The Indian Engineering Career – A perspective

The professional world is too large and it welcomes everyone stepping into it with a thousand arms open and all full of opportunities. This welcome no different for an engineering graduate walking out of the fences of his college campus. Most often do we see him walk with an offer already grabbed at the college placements though opportunities lie plenty outside as well.

Today, it is unfortunate that 95% of the campus offers are from the IT sector. I term it ‘unfortunate’ purely because of the brain-denial being met out to the engineering sector, which demands much more quality workforce. Not with an anti-IT sector motive. Through this column, I just wish to gather the attention of the creamy layer of core-engineering grads who will be passing out from campuses across the nation.

Having called the attention of all creamy engineering grads, it has now become my responsibility to showcase what the Indian engineering setup has got to offer. It is a known fact that India is on the progressive path today and we have gained capabilities, in every field, to match the best in the world.

Let me bring to you the opportunities and challenges that each domain in the engineering sector has got to offer.

Aerospace & Defense sector

This field is definitely one of the most technically demanding domains in the country. The industry may look very complex on the outset, but it is just like any other engineering profession. All that is required to survive: an open attitude and an eager-to-learn brain. That’s all. The main organizations that provide opportunities in this sector are Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO). But these are mammoth research bodies that work in vast diverse disciplines. Any domain in engineering will fit within the scope of research carried out in these organizations. With experiences with these organizations, I can tell you that these organizations have incredible scientific knowledge that they have accumulated over these years. The latest of the technologies always flow in. Enormous opportunities for technical growth. Of course, the negatives of a pure govt sector do exist, but not so common. The pay-scales are average but expected to climb up in a year, when the 6^th pay commission gets passed. This is a domain where young engineers (esp. mechanical, electrical, electronics) with a strong inclination towards aerospace arena can step in with confidence.

Manufacturing sector

This is another potential sector where opportunities to learn and grow are quite high. Today’s Indian industrial scenario is on the drive and services of young quality engineers are required to carry forward this momentum. With the govt policies favouring both large and small scale industries, a healthy condition prevails. For example, any transfer of technology (ToT) or a joint venture in defense or space shall be made with the intention of participating the Indian industries in it. Also, when the govt purchases any defense or aerospace product from any country (for eg, aircrafts for Indian airlines or for IAF), at least 30% of the components are supposed to be manufactured within our boundaries. Such deals have created a suitable medium for the industries to flourish and get acquainted with critical technologies and processes, which so far were text book stuff for us. Recently, many of our industries (both large & small scale) have been enlisted to manufacture critical components for aerospace and defense sector. Many of these companies have mushroomed & flourished within a short span of time and have got the recognition that their quality work deserves.

A sub-category in this domain is the Automobile sector. It not only provides massive employment opportunities but also brings in new technologies into the country. With a large number of multi-national automobile companies having set up their plants and more giants venturing, this sector provides vast scope to grow. These companies not only grow vertically, but also help a large number of smaller vendor companies thrive.

This sector too doesn’t limit the engineers to specific domains. There is enormous opportunity for engineers, irrespective of their domains, to prosper in the manufacturing sector.

PSU sector

The PSUs (Public Sector Undertaking) are the backbone of the country’s technical growth. There are a number of companies that provide an incredible technical platform to begin a career. Some of them top the list and feature among the ‘NavRatnas’, viz., NTPC, HPCL, ONGC, GAIL, BHEL, etc. These are not only the cradles of Indian industrial growth but also are profit-making organizations that make the govt proud. Each of the companies specialize in their own field and guarantees great engineering learning and a highly impressive work culture. The salaries of most of them are really good and are comparable with that in the private sector. For instance, NTPC & ONGC not only pay high but also provide facilities that even private sector employees envy upon.

Telecom sector

This is another booming sector in the today’s Indian technical domain. With more and more companies from across the globe, this sector is on the boom. I need not say more the telecom revolution is on its wheels in the country and there is great scope. All mobile phone, broadband co., with BSNL & MTNL topping the charts, and also the mobile phone manufactures Nokia, Sony Ericsson, etc., provide gr8 scope for communication engineers to explore and conquer.

What has been said is just the tip of the iceberg and much greater are the opportunities untold and unexploited. It is a great time for the nation and greater time for engineers with the right attitude to dive deep in seek treasures in this ocean of opportunities. I wish all the readers, great times ahead!

