The Art of Interviewing

Had always wanted to know what it is like to sit on the other side of the table. But, ironically, one year and about a hundred interviews later, I realized that it is all about being on the same side of the table. Interviewing, I realized, is about sketching the character of a person; and the simplest way to do it is to make the person feel at home in the interview. Otherwise, you unfortunately have the task of figuring out the "true" from the "superficial".

So that's rule number 1: Make the candidate feel at home.

Call him boss or bhai (as we call any friend in India), just make the candidate feel comfortable; anyway you want it. Sometimes, if possible, sit on the same side of the table as the interviewee to stress the fact that you are just there to support their thinking and not to criticize it. Setting the stage can also depend on the candidate. Some candidates are nervous at the start. In such cases, I have found that a small chat about their hobby or favorite game helps a lot. For a geeky guy, a talk about the algorithm in his project or some interesting recent tool he worked on etc. sets the tempo. We also don't have any dress code for the interviews at our company. We just ask the candidates to dress in any way they are comfortable.

...

Another important fact about interviewing is that you are there to make a decision.
So never have an analagous answer scale - he was good but ..., he was average but good on some factors etc ...

The answer has to be a definite "Yes" or "No". The simple logic behind this is that you "might" just lose a good candidate by saying a "No" but the fact is that you will always mostly be able to find another good candidate. On the other hand, a misjudged "Yes" can cost the company dearly over a long term.

So rule number 2: Make a clear decision.

...

Interviewer: What do you do if you want to reverse a linked list?
Candidate: I would just iterate over the linked list editing pointers and go on ....
Interviewer: Hmm ... how do you do it recursively?

Find anything odd in the situation above? Well, the point to make here is that people think differently. So do not try to force your idea or solution onto the candidate. The best interviewers build the interview around the thought process of the candidate. So every interview might be unique inspite of the same questions being asked.

That makes rule number 3: Listen and adapt.

...

Another thing to have in mind while preparing questions for an interview is to decide carefully around what each question tells you about the candidate. Jot down the various areas you want to evaluate the candidate on. Plan the questions and discussion accordingly. You can wrap up the interview at any time you have collected all the data points you were looking for. This will greatly improve the efficiency of the interviewing process.

Thereby, rule number 4: Have an evaluation plan.

...

There is generally a false notion that you need to ask really tough questions to pick out the best candidates. In this sense, there is also a dread in many interviewer's minds is that - if the candidate already knew the answer to that question, then they might not have got a clear idea of the candidate's capabilities.

The best way to counter this is to focus on the discussion around the problem rather than on the actual solution. So design your questions in a way that they involve some discussion. Even if candidates know the question, you can easily judge their prowess from the way they describe and validate the solution. Maybe, ask a few variations on the original question to see how they improvize.

So here goes rule number 5: Focus on the discussion; not on the solution.

...

For industry hires, the best way to recognize a good software engineer is from his code. So, the questions asked are pretty simple. What we need to concentrate on is on the elegance of the solution. This is closely related to my previous article http://ynaut.blogspot.com/2007/01/code-is-beautiful.html . It is about finding how deep a foundation have the coding practices laid into their daily work.

Rule number 6: Ask the candidate to code!

Guess I did learn some of these stuff personally over experience and also from this link

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/GuerrillaInterviewing3.html. So this post is probably my summarization of Joel's article with a few of my own hints.

Overall, I hope you found this article informative.

Signing off.

Code is Beautiful

If you ask me what is the difference in me as a programmer from the time I left college, I would say it is my view of coding. At college, I loved algorithmic problems. It used to be a favorite post-lunch past time at college; a bunch of us huddling around the Bodhi tree right outside our department building and have a go at some wacky problems. We also used to have rapid-fire coding sessions where we used to code in-order to verify the ‘correctness’ of the algorithms.

Nowadays, as well, it is the same intensity with which myself and few of my colleagues solve problems, but when it comes down to coding them, well, there’s a big difference now….

A simple example, to give you an idea,

int x, y, z; // in college days

is nowadays,

int noOfVertices;
…
int noOfEdges;
…
int edgeConnectivity;

and that too, in different portions of the program, i.e. closer to the context where they are used. Guess you are getting the point.

This love for coding started with the exposure to real-neat enterprise scalable code in the organization. It was not love at first sight though. The very first time I saw how many lines of code change you needed to do something which took about one line of code at college, I was a bit aghast. At first, it gives you the feeling that this is probably some rule of conduct in the industry that classifies it as ‘enterprise’ code.

But very soon the dynamic nature of the software requirements and functionality hits you in the face and you realize the beauty of those lines of code that looked so abstract early on.

Welcome, to the world of design patterns. These nifty set of tips and tricks take the pain of software maintainability away from software developers. But it is important as well that they do not overwhelm you. Two points in this sense are to be noted:
- Inappropriate use of design patterns.
- Overdoing of design patterns.

A few books that are worth mentioning in this context that help you avoid the above pitfalls are
Effective Java (http://java.sun.com/docs/books/effective/)

Agile Software Development, Principles, Patterns, and Practices (http://www.amazon.com/Software-Development-Principles-Patterns-Practices/dp/0135974445)

So one of my favorite questions at industry interviews is to ask the person to write some really simple recursive code. Recursive code in-spite of not being the optimal solution in many cases still catches my imagination because of the magic in the way it works. It’s really amazing how a few lines of code can neatly portray the solution to a really complex problem. Potential hires come up with neat and concise code. It also pays to observe the gleam in their eyes as they explain the solution to you. You know that you have a good candidate.

Will cover the “Art of Interviewing” separately in a later post. It’s a cool and very responsible art of sketching the character of a person in half-an-hour.

Signing off.

