My table clock was smiling at me when my eyes opened. It was ten past ten in the morning. I got off my bed and came out of the room. The hostel seemed to be deserted and some guys were walking down the alley. They were the civil people, always on the run for projects and reports to be submitted. We in chemicals; as my brother used to say were pursuing a holiday degree in engineering. But still I could hardly find my fellow classmates round the corner. The only voice I could hear was that of a hawker who used to bring sweets and samosas; the target customers being the lazy bumps who used to skip the breakfast. The mutton samosas he used to sell were incredible. My taste-buds still yearns for the same taste. I ran down the stairs and could find him right there to hear that he was waiting for me. This is the first step to woo the debtors to clear their dues. Silently I sat down and was savoring the samosas. By the time I finished my third one , Parimal picked up another and asked what was I doing there. Many things flashed across my mind and was trying to figure out where was I supposed to be. Hey patni is on campus today and everyone has gone for that. Parimal reminded me that and started blasting me what the hell I was doing there. I told him the cut off is 70% and I am one of those lucky people who never thinks of touching that. And the enlightenment process started when he said that he just came from the PPT(pre placement talk) of the company and they agreed to a 65% cutoff. But I am still short of 0.12%, oh yeah it’s a run out. I mourned as this was the only IT company allowing the chemical folks. What was I feeling : so what I have low marks , I could have cleared this, I know who all have cleared it last time. I am surely better than them. Then I started relishing my best fantasy ever.
Cognizant (CTS) was a company which used to take chemical guys into software till the year before. And it was the day one in REC , that I knew that CTS is one of the best paying company in the campus. What else, I found the answer to the ragging question –which one is your Target Company? But alas, yeah a hindi movie twist; by murphy’s law it had to happen to me only. The company ceased to recruit anyone from chemical during my year. So what to do now, I felt bogged down and I knew my dreams were shattered as if I would have definitely cracked that. Now the interesting part is that the day is zeroing in when CTS is going to visit the campus. My dreams came out of ashes and started weaving the nets of heightened optimism. It convinced me that the selectors will definitely ask for my CV and will repent that it had been a great mistake that chemical was not opened. The junior will say we didn’t know Mr. Arnab was in chemical and apologise to the senior official of the company. I will be called from my room and they would greet me with an obliging smile and ask me “KAHAN THE AAP, kahan kahan dhoonda aapko; please oblige us, this is your offer letter”.
And on that D-Day; normal selection process went on, the company selected few of my batch-mates and left the campus. But I assure you my castle in the air was still intact with some pillars of “ifs” and “woulds.”
The same placement season revisited my life during my MBA final year. But there were no samosas this time and I had disclosed my best fantasy for the first time to my fellow kaadu friends. Alok named it as a “KAHAN THE AAP SYNDROME”. According to him we all go through this type of fantasies even if we are fairly grown up guys now. And this “KAHAN THE AAP” became the motivational statement whenever some one from us was entering the interview room. Beyond wishing him luck we used to say don worry just keep cool they will definitely pick you up, infact they had been busting the B-Schools just to locate you. They will ask you only one question “KAHAN THE AAP?!!!” and hand you the offer letter to oblige them.
