6 Years Ago

The Time: 7:20 AM

The Date: 2nd December 2002

The Place: Hotel Ganesh, Trivandrum

A group of nervous young men sat in a rickety old Mahindra van. Some of them clutched thick folders filled with educational qualifications, as if to reassure themselves that they belonged here. Others adjusted their ties and smoothened their hair, as if to convince themselves that they looked the part of an IT consultant. One or two messaged their loved ones, seeking comfort as they were about to start on the longest & most important journey of their lives.

All of them wondered what the next two and a half months held in store.

They cast glances at each other. Quick. Furtive. Wary. Some sought allies. Others looked at potential competitors. None of them was willing to break the ice. So they waited, smiled at each other politely and tried to control the tension they felt.

This group of 28 men were later joined by 4 ladies. They were then told that their batch number was T-35. It was a number that was to stay with them for a long time.

Within two weeks, T-35 had forged a unity and an identity that the other trainee batches could only admire. From a distance. This bunch of mechanical, civil, electrical engineers and even one architect learnt more from each other than they did from the visiting faculty.

From Chacha, they learnt how much fun Vietnamese & Thai girls were.
From Shishu, they learnt that you should not drink a whole bottle of neat vodka and then expect to walk home on your own.
From Joker, they learnt that life could always be made a little happier with a good song.
From Predator, they learnt that when people fall asleep during your presentation, it is time to stop.
From Psycho, they learnt a million things about Jadhavpur University.
From Guruji, they learnt how to play TT.
From Badman, they learnt that if you lose your cool, you just might lose your job (Thanks Slow for saving Badman)
From Cartoon, they learnt that artists don't always get the hot babes.
From HTBC, they learnt that you should pay more attention to the person giving you instructions.
From Ganya Don, they learnt that the same joke could be told to the same set of drunk guys a dozen times & still be a hit.
From Bageera, they learnt that Infosys has stronger internal processes than TCS.
From Amma, they learnt that when your teammate refuses to cooperate, you will have to make a presentation on the fly.
From Bhootni, they learnt the term 'ila lala lala'.
From Aunty, they learnt how to be friendly and still be aloof.
From Lady Don, they learnt that not all bong women are... well, bong women.
From Slow, they learnt that sheer brainpower, or luck, would beat laziness hands down.
From Tension, they learnt that Brinda the Queen was divorced thrice, not twice.
From Good Boy, they learnt that you could be the only sober guy at a party and still wake up with puke all over you.
From Deddy, they learnt that even architects can code. Or at least try.
From Rebel, they learnt the true meaning of the term 'Rebel without a cause'.
From Bond, they learnt that if you stay awake till 3 AM every night reading Tintin comics, you won't be able to get ready in time for office.
From Vakeel Babu, they learnt that the workers and management at Ford ate together at the same canteen.
From Metla, they learnt that TCS pays different salaries for people in California than they do for the rest of the US.
From Saa Rukh, they learnt the meaning of the term TUMPA.

They also learnt a lot of other things. How much booze to pour in your glass while dining with a client for one. How you don't need to be a Comp Sci Engineer to be a cyber coolie for another. But the best thing that they learnt is that you can spend just a few months with someone and still remain friends with them for the rest of your lives.

T-35 went on weekend trips together, they got drunk and then saw elephants in the shadows, they walked the streets of Kanyakumari barefoot while looking for precious alcohol, they organized the best parties at the hostel, they were the only batch to defy the 'under inspection order' and cheer when one of them (Amma) won the best student award, they tried to cut the kaddu and share it though that didn't work out, they gave a new meaning to the terms 'batting' and 'bowling'.

Yes T-35, we did 'bring TCS to life'. At least for a few months. :-)