Monday, July 26, 2010

"C" Saw Me



That day I just woke up and was sitting my legs crossed on my bed. I rubbed my eyes and turned left towards my table. It was my first programming exam of engineering.

As I turned towards my table I saw my lab record. Its pages were waving and wishing me ‘Good Morning’. I felt like today I will be getting screwed in lab. I gave a look at them like ‘I don’t care’ and turned other side where I had put god photos and was praying them to rescue me from exam. I usually remember god in only tough situations.

I then closed my eyes to recall some programs. It was all mix fruit juice. All 40 programs were mixed up and I felt like the whole record of 40 programs is single program. I came to know that I won’t be seeing black screen (Partial Output) for single program also and I was sure that I am going to get flunk.

Why I was very sure that I will be getting failed is because one day before my exam I faced some tough time. It taught me so many things in life. (Even its awesome incident will tell about it later) .Because of that I couldn’t study programs properly, but my frens were there with me and helped me; still I couldn’t study.

And let me tell lab scenario. There were some 40 programs and some first 15 programs were easy. And I was confident that if I get any one out of those 15 I will be able to get partial output (Black Screen). Last 10 were toughest for me that time. In last 10 programs 5 were strings and 5 were functions I think. Out of those 40 programs I hardly knew the logic for some 20 programs.

I started studying at night and was able to complete some 35 programs and last 5 functions programs I didn’t study. When I woke up morning and stood in front of mirror, I felt like all those 30-35 programs are standing in a queue facing me and laughing loudly that I won’t be able to execute them and won’t be getting output. I was all alone standing in front of them and luck was hiding behind them. But finally it stood with me.

It was only 10 minutes to exam; I had stopped studying 20-30 minutes before only. I was recalling programs and all merged up and looked like a single big entity. Till I stand in queue I had some hopes that I will be getting partial output and pass, but when I was standing in queue to pick chits of program numbers I felt ”This is it! I won’t pass today”.

We were 12 including me in that batch. Everyone should pick two chits. In that program numbers will be written, and we should write programs in answer sheets provided and get signed by invigilator and execute them and answer viva and leave.

My turn came and I picked two chits, both were from last 10 programs. In last 10 programs I had studied 5 and left 5. In

Those two chits one was “string” and other was “Function”. I knew to write string program but I was not sure whether it will get execute, but function program I didn’t even knew to write also. So I decided to change my function program and went to examiner.

I said him ‘I need change of a program’

He said if I change he will be deducting 10 marks. I said fine and felt instead of losing 25 marks let me loose 10.I went again to pick the chit. I don’t know what exactly was running in my mind, but I was completely depending on luck that time. I was expecting any program from first 10. And that luck hiding behind programs picture came in front of my eyes and I went and picked. Guess what it was 1st program and it was damn simple that any fool would execute that. I was jumping inside and said myself that “I am Pass Today”.

I felt quite relaxed and went to my system allotted. It was elliptical cabin, around 20 computers were there. In centre a table and 4 chairs were there. Answer sheets and Program chits and mark sheets were scattered on table.

I got answer sheet and started writing programs. I wrote 1st program and wrote algorithm for that. I needed one extra sheet for writing second program. I called invigilator and asked him like “Sir I need Supplement”.

In my native for additional sheet we used to ask as “supplement”. After 10th I pursued my education in Bangalore. And here these days I never asked additional sheet as Supplement, but I don’t know what made me ask like that day. I still believe luck has jumped from programs side to my side and it made me say Supplement. And “Supplement” Is the word which turned the whole day in favor of me.

Let me tell clearly. The external examiner came towards with extra sheet in hand. He was medium height and he had left French beard and I usually scared of people with French beard. I will feel they are very strict and I was thinking he will screw me today. He reached me and gave me the sheet and said me “You shouldn’t call it as Supplement, its additional sheet”. I just nodded my head to what he said.

When I went to show my programs and get signed to execute them he asked me “where are you from? Which is your native?”

I said “Bijapur”

He exclaimed that ”Is it? where in Bijapur? Even am from Bijapur. ”

I said to myself that ”Yes I got second output.”

I said him my street and where exactly my home is. Even he said about his home and all. While I was walking back to my

seat I was thinking “when I said Supplement so only he came and said me its additional sheet and not Supplement.”

I was completely relaxed and was very sure that I will be pass. And suddenly his French beard and serious face became very familiar to me and that dislike towards his beard went in a span of second.

I executed first program successfully. I typed string program and was sure that I will be getting errors. But I was not worried about errors. And didn’t even bother to remove them. In between other madam came and took viva. Out of 10 questions I answered only one. I didn’t care about viva also. I was feeling like ”Before coming to exam I was FAIL and now am PASS” and was just sitting staring at my computer. And was telling system to resolve errors occurred on your own if u want output and I said I don’t want output now. Will wait till examiner kick me out of lab and in results I will be pass.

