This is the sad story of a poor soul who worked in a big MNC that reeked (and still reeks) in bureaucracy. This is not for the weak heart. If you suspect to have one, please don't pass beyond this point ==> .
Once upon a time, in the country called India, lived a good-techie-guy called Mr. Tec. This stallion used to love computers. The wonders that computers can do fascinated him. He wanted to be the creator of those wonders. He wanted to inspire and instruct the machines to create wonders. And he was successful... to a certain extend. He wanted to make a dream career out of it. So he studied hard... not the subjects prescribed by the University; but computers prescribed by the demand of the latest technology need.
It was during that time, that the company run by Vogons stepped into his life. They brain washed him with their achievements – “historic”, they say – and wooed him to join their company. The simpleton bastard didn't know who the Vogons were. So... thanks to his ignorance, he joined the Vogon Company. [Silence for two minutes please… You are about to hear the cracking sound of Mr. Tec's heart...... CRACK....] His heart sank when he saw what the Vogons do. Their efficiency shocked him. He realized that the Vogon Company was nothing but a big bureaucratic system that converted energetic and vibrant talent to mushy and dumb donkeys. But how?? How can they achieve so much with that great bureaucracy?? The question baffled him. The more he thought about it the more he was puzzled. All he knew was that, that he is a good fighter. “Winners never quit and Quitters never win”. He knew that too… So he decided to stay back... and fight... and try his luck… and realize his dream… in the very Vogon-Bureaucratic-Company that offered nothing.
Years passed. Our fighter stallion - Mr. Tec. - started mutating. The Vogon Philosophy had dented his determination. He started accepting some of the Vogon philosophies. He now looked like a mule. But even then… he remembered those good old days. The knowledge he had acquired in those good old days stayed with him even when his passion and priority took the beating.
One day his ThinkPad decided to go on strike. It won't boot. The LILO boot loader won’t load the Windows OS!! He had to complete lot of work - junk work to be precise - and this machine simple won’t come up! With frustration written all over his face, he took a deep breath and then a deep look at the ThinkPad. The neurons in his brain started to emit electricity. There it was… he diagnosed the problem! "It is a boot loader problem. The boot loader got corrupted. All I need to do is replace that." The mule had not forgotten the wisdom acquired by the stallion.
Since he didn’t have the utility that could overwrite and thus replace the corrupted boot loader, he dialed 4343 - the extension of the Vogon Company Helpdesk. They promptly gave him the answer: "The machine has to be reformatted and the OS has to be reinstalled. Before that, you will have to backup your data. It will take minimum twelve hours to complete this task - two hours to find a guy who would allow you to backup your data into his hard disk; two hours to backup the data; six hours to install the OS and update the patches; and two hours to restore the data."
The dying stallion-mind in the mule woke up: "What!!??? You just need to rewrite the boot sector. It will hardly take 5 minutes!!"
"Sir, we don’t have the permission to do such tweaks. This is the only way. The early you start the sooner you finish"
"But..."
The helpdesk guy cut in before Mr. Tec could complete "The early you start the sooner you finish. Understand?"
"Ok... Let me try to solve this problem on my own. I'll get back to you if I can't fix this." An upset Mr. Tec replied.
The mule took his ThinkPad to home; pulled out a Windows 98 Installation CD and booted the machine with it. He went to the command prompt and typed - fdisk /mbr. A pause; and then the command prompt was back. He rebooted his system and voila... his ThinkPad was back in action...! Working just as how it used to work! Mr. Tech was overjoyed. He patted his own back and lifted his collar. But then... sadness gripped him. What is he doing here? – In the Vogon Company – working with Vogons who waste their and others’ time. They don’t value time or talent. What has he done to himself? He wasted six years of his life working in the Vogon Company! Will he get it back? Depression seeped in. The mule's depressed gaze went to his table - a blade way lying there.
Once upon a time, in the country called India, lived a good-techie-guy called Mr. Tec. This stallion used to love computers. The wonders that computers can do fascinated him. He wanted to be the creator of those wonders. He wanted to inspire and instruct the machines to create wonders. And he was successful... to a certain extend. He wanted to make a dream career out of it. So he studied hard... not the subjects prescribed by the University; but computers prescribed by the demand of the latest technology need.
It was during that time, that the company run by Vogons stepped into his life. They brain washed him with their achievements – “historic”, they say – and wooed him to join their company. The simpleton bastard didn't know who the Vogons were. So... thanks to his ignorance, he joined the Vogon Company. [Silence for two minutes please… You are about to hear the cracking sound of Mr. Tec's heart...... CRACK....] His heart sank when he saw what the Vogons do. Their efficiency shocked him. He realized that the Vogon Company was nothing but a big bureaucratic system that converted energetic and vibrant talent to mushy and dumb donkeys. But how?? How can they achieve so much with that great bureaucracy?? The question baffled him. The more he thought about it the more he was puzzled. All he knew was that, that he is a good fighter. “Winners never quit and Quitters never win”. He knew that too… So he decided to stay back... and fight... and try his luck… and realize his dream… in the very Vogon-Bureaucratic-Company that offered nothing.
Years passed. Our fighter stallion - Mr. Tec. - started mutating. The Vogon Philosophy had dented his determination. He started accepting some of the Vogon philosophies. He now looked like a mule. But even then… he remembered those good old days. The knowledge he had acquired in those good old days stayed with him even when his passion and priority took the beating.
One day his ThinkPad decided to go on strike. It won't boot. The LILO boot loader won’t load the Windows OS!! He had to complete lot of work - junk work to be precise - and this machine simple won’t come up! With frustration written all over his face, he took a deep breath and then a deep look at the ThinkPad. The neurons in his brain started to emit electricity. There it was… he diagnosed the problem! "It is a boot loader problem. The boot loader got corrupted. All I need to do is replace that." The mule had not forgotten the wisdom acquired by the stallion.
Since he didn’t have the utility that could overwrite and thus replace the corrupted boot loader, he dialed 4343 - the extension of the Vogon Company Helpdesk. They promptly gave him the answer: "The machine has to be reformatted and the OS has to be reinstalled. Before that, you will have to backup your data. It will take minimum twelve hours to complete this task - two hours to find a guy who would allow you to backup your data into his hard disk; two hours to backup the data; six hours to install the OS and update the patches; and two hours to restore the data."
The dying stallion-mind in the mule woke up: "What!!??? You just need to rewrite the boot sector. It will hardly take 5 minutes!!"
"Sir, we don’t have the permission to do such tweaks. This is the only way. The early you start the sooner you finish"
"But..."
The helpdesk guy cut in before Mr. Tec could complete "The early you start the sooner you finish. Understand?"
"Ok... Let me try to solve this problem on my own. I'll get back to you if I can't fix this." An upset Mr. Tec replied.
The mule took his ThinkPad to home; pulled out a Windows 98 Installation CD and booted the machine with it. He went to the command prompt and typed - fdisk /mbr. A pause; and then the command prompt was back. He rebooted his system and voila... his ThinkPad was back in action...! Working just as how it used to work! Mr. Tech was overjoyed. He patted his own back and lifted his collar. But then... sadness gripped him. What is he doing here? – In the Vogon Company – working with Vogons who waste their and others’ time. They don’t value time or talent. What has he done to himself? He wasted six years of his life working in the Vogon Company! Will he get it back? Depression seeped in. The mule's depressed gaze went to his table - a blade way lying there.
***************
Next day's Time of India carried this headline "Suicide of a Vogon Software Engineer"
1 comment:
OMG!!!!! TP and 4343. Mashe this is too direct. But u have really been able to convey the feeling..
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