Domain Maximus

And sir, let me be the first one to congragulate you on a very sensible move…All the best.

All the very best!

Sidin

Wish you all the best for everything you do in life!! Hope you find true happiness always.

Surga

hey…been reading ur blog from quite a long time….never commented i guess.
Given your talent and popularity for writing, you might have done a very good choice. But importantly “reasons are numerous ..But in the end I decided I needed to do what I was happiest doing.”
all the best
you might look at this at the first stop : Youth Curry’s recruitment ad

hey thats a great move..am a big fan of ur writing

Don’t know whether to feel happy for you (at least one of the billions in the damn rat race has decided to return to humandom!) or whether to feel plain jealous at u having gotten out while there was time! Cant decide whether to open that bottle of cheap wine cos I am happy for u or am sad for myself – anyway the bottle shall open, n at some point after I am tired of feeling sorry for myself, will remember to raise a toast to you too! So cheers pal. . .at the stroke of the damn swipe at the log-in machine, when the whole enslaved army of the employed young sleepwalk through presentations, appraisals, audits and a million other earth-shattering chores, hope you will punch away to a great life (backed by some great talent spotting publisher sitting somewhere trawling around on the net – looking for that great unknown phenomenon waiting for his generosity) and general freedom (from oh-so-many things, I cannot bother/bear to list them down here!).

It is interesting to know that you are going to be a freelancer. All the best for your effort

Congratulations!
Envy your guts.
austere

That is a great decision Sidin! You are now following your instincts!!! Bravo, I admire your decision and bow down!!
Good Luck.. Just waiting to read books that you write..
Cheers,
Venkat

WOW !!
i bow before thee ! Courageous move ! All the very best !

awesome dude. good luck and three cheers to more work from you

hey!!…
Hats off to you!!..
Nice to hear somebody is pursuing his passion!!
All the very best!!

Uma

Sidin,

That’s a big and courageous decision man… Hats off to you and all the best…

Helen

hi sidin,
i’ve been an avid reader of ur blogs though i never posted a comment.this one is to wish u luck. it really does take guts to give up a stable/secure job n take the path less trodden by. cheers to that..

All the best and take over the world Sidin…my buddhist gods will always be wit hyou as they chant across the Indus…

Nilotpal

I added you to my bloglines long back when I came across your ‘travails of single south indian men…’ post.
Always thought you should pursue a career in writing.
Great move and good luck!
You inspire many others (including yours truly) to actually go out and pursue their passions.

Boy! If only i had this guts. Anyways , wish you all the best

It requires a strong mind to follow your heart than your head. Keep going…

Sidin,

All the best for your future endeavours !!!

All the very best in your new move.

You inspired several people including me to blog, I hope this move shall inspire soul searching in us.

the placement process in my b-school just got over… ur decision makes me bow down to you in great respect. All the very best. looking forward to ur first book.

Good decision man! Not many have the courage to do what you did.

I’ll see if I come across something.

To keep the kitchen fire burning, it would not be a bad idea to join a magazine. You’re in Bombay and that’s where all the media action is happening.

Just pick a magazine.. and you know the rest.. you’re the one who did a course on “persuasive communication”

Best of luck!

cheers, sidin!
here’s to more of ur bloggin, and even more writing…
keep up the good word, man…

all the best…

hi Sidin.. Best of luck.. Been reading ur posts since 2002. When u had the maroon and darkblue templeate.
Good move becoming a writer. Have fun..

Best of luck for the flight ahead…. we’ll wait for your creative works outside the blog

All the Best !

Best of luck dude!

i would be lying if id say that i didnt see this coming!

you rock thats all i can say!

Good luck! although, you don’t need it.. with a skill set like urs.
Where should I reserve an advance copy of ur book?

Sidin: Did you find a rich wife?

All the very best. I am darn sure you will rock the writing world. I have always been impressed with your language and spontaneous writings. Now that you are jobless, how about responding to our comments?

Now you did show your real IIM-A mettle.

Great! I am already half -way thro my music album. Lets pursue things close to our hearts.

