Experience of the journey

is the key to real success.

When I look back on my school and college days, I am reminded of my dreams, which were like those of any starry-eyed youngster. Like them, I too was fond of some subjects a lot and often wondered why those that I did not like were being taught.

Personally, I was most inclined towards science and mathematics in my school days and subsequently towards engineering  subjects throughout my graduation years at Karnataka University.  It was much later that I realized the importance of learning languages. I now feel that the things I learnt during my school days - those that I liked and those that I learnt to like - formed the foundation of my professional life. I deem myself fortunate to have had professors, who took special efforts to make complex things look simple. Their mantra of simplifying complex things in dealing with them has helped me in my career as well.

I also imbibed a sense of purpose and focus during those days. While doing my graduation in Chemical Engineering, I remember being asked once to do something strange, but challenging. None of us in the class ever liked to attend lectures on "Strength of Materials". Once we all decided to bunk our classes on the subject and I was selected by my classmates to communicate that to the concerned professor. I walked up to him and told him that all the folks were busy and that nobody would be available for the day's lectures. As it turned out, the professor decided to go ahead with the lectures with just me in the classroom! He taught for four hours and completed as many chapters.

Those were days of scarcity, be it fun, money or time.  Yet, whenever we had spare time, we would have fun as if that were the last day of our lives. Those activities de-stressed us a lot. But more importantly, those difficult and demanding times gave us some of our most cherished relationships and friendships.

I still remember the day I topped the examination in the second year of my engineering course, my professor told me that the pressure had "only just begun". "You need to hold on to all that you achieve and continue your journey," he said. The fear of failure increases with every success.  However, every success gives hope and motivation for the next. His words stayed on with me through my post-graduate education in management and beyond.

In hindsight, the best thing that happened during those days was perhaps when people coming to test our ability and knowledge told us that there was still a lot to learn. While learning is the destination, the experience of that journey is what holds the key to real success. Most of us are busy in our pursuit of the destination called "completion of studies". However, we also need to learn to experience things other than academics, for they provide us opportunities to truly shape our personality. It is very difficult to get those opportunities in your professional life.

Enjoy every moment of your student life. Dependable friends, guiding professors, and strong alumni networks can help one succeed in one's professional life.

Wish you all the best for your future endeavors.

Korean Faculty visit Cognizant

RMK T 20 Trophy

In a closely contested final, Cognizant HR team prevailed over TCS HR team to lift the RMK T 20 Cricket Trophy.

Chasing a target of 142 set by TCS, the Cognizant team won in the last over, with six wickets still to spare. Held on March 7-8, the tournament was organized by the Chennai-based RMK Group of Institutions at its campus 35 kms north of Chennai. Teams from the HR units from Cognizant, TCS, Wipro and Infosys participated in the two-day event. Earlier in the first round, while Cognizant met HCL in the first prelims, Wipro took on TCS in the second prelims. For most people, the Finals was a replay of the VIT T20 Trophy (organized by VIT University, Vellore in Jan 2009), when the Cognizant & TCS HR teams had clashed. Even then Cognizant had emerged victorious.

Viswa @ SASTRA

Viswakumar R, Assistant Vice President in Cognizant's Global Technology Office recently delivered a lecture on 'Next Generation Software' at SASTRA University (Tanjore) techfest 'DAKSH'. His talk revolved around how software will continue to play a crucial part in business as well as in everyday life. Here are some nuggets from his lecture:- Innovation in future software will be driven by emerging market dynamics like Green IT, new business models including "Software As a Service" (SAAS) and user experience technologies like Surface Computing. - New software-based business models such as "Software As a Service" will leverage new computing architecture models like virtualization and "cloud computing". Software to analyze complex events combined with data analytics will create a more intelligent environment for people and businesses. Finally, software-driven technologies like surface computing, mobile and multi-modal devices will make the intuitive user’s experience with future machines a reality.

Truly, thought provoking Viswa.

TransITion 09

TransITion 09, the inter-collegiate tech fest organized by Cognizant, was held at Pune, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore in the past few weeks.

TransITion is yet another effort by Cognizant to bring industry and academia closer. The one-day event provides pre-final year engineering students with a forum to test and enhance their skills in a competitive atmosphere; and to inculcate in them a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship before they step into the corporate world. TransITion '09 is also a platform for young minds to interact with industry professionals and business leaders, and thereby get valuable insights into the skills necessary to grow into successful professionals.

In this round, teams from leading t-schools vied for top honors in contests such as I-Tech Speak (a technical paper presentation), Ultimate Techie (a quiz to test students across engineering disciplines), Robotics, Awe (general quiz), Panorama (stall design contest), Mission Intermission (short movie-making contest) and Conundrum (treasure hunt). With loads of prizes-including digi cams and iPods-up for grabs, the event drew top-notch technical talent from engineering colleges.

