Often, unexpected events not only exceed your every expectation, but they seem to be everything that you needed, like a piece of a puzzle that suddenly makes the picture a lot clearer.
I’ve wanted to be a hell of a lot of things in my life. Mountaineer, dancer, teacher; so many things interested me that I didn’t know which one to pursue! But never did I ever think I could be a writer.
However, with the kind of job description that Mool had on Naukri, I couldn’t help but apply. Getting this job in itself was an achievement for me, what with no relevant qualification or experience whatsoever.
Then again, drama and confusion have always been regulars in my life, often overstaying their welcome. So, interrupting the dream job came Devserver, Outlook, IMs and weird-looking wireframes that had me baffled. Track changes, a huge stack of versions that threatened to tear my confidence apart in ridiculous tiny, atomic pieces. At the end of the first week, I was all but ready to pack my bags and say good-bye!
The only reason I stayed is because of my never-dying hope that I would, some day, win and achieve eternal glory, AND because of an apparently unwritten but mandatory rule (made by my wise friends) of giving everything a minimum 2-month trial.
Slowly, the hostile, over-demanding, track-changing colleagues became helpful and caring friends. Irrational clients and their unique briefs became a part of everyday life.
Life’s good. And I couldn’t possibly have asked for a better start.
Thank you guys for giving me this chance!
Written straight from the heart by Shruti Dave, one of our prolific marketing communication specialists!
My hatred for Mr. Seatgrabber is insatiable. We often end up in the same crowded train. Whenever a seated passenger gets up, he rushes through the crowd to get to that spot. Ducking under raised elbows, shouldering fellow wannabe sitters aside, he triumphantly accommodates his gargantuan behind in the meagre space, bravely rubbing his nose against sagging bellies. Once, I had a vacant seat before me. Coming from behind, he blocked me with his arm and literally dived into the seat. Then he looked straight ahead, pretending he couldn’t feel my hating eyes boring into him. But I had my revenge. Once I happened to be already seated when he came barging in. Seeing him across the compartment I got up. He came hurtling through, head first. As soon as he came close I just smoothed my shirt and sat down. Now it was my turn to stare nonchalantly ahead.
My Gandhian philosophy prevents me from ‘hating’ anything or anyone. But all that changed when I met Deepa at work. I realised that even though I had convinced myself that I ‘disliked’ her, deep down I knew that I actually hated her. Well, not her, but her voice. I hate her voice. It’s the shrillest, most irritating sound to be ever heard on the face of the earth, actually the universe. Every shrill syllable, every infuriating word, and every witch cackle gives me a migraine of unmeasured proportions. Once she said, ‘Good morning’ to me in a cheerful voice. And I couldn’t contain myself. I heard myself saying ‘Just shut up, it’s not a good morning. It never will be as long as you open your mouth.’ Well, I thought about saying that, but I didn’t have the courage. Maybe tomorrow will be a brave day.
Deadlines seem to bind you down at first, but they hold you in good stead in the long run. We tend to be too lazy to utilize our potential to the hilt. I tended to. This supposed feeling of inertia is what causes us to not take deadlines seriously or even to blatantly ignore them at times. I always felt there was no escape from this inertia.
In the last four weeks however, I’ve realised that there is only one way out. There is only person in the entire world who can completely eradicate that inertia from our heads once and for all. There is always a high chance that this person also seems more intimidating than your dad. This person is most assuredly your boss. That day, Ajeya addressed me with a calm, but very firm tone. And he hasn’t had to use the same tone again at least till today. I unintentionally slacked off a bit at the beginning of my internship at Mool. That was the also the last time I slacked off for the remainder of my internship here. Working with Mool has been sort of a wake-up call for me.
Quality of the delivered product and punctuality regarding promised deadlines are completely non-negotiable. They are intolerable in the real world. Did I not know this before Mool? Of course I did. Did I take it in all seriousness and actually implement it sincerely every day? Of course I did not. I am now not only comfortable, but completely in sync with the fact that once you commit to something, there is no turning back.
The environment at the workplace is not at all as tense as the nature of my wake-up calls. I always feel a surge of energy and feel charged at work every day. Ajeya and Rohini have perpetuated a culture of honesty, patience and continued perseverance at Mool. You either do a good job in your first attempt or you work on it till it is well refined and totally satisfying to both you and the client.