A Noble Cause

My heart leaps...

My heart leaps up when I behold
A Rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a Man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is Father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

---Wordsworth

Tale of a little boy, his little bro & an unborn sis!

Let me give a small break to my Kazhak memoirs. Uttara’s recent blog on her perceptions about having a sibling prompted me to pen down my feelings on what I had been longing for, ever since I was a child. A sweet little sis.

Let me begin my post with a little anecdote. There was this little boy of two & half, who had so far seen his world only in his mom & dad. He was overwhelmed when he came to know that he would be receiving a wonderful gift a few months hence, a new-entrant into his lovely world. He was told, the more wonderful & as-desired the gift would be, if he prayed sincerely for it. So did he. Very eager & excited, he would accompany his anticipating-mom everyday to the near-by hanuman temple to pray for the gift (not knowing that that was the biggest mistake he was doing). He prayed whole-heartedly for a beautiful little sister to play with. He prayed for a sister, just a little sis, beau, calm & loving, to make his world lovely world lovelier. He would pour out much more than all the love & care that he had received as the first child, for her.

The day dawned. It was a June morning, exactly twenty years ago, in a small town in the suburbs of madras, lord hanuman answered his prayer with what maximum he could do in that regard. The boy was shocked on seeing his gift but accepted the gift. He didn’t know, until his grand-mom told him, that lord hanuman had within his jurisdiction the power to gift only a monkey-boy - at the maximum, without a tail. So was born this little bro to this little boy.

The boy still loved his gift. In fact, he loved it so much that he didn’t realize he was committing another serious mistake by refusing to give the baby to the nurse, who asked for it, saying it looked so cute, fair & chubby.

Days rolled on. This little bro of this little boy had begun to exhibit all the talents he had acquired from lord hanuman. Right from climbing over the TV stand, making everyone run up and down the three-floored apartment, imprint nail-marks on the so-far cute cheeks of his caring elder bro. So troublesome that his mom had to either make him stand inside the tub of the newly-purchased Sanyo washing machine or tie him to the little older grinding stone. Still the little boy loved his little bro.

More days rolled on, this little boy has lost all that he so-far possessed to his little bro and was very much happy to do so. The focus of the inmates of his world & also the visitors, his toys, cycle, T-shirts, books et al. So things went on like this and still the little boy loved his little bro.

I think, enough has been told about his little bro, though much yet unrevealed. But there was something untold, deep within this little boy’s little heart. Dreams about his beautiful little sis that he cherished once and hoped he would give them all life.

O Captain! My Captain!

"O Captain! My Captain!" is a poem by Walt Whitman. It was written in homage to Abraham Lincoln after his assassination in1865.After the assassination of Isreali Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, the famous Israeli poet Naomi Shemer translated the poem into Hebrew and composed her own melody, making it a popular song in memorial services. I recollect practising this one for recitation competion, at GSp sir's home, during my 6th std. I think Arun Jacob got to sing it on stage. (Jacob,, just confirm da..)

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
---But O heart! heart! heart!
-----O the bleeding drops of red,
-------Where on the deck my Captain lies,
---------Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up--for you the flag is flung--for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths--for you the shores
a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
---Here Captain! dear father!
-----This arm beneath your head!
-------It is some dream that on the deck
---------You've fallen cold and dead.

My captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
---Exult, O shores, and ring O bells!
-----But I, with mournful tread,
-------Walk the deck my Captain lies,
---------Fallen cold and dead.


------------------ Walt Whiman

Casabianca

(One of my favorites - cherishable memories from Mr.PCN's class. The poem commemorates an actual incident that occurred in 1798 during the Battle of the Nile, aboard the French ship L'Orient. The young son Giocante of commander Louis de Casabianca remained at his post and perished when the flames caused the magazine to explode)

The boy stood on the burning deck
Whence all but he had fled;
The flame that lit the battle's wreck
Shone round him o'er the dead.
Yet beautiful and bright he stood,
As born to rule the storm;
A creature of heroic blood,
A proud, though childlike form.

The flames roll'd on...he would not go
Without his father's word;
That father, faint in death below,
His voice no longer heard.

He call'd aloud..."Say, father,say
If yet my task is done!"
He knew not that the chieftain lay
Unconscious of his son.

"Speak, father!" once again he cried
"If I may yet be gone!"
And but the booming shots replied,
And fast the flames roll'd on.

