One hot and humid afternoon in my unkempt hostel room, I was lying on the bed when I received a mail reading:
Dear All,
The following student has been selected for an internship at Brillio -
UM17368 - Shuvam Kumar Patra
Congratulations to the selected student.
There was a huge sense of joy but more of a relief. Finally, I had got my destination for the Summer Internships from XIMB (also known as “XInternship”). Being a fresher, this was going to be my first corporate experience after having gone through around 18-19 years of rigorous hardships of the so-called Indian Education System. The evening went on with a mixture of wishes flowing from friends and relatives accompanied by lots of friendly bumps from close friends.
Then started the planning phase- contacting the company HR team, booking the tickets, looking for an accommodation among the many others. Soon after the end term exams, I was off from Bhubaneswar to Bengaluru- my temporary home for the next nine weeks.
Bengaluru greeted me with its customary evening rain and heavy traffic which gradually became my new normal. The next few days went swiftly searching for PGs, getting accustomed to common routes and getting a feel for the grand and glamorous city.
Then finally the day arrived.
2nd April’18
The day I was supposed finally step into the big bad corporate world, of which I had been warned by everyone already. Anxiety and Nervousness engulfed me entirely and after spending a sleepless night, I packed all the necessary documents and reached my office (Brillio, Sapphire) way too early. I received a very warm welcome and then started the induction program. I was soon allotted a system and a cubicle which would be my workplace for the next 2 months. It was a special feeling, the memory of which still gives me goosebumps. Soon, I got accustomed to the environment and the work culture and it slowly became joyful to work. I started making new friends, learning new skills, attending meetings, having team lunches etc. all of which were first time experiences.
Being the only intern in my office, I grabbed a lot of eyeballs. I was also allotted a mentor who very soon became my go-to person. Initially, I had a lot of apprehensions about how I am supposed to behave with my colleagues, with my manager, but with the help of my mentor, I learnt the nitty-gritty's of business, slowly yet steadily. Personally speaking, I couldn’t have asked for more support from the organization and from my mentor, to be specific. He was my support system helping me through each and every hurdle and making sure that I learn new things that would help me in future. There were colleagues who were equally supportive, which made work life easier. I remember the long meetings with those tea and coffee breaks with discussions which would still be centred to work. I became a great admirer of the level of dedication and self-motivation of the employees and tried to learn as much as possible from them.
Having spent whole of life in Odisha, my biggest problem was the food. The search for familiar food made me explore places and I discovered the foodie in me. The normal weekdays were a loop of work, eat and sleep. The satisfaction of doing a fruitful work generally eclipsed the tiredness of the hard work that was put in. But the real wait was for the weekends. After the five laborious days of work, came the most awaited two with their own leisure and joy. Meeting old friends, watching movies, having some good food and exploring near-by places became the routine for the weekends. But the major chunk of the time spent was on sound sleep which was a blissful relief from all the stress and tiredness of the long week.
30th April’18
It was early afternoon and I was busy preparing for a presentation when suddenly a mail popped up! To my pleasant surprise, the stipend had been credited to my account. It was supposedly my “first salary”. I was literally speechless and over the moon. The evening went on with loads of imagination and daydreaming until I stopped at McDonald’s to grab my favourite burger.
The travels were the funniest part. From making a Kannada cab driver understand the destination to understanding where a city bus would go, each had their own adventure. Hailing from Bhubaneswar- a city where the major mode of transport is autos, the experience with cabs and buses was something to cherish. Heavy traffics made the journeys long and hectic. But the tune of music from my earphone was always there to help me out this trouble.
I still remember the first weekend. I had called my mom and said to her “Mom...There are still 7 weeks left”. 6 of those 7 weeks passed in the blink of an eye. Then came the last week, the hardest part which was quite emotional.
4th June’18
The last day: My mentor took me out for lunch that day and I was given a warm farewell. The memory of returning my identity card in the reception while coming out from my office for the last time still makes my eyes wet.
The best part of Bangalore is that you will love it eventually, no matter from which part of the world you come from. The roads, the people, the malls, the food and above all the lovely climate, each of them have the capability to bind you with their beauty alone.
Today, when I am writing this article, reliving those moments but at the same time missing them badly. But for sure, I can say this with utter confidence that those 2 months were the best days of my life and I wish they never ended.
Shuvam Kumar Patra
Class of 2019