After some time sir came to me and asked about output. I Showed him one output and got signed as “O/p seen” on answer sheet. He asked about other program, I said errors are there. He told me to show errors. I was praying inside that he should put “o/p seen” on second also with errors (It was expectation beyond the range). I showed him errors and he went off.

I was looking at him only. Other than that what work I had. He opened some record and checked something and started walking towards me. I turned towards computer and started scratching my head as if am doing some rocket science programming.

He came to me and said me to do some changes and guess what I got output, but it was not proper. I thought he may say me to do it proper, but you know what he literally snatched ma answer sheet and signed there as “o/p seen” and scratched that deduction of 10 marks which he had written for exchange of program.

And when results were out 40 was blinking in marks card. That viva lecture didn’t even give single mark even I had answered one question. I am talking as if I struggled a lot and lost one mark right?

This was how I successfully completed my first programming exam. Thanks to “supplement”.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Almost One Third of My Age


This july 2010 I will be completing my 7th year in Bangalore.I am 22 years old and my last 7 years I spent in this city, Almost one third of my age.July 2003 was the second time I came Bangalore and still am here. before that I had been here for a school trip. That time I couldn’t roam around Bangalore much.

When I joined PUC I in Bangalore I was stranger in this city but, today Bangalore is much more like my native. It has taught me so many things in life. I have spent some of my memorable times here. I faced some tough times also. In this 7 years this city has changed me from the way I was to the way I am.

Actually, I did my schooling in my native. It’s a small village and there I studied in kannada medium and when I joined PUC in Bangalore, the city lifestyle and English both were unknown to me. And my 1st day in college was horrible. The first class I attended was chemistry and I spent time looking around classroom, benches, door, window and board. I didn’t listen a single word also. The next was botany class, and I was looking at door and was thinking who will be coming. Sir came and he was tall with charming face and he used to speak English so well that It was difficult for me to understand. Those days if I didn’t understand anyone’s English I used to think he has got good control over English.

That sir came and wrote Botany on board and he introduced himself and told us to introduce us to the class one by one. It was hard for me to understand English in that framing a sentence in English was almost impossible for me. Thank god he didn’t start with me. My number was almost last. By that time I practiced ”My name is so and so, I completed my schooling in so and so and I got so and so percentage “some 100 times. And vomited those three sentences in front of sir.cos of my bad luck I was topper of class considering 10th marks.

Since some time was left sir started explaining some concepts. He came across “nitrogen fixation”. And he knew I was highest scorer in the class and he asked me its definition. I knew it in kannada but couldn’t define in English. He made me to stand on the bench rest of the class. There I decided not to study botany or biology any more. Till 2nd year PUC final exam except 1st PUC final exam and midterm exam am fail in Biology and English. I never worried about that, instead was proud about that cos I used to get 1 or 2 marks more than my native fren who was my claasmate in PUC also. And u know what last one month to my 2nd year final exam I studied only Biology.

And my first test marks were like telephone numbers. Except maths and kannada I scored single digit in remaining subjects. And still I was proud about my marks and u guys know the reason. But later I recovered so well that I was third topper of the class in midterm exam. My frens and lecturers helped me a lot for that. And my other two close frens were 1st and 2nd. So we three with my childhood fren went to treat. My fren took all of us to “Cool Joint”. He ordered some dishes and came back to us and started chatting with us.

I asked him “Dilip what u ordered?”

He said “Sand witch and juice to all of us.”

Sand witch I heard that for the first time and asked him what is it. And he is the one who taught me English. And he is the one who answered my each and every question (Like this ”What is sand witch?”) which used to look stupid questions to rest of my frens. But whatever I ask he used to answer patiently and clearly. And he never got angry on me for whatever I do.

He started telling me what exactly sand witch will be. He said ”It will be 3 pieces of toasted bread and some fresh vegetables like tomato and capsicum and some cheese in middle of bread pieces”.

I thought let me try once and asked him “what’s the cost?”

He said “17 rupees”(6 years back)

When I came Bangalore, this was the first time I was staying out of my home and I was newer to the city life style and used to spend less money. I thought in 15 rupees we will be getting meals and why this guy has took 3 pieces of toasted bread and that to for 17 rupees. And I asked him as loudly as possible “Dilip why the hell you want to spend 17 rupees for 3 pieces of bread, instead of that we can tak 15 rupees mini meals na?”

It sounded so loudly that every one over there were looking at us.

And after that incident till today I never spoke loudly in unknown places. Bangalore will teach everything. We may be of any kind of people and our lifestyle may be of any style but, Bangalore will change us and our lifestyle as it wants. And today Bangalore and English are no more unknown to me. I completed my PUC and my Engineering and am working as a software engineer in the same Bangalore. And sometimes I will be going “cool joint” with frens to have sand witch. And every time I go there I remember the incident what I have told now, unknowingly smile will come on my face and disappear. Nothing has changed much in “cool joint”, it’s the same cool joint and same sand witch but its cost now is 25 RS.