The organization where I work has been trying hard to put a system in place where in everything will be process driven.You want to apply for a leave.Then what you have to do is log into the leave system.Log in your details.Apply for the leave to your manager.
You have some queries regarding the transportation.Log into the transportation portal.click on the clarification link.Your query will be sent via an e-mail to the concerned authorities.
Though it has been successful to a great extent in making the lives of the employees smoother,what I feel is that it is really loosing the touch of being an organization where in employees felt that they are cared about & listened to.
I remember reading Peter Drucker in one of his books that effective organizations have lot of well built processes embedded to their work culture.But what happens when these processes are followed by people blindly with out having their own discretionary power being used.
Take an example.The other day I was traveling by the office bus to the office.As soon as the bus reached the bus terminal,the bus driver in place of keeping the bus at a place which will be nearer to the departure,took the bus to the position where he was asked to keep the bus every day.The terminal was totally vacant & there was no possibility of a bus coming in for next half an hour as this was the last bus.
The other day one of our partners' personnel who came for being trained with us wanted to avail the office transportation facility as the local transportation was very time consuming.I had to send a mail asking the dept. if some thing can be done about this.15 days passed by with out any reply from the concerned dept..One fine day out of irritation I had to send a reminder to the concerned people asking for the updates.Then only the person entrusted with this activity came back over phone giving me all the details.But it did not serve any purpose as the personnel had to leave after a very small period & he was not willing to fork out that much for a small usage of the transport.
Why to go to other dept.s.Even managers in my unit rarely bother to use their discretionary power(Except the cases where their interest is involved).You have not followed the procedures,your queries & concerns will go unanswered.
Now building a system & a lot of processes are good.But is it always good to be process oriented always.Can't the system & process go wrong???? Doesn't this build bureaucracy to the organization???
The system & processes are made looking at some of the factors which are very dynamic & they don't remain stagnant.But processes remain the same year after year.After how much time & after what duration the processes should be looked into for change is a very debatable question which does not have a clear answer.
Let the organizations have well defined processes.Along with that let the people implementing the processes be educated enough so that they can use the process as well as their discretionary power in an effective way & to the satisfaction of all.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Friday, August 31, 2007
So Much For Being Employee Friendly
The conference room was filled to the full capacity as the hype over the talk by the head of our sub group had already created a lot of intrest and anticipation among me and my colleagues.Every seat of the room was occupied well before the mentioned time.To add to the curiousity, this talk was held amidst thick clouds of confusion within the unit due to the resignation of a lot of top brasses of management.So there was bound to be some sense of enigma about what the top managemnet had to offer for clearing the doubt and letting the employees know where the unit as a whole is heading.
As usual the speaker who is one of the top managament cadres stood up & started delivering the talk with all those glossy slides & with all those numbers showing where we are progressing,how far we have come since the last time we started concentrating on customer satisfaction etc etc. 20 minutes went by with all those figures which we have been seeing for the past two years.No new things.I don't say customers are not important,but what about the employees .The slides were just copied from some earlier presentations .Some were just modified to let people know that at least the speaker has cared to go through the slides.30 minutes went by.We were anticipating some refeneces to the steps those have been taken to curb the employee dissatisfaction,something to let people in the room know that their concerns are being looked into.Already the group head had resigned some days back.
To be very very precise,these were the words with which the speaker wrapped up the talk "Please don't go by rumours.We are really taking care of you all.Be sure that this company won't do injustice to you in terams of monetary & other benefits."
I genearlly don't ask questions in these meetings of late as I have becme cynical of these peoples' ramblings which have become kind of monotonous.But this time I was really curious.I asked ."****,"addressing the speaker by name."Do we have any plans as such for this as we have one for customers ?"The answer was capital "NO",but we are trying to come up with some thing."
I don't know how many more meetings will take place before the people at top come up with something which is really worth talking about.Till that time I think we have to go ,drowse of seating at the back and come back with a cynicism which becomes more day by day.
As usual the speaker who is one of the top managament cadres stood up & started delivering the talk with all those glossy slides & with all those numbers showing where we are progressing,how far we have come since the last time we started concentrating on customer satisfaction etc etc. 20 minutes went by with all those figures which we have been seeing for the past two years.No new things.I don't say customers are not important,but what about the employees .The slides were just copied from some earlier presentations .Some were just modified to let people know that at least the speaker has cared to go through the slides.30 minutes went by.We were anticipating some refeneces to the steps those have been taken to curb the employee dissatisfaction,something to let people in the room know that their concerns are being looked into.Already the group head had resigned some days back.
To be very very precise,these were the words with which the speaker wrapped up the talk "Please don't go by rumours.We are really taking care of you all.Be sure that this company won't do injustice to you in terams of monetary & other benefits."
I genearlly don't ask questions in these meetings of late as I have becme cynical of these peoples' ramblings which have become kind of monotonous.But this time I was really curious.I asked ."****,"addressing the speaker by name."Do we have any plans as such for this as we have one for customers ?"The answer was capital "NO",but we are trying to come up with some thing."
I don't know how many more meetings will take place before the people at top come up with something which is really worth talking about.Till that time I think we have to go ,drowse of seating at the back and come back with a cynicism which becomes more day by day.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
After Sales Service
On the other day as soon as I picked up a call,was greeted with some rude remarks from the other side which sometime happens for people who are in support in our unit.The point of concern was that after raisng a call for 15 days there was no action taken to resove the issue which was faced at the site.After pacifying the caller I got down to work .The issue which reported looked like a bug .Analysis was done & it was found that my initial guess was correct.A devoloper was assigned the job,the code was fixed,testing was done & when the patch was released the issue was almost 1 month old due to the only reason that a lot of processes were in the picture.
Recently took a relinace connection for the sole purpose of one CUG(Closed User Group) facility where in you can talk to some particular numbers of your choice for 24 hrs free of cost.Don't ask me the purpose of such a phone with this kind of facility(Every one knows it ;)).The salesman was really proud that he has got a customer who is well satisfied with the product he has offerred.After finishing all the formalities I was happy to lay my hand on the CDMA phone with the connection.
But to my dismay, the problem started after I came home.The promise was made to me that the CUG facility will be activated in 3 days.After 3 days the number was increased to 7,and after this the number was increasing as if there was no end to it.
It beacame a daily chore for me to go the reliance web world near my place & get the status update.But even after 1 month also there was no progress.I was forced to call the customer care executive & had to put the manager of the web world in conference with him to let them know that it is really a pain for me to run for the activation which should have been done earlier.It took some harsh words from my side to get the facility activated after 1 long month.
On the way home could not help but think if there is any similarity between these two incidents.
One related to a consumer facing the wrath of the after sales service,the other an enetrprise facing the same problem.One invloved the mentality of the people,the other involved the layer of processed those have been built in & around supporting a customer.
A lot of times we know the value we add to the customer experience when we give them a good after sales service.This sometimes is the bread & butter of an enterprise,the cash cow which we can milk if we maintain it in such a way that customers' goodwill is always there.Why do we get embroiled in so many processes and difficulties when we are supporting a customer??Why don't we have the mentality which makes us think "customer is the king"??Is it that we read & forget or is it that once we sale a product we take the customer for granted??Real business is like a war & good customers are the best weapons to fight with.Once you make them bad you are out of the business.
On the way from the reliance web world I was thinking if I have learned a valuable lesson in my career.
Recently took a relinace connection for the sole purpose of one CUG(Closed User Group) facility where in you can talk to some particular numbers of your choice for 24 hrs free of cost.Don't ask me the purpose of such a phone with this kind of facility(Every one knows it ;)).The salesman was really proud that he has got a customer who is well satisfied with the product he has offerred.After finishing all the formalities I was happy to lay my hand on the CDMA phone with the connection.
But to my dismay, the problem started after I came home.The promise was made to me that the CUG facility will be activated in 3 days.After 3 days the number was increased to 7,and after this the number was increasing as if there was no end to it.
It beacame a daily chore for me to go the reliance web world near my place & get the status update.But even after 1 month also there was no progress.I was forced to call the customer care executive & had to put the manager of the web world in conference with him to let them know that it is really a pain for me to run for the activation which should have been done earlier.It took some harsh words from my side to get the facility activated after 1 long month.
On the way home could not help but think if there is any similarity between these two incidents.
One related to a consumer facing the wrath of the after sales service,the other an enetrprise facing the same problem.One invloved the mentality of the people,the other involved the layer of processed those have been built in & around supporting a customer.
A lot of times we know the value we add to the customer experience when we give them a good after sales service.This sometimes is the bread & butter of an enterprise,the cash cow which we can milk if we maintain it in such a way that customers' goodwill is always there.Why do we get embroiled in so many processes and difficulties when we are supporting a customer??Why don't we have the mentality which makes us think "customer is the king"??Is it that we read & forget or is it that once we sale a product we take the customer for granted??Real business is like a war & good customers are the best weapons to fight with.Once you make them bad you are out of the business.
On the way from the reliance web world I was thinking if I have learned a valuable lesson in my career.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
C Lover
Some time back saw an article in Sunday TOI about the influence of C in indian people's psyche written by Shashi Tharoor.Starting from cricket,cinema ,caste where ever someone goes it is hard to miss the sight of words starting with letter c which has a profound effect on Indian public.
The article forced me to think about the profession I am into,where in I tried to find out if at all we do have some words like this which has some impact on us.
So many words I found but I filtered out three most prominent words according to my observations.
Communicate,Collabarate,Creativity
A person who has already spent a lot of time in this industry is well aware of the role good and effective communication.Wihtout this whereevr you are & whatever you do will not bear result.
The magic of good collaboration is well explained by the giants like APPLE & MICROSOFT.
Without creativity a software engineer is bound to be doomed because the devolopment in technology has made every one agood programmer with the use of high level of abstraction & IDE.So tools are created the only thing that will differentiate the people from each other is the amount of creativity people bring to the table.