Management - What it should really be

If you are looking at some really good discourse on management and software practices, then please move on to http://www.joelonsoftware.com/Archive.html.

This post is from a yankee who landed in the industry in 2004 right out of college looking for some really challenging techie work. Must say that my career here so far has provided me with lots of those, but interestingly, it has also taken me through a roller coaster ride on how exactly do you lead a bunch of people.

Even though at college, we had learnt the principles that make a single guy at the top to manage an extremely large organisation with thousands of employees under him - Hierarchy and Delegation. All that sounded very nice when we learnt it, but once in the industry, the reality bites you hard. How I just wish delegation just meant transfer some of your responsibilities to a person below and get the work done. Probably, it might work fine in software design where-in high-level modules delegate their work to low-level modules. But it is just not the case when individuals are involved.

To get to the point, Management, in short, is about,
- Respecting the individuals under you.
- Trusting the individuals under you.
- Caring for the individuals under you.

[probably I reiterate the term "individuals" often as against "people" but that more goes to say the stress am laying on it]

Management is in reality all about relationships with individuals. Management is personal. In another sense, management is about listening. The more you listen, the more you understand the individuals under you and the better you can care for them.

That is why, people, ahem, sorry, 'individuals', more often don't leave their jobs; they leave their managers. So the key to building a great place to work is not about having great paychecks or great perks for employees. It is just about having a mechanism in place that ensures that managers care for those under them. Any organization that achieves this, whether it be a mammoth organization with thousands of employees or any run-of-the-mill organization with half a dozen employess, is sure to be a great place to work.

Another common misconception in many employees mind's is that once you rise to management levels, all you need to work around with are schedules and deadlines. So when it so happens that such employees do permeate to higher levels, the life becomes tough for those down under.

I would like to sign off for now with the role of management as defined on this site (http://www.fogcreek.com/About.html), [the CEO of this company is the guy who writes the JoelOnSoftware blog (link in the first line of this post), it is one of my favorite sites, so please bear with me if I keep getting back to this site in my future ramblings.]

" ... management, not coding, is the support function. Management is not here to make decisions, but to get all the furniture out of the way so that software developers can do great stuff. ... "

Rebound

Roses in bloom,
Daffodils swaying in the breeze,
Little birds chirping,
The wind skimming over the fields,
The gurgling stream over the pebbly underneath,
The sunshine winding its way through the green canopy,
Lighting up the mossy terrain,
There's so much in the little things around you,
The past's gone and done,
Leaving behind the golden prize of realization,
So wake up to a brand new year,
To carve a niche in the cliffs of life.

The Glass Door

Stand do we on either side of it;
Shouting our hearts out;
Think do we, that none of us is at fault,
Expecting either of us to wake up;
The transparency deceives us;
That seeing is believing;
What it needs is getting a bit closer;
Realization comes then;
That all it takes, is to break,
The glass door.

My idol - Steven Spielberg  

At the Tower Bridge 

Symmetry unfolded 

"The long walk" with the Windsor Castle in the backdrop 

Cool blue jelly fish 

Trafalgar Square 

The Hyderabadi touch

Here are a few bill boards I saw on my recent visit to Hyderabad. I could help smiling when I read them.

Most take-offs, ... Lufthansa [ :) I wonder why they refer only to the take-offs]

Drive carefully. Someone is waiting for you - XYZ Hospital

Really hold this close to my heart

Hi guys,
Today morning, I got up to check mails and I was fortunate to read this forward first thing in the morning. I am posting this here so that many more can experience it.

-------------------------------------------------------

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled children,the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:

"When not interfered with by outside influences,everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?"

The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I believe,that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes, in the way other people treat that child."

Then he told the following story:
Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked,"Do you think they'll let me play?" Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around for guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."

Shay struggled over to the team's bench put on a team shirt with a broad smile and his Father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away heir chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible 'cause Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing the other team putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over, but the pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever ran that far but made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!"

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to second base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay"

Shay reached third base, the opposing shortstop ran to help him and turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and those watching were on their feet were screaming, "Shay,run home! Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate,and was cheered as the hero who hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team.

That day, said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world.

Shay didn't make it to another summer and died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his Father so happy and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

Life swings but that's the enjoyable part

Zaadzing

Hi all,

For the past week, I've been playing around at Zaadz

It is a community of people who want to bring about positive change in the world. The discussion groups are really interesting and evoke a lot of thought. I guess you could say I am looking for ideas for my next story here :)

The community grows like orkut. Either existing members invite new people or you have to fill up a small application form that asks you questions like "how would you like to bring positive change in the world" and submit it. You then get an invitation from the CEO of the site itself :).

I feel it does a better job of networking than Orkut. Ping me if anybody wants an invite. :)

Mika - The Finale

For those who missed the earlier parts, here are the links
Mika - Part I
Mika - Part II
Mika - Part III
Mika - Part IV
Mika - Part V
Mika - Part VI
Mika - Part VII

Mika and Arun made their way through the throngs of people at the hospital. They found Hemanth's parents in the lobby. Mika went and sat next to Hemanth's mother.

"Hello mother, how's Hemanth now?"

"He's fine now, Mika. You look tired out! God will definitely help you find the person you are searching for."

"By the by, mother ... do you know Hemanth's email address? ..."

"Umm ... I think Hemanth once gave me his visiting card ... let's see if it has his email address ..."

She searched in her purse for Hemanth's visiting card and handed it over to Mika. Mika eagerly took it in her hands and glanced at it for the email address. Arun looked over Mika's shoulder.

"Is it him?"

Mika nodded in the negative. Mika stood up and went to the porch of the hospital. Amlu was standing there gazing at the garden. White little butterflies were skimmering over the tops of the tender petals of daffodils and daisies. Mika went and stood next to her.