Hi Sidin,

i have been an avid reader of your blog for quite a long time now tho never posted any comments…u have brightened up many a day for me with your hilarious posts, with the hindi and the BE ones taking the cake, more so coz i could identify 100% with them u hav also brought back fond memories of my childhood in mallu land with ur numerous posts on ur vactions in Kerala…

I cogratulate u on this bold step that u are taking and Wish you All the Very Best in Life!!!

ATK’s loss will be our gain…Waiting to read ur books:)

Deepak.

Congratulations!!

Good luck with everything and hope u get a book deal soon

amazing guts and conviction dude…this decision of urs indeed is forcing a soul search in me and hopefull in many others’ too in the mba factories…even as I prep for the placements that are about a few weeks away.

All the Very Best !!!

Silently bows and acknowledges master sidin. The force is strong in him

Man , this is great.being frm an IIM myself , I know wat kinda expectations we carry .to follow ur heart with all that is just great.eager to see u make it big !

Hi there, I am a long time reader and a first time commenter. I will be watching this space to see what you are up to.

Wish you best of luck in whatever you do.

Great move man..I guess You are the best at this..All the best

balls brother…sheer balls…hope it’s going to be worth the while..somethin tells me it sure will be…and psst..if your chair at ATK is going to be vacant, how about recommendin somebody for that huh..like me..? and btw don’t know if anybody’s told you this but the first thing that hits me is the remarkable similarity to the style of wodehouse…take that as a compliment..best.

Goodluck Sidin,
I dont know whether this would really help but I guess you could contact Rashmi Bansal- http://youthcurry.blogspot.com/
the editor of JAM magazine, a youth oriented magazine.

Again GOOD LUCK

Hey Sidin,

Hats off to you for the bold decision!!!!

Try contacting Scott Adams…am serious!!! I think Domain Maximus and http://dilbertblog.typepad.com have lots in common. Maybe you can start an Indian-corporate version of something like ‘Dil’bert Or a comic-strip like ‘Senthil (or some other southie) ban gaya Mumbaikar’ or something like that!!! These are my thoughts…you know…’Random Insane Mumblings’ of mine!!!

best of luck dude.

Brave move…..my best wishes for your new venture.You can except lot of them(which includes myself) moving in the direction they are passionate about.

Wow Sidin Best of Luck.. member of Deans committee

Very gutsy, and very sensible. You inspired me to blog, now you are inspiring me to do what you are doing! Hmmm…..

Hats of to u for ur guts!!!!
I really admire ur courageous decision. How many of us will abe able to stand up and do like u did?
Hardly anyone!

Very few Guys have I known who ever listen to what their heart says….all the best.

‘Two roads diverged in a wood
and I took the one less travelled..

that has made all the difference…’

is the poem I got reminded of as I read ur post..

Hoping this makes all the great difference to your life…

keep us updated so that we know which book/ travel mag/ magazine to buy

I am sure we will have more of Your gorgeous writing ……..All the best….Bravo!

hi sidin…
i have been reading ur blogs since a long time.i always thought that u could do some great work in writing and today you prooved me right….
u have helped me in strengthening my resolution to pursue my passion…i hope i would be able to pursue it full time in future…
ATB dude….

wow sidin!

you were always cut out for this kind of a career, but i really appreciate your conviction in finally taking the plunge !

wish you all the best !

ramg

Inspirational!

bravo..hope u do well!!!

wow! Cant help admiring ur courage and
clarity! Best wishes!

Good show man! Eagerly awaiting your first book..
and that “1 dinner treat per week” deal is on!

“To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.” -Soren Kierkegaard

…at least u haven’t lost urself..

i admire your guts and your writing..

Wishing you the best!

All the best!! keep blogging

Sidin,
Best of luck for your future. It makes damm good sense to follow your dreams.

Whoaa!!sidin…way to go,man!!
I for one will definitely buy ur book when u come up with one..
Keep the faith!!

I was surprised by the sudden-ness of your decision sidin but not surprised at all about the decision per se…
Am really happy for you and in my heart of hearts, feel jealous man!
Chalo, at least someone is doing the thing he/she loves most!
And yes, the next time you host a quiz on the cement industry, please do call me…I want to see how you make that damn thing interesting!