Did I forget the Ctrl key ;). No looking at it's widespread use I have decided not to write on it as we generally don't comment on things which have become so common that it is offensive to write some thing about them.
The article forced me to think about the profession I am into,where in I tried to find out if at all we do have some words like this which has some impact on us.
So many words I found but I filtered out three most prominent words according to my observations.
Communicate,Collabarate,Creativity
A person who has already spent a lot of time in this industry is well aware of the role good and effective communication.Wihtout this whereevr you are & whatever you do will not bear result.
The magic of good collaboration is well explained by the giants like APPLE & MICROSOFT.
Without creativity a software engineer is bound to be doomed because the devolopment in technology has made every one agood programmer with the use of high level of abstraction & IDE.So tools are created the only thing that will differentiate the people from each other is the amount of creativity people bring to the table.
Did I forget the Ctrl key ;). No looking at it's widespread use I have decided not to write on it as we generally don't comment on things which have become so common that it is offensive to write some thing about them.
Monday, April 16, 2007
A NATION OF ANALYSTS
We indians are very fond of analysing issues by sitting at the periphery.I sometime wonder if at all we have become a nation of by-standers who don't like to get into the thick of the actions,but would rather sit at the border & keep analysing about the people who are in the thick of the action & their performance.
The above observation was corroborated recently when India made an early exit out of the cricket world cup.It was no doubt an ignominious exit considering the fact that we have one of the best teams in the world.But what happened after that was more shocking.Only after a few days which were marked with deep anger,frustration,desperation, our people started analysing the other teams' players & their records.No one from Indian team was taken into task for such a dismal performance.No heads rolled.
Same is the case with football,We have so many people who knows more about MANU or CHELSEA clubs' players' performance than the player themselves might be knowing.what about our Indian team???? No one knows.
Ask any Indian to analyse a situation & give his or her fedback he or she will be more than willing to do that.But ask the same person to get into the action place, he or she will refuse or show some kind of hesitation for action .Why?? Because the practice of analysing rather than acting is already so deep in our psyche that some time we feel that action is not our cup of tea,only analysis is.
Though the above phenomena is very bad considering the fact that we have not been able to produce a world class sports person(Though Sachin Tendlukar can be looked upon as one,he is confined to the cricketing nations only which are very few in number),but we can use this national trait to our advantage.When the world is moving towards a global village where there is no bounadry & when we are clearly moving towards a service oriented business model where consultancy comes at the top,let us be a nation of consultants.Let us be a nation where only consulatancy firms prosper.Let us not loose the tempo.Let other people sweat it out in the middle of the ground.We will simply sit in the AC rooms with all our tools to analyse how bad or well they are performing.Then give the feedback.Who knows there may be a time in future when we will have a olympics in Consultancy & we will be in the top for some time.Till that time let us not loose hope.Let us build on our strengths.
The above observation was corroborated recently when India made an early exit out of the cricket world cup.It was no doubt an ignominious exit considering the fact that we have one of the best teams in the world.But what happened after that was more shocking.Only after a few days which were marked with deep anger,frustration,desperation, our people started analysing the other teams' players & their records.No one from Indian team was taken into task for such a dismal performance.No heads rolled.
Same is the case with football,We have so many people who knows more about MANU or CHELSEA clubs' players' performance than the player themselves might be knowing.what about our Indian team???? No one knows.
Ask any Indian to analyse a situation & give his or her fedback he or she will be more than willing to do that.But ask the same person to get into the action place, he or she will refuse or show some kind of hesitation for action .Why?? Because the practice of analysing rather than acting is already so deep in our psyche that some time we feel that action is not our cup of tea,only analysis is.
Though the above phenomena is very bad considering the fact that we have not been able to produce a world class sports person(Though Sachin Tendlukar can be looked upon as one,he is confined to the cricketing nations only which are very few in number),but we can use this national trait to our advantage.When the world is moving towards a global village where there is no bounadry & when we are clearly moving towards a service oriented business model where consultancy comes at the top,let us be a nation of consultants.Let us be a nation where only consulatancy firms prosper.Let us not loose the tempo.Let other people sweat it out in the middle of the ground.We will simply sit in the AC rooms with all our tools to analyse how bad or well they are performing.Then give the feedback.Who knows there may be a time in future when we will have a olympics in Consultancy & we will be in the top for some time.Till that time let us not loose hope.Let us build on our strengths.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
GIFTING YOUR WAY TO SOMEONE'S HEART
The mail from my company Bulletin Board
Hi All,
I need suggestions for buying a good and different gift for my husband on our marriage anniversary. I am not able to understand what to buy as guys have very less things to be presented.
Pls suggest some good gifts to make him feel special.
Thanks & Regards,
I was wondering, looking at the mail,do we really need to express the quantity of our feelings towards our dear & near ones???And isn't it impossible to quantify sometghing like emotions,feelings.
Can't blame on people when we are growing up in a world where everything is quantified.And how do we tend to do that??? We tend to measure everything materialistically when it comes to quantifying.We tend to measure the intangibles with the help of tangibles.I am still confused how can we make someone special by gifting him or her once in a blue moon.
Anyway till I find out the answer let ARCHIES & all those people make merry & laugh their way to bank.
Hi All,
I need suggestions for buying a good and different gift for my husband on our marriage anniversary. I am not able to understand what to buy as guys have very less things to be presented.
Pls suggest some good gifts to make him feel special.
Thanks & Regards,
I was wondering, looking at the mail,do we really need to express the quantity of our feelings towards our dear & near ones???And isn't it impossible to quantify sometghing like emotions,feelings.
Can't blame on people when we are growing up in a world where everything is quantified.And how do we tend to do that??? We tend to measure everything materialistically when it comes to quantifying.We tend to measure the intangibles with the help of tangibles.I am still confused how can we make someone special by gifting him or her once in a blue moon.
Anyway till I find out the answer let ARCHIES & all those people make merry & laugh their way to bank.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Aiming At The Future And Missing It
We are living in an exciting time.Technology has taken us to that height which was looking incomprehensible some time back.So magical & enticing is the devolopment that sometimes it makes us to lok at the devolopment & make so many predictions which may not come true completely.It is like though we know where we are heading to but the picture is still unclear.In our over enthuisiasm to see the trend & predict something new we tend to forget the fundamentals that shape the human beings,the society & the organization.
Let me site two trends which have caught the imagination of everyone, and reams of paper & loads of webpages have been written on them.
The first & the most glamorous of these is undoubtedly the e-commerce or doing business online.The basic premise on which this concept is that if you have a net connection,a desktop which can help you to go online, you can do commerce on line.You can buy & sell everything on the net even if you don't have the requisite infrastructure.
But sometimes it is amzing how simplified we have made the process of going to a mall & shopping there & comeback.Is buying & selling all about going to shop,see the product to buy,choose,pay???Does it happen so linearly or sequentially????Is it so automated ?? What about the intangible factors that contribute to this process like the ambience of a mall,the chatting of people all around,the feeling that someone gets when he or she tries out a new pair of clothes,the pampering of the cutomers by salespeople, so many to count about.
But that is not the case.Common sense tells us that shopping is not at all an automated process wherein everything is done sequentially.You may go to a shop but in place of buying clothes as the next action you may meet an old friend & then get into a long converstaion or you may go to a section which is not meant for you.
Take another example of a trend which was predicted to change the way we build organizations,change the way we work.It caught the imagination of the futurists so much that the doomsday for the huge organization was predicted to be very near & the future organizations, it was hoped will be built of people who will be mobile,who will work from home or any place they feel like working from.
But contrary to all the predictions, still we have huge organizations where people go to work daily.Still we don't find much people taking an intrest in this HOT DESKING concept wherein if you have a gadget to connect to your office network, you are no longer required to come to office.You can always work from home or any place for that matter.
What is it that is missing in the above cases????If online retail was & is the future, why do we have so many huge companies investing so much on opening big malls?Why a large crowd everyday throngs the mall.Why in the morning you find people waiting in the bus stop with laptops to catch their office buses.They could have very well worked from home.
A little bit of closer look & the most important thing that will be glaringly visible is that while predicting the future & understanding the trend of the devolopment of technology & it's impact on society we have missed out an important aspect of the way we human beings live which has to do with our social activeness.No one goes to a mall only to buy or sell.People go to malls to mingle with the crowd,to get a feeling that they are not alone on this earth.Same is the case with people going to work.No one works because of the work only,but because they get a recognition in society ,they get to mingle with people,they get to build a social network of their own.
The moot point here is that when ever we have a new technology coming up we tend to look the other way & ignore the social dimension of those activities for which the technology is meant to be used and indulge ourselves in predicting the trends.It is great to find out the trend & predict acordingly,but we have to be very careful accordingly,else we may take some fads to be the trends.
No one denies the place of technology in our growth story.But to be sure about our future let technology devolop taking into acount the social aspect of the activities.Let a hundred technological devolopment blossom,but let there be a part for social aspect also.Let both the social dimension & technological dimension compliment each other,then only we will have a clear trend which we can be confident to predict.
Let me site two trends which have caught the imagination of everyone, and reams of paper & loads of webpages have been written on them.
The first & the most glamorous of these is undoubtedly the e-commerce or doing business online.The basic premise on which this concept is that if you have a net connection,a desktop which can help you to go online, you can do commerce on line.You can buy & sell everything on the net even if you don't have the requisite infrastructure.
But sometimes it is amzing how simplified we have made the process of going to a mall & shopping there & comeback.Is buying & selling all about going to shop,see the product to buy,choose,pay???Does it happen so linearly or sequentially????Is it so automated ?? What about the intangible factors that contribute to this process like the ambience of a mall,the chatting of people all around,the feeling that someone gets when he or she tries out a new pair of clothes,the pampering of the cutomers by salespeople, so many to count about.
But that is not the case.Common sense tells us that shopping is not at all an automated process wherein everything is done sequentially.You may go to a shop but in place of buying clothes as the next action you may meet an old friend & then get into a long converstaion or you may go to a section which is not meant for you.
