What does MVP mean to you? This is a really complex question. I am thoroughly excited and honored to share the MVP designation with my fellow MVPs. As an MVP, I have a unique opportunity to learn continuously, and helping others enables me to improve my technology skills and my abilities in software development and delivery. In India the MVP award always stretches you to go beyond your boundaries and achieve more since you are expected to be a domain expert end-to-end - and I love this challenge! The MVP program also acknowledges the activities I do for the community at various forums to help others become more involved and excel with various Microsoft products and technologies. If you could ask Steve Ballmer one question about Microsoft, what would it be? I would probably ask him a series of questions: "How do you manage work-life balance? How do you spend your time while at home? What do you love doing besides product roadmaps? Did you dream of Microsoft as it exists today a decade ago? If yes, what are your current dreams of the Microsoft of tomorrow? Lastly, if you were not working with Microsoft, what else would you have loved to do?" What do you think the best software ever written was? Without a doubt, I would say SQL Server is the best software ever written. Every new software piece is designed, written, rewritten and refined before it hits the end user. Looking at SQL Server, it has always been a step ahead of the present technology needs. From its XML support in the 2000 version, to the integration of .NET in the 2005 version, it has always been the choice and technology of the future. I love SQL Server for its user experience, ease of administration, scalability, capability, stability and lastly, its ability as a BI tool with Reporting Services, Integration Services and Analytical Services. In my opinion, SQL Server rocks! If you were the manager of SQL Server, what would you change? This is a tough question and I am sure the SQL Server team will be "all ears" to hear my response. What I would want to change is the users’ perception of Microsoft products. I compliment Microsoft for its easy user-interface and user-experience since I consider it to be the best in the world - software programmers like me could not ask for anything better. However, I would like people who use these amazing technologies to understand more about the software before using it, such as what goes on behind the scenes and why something works in a certain way. The architectural understanding is very important, and I would love to see such whitepapers and articles on MSDN and other Microsoft related sites. | If you were given unlimited data bandwidth, what would you do with it? WOW! Are you serious? I would love to have unlimited bandwidth at my home so that I could freak out listening to music, host my websites rather than hosting them on an independent provider and also would use this opportunity to do the entire R&D for upcoming products. Though, perhaps the majority of my time would be spent downloading the CTPs and the various Beta Software that I currently have to get from a local Microsoft Office. What was the last book you read? The last book that I read was "A First Look at Microsoft SQL Server 2005 for Developers" by Bob Beauchemin, Niels Berglund and Dan Sullivan. This amazing book provides a great basis from which to understand the new features of SQL Server 2005. I am eagerly waiting for more interesting books on SQL Server 2005. As a matter of fact, I am considering writing my own book soon. What music CD do you recommend? I am a die-hard fan of some local musicians and love to hear some beats and melodies of A.R.Rehman. I also enjoy the songs composed by Illayaraja during the 1970’s and 1980’s. What makes you a great MVP? I feel learning is a journey and not a destination, and I have the passion to learn from experience and help the community. And this quest is reflected in the various certifications I hold, including MCSE, MCSA, MCDBA, MCSD, and MCAD, in addition to the Microsoft MVP award. Through the exercise of writing for various magazines and taking highly technical content at Microsoft forums like TechEd and usergroups, I have honed both my technical abilities, my writing and communication skills to a great extent. As a result, I am sure I can deliver the best to the best in the industry. What’s in your computer bag? Let me check - it is a treasury since I carry it everywhere that I travel. It is like a life jacket to me. Apart from my laptop, I have two USB drives, rewritable CDs (no more floppy disks), MVP USB MP3 Player, USB external HDD, USB hub, Windows Server CDs, SQL Server Resource Kit DVD, network cables, network cross cables, a cute little mouse, visiting cards, pens and printouts of technical articles. | What’s the best thing that has happened since you’ve become an MVP? I consider my invitation to the MVP Global Summit to be the best thing that has happened to me since I have become an MVP. When I was at the Summit, I was able to meet and network in person with fellow MVPs with whom my interaction had been previously limited to interacting mostly through email, weblogs, newsgroups and internet. After the MVP Global Summit I had the chance to write for multiple sites, and the MVP profile on the Microsoft site has been an added bonus. What is your motto? I do not have one that comes immediately to mind since I am a person who takes life as it comes. But advice that I live by and would give to others is, "Never miss an opportunity that comes your way." I have capitalized on every opportunity to enhance my skills and increase my visibility. Therefore, I would say that if you see an opportunity, grab it with both hands. Who is your hero? I have not pinpointed a single hero. With regard to motivation, I would say that my parents are my heroes since they are by my side with support and encouragement. When on stage, Steve Ballmer is my hero for the high-voltage energy he demonstrates. While at work, my managers are my heroes, since they support me in all of the activities that I assume. While participating in newsgroups, my fellow MVPs are my heroes due to their tremendous professionalism and skills. In my opinion, I have an opportunity to learn from everybody, so they are all heroes in that sense. What does success mean to you? "The difference between failure and success is doing a thing nearly right and doing a thing exactly right." - Edward Simmons. As an MVP, we are expected to do the right thing the first time and every time, and I love this challenge. This expectation has constantly inspired me to enhance my knowledge and hence drive my success. |
