Tutors World Wide India Limited - A Tribute...

October 4. It was a Monday, one of the memorable days in my life. It is the birthday of one of my best buddy from back home – but that’s not why it is memorable. It’s definitely not my birthday – those who’re close to me would know that. Then, why is that day special? It’s a special day because it’s the day I started my professional journey. It is that date that earned me a set of friends who I’d never forget in my life. It is on that date, I transformed from a ‘college boy’ to a ‘man’. It’s that date I joined a company called “Tutors World Wide India (P) Limited”.

To tell you about the company, well it’s been closed for some time now – I think it was on Feb 2009 when the operations shut down. Makes me sad, when I type this – I always wanted to see that company produce more and more professional people – the way it made me. Everyone would love their first company – I was no exception in it. Be it the night shifts, be it the English training session, and be it the “Typing” lessons. I loved each and every one of the lessons they taught me. Situated at the main area – opposite to the “All Sec” call center at Velachery was our TWWI, we call it short for the Tutors World Wide India Ltd. Every time when I cross Velachery, I can’t help but notice the SRS Arcade. That SRS Arcade once was like a home to me – what I see there now is the “State Bank of India”.

We were called the ‘Batch 4’, a set of enthusiastic 25 odd people from different part of the cities in Tamil Nadu. We literally were the 4^th batch to be employed in that company – there were about 50 people working in the company when I joined. Right from the beginning, I had some kind of an attraction towards this company. I don’t know if it was because the way “Sivasankaran” or “Siva PSG”, an assistant manager at that time, who answered the phone and talked to me very nicely when I first called the company regarding the joining formalities. I don’t know if it was “Sridhar KS” – a manager and a man who almost always had an answer to any question – who almost always says “Excellent” when you answer him. I don’t know if it was the “Sucharita ma’am”, the CEO of that company at that time – who encouraged me to pursue my higher education during the day time. I don’t know how often you get a chance to talk to a CEO of a company that you just joined!

I still remember the way we hustle when a student had joined. I do remember the bashings you get when your session has been one of the worst. The appreciations you get when your student gives you a compliment and the satisfaction you get when you taught a student something new are some feelings, that’ll be hardly forgettable. While the mock sessions and the tests gets your pulse quicken, the music on almost every bay relaxes you. You’ll get the felling you’re not working in an office, but you’re along with your family! Inspirations were all around – be it my first mentor “Krithika” [I still remember the way she talk – the way she often use the word ‘nahi’], followed by “Sundar”, the infamous “Seval Pannai” team lead by “Thala aka Saravana” and last but not least, my TAG [Tutoring Administration Group] team lead “Srini” [who I humbly call ‘Ji’]. Every one of them had a passion to work and a passion to teach. Outside my team, I could point “Gyani”, “Alfred”, “Elango Kallanai” "Vishnu Senior" and many such others, who I’d have forgotten over the time period.

Almost all of the ‘Batch 4’ members were recognized for their talents – I became the Team Lead of a 10 member TAG team. Satish Narayan went on to become the lead for the “Image” team. Shanmugam became the important person for the “Content Development”. “Stat Karthi” or “Karthick Subramaniam” went onto became the lead for the “Statistics” team and all this happened within a span of two years. I still am proud for getting the “Outstanding” rating during one of the appraisals. Beyond work, we became thick friends – from staying in one room to watching almost all the movies together. I still remember my first ever movie at Chennai – with my buddies, we went to the infamous Udhayam theatre for the movie “7G Rainbow Colony”. The last time we were in Chennai & working for TWWI, we watched “Vettayadu Vilayadu” at Mayajal.

When I pause and look back after 9 long years, I see almost all of the people who I remember from TWWI are successful today. Well, as for me – I’m working in a software company – same goes to Satish and Somesh. Stat Karthi went on to become a statistician on Ford. Sivasankaran is a HR in one of the companies. Shiva Kumar, mentor for Satish is living in UAE and so on and so forth. That great was that company! It taught you so many stuffs that you’ll survive any where.

To write about the company TWWI or the work culture there or about the people who inspired me there would take atleast 10 pages for me. Please don’t mistake me if I missed any one of the legends from TWWI – it’s just that my memory is becoming weak.I just wanted to re-live the memory of the days I spent with that wonderful company – and the mission is accomplished!