Take another example of a trend which was predicted to change the way we build organizations,change the way we work.It caught the imagination of the futurists so much that the doomsday for the huge organization was predicted to be very near & the future organizations, it was hoped will be built of people who will be mobile,who will work from home or any place they feel like working from.
But contrary to all the predictions, still we have huge organizations where people go to work daily.Still we don't find much people taking an intrest in this HOT DESKING concept wherein if you have a gadget to connect to your office network, you are no longer required to come to office.You can always work from home or any place for that matter.
What is it that is missing in the above cases????If online retail was & is the future, why do we have so many huge companies investing so much on opening big malls?Why a large crowd everyday throngs the mall.Why in the morning you find people waiting in the bus stop with laptops to catch their office buses.They could have very well worked from home.
A little bit of closer look & the most important thing that will be glaringly visible is that while predicting the future & understanding the trend of the devolopment of technology & it's impact on society we have missed out an important aspect of the way we human beings live which has to do with our social activeness.No one goes to a mall only to buy or sell.People go to malls to mingle with the crowd,to get a feeling that they are not alone on this earth.Same is the case with people going to work.No one works because of the work only,but because they get a recognition in society ,they get to mingle with people,they get to build a social network of their own.
The moot point here is that when ever we have a new technology coming up we tend to look the other way & ignore the social dimension of those activities for which the technology is meant to be used and indulge ourselves in predicting the trends.It is great to find out the trend & predict acordingly,but we have to be very careful accordingly,else we may take some fads to be the trends.
No one denies the place of technology in our growth story.But to be sure about our future let technology devolop taking into acount the social aspect of the activities.Let a hundred technological devolopment blossom,but let there be a part for social aspect also.Let both the social dimension & technological dimension compliment each other,then only we will have a clear trend which we can be confident to predict.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Salaam Mumbai
As soon as the flight takes off for Mumbai I always get an unknown pleasure which is sprinkled with little bit of anxiety.No, it is not for the reason that maximum of the time I go to a client's office for sorting out some technology related issues.Whether it is to a client site visit or some personal related works,journey to Mumbai is always something very unique.It always arouses within me a feeling that is beyond description.Always someone inside me gets anxious to get near her as soon as possible but does not want to stay with her for long.It is as if an adolescent venturing out to a mistress' place in night.
Yes, Mumbai to me looks like a mistress.with her buzzing crowds,hustle & bustle of fast paced life she entices me.I look at awe to the crowd in the local train, to the people who are always focused on a decent living & to people who makes the struggle to live look so easy.
With her busy life Mumbai won't give you a lazy time.She never sleeps.Even at 3 O clock in night one finds full traffic in suburbs.What to talk of the centre of the city.And what to talk of the dhabawallahs & vada Pav sellers in the city.Anytime they will give the MNCs of the world a run for their money.
But the only thing that I felt lacking is the intimacy of people towards each other(Notwithstanding the show of strength of Mumbaikars to help each other in recent cyclone & blasts). Everyone tries to save his/her own turf.No place for sympathy.If you are not able to catch up with the pace of leaving then you are bound to be run over.If you put your unquestionable faith on someone you are bound to be disheartened.When it comes to living, everyone is on his/her own.But why to talk of Mumbai does not it happen in every place???
But with all it's shortcomings Mumbai rocks.She is simply superb.She makes a man out of a kid.She makes people value the cost of life.She does not force you to love her.But you never know when you fall in love with her and would lopve to come back to her again and again
Yes, Mumbai to me looks like a mistress.with her buzzing crowds,hustle & bustle of fast paced life she entices me.I look at awe to the crowd in the local train, to the people who are always focused on a decent living & to people who makes the struggle to live look so easy.
With her busy life Mumbai won't give you a lazy time.She never sleeps.Even at 3 O clock in night one finds full traffic in suburbs.What to talk of the centre of the city.And what to talk of the dhabawallahs & vada Pav sellers in the city.Anytime they will give the MNCs of the world a run for their money.
But the only thing that I felt lacking is the intimacy of people towards each other(Notwithstanding the show of strength of Mumbaikars to help each other in recent cyclone & blasts). Everyone tries to save his/her own turf.No place for sympathy.If you are not able to catch up with the pace of leaving then you are bound to be run over.If you put your unquestionable faith on someone you are bound to be disheartened.When it comes to living, everyone is on his/her own.But why to talk of Mumbai does not it happen in every place???
But with all it's shortcomings Mumbai rocks.She is simply superb.She makes a man out of a kid.She makes people value the cost of life.She does not force you to love her.But you never know when you fall in love with her and would lopve to come back to her again and again
Friday, March 16, 2007
IT TAKES A LOT TO BE A MAVERICK
How do u rate an enterprise that is run by unconventional rules,Unconventional people who does not leave a single chance to go aginast the well laid down rules to run a business.A workplace that boasts of all the unusual ways in which the business is conducted.Unconventional methods they say, never yield results always and if you want to achieve that magic notion of being called as a successful organisation, obey all the rules,obey all those techniques those are created out of research but don't ever dare to go against them even if they go against the common sensees.But this stroy shows you how an organization going against all the rules has been so successful.
So much for the introduction.The book, starting from it's title (MAVERICK) is really an encyclopedia of unconventional rules & practices that amazes the reader from page one itself.This book tells the story of Semco( A brazillian Organization) which is run by Ricardo Semler who turned this family run business(Once upon a time being run by his father) into a profitable organization in a very short span of time.The story forces you to sit and take cognisance of the fact that a great business is about a little common sense being put into practice in a big way like being friendly to the important stakeholders(It's employees),democratizing the decision making at work place,empowering the employees to take the charge of their work & giving them the ownership of the bottomline.
Some of the gems worth collecting from the books are
1-Treat all the amployees like adults.
2-Show the employees the big picture and let them realise how the business is run
3-Practice democratization not on paper but in spirit also
4-Empower the employees to take their own decisions.
Though the book gives all the positive aspects of democratizing the workplace ,how feasible it is for a lrage organization to practice whatever the book is advocating.Take for example how feasible it is to find out what each employees like their places of work to be painted with.How feasible it is for the organizations to put the salary of the top people in front of their employees.A lot of aspects the author has advocated may sound very Utopian,but it is only Utopia where everyone likes to go.
Not withstanding the minor glitches this book stands apart in this crowded business-books' market as a distinguishable product with it's lucid style & concise chapters which does not bore a reader with all the minor details.
Thoroughly enjoyable & enlightening .Read this book & you will not be let down.
So much for the introduction.The book, starting from it's title (MAVERICK) is really an encyclopedia of unconventional rules & practices that amazes the reader from page one itself.This book tells the story of Semco( A brazillian Organization) which is run by Ricardo Semler who turned this family run business(Once upon a time being run by his father) into a profitable organization in a very short span of time.The story forces you to sit and take cognisance of the fact that a great business is about a little common sense being put into practice in a big way like being friendly to the important stakeholders(It's employees),democratizing the decision making at work place,empowering the employees to take the charge of their work & giving them the ownership of the bottomline.
Some of the gems worth collecting from the books are
1-Treat all the amployees like adults.
2-Show the employees the big picture and let them realise how the business is run
3-Practice democratization not on paper but in spirit also
4-Empower the employees to take their own decisions.
Though the book gives all the positive aspects of democratizing the workplace ,how feasible it is for a lrage organization to practice whatever the book is advocating.Take for example how feasible it is to find out what each employees like their places of work to be painted with.How feasible it is for the organizations to put the salary of the top people in front of their employees.A lot of aspects the author has advocated may sound very Utopian,but it is only Utopia where everyone likes to go.
Not withstanding the minor glitches this book stands apart in this crowded business-books' market as a distinguishable product with it's lucid style & concise chapters which does not bore a reader with all the minor details.
Thoroughly enjoyable & enlightening .Read this book & you will not be let down.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Sunday Supplementary BLUES
Why do I have to see these crap things again & again???
My roomie was grumbling looking at the TOI last Sunday. No he was not looking at any thing like a psycopath molesting & killing children or Iraq burning(These have become so common to warrant any respond from any one living on this planet).
What he was grumbling about,,,, was the way this paper which claims to be the number 1 Indian English Daily is setting dangerous trend.Rather than admitting that they don’t have any thing to give to reader, they start printing some craps which is not outright offensive but which crosses all levels of decency which a civilised society asks for.
Last Sunday it was about public display of affections by couples.According to the paper nowdays people are not scared to show their feelings in public, be it getting locked in lip kiss or be it hugging each other or for that matter fondling each other(Common should some one tell them that being Number one is a huge responsible task also,though the self claim of being number one sounds duboius).I don't know if at all it is the trend that has started(Still I see those loving & caring parents who are desparate to instill some ethics & values in their kids,still I find people wearing respecatble clothes who outnumber those about whom the paper shamelessly writes vaguely calling gthem trendsetter) or the paper was clueless how to grab eyeballs.
By the way which cities or places do these people survey????MG road in Bangalore(The crowdest place in Bangalore where one does not have space to turn one's head),Pubs & JUHU beach in Mumbai(Which is a safe haven for s*x,) or for that matter these clubs where the rich splurge themselves & where money talks, morality does not find any place.
No one discredits any one for doing this because we all human beings are emotional beings, we all have emotions which some time is vented our by each of us. But the way we display it, warrants debate at an intellectual and matured level which does not need soft pornographies.This paper rather than studying the major important aspects and publishing some mentally simulating debate, publishes pictures & arts which some time even crosses decency.
If this state of affairs continue & if we give patronage to this kind of yellow journalism,I Can imagine the day when there will be no difference between a stray dogs satisfying it's carnal desire in street in the open space & the human beings .
My roomie was grumbling looking at the TOI last Sunday. No he was not looking at any thing like a psycopath molesting & killing children or Iraq burning(These have become so common to warrant any respond from any one living on this planet).
