KRISHNAN VENKATARAMAN
Global Head, Academy,
Cognizant.
or some people, college life can turn out to be a significant epoch in their lifetime. A tenure that can change the way one looks at the world, work with others and learn life's basic skills–beyond academics.
Just the other day, while talking to a colleague, the topic inadvertently turned to my college days. I have always looked back at those four years at the Institute of Technology–Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi as a golden period in my life. It was there that I learnt a lot about life; there that I turned from a shy introverted person, into a complete, independent adult. And it was here that my entire perception of life, that began in Nanganallur, a quiet neighborhood of Chennai, mercifully ended!
Never having traveled outside Chennai, I grew up thinking of it as my entire world! After all, it was filled with a large group of bright young people–to me, perhaps the best in the world.
I had worked really hard, pushing myself to the farthest possible limits preparing for the Joint Entrance Examination or the famed JEE. It paid off and there I was joining the counseling queue. I had convinced myself and my family that I would pursue my undergraduation program in Naval Architecture–available those days only in IIT– Madras. But then something inside me changed and I chose instead Mechanical Engineering in IT-BHU and there it was. I landed in a strange place where almost everyone felt the same way.
My first few weeks were a real eye-opener. I came across different sets of people with varying degrees of ability. It was then that it struck me that Chennai was not the only place with bright young boys and girls. I learnt to interact with those from different cultures, and spoke extensively with freshers on various topics. I learnt communication skills, team spirit and many more soft skills in my short four years at IT-BHU!
Today, lodged comfortably in the IT industry, I successfully deal with so many different people in Cognizant Academy, merely by the learning that I garnered from IT-BHU. I reflect on the lasting effect IT- BHU education has had on me in my 12+ years at Cognizant. It is amazing that I started off as a Project Leader, went into Business Development, played a role in the initial pursuits in acquiring third party customers, moved on to Relationship Management, returned to project delivery, owned the integration of a new Delivery Center into the system, incubated and grew a large program into one of the Strategic Accounts for Cognizant, and then finally, the current tangential role as Head of Cognizant Academy.
All this and more, I honestly feel, I owe to the wonderful learning experience called College!