"Do you enjoy watching the beauty that nature has to offer?"

Amlu looked up at Mika and gave her captivating smile and nodded very assertively.

"Yes ... Daddy has always taught me to enjoy the little things that many people miss out on ... Daddy says if you make peace with things around you ... you will always be happy ..."

"Very true ... "

"Mika Akka? ..."

"Yes?"

"Did you find 'neo'?"

"Nope ... I still haven't found him ... "

"Do you want me to help you in finding your friend? ... you see .. all you need is a lot of faith ..."

"umm ... I really wish you could ... but you already have done a lot in locating your father ... I guess you should also take a good rest along with your Dad ..."

"Come on, Akka, .. just tell me his name or something more about him ... you will see I can help a lot ..."

"Umm ..okay ", Mika cheered up a bit with Amlu's antics. "I don't know his real name and you also know his name on the computer 'neo' ... I will give you one more clue ... his email address is catchme.ifucan@yahoo.com."

"Yahooooo .. yahooo .. ", Amlu started dancing about.

"what ... what is it you are so excited about?"

"i ...know ... the .... person ! ...", Amlu kept running around Mika and shouting.

"oh! ... who is it? ... "

"it is my father ... the email address you told is his secret email address known only to him and me ...", Amlu suddenly stopped running. "umm .. how is that you know his secret email address? "

"Secret!", Mika said and ran inside the hospital.

"Arun!"

----------------------

Mika entered the ward where Hemanth was resting. Hemanth was reading a novel as Mika entered. Mika noted the title "A Walk to Remember". Hemanth closed the book and looked up as Mika entered.

"Hi Hemanth", Mika said. "I'm ... Aarthi ... I'm a neighbour of your parents..."

"Oh ... hello ... pleased to meet you ... take a seat .... "

Mika sat down in a couch across the bed.

"Thanks a lot for helping my parents in need .."

"Oh, it was my duty ..."

Both were silent for a while. Hemanth seemed to be deep in thought.

"Are you always very pensive like this?"

"Oh .. sorry ... no I guess - only when I am thinking ... "

"Oh .. I guesss I should be leaving ... I'll see you later ... "

"No ... no ... don't leave please ... I'm extremely sorry ... I guess I'm not very communicative but I would really love if somebody would talk to me ... "

"oh ... right then ... ", Mika sat down again.

"I was just in a deep thought about the novel I was reading ... it's one of my favorites ... every-time I read it, it always revitalizes my faith ... "

"oh ... great ... it must be a very good book then ... "

"yeah, it is ... especially when you are just out of a trauma .. it makes much more sense too ... "

"Did the ordeal test you a lot?"

"umm ... yeah .... umm ... ", he smiled to himself. "what's funny?", Mika asked.

"oh .. it reminded me of something I had said to ... ", Hemanth stopped, then looked at Mika straight in the eyes. Mika shivered a bit. It make her feel as if Hemanth was gazing deep into her thoughts.

"hey, have I met you somewhere before? .... "

Mika quickly said, "No .. I don't think so ... what makes you ask that?"

"well .. err ... ", Hemanth smiled to himself again. "this is the second time in the last few days that I am ready to believe in someone whom I don't know much ... something has definitely changed in me .... changed for the better I guess ..."

Hemanth then looked at Mika and smiled. Mika blushed.

"So ... who is this other person you are talking about ? ", Mika asked with a twinkle in her eyes. She was highly excited within. She could hear her heart beating louder than ever.

Hemanth fiddled his hair with his fingers. "Well .. huh ... I don't know much about her except her name ... I'll keep that a secret for the moment .... well, she .. she ... I don't know really know ... there was something about her ... her faith in me ... it filled a long standing void in my heart .... "

"well ... hah ..", Hemanth laughed again. " ... it is really funny I know but ... "

"What?", Mika asked hardly able to remain calm from outside.

"well ... you see I could be in love with her .... not sure how this is possible ... how I could feel so with a person whom I've never met ... but yet ... "

Mika got up and went to the balcony. "Excuse me for a second ... " Hemanth who had been engrossed in his own words .. suddenly realized that Mika had been in the room... "oh ... sure ..."

After a few minutes, Mika entered the ward again.

"Hemanth, I've got to tell you my real name."

-------------------

Hemanth had been stock still since he heard Mika tell her name. Mika turned and went out into the balcony again, tears in her eyes. Hemanth limped along to the balcony as well.

"Mika ... "

Mika did not turn to see Hemanth.

"Mika ... I'm sorry if I've hurt your feelings ... "

Mika simply turned around swiftly and tightly hugged Hemanth.

-------------------

Arun who had been dreamily watching the bustling activity outside the hospital for a long time turned back. He entered the hospital and walked up to Hemanth's parents.

"I've something very important to tell both of you."

------------------

Hemanth grasped Mika firmly and slowly pulled her away. She was beautiful in the evening light. Her hair blew over his face.

"Mika ... look at me ... it might be that whatever blossomed between us could have been ... ... but at the same time, that is the very same thing that gives one the power to look at things as they are ... and the courage to stand up to it ... "

Hemanth continued.. "You were right in your emotions ... and I guess, so was I .. I realize that now ... there is nothing wrong with that ... but ... "

"Appa!", Amlu came running in. "Mika Akka ... Appa, do you know that it was Mika Akka here who saved my life .... "

----------------

A fragile Sunitha entered the hospital with her caretaker. Nearly two years of chemotherapy had sapped most of her physical strength. Yet, she had fought on with Hemanth by her side.

Sunitha saw Hemanth's parents in the lobby. They were weeping. Then she noticed someone who was sitting across them. Someone, who initially had his head buried in his arms. The person looked up. Sunitha saw Arun looking at her with teary eyes. Hemanth's mother saw Sunitha and came running towards her.