What he was grumbling about,,,, was the way this paper which claims to be the number 1 Indian English Daily is setting dangerous trend.Rather than admitting that they don’t have any thing to give to reader, they start printing some craps which is not outright offensive but which crosses all levels of decency which a civilised society asks for.
Last Sunday it was about public display of affections by couples.According to the paper nowdays people are not scared to show their feelings in public, be it getting locked in lip kiss or be it hugging each other or for that matter fondling each other(Common should some one tell them that being Number one is a huge responsible task also,though the self claim of being number one sounds duboius).I don't know if at all it is the trend that has started(Still I see those loving & caring parents who are desparate to instill some ethics & values in their kids,still I find people wearing respecatble clothes who outnumber those about whom the paper shamelessly writes vaguely calling gthem trendsetter) or the paper was clueless how to grab eyeballs.
By the way which cities or places do these people survey????MG road in Bangalore(The crowdest place in Bangalore where one does not have space to turn one's head),Pubs & JUHU beach in Mumbai(Which is a safe haven for s*x,) or for that matter these clubs where the rich splurge themselves & where money talks, morality does not find any place.
No one discredits any one for doing this because we all human beings are emotional beings, we all have emotions which some time is vented our by each of us. But the way we display it, warrants debate at an intellectual and matured level which does not need soft pornographies.This paper rather than studying the major important aspects and publishing some mentally simulating debate, publishes pictures & arts which some time even crosses decency.
If this state of affairs continue & if we give patronage to this kind of yellow journalism,I Can imagine the day when there will be no difference between a stray dogs satisfying it's carnal desire in street in the open space & the human beings .
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
An Ode to Brand Experience
AT THE SHOP
I- How much is this shirt???
ShopKeeper- 2000 Rs. sir.This is a ***** shirt,,, sir.The pieces those are moving very fast.You will surely like it.You can confidently buy this sir.
IN MY ROOM
My RoomMate-Where from you bought this shirt????
Me- From that ******* showroom.
My RoomMate- Does not look that costly. It looks very cheap.I guess he took you for a ride.
ME ON THE BED
I should not have bought that shirt.It really looks bad.Price was very steep also.
AFTER 15 DAYS
Our Cook(Looking at the bundle of clothes placed on the floor)-Sir,why have you thrown these clothes???Can I check out if I can take some of them???
Me-Sure.
He picks up the shirt which was still new & left.
So much for getting inside a dazzling shop & getting something which we call brand experience :(
I- How much is this shirt???
ShopKeeper- 2000 Rs. sir.This is a ***** shirt,,, sir.The pieces those are moving very fast.You will surely like it.You can confidently buy this sir.
IN MY ROOM
My RoomMate-Where from you bought this shirt????
Me- From that ******* showroom.
My RoomMate- Does not look that costly. It looks very cheap.I guess he took you for a ride.
ME ON THE BED
I should not have bought that shirt.It really looks bad.Price was very steep also.
AFTER 15 DAYS
Our Cook(Looking at the bundle of clothes placed on the floor)-Sir,why have you thrown these clothes???Can I check out if I can take some of them???
Me-Sure.
He picks up the shirt which was still new & left.
So much for getting inside a dazzling shop & getting something which we call brand experience :(
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Resolution For No Resolution
So much to think about when some one asks you about what are your plans for the new year.Is it about the first day of the new year or the whole of new year, the the inquiring soul wants to know?? I generally get confused with the answer due to this confusion.
Let me start with the former one.What is it that I do on the 1st of Jan??Hmm let me recall..... Huh nothing much different except changing the day of my table clock if by mistake it had stopped,or for that matter changing the table canender's day.Except these changes absolutely nothing different than all other days.
Going out with friends,calling up home asking the whereabouts of father & mother,involving in those small gossips that go around in office premise about a new joinee or about a manager who does not know the T of technology or for that matter doing the mundane jobs those I do which I call my job or profession.
Sometimes I also wonder why people make so much fuss about the first day of every year.Except the increase in glossy advertisements those force you to spend your money & except a summary of the year that went by (which has become so common in all the media) nothing changes at all.I see the same news year after year.I get the same feeling that some people will prosper at the cost of others.I get the same false promises that life will be better all across the globe by people who are the prominent faces in the world politics.
But it is about the second option that I wonder sometime if I have an in depth analysis.For the whole year I do make a lot of plans which people generally say new year resolutions.Hmmmm, let me start thinking if I remember any one of them having been fullfilled.ten , three, ok leave it, may be one which I have fullfilled.
Scratching the back of my head I have got one which I have been able to fullfill & that is not making any plans & living life as it comes along.It is so easy to keep that I don't feel guilty enough at the end of each year that I did not kepp any new year resolutions.No headache of comparing the outcome with the intended one,no worry about the possibility of the occurrance of the event.Just enjoying the way life moves on.
They say you have to do what you do best & you have to make promises which you can keep.I feel I have got this one for me.Don't have any resolution for a new year. Just chill out & enjoy the sense of being alive.There is so much to see & hear & say.So why to narrow down to a small lane of resolutions those confine you to a small prison of plans,thoughts,actions while making you miss the vast canvas of life.
Let me start with the former one.What is it that I do on the 1st of Jan??Hmm let me recall..... Huh nothing much different except changing the day of my table clock if by mistake it had stopped,or for that matter changing the table canender's day.Except these changes absolutely nothing different than all other days.
Going out with friends,calling up home asking the whereabouts of father & mother,involving in those small gossips that go around in office premise about a new joinee or about a manager who does not know the T of technology or for that matter doing the mundane jobs those I do which I call my job or profession.
Sometimes I also wonder why people make so much fuss about the first day of every year.Except the increase in glossy advertisements those force you to spend your money & except a summary of the year that went by (which has become so common in all the media) nothing changes at all.I see the same news year after year.I get the same feeling that some people will prosper at the cost of others.I get the same false promises that life will be better all across the globe by people who are the prominent faces in the world politics.
But it is about the second option that I wonder sometime if I have an in depth analysis.For the whole year I do make a lot of plans which people generally say new year resolutions.Hmmmm, let me start thinking if I remember any one of them having been fullfilled.ten , three, ok leave it, may be one which I have fullfilled.
Scratching the back of my head I have got one which I have been able to fullfill & that is not making any plans & living life as it comes along.It is so easy to keep that I don't feel guilty enough at the end of each year that I did not kepp any new year resolutions.No headache of comparing the outcome with the intended one,no worry about the possibility of the occurrance of the event.Just enjoying the way life moves on.
They say you have to do what you do best & you have to make promises which you can keep.I feel I have got this one for me.Don't have any resolution for a new year. Just chill out & enjoy the sense of being alive.There is so much to see & hear & say.So why to narrow down to a small lane of resolutions those confine you to a small prison of plans,thoughts,actions while making you miss the vast canvas of life.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Coffee With A Twist
Folding the magazine that I bought from the small book stall in Mumbai airport in one hand & the hot coffee in another hand I sat down in one of the chairs in the last row of the waiting area.Since I had nothing to do in the hotel & beside there was an expectation that traffic on that day will be very huge in Mumbai, I started for the airport early. Had a lot of time to kill in the airport since except here & there there was no much traffic & the untimely rain had already forced the people not to commute. I reached airport 2 hrs before the plane bound for Bangalore was scheduled to arrive.The Mumbai weather was unusaually chilly.To kill some time went inside the book stall which though was small, had a nice collection. But could not comprehend the logic of the price being quoted in the dollars by the owner.Had to content myself with a weekly business magazine.
Since I am that kind of a guy who takes pleasure in nice quite moments,selected one of the vaccant chairs in the last row of the waiting area to savour the hot coffe. The TV at the front was showing NEWS about how Mumbai was getting ready to welcome lord Ganesh & differenet Puja Pandals & preparations for the festival was everywhere.As it had become a daliy routine & there was no newness about the NEWS those were being aired,preferred to go through the magazine which I bought in the bookstore.
She was looking in the direction in which I was sitting. Don't know from what time she had been looking at that direction.As soon as I raised my head I cought the glimpse of her.By any standard she was good looking & her modern outlook was oozing out of her dress.Suddenly the nervous kid inside me was awake.So had to again bring back my attention towards the book & the coffe I was having.But the male inside me was trying to derive the pleasure of those glances if at all they were for me.Though bit nervous,the male instinct in me could not resist the temptation of raising my head.Voila, she was again looking at me.Same way.Wow at least I can draw attention of a good girl,the macho man inside me was slowly & slowly climibing towards the cloud nine.
They were a family of four ,I guess. Father, mother, one sister & she. As soon as I looked at them, the glance shifted & she started conversing with the other girl. Are they talking about me? What is that they are talking about? The questionnaire from my head for me was getting longer & longer .Is it that I am looking bit unconventional?Is it that there is something that I have failed to notice in my dresses or appearenaces.My heart started beating faster."Chill out buddy,there is nothing wrong & you are who you are. So no need to give a damn to what any one says". I was trying to calm myself down.Then again those glances were towards my seat & this time there was not one but two two glances.The other girl sitting beside her's & her father's.
Suddenly she got up & started walking in the direction in which I was seating.The pleasure that my masculinity was deriving was at it's peak.I was already rehearsing the differenet answers those will be delivereed if any hi or questions came on my way. She was there just 1 feet away & still she was moving.The fragrance of the costly perfume wafted in the wind. I was about to get up. She came, crossed & walked away from my seat. My inside was screaming in desperation. "Hello. I am here. Where are you going"??????. With a sense of relieve & pain I turned my head in a way not to not disclose that I was looking at her path.There she was along with with 4 to 5 people in front of the TV which was hanging from the top with the details of the flight on the screen getting refreshed every minute,pointing something to her father & the other girl who by this time had already come in front of that TV.
The coffee in my hand had already become cold & the NEWS on the TV has already given way to the advertisement of the to be released movie "Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna".
