Names have either been changed or cropped for privacy reasons....

I still remember the first day at hp at the EC campus. A group of lost faces, including mine, where seated in a small conference room, filling in some papers. Everyone was filling in with at most caution as if they where getting a will prepared. I was seated next to a guy with a silly beard (which only I thought so) later on introduced himself as Ijaz Ahmed. We got into small conversations now and then. Chuckling I told myself 'couple of hours in a strange crowd and made a friend, ah now I'm getting in the grove'. In the next few days I got to know everyone by name but never thought that it was going to be a great trip through hp with these people.
Our training began a few days later, tools training, which I tried whole heartedly to understand but was in vain (later on found that everyone else was keeping up with me), and from time to time Raju, our trainer, confirmed that it'd take time to understand, but I had a strange feeling that he believed we all were too dumb to understand anything. One week of training, and he claimed again that 'it'd take sometime to understand'. I felt sorry for him, he should have said something else like 'Trust me, it’s easier than you think' or 'few hours in and you'll be an ace'. But he used the same statement which made us recheck our level of understanding things.
The only highlight was the smoke breaks wit Moz (team-mate-then-best-friend-now). Few days in and we were like old friends from school. A fag with coffee sprinkled with guy jokes was the only highlight of the day which lasted only for a maximum of ten minutes. Sometimes we were joined by Josh n VS which only made it better.
After the so called tools training, our manager Nick informed us that till our next schedule is to be set, we were to barge calls with the warriors on the battlefield. Barging calls was fun because just like the tools training we had no idea what was happening. I was barging with warrior Faiz. I just stared at how he killed each enemy that squeezed through the wires connected to our info system. I just wished I could do it one day.
Nick told us that a few more are going to join us. So the team ended up somewhat like this: Nick (manager), AJ (tallest TL I've ever seen), Masakali, DV, Suz, Bagz, Pav, Rupa, Nikki, Rakhi, Ijaz, Moz, Josh and VS and among them Pav, Nikki, Rakhi and Rupa where the new recruits.
After a few days of barging we were divided into 2 groups, one for voice and accent (VnA) training and the other to join the warriors (well Nick thought that they were ready for battle in the EMEA front). So, Moz, VS and Josh were sent for battle and the rest back to the barracks. VnA training master was none other than Tintin (well he had a Tintin look, so the name). Tintin's first major dialogue was 'I'm not your teacher; I'm just your trainer'. Well that made a hell lot of difference in my attitude towards him, and with Moz out at the warzone I needed a smoke buddy and not-my-teacher-but-trainer was perfect. Well after a week I quit smoking so the smoking episodes were over.
VnA training was awesome. Initially I thought what’s there to learn, but later on learned that there was a lot to learn. After the training, beard was pronounced bared, behind became bahind and learned that the words can and could are rude. Funny language definitely. Tintin made English very interesting by repeating between topics that 'the next topic is going to be very interesting' and would give us some tongue twisters to chew on. One thing I must admit, VnA training brought the whole team closer. Initially, it was like loose sand. Whenever we got a break it was like 'the ol' group together and the new girls separately together. Even in the training room, the seating arrangement ended up with the new girls separated from us. Even Tintin tried shuffling us but then he was no teacher to force us to sit where he wants us to. Couple of days into the VnA I sent an SMS to Moz telling him that ‘by the time the training is over there will be a split in the group’. He asked me to get along with the new girls (: D) and once you start everyone will follow suit. After a few days I did thank him.
Then onwards the most awaited dinner break was beyond awesome. There would be table filled with lunch boxes, surrounded by the whole team and we'd SMS Moz to call the others and join us. It was beyond fun. Masakali's fight with me on veg and non-veg. Bagz' special puliyogram, which if I didn’t eat she'd talk with me no more (and I hated puliyogram but I'd definitely eat). Moz' jokes on Masakali, Suz' hip shaking dance sitting on the chair, Nikki's unlimited SMS', DV's frequent 'podas', Rupas’s ‘hey hey what was that’ and of course the famous EC veg thalli. It was the time when Bagz started calling me brother, which was very funny because she'd use it exactly where it was unnecessary, like 'could you pass my Tiffin, brother' or out of the blue she'd tell someone that I'm her brother. Everyone had a laugh; I didn’t know what kind of feeling it gave me but deep inside it felt nice.
At the end of VnA we had this team building thing called power to delight, for 2 days. It was real fun even though the message behind every task or game was never really understood. The ultimate lesson is team effort or team work, well I think so. After P2D we had a couple more days of training and it was Nikki’s idea to get something for Tintin. On the last day, we bought a cake for Tintin. He was dumbstruck. ‘A cake!! For me!!’ Tintin cut the cake and I looked at him to capture his expression on my phone. I saw a tear. I think I told nobody. That brought the VnA training to an end.
Next up was the process training. Claudia from Costa Rica would train us through some sort of net meeting setup. Well it was good because even if you yawn or close your eyes for a minute (and only a minute) no one would see us. Of course AJ was there with us, but c’mon after all this is the only chance when he too can relax. The men at the battlefield also joined us along with Pani, NP and Sharma. Four weeks into training (tools, VnA and now process) and now we were getting an idea of what exactly we were hired for. Anjana was the last one to join us. She was appointed as our team L2, someone who knows more than the new guys, but is not in power.
