Sometime back, I casually asked my colleague Sunil N, 'what's up for the weekend?'
He said he's attending something special, a book launch! And thanks to him, I got a copy of the book Nenapinangala.
The book is about late Ramesh Pattar, who was a popular government official, living true to 'Government's Work is God's Work'. Common people loved him.
Apart from serving the people through various positions he held, he also indulged in literature, writing plays, poems & stories which show his dynamic personality.
Coming from a middle class family, working his way up on his own, having experienced village life from close quarters, his writings reflect his social consciousness.
After he passed away, son Ravindra Pattar who loves his father immensely collected all his writings, brought out as a book along with photographs & opinions.
Right from the cover page design, to layout & content, just like Ramesh Pattar's life & his son's love for him, the book is special.
Here is the website
Showing posts with label My Experiences/Thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label My Experiences/Thoughts. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Magic Wand
During college days I too believed that one day we will become a great nation from a developing country, soon.
After that phase of 'I can change the world' comes the reality in every common man's life, of being a part of society & system to make a living :P
I had to start learning to live with the harsh reality of, everyday fight for basic necessities, our lack of discipline & cleanliness and our general lack of awareness & interest or the will to change the system. Without realizing, I was slowly being sucked into the vicious circle of 'chalta hai', 'we are like this only'.
As terrorism & corruption grew we remained apathetic.
Doubts started creeping in, 'will India ever be a developed country'?
Engine of India's growth, the middle class, was simply detached or indifferent, seemingly happy with the status quo.
But past few days have been refreshingly different.
As Anna, epitome of a common man, set out to cleanse the system, the middle class awakened, shook the rust off hearts & dusted off the souls and responded in a manner that befits the land of Gandhi.
The floodgates opened & people warmed up to Anna from their frozen state, pouring into the streets to protest peacefully.
I think all that we needed to come out of inertia, was just a right leader.
The Jan Lokpal Bill per se may not eradicate corruption. (I partially agree with the anti-Anna (pseudo?) intellectuals on this. But the movement is not just about marching to the Jan Lokpal Bill destination. I believe, the long journey has just begun)
The common man was woken up & that's enough to restore my hope & faith.
And Mr. Prime Minister, Anna has the magic wand.
After that phase of 'I can change the world' comes the reality in every common man's life, of being a part of society & system to make a living :P
I had to start learning to live with the harsh reality of, everyday fight for basic necessities, our lack of discipline & cleanliness and our general lack of awareness & interest or the will to change the system. Without realizing, I was slowly being sucked into the vicious circle of 'chalta hai', 'we are like this only'.
As terrorism & corruption grew we remained apathetic.
Doubts started creeping in, 'will India ever be a developed country'?
Engine of India's growth, the middle class, was simply detached or indifferent, seemingly happy with the status quo.
But past few days have been refreshingly different.
As Anna, epitome of a common man, set out to cleanse the system, the middle class awakened, shook the rust off hearts & dusted off the souls and responded in a manner that befits the land of Gandhi.
The floodgates opened & people warmed up to Anna from their frozen state, pouring into the streets to protest peacefully.
I think all that we needed to come out of inertia, was just a right leader.
The Jan Lokpal Bill per se may not eradicate corruption. (I partially agree with the anti-Anna (pseudo?) intellectuals on this. But the movement is not just about marching to the Jan Lokpal Bill destination. I believe, the long journey has just begun)
The common man was woken up & that's enough to restore my hope & faith.
And Mr. Prime Minister, Anna has the magic wand.
Sunday, April 03, 2011
A night, when India turned into a party hall with 1.2 billion people
Yes, number one in Tests, first T20 world-cup, but deep down every Indian wanted this one, for 28 years.
And when it came, it came in some style, with Indian captain triggering the celebrations by blasting one into the crowd.
And the celebration in streets was like nothing we had ever seen before!
As we hit the road at midnight, opening highlight was an uncle parading his entire family, standing through sun roof & windows on his SUV, complete with flags & tricolor on face & screams of joy!