The announcer announced for the Delhi Bound passanger to go to the boarding area & they all started for the plane.I was staring at the magazine in my hand trying to register the face I had already seen.
Since I am that kind of a guy who takes pleasure in nice quite moments,selected one of the vaccant chairs in the last row of the waiting area to savour the hot coffe. The TV at the front was showing NEWS about how Mumbai was getting ready to welcome lord Ganesh & differenet Puja Pandals & preparations for the festival was everywhere.As it had become a daliy routine & there was no newness about the NEWS those were being aired,preferred to go through the magazine which I bought in the bookstore.
She was looking in the direction in which I was sitting. Don't know from what time she had been looking at that direction.As soon as I raised my head I cought the glimpse of her.By any standard she was good looking & her modern outlook was oozing out of her dress.Suddenly the nervous kid inside me was awake.So had to again bring back my attention towards the book & the coffe I was having.But the male inside me was trying to derive the pleasure of those glances if at all they were for me.Though bit nervous,the male instinct in me could not resist the temptation of raising my head.Voila, she was again looking at me.Same way.Wow at least I can draw attention of a good girl,the macho man inside me was slowly & slowly climibing towards the cloud nine.
They were a family of four ,I guess. Father, mother, one sister & she. As soon as I looked at them, the glance shifted & she started conversing with the other girl. Are they talking about me? What is that they are talking about? The questionnaire from my head for me was getting longer & longer .Is it that I am looking bit unconventional?Is it that there is something that I have failed to notice in my dresses or appearenaces.My heart started beating faster."Chill out buddy,there is nothing wrong & you are who you are. So no need to give a damn to what any one says". I was trying to calm myself down.Then again those glances were towards my seat & this time there was not one but two two glances.The other girl sitting beside her's & her father's.
Suddenly she got up & started walking in the direction in which I was seating.The pleasure that my masculinity was deriving was at it's peak.I was already rehearsing the differenet answers those will be delivereed if any hi or questions came on my way. She was there just 1 feet away & still she was moving.The fragrance of the costly perfume wafted in the wind. I was about to get up. She came, crossed & walked away from my seat. My inside was screaming in desperation. "Hello. I am here. Where are you going"??????. With a sense of relieve & pain I turned my head in a way not to not disclose that I was looking at her path.There she was along with with 4 to 5 people in front of the TV which was hanging from the top with the details of the flight on the screen getting refreshed every minute,pointing something to her father & the other girl who by this time had already come in front of that TV.
The coffee in my hand had already become cold & the NEWS on the TV has already given way to the advertisement of the to be released movie "Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna".
The announcer announced for the Delhi Bound passanger to go to the boarding area & they all started for the plane.I was staring at the magazine in my hand trying to register the face I had already seen.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Unpredictably Predictable
Just watched the two news popping out of the TV screens in the prime news channels. One was about the consecutive blasts that occured in Mumbai.The other one,Israel pounding upon Lebanon for releasing her soldier.what a great contrast???
One news was about a billion or so hapless & helpless people who do not have anything to do other than succumbing helplessly to the whims & vagaries of a rogue nation whose sole motive is to see that India bleeds to death.The other one was about a small group of people who know how to save a single life of their community, even if it amounts to being condemned by the international society of being a war monger.One was about the prime minister of a large nation who was pleading before the international community to chide his neighbour for being unfriendly & uncontrollable.The other was about the leadership which didn't have to plead anyone.Just actions which will prove that "Play with my peoples' lives at your own risk".One was about a strong leadership which knows how to answer the enemy in it's own terms.The other one was about a leadership which knows how to cry & beg in front of international community to save it from being harassed by other nations who even don't measure upto a quarter of it's size.
To add to the already traumatic moment came the disclosure from one of our ministry (whose sole duty is to be vigilant about the internal security of the nation) in public about the beforehand information of the blast,but sigting ignorance about the details. C'mon can we be so callous & careless about the lives of our people???Can we be so shameless to accept that we are helpless even when we have every means at our hands to tackle the terror????Can we be so spine less,so servile as to be looked upon as a nation which does not have even teeth to bite, leave apart the claws to tear when being attacked by a small group of people who even does not have the courage to come out openly decalring their antagonism towards us?? How many times will we have to face such an embarrassing situation??? How many more lives have to be sacrificed to let the wrong doers know that they are doing something inappropriate??? How many more years of celebrating ahimsa ??? How many???
No particular answers will be found for these questions.They will still persist for the time to come.The leagcy of Ahimsa which have been bestowed upon us by Mahatma will be carried forward even if it amounts to be nonsensical and directionless,even if it leads to thousands and thousands of deaths.The politicisation of peoples' death will be carried forward with vengeance by the so called ruling class.Celebrities will light candle in front of the media so that their so called fans will at least know that their god is still alive even if loads of people died.Media will carry the debates about whether we have become a soft target for terrorists for some time.People will discuss about this for sometime at coffe table & kitty party to show that at least they care about their so called society.NGOs will have a reason to show their existence.Monetary help will be declared which may not even see the light out of the so called Netas' bank balances.
Life will move on as it moved on after Kargil, after Kandahar,after Mumbai Bomb blast,after Gujurat train burning incident.But who will fill up the vaccancies those have been created for a mother,for a wife, for a son,for a daughter??? Who will bring back the lost pride of this nation which have been subjected to so much humiliation.Who will????
One news was about a billion or so hapless & helpless people who do not have anything to do other than succumbing helplessly to the whims & vagaries of a rogue nation whose sole motive is to see that India bleeds to death.The other one was about a small group of people who know how to save a single life of their community, even if it amounts to being condemned by the international society of being a war monger.One was about the prime minister of a large nation who was pleading before the international community to chide his neighbour for being unfriendly & uncontrollable.The other was about the leadership which didn't have to plead anyone.Just actions which will prove that "Play with my peoples' lives at your own risk".One was about a strong leadership which knows how to answer the enemy in it's own terms.The other one was about a leadership which knows how to cry & beg in front of international community to save it from being harassed by other nations who even don't measure upto a quarter of it's size.
To add to the already traumatic moment came the disclosure from one of our ministry (whose sole duty is to be vigilant about the internal security of the nation) in public about the beforehand information of the blast,but sigting ignorance about the details. C'mon can we be so callous & careless about the lives of our people???Can we be so shameless to accept that we are helpless even when we have every means at our hands to tackle the terror????Can we be so spine less,so servile as to be looked upon as a nation which does not have even teeth to bite, leave apart the claws to tear when being attacked by a small group of people who even does not have the courage to come out openly decalring their antagonism towards us?? How many times will we have to face such an embarrassing situation??? How many more lives have to be sacrificed to let the wrong doers know that they are doing something inappropriate??? How many more years of celebrating ahimsa ??? How many???
No particular answers will be found for these questions.They will still persist for the time to come.The leagcy of Ahimsa which have been bestowed upon us by Mahatma will be carried forward even if it amounts to be nonsensical and directionless,even if it leads to thousands and thousands of deaths.The politicisation of peoples' death will be carried forward with vengeance by the so called ruling class.Celebrities will light candle in front of the media so that their so called fans will at least know that their god is still alive even if loads of people died.Media will carry the debates about whether we have become a soft target for terrorists for some time.People will discuss about this for sometime at coffe table & kitty party to show that at least they care about their so called society.NGOs will have a reason to show their existence.Monetary help will be declared which may not even see the light out of the so called Netas' bank balances.
Life will move on as it moved on after Kargil, after Kandahar,after Mumbai Bomb blast,after Gujurat train burning incident.But who will fill up the vaccancies those have been created for a mother,for a wife, for a son,for a daughter??? Who will bring back the lost pride of this nation which have been subjected to so much humiliation.Who will????
Saturday, July 08, 2006
An Encounter With The Truth
she was standing there,with those little hands towards me,palms spread out,asking for some thing really cool so that she can feel victorious on her way to her mother who was waiting patiently some distance away,waiting to see how well her kid has mastered the art that had been taught to her by none other then she.
Sometime back both of their actions were the objects of curiousity for me,as I was the witness to the drama that was being played out near the Subway Sandwich shop wherein the mother was literally pushing the kid towards us and the kid was reluctant to follow her order to come to us for begging something.The duel between the mother and the kid was played out for some time after which unwillingly the daughter gave in to the mother( perhaps the charity of respecting the elders played it's role).
Slowly she came forward to the place where me and my friend Biswa were having our after meal conversations with the rustle and bustle of Hyderabad city forming the backdrop(I had been posted to the city for the first time on a temporary basis for one month). Not to embarrass her, I moved my attention to Biswa who was engrosssed in the pleasure of smoke and speaking out about our nostalgic school time.But knowingly or unknowingly my eyes often moved to that direction where she was on her way to her war field.Suddenly she was there.No words just those two hands came forward with palms spread out.
Since I presumed that I didn't have any coins,I was about to say "Change Nahin hai".But something deep inside me was laughing aloud on me."Hmm so you don't have change gentleman.You can afford to have a snadwich of 135 bucks & give tip of 10 Rs. to the waiter in a posh restaurant,But you can't give this child at least 1 rupee coin.Chhee Cheee,shame on you."
Suddenly those three words which I utter so clearly sometime was hard to come by.Should I or Shouldn't I???? "I remembered that I had some coins left out after I payed the bill for the sandwich.But who cares.She will go na.Why to break the flow of conversations.But isn't that bad??Perhaps my friend understood my confusion.Taking out his purse & without any attention he put a two rupee coin on the child's palm.Since I also didn't want to be left behind in this, my hands went straight to my back pocket & I also put a two rupee coin on those palms.
Holding the two coins she ran towards the judge, who by this time had come a bit closer,so that she can also ask for her share from us.The child handed her the coins.The mother looked at the coins.Took the girl in her hand.I don't know what thought came to her mind.Both started walking in the other direction from which we sat. I was hearing a voice deep inside me asking me "Is this the future of this kid??Doesn't she have the right to have a decent life??Doesn't she have the privilege to learn & understand the basic laws of science,the basic arithmatics??
