It was in August, 2004 that I started to get a feel of the Nokia-ISS project. Having worked for the Nokia CX-MMI team till then, I was more involved in GUI based applications which began to feel like a bore after having spent a year in Newgen working on VC++. So with the Nokia-ISS project opportunity coming up, I saw an opportunity to shift to the domain of Linux/Solaris, which is probably the most commonly used domain the Telecom field. But as luck would have it, as soon as I moved out from the CX-MMI team, the team members started getting an opportunity to visit the Nokia-UK setup for 3 months of on-site opportunity.
I had the big plus of working on a more coveted platform and was thus never un-duely depressed that I did not get the opportunity of an on-site visit. Since April, 2005 onwards, I had the full responsibilty of the project on my shoulders. While it meant that I had to look into all the nitty-gritties of the project, it also meant an additional amount of independence for me because I had the liberty to chalk out my work as I wished to. Additionally, Nokia being an excellent customer, providing customer support in the project was never a problem.
By the time it was Sep, 2006, I realized that I should now scout for fresh waters for a new project that would provide some value-addition to my profile. I was looking for VOiP and 3G related projects when the IJPP for the current I-HSPA project came up. In Oct, 2006, I took up the new project assignment and finally left the SS7 products team on the 8th of Dec,2006.
Working with the Products group was a different experience. I had heard earlier that in Products, you have full Masti along with some real good work. True to that image, I found that the SS7 group was a team comprising of a vivacious group of people. Well, one can't deny that the first name that could possibly come to one's mind is Kamal Kishore Pandey - a chap with "No holds barred" attitude. Well there was of-course the other fresher chaps - Prabhakar, Nimish and the oldie-goldie - Ankit Sharma who would always keep the team on the brink of laughter. Then there were the technically serious guys like Swapnil (Swap), Vipul, Nilesh.... Haidar would receive the highest nominations for being the scape-goat guy of the team - if anything has gone wrong - guys would jokingly put it across as Haidar - the Fall guy. Then there was Simon Saha - who never cared whether anyone laughed at his jokes or not - he would be always at the fore-front trying to make people laugh. And people did laugh - not so much at the humour of his jokes rather than the humour that he used to create while trying to tell a joke. His huge under-belly was a cynousre of all eyes in the team. Then comes the likes of Pavan and Arif sir - the Technically sound and with Dedication in their hearts to be darling of the customers of the company - many a times at the expense of their own families. Who can forget the burly - Gaurav Singh - the man with innovative excuses during office hours. Last but not the least, it would be in-appropriate to leave out the name of Manish Sharma - a person who held the team together. While heas around, the size of the group going for lunch would be envy of all eyes in the Presidency building. And of course, the gang for the chai-party in the attrium - Deepak, Swapnil, Nilesh, Mohit and myself - that was mighty enjoyable:-)
So I left all these moments beind and took up a new challenge - a new project involving 3G networks, starting from the 11th of Dec, 2006. I was bid a warm farewell by the SS7 group and the momories of that one year assocaition is going to stay with me forever.
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