I’m sure you’ve done this already, but still mentioning it…Rashmi Bansal, IIM-A ’91 and editor JAM mag would be a good person to contact for media/journo contacts.

Best of Luck!!
Abbu

Sidin,

This is the first time I’m reading your blog and I must say that I was suprised (initially) and then very happy to know about your decision.

I wish you all the best for the future, glad i’d visited this one. Keep all of us “blogged” and posted.

Oh well..what the hell…!

Though secretly am glad no one has even remoted hinted “Alchemist” which would have raised the hackles in me should admit this decision of yours is a bit surprising….and to the wannaMBA’s who are well-have-no-idea-what-to-do-but-would-probably-decide-after-a-degree-from-say-IIMA it is quite a blow!:D

But the mind still wonders…why-oh-why…? Is 6 months enough in the corpuh-rate world for you to throw in the towel..? mmm…

you’re the man!!!

all the best

funny that u decided to quit first and write later – a lot of famous writers started their career in the cubicle and took time off when they were reasonably certain of the future…

But still, ATB dude… cheers to the newest writer on the block!

hey
All the best man…. chetan gore

Whoa!Braveheart!! Talk about balls of titanium!
Its a jungle out there..
And aren’t we all with you!
Heres wishing you the shortest time before hitting (sure-fire)easy street..And the doggedness and drive(more than anything else,believe me..)needed to see you thru it.

After all this for a couple of years now, I think it was only natural for you to take up writing full time. Probably one of the best moves you’ll ever make in your life. Godspeed!

Hi Sidin,

You are one in a million. Trust me I know my million from my lakhs.You have the natural talent and there are millions of people who will pick your book when they are fed up of the daily grind for some respite and a couple of laughs.

Great going, we need people like you for the Indian literary revolution that is still waiting to happen. Best of luck!

AP

Good luck!

Hey sidin

wishing u the very best. i’m sure u will be an inspiration for so many ppl pursuing their lives in a dilemma.

Dear sidin sunny vadukut,

believe me iam moved beyond words so i’ll use some of yours.:)

“Why do I have no beanstalk to climb
and no ogres wife to make my own
And alas I have roamed in every park
And yet found no sword embedded in stone”

we belong to 2 worlds. all of us. we are tied to reality with the constraints of time,space,money, the WagonR,airconditioned cabins, MNC Jobs…
then there’s a part of us that belong to the stars. stardust -from which everything started, inspires us to dream. and we know that there’s infinity.

Shouldn’t get too swayed by either. there’s a balance. somewhere in between the 2 worlds where there’s that equilibrium. when you carry on shouldering our responsibilities but knowing that there’s infinity -of our potential
-happiness
-goodnesss
-that we can reach infinite heights

know that. dont get too carried away. but believe in yourself with all you have got.and leave the rest to blue fairies.

iw

All da best dude

Here’s a story about George Dantzig – the famed mathematician who’s contributions to Operations Research and systems engineering have made him immortal.
As a college student, George studied very hard and often late into the night. So late, that he overslept one morning,arriving 20 minutes late for Prof. Neyman’s class. He quickly copied the two
maths problems on the board, assuming they were the homework assignment.
It took him several days to work through the two problems, but finally he had a breakthrough and
dropped the homework on Neyman’s desk the next day.
Six weeks later, on a Sunday morning, George was awakened at 6 a.m. by his excited professor. Since George was late for class,he
hadn’t heard the professor announce that the two unsolvable equations on the board were
mathematical mind-teasers that even Einstein hadn’t been able to answer.But George Dantzig, working without any thoughts of limitation, had solved not one, but two problems that had stumped
mathematicians for thousands of years.
Simply put, George solved the problems because he didn’t know he couldn’t.
> You are not limited to the life you now live. It has been accepted by you as the best you can do at this moment. Any time you’re ready to go beyond the limitations currently in your life, you’re
capable of doing that by
choosing different thoughts. All you must do is figure out how you can do it, not whether or not you can. And once you have made your mind up to do it, it’s amazing how your mind begins to figure out
how.
A person is limited only by the thoughts that he/she
chooses.