The relatively small size of the company works perfectly for the nature of Mool’s work. The scope for not-so-great writing is much diminished. And everyone can give their complete focus and attention to the task at hand.
This was the perfect option for a six-week internship for me. I absolutely love writing and have always wanted to take it up professionally. Initially, I was not completely aware of what all content writing entailed. But I am more than satisfied with my initiation into content solutions. For those of you who are reading this and love writing (of any kind) – I would recommend and urge you to find out more about what happens here and ways in which you could contribute. Be it a job or an internship. Or you could just be contributing to the Mool blog. In any of these situations, the learning experience will definitely be fantastic.
Mool has made me a few things that I wasn’t before I joined. What I find hilarious on reflection was the fact that I always thought I was those few things when in reality, I was far from being them. Being adept at utilizing the Internet to its best capabilities – for instance. I had always thought I knew it all with respect to the World Wide Web. I now understand how hard it actually is to seek the most succinct keywords for Google. My work with Mool has been research-based and naturally writing-intensive. The nature of this research has opened my mind up towards the vastness and magnanimity of the Internet. Maybe I just didn’t know how to make the most of its potential; but the internet is a vast pool of information. One needs a certain skill-set to manoeuvre around and get precise, nippy results online.
The summer internship at Mool has taken me back to basics in many ways. The experience has ensured that certain fundamentals of life are embedded in my head for good. It has reinforced my belief and faith in the basic few, which are universally followed and cannot be bargained upon. For a twenty-year old, many of the fundamentals were not alien concepts just introduced to me. But it is the journey and the experience that have driven the point home.
This experience has influenced my thought process in a very different, positive way. I feel like this just might have been a small glimpse of what the real world is going to be like post graduation. I think it’s a good start.
Written by Neehar Shrikhande, Intern, Mool Content Solutions, Summer of 2010
Englishman to Bong: “Hey, we screwed your motherland for over 2 centuries, old chap!”
Bong to Englishman: “An be bill phock your mother tongue phorever!”
Strolling down the corridor, standing ahead I see,
The new hire, yesterday briefly introduced to me.
I brace for a nod; all thirty two flash in unison
Unnecessary, hypocritical and blinding my vision.
Twas doldrums a moment ago, now this tornado
Miles of enamel all decked up for the show.
My blood curdles; the fist begs to be swung
I hold myself back, and depart with head hung.
Love is not the reason, I was not singled out
A shot at popularity perhaps, the success of which I doubt
If the mug is not divine, such unprovoked baring of fangs
Can only cause nausea coupled with unpleasant pangs.
Slaying subtlety with disdain, without the slightest twinge of pain,
After going through this ignominy, what exactly will you gain?
I am not your boss, a producer, or a member of the paparazzi,
Please spare me the affection, I am going crazy.
Bursting forth this rhyme of mine,
Expresses disgust at those who stand in line
With servile stances and dripping oily tones
To curry favours and extract power loans
How the sideways glance declares
the appraised subject’s jewels and flairs
To be honest, to be true
is not in fashion for statements that woo
Art of flattery is early learnt
Sieved finely, spread on egos burnt
Teachers, bosses, and officials a many
Are lulled into thinking that their intelligence is uncanny
“Grapes are sour” the oily ones softly sigh
As they slip away with noses held high
In company of the prize vied and worked for
By the nerd, the worker or the honest signor
Gnashing of teeth and mutterings are subdued
As the rest of us wonder why the justice is so skewed
While the king and king of flattery raise toasts
Indulging themselves in false words and high boasts
With so many grievances to air,
I find it a truly formidable affair,
To choose among the many instigators of ire,
Those pesky ones that truly inspire.
Take the self-entitled lady at the store,
Who finds waiting in queue to be a bore.
And pretends as though it’s completely fine
To cut those who are patiently waiting in line.
Or the garrulous traveler with the booming voice,
Whose endless cell phone conversations leave us no choice,
But to hear the intimate details of his daily life,
Including his incessant complaints about his wife.
Or the innocuous roomie for whom hygiene is moot,
Weeks of trash don’t ever find the garbage chute!
Clearly this rant knows no end to its attacks,
Thank goodness for the limit of 150-words max!