Upon his brow he felt their breath,
And in his waving hair,
And looked from that lone post of death,
In still yet brave despair;

And shouted but one more aloud,
"My father, must I stay?"
While o'er him fast, through sail and shroud
The wreathing fires made way,

They wrapt the ship in splendour wild,
They caught the flag on high,
And stream'd above the gallant child,
Like banners in the sky.

There came a burst of thunder sound...
The boy-oh! where was he?
Ask of the winds that far around
With fragments strewed the sea.

With mast, and helm, and pennon fair,
That well had borne their part;
But the noblest thing which perished there
Was that young faithful heart.

--------------- Felicia Dorothea Hemans

Link

Kazhak Memoirs – Part 6

Celebrations

Though sainik schools can be dubbed as mini- military regiments, we didn’t have less to celebrate. Celebrations are part and parcel of kazhak culture. Reasons plenty to rejoice. My previous posts would have given enough insight on the competitive environment in the campus. Be it on the sporting arena, the debating dais, the garden lawns or the ‘Athapookkalam’, kazhaks stand spirited. Victory or defeat, the vibrant atmosphere ignites celebrations. Celebrations need not necessarily be partying. The ‘Three Cheers’ on a victory or the counter slogans from the house, undeterred at the door of defeat, itself is celebration. This spirit brings out the best in kazhaks. Makes them come out stronger and harder, the next occasion.

Some days have been allocated for celebration only. The first of the celebrations in an academic year begins with the OBA day celebrations. The Old Boys bring in their share of enthusiasm within the first few weeks from re-open. The celebrations keep happening everywhere in the campus. The playgrounds, the classrooms, the houses, the audi,,, everywhere. A cultural evening organized by the OBA, the Old-boys Vs the cadet matches on the grounds and more.

Then we celebrate the senior, junior & sub-junior days in the 2nd or 3rd term. The cadets themselves organize these days. The preparations for the event begins just about a week prior and cadets come out with an extravagant show, be it on the day of the younger ones or the wiser ones. I recollect some of the most illuminant performances: The Shakespearian saga of Julius Ceasar with the senior cadets Harshan & Indrajit playing Brutus & Antony respectively. (I drew my inspiration from this one to stage the same play at TVS Lakshmi during Jan 2000 with the support of the then VP Mr. Sudhakar. I played Marcus Antonius). The dance numbers ‘Cotton Eyed Joe’ by Alex & Co., the classical ‘Oru murai vandhu parthaya’ from the movie Manichitrathaazhl.., The BoneyM song ‘Ra Ra Rasputin’ sung by our sub-junior cadets trained by Francis sir ,, all memorable ones.

The grand event: The Annual day. The best of the performances from the cadet’s days are selected to be staged again on the annual day, along with some special addendum. I recollect, during my std VI days, the play ‘Halley’s comet’, a comedy written by one of our masters. (I don’t recollect who it was. Must be Mr. PCN or Mr. GSP). This play involved students from all three cadres. This play had its backdrop as SSKZM itself. One of the senior cadets playing the principal of the school, another the headmaster, then the rest playing the cadets themselves. I played one of the cadet kids on the stage. The play goes like this. The principal gives orders to the HM about the occurrence of a rare cosmic phenomenon and the students must be made to view it at that particular time. The HM passes the order to the Cadet captain and the message passes down the hierarchy. The humour lies in the way this message gets communicated downstream and the resulting fun. We had wonderful time rehearsing for the play.

The peak heights of celebration are reached only at the end of the Annual day. When the victor house captain goes up the dais to collect his Best House trophy, the audi roars. I wonder how our VK Krishna Menon Auditorium has withstood such roars for the past 50 years. An engineering marvel, must be. The night, the whole of the victor house (one each in senior, junior & sub-junior cadre) is out on the kazhak roads partying, shouting cheers and a procession taken through every corner of the school with the trophy on the head of the house captain. Excitement pumping adrenalin through every cadet’s veins. Wonderful feeling.