And then while filling petrol, we started realizing the magnitude of it all.
Long queue in the petrol bunk but no one in a hurry, people screaming slogans, loud music from a car & everyone swaying to it, party in a petrol bunk!
Celebrating all along with people on road as we neared the MG Road Bangalore, it was an unbelievable sight.
People riding on the top of vehicles, in the boot, sitting on windows, hi-fives, chanting 'Indiaa India', honking the same tune, waving flags, everyone expressing the overwhelming happiness in their own way. Each one seemed to have just realized a childhood dream.
Banners & bats, songs & dance, young & old, men & women...highlight was all of them taking turns to use the barricades in the road side as musical instrument & breaking into a impromptu jig with strangers, hugging each other and then moving ahead!
It was surreal.
Everyone had turned into a kid who just got his or her favorite toy.
Even with all mayhem, with policemen quietly watching, things were so great and there was so much happiness in air that even MG would have nodded from up above.
In the most successful ICC event ever (Inaugurated by Sehwag with a Four, ended by Dhoni with a Six!), India's journey had some awesome moments.
A tie with the entertainers of the world-cup England.
A ferocious opening assault from the big two, Sachin & Sehwag on the great SA pacers before the mind melt in the end.
And raising the game to different level in knockout stages especially with fielding from a team never known for it's athleticism!
In the quarterfinal, magnificence of Ponting & Brett Lee's fight. And then Yuvraj Singh turning a king again, slaying the demons of 2003.
The high voltage, semi-final with Pakistan,so spectacular that it made all the pre match hype look like, understatement!
A team effort to the core, with even much maligned Nehra & Munaf rising to the occasion with Bhajji's timely strike and Zaheer Khan leading the pack with sage like calm to overcome Pak with ruthless efficiency. Sehwag cameo at the top was the highlight.
Well, not to forget Afridi's dignity in defeat.
Every time, the tough time came, a hero rose for India, like we had read in fables!
And in the match worthy of final, where Mahela's class shone though, chasing 274, at 31/2 we really needed a hero.
And it was gutsy Gambir who put his hands up first looking possessed.
And when Kohli departed, out came the out of form, short of runs, Indian captain (the man surely has balls), ahead of Yuvraj, as if to announce 'I am here to take the bull by horns'.
And boy, he then went on to play what they call a 'Captains Innings'. Period.
Next day as it all started sinking in, it was stirring to see the footages of Anil Kumble being handed over the cup by Sachin, for we need to salute him & the fine men like Ganguly, Dravid, Laxman & Srinath, for being a part of the team which laid the foundation to this day.
When the man who carried the hopes of more than billion hearts for more than two decades, held his most coveted trophy aloft, every Indian in the world would have been smiling, content, proud & misty-eyed.
They say, life is about moments that take your breath away.
All the above, as I witnessed magic happen, is stored in my memory forever as a little private video.
I am sure everyone has his or her own :-)
And when it came, it came in some style, with Indian captain triggering the celebrations by blasting one into the crowd.
And the celebration in streets was like nothing we had ever seen before!
As we hit the road at midnight, opening highlight was an uncle parading his entire family, standing through sun roof & windows on his SUV, complete with flags & tricolor on face & screams of joy!
And then while filling petrol, we started realizing the magnitude of it all.
Long queue in the petrol bunk but no one in a hurry, people screaming slogans, loud music from a car & everyone swaying to it, party in a petrol bunk!
Celebrating all along with people on road as we neared the MG Road Bangalore, it was an unbelievable sight.
People riding on the top of vehicles, in the boot, sitting on windows, hi-fives, chanting 'Indiaa India', honking the same tune, waving flags, everyone expressing the overwhelming happiness in their own way. Each one seemed to have just realized a childhood dream.
Banners & bats, songs & dance, young & old, men & women...highlight was all of them taking turns to use the barricades in the road side as musical instrument & breaking into a impromptu jig with strangers, hugging each other and then moving ahead!
It was surreal.