And another story..to drive the point well home..

According to a theory of
aerodynamics that the bumblebee should be unable to
fly? The bumblebee’s size, weight, and shape of its
body, in relationship to its total wing span, flying
is technically impossible. The bumblebee, being
ignorant of the technical theory, goes on and flies
anyway and makes honey everyday.

You and I need to take a few lessons from the
bumblebee. First of all, if the bumblebee were to
look at its size, it would say “My body is too big for
my wings, for that reason I am not able to fly.” If
it looked at its weight, it would say, “I’m too heavy,
it is impossible for my wings to create enough lift
for me to do the job I was created to do.” If it
looked at the contour of its body it would say “Forget
it, it is scientifically impossible for me to do
this.”
Now, what’s your excuse? Who or what is screaming at
you that you can’t possibly do what you desire to do?
When are you going to look them in the face and say,
“Watch me!” “I will overcome these odds, I believe I
can fly.” I don’t care who or what is telling you
that you can’t,…..

Sidin,here is to your breaking limits to reach higher and higher ground.

need a lot of guts to do what you are doing. you the man dude!! wishing you the very best!

Now that’s a great bold move.All
the very best to you Sidin.

//REC Trichy// which batch are u btw?

been to the campus lately?

first time here. Let me take time

There used to be a guy called Manu Joseph in Outlook, your writing is very similar to his (search the Outlook website). The interesting news is that he has now lost his mind and joined TOI, so you could try filling his slot in Outlook. Go talk to Vinod Mehta. The money may not be as good as AT Kearney, but it should suffice.

Now, as someone who has done to journalism what you are doing to management consultancy (saying “Screw You”), I must warn you about the pitfalls of the media. You hang around there long enough and you will turn into a superficial, cynical, dehumanised, arrogant bastard selling linguistic candy. You will also probably lose your passion for writing, (which, according to me, is a good result in general, but that is another story).

My personal recommendation to you would be to read, read and read. Ever more harder things, and insightful things — and that is the crucial part. There are other routes to become a better writer, but those are probably not for you.

Good Luck!

Congratulations Sidin, you do have it in you. Gla you finally paid heed to your calling.

You can get in touch with Rashmi Bansal at Jam Mag (jammag.blogspot.com) I suppose for some freelance work.

Bravo!

And if you ever write a book, be sure I’ll buy a copy.

sidin,

have been an avid reader of your blogs. You will do great!!
Wishing you loads of luck and best wishes

-A fellow rectian.

Sidin,

You have truly taken up the right profession! If someone can create such hype about news that he’s freshly turned unemployed, he deserves to earn his bread from his words.

Read all the other comments- either you are you really popular, or they are just praying you won’t borrow money from them. You’ll never know the truth, I guess!

Good luck pal. Better keep re-inventing yourself, or I’ll get bored of you soon.

All the best dude…

im a first time commentator too sidin,but this is the right path indeed…ive known many others like u who finally pursued their passion…like EVAM karthik and sunil and a dear friend of mine who’s into theater n they’re all damn good at it..y dont u try the theater,taking into account ur exceptional writing skills?broadway resurrected???

its overwhelming even to read the comments on board..well i don know who’s more content,we or u?this breakthrough should have come way back,sidin although better late than never..i’d suggest refined formal training to help u professionally in writing.and as you said..light at the end of the tunnel..turns out to be the sun indeed

As many others, a first time commentor on your blog. I envy+admire+jealous+look up to you for this decision of yours.

All the very best.

amazing writer..amazing move…helluva gutsy gene..

May ur tribe increase. wud luv to know how ur ppl took to ur announcement

Congrats for having mustered the courage to follow your dream !
Im looking forward to your books and articles.

You’ve got amazing guts man ! Hats off to you and all the very best for your future

awesome !

congratulations !

inspiring..
and the best of luck!!

bravo..!!

I started reading/writing blogs after I saw ur “travails”….

