India Broadband Forum

bharthiae

I share this powerful and moving tale with the forum. I don't claim to be its author and hence I am giving details of the originator who has been kind to share it with all.
Vijay

From: Vikram J.Tanna

Subject: [AIMKAlumni] A Real True Story



A real story ...An interesting Conversation between a Solider and a Software Engineer in Shatabdi Train .........An interesting and a must read! Must read !

Vivek Pradhan was not a happy man. Even the plush comfort of the air-conditioned compartment of the Shatabdi express could not cool his frayed nerves. He was the Project Manager and still not entitled to air travel. It was not the prestige he sought; he had tried to reason with the admin person, it was the savings in time. As PM, he had so many things to do!! He opened his case and took out the laptop, determined to put the time to some good use.

"Are you from the software industry sir," the man beside him was staring appreciatively at the laptop. Vivek glanced briefly and mumbled in affirmation, handling the laptop now with exaggerated care and importance as if it were an expensive car.

"You people have brought so much advancement to the country, Sir. Today everything is getting computerized. "

"Thanks," smiled Vivek, turning around to give the man a look. He always found it difficult to resist appreciation. The man was young and well built like a sportsman. He looked simple and strangely out of place in that little lap of luxury like a small town boy in a prep school. He probably was a railway sportsman making the most of his free traveling pass.

"You people always amaze me," the man continued, "You sit in an office and write something on a computer and it does so many big things outside."

Vivek smiled deprecatingly and replied "It is not as simple as that my friend. It is not just a question of writing a few lines. There is a lot of process that goes behind it." For a moment, he was tempted to explain the entire Software Development Lifecycle but restrained himself to a single statement.

"It is complex, very complex."

"It has to be. No wonder you people are so highly paid!," came the reply.

This was not turning out as Vivek had thought. A hint of belligerence crept into his so far affable, persuasive tone.

"Everyone just sees the money. No one sees the amount of hard work we have to put in. Indians have such a narrow concept of hard work. Just because we sit in an air-conditioned office, does not mean our brows do not sweat. You exercise the muscle; we exercise the mind and believe me that is no less taxing."

He could see, he had the man where he wanted, and it was time to drive home the point. "Let me give you an example. Take this train. The entire railway reservation system is computerized. You can book a train ticket between any two stations from any of the hundreds of computerized booking centres across the country. Thousands of transactions accessing a single database, at a time concurrently; data integrity, locking, data security. Do you understand the complexity in designing and coding such a system?"

The man was awestruck; quite like a child at a planetarium. This was something big and beyond his imagination. "You design and code such things."

"I used to," Vivek paused for effect, "but now I am the Project Manager."

"Oh!" sighed the man, as if the storm had passed over, "so your life is easy now."

This was like the last straw for Vivek. He retorted, "Oh come on, does life ever get easy as you go up the ladder. Responsibility only brings more work. Design and coding! That is the easier part. Now I do not do it, but I am responsible for it and believe me, that is far more stressful!

My job is to get the work done in time and with the highest quality. To tell you about the pressures, there is the customer at one end, always changing his requirements, the user at the other, wanting something else, and your boss, always expecting you to have finished it yesterday." Vivek paused in his diatribe, his belligerence fading with self-realization. What he had said, was not merely the outburst of a wronged man, it was the truth. And one need not get angry while defending the truth.

"My friend, you don't know what it is to be in the Line of Fire" Vivek concluded triumphantly.

The man sat back in his chair, his eyes closed as if in realization. When he spoke after sometime, it was with a calm certainty that surprised Vivek. "I know sir,..... I know what it is to be in the Line of Fire......." He was staring blankly, as if no passenger, no train existed, just a vast expanse of time......

"There were 30 of us when we were ordered to capture Point 4875 in the cover of the night. The enemy was firing from the top. There was no knowing where the next bullet was going to come from and for whom. In the morning when we finally hoisted the Tricolour at the top only 4 of us were alive."

"You are a...?"

"I am Subedar Sushant from the 13 J&K Rifles on duty at Peak 4875 in Kargil. They tell me I have completed my term and can opt for a soft assignment. But, tell me sir, can one give up duty just because it makes life easier.

