Experience or Fiasco - You are the arbiter to adjudicate

It was the cosmic hour on the 7th day of January 2009. I was at my work station plugging in my music player’s ear phones to my ears and started to play the devotional music, as it gives me a day’s efficient activation feel. As usual, I had the volume to the maximum threshold and was logging into my computer. As a regular habit, I logged into my mail box to find few motivational mails from one of my close pal. Those usually get directed to my ‘Personal’ folder in outlook and I procrastinate to read it in the later part of the day. Usually I don’t read those mails everyday, coz they are so motivational that I try to implement the former ones before I could read and analyze any new ones. Sorry pal, but your messages are so motivational that I first try to implement the older ones before I could actually indoctrinate any new ones in my life. I, as expected, found a mail from my onsite coordinator and his mail contained the information using which I had to proceed for the work we were working on.

Suddenly, I was able to find my other Associates making small and large flocks and discussing on some serious issue. There happened to be similar kind of gathering even before, but not as serious as this day. This one was something different. There were many new faces seen. I was able to find many associates to be curious and consternate at the same time. With no delay, I pushed myself out of my workstation and went to one of my team mates and pal Vipin. I enquired him with curiosity “Dude, what is the matter? Why is everyone’s face reading curious and panic in the early hours of work?” I had several daunting questions running in back of my mind as it was the time when the recession was at its jinx and the dernier cri of layoffs and pink slips was on. Many were ostracized and yet the list had many more to go.

My pal Vipin (VIP - this is what we call him as fancy of keeping short name) said me in a jeopardy tone, “Which world are you in dude? Didn’t you receive any mails in your inbox?” This question of his made me to think more peril things. I continued to listen to him - “Our Chairman Ramalinga Raju has committed serious fraud with the company’s funds! He has over stated the company's profits to the government and investors” I interrupted and asked him “Stop the crap dude. If he was not running in profits, then how would he make an attempt to buy or merge MAYTAS with SATYAM?” To this he said “Its not the market or corporate people’s talk. This is the chairman’s own confession and he has sent a mail to all the employees of the company."

It was enough for me to move swiftly and immediately to the place where I can access the Satyam mailbox. My workstation isolates the use of Satyam mail box as per the requirement of my client, where we can only access client’s work related items. Now the complete systems at the ‘Satyam Bay’ was overflowing by the associates. I was able to get a glance of what everyone were staring at. All had a pdf document opened on the systems. Each system had more than 10 pair of visions looking at it with utmost anxiety. It was hard for me in finding a place to stand and get a glance on the text in pdf document.

I immediately called up one of my closest friend from school days – Hemanth, a very hard working and determined chap with ultimate business analysis skills. We both worked in the same company. I requested him to forward me the mail to my work mail box as I headed to my workstation.

With full apprehension and inquisitiveness, I opened the mail forwarded by Hemanth to my work mail box and downloaded the attachment on my desktop to read. It was the self denial letter by Mr. Ramalinga Raju, the founder and the former chairman of Satyam Computer Services Ltd., India’s 4th largest IT outsourcing conglomerate. The letter had everything detailed about cooking the account books by Mr. Raju and that his brother Mr. Rama Raju did accomplice him. It mentioned their defalcation and that the profits were overstated and deluded to the government. The same delusion was also done by the Raju brothers to the internal auditors, directors and the financial departments, as narrated in the letter :(

This was an acerbic truth :( The company has been paying taxes on what it showed on its cooked profits. It was a real time of worry :(! Several questions started accumulating in everyone’s mind. I was thinking if Satyam would become another Enron? What will happen to the future of 50k+ employees and their families? Will they have no defined directions, as the other conglomerates have freezed their hires? How many dreams will settle to be dream? How many would take the extreme limit to end their and their dependents life after being hit by the recession and their downed value in the market? :(

A few hours later, news arrived that the State and Central government have scrimped in to save from the losses of jobs and clients – this could be their elections strategy or the real responsibility, but this has given the ray of hope for the 50k+ employees and their families. The appointment of the eminent business personalities as the Board of Members by the government took no time.

However, the nervousness was not yet over. A few major clients had decided to pull out their contracts. There were few others who gave us strength by assuring their contracts extended with Satyam. This was as a result of the toiling and committed task by the company employees to deliver better than the usual, in spite of the adversity. My client had also been very keen on the 500+ talent pool working for its applications. We had many communications from the client and it always had built confidence by saying “You would be safe. We will take care of you.” This was sounding to some extent that the client will continue with Satyam. The client had been so concerned that I can recall the day when we had a teleconference with them at around 1:00 a.m. or 1:30 a.m. of their time (EST). This was a great relief and the trust on the client continuation with us was zooming too.

