-Bijay Gautam
I’ve
faced several interviews after completion of my undergraduate and one common
question all interviewers asked me was to tell about myself. Never in an
interview had I ever said I was topper at my college. Not in a single one.
I
have completed my high schooling from beautiful land of Nepal. As a school boy
I was an average student for my marks in exams. My school was one of the top
schools in the area. It focused a lot in organizing extracurricular activities
and my favorite used to be speech competition. I represented my school in
several competitions and won numerous awards for my school in speech and debate
competitions. I was president of Health club in my school that focused in
raising awareness about health and environment. During my tenure we ran a
campaign to ban plastic in our school and still today plastics are not allowed
in the school compound. There used to be division of students into different
groups and they were called houses. Our school had division into four groups,
Annapurna, Macchapuchhre, Manaslu and Dhaulagiri. They were named on mountains
of Nepal.
I was Captain of Manaslu House. These houses held Morning Prayer in
their own ways and played against each other during sports week. As a captain
my role used to be hold morning prayer every day and nominate the students to
represent our house in sport meet through internal competition. I used to be
the host of almost all school functions and co-ordinator for these functions.
My roles included managing and instructing volunteers, making it sure that
backstage is doing fine, snacks is being distributed thoroughly and event is
running perfectly. I leaded several campaigns of health clubs like street
dramas, health rally where we went around the city with banners displaying
messages to avoid tobacco and alcohol and live healthy lifestyles. Our other
campaigns were environment cleaning, campaigns against child labor and sex
discrimination. We collected our old clothes and some money at school to send
them to flood hit areas of our country. I had been to week long training
program of Red Cross society representing my district. We held elections at
school to elect president of clubs like Health Club and Red Cross society.
These all activities offered me much learning opportunities. I started seeing a
lot of positive growth in myself. Had I just spent my school life with books, I
would have not gained courage to stand in stage and give speech, I would not have
been able to lead and grow my other abilities. Not to forget I was an average
student in my school, as my teachers categorized me.
After
I completed such a promising school life I came to PDM for my under-graduation.
All of sudden I was in completely new place, I was in Haryana needing to
understand Haryanvi while I couldn’t even speak and understand Hindi well. It
seemed real hard for me to get through the language and cultural barrier. It
took me a few months before I could understand and speak Hindi well and few
more months later Haryanvi too. I have passion for language and I love
learning. Now I started seeing the culture at college and I was truly
disappointed. It was completely opposite to where I came from. No clubs to hold
elections for, no senior to listen my problem and guide me, no events to
participate in and no campaigns to make banners for. I thought if this is the
case I cannot survive in environment like this. I firmly believed if there is
no opportunity you have to build a door.
I
started interacting with my classmates and shared them that I want to start a
club where we can help each other in growing our leadership abilities and
organize extra-curricular activities. I started doing this at the end of my
first year as I started loving books. Study became my thing as there was
nothing much to do in college. First year passed by and within 2 months in
second year, result for the first year was published that amazed me. I was
topper. I was always made believe in my school that I was an average student
and I fed it in my mind that topping is not my thing. But being at college I
proved them all wrong. It brought much confidence in me that I could do almost
anything if I was ready to push my boundaries of comfort zone. I studied real
hard back then.
Then at the beginning of my second year at
College I went to then vice-principal of college Dr. Hema Chaudhary. I shared
my idea to start a club that promotes growth of students and organize
extracurricular activities. She asked me to bring a detailed proposal about it.
I put a 15 page proposal in her desk within two days. I was so determined to
give it a start that everything seemed possible for me. I included every minute
details of club, what would be it’s name, how it would be run, how members for
the club will be elected, how would it be funded, what sort of activities it
would organize, how the club will be gradually expanded to other pharmacy
colleges of the country. I had very big vision for the club. During that time
Dr. Arun Garg used to be college director hence vice-principal kept telling me
that she would let me know if he agreed to my proposal and it kept happening
all second year.
I
went to her office every month and asked, Mam shall we start now? She said
wait. And I kept waiting. By the end of
second year I was popular in my college. My seniors and juniors started knowing
me as I started going to their classes often and shared my ideas and collected
their advices. Being topper was another reason of getting people’s attention.
And it made them listen me.
At
the end of second year, there was a fest organized by college for all the
departments and unfortunately I was the only one participating in that event
from Pharmacy. Other students were busy preparing for their finals. I won
extempore competition during fest and I was one of the hosts for the program
that evening. To my amazement I was awarded with the “Best student of Pharmacy”
same evening. That evening was the best evening since I started college as I
was proud of taking initiatives. That award brought more responsibilities in me
and expectation of teachers rose above the grounds from me. I never seemed to
care where did I came from but I always looked forward to where I could go.