"Sunitha ... why did you not tell us the truth earlier .... "

Sunitha consoled her. "Aunty, at least you know now ... "

She smiled understandingly at Arun. Arun smiled back weakly.
---------------

Hemanth held Mika's palms. Both of them had tears in their eyes. Both looked into each other's eyes for a long time. Hemanth with understanding in his eyes released his grip on Mika's hand gently. It was metaphoric to his emotions.

Mika finally said, "Hemanth, you have taught me more in these two days than all my life ... I know that I will tread my life boldly from now on ... and .... I would like to have you as a friend for life to guide me all along!"

"Definitely", Sunitha replied. "You should ... ". Both Hemanth and Mika turned to see Sunitha standing at the balcony door.

Hemanth exclaimed, "Sunitha, you shouldn't have taken the trouble to come all the way here .... you are still sick ... "

"Hey Hemanth, who am I fighting for? ... for you, idiot! ... when you are in trouble ... what's it about me ... ".

Hemanth went forward and hugged Sunitha's frail structure tenderly. They held each other for long. Amlu jumped up and hugged both her parents. Mika smiled at the three of them.

The end

Mika (Part VII)

For those who missed the earlier parts, here are the links
Mika - Part I
Mika - Part II
Mika - Part III
Mika - Part IV
Mika - Part V
Mika - Part VI

"Let's go and see him...", Arun said.

Mika hesitated. "Arun, you go ahead ... my mind will not be at rest until I find out about 'neo'", she said firmly.

Mika and Arun had spent the last few hours asking the locals about anything that struck them about the scanty details that they had about 'neo' - his mail id and that he was a computer geek and that he might not have many friends. But since most of them were already in a state of grief about losing their loved ones or in frantic search for them, Mika and Arun could not garner any useful information. In this place, finding a person whom you knew very well was tough. Talk about finding someone you hardly know anything about!

"Mika, I know that we do have to find 'neo' ... but we do not seem to be making any progress here ... in fact, Amlu's father might help you find out who 'neo' is, since he has been here for quite sometime ..."

"No Arun ... sorry ... I can't leave ... "

"Okay ... no problem .... I will go and meet him and also try to find some information about 'neo' from him ... you continue your search ... keep your cellphone handy ... bye"

-------------------

Arun entered the hospital to see Amlu's grandparents sitting in the lobby. He walked up to them.

"Hello Sir, how is your son?"

"He is fine ... he has some suffered a few fractures ... also he was a little disoriented after the ordeal ... he has been currently sedated to relax and recover ..."

"Where is Amlu?"

"She is sitting beside him inside the ICU ... she has told the doctors firmly that she likes to be next to him ..,"

"Oh ... good ..."

"By the by, did you find anything about the person you had come searching for?"

"Not yet .. We are still searching for him ... "

The grandmother was still crying.

"Why are you still crying, ma? You son is safe now ... "

"Well ... I was just thinking that if not for Amlu, we could never have got all these people to search for my son ... you see, he ... he came away from Chennai to be away from family and friends ... not many were willing to help in searching for him ..."

"Oh ... he doesn't like company?"

"Not exactly .... I actually cannot blame him ... His actions made most of his family and friends desert him ... we too deserted him ... "

"What? You deserted your son?"

"Well, if you were to know what he did ..."

"Mitra ... don't bring that up again ...", the grandfather said firmly. The grandmother quietened up.

"Sorry Arun", the grandfather spoke to Arun "... well I don't want to go through that story all over again .... but you could just take it that Hemanth destroyed our faith ..."

"Oh ...", Arun did not know what to say. He looked down and then looked at the grandmother's hands in which she held a photo of their son Hemanth, Amlu's and a girl who appeared to him as Hemanth's wife.

Arun's eyes suddenly brightened with shock. He pointed at the girl in the photograph.

"Is .. is that Hemanth's wife?"

"Yes ... well.... do you know her? .... ", the grandmother asked seeing Arun's expression.

"Err ... sorry no .... I mistook her for somebody else .... I ... let me be going and see Hemanth". He got up, stumbled a bit and then walked towards the ICU. Then, halfway through his stride, he paused, turned and walked out of the hospital.

--------------------

27th December, 5.30 p.m

Mika called up Arun for the umpteenth time since 5'o clock. There had been no trace of Arun since afternoon. She had called up Amlu's grandparents and they had told her that Arun had left the hospital at around 1 itself. She was beginning to get afraid that something bad had happened. She debated as to whether she should tell her parents about this. They would definitely go hysterical. Just then, her phone rang. It was Arun.

"Arun! what on earth happened to you? I was so worried .... "

"Mika ...", Arun's voice on the other end was very soft and shaky, as though he had been crying.

"Mika, could you come over to the beach .. I am near the boat statue near the end of the beach where we were in the morning."

-----------------

Arun sat with his face buried in his hands. Ever since he had seen her in the photograph, Arun remembered nothing but the last meeting he had with her.

---------------

It had been a regular day at office when his desk phone rang. He picked it up.

"Hello"

"Hello, Arun. I am calling from the reception. There's someone to see you here."

"Oh ... ok ... I am coming there ..". Arun walked up to the lobby. It was a huge hall and lots of people were engaged in conversation. Arun glanced at the receptionist. She pointed to a girl who was sitting in the far corner of the lobby where not many others were seated. The girl was seated with her back to him.

Arun walked to her. She turned as he walked towards her.

The blood froze in his veins as he recognized her. "Oh my god ... what is she doing here!"

She stood up as he walked up to her.

"Afraid to see me?", she smiled sarcastically.

