Walk the Talk - An interview with Krishna R.P

Usually, when we talk about women who are going great guns in the corporate world, what comes into our minds is Indra Nooyi or Kiran Mazumdar Shaw - women who have conquered male bastions, women whom we admire and look upon with a sense of awe, women who literally have it all. Now, what if we have someone amidst us who has carved a niche for herself in her own small way; a woman who is capable of making it big in the corporate world?

Meet Krishna, a bold, independent, and accomplished woman who Zyxians can be really proud of. Krishna has been a part of Zyxware, right from its inception. Krishna R.P., who.joined Zyxware Technologies 8 years ago as a Software Engineer Trainee, is now a Project Lead in the Web Applications Department. She has a 3 year old daughter, Nila. Her husband Rajesh is also employed with Zyxware in the hardware department.

Now, over to the interview...

When did you join Zyxware and how did you learn about the company? Tell us a little about it.

I joined Zyxware on January 6, 2007. I came to know about Zyxware through the Hindu wanted ads page. I, along with a few of my friends, attended the test. Fortunately, I cleared the test and interview and secured the position as Software Engineer Trainee. At the time I joined Zyxware, my colleagues were Naveen, Dileep and Nijulay (S/W). But now, from that group, I am the only one who is still with Zyxware. In the hardware department, there was Rajesh, Paul, and Praveen.

How was the company then? Where was it located? How is it different, then and now?

The company was situated at the bottom floor of Anoop John's house. Both hardware and software departments were located on the same floor. Even though I was a trainee, nobody would come, sit beside me, or give me training. I was given instructions to practice, learn and refer to certain websites. Another problem I faced was that I had never ever used a linux system till then. I had used a windows system only for C/C++ programming, project works, and for listening to music. So, I was provided a linux system and emacs editor, and I was told that we would be working on this. I had no clue how to use it and as soon as I touched it, it started making beeping noises which sounded really awkward and discouraging, I must say! I fiddled with it till afternoon when everyone left for lunch. Anoop then approached me and enquired as to how it was going, to which I replied "Sir, I'm leaving, I won't be able to do this. " I felt some sort of negativity from the beginning itself. I told him that I couldn't continue anymore. Anoop is a person who can turn any negative into positive. He comforted and encouraged me and finally I decided to stay.

When you joined, did we have enough clients? Was the company fully functional?

No, we had just started. My first salary was a four figure one. I was given a check for the amount and he handed it to me and said, "In 3 years, you must get a five figure salary." and after 3 years, even though Zyxware was making little to no profit, I was able to get the amount mentioned by Anoop. When my friends came to know my first salary, they were a bit condescending, but after 3 years when I laid my hands on the five figure amount, I felt really proud!

When did the transition to PL happen? What do you like more:Development or management?

Personally, I definitely like web development. I had to take leave from the company for a while and when I returned, I was promoted to the position of a PL. In Zyxware, experience is not a major parameter for promotion. Even though I became PL, I always felt that web development is a more satisfying option.

Why do you think the company's growth was sluggish? As an employee who has been there since the inception of Zyxware, what is your opinion? Anoop had mentioned that it was a struggle. What do you have to say about this?

Yes, its quite true...it was a struggle. At the time of joining, the company provides a 1 month training before the actual work starts. When I joined, we were all freshers and we knew C/C++, but not much of PHP. Anoop never tried to control us and he is not a domineering or rather authoritative person as such. So, maybe... we misused the freedom and hence, our progress was very sluggish. We enjoyed a lot during the learning phase. We installed drupal, started playing around with the core modules, modifying and creating forms (not encouraged, but only for learning purposes) and so on. We learned a lot of new things and each time anyone discovered something new, we used to be very excited about it. Anoop was also not quite profit-minded as an entrepreneur usually is; instead he was more interested in completing a project successfully. He is a man of ideas, and you could say he was training us to actually build upon those ideas. However, we were dedicated to work only for a while i.e. when we were in the office. We had other priorities to focus on like family and so on. Anoop may have mentioned in the past about the formation of the company and the six friends initially who conceived the idea. However, eventually it was only Anoop who took the idea to a whole new level. He wanted us to be those five people to join his company, but unfortunately it did not happen.

Did you ever think of leaving zyxware after you joined?

No... for upto 4 years, none of us had any thoughts about leaving the organization. I think that was because we trusted Anoop a lot. So, we knew for sure that the company would become successful in the long run.

What do you like most about Zyxware?

This was mostly because it was a big change of scene. I grew up and completed my schooling in a village. I didn't know anything apart from what the teachers taught me in school. I was an average student. My world was small and ordinary and I never thought about a world beyond it... neither did anyone in my family. I used to travel by train everyday, and with me there used to be several others who used to work in small companies too. But, everyday evening, while travelling home, there was always something new I could tell them. Then, that became our world. Everyday we used to discover something new. It used be fun, exciting, and undoubtedly, informative. Today, it is more of a competition...that is what i feel. There is no fun or enjoyment.

Have you ever felt like leaving Zyxware?

Yes... whenever I was in need of money, I had felt the need to leave the organization. Also when some of my friends left Zyxware... but if you ask me if I am happy, I would say I am 100% happy!