With
the beginning of my third year a ray of hope started shining as Dr. Hema Chaudhary
took over as principal. I again knocked her doors and she kept saying she was
in talk with management and asked me to come back the next day and I was
standing at her door again the next day. I was very punctual in following her
up. I could see her being overwhelmed at certain occasions but I never
hesitated to knock her door again and again. It happened for a while. One fine
day she looked at me and said, Bijay you go ahead with whatever you want to do
and let me know how I could help you. I was so happy that day. I heard the
phrase I was dying to hear since one and half year. I now got to shout that
Pharma Buds is about to born this Saturday. I went to all the classes made
announcement that I got green signal from mam and asked all to join on the following
Saturday. Nine of them turned on that
Saturday and that was the birth of Pharma Buds. We discussed on how we could
move forward and how we could bring in more members to the club. I started
Pharma Buds website and Facebook page to get in touch and convey message to
students. I came back home with a sense of achievement that my dream was about
to get realized.
After
that we kept organizing events and setting up cultures like celebrating
teacher’s day, celebrating pharmacists’ day. We organized a week long national
pharmacy week with several events such as rally, quiz competition, group
discussions, poster designing competition and free health check-up camp. We
called back our alumni and interacted with them about different perspectives in
industry, government sector and wherever they worked. We discussed about Job
challenges and opportunities. We started taking lead in organizing national
seminars and several events. It now started to feel home for me. I was now
relived as it was how I wanted to spend my college days. By the time I came to
final year we had received a lot of messages from our alumni and they all were
proud in whatever was happening in college. Not only with alumni words starts
spreading across and the college prestige rose higher. We asked students to
perform in whatever they were good at and provided them platform to perform.
Students started interacting with each other. They started talking to their
juniors and seniors as we all had to work as a team during events. They started
participating in events and slowly accepted the club. They started to walk to
me and discussed their wonderful ideas and how they can help.
Soon
after that we were publishing Pharma Buds Bulletin, our monthly magazine with
aim to help students write scientific articles and I worked day in and day out
as editor to give it a shape. Abhijeet Debnath and Prabhsimran Singh played
significant role in this. While many others were also involved silently in
this. We asked students to submit articles and launched very first edition of
it on Pharmacist’s Day.
Further,
during my final year I knocked little more to principal’s door and we were
going on college funded tour to Mumbai. Private colleges rarely fund students’
trip but PDM did. During those days I was trying to organize as many events and
programs as I could so that these events become our identity and provide students
an opportunity to get exposed to pharma culture we were setting up. When I look
back at it, my heart fills with pride and sense of achievement.
I never bought words from my teachers or
family when they said if you are a topper you can get a good job. I never
believed that getting 90% ensure your job at good company. I always loved
running extra mile, be it staying back a little more at college to complete the
editing of pharma buds bulletin or to make arrangements for the national
seminar. I missed my lunch several times in my college to update Website or to
plan events. It was the thing I loved and was proud of than topping the class.
I did topped but that was not the end. I never believed that topping Guarantee
your success. You should develop extra abilities and college is the best place
to do so. Be it developing your communication skills, public speaking,
leadership, may be improving your English, singing, dancing or any skills that
you think you need to improve and that only makes you a better human being.
And
to that question, I started my answer with, “If I have to talk about myself two
words best describes me they are Leadership and trend-setter. In my college, I
founded a club named Pharma Buds which promotes students leadership and
communication skills, I was co-founder and Editor of Pharma Buds Bulletin, our
monthly magazine published in college website, I was awarded with award of Best
student of pharmacy in year 2013 and I am a growth-oriented person looking
forward to constantly push my boundaries and learn a lot from challenges.” And
this introduction impressed interviewers of all companies I gave interviews
for. Not to a single interviewer I had to say I was topper so please hire me.
Because score and toppers are not what companies are looking for they are
looking for go-getters and change makers. So what are you doing beyond your
books to answer the question, tell us
about yourself?
Bijay
Gautam is founder of Pharma Buds and
Co-founder of Pharma Buds Bulletin. He is currently working at Sun Pharma's R&D Center at Gurgaon.
You can stay in touch with him on his
email: bjaygtm@gmail.com or at Facebook.com/Bijay.goutam and read his blog at
bjaygtm.blogspot.com.