For Arjun R, life is all about exploring new things, be it people, places or practices. He is of the opinion that one should be open to everything without being rigid, let everything flow through, and it’s up to one to accept or reject
As a kid he was playful, playing with the smallest of gadgets, toys, household appliances, so everyone at home thought he would end up being an engineer. As it turned out, Arjun R from Trichy went beyond. He emerged as an associate consultant with Infosys, after an MBA from one of the well-known colleges in Pune. From Trichy (Thiruchirapalli) he moved to Coimbatore to do his B.E. in Electronics and Communications at Sri Krishna College of Technology (SKCT). As a brilliant science student, he always wondered at the way science helped human beings to achieve incredible things and even go beyond exploring the unknown. He fell in love with Physics and that drew his interest towards astronomy and cosmology which became his hobby. Sometimes as a child, he dreamt of being a pilot.
Arjun takes us through his placement, where, he said his fears were not about getting selected but about getting picked up by the right company. It was success at the third attempt for Arjun: he had failed to make the cut with Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) and Amazon. Then came the Infosys calling which he made with ease, although that was not wholly because of his technical leanings. He thinks his hobby helped him earn his place. But he cautions his juniors who are entering the rigid competitive corporate world to do all their homework before taking any call.
Arjun with his pet dogArjun did his schooling from Mahatma Gandhi Centenary School, a CBSE-based school in the peaceful city of Trichy in Tamil Nadu which seemed easy because of his parents. But he made sure that they were repaid by giving them a good report card. Being the first kid of the joint family, there were many to pamper him. One of his greatest childhood and school memories that he still cherishes is the walks along the banks of River Cauvery with his grandparents. “My favorite teacher was Mary. She was my English teacher and used to be very strict. However, her knowledge and authority over the language, and passion to teach inspired me a lot,” says Arjun.
The real taste of life came when he moved to Coimbatore for his graduation in Electronics and Communication from Sri Krishna College of Technology (SKTC). It was a new experience for Arjun as he had to fetch all that he needed himself. It was a blessing in disguise as it gave him new openings to explore and to get exposure to the world outside his family. “College days at Coimbatore taught me a lot as it was a new place and the best was the exposure which I got. Being from a middle-class family it also taught me to manage expenses with a very limited budget,” recalls Arjun.
His final classroom sessions at the Balaji Institute of Modern Management (BIMM) in Pune, opened the flood gates for him to scout new avenues. This college, which worked for 365 days without a break, working on Saturdays and Sundays, opened a new leaf in the mindset of the students. “This concept helped me a lot in my job while students from other institutes were struggling,” says Arjun. This round-theyear work helped the students to prepare for the worst. “This was one thing that we from this prestigious college were trained to be prepared for, to pull up one’s socks and handle any stressful and difficult situation in our journey ahead,” said Arjun. The college moulded students with rigorous test schedules and training in the midst of co—curricular activities. “I ended up being a council member (Academics coordinator) which groomed me to handle events successfully and also prepare for exams and placements”.
“You can be the richest person in the world, owning every single thing, but you can never be a person who has knowledge about everything”
Arjun having a blast with friendsAfter two placement failures at HUL and Amazon, Infosys came with just one round of technical interview and the next round was salary negotiation with the HR. “An interesting part that I would like to share here is that, although it was a technical interview, the interviewer was more interested in astronomy and cosmology, which was my hobby. I ended up explaining about the big moon with a complete orbital diagram and about the science behind it. That impressed the person, as he said, “Although your technical answers were not satisfactory, the hobby-related answers were great’.” And he recalls Bala Sir’s statement, ‘We (in college) feed you more with knowledge about subject matter, so that you will be capable to cater to what the companies demand from you’. “Here the fear was more about which company and which profile one will get. Thankfully, I got into one of the best sought-after companies in India.”
“I credit my success to my parents who taught me all the pains of running a middle-class family while providing quality education. Also, credit goes to all my teachers right from my school days who played their roles so well that I am proud to be one of their students.”
“The happiest moment in my life was the placement day, as I had taken an education loan going against the advice of my family. It was all because I wanted to stand on my own, without depending on them.
For Arjun, life is all about exploring new things, be it people, places or practices. He is of the opinion that one has to be open to everything without being rigid. Let everything flow through and its one’s own decision as to which one to accept or reject. “By everything I mean knowledge. You can be the richest person in the world, owning every single thing, but you can never be a person who has knowledge about everything.”
By Joe Williams