"Dont worry", she continued. "I just came to give you this ... ". She gave him an envelope and walked away.

"But ..... what ....."

--------------------

At the beach, 27th December 5.45 p.m

Arun heard footsteps behind him. He turned to face Mika.

"Mika, I want to tell you about a mistake I made six years ago ..."

-----------------
Mika looked up into Arun's bloodshot eyes. She had just finished reading the letter in an envelope that Arun had handed over to her.

"Mika ... that mistake haunts me ... I have never been able to get over it ... I carry this letter with me wherever I go ....."

Mika looked at the letter again.

"Arun,

For years, every night, your face used to haunt my dreams. I used to wake up every other night chilled to the bones. But slowly a smothering warmth started to pervade. Out of the ever surrounding mist, a form began to emerge, it was a face I had known since childhood. A face that brought a smile to my face every-time I saw it. A face so gentle and reassuring - the face of Hemanth. [I know I have mentioned him a lot to you]

Yes, I live with Hemanth now. As a child cuddling with his favorite pet, he has caressed me through my turmoil without uttering a single word. In fact, his silence has been the hallmark of the faith he has placed in me. Now, God has endowed me with a beautiful girl, a
darling whom I hope never is unfortunate to see her genetic father. She will be Hemanth's for the upbringing.

Today, I came here to tell you that I guess it was God's will that I should suffer so and it was his will again that I realize the ruby right in my backyard. I don't know how to thank Hemanth for his sacrifice. May be, I never will be able to. Today, as some unknown virus tries to make headway into my body, I smile to it to say, "Do your worst! .. I have got whatever I could ever hope for!"

For you Arun, I have just a few words before I bid adieu for ever.



"Keep the faith ..... ever"



Sunitha"

Mika suddenly felt something strike her. Hemanth ... left friends and family ... came here to work alone ...

"Arun, let's go to the hospital to see Hemanth"

Continued at Mika - The Finale

Mika (Part VI)

For those who missed the earlier parts, here are the links
Mika - Part I
Mika - Part II
Mika - Part III
Mika - Part IV
Mika - Part V

---------

Mika looked straight ahead and saw the old couple coming towards her.

"Hello, we seem to meet again. Amlu told me your son lives here."

"yes ... I am praying that he is all right ... he hasn't contacted home ever since the disaster happened ... ", said the grandmother almost in tears.

"Mother, be brave ... your son will have survived this."

Mika escorted the grandmother to a nearby bench on the road to comfort her.

"By the by, you shouldn't have brought Amlu to a place like this ..."

"You maybe right but ... Amlu might be just five years old but I get the feeling that she is much more mature than myself ... in fact, she believes that she will be the one who finds her father ... in fact, she believes in this to the extent that she said she would never forgive us if we let her behind ... she emanates the same strength of character as her father ... so we had no other choice ... But seeing her here I am not afraid since she is the one who has been the most active ... contacting her father's friends and neighbors and gearing them up to build a search team ... I really can't believe it is Amlu ..."

"Oh, Amlu did so much?", Mika was astonished. She looked at Amlu who was standing at the road with Arun and her grandfather. She turned around and looked at Mika and smiled.

-------------------------------
27th December, some unknown time

Hemanth opened his eyes weakly. He did not know how much time had passed. The loss of blood from the wound on his leg had made him extremely weak. It was extremely difficult to remain sane in the total darkness and there was no way he could end this. He cried and talked to God, "God, why me ....... this is not the way you want me to die!".

The memories of the day came back again and again in spite of him trying to push it back. Now, his mental resistance had died down. He just let himself be drawn to his past .....

------------------

Hemanth reeled over with the unexpected slap.

"uncle .. sto.."

Sunita's father slapped him again.

"UNCLE!", Hemanth growled head facing down.

Sunita's father stepped forward to slap him again. Hemanth caught his hand in mid air and looked up into Sunita's father's eyes.

"UNCLE ... once more and ... ", Hemanth hissed. Sunita's father stepped back surprised by the ferocious anger that he saw in Hemanth's eyes. Just then, his parents entered the house and wondered at the situation.

"Raj sir, what happened? Why are you beating Hemanth?"

"Mitra, ask your son what he did to my daughter ... "

Hemanth's mother looked from her husband to Hemanth.

"Hemanth, what is Raj sir telling? What did you do to Sunita?", she looked beyond Hemanth and saw Sunitha crying.

"Hemanth!", she continued.

"Ma, I did not do anything! ..."

"Then why is Sunitha crying ...", she turned towards Sunitha.

"Ma, leave her alone ..."

Hemanth's mother turned back and started at Hemanth.

"Why? I must know what is going on!"

Sunita's father interrupted, "Mitra, he does not want the truth to come out. What else could be the reason?"

"UNCLE!!!", Hemanth turned towards Sunita's father and then said, "Sunitha, come with me!"

Sunitha stood surprised. "Sunitha, I said .. come with me!", Hemanth walked towards the door.

Sunitha's father opened his mouth to object ."But ... where ... "

Hemanth looked at him again with a deadly stare that conveyed "better not say a word more". Sunitha quietly followed him leaving everybody in the house astounded. They heard Hemanth starting up his bike and they were gone.

--------------------------

Hemanth stood facing the sea. He had brought them to a deserted dock. This is where he used to spend his time contemplating in solitude. Sunitha sat at a stone bench some distance away. He
walked back to the bench and sat beside Sunitha.

"Sunitha, what is the boy's name? Maybe I can talk and convince ..."

"No Hemanth!", Sunitha interrupted him. "No!, I can't marry him .."

"Buy why?? .. that is the most obvious solution out of the problem ..."

"No!", Sunitha almost screamed.

A long pause.

