It is a true story of mine.
(I had just graduated from my college. The company, I was about to join, had deferred my joining due to the ongoing adverse business conditions. It was very sad & distressing. I needed money. I looked for some other opportunities & with the help of a friend of mine, I secured a temporary role at PepsiCo R&D Center for about 2 months)
July 16, 2015. DLF Cyber City, Gurugram, India. (My First Day at Pepsico, GVIC)
There was a cluster of tall buildings all around. I was not exactly a city boy. I could sense the hustle & bustle of city (read corporate) life, the very moment I came out of Metro Rail. I was literally amazed. Sun shining bright in early morning & reflection of sun-rays from all around by glass panes. I had dreamt of living this life, It was coming true.
Before I could walk further, the sole of my shoe got broken, it was already in withered condition and I had also misplaced my foot over the pavement.
Somehow, I managed & as per the directions received by security guards, I reached the final venue. I was interviewed by a Senior Analyst at the company. He told me, that I had to come up with some solution for the problem, that one of their products was struggling with. Then & Then only, I could join the position, as I was told by him.
I said to myself, What?
I was not able to understand the problem properly & he was asking me to come up with a solution. Also, the problem was a bit related to Electronics & I was a Mechanical Engineer.
I asked myself, what other options did I have?
Answer Came: None.
Then, within a fraction of second, I replied with a big Yes.
Back then, my English Speaking skills were not good. But, it was the first time that I wasn’t afraid to try. I tried. I did better than my expectation & phobia of English speaking.
But then the real struggle started.
I come from a very weak economic background. I had only two shirts & two pants, which I had to wear on alternate days. The office location was around 65 Km from my home. I could use public transportation only. It took 5 hours a day for both ways journey.
My typical day was:
5:00 AM: Leave the Bed | 6:05 AM: Local Train | 7:20 Am: Delhi Metro | 8:20 AM: Sikandarpur | 8:50 AM: Reached Office
6:00 PM Left Office | Same way Back to home, around 9:30 PM & 11:00 PM: To bed.
I had to walk 8 Km in between to save some 40 Rupees a day.
It was frustrating sometimes, I used to cry during rainy nights & blame my conditions and the struggle that I had faced since childhood. But my Mother always supported me and I never gave up. I kept pushing myself.
I didn’t even take a single day leave when I was allowed to take 3 per month.
I made sure, I completed the task given.
Not only did I come up with a solution in 2 months but also prepared a white paper for PepsiCo. Then, It was sent for Patent Approval. During this period, I also undertook many tasks which I was not supposed to do. But I excelled in them also & came up with excellent results.
Yes, I blamed many things but when I worked, I made sure nothing to come in between me & my work.
Giving up was never an option & will never be.
Interesting Part: What did I get in return in this short period of 2.5 months?
(I received this mail a few days back that the white paper (which I filed back then) has been successfully published as a Patent & is listed on the Google Patent’s Site. I just can not express the emotions I underwent. I was smiling. I was all in tears. It was the result of all those hours that I had put in. Every single second, that I traveled to and fro. I hope you can relate to me.)
~ Now, I’m also awarded a title: Inventor!
~ I’m not an intelligent person. I’m an average guy. But, what makes me unique is: I never give up, I work hard. That’s all.
I’m still an average guy! 🙂
~ VST
This article is written by Vishvendra Singh Tomar, PGP Batch 2018-20, IIM Kashipur
The IIM Kashipur Blog 