Back in Bareilly, Obsessed with Computers

Using computers was one thing I learned during the one year I spent in Baroda. By the time I came back to Bareilly, I was obsessed with computers and technology

In an earlier post, I wrote about taking up a job with GSW and moving from Bareilly to Baroda. I spent one year there before coming to the conclusion that there wasn’t really anything much for me to do at GSW – I was contributing no real value and hence had no future in Baroda. My employers agreed with me and it was decided I would return to Bareilly and look for other options there. The story continues here.

So, after spending one year in Baroda with GSW, I was back in Bareilly, unemployed, with zero earnings and no savings. I was now 23 years old and felt a pressing need to do something useful with my life. In Baroda, Kamal ji had allowed me to use his computer, on which I had proceeded to learn the basics of AutoCAD. In the process, I had become deeply interested in computers and what one could do with these wonderful machines. While motorcycles and motorcycle racing remained my primary passions, computers and technology were now a close second. In addition to the motorcycle magazines I bought every month, I now also started reading whatever Indian and foreign computer magazines that I could get my hands on. I was like a sponge, soaking in every bit of computer-related information that I could find, reading endlessly and always looking at ways of finding something related to computers that I could do. It never occurred to me that not having a computer engineering background and no formal training in using computers could ever be an impediment in doing something related to computers. But the question that remained unanswered was, what exactly did I want to do?

In those days, in the mid-1990s, ‘multimedia’ had become something of a buzzword, something ‘cool,’ which a lot of young people wanted to learn. As desktop computers had gotten more powerful and more capable over the years, they were now being used for design, illustration, image editing, 2D and 3D animation, audio and video editing and other such creative pursuits. Aptech’s ‘Arena’ was one leading institution at that time, where one could learn the aforementioned skills, and there were a host of other, smaller institutions that offered similar instruction. It was a digital wild west of sorts – there was no standardization, no fixed curriculum, hardly any trainers who were themselves properly certified, and no consistency in the quality of instruction provided. It was pretty much run-what-ya-brung; most people who were ‘studying’ multimedia didn’t really know what exactly they were getting into, and even the training institutions themselves were sometimes as clueless as the inexperienced instructors they employed. A lot of young people were fooled into thinking that jobs were waiting for them at Pixar – or other similar organisations – once they did a six-month course in 3D animation, where they’d learn the basics of something like 3DStudioMAX. Of course, nothing could have been further from the truth and for the vast majority of students who spent money at dubious multimedia training institutions, their career prospects were likely quite dim.

Rife with fly-by-night operators whose only aim was to take advantage of gullible young people and make a quick buck off them, the entire multimedia training industry was ripe for a serious bit of disruption and I – with all the ‘wisdom’ of my 23 years on this planet – believed I could make a difference. Ever since I moved to Baroda in mid-1995 and got my hands on Kamal ji’s computer, I’d started reading extensively on computers and technology. Based on this, and the deep interest I’d developed in computers, I thought I could prepare a sensible curriculum for those who wanted to study ‘multimedia’ and run a training institute that, instead of making tall claims and wild promises, would impart relevant, high-quality instruction that would help people find jobs in desktop publishing, design and illustration (for example, with book and magazine publishers), digital audio and video editing (work was available in small, independent, local studios that worked for Doordarshan and other local TV channels) and perhaps even basic-level animation work, which was available in a wide range of industries. Starting a training institution on these lines seemed to be an exciting prospect and I believed I’d be able to successfully set up and run such an outfit. The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced this was something I wanted to do, something I could do. As they say, fools rush in where angels fear to tread…

