Recalling Breaks

My career has had a few ups and downs, I started to work for a company in Pune, soon after my MBA, within a year, I had to move towards Karnataka to manage a domestic responsibility. I loved the job, the company, the people around and the challenges I faced during my first few months. the next job was with a small company in Belgaum, started manufacturing few months before I joined. I was the only sales/marketing person, visit the market each day with the hope to close a deal. I soon realised, I learnt a good deal from the customers, their kind appreciations working like a booster. There after I joined Deccan Herald, was with the newspaper group for almost a decade with different responsibilities.

After 20 years of working, I am revisiting the career breaks that I had, the first was soon after my degree, I started tuition classes for PU students teaching Mathematics at Ranibennur. Why did I choose to teach and that too mathematics is a real question. I intended to clear my backlog of maths paper of BSc and also appear for IAS prelims with Maths as my elective. Two extremes targets with single bullet. I was 22 then, Is this why the situation is called catch 22? I would not budge, I had made it clear to my family that I will take one of the three education/career choices. Pursue CA or MBA or IAS, why? because no one in my native place Hirekerur taluk had done these. This information was tracked by me from the time, I was in PUC, when a tahasildar on probation deputed to Hirekerur told me about it. I repeatedly kept asking some of the people and I learnt that BE,MBBS, BSc(Agri) are the most chased streams of study. BCom was evolving as another one, but none at CA, IAS or MBA yet. Few of the good educated people in Hirekerur at that point of time, who were generally considered good counsels advised me to pursue BEd, why, Teaching had already become my family profession, with my mother, 2 sisters and a brother as teachers. They wondered what MBA is all about, Is it BA or MA or something in between, why have anybody not done it till date, then it may not be good and you may not find a job with that degree. I stopped all and any explanation to anyone, I was adamant, arrogant, anyway, I was considered as cynical. I got some GMAT test paper book from Dharwar, when I visited there to appear for IAS prelims. Finally, I was on the moon, when my results of my MBA results were known. I joined MBA at the University of Pune. This break is one that was taken at a time, when I had a good secure income, good respect in town being a teacher and of being in my native place. Was the break required, why did I break the secure zone to pursue MBA, I was possessed to get there.

Sriram Beldona was one strong reason to be there. Sriram Beldona was my classmate in BSc days, very well disciplined, organised, far more mature for his age perhaps 20 at the time, more like an officer amongst the unorganized student community. Walking encyclopedia, Sharp wit, good humor and alas organised with every step of his journey to the classroom from gymakhana stairs, where we played chess. Sriram persued his MBA from Kausali Institute of Management Studies at Karnatak University Dharwar, later did his PhD in the USA, is currently Chair person and Associate Professor of Management at the Brynt University. Sriram has a strong sense of purpose and goal clarity from the time I have known him, which is now 30 years. I am thankful and am proud to be motivated by him amongst many others, whose life he would have changed