Thanks For Just Being There

It’s been a while now since I vend out here (exactly that is what I feel when I write here)….since mechanism way of metro living has kept me away. Believe me I have been missing this so badly and wanted to be here and put my thoughts… ambiguities, cynicism and confessions in this web space before all get vanished thus I can refer this in future for my own learning’s and lessons.


Every year this week post X-Mas I get into this introspective mood and know I am certainly not alone with this syndrome and have many of you who are going to be instigated with this reoccurring enigma in coming few days for sure. I really couldn’t figure out over the years what does prompt me to do so but this happens religiously for last 10-12 years. In this process if I have to illustrate entire year in one word (which is ridiculous to do so) but for me one defining word which comes to my mind and i.e. “Lessons”. Yes indeed the year gone by has brought lot of learning to mankind and has taught us lot of things in its own nasty way. It has made the world more humble, has taught art of giving to the world and last but not the least, taught us how to be grounded and omit the word “proud” from our thinking process because the sequence of events unfolded last year has again reminded us that “nothing is permanent” .Most of us had forgot or perhaps not giving this “phrase” a due thought which it should actually get.

We all have thought about the year gone by in our own way and have our lessons to learn and grow. Hence today I force my memory to go back couple of years behind in order to contemplate how does things around me or within me has changed or otherwise? I have completed half a dozen years in Galib’s city and one defining image which comes to my mind time n again and I am repentantly putting here that is “STANDSTILL TRAFFIC” [no wonder our local sport minister doesn’t recognize “Formula One” as Sports :) ]. 6 years back I have started my journey as a little immature boy and I believe I have taken it to slight sensible and responsible Man stage :). I know many of you still has strong apprehension to the use of word “sensible” and to be honest I would not argue much with you on this regard, since I myself still has question marks there deep down :) and seriously trying to improve here.

When I go to down memory lane and without getting to much lyrical and to put it on serious note I think when I reached old Delhi station 6 years back I was like a plain slate which was ready to get written upon. And this Grand old city of India has written an interesting short story on that. The story gave me my share of laughs, sorrows, guiltiness…happiness…and perhaps all other emotions and moments to cherish except “Regrets”. Today when I look behind there is only one thing which I wish I could have done differently and that is certainly I should have less ignorant and more responsive to my loved ones and well wishers. And I take this opportunity to convey my heartfelt apologies and sorry to all of you, who’s …”Calls I have not responded back”, “Mails I didn’t replied to”, “SMSes I couldn’t respond to”. I am so sorry, not to you, but to myself that how fool and idiotic I was to do that. Some of you have already stopped writing to me and would have formed your own perception about me…you have every right to do that and I don’t have any inclination to question your perception but just want to tell you, I am still the same person you met first with lots of flaws and limitations and need your help to come out of these shortcomings. Hence solicit your forgiveness and need you around me…please be in touch. I pledge and promise I would seriously work on this and not let myself down going forward because I have always believed when I am honest to myself I’ll be honest with you and all. I have been indebted by generosity of so many people as friends, collogues, mentors and guides and don’t have appropriate word in my vocabulary to convey me regards to them. They all have been great support including each one of you, some of you are still around and I wish you will be there forever to bestow me with your blessings, to guide me with your wisdom and to nurture me to become a good human being.

Just remember your friend and colleague…is still little numbed and so pompously engrossed into in his small town ethos :) :) ….which can be a crux of the issue…PLEASE HELP HIM.

Soul Curry

When Mr. Richard Flud had broke the story about Lehman Brothers bankruptcy to world last year in New York, nobody had foreseen or even thought in their wildest dreams the magnitude of damage or the amount of change this event would bring to peoples life across the world. I sitting in capital of India seeing 0n television people taking their stuff out the Lehman’s office in NY having tears in their eyes never realized that the magic Dr. Manmohan Singh has created in 1992 get coupled with this biggest corporate tragedy in history going to impact my life and many others like me in big way. I have this friend working with one the reputed organization at senior position, earning hefty sum and joined this around year back from Mr. Jack Welch’s company because he was getting higher position n money. 2 days back he called me said Mr. Flud’s announcement has made its impact on him today and his company has thanked him for all he has done from them in last 1 year and they are done with his services.

But I really wonder did India really have such magnitude of impact? That it has forced the strategist to take such extreme steps. Why we are creating so much fuss? When still whole world is looking us and China as their potential survival ground. Notwithstanding Mr. Obama has his own thought process of being protective about Buffalo from Bangalore but all the evolve business minds across the world has different opinion on this including people from his own soil. With all due respect to his great articulation skills I am afraid but “Yes we can” might not turn true in all his initiatives, certainly not on this topic.