Biswa's smoking was over.Throwing the cigarette on the ground,he wore his helmet on,Started the newly bought bike and we sped towards CLUB 8 where we were scheduled have a great Friday Night.
I felt as if those two innocent eyes were keeping a watchful eye on me & giving me a mysterious smile telling me "Common,don't look for the answers when you know what the answers are".The bike was speeding away.The vehicles were zooming past us and with them my mind was also having a tought time to remain cool.
Sometime back both of their actions were the objects of curiousity for me,as I was the witness to the drama that was being played out near the Subway Sandwich shop wherein the mother was literally pushing the kid towards us and the kid was reluctant to follow her order to come to us for begging something.The duel between the mother and the kid was played out for some time after which unwillingly the daughter gave in to the mother( perhaps the charity of respecting the elders played it's role).
Slowly she came forward to the place where me and my friend Biswa were having our after meal conversations with the rustle and bustle of Hyderabad city forming the backdrop(I had been posted to the city for the first time on a temporary basis for one month). Not to embarrass her, I moved my attention to Biswa who was engrosssed in the pleasure of smoke and speaking out about our nostalgic school time.But knowingly or unknowingly my eyes often moved to that direction where she was on her way to her war field.Suddenly she was there.No words just those two hands came forward with palms spread out.
Since I presumed that I didn't have any coins,I was about to say "Change Nahin hai".But something deep inside me was laughing aloud on me."Hmm so you don't have change gentleman.You can afford to have a snadwich of 135 bucks & give tip of 10 Rs. to the waiter in a posh restaurant,But you can't give this child at least 1 rupee coin.Chhee Cheee,shame on you."
Suddenly those three words which I utter so clearly sometime was hard to come by.Should I or Shouldn't I???? "I remembered that I had some coins left out after I payed the bill for the sandwich.But who cares.She will go na.Why to break the flow of conversations.But isn't that bad??Perhaps my friend understood my confusion.Taking out his purse & without any attention he put a two rupee coin on the child's palm.Since I also didn't want to be left behind in this, my hands went straight to my back pocket & I also put a two rupee coin on those palms.
Holding the two coins she ran towards the judge, who by this time had come a bit closer,so that she can also ask for her share from us.The child handed her the coins.The mother looked at the coins.Took the girl in her hand.I don't know what thought came to her mind.Both started walking in the other direction from which we sat. I was hearing a voice deep inside me asking me "Is this the future of this kid??Doesn't she have the right to have a decent life??Doesn't she have the privilege to learn & understand the basic laws of science,the basic arithmatics??
Biswa's smoking was over.Throwing the cigarette on the ground,he wore his helmet on,Started the newly bought bike and we sped towards CLUB 8 where we were scheduled have a great Friday Night.
I felt as if those two innocent eyes were keeping a watchful eye on me & giving me a mysterious smile telling me "Common,don't look for the answers when you know what the answers are".The bike was speeding away.The vehicles were zooming past us and with them my mind was also having a tought time to remain cool.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
An Ode to The Motherhood
They got down from the train.Three of them.Since last three hours I have been sitting in the station with a lot of anxiety to see my parents getting down safely on the station.It was their first time of coming out of my state.So I was worried a little bit.After little time there they were. Uncle, mother & father with his typical specs which had slid down a little bit to the tip of his nose.That radiant smile of mother was still there even if we both have come a long way since my early childhood time when I was in a boarding school. I clearly remember the same smile, same radiance that she displayed whenever she saw me.Not a single hardship of life had touched her smile till now,though the hairs on the head have become white symbolising the passage of time.As I reached for her feet to get those long awaited blessings she hugged me.That same warmth, same love,same secured feeling. The kid inside me was getting pampered.And my eyes were getting wet.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Boss's Day Out
Remember the early days when you were learning Maths.How your teacher used to say “Students, Math is all about 4 to 5 operations.Substraction, Addition, Multiplication, Division, & the parentheses. All other stuffs are just derivation of all these”. Remember how simple life looked when you found out these basics & how enjoyable the subject became.
If someone tells you the same thing about business how will you feel???If someone tells you that profitable business is all about mastering some basic fundamentals,,, won’t you look at him with a bit of surprise??? Won’t you treat the person with little bit snare when he or she says all business follows the same principles whether it is the business of a street vendor or the business of a huge MNC like WAl Mart or GE. To be very honest I felt quite the same when I saw the cover page & reviews of the book “WHAT THE CEO WANTS YOU TO KNOW” authored by Ram Charan who has done his DBA & MBA from Harvard University. Anyway since it was recommended by personalMBA list, bought it for the sake of self satisfaction that I have one of the books of the list. On a cool Monday morning while coming to office in the bus thought of giving it a try & to be frank enough I was not disappointed either. Have you seen Maradona playing in World cup 1986??? A small creature if you compare the average football player with him, but see him dribbling the ball & tearing apart the opposition’s defense & it is unbelievable how power packed his play is. They say small is beautiful & after reading this book I would wholeheartedly support that view. Just 135 pages of book can be so educative I didn’t know it earlier. Read it & you feel as if the intricacies of the business world are being cleared & you have a clear picture of how a business is run.
Starting from chapter 1 where the author gives you the fundamentals of every business which are 1- Cash Generation 2- Margin 3-Velocity 4- Return On assets 5- Growth 6- Customer, till the end where the author tries to put some basic questions for you to ask whenever you look at an organization or an industry as a whole, the book is thoroughly educative. To add to the readers’ delight the author has put some small cases in point like Wal Mart’s Sam Walton using these fundamentals. Michel Dell of Dell, Jack Welch of GE & some other high profile ceos also find mention in the list of high performing businessmen, who have honed the skill of mastering these basic fundamentals. Small comparisons here & there of the successful companies with the companies those could not succeed, helps to clear the intricate web of running a business for a layman to some extent. Not to miss the point which author mentions which being “To be a profitable business every manager or CEO should try to involve each & everyone who is involved in the business”
The book looks to be a kind of pocket book for the entrepreneurs who just want to get a refresher course in 3 hrs. Or so. So even if the subjects are not dealt exhaustively that should not be taken as a drawback. Pick up this book. Read it & go through it again & again till you master the vocabularies of business like Growth, productivity, efficiency, core competency, Consumer & customer. Read it & you will get the business Acumen that is required to run an enterprise & to get started of your own.
If someone tells you the same thing about business how will you feel???If someone tells you that profitable business is all about mastering some basic fundamentals,,, won’t you look at him with a bit of surprise??? Won’t you treat the person with little bit snare when he or she says all business follows the same principles whether it is the business of a street vendor or the business of a huge MNC like WAl Mart or GE. To be very honest I felt quite the same when I saw the cover page & reviews of the book “WHAT THE CEO WANTS YOU TO KNOW” authored by Ram Charan who has done his DBA & MBA from Harvard University. Anyway since it was recommended by personalMBA list, bought it for the sake of self satisfaction that I have one of the books of the list. On a cool Monday morning while coming to office in the bus thought of giving it a try & to be frank enough I was not disappointed either. Have you seen Maradona playing in World cup 1986??? A small creature if you compare the average football player with him, but see him dribbling the ball & tearing apart the opposition’s defense & it is unbelievable how power packed his play is. They say small is beautiful & after reading this book I would wholeheartedly support that view. Just 135 pages of book can be so educative I didn’t know it earlier. Read it & you feel as if the intricacies of the business world are being cleared & you have a clear picture of how a business is run.
Starting from chapter 1 where the author gives you the fundamentals of every business which are 1- Cash Generation 2- Margin 3-Velocity 4- Return On assets 5- Growth 6- Customer, till the end where the author tries to put some basic questions for you to ask whenever you look at an organization or an industry as a whole, the book is thoroughly educative. To add to the readers’ delight the author has put some small cases in point like Wal Mart’s Sam Walton using these fundamentals. Michel Dell of Dell, Jack Welch of GE & some other high profile ceos also find mention in the list of high performing businessmen, who have honed the skill of mastering these basic fundamentals. Small comparisons here & there of the successful companies with the companies those could not succeed, helps to clear the intricate web of running a business for a layman to some extent. Not to miss the point which author mentions which being “To be a profitable business every manager or CEO should try to involve each & everyone who is involved in the business”
The book looks to be a kind of pocket book for the entrepreneurs who just want to get a refresher course in 3 hrs. Or so. So even if the subjects are not dealt exhaustively that should not be taken as a drawback. Pick up this book. Read it & go through it again & again till you master the vocabularies of business like Growth, productivity, efficiency, core competency, Consumer & customer. Read it & you will get the business Acumen that is required to run an enterprise & to get started of your own.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Uncle Sam with Stuffs Made In AMERICA
How do you feel when someone tells you that it does not take a Harvard degree or a over hyped IIM degree to start a venture of your own. What is required is a strong conviction in your dream & a persistent effort to pursue that dream whatever the world around might have to say about your dream.
I can feel that “C’mon we all know that” feeling already brewing inside your head. But believe me that is what is required when you want to get started of your own. You can ask how I know that. Well, It required just a 3 hrs daily 10 days session with the greatest merchant to have ever lived on this Earth Sam Walton to assure me of that. If the name sounds unfamiliar to you then it is better to stop thinking about business & start thinking about something you are good at. Because no one denies knowing the founder of the Number one company in Fortune 500 list.Hey I am talking about WAL-MART & the dreamer( I would love to use that word for the founder) Sam Walton behind this huge corporation.
Got to know about his life from the book “MADE IN AMERICA” which I just bought from the book store out of curiosity. But the book proved to be a gem of a thing. Narrated in a lucid way the book holds you in a superb grip of the story of a person who believed in providing the customer the best ever service they can get in retailing & held on to that belief throughout his life. In a candid way the founder who is also the coauthor of the book along with John Huey, has put down anything & everything that had something to do with WALMART & the process of making it as big as it is now.