This post wouldn’t be complete if I fail to mention other pleasant occasions of celebrations: The festival times. Major festive celebrations at school are the Onam, Diwali & X-mas celebrations. The Onam celebrations take place the last couple of days before we break for the Onam vacation, after completing our quarterly exams. The main attraction during this occasion is the ‘Athapookkalam’ or the Flower-Rangoli contest. The day before the contest, the entire house is in the woods, going around and picking every single coloured bloom from the mini-jungle around the campus. That evening, the collections are pooled together, varieties grouped and the main work stats midnight till dawn. Everyone comes out with some splendid theme to woo the judges. The whole day is colourful. The plum on the pudding is the ‘Onasadhya’ – The Onam feast. On large banana leaf, typical keralite food,.. the varieties of uppaeries (chips), the pradhamans (payasams),,,…. The list is much much longer..

Since Diwali happens in the midst of the term, we are more than happy to get a day off from routine. The fun is extra. Apart from the regular special food in the mess, the celebrations begin when the cracker-bursting ceremonies begin in the senior cadets’ battleground. We can see rockets zooming between the windows of Ashoka Seniors & Rajaji Seniors. The Tagorians joining the battle a little later as the third front.

Like Onam, X-mas celebrations also take place just the day before we break for vacation after exams. The party takes place in the main Basketball ground with the whole school surrounding the cemented courtyard. The school choir sings the carols…. the jingle bells, the X-mas BoneyM numbers and many more. Then a senior cadet dressed as Santa Claus arrives in style with a bag of goodies and throws around toffees to the crowd. He sings & dances and the fun concludes at the mess with a special X-mas dinner.

Whatever be the occasion, wherever be the place, Kazhaks celebrate in true spirit and style. This isn’t limited to the cadet days; even after.

Kazhak memoirs – Part 5

First of all, I apologise to my dear readers, for this 3-month lull. Let me turn the flow on.

Kazhak – rejoice unbounded. One place where u can find the entire kazhak energy peaking is the playground, esp., during the inter-house tournaments. Every sport is played, rather fought as a battle, between the rival houses in all levels. At the heat of the fierce encounters can be felt throughout the entire campus.

Cricket, football, hocket, basket ball, volleyball and boxing (anything more?). Whatever the game, whoever plays, full-strength is always present to cheer for their gladiators. The energy the cheers radiate is more important to us than the outcome of the clashes. The spirit of team, the sense of belonging are what matter. Even if our team doesn’t win a match, the whole house is there to support an ally team at their progressive encounters.

I have to make a special mention of the boxing tournament. It’s something that is not so common at school level. But our boxing bouts are really phenomenal and classic. The rings are prepared for the duels. One open air (beside the auditorium), another indoor (made on the podium of the auditorium). The junior & sub-junior level matches take place in the out-door ring and the main events (seniors) take place in the audi. Different categories of encounters based on weight. The nominations for all categories from each house is sent a week in advance. This is when we see, most guys work out very hard. If there are two heavy-weight guys in the same house. The second-in-class boxer in made to work out heavily, to bring his weight down to fit into a lower weight category. Then, posters are put up at different places in the campus, in support of the contestants. Really interesting posters showcasing the heroics of the boxers and warning signs for the rivals are put up. This is when one can see Rockies, Rambos, Bheems, Arjuns,… moving around in the kazhak campus.

On the D-day, it’s a marvellous sight to watch the clash of titans. The auditorium thundering, the boxers bash and bleed. Every sort of game has been witnessed by the kazhak auditorium. Decent ones, bloody battles, knout-outs (some 1st shot knockouts – match over in a couple of sec), never give-up ones (rock kinda ones) and what not. It’s a great feeling to watch and feel the reverberations of such duels. A salute to our kazhak gladiators.

Another sporting event of importance for the kazhaks is the Atheletics meet. It’s like some sort of Olympics for us. All track and field events take place during the entire week of the meet. The soil of the kazhak ground is salted with the sweat of these champions, all through these years. It’s a fight to outnumber the medals of the opponents.

Almost in the same month, we have the kazhak cross-country race. I don’t remember the exact distance of the race. Must be around 5 km for subjunior level and about 7 & 9 for the junior and senior levels. We begin the practise runs a week before the main race. The whole house runs. There are always a group of boys (I belong here), about 30-40, who run the first 2 km and walk the rest. The last ten ‘meet the leader’ after lunch (Read previous posts). It’s my habit to meet him daily. On the D-day about 50 students from each house run the distance. Every year records keep breaking. I must tell you, it was a great feeling for me, even to complete the race. Pierre de coubertin's words keep inspiring me. I was never a sporting winner, but cherished every moment like i did.