Everyone had turned into a kid who just got his or her favorite toy.
Even with all mayhem, with policemen quietly watching, things were so great and there was so much happiness in air that even MG would have nodded from up above.
In the most successful ICC event ever (Inaugurated by Sehwag with a Four, ended by Dhoni with a Six!), India's journey had some awesome moments.
A tie with the entertainers of the world-cup England.
A ferocious opening assault from the big two, Sachin & Sehwag on the great SA pacers before the mind melt in the end.
And raising the game to different level in knockout stages especially with fielding from a team never known for it's athleticism!
In the quarterfinal, magnificence of Ponting & Brett Lee's fight. And then Yuvraj Singh turning a king again, slaying the demons of 2003.
The high voltage, semi-final with Pakistan,so spectacular that it made all the pre match hype look like, understatement!
A team effort to the core, with even much maligned Nehra & Munaf rising to the occasion with Bhajji's timely strike and Zaheer Khan leading the pack with sage like calm to overcome Pak with ruthless efficiency. Sehwag cameo at the top was the highlight.
Well, not to forget Afridi's dignity in defeat.
Every time, the tough time came, a hero rose for India, like we had read in fables!
And in the match worthy of final, where Mahela's class shone though, chasing 274, at 31/2 we really needed a hero.
And it was gutsy Gambir who put his hands up first looking possessed.
And when Kohli departed, out came the out of form, short of runs, Indian captain (the man surely has balls), ahead of Yuvraj, as if to announce 'I am here to take the bull by horns'.
And boy, he then went on to play what they call a 'Captains Innings'. Period.
Next day as it all started sinking in, it was stirring to see the footages of Anil Kumble being handed over the cup by Sachin, for we need to salute him & the fine men like Ganguly, Dravid, Laxman & Srinath, for being a part of the team which laid the foundation to this day.
When the man who carried the hopes of more than billion hearts for more than two decades, held his most coveted trophy aloft, every Indian in the world would have been smiling, content, proud & misty-eyed.
They say, life is about moments that take your breath away.
All the above, as I witnessed magic happen, is stored in my memory forever as a little private video.
I am sure everyone has his or her own :-)
Thursday, January 20, 2011
The Killer Elephant!
Three men were strolling merrily that night.
They had a good dinner & drink. One among them had got engaged & were walking back from that function.
Suddenly, out of the thick dark forest, emerged an elephant, onto the moon lit mud road catching them unaware.
It grabbed one with its trunk, flung him into the drain beside!
Elephant threw the other one up & as the body hit the ground, stepped on him, killing violently!
It heard the moaning of the one in drain & killed him too.
The third one ran & saved his life to tell the sorry tale.
An occasion of joy in the village had turned into mourning the next day.
-----
The elephant had escaped from Circus.
It had lost one of the tusks to its antics. One day it killed the mahout & ran into the Malenadu forest.
Thus a terror was born in the neighboring villages!
Once in a while it would appear out of nowhere causing havoc, killing people, destroying houses & crops.
It had immense hatred for humans, must be due to the torture it underwent in circus days.
It disliked dogs and fire as well.
One day enraged by a barking dog, it entered a house in the village, taking the dislodged roof on its back to a distance!
It had killed around 10 people in the surroundings.
People in the villages started panicking.
And in the Malenadu village region the houses were a km apart.
There was only one mud road through village and if a vehicle passed by it was a sight/news.
Electricity or telephones were science fiction.
By night, lamps kept inside the house, dogs tied & doors closed, villagers lived in fear.
Rice being the main crop in those days, villages were full of paddy fields and few coconut trees, both prone to elephant attack.
Government finally woke up to the loss of lives & crop, to announce Rs 10,000 and a rifle as prize for killing the rogue elephant.
But in those days of license raj only two people in the village had licensed gun!
For few days, some government officers were roaming around in a jeep with guns but to no avail.
-----
It was dusk when people came running to me, terrified by the elephant!