The book is embedded with so many gems about how to go about a business, that you feel sometime it is more of a study book than a leisure book.
Customer is the king, Communication gap is the worst trouble you can imagine your organization to be in, treat your employees in a dignified way, give them responsibility & see them growing up, Believe in your dreams, be in the place where the real action is rather than inside a fancy office space,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,the list of gems in never ending.
Aren’t these stuffs they teach in Mgmt schools & how much do we pay to listen to all these things told over again & again?
I wonder why don’t people switch off their TV & get started with the reading habit because so many worthy books like this are floating around . Rather than making the book complicated with all the numbers & statistics, the authors have tried their best to keep it as simple as it can be to let everyone venture into the mystic that WAL MART has become for a lot of people.If you ever want to start a business then better go for this book rather than running here & there for tips & if you want to go into retailing then this is the only book you should pick.
Enjoyable reading & enlightenemnet guaranteed. No doubt it made to the best sellers list.
I can feel that “C’mon we all know that” feeling already brewing inside your head. But believe me that is what is required when you want to get started of your own. You can ask how I know that. Well, It required just a 3 hrs daily 10 days session with the greatest merchant to have ever lived on this Earth Sam Walton to assure me of that. If the name sounds unfamiliar to you then it is better to stop thinking about business & start thinking about something you are good at. Because no one denies knowing the founder of the Number one company in Fortune 500 list.Hey I am talking about WAL-MART & the dreamer( I would love to use that word for the founder) Sam Walton behind this huge corporation.
Got to know about his life from the book “MADE IN AMERICA” which I just bought from the book store out of curiosity. But the book proved to be a gem of a thing. Narrated in a lucid way the book holds you in a superb grip of the story of a person who believed in providing the customer the best ever service they can get in retailing & held on to that belief throughout his life. In a candid way the founder who is also the coauthor of the book along with John Huey, has put down anything & everything that had something to do with WALMART & the process of making it as big as it is now.
The book is embedded with so many gems about how to go about a business, that you feel sometime it is more of a study book than a leisure book.
Customer is the king, Communication gap is the worst trouble you can imagine your organization to be in, treat your employees in a dignified way, give them responsibility & see them growing up, Believe in your dreams, be in the place where the real action is rather than inside a fancy office space,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,the list of gems in never ending.
Aren’t these stuffs they teach in Mgmt schools & how much do we pay to listen to all these things told over again & again?
I wonder why don’t people switch off their TV & get started with the reading habit because so many worthy books like this are floating around . Rather than making the book complicated with all the numbers & statistics, the authors have tried their best to keep it as simple as it can be to let everyone venture into the mystic that WAL MART has become for a lot of people.If you ever want to start a business then better go for this book rather than running here & there for tips & if you want to go into retailing then this is the only book you should pick.
Enjoyable reading & enlightenemnet guaranteed. No doubt it made to the best sellers list.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Mythology And Myths
Holding the fiction 'Yanjaseni' in my hand I was thinking why do we crib when the west points a finger towards us accusing us of hypocrisy.Aren't we all hypocrates.Even our mythology which we are so proud of also points blatantly to the only fact that, we don't do what we preach.
The book is a best seller in it's original language(Oriya) & the English translation was recommended by my friend.Since I was brought up with all those English fiction stuffs, didn't have an idea how mgically can a vernacular author spawn a story & bind you with it's magical spell till you finish the last page.Spellbinding I would rather say.
The writing though a fictional creation tries to address the trauma & dilemma that the character Draupadi had to undergo in her life in the great epic of Mahabharat,the name that has come to be ridiculed and has got associated with all vulgarity in today's society.The author tries to critically analyse the standing of the character vis-a-vis the incidents those have happened in the great epic of Mahabharat,which we all respect for it's portrayal of all human emotions & sentiments & for the creation of Geeta from the battlefield of Kurukhetra.
It was absolutely a page turner.While going through the book I saw the various shades of the Pandavas,their behaviour vis-a-vis Draupadi who by tragic or whatever you want to say became the wife of the five brothers who are known as Panadava.The story revolves round Draupadi starting from her birth till she takes her last breath while going on pilgriamge in Himalayas.Though the book comes under the ctaegory of Fiction,it has raised some valid question regarding the behavoiur of men towards women.Don't know if it was the thought of the author who is a woman herself. But the fact remains that the character which has been most humiliated & had been deprived of her due respect is, Draupadi of the Mahabharata.If the story is true & if any woman has to bear this kind of sacrifices for the betterment of the world & prevalance of Dharama then let no woman be subjected to this kind of sufferings.
Starting from her birth which was for the sole purpose of keeping Dharma & let the adharmas die,the character comes out magnificently victorious in in every type of trial & tribulations, whether it is in the married life with 5 men, or when she has been dragged to the the king's court by Dushasan for the most harried part of the epic which is so shameful that it gives me goosebumps when I think of describing that episode.Can men be like this???That question always crops up.Is it the way we have been brought up where male chauvinisism prevails, where no woman has a say even if the deciosion relates to her????
Why did the society allow kings to have more than one wife ??? Why can't a queen have more than one king????Why is it that everytime some sacrifices needs to be done it has to be done by the ladies of houses????Is it the way our society have been brought up which the author of Mahabahrat tried to paint which is nothing but a story that have been fabricated out of the way society was functioning during that period or it is only a fictional account????
If the way Krishna behaved whom we consider the lord of all the lords,then why do we call him god????I don't have any feeling towards him if he lets someone suffer so that he or she can be closer to him.......Don't we think he is fit to be a saddist who only enjoys giving pain to someone who loves him.In none of the religion on this world you will find the god giving pain to the devotee for the sole purpose of keeping him or her attached to the lord himself.Why is it that Draupadi had to undergo so much trauma only because she was a woman????Is it that a woman is considered to be the privileged one to have such a vast heart who is capable of undergoing all these hard things in life????
My mind was spinning around.Tried to think a little deeeper & voila another thought came to my mind.Why we have only five brothers called Pandavas,they could have been six or seven or say they could be ten also.Doesn't it say something abt ourselves. How many senses we have???
Five ..... Right???? & who is Draupadi??? Isn't she everyone of us???? Surrender to five senses. You will have all the troubles in the life.But surrender yourself to god,you will find peace & tranquility in life.You will find the real meaning of life.
Is it the later message that Mahabharat gives us??? or is it the former???
Still I am searching for the answer.If you have any answer you can always put them.
The book is a best seller in it's original language(Oriya) & the English translation was recommended by my friend.Since I was brought up with all those English fiction stuffs, didn't have an idea how mgically can a vernacular author spawn a story & bind you with it's magical spell till you finish the last page.Spellbinding I would rather say.
The writing though a fictional creation tries to address the trauma & dilemma that the character Draupadi had to undergo in her life in the great epic of Mahabharat,the name that has come to be ridiculed and has got associated with all vulgarity in today's society.The author tries to critically analyse the standing of the character vis-a-vis the incidents those have happened in the great epic of Mahabharat,which we all respect for it's portrayal of all human emotions & sentiments & for the creation of Geeta from the battlefield of Kurukhetra.
It was absolutely a page turner.While going through the book I saw the various shades of the Pandavas,their behaviour vis-a-vis Draupadi who by tragic or whatever you want to say became the wife of the five brothers who are known as Panadava.The story revolves round Draupadi starting from her birth till she takes her last breath while going on pilgriamge in Himalayas.Though the book comes under the ctaegory of Fiction,it has raised some valid question regarding the behavoiur of men towards women.Don't know if it was the thought of the author who is a woman herself. But the fact remains that the character which has been most humiliated & had been deprived of her due respect is, Draupadi of the Mahabharata.If the story is true & if any woman has to bear this kind of sacrifices for the betterment of the world & prevalance of Dharama then let no woman be subjected to this kind of sufferings.
Starting from her birth which was for the sole purpose of keeping Dharma & let the adharmas die,the character comes out magnificently victorious in in every type of trial & tribulations, whether it is in the married life with 5 men, or when she has been dragged to the the king's court by Dushasan for the most harried part of the epic which is so shameful that it gives me goosebumps when I think of describing that episode.Can men be like this???That question always crops up.Is it the way we have been brought up where male chauvinisism prevails, where no woman has a say even if the deciosion relates to her????
Why did the society allow kings to have more than one wife ??? Why can't a queen have more than one king????Why is it that everytime some sacrifices needs to be done it has to be done by the ladies of houses????Is it the way our society have been brought up which the author of Mahabahrat tried to paint which is nothing but a story that have been fabricated out of the way society was functioning during that period or it is only a fictional account????
If the way Krishna behaved whom we consider the lord of all the lords,then why do we call him god????I don't have any feeling towards him if he lets someone suffer so that he or she can be closer to him.......Don't we think he is fit to be a saddist who only enjoys giving pain to someone who loves him.In none of the religion on this world you will find the god giving pain to the devotee for the sole purpose of keeping him or her attached to the lord himself.Why is it that Draupadi had to undergo so much trauma only because she was a woman????Is it that a woman is considered to be the privileged one to have such a vast heart who is capable of undergoing all these hard things in life????
My mind was spinning around.Tried to think a little deeeper & voila another thought came to my mind.Why we have only five brothers called Pandavas,they could have been six or seven or say they could be ten also.Doesn't it say something abt ourselves. How many senses we have???
Five ..... Right???? & who is Draupadi??? Isn't she everyone of us???? Surrender to five senses. You will have all the troubles in the life.But surrender yourself to god,you will find peace & tranquility in life.You will find the real meaning of life.
Is it the later message that Mahabharat gives us??? or is it the former???