Hemanth spoke very slowly, "Sunitha, I know you well enough not to do anything hasty like the mess you have got yourself into .... "

Sunitha was still silent.

"You are hiding something from me ... tell me what happened"

Sunitha burst into tears and collapsed on to Hemanth's lap for support still crying bitterly.

"Hemanth ... you are right .... I did not lose my virginity of my accord! ", she sobbed.

"What!"

"My family and I cannot bear this disgrace .... I dont know what to do .... "

Both were silent for a long while. Sunitha still crying.

"What .... is that boy's name ... and address?", Hemanth asked.

Sunitha got up and looked into Hemanth's eyes ...

"If I know you, Hemanth, then I know that he is a goner once I tell you about him ... I dont want you to do anything of that sort ... So I will not tell you his details ..."

Hemanth, sat quietly, smiled to himself and said, "huh ... You gauged me rightly"

Hemanth stood up and walked to the edge of the dock again and stared at the ocean for a long while. Finally he turned.

"Sunitha, I ..."

He saw Sunitha standing on the other edge of the dock as if planning to jump. Sunitha looked at him with a stricken face, gave a faint smile and then ... jumped into the void ...

"SUNITHAAA ...."
------------------------------
Hemanth dragged Sunitha out of the water with a final heave and then collapsed with exhaustion. He took a few deep breaths and then stumbled over to Sunitha. She was sputtering water out of her mouth. Sunitha then saw Hemanth and started sobbing again.

Hemanth sighed. He got up and pulled up Sunitha by her arms.

"Hey, I can get you out of this ... but you have to believe me ... dont question what I do ... okay?"

Sunitha looked at Hemanth and nodded weakly.

"Okay then ... come on with me"

-------------------------------
Hemanth and Sunitha returned to Hemanth's house. Both their parents were still there. They noticed that Hemanth and Sunitha were completely wet.

Hemanth's mother came over. "What happened to you both?"

Hemanth walked over to Sunitha's father "I am going to marry your daughter".

Sunitha stood stunned. "Hemanth, what ..."

Sunitha's father replied, "there! I told you .. the truth has finally come out!"

Hemanth's mother came over to Hemanth and started beating him. Hemanth stood still.
"Hemanth ... you have broken the faith I had in you all these years ..."

"Ma, listen to me .."

"No! what more do I have to listen! ... oh god, all my prayers were in vain .... ", she collapsed on to a chair.

"Everybody .. please listen for what I have to say! .. "

Sunitha's father again interrupted, "You ... you ... whatever you say is not going to change the truth ... "

"UNCLE ! BETTER WATCH YOUR WORDS ", Hemanth's anger that he had a hard time controlling started rising again.

"Oh ! ... no! ...", Hemanth realized his anger was taking over him again.

"Sorry uncle! .. ", he said in a soft tone.

"Ma .. please listen, you see ...", he turned to his mother.

"Hemanth", his mother said slowly, "leave the house and never come back .. I can no longer call you my son"
"Maa!!"

"I said leave!"

"Aunty, you are making a mistake ! ... ", Sunitha intercepted.

"Sunitha, dont stop me ... tell him to leave ... "

"Aunty, let me tell you what happened ... "

Hemanth said, "Sunitha! ... no..", he nodded. Hemanth began to leave.

"Ma, remember one thing 'Don't doubt, learn to believe' and you don't hurt anyone."

Sunitha stood at the door. As he came near, she held his hand. "I'm going with you."
------------------
27th December, 12 noon
Mika remembered the talk she had with her mother about three days ago,

Mika's mother:Mika, you are twenty six and still not willing to marry ...
Mika: Mother, I told you: arranged marriage is not for me .. ! I will marry only a boy I love!
Mika's mother: See Arun has been a good boy and married at the correct age. Why don't you learn from him?
Mika: Mother, let talk about this when I come to Chennai tomorrow, shall we?
Mika's mother: Okay, but remember my patience is running out!
Mika: Okay mother! ... we will make a firm decision in my visit to Chennai

A sudden commotion roused her out of her reverie. She turned and saw Arun running towards her.

"Amlu's father has been rescued."

Continued at Mika (Part VII)

Mika (Part V)

For those who missed the earlier parts, here are the links
Mika - Part I
Mika - Part II
Mika - Part III
Mika - Part IV

9.05 a.m. 26th December 2004

Hemanth opened his eyes, yet everything was still dark around him. He rubbed his eyes to find out whether he was really awake or dreaming. He felt around with his hands. He felt the cold touch of stone about three feet on either side. On the top, his hands did not reach anything anything in spite of stretching. He started to get up and then a searing pain ran through his legs and set him back flat on the ground. His left ankle was locked below some huge stone. He could not budge it. The slightest moment since shock waves of pain through his nerves. So he decided to stay put.

The total darkness enveloping him was mesmerising. It seemed like time had stopped still. No sound could be heard as well. The events of Hemanth's life played through his mind in this enclosure which he realized could very well be his tomb. His thoughts went back to the most important day in his life.

--------------------------------

Hemanth was rolling over on his bed on a hot Sunday morning in Chennai. It was 8'o clock in the morning but he kept rolling over from side-to-side trying to convince himself to go to sleep again. His parents had gone to the temple.

The doorbell rang loudly. Hemanth got up cursing. Who was it? It couldn't be his parents. They would have taken a set of keys with them. Why did people have to trouble early in the morning on a Sunday?

He meandered towards the door. He brought down the latches and opened the door.

It was Sunitha, his neighborhood friend since childhoo. She looked very uneasy, eyeing the road on either side alternately.

"Hi Sunita. What's up? ... so early in the morning?"

"Hi Hemanth, err ... is aunty or uncle at home ? "

"Nope ... they have gone to the temple.... they will be back in about half an hour I guess ..."

