#StartANewLife

Every Indian student must pass, actually with flying colors through that horrible hurdle called S.S.C. results. Not only the student but also the whole family is on tenterhooks on that D-day. I am an Indian in general and Mumbaikar in particular, so that D-day was particularly more horrible than usual.

I wanted to join Arts stream and my father was adamant on Science. In a patriarchal society , mothers have no say in important matters such as the career and well being of her child. My mother wanted me to pursue my dream, but she was a silently-suffering spectator on that fateful day, when I had to adjust and take admission for the commerce stream even after gaining 82%.

The 2 years of commerce college were like a nightmare. I studied hard, but it was an aimless journey. I started taking solace in science fictions. My favorite author was Jayant Narlikar. He had written awesome stories about Super-computers and their gigantic power, which was a rare-novelty in the 80's. I remember writing to my German penfriend, that I wanted to learn computers and she was amazed.

The biggest irony was, I was sure of succeeding in computers , even though I could not learn , something as mundane as commerce and my father who did not allow me to pursue Arts was eager to pay the costly fees of computer management diploma.

I started my search for a proper computer institute , with Times Of India ( Hindustan Times and DNA entered Mumbai, very late in the year 2005 .) There were only Apple ( now Aptech ) , NIIT , Datapro , Datamatics , IGCS and few little known institutes offering computer management diploma to H.S.C. pass students. Apple and NIIT being well beyond my budget , I opted for Datapro at Bandra.

I got up at 5.30 a.m. as I was about to #StartANewLife ,I did not want to be late and miss a moment of my first day of "Computer Management Diploma". The atmosphere at the entrance of the Datapro was charged up with a 1000 splendid Suns. Learning Computers was so hot and happening, even at sky-high rates. Most of the students were graduate and had joined for post graduation , while just 3 of us were H.S.C. pass. The other 2 girls were accompanied by their parents, while I was alone. The Computer teacher patronized us, the 3 under graduate students, by constantly firing us questions about flow-charts, conversion from binary to decimal, decimal to binary, computer commands, terms and eventually calling us scholars.

I made friendship with those 2 undergraduate students , Vijee and Meenu. We  decided among ourselves to top the Computer fundamentals ( 1st module of Diploma in Computer Management.) While the other P.G. students were busy chatting and giggling , we 3 joined the library and borrowed the Computer fundamentals books. Earlier too , I was a book-worm and now I was reading only computer books. Within a month the syllabus was over and it was the time of examination. Though I had studied hard, I had a doubt about getting highest marks, so I studied some more and still more...

We received the question paper, and I could not believe my eyes. All "Fill in the blanks", "Match the following " , 2-marks-questions, even the flow-charts were so easy. I don't know , whether it was just a co-incidence , or Sir's way of patronizing us further , but all 3 of us got the same marks , 94 out of 100. And yes, We the three undergraduates stood 1st in the Computer fundamentals class full of P.G.-students.

Naturally , there was no looking back after this spectacular victory. That was my chance to #StartANewLife and I grabbed it with both keyboard and mouse. After passing "Computer Management Diploma " with distinction, I was selected for a World Bank Project.

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