So when world has dependency on us and looking us as their future leader and asking a silent guidance from us, this is the high time when this great country should unleash the real potential into performance and capture the long due numerouno position. We are going to have a demographic dividend in coming years this is the phase a country gets into once in life cycle. When majority of the population is potential work force and has fewer dependents, instead of working towards such opportunity our Leaders in parliament are more bothered about “Sach ka Samna” and “Balika Badhu” or the fight between Ambani brothers. But anyway by the time we keep electing politician who has aspirations of unveiling their own Statues we are fooling ourselves big time even if we are thinking about a change.

I really couldn’t understood the real reason/logic of my and likewise many others suffering if Mr. Flud couldn’t manage his company well in NY. Perhaps the “Global Village” definition which my teacher has taught me during my school days has another angle to it which I was meant to understand and learn with practical …..”Experience” which is like a comb that life gives you when you are bald :-)

Why everybody comes across just so perfect in childhood?

This is one intriguing thought came to mind today that why was everybody comes across just so perfect to me?? When I was kid and even for most of them I was also an absolutely perfect kid. I used to like every single person I knew then and they also adore me. But as I grew up, my likening started getting changing-up and earlier my universal likening rule for everybody started incorporating new permutation and combination I never knew why?? and when?? Why someone whom I liked so much as a kid, suddenly turned out be so imperfect, full of so many short comings for me that I just can’t stand off to him. Perhaps because when I was kid I never intended to look for short comings of his and accepted him and liked him for whatever he was. However When I grew-up I started seeing him from different paradigm altogether and expected him to be behave in certain manner and do certain things which he never did or perhaps just can’t do or he might just not capable of doing that. Same goes for “me” I had been liked so much by so many people when I was kid because their expectations from me were almost zero on the contrary when I grew-up. They started developing expectations from me in their own silent manner and when realized that I am falling short on the expectations parameter the degree of their likening to me started decreasing.

I derived the conclusion that why everybody was just so perfect as a kid, because I never interpreted their personality in my own way but accepted them, liked them for what they are. And more than anything else I never had any expectations from anybody so whatever they did for me; was a pleasant surprise and gradually such surprises added up to my likening of them. But once I grew-up, unintentionally I developed an invisible measurement instrument of my likening of people and i.e. “expectations”. Now anybody who failed on my expectations parameter with each failing transaction on this, I plotted shortcomings in him/her and gradually came to conclusion that how imperfect he or she is. And same, others did for me. With each passing day this “expectation” parameter used to create a vacuum between us sometimes luckily either of the parties realizes the mistakes and mutually work on to negate this vacuum. Sometimes it goes beyond reparable state…………..and we pay the prizes of keeping high expectations from each other….in terms of sour relationships…..but little introspections make us realize that life is too short to be “Sorrow” and too mean to be “proud” and “Egoist”…………………. And if we’ll not have expectations from each other, whatever we’ll do for each other would be a pleasant surprise and will add to our likening for each other forever……………

This intriguing thought came to mind today that why was everybody comes across just so perfect to me?? When I was kid and even for most of them I was also an absolutely perfect kid. I used to like every single person I knew then and they also adore me. But as I grew up, my likening started getting changing-up and earlier my universal likening rule for everybody started incorporating new permutation and combination I never knew why?? and when?? Why someone whom I liked so much as a kid, suddenly turned out be so imperfect, full of so many short comings for me that I just can’t stand off to him. Perhaps because when I was kid I never intended to look for short comings of his and accepted him and liked him for whatever he was. However When I grew-up I started seeing him from different paradigm altogether and expected him to be behave in certain manner and do certain things which he never did or perhaps just can’t do or he might just not capable of doing that. Same goes for “me” I had been liked so much by so many people when I was kid because their expectations from me were almost zero on the contrary when I grew-up. They started developing expectations from me in their own silent manner and when realized that I am falling short on the expectations parameter the degree of their likening to me started decreasing.

