The Indian IT Guy Cliché

Vik Dawane was the man, at least that's what I thought. If ever I was in need of IT services, technical assistance or simply had a computer question, Vik was my go-to guy. He was always a simple phone call away and eager to help. I am told that most people have a nightmare dealing with IT related issues at work and that is further compounded by the new cost-cutting, streamlining automated help-desk's that most companies have swicthed too. You see, most problems that people experience can rarely be classified by one of the standardized options that help-desk's or phone menu's give you and so everyone ultimately needs a go-to guy. So far, at work, Vik was always able to provide me with the necessary services to get my job done in the least obstructive way. In fact, in the four years that I have been working, he has solved all my issues and requests by phone or remotely connecting to my computer. What a guy!

My job designation is Senior Research Engineer - Advanced Automotive Applications and even though I use a computer a lot, I am as far removed from the IT industry as can be possible. But, I am an Indian, and so If I meet some one for the first time, I am usually asked the following question: Which software firm do you work for? or if the person is an Indian, Which software platform do you work in? That just drives me nuts! Now let me start by saying, I have nothing against the IT industry, software programmers or consultants. I just do not subscribe to the idea that every Indian works in the software field. Sure, I graduated at a time in India where irrespective of what you studied, you inevitably took up a job in IT but that was because those type of jobs were (still are) rife and high paying (compared to others). In any case, you cannot blame some one who studied micro-biology or sociology in college and makes a switch to IT as long as they put in a honest days work. After all they are working in an ever-changing, challenging environment and are pushing the frontiers of technology.

Still, I told myself, "there are other jobs that need to be done in this world and Indians are surely upto that task". That is the fundamental reason, I am opposed to the widely accepted duality that "If you are an Indian professional you are working in the IT field" or "If you work in the IT field, you are most certainly Indian". Of course, a simple call to any form of IT help-desk would almost always connect you to a Puttan Pureil Krishnan Iyer who goes by Pat or a Balavenkatapathy Adiadu Raju who goes by Tom (go figure) or the like, just making it even harder for me to get my point across. The fact that my wife, most of my Indian friends and acquaintances, almost eveyone I went to school with (who wasn't independently wealthy) is in the IT-field does not help either. I kept looking for a glimmer of hope, for a sign, something to help me overcome the Indian IT guy cliché but to no avail.

I confided in my wife one day after dinner and she joked back saying "You are a closet programmer, you just don't know it yet". I smirked as if to say, "poor joke", but my heart was beating faster. "May be it wasn't a joke, may be I was a closet programmer? Oh no", I thought to myself, "I am thirty and I have so much catching up to do, I will obviously have to start at the bottom rung. My business card will say Mr. Ess Dee, Sub-Junior Programmer Intern and all the other young Indian kids, fresh out of college would be my peers. Oh no, I will have to send multiple text messages, put up a myspace page, update my facebook profile, send 20 tweets and all from my cell-phone, whose QWERTY number pad I can barely read and all during a trip to the restroom. Oh no". "Switch off the TV and go to sleep", I heard my wife say and only then did I realize I was thinking to myself for the last two hours. "In a minute, after I send this email", I said, but my laptop would not start. In four years that has never happened. Fortunately, I was going to the headquarters the next day and I could stop by Vik's desk for help. That would give me an excuse to finally meet the guy in person. "Wait a minute, Vik is the exception, Vik is the exception", I said to myself. "In mathematics, if you find an exception to a rule then in fails to be a theorem". Vik was my exception, he had helped me debunk the duality I almost succumbed to. I was victorious. I was free. I would not be forced to Tweet. I went to sleep happy.

The next day, I woke up bright and early, drove to work and headed straight to Vik's side of the office (The IT department). The admin lady pointed to the general area of his cube and on reaching there, I could not find Vik. I was disappointed and asked a kind looking, older Indian gentleman if he knew if Vik was in and was shocked when he told me I was looking at him. I kept my frustration under-wraps as Vik worked magic on my computer and in 15 minutes I was good to go. I asked him politely what his real name was he said with a smile Vikas Dawane (pronounced Dhav-ne).

Ladies and gentlemen (who will never read my blog), Vik Dawane is still the man, and I am still confused as hell.