The reports and the short debates on the news channels had been as usual adding up spice to the real news about the company’s happening. Here I would like to narrate an act of a news paper. A few employees from Satyam wanted to cross the highway to have their lunch, as Subway was exactly in opposite to my office building. As it was a highway, one always needed to find a way amidst the traffic to cross the road. Some media persons, as usual, without communicating with the company’s marketing and media departments, come directly to the employees for interview. That same day, the camera of that media captured a group of employees who were finding way to cross the road and published the same the next day in a news paper with that capture and added the heading as “Satyamites clueless on where to go” I believe such media reporters/publishers have lots of free to time to make “arth” as “anarth” and vice versa.

Such acts of media attracted many sympathies from various vendors and shopkeepers too. Here I recall one incident with one of my friend Rupali, who works for the same client but on a different application than mine. It was a house warming ceremony of one of her leads and she headed to Shiparamam along with her team mates to buy a suitable gift for the occasion. They urged to buy a Ganesh idol looking at its finesse but in dearth of ample funds, they started bargaining. After a prolong trifle, the vendor glanced through their ID cards and gave an astonished look. The large-hearted shopkeeper agreed to sell the idol at the negotiated price. And then they realized how the news has impacted even small retailers coming from different parts of country and how they are sympathizing with the situation.

Amidst all this, the Satyamites did not loose their commitments to work and deliverables. This was and is admirable for every person in the industry. To a greater proportion, the commitment of the lower and middle level employees had made it possible for the clients to stick to the company and its services. Nonetheless, the company isn’t made by a single person. Right from the janitor to the middle level employees contribute the major part to the company and its services that it provides to its customers.

Then came the day when I heard that my client is too opting to annul its contracts with Satyam. This was now a panicky situation :( To make this decision stated direct to us, we had a client visit to our office. We had several meetings with the client thereafter. A few were disappointing and a few were convincing meets. In mean time, a short word CGI was heard to all of us. It was the new vendor of my client and it came to us as an deliverance. The client made a deal with the CGI so as to have maximum of its talent pool retained for its applications. The deal was convincing to a few and unconvincing to others. Many joined the company and a few stayed back to serve their same company. But as majority of the talents were in the budding stage of their career, they had no option but to switch. CGI too did not have any dearth of celebrations and informal meetings in welcoming the new teams for their new client!

This entire saga was a limpid view to me that one should always be ready for any circumstances. It taught me on how life has to pass through the sinusoidal convolutions. At Satyam, more than 70% of the total strength of was having less than 3 years of work experience force. I perceived this as an experience for the dynamic and young professionals amidst all the turmoil. This could pave a way for one to plan in advance for future where he/she need not have to bring down its value, both mentally and in the market when any such kind of situation is before us.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and I would love to know your views on the same. Was this really a fiasco, as mentioned by the media, or was it an experience for the young professionals to be prepared for such kind of misfortune?

Till the next post, keep enjoying and please leave your comments as thats the way I can know about your likes or dislikes to any theme :)

Yours Lovingly
Rajesh

I made a goal with deadline!!!

A warm welcome to all the ardent readers!!

It was the days during my inter years when I had created my debut blog. That particular blog was embraced with academic career and subjects related information, as it was my budding study age for choosing my academic major. However, I retreated myself with that blog at it’s puerility, with the veracity of not having erudition about what de facto blogging meant :). The dernier cri about blogging was hit out from my cerebrum within the peewee epoch of those days.

Nonetheless, the on deck time had made me wary about my inditing interest which I kicked off by wielding on some memoir or mockup papers a few months back. During one fine eventide, while skimming my mailbox, I came across a link that routed my browser to one of my learnt friend’s blog. After delving into his blog, I formed an opinion to bring up my own blog and wanted to share the same with all you avid readers!!! I am so mesmerized with this technological discovery which allows one to share its thoughts with anyone and in any corner of the world as can be while F2F sharing.

I have been saying this to many of my friends for over a protracted time since I decided to engender my blog. Finally my dear friends, who have been listening to me for a long, I have abrogated my ample drag on creating my blog with a firm friction :)

For all those who are apprehensive to know as what they will have to read on my blog, let me unfurl the anxiousness and say that this blog will not contain any sort of ‘gyan’ related themes:). My inherent idea imparted in creating this blog is to share anything that I learn or know newly from anywhere or anyone, and also some which I ponder in daily life. To transpire this, I will require the support of all you fervid readers by conduits of your comments for my jots. :)

I wish you all a mirthful reading experience. Keep visiting my blog and as a blogger, I would like to read the comments with utmost esprit. I reckon the comments shared by the readers or other bloggers gives a development in having profound knowledge about any topic.

Hence keep absolving or criticizing, but do leave a comment as it will be taken with high spirits and appreciated. Nevertheless, am just a tyro writer with an ambition to bring you many maven write-ups and obviate your option of dislike :).

Thank you for spending time in reading this. See you soon again!!!

Yours Lovingly
Raj

A fortiori: This blog is created only to share thoughts with all the enthusiastic readers. There might be write-ups on the articles which might be prevalent from the Globally Local World and yet shared here. The readers are urged not to promulgate any blaspheme comments in the interest of everyone.