As they were explaining me how and where they saw the elephant, few others got hold of Padmayya, the other one who had a licensed gun in the village.
I had a Game King - 12 Bore Dbbl Gun.
The cartridges came with different number of lead shots (Single Ball, Double Balls, LG (9), SG, BB...and so on) with the total weight of the lead in a cartridge being same.
I loaded the cartridge with a single lead shot & had backup cartridges in pocket.
Padmayya's gun wouldn’t take a readymade cartridge, the chamber had to be filled with bullet, gunpowder and primer for each shot, entire process taking more than a minute for even the quickest to reload!
Quickly we were set.
Two people with guns, and another with a torch.
The elephant was located in the paddy field, a km away.
Loss of lives, crops & helplessness had enraged us.
Our strategy was to go to the nearest safe distance and fire simultaneously at the elephant.
-----
We had to be careful, while walking through the narrow path through forest, with chances of facing snakes & other wild animals.
We hurried to the paddy field.
It was near full Moon. Standing at a height in a corner, we could clearly see the elephant, right in the center of the field.
It was a sight, a wild untamed elephant in all its glory!
The elephant was collecting a bunch with its trunk, hitting to its leg to get rid of mud from rice plants & eating merrily.
Even with a loaded gun, the sight of the ferocious killer elephant would send shivers down the spine of the bravest!
Luckily it didn't seem to notice us.
We took position.
After a moment, we passed the signal to each other silently.
I pulled the trigger & then Padmayya, 'click, bang' almost simultaneously!
In seconds, I reloaded the gun with a twin lead shot cartridge & shot again.
The sound of gunshots ripped through the silence of the village.
The elephant rose on its hind feet & let out a roar, echoing in the night!
And then it ran madly, with blood dripping.
It got into the nearby river, with boulders & water in the river splattering all over and disappeared into the forest.
It was only the following day we could locate the elephant.
Next day when the quarry workers, some distance away, went near riverside with thick bamboo cover, found the elephant lying in mud, which promptly got up to chase them!
It was there for three days.
And then it was not seen in the vicinity for quite some time.
----
Notes
- As narrated by my late grandfather around 15 years back & this is my recollection with inputs from those who had heard the story too.
- The elephant died, a while later, holding the electricity line with its trunk near NH 48.
- It was in the 1970s.
- And in the Malenadu village region the houses still are a km apart.
They had a good dinner & drink. One among them had got engaged & were walking back from that function.
Suddenly, out of the thick dark forest, emerged an elephant, onto the moon lit mud road catching them unaware.
It grabbed one with its trunk, flung him into the drain beside!
Elephant threw the other one up & as the body hit the ground, stepped on him, killing violently!
It heard the moaning of the one in drain & killed him too.
The third one ran & saved his life to tell the sorry tale.
An occasion of joy in the village had turned into mourning the next day.
-----
The elephant had escaped from Circus.
It had lost one of the tusks to its antics. One day it killed the mahout & ran into the Malenadu forest.
Thus a terror was born in the neighboring villages!
Once in a while it would appear out of nowhere causing havoc, killing people, destroying houses & crops.
It had immense hatred for humans, must be due to the torture it underwent in circus days.
It disliked dogs and fire as well.
One day enraged by a barking dog, it entered a house in the village, taking the dislodged roof on its back to a distance!
It had killed around 10 people in the surroundings.
People in the villages started panicking.
And in the Malenadu village region the houses were a km apart.
There was only one mud road through village and if a vehicle passed by it was a sight/news.
Electricity or telephones were science fiction.
By night, lamps kept inside the house, dogs tied & doors closed, villagers lived in fear.
Rice being the main crop in those days, villages were full of paddy fields and few coconut trees, both prone to elephant attack.
Government finally woke up to the loss of lives & crop, to announce Rs 10,000 and a rifle as prize for killing the rogue elephant.
But in those days of license raj only two people in the village had licensed gun!
For few days, some government officers were roaming around in a jeep with guns but to no avail.
-----
It was dusk when people came running to me, terrified by the elephant!
