Introduction
My name is Vikram Malik.
Education
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| Yup, that's me! |
My educational background includes Double Bachelor's in Business Management and Psychology respectively, both from Delhi University in New Delhi, India, followed by Master's in Mass Communication and Journalism, from School of Convergence @ International Management Institute, also in New Delhi, India.
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| With acclaimed actress Nandita Das, during my Master's in Mass Communication and Journalism. She sure can make my heart flutter, even now! ;-) |
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| Me (on the right), with dear friend Pulkit Sharma, on the day I formally completed my Bachelor's in Psychology - with a farewell party being given out to the entire batch. In the background is my favorite black Maruti Esteem (my first car). Hard to believe it is almost 10 years since those days! |
Prior to that, I completed my Senior High School (10+2) from CSKM Public School in Satbari, Mehrauli, New Delhi, graduating in 1998, opting for Commerce with Psychology as my specialization.
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| This picture goes back even further - to precisely 11th May 1997, the day I was awarded "Best English Student", during my Senior High School at CSKM Public School |
Before that, I did my Junior High School - or Matriculation (Class X) as it would be referred to in India, from Gitanjali School in Begumpet, Hyderabad, graduating in 1996.
On the whole I would say that throughout my academic career, I had always maintained due diligence and performed very well on a consistent basis.
Family
As far as my family is concerned, my father is a retired officer (Colonel) of the Indian Army, who currently serves as the Director of a leading Engineering and Technology college in Greater Noida, near Delhi.
My mother had been a school teacher for quite some time; she has quit that job now and devotes all her time towards the home and the family, while pursuing her creative passions alongside, such as singing, attending plays and various other intellectual and cultural events, as well as pushing the case for various environmental and social causes.
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| My Mom & Dad, from way back (in 1974) - Believe me, they still look the same, except maybe for some shades of grey here and there! :P |
I have one elder brother who holds a very senior management post at one of the world's biggest entertainment companies, that has Hollywood studios as well as specialized theme parks all around the world.
I am single, or to put it more appropriately, unmarried, and therefore have no wife and [as best as I know ;) ] no kids. I hope to change that status quo soon enough - at 32, some would say it is high time I got hitched, although frankly, I do enjoy singlehood and very few of my married friends and acquaintances really seem happy with their marriages...
Work Experience
I started my full time career in 2005, with a company called NIIT, a leading Indian software educational company, although I had interned prior to that in 2004 for two months, in a leading Public relations (PR) firm in India called Integral PR. At NIIT, I worked as a Content Developer for various Instructional Design courses which the company used to come out with from time to time.
Subsequently, I got back to the PR industry, working with India's and South Asia's leading Public Relations firm, Perfect Relations.
Then I also dabbled with Media Planning, handling the account for Wipro's non-IT division, which has in its portfolio, diverse consumer care and lighting products such as soaps, talcum powder, baby care products, hair oil, cooking oil, bulbs and so on.
From thereon, I got into the custom business research industry, or what is more fashionably referred to as 'KPO' or 'Knowledge Process Outsourcing', working with the company that coined this term, Evalueserve.
As I grew in this industry, I joined another company in a similar realm by the name of OPI or Outsource Partners International, followed by my final "job" stint at DMV, yet another custom research firm based in Hyderabad, India.
By this time, I had already dabbled in freelancing, working on sites like Freelancer.com which used to be known as GetAFreelancer.com in those days. Through my profile on Proz.com, I also bagged huge translation assignments from Bengali to English, two languages which I certainly know all too well!
These initial successes gave me the confidence and reassurance that one could work full time on a freelance basis - as oxymoronic as it may seem! From thereon, there has been no looking back for me and I continue to work the same way till date, across multiple freelance sites. No doubt, Elance has been one of the best by far in this realm, but it would certainly be unfair to rule out other sites in the same niche such as oDesk, Guru and so on.
