitting on lookers. I dint even imagined that I would come to the same place for lunch often in future with a bigger same team even with Sid. It happened after one year then but! During the lunch, JC and Anand explained their adventurous journey in bike to find the Siruseri office, which can br written as a separate story! And we were back in the bay at around 3:45 PM.

Chapter #7 TeamAUP

We were again asked to wait in the same meeting room. A minute latter, Sid pulled the whole team of AUP in to the room. It was just a 9 member team with out us. It should be an introduction session, I thought and it was. We introduced ourselves and now it was their turn. They were, Balaji, Gowri Shankar, Maneshveni (None of us understood her name when she said one!), Thiripurasundari, Murugavel (We thought he was a great scientist of AUP then. But we latter realized, he was not!), Praveen Yarasu and Karthik. The team left back in the room after the short intro session. Then Hari came back in with a small bunch of printouts on JSF and distributed to us. I felt like having a Rebitex book on “Learn Malayalam in 21 Days”. Hari gave us the seat locations in Siruseri and asked us to take the evening shuttle to Sisruseri and start reading JSF. Was he crazy? I thought! Why can’t we leave home now? It’s just the very first day in the project right?!

Chapter #8 Siruseri Shuttle and my Fate

With a bit frustration, we went towards the security gate to take the evening Siruseri shuttle. The whether was moody and it was drizzling a bit. So with our umbrellas expanded, we enquired the security about the evening Siruseri shuttle. My fate against the Siruseri shuttle chased me still. To our surprise the security told us that the evening shuttle to Siruseri is not shunted on Fridays. His answer was a bit convincing for us as we assumed that we could leave home now! So I called Hari on his mobile and informed him that we don’t have the evening Siruseri shuttle on Fridays, expecting nothing other than “Go Home” word. He just paused for a sec and casually asked us to come back to the bay and read from there. I was highly shocked to hear that. After exchanging a weird looks with each other, we went back to the work floor, Phase II first floor.

Chapter #9 6:30 PM and still running

We met Sid and Hari again in the work floor. Sid asked us to sit along with them and read JSF (The Rebitex book!). Instantly JC said him, “We will sit in the cafeteria and read”. At least we could talk to each other na! But Sid dint accept and asked us to sit along with them. He is our manager right! Among 4 of us, I was asked to sit in Sid place and read. Unlucky me again! I don’t really remember where the other 3 were placed. None of us were even able to spin our eyes out of the JSF Rebitex. It was horrible time since I joined Cognizant. I still remember, while I was reading (just looking actually!), Sid was asking Karthik about some cost of a few softwares from RAMS, which he had asked for earlier.

I managed to read JSF till 6 PM in the evening, but nothing made much sense to me though. As the clock crossed 6 PM, I was eagerly waiting for Sid / Hari to ask us to leave for the day. But that dint happen at all. After all the working hours is 9 AM to 6 PM right! Beyond 6 PM, I could not even read a single word, but I turned back and forth a lot of pages. The training effect! Leaving sharp at 6 PM. I really felt tough to kill time as my mood was all inclined to leave home. The clock crossed 6:30 PM as well. No sign from Sid / Hari yet. But every one around were seen to be working so active only beyond 6 PM. I wondered, “Do these people even go home in the evening!?!” Finally when the time was close to 7 PM, my bad luck said good bye. We were again called back to the same hot meeting room by Sid. Of course Hari joined us. I guess that was the latest we stayed at office till then. I dint even imagine that that would be the earliest time to leave going forward!

Chapter #10 Good bye Day 1 @ AUP

Once we all assembled in the room, Sid looking at us asked, “Where are we?” None of us immediately answered the question. You know why? Because, none of us understood his question as such! I was really puzzled by this question. I was wondering… we are sitting at Navalur office na…! Then why is asking this funny question, that with a very serious look! If he would have kept quite for a few more seconds, I would have replied him, “We are in Navalur”. Thank God! He spoke again, making his question more lucid. He asked, “Where are we in JSF?” Aaah…! I virtually laughed aloud. We all then put forth some points each about JSF in turns. Then after a short lecture in Manglish, we heard the most awaited, billion dollar word, “Go Home”. At last the longest so far came to an end. When we came out, it started raining. Anand and JC left took his bike to way home. Preethi and I met Kalai, who was just waiting for us and went to the bus bay to find our way back home.

Epilogue

The upcoming days in AUP were really miserable to all 4 of us that too immediately after our Class A training at Academy. We were shuttling between Navalur and Siruseri for a few days till the Siruseri office blazed. We all got two PCs each allocated, while quite a few of our batch mates’ dint even got a seat. And the days went past and on 22nd February 2006, all 4 of us were confirmed as Programmer Analyst from PAT. Next the MUW R1 went into production successfully (Is it !?!). Preethi got released from AUP to EES in March 2006. After a few months in MUW R1 QA support, all 3 of us we moved into FUW Online Phase II. We were well settled in AUP during this period and everything was going good. And in January 2007, JC quit Cognizant to join SAP. Then Anand and I worked in OLCS for a few months. Next we both got into some ad hoc modules like, RRF, DSMT, Data Selection and so on… Next it was Anand’s turn to depart AUP. He moved to Oracle in May 2007. In the mean time, the project went through a rough whether and it was about to come to an end. Just a month before the grand finale of AUP, I got released and got in Product Benefit Data Base (PBD) in June 2007, last among the 4 to get out of AUP. And finally AUP was wound up in early August 2007.