E-Pao, My Learning tool
- a 10th Anniversary collection -

By: Babina Wahengbam *

E-Pao, I grew up with
E-Pao, I live with it
E-Pao, my learning tool
E-Pao, my resting place

Destiny brought me to Delhi, the dreamland for every dreamer, on my maiden flight ten years back. Far away from home, I was lost in the crowded streets searching for faces I know of. Wandering like a nomad from one Paying Guest to another, I kept looking for places I’m familiar of. And one fine day I found myself where I belong today just at the click of a mouse.

E-Pao is popular for its chat room. And no one comes here for serious stuffs in the beginning. Whoever visited this site has entered the chat room at one point or the other to kill time or make virtual friends. I was no different from the others. I entered the chat room too. Without thinking much, I used to idly chat around having no specific purpose. Initially, it was all surface talk playing hide & seek. And most of the time the chat was all about the nonsensical topics of the world. Sometimes it ended up throwing stones at each others, at times the talks became very formal but one thing everyone does there is killing time.

Until I realize that I have accumulated friends who were really trustworthy. Then, the talks gradually became purposeful and helpful to each other. Connecting from one place to another, I could learn and share information about various career options and opportunities available. One of the best things about E-Pao chat room is that you get to know a variety of people, good and bad, students and professionals of diverse streams, elders and juniors, who can be helpful and a few who can really guide you.

I never thought that the casual chats would one day help me in earning money. One of the remarkable achievements was the translation contract I bagged from a Delhi-based NGO working on an HIV positive people of Manipur. It was one of the chatter who helped me in grabbing the opportunity to work for such a social cause. And it was great experience. Besides this, a couple of projects are also in the pipeline which I’m quite excited about it.

It wouldn’t have been easy for me to work in a media company, especially online dept, where everything is web. But I learned my first lesson from E-Pao and it helped me in reaching where I am today. Some inspired me and some motivated me. Some helped me in solving technical problems and some encouraged me to face the challenges. While some helped me in understanding new software, others helped me in choosing the right career. I honestly don’t have words to express how much I have learned from E-Pao, but whatever I am today is partly because of the knowledge I gathered from here.

My learning process extends to the E-Pao Message Board too. Unfortunately, MB has been removed from the site but the huge knowledge that is pooled in the form of forums cannot be forgotten. It was one place of E-Pao where all the opinions are discussed with views and counter-views in healthy and unhealthy manners. The constant debate on the socio-political concerns enlightened me with interesting insights of the present generation’s approach towards the manifold problems and crisis. The entertainment forum talking about the latest Manipuri flicks and popular actors kept me updating about the talk of the town. The education and technology forums were nonetheless behind in delivering valuable information.

Though not mandatory, writing skills is one of the most important assets to be part of any media company. And my habit of writing came from the continuous effort to post messages on the Message Board. Apart from enjoying the debate and discussions, my writing style also improved. Thanks to the big time critics of MB users.

Another thing that keeps me hooked here is its Hotspot and Exclusive sections. From news to networking and personal views to entertainment, it is one-stop shop for all. The wide range of information it offers made the platform for social networking a platform for knowledge sharing. The time to time announcement on jobs and education in various companies and institutes are just so wonderful. One can also access information on the courses offered for upcoming sessions by clicking on the Education section on the left panel. And almost all the information comes from our fellow people who are working or studying in those very institutions and colleges.

This is not all. The number of contacts I have established for sharing information is just amazing. I would not have been able to build these helpful contacts out of E-Pao. For me this virtual world serves to be the connecting route to the real world among the people scattered all over the places. From breaking news to shattering news, E-Pao has it all. What more do I seek now!

Today, as E-Pao celebrates its 10th anniversary I would like to thank the E-Pao Team for rendering such a productive and functional service to the society. Personally, I thank E-Pao for helping me in shaping my career and making me somebody out of nobody who was once lost in the crowded streets of Delhi.

A big thanks to E-Pao and the Team!

PS: I would like to acknowledge the fact that E-Pao chat room and Message Board are not free from those dirty conversations and stinking messages but ultimately what makes the difference is how you make use of the medium. You can use the same knife to cut vegetables as well to kill someone. It’s up to you to decide how you want to use it; to use it constructively or destructively.