Welcome to TRDDC, Pune

Ok, so for those who don't know I've been at Pune for the last few days, doing a summer internship at TRDDC. Thats Tata Research Development and Design Centre, a division of TCS.

I've got lots to write about: Pune Chics (Hrushi and co were'nt kidding when they said Pune chics are hot!), the nice family I stayed with for the first few days, finding accomodation, blah blah blah.. but right now let me just restrict myself to TRDDC.

WARNING: Ranting, Ranting, Ranting.

In brief: I hate it here.

My Project

Ok, I can't divulge much of this - I don't want to break any clause of the four-page confidentiality agreement that I signed before joining here.

But I can assure you that it has nothing to do with Theoretical Computer Science.

Restrictions

Firstly, gmail, orkut etc are blocked. Of course - tech savvy as people here are supposed to be, we use other ways to access these sites. But still restrictions give a bad impression.

The first day I came here, I came in baggy cargos and shirt - typical of me. Second day, t-shirt and jeans. Third day t-shirt and jeans. Through these three days I see everybody wearing formals, and think to myself what a bunch of losers these people are.

Later, I was spotted by some high-profile guy (Brigadier, thats what some of my friends told me he's called) and asked me whether I've seen anybody with jeans and t-shirt in the office, and asked me to maintain office decorum. Formals. Jeans and casuals only on Fridays. Kinda reminds me of the uniformed days of school. A roomie - a guy from IBM - claimed that at his place the minimal restrictions were there are they were not even followed.

So guess what I've worn today: Jeans and the same (unwashed, unironed) shirt that I wore on Day 1.

After all, rules are meant to be broken.

Its also interesting to note the computer usage policy that I have to accept before I use my assigned computer. It asserts TCS's right to monitor everything I'm doing on my comp. And in fact they can do it - we've seen them remotely controlling some of the comps.

So guess where I am writing all this from? ;)

I have signed in for 2.5 months... Hmm... heh heh heh ... *villaneous laugh* more on this a few weeks from now :D

My new room: Good night, sleep tight don't let the bed-bugs bite

So after staying three days at Poumai's place, I moved into my new room for the next 2.5 months.

About 15 minutes and 7 rupees bus ride from TRDDC, and at 2200 p.m. this place sucks. For the next two weeks we (ah, introducing Anurag - an IITM metallurgy guy, so we will be roomies throughout this internship - we are working on different projects though) have been asked to stay in a four bed dormitory, after which we'll be shifted to a perhaps better room for two.

This place has got a bathroom whose taps don't work (the one which works works at a slow pace), a drain thats clogged. Downstairs they've kept corporation water in bottles in an ancient fridge that stinks (and has got a HUGE bag of dogs meat - meat for dogs - stuffed into the freezer non-auto-defrosting), and which people drink.

For the next two weeks, I and Anurag have been given a single cupboard. Well its got two halves to it, one half is sealed. So lets say we've got half a cupboard.

The story behind the other sealed half is interesting and has been passed down the generations of various occupants of the room. Apparently a girl staying in this room commited suicide by jumping down the building a few years back. All her stuff is in this cupboard. Sealed. Ah, I can feel shivers up my spine.

Finally, I slept at 5 in the morning today. Bed bugs. I wouldn't have slept by then too if not for Odomos.

Long live Pune. Long live TRDDC. Short live my stay here!