What Happened Next? Excerpt 3

A couple of days went by. Everyone was staying in the guesthouse and would come to work by 9.00 a.m. There was nothing to do. They would spend time checking emails, visiting malls and lunching at food courts. One day, Niranjan called Suraj, Nimesh, and Ganga to his cabin. “We do not have any new assignments at the moment. As you have worked with us for so long, we would like to make a deal with you. We can offer you positions in our development office in Bombay. You will be transferred to the payroll of our Bombay office.” Ganga felt someone had pulled the rug out from under his feet. He saw his world tumbling in front of his eyes.

There was utter silence when they came out of Niranjan’s office. The inevitable had happened. Ganga was in deep thought. How would he be able to manage now? He had arranged for everything back home assuming his job in Singapore was for good. His sister was staying in a small apartment and studying in Delhi. Earlier, she had stayed with him. With his Indian salary, how would he be able to manage his own living expenses in Bombay and his sister’s studies in Delhi? He could not find a solution.

Ganga knocked on the door to Niranjan’s office. “May I come in?”

“Yes, Ganga.” Niranjan nodded.

“Niranjan, I am not sure if you are aware that before I signed the offer letter with Apar, I was assured that my stay in Singapore would be on a long term basis. In India, I cannot stay in any place other than Delhi, as I would not be able to afford to maintain two households in India with my Indian salary.” He briefly explained his situation and the understanding he was given by human resources at the time of his recruitment.

Niranjan heard him out patiently. “Unfortunately, this is all that I can offer to you. Go to Mumbai first, and then we will see how things turn out.” 

Onsite Opportunity Excerpt 2

The euphoria gradually wore off as the onsite trip became history. The team now prepared for its annual review and performance appraisal, which was quite an ordeal. This was because, according to Tata Infotech’s HR policies, only one team member was given an A, with the others receiving Bs and Cs. This was a serious issue since the grade determined their promotions and salary hikes. When their annual performance appraisals were completed, Madhuri received a grade A, with Ganga and the other team members getting a grade B. He did not get a promotion, but got a small raise of 200. This was depressing and difficult to cope with for him, when he recollected the frequency with which he had spent nights and weekends at the office slaving over his work.  He confronted his team lead, Raghu, who expressed his helplessness in the face of company policies. All his attempts to negotiate were futile.

Ganga felt rebellious and restless and refused to accept the situation. He felt increasingly uncomfortable with Madhuri—he found it impossible to talk to her after she was promoted. His male ego had been wounded and he decided to change jobs. He prepared his resume and put it up on all the job websites that he knew of and gathered contact details of job consultants from friends.  He did this in the evenings, after returning home from work—he’d go to a cybercafé close by to spend hours searching for and applying to jobs. He scanned the job supplements every Tuesday and Wednesday.  He was a man with a mission. Eventually, he received a call from a mysterious-sounding job consultant.

“We have an urgent requirement in Singapore. Can you come to Nehru place for an interview? We represent Apar Infotech Private Limited, which is part of the multimillion-dollar Apar Group of industries. Some of the top Fortune 500 companies are our clients. We have a strong presence in the Southeast Asian market.” The consultant explained his requirements. Ganga had never heard the name of the company before.

“We have an urgent opening with a top telecommunication company in Jakarta, Indonesia. You will join the payroll of our Singapore branch and will be sent to Jakarta for the project.”

“What happens after the project in Jakarta finishes?” Ganga asked cautiously.

“Oh, we have a number of banking projects running in Singapore. You would be assigned to one of those projects.” The consultant spoke in a convincing tone.

Ganga felt the rush of adrenaline. On the one hand, there was a fear of the unknown, and on the other, there was an eagerness to go onsite. He wanted to prove his worth to the management in Tata Infotech.

“Take care with these small-body shopping companies. They promise the moon, but when the work is over, they simply lay you off,” his well-wishers cautioned him. 

Onsite Opportunity Excerpt 1

 Ayesha, a member of the Logica team, was from the UK and spoke with an English accent. She caught the fancy of Nimesh and Krishna. They would talk to her politely in English and pass lewd comments about her in Hindi within her hearing.

“Look at madam today. She is wearing a sleeveless dress and a bra with transparent strap. Why on earth do you wear a bra if you want to give an impression you are not wearing it?” Nimesh said while sitting next to her. Everyone looked very grave, to avoid revealing what was being discussed.

It was thrilling to pass comments on Ayesha within her hearing without getting caught.  “Last night, Madam had gone for a late night movie to Planet Hollywood with George. Is she having an affair with him? May be a one night stand...” Nimesh was, as usual, talking in a tone as if discussing some work-related issues.

This went on for some time. One day, to his horror, Nimesh heard Ayesha talking in chaste Urdu over the phone to her family. Nimesh informed everyone on the office communicator in a panic. This was big news. It turned out that the girl was a second-generation Pakistani, who had settled in the UK. The boys did not know how to react. They decided to apologize. They got together and nervously went to her.

In the colourful coming-of-age tale of Ganga, a vivacious young man commencing his career as a software engineer, debut author reveals the cultural transformation of India accompanying the advent of its highly sophisticated software industry.

With the arrival of India’s nonpareil software industry, the country’s young generation has been presented with opportunities for foreign travel and new lifestyles, inconceivable to their forefathers. As a young software engineer commencing his career, Ganga knew that amazing opportunities were on the horizon and he eagerly awaited their arrival. Wide-eyed and dreamy since his youth, the onsite opportunities afforded by his job were as engrossing as Gulliver’s or Sinbad’s adventures. As Ganga voyages across the seven seas, he quickly learns that the real world is very different and far more stimulating than he could have ever imagined. During the course of his international business trips, Ganga’s eyes are completely opened to the world around him. He becomes a keen observer of men and their idiosyncrasies, acquiring worldly knowhow and indispensable survival skills along the way. However, Ganga does not only observe the external world. Throughout his travels, he matures and continuously looks inside, in an effort to become more receptive to others. As Ganga shares accommodations with different people from around the world, he gets acquainted with the cultural and moral values of each country. Consequently, he is oftentimes left in a dilemma of judgement and choice, teetering between the two parallels. Nevertheless, Ganga meets every challenge head-on and never progresses too far in his journey of self-discovery without first looking back to reconcile the gains and pains in his roller-coaster ride of life.

Mukul Kumar’s colourful settings and worldly characters, fuelled by his personal experiences as a software engineer, make readers eager to accompany Ganga to his various onsite opportunities. Furthermore, Onsite Opportunity: Tryst of an Indian Software Engineer with the World delivers an unparalleled glimpse into the young generation of India which is getting exposed and transformed with unprecedented opportunities as India embraces the 21^st century.

About the Author: Mukul Kumar was born in the small town of Rajgir in Bihar, India. After completing his degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mukul was recruited into the software industry and has been performing various roles in the field ever since.  Although a talented storyteller since his youth, Onsite Opportunity is his first novel. Mukul Kumar currently lives in Bangalore and works as a Software professional.