I think u have reak guts to follow ur passion..Best of Luck my friend…

I read somewhere that Chetan Bhagat is “thinking” to quit his job as a full time writer…

But u have done it…Congrats. and all the best

bravo..!!

I started reading/writing blogs after I saw ur “travails”….

I think u have reaL guts to follow ur passion..Best of Luck my friend…

I read somewhere that Chetan Bhagat is “thinking” to quit his job TO BECOME a full time writer…

But u have done it…Congrats. and all the best

Wish U all the best and hope you may not need to come back to the corp jungle.

I share a lot of commonalities with you, child days in Gulf, Engg, IIM (going from Delhi to your place) and have experienced the connect with many of your posts. However this time i plan to spend some more years in coporate before taking a decision to follow the instincts.

Wishing you the very best…
But Please don’t become a ChetanBhagat type author..pandering to the masses.
You’re made of sterner stuff.
Serious NonFiction is what you should be looking at…
David Halberstam should be your role-model.

Sidin, you are way more talented than 99% of the writers out there..You will definitely succeed and probably will be the next Vikran Chandra with million dollar advances…
Am awaiting your books / columns etc eagerly…
wish you all the best..

I have been an on-and-off visitor to your blog. All the best with your new job, and I look forward to more excellent blogging!

Inspirational.

Hey Sidin,

Inspirational decision…

n all the very best…

take care

congrats sidin…it take courage to listen to and act on your inner voice. looking forward to your book and keep writing…

Sid,

Tremendous moral support for your decision already exists. I’m positive even tangible support is not far away.

Will miss u at the workplace but I’ll be sure to remain in touch.

M

dude, did you mention this in the WHY MBA q at IIM?

Hats off to you!

Sidin: Here’s my little bit of advertisement for you on my blog:
http://www.rahulgaitonde.org/blog/2006/01/sidin-is-now-writer.html

I can do nothing but bow to ur decision …

hai sidin,
i have read your articles right from the VOX Metallurgica where you was the editor-in-chief.All the best for pursuing your passion.waiting to see you succeed.

All the best for your courageous decision.

Dude,

I read your “Travails of Single…” on the net long ago, recently found you wer the real author.. It was one the the most profound things I’ve ever read, coz like a beautiful theory, it explained everything, and brought in a new perspective..

Good luck and..

Stay hungry, stay foolish!

Well,the world is waiting and watching. Make sure that doesnt affect you. Best of luck.

All the very best sir!!! I hope you are an inspiration to thousands of us who are afarid to listen to the inner voice..

“Find purpose, and the means will follows”

“Follow”-sorry

And I know you must be good in a lot of other things, but besides enjoying or being happy doing, writing is something you do better than many pros.. cheers

I am a regular reader of your blog .. Appreciate your decision to follow your heart !!! And truly inspirational .. wish u all the very best !!

Wise, smart, gutsy, inspiring .. the list goes on. Congratulations and good luck

- Yetanudder regular reader

I have heard that “Birds of the same feather flock together”. Nice to bump into you, my friend. We are in the same boat as both my blogs “Wordplay” and ” Make you passion your profession” seem to suggest. I hope that you are good at writing novels because that is where the moolah is. You seem to be quite well organized and focused for a writer from the various options that you have listed. Don’t you write poetry. I must appreciate your guts at such a bold step and while praying for your sucess also simultaneously aim for giving you a run for your money. Best of luck, my friend. Fortune favors the brave and so god be with you.

Best of luck for the exit interview .

Imagine the plight of the HR manager when you tell him that you are quitting(a 1st year joinee, such arrogance!).

Why?

Uh, ,I want to be a writer.

Giggle.

Sidin, would you click a picture?
One of my seniors in Asian Paints quit by saying that he is quitting coz he wants to go trekking. Which he did! Though not in that league, well, yours is furrow worthy

Great gons, boy. Best of Luck.

Best of Luck

dont writer need consultants? coz if they did then now we have one whos both!

Wish you the best, Sidin.

Writing can be self-fulfilling as well as treacherous at the same time.

