The countdown begins...

If at first you don't succeed, call it Version 1.0. – Origin Unknown
Ten years have passed since I completed my graduation and this is the moment when I can say that everything that I have done or learnt in the past 10 years is going to be put to use. Everything that I have and everything that I can ever have. This is the moment when I am joining Microsoft Corporation. The makers of the technology that I have worked on so long.

Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward; they may be beaten, but they may start a winning game. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Nine July 2007 is the date that I am joining Microsoft. When I entered the field of software I was introduced to Microsoft Technologies with a very different perspective. The open source community ridiculed and made fun of Microsoft. But when I studied these technologies (Ugh… Those COM and MFC days…!!!) I realized that Microsoft Technologies are not as bad as they are portrayed. Of course I had my issues with ATL and MFC, but then again Microsoft people agreed with me and came up with the Magic of .Net.

A good friend can tell you what is the matter with you in a minute. He may not seem such a good friend after telling though. – Arthur Brisbane
Eight people that I thoroughly enjoyed meeting in Kanbay. Pritpal S. Bumrah, Rahul Waghmare, Kiran Parge, Dhwanitkumar P. Shah, Shipra Gupta, Awnish Madbaiya, Pallavi Rastogi and Miruna Parthasarathy. Doesn't mean that all the other people weren't good. Every single person I met here was amazing. And that's what I like about Kanbay. Knowingly or unknowingly everyone really sticks to the open and transparent culture and enjoys doing so. But these guys just steal the cake.

640K ought to be enough for anybody. – Bill Gates while developing Windows 9x in 1981.
Seven years back I was exposed to this field and started with C. I had to clear a test on C, data structures and algorithms to enter CDAC. Seven years back I took my first job as a junior developer at Rs. 3,500 Per Month in a small city like Baroda working on ASP, Visual Basic 6.0 and COM. In the past seven years we have come a long way. Learnt a lot earned a lot and humbled a lot. I was an over ambitious dreamer 7 years back. I still have those dreams and have realized some of them, but it has also dawned upon me that experience teaches better than any book or orator.

History will be kind to me for I intend to write it. – Sir Winston Churchill
Six months of discipline. Preparing mentally to take the plunge. The last 3 years have been the most fulfilling part of my career. And leaving a work environment like this was quite a struggle. But then again, one must move on. If He intended me to do anything differently He would have made sure I do it accordingly.

Always code as if the person who ends up maintaining your code will be a violent psychopath who knows where you live. – Origin Unknown
Five projects I have worked on in Kanbay. The most interesting Projects. (Winterthur Solutions / Daily Dealing System) was the first full lifecycle .Net project in Kanbay. Implemented using Visual Basic .Net as a language. My second project (AAFES) was the first project in Kanbay with compact framework implemented on handheld devices. Third project (Banco Popular North America / CLPA) was the first full lifecycle project that was delivered, since Winterthur was still under construction. Then Onsite coordinator for (Georgia Pacific). And then First BizTalk Project for Banco Popular again (CLPA Loan Boarding Extension). If you notice each and every project has been extremely interesting. They have been a growth upwards. A new technology to learn every time a new challenge to face every time.

Treat a man as he appears to be, and you make him worse. But treat a man as if he were what he potentially could be, and you make him what he should be. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Four managers that have affected my professional life immensely. Parvez Mulla, Nitin Rathor, Henry Thomas and Ashutosh Bhatnagar. Each manager had a style of management. They made some decisions that changed my life. They have taught me the essence of life. To strive to be a better man every passing day. Smarter, stronger and more resilient. To accept change as it comes but at the same time to maintain one's identity.

Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted. - Albert EinsteinThree years back I joined Kanbay. This was the biggest turnaround in my career. I have truly understood the consulting business here. I have learned not only the intricacies and details of software delivery, but also about people. I have toiled here. Introspection, retrospection, inspection counterspection (if there is a word like that !!!) and all the other "spection" words that you can think of, I got a chance to do them here. Notched up in my memory forever. Hardwired!!

kshipram bhavti dharmatma shasvac-shantim nigachati kauntey pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranashyati : He speedily becomes virtuous and secures eternal peace. O son of Kunti, know it for certain that My devotee never falls. – The Bhagwad Gita
Two brothers Karna and Arjuna, adversaries at war had two very different upbringings. A little story before I leave. I just love telling stories.

Karna is described as follows: even if you add bali, baali, parshuram and half of hanuman, you wouldn't be able to match the strength and valour of Karna. Born as the son of the Sun God with its entire strength and glory. At birth he possessed the Armour and the earrings (Kavacha and Kundala) that were dipped in Amrit, the nectar of immortality. This made the Kavacha impenetrable and The kundala turned into a crystal that radiated an energy that would make Karna undefeatable. His strength and Valor were an epic to the Mahabharata but still he lost the battle. During his death there were so many forces against him. His own father the Sun God worked against him to thicken and solidify the wet sand under his chariot so he would have to get down to bring the wheels out of the ground. The curse against him from Parshurama and the Earth Goddess.
Arjuna on the other hand, though himself born to the Lord Indra, the God of Rain, was not as gifted. But he worked really hard on his craft in being an archer. He was called the "Savyasachi" because he was ambidextrous in using his bow. He could work his bow with either hands. He was also named "Gudakesha" conqueror of sleep, a name given in childhood itself, after he started practicing archery skills in the dead of night. He also practiced penance hard to attain the "Pashupathastra" from lord Shiva and the "Divya Astras" from his father Lord Indra the "Akshay Tunir" (The arrow holder in which the arrows would never end) from Lord Yama the God of Death the "Shwetha Vahana" (a divine chariot with powerful white horses that do not tire and are unwounded by normal weapons) and Gandeeva (Arjuna's Bow) from Lord Varuna the God of Oceans and Rivers.
Karna was a great warrior but he lost the battle against Arjuna and died a painful death. Morals: If you are on the side of Dharma (Natural Law), no adversary, however strong or valiant he is, can defeat you. And penance and training are far above any divine gift.
How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. – Origin UnknownOne last email as an ode to Kanbay. The last movement of Beethoven's last quartet is based on the following two motifs:
To make the meaning of his final movement absolutely clear Beethoven introduced it with a phrase 'Der schwer gefasste Entschluss', which is commonly translated as "a difficult resolution". One last allusion to Beethoven's last string quartet because last one month for me has been a month of difficult resolutions. I have been offered a new role at Microsoft, Hyderabad and it has been a hard choice accepting it. Everyone here at Kanbay is very close to my heart, the city of Pune has been the place I always thought I would finally settle down, and the decision to leave has been quite a difficult one.
5th of July would be my last working day at Kanbay / Cap Gemini. I would be based at Hyderabad and I can be contacted at nilotpaldas@gmail.com. I ramble about Software development and Microsoft Technologies at http://weblogs.asp.net/nilotpal and my RSS Feed is http://weblogs.asp.net/nilotpal/rss.aspx. I shall update everyone with my new phone no. and other contact details once they are finalized. I would expect everyone to stay in touch. More than work we have built relationships here and that's one thing I am not willing to let go.
All the best in your future endeavors and God Bless.
Regards,
....................................................................................................................................... Nilotpal Das, Consultant – Microsoft Technology PracticeA1 – Software Technology Park Talwade, Pune – 412 114 INDIA Tel: +91-20-27601000 Fax: +91-20-27601002 Cell: +91-98600-59190nmdas@kanbay.com ....................................................................................................................................... On February 8, 2007 Kanbay was acquired by Capgemini, one of the world's leaders in consulting, technology and outsourcing services, employing nearly68,000 people in North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region.

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