As usual, Awe, the general quiz event hosted by GreyCaps (started by Quiz evangelist Giri 'pickbrain' Balasubramaniam), was a hit among audiences across all Centers.

Converze @ Pune college

Industry – Academia interaction always strives to enhance the capability of students to become better professionals. Cognizant acts true to this adage in all its relationships with institutions.

An effort by Cognizant's professionals across three weekends in February and March is an example of this. Fifty six students of Shri Guru Gobind Singhji Institute of Engineering Technology and Research, Nanded, Maharashtra, worked on improving their English Language communication skills, with ample help from about 10 Cognizant employees, led by the Campus team. The team conducted a 40-hour Converze (English Language Training Program) spread over three week-ends.

The unique initiative was led by trainer Soniya Ahuja, alumnus of the college. The topics covered included role plays, presentations, outdoor activities and fun events.

The program ended on March 7. K Vijay Kumar (Sr. Manager – Learning and Development) concluded the program with his workshop on Communication Skills and Business Etiquette. The college placement officer, HoDs along with the principal, attended the valedictory session. The program's success could be gauged by the positive feedback from students and faculty members.

Incidentally, the effort was a follow up to a two day faculty development program conducted by Cognizant in November last for college teachers wherein two faculty members of Shri Guru Gobind Singhji Institute participated.

Online Training For Recruits

Cognizant strongly believes in maintaining a high-touch relationship with all its stakeholders. That's why it has started a new initiative for its 2008 campus recruits.

This one-of-a-kind initiative is an e-learning module that seeks to provide to the freshers a level of basic training before they come on-board Cognizant. The course, which is a combination of tech skills and soft skills modules, seeks to help the company bring all the recruits to a consistent level of job-preparedness before they step into Cognizant. Essentially, the program will make the recruits more proficient in the technology streams that they will use at work.

The topics covered in the Learning Plan include Introduction to C, C++ and Java Programming; Object-Oriented Programming Principles; SQL and Relational Database Design.

Cognizant has given the students an option of 100 % course completion or 100 % Assessment Score. So, if needed, a student can straightaway take up the assessment, skipping the coursework.

The campus recruits have been sending in a lot of mails from recruits commending the company on this unique initiative. Says Abhishek Mukherjee, a Cognizant recruit from Techno India, Kolkata, “Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to join the e-learning program and upgrade my skills. I will pursue the program diligently and complete it in the shortest time possible so that I can contribute significantly to the company.”

Loyola College Award

Yet another prestigious recognition comes to Cognizant for its support to academia. Loyola College, Chennai celebrated its Computer Society of India (CSI) Day on March 06, 09. To make the event meaningful, the college instituted various awards to recognize people who have supported CSI and the College initiatives throughout 2008. This year, they instituted the "Best Student Supportive Industry" Award and Cognizant received the award for the various campus initiatives implemented in the college over the past year. On behalf of Cognizant, Satish Yandapalli, Campus Lead - South India received the award from Mr K. Purushothaman, Director - Nasscom (South).

March '09 Quiz Questions

Dear Avid Quizzers: Graffiti – Quiz will soon retire from C2C newsletter. But don't be disappointed. Your favorite quiz column will still be available in our campus portal. Await details.

1. What is Cha dao the art of ?

2. What name did the Vikings give to present day Newfoundland?

3. Which bird has a record 25,000 feathers?

4. This five word teaser was used by Apple in ads as a prelude to the launch of the Macbook Air.

5. What is common between Jim Laker, S. Venkatraghavan, G Dymock, Abdul Qadir, Waqar Younis, M Muralidharan?

6. A PRISM OR PUNCTUATE Unscramble the above for the name of an organization that creates reel life situations.

7. Ingenio was the internal name for Mahindra --------

8. Connect "Full Monty" and Vikas Swarup.

9. What is the name of the new copyright policy that Obama's transition team's Web site change government has adopted?

10. Who holds the record for the longest match winning streak in Tennis - Open Era and for how many matches?

January 2009 answers

1. Theodoros Zagorakis (Greece)

2. Self Defence

3. 6

4. Squirrel fur

5. 12

6. 116 years

7. Blackle

8. Brainstorming

9. Francisco D'Souza

10. Unified Threat Management

Winners of the January 2009 Quiz

1. D. Arokia Anburaj, Sri Manakula Vinayagar Engineering College, Puducherry.

2. D. Vaitheesh Kumaran, Amrita School Of Engineering, Coimbatore.

Edited & Supervised by the Corporate Marketing & Communications Group. Send in your feedback/suggestions to C2C@cognizant.com or campus@cognizant.com