As they were explaining me how and where they saw the elephant, few others got hold of Padmayya, the other one who had a licensed gun in the village.
I had a Game King - 12 Bore Dbbl Gun.
The cartridges came with different number of lead shots (Single Ball, Double Balls, LG (9), SG, BB...and so on) with the total weight of the lead in a cartridge being same.
I loaded the cartridge with a single lead shot & had backup cartridges in pocket.
Padmayya's gun wouldn’t take a readymade cartridge, the chamber had to be filled with bullet, gunpowder and primer for each shot, entire process taking more than a minute for even the quickest to reload!
Quickly we were set.
Two people with guns, and another with a torch.
The elephant was located in the paddy field, a km away.
Loss of lives, crops & helplessness had enraged us.
Our strategy was to go to the nearest safe distance and fire simultaneously at the elephant.
-----
We had to be careful, while walking through the narrow path through forest, with chances of facing snakes & other wild animals.
We hurried to the paddy field.
It was near full Moon. Standing at a height in a corner, we could clearly see the elephant, right in the center of the field.
It was a sight, a wild untamed elephant in all its glory!
The elephant was collecting a bunch with its trunk, hitting to its leg to get rid of mud from rice plants & eating merrily.
Even with a loaded gun, the sight of the ferocious killer elephant would send shivers down the spine of the bravest!
Luckily it didn't seem to notice us.
We took position.
After a moment, we passed the signal to each other silently.
I pulled the trigger & then Padmayya, 'click, bang' almost simultaneously!
In seconds, I reloaded the gun with a twin lead shot cartridge & shot again.
The sound of gunshots ripped through the silence of the village.
The elephant rose on its hind feet & let out a roar, echoing in the night!
And then it ran madly, with blood dripping.
It got into the nearby river, with boulders & water in the river splattering all over and disappeared into the forest.
It was only the following day we could locate the elephant.
Next day when the quarry workers, some distance away, went near riverside with thick bamboo cover, found the elephant lying in mud, which promptly got up to chase them!
It was there for three days.
And then it was not seen in the vicinity for quite some time.
----
Notes
- As narrated by my late grandfather around 15 years back & this is my recollection with inputs from those who had heard the story too.
- The elephant died, a while later, holding the electricity line with its trunk near NH 48.
- It was in the 1970s.
- And in the Malenadu village region the houses still are a km apart.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Buzz In Town
Sometime back, I attended a bloggers roundtable with Dr. Amitabh Saran, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Buzzintown - an online portal for events and entertainment.
True to the site, meet was informal & fun. In a free wheeling chat, Amitabh spoke about various topics. From how they source dynamic content from end users, various entities of the industry including venue managers, artistes and theatre / event production companies, to the revenue generation, through advertising, ticketing, content syndication, corporate sponsorships, and affiliate relationships.
From the vision of the portal they had from day one, to the challenges faced...it was an informative, interesting & exhilarating discussion.
Though he smiles saying 'Luck' is the most important factor for an entrepreneur, he doesn't seem to have left much for it :-)
The specialty of Buzzintown is dynamic coverage of local events which include food festivals, plays, concerts, book reads, exhibitions and expos, which are not likely to be covered by mainstream media.
Yes 'Buzzintown keeps users tapped into the cultural pulse of their towns' :-)
Most ratings and reviews on the site are by users rather than in-house critics, allowing you to obtain a cross-sectional view.
Starting in Jan 2008, they are now across cities in India, United States & Canada.
A testimonial to their growing popularity is the huge number of fans on Facebook Page.
They are adding to the travel section, featuring getaways beyond the usual, guiding the consumers to experience the place rather than just visiting it.
You can get updates through Newsletter, RSS, Facebook, Twitter and SMS, while 'selective subscription' feature is 'Coming Soon'.
Then there is a TV section too!
They seem to be doing so many things, it’s hard to explain in a post!
