My internship at TCS Pune has been a delightful experience. I joined along with two of my classmates at IIM Udaipur, and we had a choice to either work individually or to work collectively. We wanted to deliver value to TCS, and we thought each one of us could bring in new perspectives as our project involved a lot of research, so we decided to coordinate and cooperate. It was great to work as a team to accomplish a common goal; it kept us all on track and also helped us to work through the challenges we faced.
In a year at IIM Udaipur, I had learned to plan and execute tasks, so I ended up asking a lot of questions to my mentor and team about expectations and how we can get to our end goal. We sliced our tasks according to its complexity and sequence; this has helped us to save a lot of our time and also enabled us to accommodate something new as per the requirement. I learned that slicing any formidable task makes it a lot easier to deal with, and it also helps to gain momentum quickly.
Also read - Eight Key Learnings From Eight Weeks As An HSBC Intern
My Project Details
I was fortunate to analyse and research on the future of SaaS and use cases of new technologies. I did in-depth benchmarking of significant players in the SPES industry, performed STP analysis on a list of 1000 SaaS companies and, conducted market research to identify the bottlenecks in the possible processes at the domain and corporate level in the businesses which are multiplying and mapped them to SaaS value chain. Finally, we came up with some new solutions to tackle those challenges and gained a lot of new insights about the industry and hyper-growth companies during that period.
Tragic Day & The Karaoke Twist
In the middle of my internship, I heard the news that my mother had been admitted to hospital, and I was feeling so weak and helpless as I couldn't go home. I wanted to uplift myself and thought music would help to express, as I sing, write, and compose English songs in my leisure time. I went to a Karaoke event, and one of the craziest opportunities knocked my door when the oldest Karaoke Jockey who started Karaoke in Mumbai and Pune asked me if I would like to host Karaoke at different places, I said yes right away.
Although I had lived in Pune for four years before my MBA program, this was the first time I had been to a Karaoke event outside IIM Udaipur. Being a part of Octaves, the music club of IIM Udaipur gave me an excellent opportunity to let go of my stage fear but only after I became a Karaoke host and sang songs in front of an unknown audience, I gained a lot of confidence.
During those events, I met a lot of singers who took me to gigs and taught me the intricacies of music. All of this was hectic as I had to go to Karaoke events right after my office and used to get back late, which took a toll on my sleep but a year at IIM Udaipur habituated me of the same. To keep myself fit, I choose to commute by cycle and start playing squash, which helped me to stay active and motivated during those two months.
From A Mentor to A Lifelong Friend
All this while, I had a mentor who not only guided me in my project but also encouraged me to go to those Karaoke events. My mentor at TCS was young with good industry experience and imparted us interesting insights whenever we needed it. She believed in "Design Thinking," and hence never made any timelines and wanted us to explore our avenues. Throughout the internship, she exposed us to new approaches and taught us to be more creative. At the same time, she took regular feedback to gauge our progress and appreciated us for all our efforts. It was the right mix of autonomy and control from her side.
Besides her, the head of the hi-tech division of TCS was also happy with our performance and explained to us how he would implement what we have suggested, which put a big smile on our faces. All this while I have got a friend in my mentor.
My Feelings Summed Up
I would say these were the two most challenging, enjoyable, and satisfying months I have ever had in my life. I truly lived that time to my fullest and learned a lot from every experience. It is much more than I could have asked for from an internship, an enriching and transformational journey that I would cherish for life.
****
Also read in the Summer Saga series:
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Comments
Jeetesh Varshney
Jeetesh Varshney holds an MBA from the IIM Udaipur and was a member of the InsideIIM Student Team and representative of Placement Preparation Committee of IIMU. He has previously completed his Computer Engineering from Harcourt Butler Technological Institute, Kanpur and has work experience in software development. He is an avid reader and loves travelling and exploring new places and cultures. He is someone who learned a lot from InsideIIM while preparing for his management entrance exams and now writing stories on InsideIIM to share his experiences for the benefit of the future aspirants.
Interesting story Soumya! Quite an experience. All the best
24 Jun 2019, 02.19 PM
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RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you so much, Jeetesh :)
24 Jun 2019, 02.28 PM |
Rupali Ria
Happy for you. All the best. See you at another Karaoke Night in future!
24 Jun 2019, 02.46 PM
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RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you so much Rupali, means a lot. Yes soon
25 Jun 2019, 10.25 AM |
ashu mishra
Nicely written.This story somewhere illustrates that ,if one has a desire, his/ her professional and personal lives can go hand in hand. All the best!
24 Jun 2019, 03.14 PM
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RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you Ashu, I am glad you observed what I wanted to convey from this article ☺️
25 Jun 2019, 10.26 AM |
Kirti Mishra
Well done!
24 Jun 2019, 03.44 PM
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RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you so much Ma'am, means a lot ❤️
25 Jun 2019, 10.25 AM |
NEIL BASSIST
Keep Rocking.
24 Jun 2019, 04.28 PM
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RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you Neil, yes always ☺️
25 Jun 2019, 10.24 AM |
Pranav Sharma
My name is Pranav Sharma. Electronics and Communication engineer by pedagogy and IT professional by work life. I have worked with TCS for two and a half years and currently pursuing PGP at IIM Udaipur. My hobbies are playing chess, reading novels and writing stories.
An experience worth having! Hope you carry the zeal with u all ur life ✌
24 Jun 2019, 09.33 PM
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RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you Pranav, yes I will carry this zeal :)
25 Jun 2019, 10.24 AM |
Prateek Sharma
Nice.. Mean it.
