My last post was about joblessness. All about finding my life to be so void, because I really had nothing else to do.. Well, I’ll pick-up from where I left..
I got tired sitting at home, doing nothing worthwhile and I started to feel like I was dull and stupid.. From my batch of 30 students, only 3 of them had gotten jobs, therefore, I could’ve pacified myself.. But I am the black sheep who dropped out of engineering college and went to study art..['stitching' as it's called by most people I know.. Can't understand what kind of happiness they all get by degrading it. It's one of the most upsetting things to hear, for me, it makes me wanna rip their spleen out and tear it into pieces.. But most of the times, it's the people who I love a lot that chooses to call what I study as 'stitching'.. So I've learned to control the anger, and just let it go.. or commonly known as 'what the hell'].. As I was saying, being the one who failed to stick to the modus operandi of successful livelihood, it was essential for me to get a job as quickly as possible. Ergo, I decided to go to Bangalore.
Bangalore was just a plan in my head. I wanted to go soon, very soon. I was thinking about it day and night, wondering where to stay, where to go etc.. I called up Asha, a friend, to find a place to stay and she said I could stay where she [and a number of other females] is staying as paying guest. Well, stay was my only problem, and it was solved as quickly as that. Now all I needed was the drive to travel alone to B’lore! But another friend, Neeraja, called me up to ask how things were going and whether I had got a job yet. I told her about the little B’lore dream I had in mind and Bingo! [Wow.. Never used 'bingo' before!] She was planning the same thing and was looking for a companion to go with! Before hanging up, we decided the dates, when to go and most likely, when to return! Everything happened too fast, and we were in Bangalore on Aug 11th morning.
I don’t really wanna rewind that one week in Bangalore. The job-hunt part was saddening. Two questions decided our fate in the interview.
1. Do you have experience?
2. Are you from NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology) ?
After saying two mournful ‘No’s, second one less audible than the first, which is also a cue to rise half-way up from the seat, it’s better to start thinking about the next company to go to. Because, ‘hmm.. Leave your resume here, we’ll call you back if something comes up” doesn’t take more time than that needed to rise rest of the way up! Experience is way overrated, if u ask me.. hmph! How will I get experience if nobody gives me a job in the first place?
It’s tough to become a designer. Really tough. My Aunt’s friend graduated from NIFT-Delhi, and had experience as a designer in Delhi, and still had to wander for 6 months before getting a job as Designer in B’lore.. That little story that Dad told me was supposed to keep me going.. But I was horrified and devastated instead!!
The other companies I went to did have vacancies, but we had to start from down below, and sounded too low for an aspiring graduate. We had never heard about any seniors who had to do the same; everybody got jobs as merchandisers [Wonder why nobody even wanted to become a designer..] I never wanted to be a merchandiser, but I was willing to become one, out of desperation. I was willing to do a mediocre job without getting paid, for like 1 or 2 months, something like training. But the kind we both were offered didn’t sound good. It was the post of a ‘Floor Supervisor’ at Provogue. Well, I don’t mind the title and it was not such a demeaning job. I know I have to do a lot of homework, pay my dues [pay heavily, because neither did I pursue a course that has a lot of possibilities, nor did I study it in a well-known institute] before I get a job that I desire. But something troubled both of us, while we were sitting inside Barista, drowning our sorrows in black coffee! We were sitting right next to the Provogue store, separated from it only by a glass panel, and observing the thriving business. The thought of having to wear a uniform did trouble us! But not enough to back out from it. But by the time we reached home, both of us decided that we’re not gonna give up and become Floor Supers so easily!
Nevertheless, with every bit of confidence drained out, we both decided to go back home and booked tickets in fair winds that blew homewards. [Ornate, I know.. But going home is always a relief for me :-) especially in that condition!] That’s the end of the B’lore saga.
I reached home on August 17th morning. I was pretty sad and very reluctant to tell bro and mom that I didn’t get any job. Dad was very supportive, he kept calling me all the time to make sure I was okay. Well, his voice was very soothing, and I was feeling okay eventually.
I utilized the days to work on my port-folio, and to learn more about photography. However, the Joblessness Monster was on loose again, and I thought I’d give it another shot. I planned to go to Bangalore again, by September 7th, but this time to the industrial area, Yashwantpur, where most of the export houses are located. I never wanted to be a merchandiser, especially not in an export house. Retail showrooms were far better, but I hate export houses and the madness enveloped within. I never wanted to be a part of that.. But desperate times call for desperate measures :-( I called Asha again and fixed the dates.
Little did I know that fate had chosen to be kind to me one more time! ;-)
To be continued…