Page 80 - You Only Live Once [BooksLD]

companies did not exist before. They did. But it is different now!’
Everyone, including me, nodded.

I had interrupted to catch his attention, ‘Hello, Shikhar! You must be
aware, I am Aarav. We sit next to each other but haven’t spoken yet. That is
kind of weird.’
He quipped, ‘I am apprehensive about starting a conversation with non-

IITians. I believe there is nothing in common to talk about.’
I replied, ‘Try me then,’ as I did not approve of such prejudice. He said,
‘Chill! Don’t get mad at me.’ We laughed. This is how it all started. This is

how I met Shikhar.
Shikhar and I are the interns in Akshaye’s team. Shikhar greets me in the
lobby. There’s still half an hour to go before the meeting.

‘When are your placements starting? Is it laid back like every other thing
in Goa?’ he smiles.

‘January. Have you made up your mind?’
‘Throughout the interviews for campus placements I have been lying to
my potential employers. Those lies have gotten me this far but refuse to
take me any further. I need to start my venture. My potential co-founders
are in place.’

‘All from your college?’

‘Not really. One is from IIT. The other one we found on an angel network
site.’
‘Happy to see the shift in your mindset.’

‘You aren’t an IITian, Aarav, but you’re really talented. You’ve changed
my mindset. Also, I am happy to see you grow as a stand-up comic. What
are your plans?’

‘The probability of getting what we want during the placements is bleak.
We’re made to apply to every company. The funniest part is, we map our
skills to the profile being offered and not hunt for the profile that matches
our skills.’

‘It happens back in IIT too!’ We share a sarcastic laugh.
‘My parents want me to have a job. Stand-up comedy is part-time. My
dad is retiring soon, you know!’