Sometimes I wonder if I could ever get to work. Books seem to haunt me through whatever course I take up. For many, ‘work’ would be an ideal break from studies. Internship, thankfully, is the much needed ‘syllabus’ in an academic curriculum, something that would enrich me with experience. It comes as true test of application. And I always believed in the ‘Head & Heart’ policy – if you ever want to make it big, keep both of them in the thick of things.

I needed a tick mark against a mandatory internship if I ever wanted to have my report-card in hand. I had constant nightmares of joining a random company and coming out with zero learning. And so did 13 others coming from schools like IIT-Delhi, IIT- Guwahati, University of Hyderabad, NIT-Jalandhar. The dreams are high.

Chapter One -

On a new day, I checked my mail as a part of my routine. Internship call letter – iridium Interactive was the subject line. Delighted to take up the opportunity, I rushed myself to meet the people there. Oh what contrast a second of goodness can do!

What your academic record is – doesn’t really matter. We need the passion and the commitment to work on our projects was the belief at iridium. I took it up as a challenge – the learning path unravelled in front of me. And I began to walk.

Chapter Two-

At iridium, there is something different to do every day. I began to wrap up my day’s work when my colleagues Ravi and Sujana gathered me along with a few others in office for a surprise. I was then asked to pick a paper (like a celebrity picking the winner at a lottery!) Written on it was the name of someone I barely knew (OK! I didn’t know who it was! Or Secret Santa?)

Ravi then dropped the bomb – “Guys! We are gathered here to welcome new ‘joinees’. It is iridium’s tradition to make them feel a part of the family and get to know all of us in the shortest span of time. Let’s celebrate this evening with a few fun activities. Written on the piece of paper you picked is a name of your friend, your colleague. Get to know about him. You’ll be given 10 minutes to gather as much information as you can. And the tricky part is – you need to give a picture about him, in a constructive, funny way, to all of us here. Go!”

I haven’t seen any chaos as big as this! It was communication as its best. Oh, the delight in the hustle and bustle of introductions, bumping in to the wrong person! (I was supposed to meet the one whose name I had on my piece of paper). I finally found the man. And then the following conversation/questions/interview ensued.

Tell me about you.

What are your hobbies?

Where did you study?

Tell me your most peculiar habit.

What is favourite movie?

Who are your best friends?

Do you have a girl friend?

Exhaustive! There were other people finding information from/about others. For some, it was a barter system.

The gathering defined what a stock-market would look like! At the end of it, those 10 minutes, I had a little summary of the discussions I had.”Time up. Time to present”, Ravi shouted.

I stepped up to introduce the-name-on-the-piece-of-paper. I managed to bring in humour (although I wasn’t convinced). But people around me were generous enough to sport a smile. And the applause for a few words was amusing! Ravi took some beating – he was targeted for a few pranks while Sailesh quietly sent remarks from the back of the huddle. (Oh btw – Huddle is a favourite word at iridium. It not only brings all of them together but also solves issues and that is exactly what keeps iridium going.)

More introductions followed. The Associates took their time off from their everyday schedule to be a part of this gathering. There were laughs and gags. And half-dances. What followed was a hog-fest! The cake-cutting session was sowed the seed of togetherness. The half hour of performances bound us together.

And there was sharing of food! That explains it all.

Chapter Three-

I learnt quite a bit thus far. My eyes were wide open.

The I is us Interns and we are thankful to be here in-term.

…………

And now I eagerly wait to write the rest of the chapters.