Sidin,

The best is yet to come

Kirthi

Is it not a contradiction … that i being in the “RAT RACE” can understand the greatness of your move? Because if i did understand it then i would not be in the rat race… so i will congratulate you only once i am out of it…. but until then a sincere best of luck

Good show Sidin. Do some serious writing and some ‘serious’ writing.

good luck,man…

gee, wish i could quit and start making movies ..!

btw, you are not the “big brother” in your family .. right ?

All the best.

I feel u shud probably join the Times group. They are the most whacky and creative ppl in the media business.

congrats man…i envy you..
all the best!! keep writing..hope to c ur writing on paper soon though…

Best of luck dude..

May you find the gumption and perseverence to follow your heart to happiness. You’ve already found the courage. Hope this inspires me to find mine.

Sidin,

Great Decision.

Have fun.

Cheers
Navin

right decision sir. Your talent is unmistakable

All the best, Sin. wiyh ou a bright career ahead.

-Fred

Wish I had the balls to something as radical…Salut!!!

Brave Decision Sidin !!!

Good luck to you

Anusha

Hi Sidin,
Wish you the very best

congrats

always feels good to see someone opting to live their dream…

I know whatever you write will be brilliant So all the best!

Look at it this way at least you know all your blog readers would buy it

Sidin,

This was the first post I saw in you blog. Then I browsed through a few here and there. It takes loads of guts to take a decision like this, and I could tell from your calculated risk logic that you have thought through this.

Its not I do not like my current job, but thereis always something like a dream job which keeps haunting at the back of the mind. You inspire me, dude, I am about to post on my blog about the aspirations people have, but never bother enough to live that life of their dreams.

Good luck and keep us posted.

~Sri.

Sidin ! I am proud of you. I’ve been reading people leaving comments on you blog for a year now, saying that you should take time off to write. And I always thought you would do it when the time was right for you!

Congrats and all the best. I am waiting for your first book eagerly because I know its somewhere in there )

hey… takes balls dude! similar case of two people whose blogs are a riot: http://www.dooce.com and http://www.blurbomat.com.
The first blog makes so much money with the ads on it that her husband quit his job and now they both write.
All the best to u!

Generally a lurker on your blog. Let me congratulate you on your wonderful decision. You inspire me. You are living proof that some people at the end of the day have their balls. Maybe I might do it myself some day if I ever manage to gather the courage aka balls ….

Good for you, dude. Way to go!

wish u all the best man. i am an avid reader of your blogs and will eagerly wait for your books.

Good luck again

Too Good a move !!! Remember always stick to what you are … and u will always shine!

I wish you very best of luck …

It is a brave decision.

Most of my buys have been off the road. I sorrily justified that the authors will get their daily bread as the does every bird.

Goahead, write a book, you are assured of my contiribution in your Royality.

Sidin,

Talk about a guy who had it all and walked away to do his own thing.. Hats of to you, man. All the best for your future endeavours.

AK

Does this mean ATK will be hiring soon?

When I announced to my family that “Vadukut” had quit ATK and decided to be a writer, it came as a pleasent surprise. My own profile (If i ever decided to create one) would read MBBS, Resident Medical Officer, MBA (Health Admin), MS(Health Informatics), Kasier Permanente (Colorado), Apollo Health and Lifestyle Limited (Sister concern of Apollo group of hospitals), what next-Medical editing, Medical Content Writing, consulting with an NGO…???

“reasons are numerous ..But in the end I decided I needed to do what I was happiest doing.”

This inspires me..i just need to decide what makes me happiest and then figure out how to go about achieving it. Thanks for being a role model-to me and many others!

Good Luck and looking forward to owing a autographed copy of your first(of many) book.

hey u can be an inspiration to a lot of ppl i feel

Been a regular visitor your blog. Not sure if you have read this – “Hope for the flowers”.

Nice to see that you have decided to spread your wings and fly.

Good luck, dude!

Cheers,
Rejoy

[...] So sometime in early 2006, I decided to shed my MBA ways and become a freelance writer. I immediately started work on a manuscript. I went about it in a very mongol-like fashion. No plans, no contracts, no ideas; just long, sleepless night of typing and retyping. I made up the plot as I went along. [...]