Aam (Common) Engineer

Being an engineer myself as well as quite active on twitter, I spotted a twitter handle @aamEngineer. On enquiry, came to know that this handle belong to of one the colleague with whom I have worked closely. This was the end of my hunt about topic to write my next blog.

Now Engineering colleges all across the world only produce engineer then how come this ‘aam’ fit to it. I can guess to some extent why? To understand ‘aam’/’common’, We have to understand ‘khaas’/’special’. The Khaas exists that why aam comes to frame. The equal status engineers come out of colleges steps into the corporate world. This is the place when their skill and knowledge are put to test. One outperforms other by brilliant display of skill at work or by constant extra hard work or by some mare favor etc. These are few skill which make engineer khaas’/’special’. The other category comprised of the left lots may be due to reasons such as worked hard but screwed something at end; or delivered task honestly but credit was given to someone else out of favor or was always second in race of recognition.

I would like to warn my audience not to conclude aam engineer as someone who simply do not perform because engineer is someone who is an architect; builder; designer; director; inventor;  manager; planner; surveyor; contriver; deviser; manipulator; originator; schemer; techie. That’s why no question of any engineer existing simply with tag as engineer. It is situations which make one engineer as aam and another as khaas. This is not constant as well. Every engineer keep dangling between aam and khaas depending on their turns and twist in career life. At the end its passion all that matters.

Looking from different angle we can say aam engineer is someone who is easily available for help/guidance. Though he has special knowledge and brain but he/she choose to remain aam to become peoples engineer. He/she also contributed his/her skill set for prosperity of society. According to me the thin line of aam and khaas can be blurred by engineers taking extra step to contribute for happy world outside his/her paid hours. Throughout your life span if you manage become an engineer to which people of all walks of life can relate themselves with you then you can consider that your life of being an engineer is successful one in real sense. Else there are some 'ready to eat' steps already exists in our system to define you as artificial successful. I am sure some has attained real success as engineer and many like me are still trying to attain.

On satire side especially in India now it has become a fashion to be called as aam engineer or aam aadmi (common man). Few end up forming aam aadmi party as well. The powerful word aam started losing meaning when Khaas people disguise as aam to take advantage for their own benefits/agenda. So the real aam people/engineer now has to start all over again to regain the sanctity of the word.

Reference: Hindi words and equivalent English

Aam: common

Aadmi: people

Khaas: special

Thank You!

Satender Kumar Mall

Twitter: satenderiiit