I derived the conclusion that why everybody was just so perfect as a kid, because I never interpreted their personality in my own way but accepted them, liked them for what they are. And more than anything else I never had any expectations from anybody so whatever they did for me; was a pleasant surprise and gradually such surprises added up to my likening of them. But once I grew-up, unintentionally I developed an invisible measurement instrument of my likening of people and i.e. “expectations”. Now anybody who failed on my expectations parameter with each failing transaction on this, I plotted shortcomings in him/her and gradually came to conclusion that how imperfect he or she is. And same, others did for me. With each passing day this “expectation” parameter used to create a vacuum between us sometimes luckily either of the parties realizes the mistakes and mutually work on to negate this vacuum. Sometimes it goes beyond reparable state…………..and we pay the prizes of keeping high expectations from each other….in terms of sour relationships…..but little introspections make us realize that life is too short to be “Sorrow” and too mean to be “proud” and “Egoist”…………………. And if we’ll not have expectations from each other, whatever we’ll do for each other would be a pleasant surprise and will add to our likening for each other forever……………

When are we going to be “Happiest”?

I asked above question to myself n number of times…..right from the days when I started making some sense what does this great word ”HAPPINESS” stand for? . And every time I used to find different answer altogether. Then gradually I realized notwithstanding once I will achieve or reach the stage wherein I foresee myself to be a” Happiest”…….. my mind would cultivate different answer for same question and this is sedulous process since my childhood. Therefore I really wonder when my mind will allow me to become “happiest” and I will put to rest this question once for all. Perhaps never……………..but why?? Perhaps because my mind works on the behest of my desirers……….and desires are endless therefore unless I will make my desires finite and countable I might never reach a stage of being “HAPPIEST”.

Now the biggest question is how am I going to control my desires? I don’t know because had this been that easy and there were some thumb rule for this. I would have been reached to “HAPPIEST” stage long ago and so many others also likewise. But of course there are some common grounds wherein majority of us, used to find ourselves elated and happy precisely when we are in good sound relationship….be it with mother ,father,brother,friends…….or the lovers………….. What does is this which makes some of our relationship work and some don’t? Why we get along with someone as house of fire and some we just can’t standoff. Perhaps because we always look forward for likeminded people and look to make friendship only with folks whom we think that, they have the traits which we already possess or which we always strive to have in our persona, and he already possess. How many times we meet somebody and then talk about him with everybody else that what a great guy he is? He has great sense of humor, he is very down to earth and an intelligent person .We immediately starts liking him because perhaps we want to have all these traits in our persona. And we’ll gel with each other only if I also I have some of these traits in my persona since he is also functioning with same rule…………..and once we will fulfill each other’s criteria we will have long lasting good sound relationship and be happy in each other’s company…and gradually if once start realizing that either party is falling short and have developed contrast of the traits second rule will come into play……….”we just can’t standoff” that guy……………………….. In nutshell relationship are like MIRRORS for happiness…………….choice is ours what we want to see in that Mirror…..

“BENCH” The new nemesis of IT Industry

Growth of IT has been roller coaster in India it has seen astounding success and darkest of hours in three and half decades history. Our country has had rich history of giving the world most ignited minds including great visionaries, innovators and thinkers. Therefore it was all the more easy for us to grow and prosper in Information Technology once we have been introduced to it. Thanks to stalwarts like Mr. Murthy’s, Nelekini’s and Nadar’s who dared to think differently and wanted to made their own league which was full of difficulties and obstacles and took the challenge of creating something out of nothing. They have chosen this path despite they had option of choosing comfortable jobs with likes of HP and IBM. It is their courage and vision which has given India edge and respective place on world map and today we are being taken as force to reckon with.

But off late this great Industry has been rocked by financial fiasco, doller nemesis and Satyam saga to say least has added insult to injury. Amidst forecast of negative growth for industry has force the companies to push panic button to an extent. And whenever such situation occurs the knee jerk reaction company’s takes are to scrape the “BENCH” which they deliberately used to create and nurture in good days to keep the edge over their competitors. But the moment things start looking gloomy BENCH folks are being given ridiculous nouns such as “FAT”. And suddenly “BENCH” becomes biggest nemesis of this industry. However inspite doing these knee jerk reactions if companies put their thinking hats and instead of being reactive if they will adopt more responsive approach there can be viable solution to this problem. One such solution can be if there is person (so called FAT) who has threat of losing his job because he is on bench, Companies can take some initiative under their CSR (corporate social responsibility) in the line of PPP (Public Private Program) and do some projects in rural area’s in large scale wherein such employees can be send on deputation and during this tenure they might not get full remuneration but certain percentage (50%) of his wage. This will not only help employee save his job but also provide him real time training and learnability which will certainly hone his skill and knowledge to make him better professional in future. There can be an argument that this might keep him away from his basic skills but that indeed can be managed by an individual effort in this digital global village age…………..