In a flurry of excitement, I spoke to a lot of people, met some institute owners and multimedia instructors, and gathered as much information as I could. One day, when my father came back from work late in the evening, I pitched my ideas to him. I explained to him that a lot of young people who were interested in computers and wanted to pursue a career in digitally-driven creative pursuits, were joining multimedia training institutes in droves but were mostly ending up wasting months of time and tens of thousands of rupees due to poorly-designed curriculums, poor-quality instruction and lack of support when it came to actual placements. I said I wanted to set up a multimedia training institute, where I would design the curriculum based on what prospective employers actually wanted, and would impart quality education in carefully selected, industry-standard software. For this, I’d need a fair chunk of money – at least Rs 2-3 lakh to start with, maybe more later on. I’d need to rent some commercial space, buy some furniture, buy computers (both hardware and software), hire a small team and there would be other miscellaneous expenses, so it certainly wouldn’t be cheap.

When I look back upon that time now, I realise just how terribly selfish and irresponsible I was, asking my father to put his hard-earned money in a business venture that may or may not work. But my father, who has always been there for me – guiding me, helping me, looking out for me at every step in my life – agreed to give me the money and said I could go ahead with my plans. Today, if my son, at 23 years of age and with zero work experience, asks me to invest a large sum of money in a new business, my response would be a flat refusal. I would ask him to first go out, find a job, work for at least 2-3 years in the industry in which you want to set up your own business, and then if you still want to set up that business, we’ll talk. But my father, whose love for me knew no bounds and who put all his faith in me, agreed to put in the money without a second thought.

After some discussion and debate, we came to the conclusion that it may be best if I set up my training institute in Lucknow, which was a much bigger city than Bareilly and hence might have offered better chances of success. For this, I’d have to move back to Lucknow and find a place where I could stay. My grandparents’ house was locked and not in use anymore – my grandmother had passed away in 1993, just before my B.Com third-year final exams, and my grandfather, unable to manage the very large, old house all on his own, had moved in with my father’s eldest brother, who was based in Jaipur. Once I had found a place in Lucknow where I could stay, I’d then have to find a commercial premises that I could take on rent, buy the necessary furniture or have it built, buy some computers, get the required software from somewhere, figure out what courses I’d be offering and design a curriculum for each, and hire a small team, including suitably qualified instructors who could teach things like image editing, vector illustration, 3D modeling and animation, audio/video editing and so on. Additionally, I wanted to also learn to use every piece of software that would be used in my institute so that, one, I’d know what was going on at all times, and two, I could also pitch in with the teaching bit as and when required. A tall order, if ever there was one.

At 23 years of age, with no prior experience of running a business of any kind, and with only some familiarity with AutoCAD, how could I possibly do everything that I’d envisaged, within the given time and monetary constraints? But I guess that’s the thing about being young. You’re fearless, your belief in yourself and your own abilities is total and complete. Not having done anything before and hence never having failed, you honestly believe you can do anything, everything. At that time, in late-1996, I truly believed I could do every bit of what I was setting out to do, I believed I could compete with and outdo Aptech Arena and all the other players, I believed I could make a difference and change the way things were being done.

Once again, my father came to my help. Even before I could move to Lucknow and start hunting for a place where I could live, he had already spoken to an old friend of his – one Mr Nautiyal – who had a house in Indira Nagar, just 5km away from my grandparents’ house, where I used to live till 1993. This house was not being used at the time and Mr Nautiyal was willing to give me one room (with an attached bathroom) on the first floor of the house. I’d have the place to myself and though we offered to pay rent – in fact, insisted that we’d pay rent – Mr Nautiyal refused and said he wouldn’t take a penny from me. I was very grateful for his kindness and did not know what to say.

Soon, it was time for me to pack my bags and prepare to leave for Lucknow. My parents were quite worried about how I’d manage to do everything on my own, in Lucknow. What about the meals, what about doing the laundry, what about managing my house when I’d also have much work to do? I didn’t really have answers to all those questions but tried to allay their fears as best I could. I tried to convince my parents that I’d be okay and that I would indeed be able to set up the multimedia training institute, the very idea of which I was consumed with. I had even thought of a name for the institute. Pixels Multimedia.

The story continues here