"could I come in?"

"sure .."

Sunita came in and seated herself in the sofa in the living room. Hemanth shut the door after her. Hemanth hastily flattened the tufts of hair standing upright on his head and sat down facing her.

"Tell me."

"well .. Hemanth ... I dont know how to tell it .... ", Sunita seemed to be fighting her emotions.

"hey, u all right? any problem?"

" ... Hemanth, you are the only person I know from childhood and the person who will .... who will understand what I have to say now ....", Sunita started crying.

Hemanth was alarmed. He went over to her and put a hand over her shoulder.

"Hey, whatever the problem is - tell me and we will find a solution. Now please stop crying and gather yourself"

".. ok .. promise me that you will not disclose what I say to anybody ... ", Sunita calmed down a bit.

"uh .... ok ... I promise"

There was an awkward pause as Sunita prepared to tell whatever she had to say.

"You remember the boy I told you about ... the boy whom I met on the train ..."

"Well, yeah .. "

"Well ... last summer I spent somedays with him at Ooty ..."

"uh ... oh ... fine ..."

Sunita looked as if she was going to break down again. She was silent.

"Well? ", Hemanth enquired

" ........ I'm pregnant ........."

---------------------------

Only a few minutes must have passed since Sunita had spoken those words, but it seemed like an eternity to Hemanth. A lot of thoughts had raced through his mind. Why has she come to me now? Maybe something happened to the boy .... My god, what has she to say next?

"ok .. ", he finally said. " ... go on ..."

"he ..... he ..... he says he will not marry me!"

"What?!"

"says his parents will never agree to it ... also, since he would not be married off for at least a year or more ... he says any thought of marriage, if any, is possible only if we ... we ..."

Again a long pause.

"I understand ... so....", started Hemanth. "You disagree to that ...."

"Yes"

"Aaah, .... humph ... what do we do then .... ", Hemanth started contemplating."Anything else you have to add?"

"I can't marry him since I know his true colors now ..."

"Okay ... that too ... umm ... anybody else who knows about this?"

"No one except the doctor who treated me"

At that moment, the door bell rang again. Hemanth walked over and opened the door. Sunitha's parents were standing outside the door. They saw Sunita inside and then turned to Hemanth. Before Hemanth could speak a word, Sunitha's father slapped him.

--------------------------------

Hemanth's senses came back to the present. His forehead was bathed in sweat. He decided he could not let his emotions take over him at this moment. He had to concentrate on survival. He remembered he had his cellphone still with him. He took it out and smiled sarcastically. Murphy's law was too good! The cellphone was on the brink of going out of charge. He realized he had enough charge left for maximum one call or one message.

Thinking for a few moments as to what the best use of this last ounce of charge could be. He started keying in a message.

--------------------------------

8.56 a.m. 27th December

Mika alighted off the train with her Arun brother at Nagapattinam. The past twenty four hours had been a blur with the amazing number of phone calls she had made. Arun on the other hand, had been using his online search skills and his network to find out as much as he could gather about the mail id catchmeif.ucan@yahoo.com. This was the email address from which the messages had come. The email id seemed to be a metaphor for what she had undertaken. Arun had found that the message had actually been routed from a cell in some secure fashion. But some experts at the cellphone company had helped her in tracking down the call to the town where it originated from - and here she was.

The whole town of Nagapattinam was in total chaos. Ambulances rushing past every minute or so. Rescue workers covered with face masks carefully sifting through the rubble that was every house. It was a total devastation here. Distraught relatives screaming for their loved ones. In fact, a fishing boat was grounded and the waves had brought it nearly a kilometer inland and here it lay right in the middle of one of the main roads in the town. There was a stench of death, disease and destruction all around. If all the rubble and bodies were not cleared off soon, this would trigger off a major epidemic. Arun went to a nearby rescue worker tent and fetched a couple of face masks for them as well.

Arun stopped a passer-by to ask how him for directions on how to reach the beach. It was not far away, only about a kilometer. So they started to walk. As they walked, one question by Mika's mother still rang in her mind, "Why did the person decide to send probably the last message he/she may ever send to a person whom he hardly knows?" He had mentioned he hardly had any friends, did he not have anybody else who cared for him? She had been running this question through her mind ever since. More stinging was the statement that her mother made, "Mika, the person believed in you to save his life!"

Mika suddenly felt someone pulling at her skirt.

"Hello Mika"

Mika recognized the voice and turned around in surprise. It was the little girl whose life she had saved in the morning.

"oh! hello Amlu! what are you doing here?"

"My daddy's house is here."

Continued at Mika - Part VI

Mika (Part IV)

For those who missed the earlier parts, here are the links
Mika - Part I
Mika - Part II
Mika - Part III

----------------------------------------------------

Mika reached the grandfather first, almost out of breath.

"There's ... there's ...", she fought to regain her breath, half out of shock and exhaustion. "there's a huge wave about thirty feet high headed here ... please take your wife and get to safety as soon as possible ... I will get your little girl .... go!"

"But ... but ... how can I go without my lil' girl ...", said the old man, almost in tears.

"Please sir, get going ... you have to believe me ... I promise I WILL get your child back for you.... GO NOW please ...and FAST"

The grandfather made his way back as soon as he could taking the grandmother along with him. Mika turned around to see where the little girl was. She was swimming in the water about sixty feet away. The girl had moved further into the sea with the retreating tide.

Mika started sprinting towards her. As she raced towards the girl, she looked to either side to see if there were other people on the beach. She could see some boys playing cricket some distance away, she waved to get their attention. She screamed at them, "BIG WAVES COMING! GO BACK! GO BACK!" They could not understand why she was screaming like that. She pointed at the sea and then continued to scream.

