Every Time I see the bar graph and pie charts in the monthly or bimonthly (I am not sure as they are never consistent) newsletter of the “@ingenious solution” the figures of 100% placements and that too for many students with multiple placements, the figures seem to mock at me with not a single placement till date. With the boom in Indian Economy an almost alien term for the people of ZHCET came into existence known as the “Campus Placements”. The popularity of the term was almost equivalent to the rise of the Sensex of the Bombay Stock Exchange and everyone on the campus seems to have a pitched fever for the same. Although the rise of Sensex has ceased and in fact it now seems to have gone into an abyss, the changes it had made to the campus environment here are irrevocable.
Questions like “Campus placement hota hai ki nahin” or “Maximum package kitna gaya is baar” have become the deciding factor for choosing the college or branch of study, of course people take into account their own intellectual interest but that comes only after the first condition is met, after all when money speaks no one checks the grammar. From the first day of college most of students first and foremost thought is to get a campus placement, that too with a high “package” (now that is another term added to the dictionary of the college). He spends “sleepless afternoons” (at AMU afternoons are meant to sleep) to join the Personality Development, English Improvement, Aptitude, C programming classes etc. etc. (two etceteras are also a part of the enhanced English of the college) the list seems to be endless. Then the “dreamy nights” in the wake of extracurricular activities such as sports and guitar classes (this adds glitter to their CV’s). As the time-space theory of Einstien is still under research and no stretching of time is possible I know many of the guys waking up at 4:30am to attend the gym, as physical fitness is a must to give the first impression in interviews.
My story begins almost on the same track with the same dreams and similar dialogues “If a get a placement in Adobe then its well warna TCS mein to ho hi jayega”, “MTech ke bare mein bhi soch sakta hoon”. Although my attendance in afternoon classes were poor, to be exact very poor (around 2-3 in whole B.Tech) but that doesn’t matter as “How can they improve my already developed personality” and “CPI doesn’t make a good student” were the taglines the likes of me followed, and so the attendance in compulsory classes were not good either. As far as CPI is concerned there are two possibilities to obtain a good one, first is absolutely impossible for me in this life as it requires one to be a “pretty” girl (Mind “pretty” in inverted commas) with a bit of second possibility that require a good memorizing power (Ratant Vidhya Patant Gyanam) which I always lacked although I have a good understanding capability (or I assume I have), so the dream road to good CPI ends here.
I did everything I could to add some stars to my CV but always found myself incapable of doing so. I tried every game of which I was at least able to learn rules even the ones like “Court Piece” and “NFS” but in none was even close to attaining even a Consolation Certificate. Similar was the condition with Cultural events, although my voice is not horrible but to give away prize they need a Sonu Nigam or Kailash Kher in their singing competition. What little success I got was in literary field that added a little to my CV and with all that I gained there I am writing this article.
With “confidence” as my middle name, I carried on with everything around me as “average” and everything not achievable as “zaroorat kya hai”. 3rd year crosses on here comes final year with all companies lined up to recruit young and “cheap” labourers. Although that seemed sufficient to fulfill at least the initial dreams we take as fish would take to water - cars, shopping with Credit Cards in malls, wearing Van Heusen suits, and a nice 3-bedroom flat in a posh colony. Selection in the written test did boost my confidence level but with the result declared of the recruited candidates by the first company and my name not being there, things were not going to be the same again for me. Although I said “Frankly my dear I don’t give a damn” as it was among the few dialogues I have learned from Hollywood Classics, something deep inside me was broken.
With every notice of a new company visiting campus a new ray of hope comes to me but every time they display the list of selected candidates I don’t know how they “forget” to print my name. Every time I don myself with the best possible apparel I could arrange, mostly it would be borrowed from the friends already placed. I don’t know if I looked ogre to the interviewers that will eat them up if they select me. My search that started with a great deal of optimism has now reached a state of feverish desperation.
Every time I come out with a disqualification a list of improvements suggested by my already placed friends would be waiting for me to act upon – “Don’t wear this Red striped tie it looks old fashioned”, “Apna aptitude improve karo yaar”, “Change your hairstyle it makes you look like an idiot”. Although that Red tie was borrowed from the one already having two placements, may be my aptitude was not outstanding but it was for sure better than the one telling me to improve, and I have not heard anything more ridiculous than the third suggestion. Everyone around me seems to have a “License to Suggest” and I am the vulnerable prey.
Among all this mayhem there was one passion (common with almost every student of college) that never let me down “Movies”. The best thing about movies is there is one for almost every occasion. So with the overdose of frustration ‘Original Sin’ seems best choice to get rid of, ‘Devdas’ was my only choice when my first girlfriend ditched me, and ‘Saw’ series has always been a source of inspiration. Oops….., perhaps I should have chosen some other examples.
Whatever, the pointing fingers and gazing eyes seem to follow me everywhere not even my home seems comforting. Dad's comments were usual “Itna paisa laga kar padhaya-likhaya sab barbad kar diya” but even the mother’s lap lost its placidness. Relatives and neighbors seem to be waiting for this moment “Abhi tak tumhara placement nahin hua mere bhai ke sasur ke bhateeje ke ladke ka to first year mein hi ho gaya tha”, came the comment from aunt living nearby, although her own son may have just opened a grocery shop. Even the girls next door who were eager to talk to me till yesterday start ignoring me and as far as my girlfriend is concerned, she suddenly finds everything in me imperfect and inappropriate to be more precise disgusting.
There are a few people who try to fortify with placating word such as “Koi baat nahin sab theek ho jayega” but nothing seems more consoling than the list on which my name is present (of course that was only in dreams). The whole concept of life, love and friendship comes crashing down right in front of my eyes. The vital thing for once existence goes missing. Nothing at this stage seems more important than placement not even one’s own existence. What little peace one gets is right under the roof of GOD’s name.
This is my last semester and almost only two months left to leave the college and I am still unplaced so whenever someone deliberately asks me “Kis company mein placement hua hai?” (A modified form for “Are you placed???”), with every ounce of my strength left in me I control my anger and emotions (I can’t write tears that sound so feminine) I answer “Nahin………Yaar Abhi Nahin Hua”, only to see a hidden smile on the others face.