24 Jun 2019, 09.36 PM
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RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you Prateek :)
25 Jun 2019, 10.23 AM |
Shwet Nisha
Thank you for sharing your experiences. It's really nice to see you come up above all the hardships in life. Keep it up and well done Soumya❤️ Lots of love and best wishes to you
25 Jun 2019, 10.20 AM
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RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you so much Shwet, thank you for acknowledging my efforts. Means a lot to me
27 Jun 2019, 12.49 AM |
Moinack Shaikh
Moinack is an Electronics engineer and aspiring investment banker. He loves to go trekking, run triathlons and cooking. FMS Delhi ( 2019-2021)
Perfectly showcased the balance between work life and passion Soumya
25 Jun 2019, 11.13 AM
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RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you so much Moinack :)
27 Jun 2019, 12.49 AM |
PHALGUNI MALPANI
Very well summed up Soumya!!
25 Jun 2019, 12.22 PM
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RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you :)
27 Jun 2019, 12.52 AM |
Anshul nagi
Being able to follow your passion alongside work , quite a journey you had during summer
25 Jun 2019, 05.14 PM
solvin singh
Such a wonderful experience, keep doing good work :)
25 Jun 2019, 06.19 PM
+Read Replies (1)
RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you Solvin :)
27 Jun 2019, 12.52 AM |
Anupriya Gupta
Very nice article!!
25 Jun 2019, 08.45 PM
+Read Replies (1)
RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you Anupriya :)
27 Jun 2019, 10.59 AM |
Harshvardhan Shekhawat
Male , 26 , 6'1 , 79 Kgs. Startup mindset. Very rational,Agnostic,Fact driven but not faith or beliefs.
Very Inspiring and factual. Could agree more to the realness and the way the whole period is depicted. Have a great life ahead. Keep learning and keep growing
25 Jun 2019, 11.58 PM
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Harshvardhan Shekhawat
Male , 26 , 6'1 , 79 Kgs. Startup mindset. Very rational,Agnostic,Fact driven but not faith or beliefs.
Could not*
25 Jun 2019, 11.59 PM |
RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank You Harshvardhan. I will look forward and do my best :)
27 Jun 2019, 11.02 AM |
Swapnil shankar
Nice story Saumya. Not everyone can pull off such an eventful period of summer internship.
26 Jun 2019, 12.45 AM
Yash Shah
Well written article! That's the way one should build a life...
26 Jun 2019, 12.14 PM
+Read Replies (1)
RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you Yash, at least I try to keep it that way :)
27 Jun 2019, 12.53 AM |
DIGVIJAY CHAUHAN
Yo
Nice
26 Jun 2019, 12.35 PM
Ankur Poonia
Wonderful story and nicely written..
26 Jun 2019, 12.35 PM
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RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you Ankur :)
27 Jun 2019, 12.53 AM |
Shivam Aggarwal
Thanks for sharing your experience. Worth reading
26 Jun 2019, 03.45 PM
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RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you so much for taking time out to read my article :)
27 Jun 2019, 10.59 AM |
Saumya Rao
You lived the dream! You achieved that perfect work-life balance in your internship itself! Hold on strongly to it now! So proud of you, Soumya!
26 Jun 2019, 04.53 PM
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RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you so much, yes I will always try to strike that balance <3
27 Jun 2019, 12.48 AM |
Shubhangi Sharma
Beautiful Journey! Thanks for sharing with us all❤️
26 Jun 2019, 05.02 PM
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RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you Shubhangi
27 Jun 2019, 10.58 AM |
Ajeet Kumar
Kudos to you for moving ahead in difficult situation. Very good article
27 Jun 2019, 06.44 AM
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RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you so much Aditya :) I always try to channelise my energy and thiughts to something positive
27 Jun 2019, 10.57 AM |
Devang Roongta
Interesting story
27 Jun 2019, 11.35 PM
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RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you Devang :)
28 Jun 2019, 11.45 AM |
monika saraswat
Its true..Hardships define who we are. Nicely written article. Thank you Soumya for sharing!! Lots of love.
28 Jun 2019, 09.56 PM
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RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Thank you so much Monika
29 Jun 2019, 12.42 PM |
Sumit Yadav
Thats a perfect example of work life balance. Keep following your heart
28 Jun 2019, 10.08 PM
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RVS Soumya
Soumya is pursuing MBA at IIM Udaipur. She likes to keep a focus but try different flavours of life because of her love for uniqueness. She graduated in computer science from SRM University and worked as a Software developer for around 4 years across different projects and domains, that is where she fell in love with technology, marketing & business and embarked upon a new journey of MBA. She loves psychology, reading and writing. Too nerdy?? Well she isn’t! She loves singing, writing & composing English songs & her life philosophy is to achieve a balance between Mind, Body & Soul maybe that’s the reason why she enjoys cycling & travelling too.
Yes I will :) Thank you Sumit
29 Jun 2019, 12.42 PM |
HARSH PATEL
It’s really nice to see you come up above all the hardships in life. Keep it up and well done
6 Jul 2019, 08.48 PM
shrey khandelwal
Interesting Experience.....
6 Jul 2019, 09.06 PM
Mohak Khurana
Great story....Worth reading and a very inspiring one too.... Thank you for sharing such wonderful real life experience!!
6 Jul 2019, 10.40 PM