She had almost reached the girl. The little girl on hearing her screams had turned back. Mika looked at the sea beyond the girl. She could see the water line on the horizon rising at an alarming rate.

"Oh bloody shit!"

"Come on", she grasped the little girl by her arm and they began to run towards the shore.

"Don't look back! Just keep running!"

They were about forty feet from the shore when the sea breeze suddenly stopped and she felt as though the ocean's breath had stopped for a moment. Mika glanced back as she was running, the wall of water loomed like a skyscraper. The stopping of the breeze probably meant that the wall had reached it crest and it was going to unleash its fury at any moment. She ran harder, the breeze started again, this time it was from behind her. Their shadows on the sand before them grew dimmer and dimmer. She knew that the moment had come. They were about a yard away from the end of the beach when the wave hit them. It was about ten feet high and it swept both of them off their feet. The waves engulfed them with enormous force but she did not let go of the girl. As they were swept along, her head banged against something hard. She instinctively engulfed her free hand around the object. It was round and rough. She did not let go of it. The wave lost its force and the water became still, only just for a moment, and then the water began to recede and take a lot of things along with it. The receding waters started gaining more and more force but Mika still held firm onto the object. Slowly, the water level receded and they began to float towards the ground. Finally, the wave deposited them flat on the ground.

---------------------------

Mika and the girl lay still for some minutes. Mika gradually regained her senses and glanced in the direction of the sea to see if any more waves were to come. But it looked as if the tsunami had lost its fury. She looked up the object she had held onto. It was a coconut tree. Most of the leaves of the tree had been washed away by the fury of the wave.

She sat up and looked at the girl. The girl was lying to her side facing her. Her eyes met Mika's and she gave a weak smile. Mika could still see the shock in her eyes. She lifted the girl and hugged her. The little girl started to cry.

"It's all over... don't be afraid ... we are going home now .. come on ...", Mika comforted her.

She got up, the little girl still held fast to her. She carried her slowly towards the road. The little girl's grandparents who had been taking refuge in a compound nearby came out. When they saw Mika, they came running forward.

"Oh .. Thank god ... Thank god .... you both are safe!"

She deposited the little girl in her grandma's arms. The girl took a while to release her hug on Mika.

"We .. we don't know how to thank you .. you were sent by God to save us ...", said the grandfather.

"Oh .. no problem sir .. I'm glad I was able to help .. take your little girl home ... she needs a good rest to get over the shock ... "

"Thank you, akka ..", a little voice said. It was the little girl.

Mika kissed her. "Hey, go home and have a nice sleep. Then you can go and play with your friends. ok?"

"ok", blinked the little girl. The color was returning to her soft chubby cheeks.

"You have some cuts on the head .... will you come to our house and put some ointment for it?"

"No, problem sir .. I will immediately attend to it .. you go ahead .. my house is just here .. bye"

The old couple gave her a joint hug. "We will never forget what you have done for us".

The grandparents left with their granddaughter, looking back from time to time and waving at Mika.

---------------------------

Mika tiptoed into her house. Just as she was about to go up the stairs. Her mother came out of the kitchen and caught sight of her. She noticed the cuts on Mika's face.

"Mika! What happened? You have hurt your face and you're dripping wet as well!"

"Mama, there was a tsunami just a few minutes ago. I was on the beach.."

"Oh my god. Thank god you are fine. Wait here."

Mika sit on the sofa. She rushed to the bathroom and brought a bucket of water mixed with dettol. She bathed Mika's head wound with a wet towel. Mika winced on the touch.

"It seems to be just a superficial wound but anyway you cannot say anything about head injuries .. we will go immediately to the doctor after you dry up a bit."

"Oh mama, I think it is just a light wound .. it doesn't pain much .. no need for a doctor"

"No way, we must go .. only then will I be happy"

"Oh! .. right ... but not immediately ... let me dry up and take a bit of rest and we can go in the afternoon"

"Umm ... ok ... but if you feel anything uneasy, let me know and we will go to the doctor immediately"

"Ok mama, sure"

They went upstairs to Mika's room. Mika's mother helped her undress and get into the shower. The hot water helped a lot to subside the tension in her nerves. She came out refreshed from the shower and got into the dress that her mother had kept ready for her. Her mother then brought a hair dryer and started giving her long hair a good drying. Mika's brother came out of his room with sleepy eyes. He too had not known what had happened in the morning at all. He peeked into Mika's room.

"Hi Mom.. Hi Miki ...", he noticed the long cut on Mika's forehead. "hey, what happened? where did you get hurt?"

"Oh Arun! There was a tsunami in the morning .. and Mika was at the beach!"

"Oh shit!... you all right now, miki? want me to take you to the doctor?"

"No daa, I feel fine ... I just want to take a good rest to get over the shock ..."

"Oh okay ... yeah, you need a good rest ... "

"Right Mama, my hair's quite dry now .. thx a lot .. now let me take a nap."

"Ok dear"

Mika lay on her bed and her mother nicely tucked her in into her blanket and gave her a peck of a kiss on her forehead and then left the room.

"Come on Arun, let Mika have a good rest"

Arun gave Mika a reassuring smile as he left. "Sleep well"

He closed the door quietly behind him. Mika was left all alone in her room. She looked a while at the ceiling unable to close her eyes. Then, the exhaustion and then the hot bath took their toll. She drifted off into a deep sleep.

------------------------------

A beeping sound roused her out of her sleep. Another SMS! What did this have in store for her.

She realized it was still in the pocket of her wet dress. She got up and took the cell out of the pocket. Somehow, the cell was still in a working state. This must be some usual message, she thought. Every message could not be as significant as the last one she had received. She opened the message.

The message was short :
S.O.S, neo

Continued at Mika - Part V