A champion of two quests

KOCHI: Youngest of three siblings, 27-year-old Govind Ramachandran’s childhood memories revolve around a computer — one with Windows XP. He got it back in 2008 when he was 13. “Even then, I was curious about the workings of a computer and used to explore it inside-out,” recalls Govind. Within no time, Govind became the go-to person for many whenever a system malfunctioned.

Even though he pursued a degree in English and Communicative English, Govind returned to IT and joined a private firm in 2020. Two years later, he accomplished something many cannot even dream of. He has won records from not one but three globally-recognised organisations. He has entered the Indian, Asian and even the World Book of Records.

And the reason — his many academic achievements. He is the only person to achieve 90 certificates and 1,800 badge completions along with finishing 3,000 courses. The youngster says many more are on the way. Govind explains his decision to obtain many certificates as part of an ongoing process.“This is aimed solely for professional growth. My team leader was the one who later asked me to apply for records and I obliged. That’s all,” he says.

With two laptops and a desktop to work on, Govind believes learning is always just a click away. He has passed many Microsoft courses on the first try and has completed courses in various subjects in IT, including Microsoft, Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), IBM and Design Thinking, AWS, Adobe, Cyber Security, Pluralsight, Skillsoft, Udemy and LinkedIn.

“I was keen on career growth and started taking more courses. I didn’t face any criticism as I have a healthy environment to thrive in,” admits the young techie, referring to the support received from family and friends. “I had to put most of my effort into Microsoft and completed 10 certificates at the foundation, intermediate and expert levels. ITIL was the most interesting and useful class for me. I’m foundation certified and am working on an ITIL specialist certificate soon. I will finish it maybe in a month or two.”

Just like how every central character has a side quest from the main journey, Govind also pursued the path of weight loss. As he faced the constant body shaming among peers, in 2014, he set up a home gym and began training.

In 2015, he met with a bike accident and was admitted for 105 hours. But this didn’t deter him from his goal. He took it as a challenge. He worked out, with no personal trainer and dropped 30 kgs through a revised diet. He went from 86 to 56 kgs in six months and has been maintaining it for seven years. “My motivation and anger from the ruthless body shaming pushed me to strive harder,” concludes Govind.