Powered by Intellect, Driven by Values

9 am IST
I was sitting in yet another boring substitute lecture. Our regular teacher had his MTech exams so we were left in the safe hands of another. First lecture of the day and I was already counting sheep.

9:30 am IST
As soon as the first lecture was over, I ran out to get a breath of fresh air. That's when I bumped into Aashish. Aashish (sir) is in final year. He was the new President of ISTE. (Check out the article on Akhil Sir for more information about this notorious society). It turned out that he was looking for me since 9am. Too bad he didn't check room 125. I could have given my left hand to bunk that lecture!!
Anyways, he took me to Mr. Manjeet Singh Ladhar (Introducing....the Training & Placement Officer of MMEC, hereon referred to as the TPO).

9:40 am IST
It turned out that an important official from Infy was coming to our college to give a small presentation about the company. The TPO wanted me to take care of the management. According to him, I had volunteered. In fact, I had...sort of. You don't go out saying NO to your TPO. Refusing your TPO is like Bungee Jumping without a rope! So I took the responsibility for making announcements in all the classes and other menial jobs like checking out the equipment in the Seminar Hall, arranging the mikes and stuff.

10 am IST
Things had turned out great! After making the announcements in all the classes alongwith a friend, I headed towards the Seminar Hall. Four of my friends had volunteered to check out the equipment, the same way I had volunteered. By the time I entered the Seminar Hall, the TPO had begun a preliminary session telling the students how they should behave yati yati yata. He's a good person at heart, I will probably write about him someday.

10:50 am IST
HE entered the Seminar Hall. Mr. Sudhir Mishra, HR Department, Infosys.
I can never forget him for the simple reason that he looked just like one of us. About 25 years of age, a smile on his clean-shaven youthful face. That's when I realized the gravity of the situation. A person from Infy was in our college because he saw enough potential here to actually adjust his schedule and come to our out-of-the-way location. Amazing!

11:00 am IST
Powered by Intellect, Driven by Values
For those of you who don't know, its the motto of Infy. Somehow, when I first saw the words on the projection screen, it struck a deeper chord. Ethics and Brains, the two things I value the most in a friend. Every word uttered by Mr. Mishra made me even more impressed by the company. Humbe beginnings in the minds of four friends, over twenty years in the unforgiving IT industry and now one of the most sought after company of our times, he gave me every reason why I should join the Infy family.

11:40 am IST
Mr. Sudhir was showing a powerpoint presentation. He focused on one word, "OPEN DOOR". He asked us what it meant. I said that it meant that anyone could approach their seniors anytime whenever faced with difficulty. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "How do you know? Do you have a brother or sister working in Infy?", he asked. If only I had not been taken in by the moment I would have replied,"No sir, no one in my relations works in Infy. But I want to!"

I wondered whether anyone else felt as passionate as I did when the presentation concluded. There was only one thing in my mind. If there was any company in the world for which I would dedicate my lifetime, it was Infosys. And still is!
Placement interviews start one week from now. And I have just one goal in mind, To become an Infoscion.