My ultimate goal though is to develop content - written text, pictures, videos - all culminating into diverse forms of varied content, for my own end objectives, be it affiliate marketing, Google AdSense revenues and so on. But these do take a significant amount of time to actually materialize as full time pay, and therefore, till then I will continue to dabble as a freelance content developer for other clients, across multiple freelance platforms.
Personal Interests
Apart from my work, I enjoy traveling a lot; I have been to nearly a dozen countries the world over, all after I started working freelance. After India, countries where I have spent maximum time include Poland and Thailand, two favorite destinations of mine.
I am passionate about food and do know about (and enjoy!) cooking.
As an Indian, I am definitely into films and music, both from Bollywood as well as around the world, with Martin Scorcese being one of my favorite film makers and Robert De Niro being a big time favorite actor of mine.
I love cricket - like millions of other Indians, but largely restrict myself to viewing it on television, rather than playing myself or watching it live in stadiums!
Conclusion
I would love to go on and on - there is so much to my personality - as I am sure there is to everyone out there, but I will conclude here, with a promise to be back with more, whenever I feel the need.
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| This one's from back in 2005, at NIIT's SEED training center in Sainik Farms, New Delhi. This was my first full-time job. |
Subsequently, I got back to the PR industry, working with India's and South Asia's leading Public Relations firm, Perfect Relations.
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| The team I worked with, at Accord PR, Perfect Relations' Lifestyle Division |
Then I also dabbled with Media Planning, handling the account for Wipro's non-IT division, which has in its portfolio, diverse consumer care and lighting products such as soaps, talcum powder, baby care products, hair oil, cooking oil, bulbs and so on.
From thereon, I got into the custom business research industry, or what is more fashionably referred to as 'KPO' or 'Knowledge Process Outsourcing', working with the company that coined this term, Evalueserve.
As I grew in this industry, I joined another company in a similar realm by the name of OPI or Outsource Partners International, followed by my final "job" stint at DMV, yet another custom research firm based in Hyderabad, India.
By this time, I had already dabbled in freelancing, working on sites like Freelancer.com which used to be known as GetAFreelancer.com in those days. Through my profile on Proz.com, I also bagged huge translation assignments from Bengali to English, two languages which I certainly know all too well!
These initial successes gave me the confidence and reassurance that one could work full time on a freelance basis - as oxymoronic as it may seem! From thereon, there has been no looking back for me and I continue to work the same way till date, across multiple freelance sites. No doubt, Elance has been one of the best by far in this realm, but it would certainly be unfair to rule out other sites in the same niche such as oDesk, Guru and so on.
My ultimate goal though is to develop content - written text, pictures, videos - all culminating into diverse forms of varied content, for my own end objectives, be it affiliate marketing, Google AdSense revenues and so on. But these do take a significant amount of time to actually materialize as full time pay, and therefore, till then I will continue to dabble as a freelance content developer for other clients, across multiple freelance platforms.
Personal Interests
Apart from my work, I enjoy traveling a lot; I have been to nearly a dozen countries the world over, all after I started working freelance. After India, countries where I have spent maximum time include Poland and Thailand, two favorite destinations of mine.
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| Me, with a HUGE Royal Bengal Tiger at Sriracha Tiger Zoo in Chonburi (near Pattaya), Thailand |
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| Me, in Paris, France, atop Galeries Lafayette, with the Eiffel Tower in the backdrop |
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| Me, in the heart of Warsaw, Poland, below Copernicus' statue |
As an Indian, I am definitely into films and music, both from Bollywood as well as around the world, with Martin Scorcese being one of my favorite film makers and Robert De Niro being a big time favorite actor of mine.
I love cricket - like millions of other Indians, but largely restrict myself to viewing it on television, rather than playing myself or watching it live in stadiums!
Conclusion
I would love to go on and on - there is so much to my personality - as I am sure there is to everyone out there, but I will conclude here, with a promise to be back with more, whenever I feel the need.
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