Still I am searching for the answer.If you have any answer you can always put them.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Unusually Usual
No one could have imagined my pleasure when after a long time(To be precise it was around 11 months and 10 days) when my manager nodded approvingly to my leave application.To add to that pleasure my roommate who hails from the same place also got his leave approved.So it was kind of a great happiness that we both started for Orissa via Chennai.But as the train slowly moved towards our station, a confusion was raised by my friend who asked me " Arey yaar what you are going to do in village for 14 days???" That was a question for which I didn't have a correct answer."What should I do??? Let me think..... I will visit my relatives. Then I will meet some of my city friends.Thats all". I said as a matter of factly. Then why are you staying for so long in the village."He asked me amusingly.I was confused totally.Where does my village come in to the scheme of things now.Is it that only my parents are staying there, that is why I am going there????
To be very frank I don't feel my village as my own after staying away from it since when I was ten years old only. Don't know how fast times leapt by & I became man of 28 years old from that shy kid of 10 years. I remember the day when father received the formal communication from Sainik School Bhubaneswar informing him that his son has qualified for the prestigious school.I don't know how he felt when he came to know that his son belongs to that elite group of 100 something students who have successfully able to clear the hurdle(which I feel was quite tough considering the fact that I was from an oriya medium school from a small and unknown village).
Ayway I still remember the joy in his voice when in that small room in our thatched house which we(Me and my sister) shared with our parents after dinner when he showed that communication to my mother.Though bou (We call our mother in that name in Oriya family generally) was not comfortable reading that letter she could make out from her knowledge of English that his son has got through the final exam.. You could see that sense of pride in both of their faces.I guess if human skin would have been able to generate power which is directly proportional to the happiness he or she gets then on that day our whole village would have got the supply from our house :).
Though I was unaware of it's importance to my parents, I was glad that I have cracked something & being a kid who deos not like to take failure in any venture especially in studies, I was more than satisfied with the attempt & the result.After that as far as I remember for 15 days there was no school for me as my transfer was in process.Father being the headmaster of the school, where I was having my primary education, there was no problem in getting a TC(Transfer Certificate).Then came the painful day of bidding farewell to my mother. I still remember her face on that day,though grief stricken she did not let me know that she was revolting in side to let her only son go to a boarding school about which he heard a lot(Like getting up early in the morning, doing physical exercises, harsh punishments etc. etc.. It came to such a point that someone told her that once she lets her son go to that school he is bound to join army).
But my father a great pillar of strength, confidence, optimism(even now also he has not lost any of these ) was very firm on that day.Since I was bit closure to my mother , she used to sometimes let me know how badly we are faring financially & what problems father had faced to arrange the money.The list of things to arrange for the admission was quite a lengthy one I would say.6 sando banyans(don't ask me what that means,even no one in our family including father had a clue what that means for which we had a good word from the hostel suptdt when we marched in to the hostel. Anyway I will later tell what happened in my hostel), 6 briefs( I still wonder was it necesary ????:-\ Father ironed my clothes(you can imagine the love I got), folded them properly & put it in a trunk. Though it was written, in the list of things to be brought while coming to join that, we have to take a black trunk, we didn't have time to paint the trunk.Then one big mattress was folded up nicely which father had specially ordered with extra cotton to make it bit more thick so that his dear son can have a nice sleep.We folded everything. For the first time in my life I wore a black pair shoes with full trousers.Had a small meal as I was not in a mood to eat anything as the pain of leaving my dear village was creating a sense of revulsion inside me.
One air bag which father used to carry his things was arranged for me.With all the things at their place, me and father started for the bus stop. Bou came till the stand to see me off. Her eyes were red out of crying. I could not hold my tears back.I was thinking can't I stop here. Can't father change his decision to send me & ask me to go back to home.
I still vivdly remember those few lines which father said at that moment."Life is very short, son.Now 7 years may seem to be a long period. But when you will pass out of the school with something to preserve and cherish for your life, those period will look very small in comparison to the memoery you will have.Today you may feel bad, but later you will feel that this was the most appropriate decision that we have taken."
I can't imagine anyone can be so true. My school helped me to eveolve as an individual, geve me the friendships those I even cherish nowdays,gave me so many beautiful incidents which I treasure close to my heart.The person I am today, the profession I profess today is due to the outlook I got from my school. But in turn what I have given back to my village, village friends,my parents???? I guess father missed out that on that day thinking that it would be upto me to decide how much I will give back to my dear village & my dear family.
Nowdays I feel it unusual for people to pee beside the roadside,unusual for people to shout at the top of their voices even if it a celebration time,people to crib when they feel injustice has been done to them by any elder..The sophiosticated way of living has installed in me a sense of looking at society from an unantural frame of reference.
Nowdays when I go to my village I want every one to have a disciplined way of life.Every one should obey the rules set by elders(Though I am opposed to it, but the seven years of strong discpline refuses to die) & everyone is bound to pay respect to the elders even when they say or do something wrong.My village friends no longer behave with me in antural way.No one now calls me to go to the village pala or nacha ( Folk dance) in night. No one asks me to join with them for a game of card play.Every one looks at me from that perspective in which Indian freedom fighters looked at the British rulers.Why such a schism??? Nowdays even my family feels as if I am cut off from their world.The unnatural way of treating me as someone special continues at every relative's place.Can't say what is it that I missed out while growing up or is it the natural way of treating someone who has lost his soul but to show off that he or she is still alive adorns beautiful clothes. Isn't it unusual or we have made it a habit of treating unusual in an usual way as if they have existed, they are existing & they will exist.
To be very frank I don't feel my village as my own after staying away from it since when I was ten years old only. Don't know how fast times leapt by & I became man of 28 years old from that shy kid of 10 years. I remember the day when father received the formal communication from Sainik School Bhubaneswar informing him that his son has qualified for the prestigious school.I don't know how he felt when he came to know that his son belongs to that elite group of 100 something students who have successfully able to clear the hurdle(which I feel was quite tough considering the fact that I was from an oriya medium school from a small and unknown village).
Ayway I still remember the joy in his voice when in that small room in our thatched house which we(Me and my sister) shared with our parents after dinner when he showed that communication to my mother.Though bou (We call our mother in that name in Oriya family generally) was not comfortable reading that letter she could make out from her knowledge of English that his son has got through the final exam.. You could see that sense of pride in both of their faces.I guess if human skin would have been able to generate power which is directly proportional to the happiness he or she gets then on that day our whole village would have got the supply from our house :).
Though I was unaware of it's importance to my parents, I was glad that I have cracked something & being a kid who deos not like to take failure in any venture especially in studies, I was more than satisfied with the attempt & the result.After that as far as I remember for 15 days there was no school for me as my transfer was in process.Father being the headmaster of the school, where I was having my primary education, there was no problem in getting a TC(Transfer Certificate).Then came the painful day of bidding farewell to my mother. I still remember her face on that day,though grief stricken she did not let me know that she was revolting in side to let her only son go to a boarding school about which he heard a lot(Like getting up early in the morning, doing physical exercises, harsh punishments etc. etc.. It came to such a point that someone told her that once she lets her son go to that school he is bound to join army).
But my father a great pillar of strength, confidence, optimism(even now also he has not lost any of these ) was very firm on that day.Since I was bit closure to my mother , she used to sometimes let me know how badly we are faring financially & what problems father had faced to arrange the money.The list of things to arrange for the admission was quite a lengthy one I would say.6 sando banyans(don't ask me what that means,even no one in our family including father had a clue what that means for which we had a good word from the hostel suptdt when we marched in to the hostel. Anyway I will later tell what happened in my hostel), 6 briefs( I still wonder was it necesary ????:-\ Father ironed my clothes(you can imagine the love I got), folded them properly & put it in a trunk. Though it was written, in the list of things to be brought while coming to join that, we have to take a black trunk, we didn't have time to paint the trunk.Then one big mattress was folded up nicely which father had specially ordered with extra cotton to make it bit more thick so that his dear son can have a nice sleep.We folded everything. For the first time in my life I wore a black pair shoes with full trousers.Had a small meal as I was not in a mood to eat anything as the pain of leaving my dear village was creating a sense of revulsion inside me.
One air bag which father used to carry his things was arranged for me.With all the things at their place, me and father started for the bus stop. Bou came till the stand to see me off. Her eyes were red out of crying. I could not hold my tears back.I was thinking can't I stop here. Can't father change his decision to send me & ask me to go back to home.
I still vivdly remember those few lines which father said at that moment."Life is very short, son.Now 7 years may seem to be a long period. But when you will pass out of the school with something to preserve and cherish for your life, those period will look very small in comparison to the memoery you will have.Today you may feel bad, but later you will feel that this was the most appropriate decision that we have taken."
I can't imagine anyone can be so true. My school helped me to eveolve as an individual, geve me the friendships those I even cherish nowdays,gave me so many beautiful incidents which I treasure close to my heart.The person I am today, the profession I profess today is due to the outlook I got from my school. But in turn what I have given back to my village, village friends,my parents???? I guess father missed out that on that day thinking that it would be upto me to decide how much I will give back to my dear village & my dear family.
Nowdays I feel it unusual for people to pee beside the roadside,unusual for people to shout at the top of their voices even if it a celebration time,people to crib when they feel injustice has been done to them by any elder..The sophiosticated way of living has installed in me a sense of looking at society from an unantural frame of reference.
Nowdays when I go to my village I want every one to have a disciplined way of life.Every one should obey the rules set by elders(Though I am opposed to it, but the seven years of strong discpline refuses to die) & everyone is bound to pay respect to the elders even when they say or do something wrong.My village friends no longer behave with me in antural way.No one now calls me to go to the village pala or nacha ( Folk dance) in night. No one asks me to join with them for a game of card play.Every one looks at me from that perspective in which Indian freedom fighters looked at the British rulers.Why such a schism??? Nowdays even my family feels as if I am cut off from their world.The unnatural way of treating me as someone special continues at every relative's place.Can't say what is it that I missed out while growing up or is it the natural way of treating someone who has lost his soul but to show off that he or she is still alive adorns beautiful clothes. Isn't it unusual or we have made it a habit of treating unusual in an usual way as if they have existed, they are existing & they will exist.
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