An engineering odyssey

Where was the engineer born? For Hari's mother, it was the richly academic environment that she kept at home over the years that sowed the seeds. She, unlike his father, believed that more than the genes or anything it was just the way of upbringing that brought Hari all the way. Hari's father though, liked to believe that it was merely a transmission of genes from father to son. He always thought that Hari's extraordinary mathematical ability was solely a gift that he gave to his son. Reality though had different ideas. The engineer had long died a slow death which both of them were quite oblivious to. Today, on the day of Hari's convocation, let us go back to try and see the things squarely in the absence of a supreme judge.

A few years ago, when Hari came to this best engineering college he was more than excited. After passing the entrance test with flying colours, he had chosen electrical engineering side and right from day one, he had devoted as much time as possible towards his academics. Somewhere something went wrong though. In my reckoning, it would be more than unfair to call it wrong because time is yet to decide that. It is very difficult indeed to point out the time where the death process began for Hari did seem to enjoy even academics for some time, initially. He got swept by the wave of public opinion and all those 'cool' things somewhere along the line and renounced academics for his passion for management.

Luckily for Hari, in the following years he got more than one opportunities to take his management lessons. Sometimes it was his lab, lab viva or examinations. He learned the rule #1 of management - Talking about things that you don't know, doing things that you have absolutely no idea about and eventually getting your way out. Like many of his counterparts, blasphemy had not yet been imbibed in him which is why he carried on. For whatever hatred that he developed towards engineering there was always a happy, content and relaxed Hari as soon as he used to come back to his hostel and go out with his friend.

His management lessons were getting more and more intense as the time progressed. At the end of his junior undergraduate year he went to a cement company and worked for 2 months. It used to be called as "Practical Training" and Hari had mastered these by now. For a mere sum of 5000 rupees a month, he came up with a grand idea of new development technique for the cement company which would save the firm about 3 crores rupees every year. All his fellows displayed their high intellect in similar fashion, wherever they went. Yet for some reason he was still paid just 5000 rupees.

In his undergraduate year, he was made to carry out a project as a part of his thesis. This was his penultimate test of management. He did quite well there too. It was there that he learned that the HR side of management also holds some practical relevance. Going by the title, it seemed like a project of the century. Building an electric motor vehicle and propulsion system or something like that. Hari was smart enough by this time to have no problems with this one. Also, with the advent of popular sites like www.google.com, the task was never any easier for him. He made sure that his final presentation looked like a professional's one. Thereafter he gave it at the best binding shop. He could do at least this much.

The D-Day of his ultimate test arrived. It was his grand viva. For someone who has given up on academics 2-3 years ago, it was always going to be an intimidating challenge to learn everything in so less a time. Yet with the heart of a man he went to face the professors. Quite expectedly Hari wasn't having a good time there. They kept on asking questions and Hari kept on thinking. Finally a frustrated professor asked Hari. "A very simple question for you, how do you calculate the horse power of a horse?"
Hari had to say something on this one. Silence. The professor looks in his eyes. Hari looks down. Finally, he opens his mouth. "Sir, you take a horse, burn it and measure it's calorific value!"

Bang! The door was shut on him. That was how it all ended.

Today on the day of convocation, he is out there with his parents and he has been awarded the B.Tech. degree. He looks at it carefully and gifts the "Tech." part to his parents. For them to cherish the memories of their engineer son and for him to officially relinquish the "Tech." part associated with himself. With just that one letter "B." he gets all the confidence to conquer the world for he firmly believes that it is this magical letter that separates him from the rest.

On this momentous day for Hari and his parents let us not discuss whether he did right or wrong. Instead let us do one good thing that we certainly can. We wish him all the luck for future.