...On the dawn of that capture, one of my colleagues lay injured in the snow, open to enemy fire while we were hiding behind a bunker. It was my job to go and fetch that soldier to safety. But my Captain Batra Sahib refused me permission and went ahead himself. "He said that the first pledge he had taken as a Gentleman Cadet was to put the safety and welfare of the nation foremost followed by the safety and welfare of the men he commanded... ....his own personal safety came last, always and every time. "He was killed as he shielded and brought that injured soldier into the bunker. Every morning thereafter, as we stood guard, I could see him taking all those bullets, which were actually meant for me .

I know sir....I know, what it is to be in the Line of Fire."

Vivek looked at him in disbelief not sure of how to respond. Abruptly, he switched off the laptop. It seemed trivial, even insulting to edit a Word document in the presence of a man for whom valor and duty was a daily part of life; valor and sense of duty which he had so far attributed only to epical heroes.

The train slowed down as it pulled into the station, and Subedar Sushant picked up his bags to alight.

"It was nice meeting you sir." Vivek fumbled with the handshake.

This hand... had climbed mountains, pressed the trigger, and hoisted the Tricolour !.

Suddenly, as if by impulse, he stood up at attention and his right hand went up in an impromptu salute.

It was the least he felt he could do for the country.

PS: The incident he narrated during the capture of Peak 4875 is a true-life incident during the Kargil war. Capt. Batra sacrificed his life while trying to save one of the men he commanded, as victory was within sight. For this and various other acts of bravery, he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the nation's highest military award.

Live humbly, there are great people around us, let us learn!!!!


Vikram J.Tanna
Key Account Executive
Emami Ltd (FMCG)

itsmemad

A very moving story indeed... Demonstrate the qualities a leader should possess... And yes, one should never forget to respect others, irrespective of his achievements...

Thanks for sharing... A rep point awarded to you as a token of appreciation...

Punch Farce

So Vivek Pradhan told Vikram J.Tanna the whole story and
Vikram published this????

I am thinking this is a bogus story.

I have the greatest respect to soldiers.

-F

sb21pro

dude a young subedar ?? u have any idea how much time it takes to be a subedar ??


but still, my salutes goes to all the soldiers of our nation

itsmemad

Even if the story is a fiction... There is a moral conveyed by it...

bharthiae

Yes friend. I do know how much time it takes to be a Subedar! In the Infantry Arm of Army -which incidentally this tale refers to- it is not too surprising to find Subedars at the age of 30+.

This is young age comparatively. What did you think 'young' meant, 20+? I think PMs too should have the same age depending upon the size of the organisation.

Try and be less skeptical and appreciate the humbleness of the Subedar; despite having placed his life in the line of fire for someone as insignificant but enormously more cocky he is humble. No don't get angry -just reflect.

We can not reduce the greatness of that man by finding or trying to find a mistake in the story line.

sb21pro

bharthiae

Your comment is just as farce-Mr Sherlock Homes*******.

Try and be less cynical !

If you have not been able to decipher who told the story to whom and who published it that does not make the story farce.

You have missed the main points of the tale by a galaxy and I suspect belong to a parallel undeveloped and retarded world.

I am very disappointed but hopeful that if you read the story again but slowly and delebrately, may be its main issue will percolate.

Good luck from this developed world !

gothic_coder

Nice one...Rep++

Punch Farce

Take it easy man, I did get the point of the story.

I am just saying that this story is most probably made up
like all those Abdul Kalam stories.

and also stay away from the ad hominem attacks.
they are pretty weak anyway.

-F

p.s Did you know the word 'gullible' is not there in the dictionary ;-)

itsmemad

I agree... People should refrain from personal attacks on the forum...

newprouser

@bharthiae

while ur post is indeed motivating, your replies to other members seem ironic to the moral of story you have just shared with us.

(And what I have said has nothin to do with weather the story is true or not)

bharthiae

The humility of the Subedar is so overpowering that comments making light of it are disturbing. I regret for over reacting. No hard feeling folks.

itsmemad

Thats alright... It happens with best of us!

Cheers!

meetdilip

Kargil heros, The greatest asset we have