Tenth of august, my birthday was celebrated in grand style. I was sure I’d get a gift but this was too much. A huge cake, birthday bumps and cake all over my face. So much for business casuals.’I have to admit, this was one of the best birthdays in the recent past’ I SMS’d Rupa later that day.
The training was going on smooth when we had to hear a very bad news. Rupa’s dad passed away. It came like a huge wave hitting a small island and wiping everything off the shores. I didn’t know what to say, how to comfort her. I was really lost. So was everyone. She was in a terrible state. After two days I asked her to come back to office. At least that’d help her forget for sometime. One night we all were having dinner and she was there next to me, in the midst of the commotion I saw her wipe a tear of her cheek. I don’t know who all saw, but I realized that we’ve to change her. Never knew how and if she has changed now I’d say, we still don’t know how.
Days went by, training was nearing an end and as it did we were being scared by AJ about post training tests. Well the test was like we’d have to take a call (obviously) from Claudia and she’d make a random issue and we’ll have to support her. Now when I’m writing about it, it sounds so silly and easy, maybe even comment ‘Is that even a real test??’ Well at that point of time it was. Everyone was tensed about the test. Later we came to know that even AJ had to take the test. That’s because the team hp was forming was a pilot batch. No one in India knew anything about the region we were to support and that added to the tension. Finally it got over, everyone cleared. We wanted to celebrate but went against it because after all we don’t celebrate for being called into war. We never took calls in EC, but were instead asked to attend offline cases, those that come by mail. Well it was like this if the cases are not urgent or if the number of cases to be logged were more than four, the agents would ask them to mail the details; otherwise the case would be logged over the phone. After a few days we were informed that our team is setup in the White Field (WF) office.
The WF campus was not even near to something anyone would want to work in. For starters the cafeteria was on the top floor and it was sad. There were no trees. In short the EC campus was heaven and this was a jail cell on earth. But nonetheless a house becomes a home not by the structure and luxuries, but by the people living in it. The WF office became our home.
Then we were informed about shifts. Initially everyone wanted morning shifts, but later on they wanted to work somewhere between six in the evening to four in the morning (atleast I wanted to) because ninety percent of the team worked during that time. Only Moz, VS and DV worked in invisible hours. Well they were in the morning shift and no one used to see them. At the end of the month they’d have better stats than us and no one knew how and still no one saw them. So, they work like some secret service doing an amazing job without anyone knowing. Anyway I’d say the best shift was six in the evening till three in the morning because at six you’re definitely fresh and everyone’s there at office. You reach home by four and sleep till ten or eleven. Perfect. You get your daytime and sleep but would have to compromise on late night parties. Well you’ve to compromise on something.
It was always tough when someone would ask with whom you were closest. We all were close to each other in one way or the other. Pav and I shared the same cab right at the beginning of VnA training. She was a silent girl. But those days in the cab brought us close. Moz and I, starting from the smoke zones to the days at process training was more than enough to build the kind of friendship we have now and for me he’s not just another guy I used to work with. Well Moz was the only guy to whom I could say anything and everything. Josh and VS were great buddies and great help anywhere. Bagz was my sister. She is still on the confused side but I’m sure she’ll pick up. Suz was the high pitched girl who had problems with engineers from the US. She claimed they never use their brains. Well I don’t blame them. DV was the only person who helped me remind that I am from Kerala. I was glad to find someone to talk to in my mother tongue (AJ and Nick were also from Kerala, but obviously you can’t say everything to them right). Masakali had doubts no one had, and she used to eat everyone’s head with her doubts. Initially I thought she was adamant and stubborn but soon enough I learned that I was wrong. Anjana was a girl who had a guys taste. Watching sci-fi series and sports were her main time pass. I was shocked. I have never seen a girl like her. Nikki was the kiddo of the lot. Younger than everyone but smarter than her age. But one can trust her with anything. I was impressed by the way she did things on her computer like documenting and the way she used the tool. But I have to say; when you are only seventeen you believe that you know what life is all and you don’t know that each day you learn something new but I’m definitely sure that she will learn things faster than anyone. Rupa was a sweet little girl. She was silly, a little on the crazy side but always in high spirits. I used to admire the way she molded herself after her passed away. I wouldn’t say she became all responsible and mature like you see in the movies, but she proved one thing, with heart you can conquer even your darkest fears. She accepted her fate and moved on in whatever way she could. Rupa and I became very close and even today I have a special place for her in my heart.
I quit hp after 2 months in WF. But those days in hp aren’t just a few days at some place for me. I learned to forget. I learned to remember. I learned how to work in a huge but great company. I worked under the best manager so far. I was supported by the best and tallest TL so far. But most of all I got few friends whom I’ll never forget even if I wanted to and I’d never want to. When I started at hp, my personal life was like a torn piece of cloth. When I left hp it looked brand new.