Well, that’s why there is the Portal, Buzzintown :-)
True to the site, meet was informal & fun. In a free wheeling chat, Amitabh spoke about various topics. From how they source dynamic content from end users, various entities of the industry including venue managers, artistes and theatre / event production companies, to the revenue generation, through advertising, ticketing, content syndication, corporate sponsorships, and affiliate relationships.
From the vision of the portal they had from day one, to the challenges faced...it was an informative, interesting & exhilarating discussion.
Though he smiles saying 'Luck' is the most important factor for an entrepreneur, he doesn't seem to have left much for it :-)
The specialty of Buzzintown is dynamic coverage of local events which include food festivals, plays, concerts, book reads, exhibitions and expos, which are not likely to be covered by mainstream media.
Yes 'Buzzintown keeps users tapped into the cultural pulse of their towns' :-)
Most ratings and reviews on the site are by users rather than in-house critics, allowing you to obtain a cross-sectional view.
Starting in Jan 2008, they are now across cities in India, United States & Canada.
A testimonial to their growing popularity is the huge number of fans on Facebook Page.
They are adding to the travel section, featuring getaways beyond the usual, guiding the consumers to experience the place rather than just visiting it.
You can get updates through Newsletter, RSS, Facebook, Twitter and SMS, while 'selective subscription' feature is 'Coming Soon'.
Then there is a TV section too!
They seem to be doing so many things, it’s hard to explain in a post!
Well, that’s why there is the Portal, Buzzintown :-)
Friday, March 12, 2010
A Cab Traveler's Life :P
6.00 AM, Alarm rings. Wake up from deep sleep.
No luxury of newspaper on commode :D
Brush, bath, dress.
6.32, hear the sound of news paper being thrown at door.
While browsing through it, a second alarm rings, 6.45!
Time to tie shoes, lock & walk.
As always 5 min early, at pick up point, at 6.55.
By 7.05, after a half tea, just about to start cursing the driver, he arrives.
Get in and people in cab smile the same routine smile.
Thus begins my long journey to ITPL!
It's only just 5 days since I stared using office cab, for the first time (after 6 yrs!) & I already feel like I have joined the army!
No luxury of newspaper on commode :D
Brush, bath, dress.
6.32, hear the sound of news paper being thrown at door.
While browsing through it, a second alarm rings, 6.45!
Time to tie shoes, lock & walk.
As always 5 min early, at pick up point, at 6.55.
By 7.05, after a half tea, just about to start cursing the driver, he arrives.
Get in and people in cab smile the same routine smile.
Thus begins my long journey to ITPL!
It's only just 5 days since I stared using office cab, for the first time (after 6 yrs!) & I already feel like I have joined the army!
Friday, February 05, 2010
Chandamamu :-)
It was in 5th standard.
That day, I & Yathish bought new pens together during lunch break. Buying a new pen, those days, it was a huge moment!
All friends, ignoring our protests about scratches & cries not to spoil it, passed hands, tried their signatures, some keen ones even de-assembled & assembled back etc which went on till evening!
And then it was play hour in the evening. All the students ran to the ground.
I slowly walked up to Yathish with a grim face and called him aside.
(This guy Yatish's known to be a tough nut!)
Me: Hey, while running out you stepped on my bag & broke my pen.
Yathish: I didn't.
Me: You did, and there are people who have seen it!
Yathish: What happened, did it break completely?
Me: No, it's just a crack.
Yathish: Fine then, just use cellophane tape & fix it?
Me: BUT IT'S BRAND NEW.
Yathish: So?
Me: Buy me a new one.
Yathish: It's 5 rupees & I don't have.
Me: Then why did you break, I'll beat you up.
Yathish: Try it, I'll beat you back.
Me: Ok, since you broke my pen, I'll break yours...
Yathish: But it won't fix your pen.
By now there was a gathering around us, some encouraging & enjoying the fight, some feeling bad for the broken pen, some even contemplating whose side they were!
I pulled my last weapon out (or so everyone thought!)
Me: I'll complain to the class teacher.
Our class teacher was so scary that even the tough nut Yathish gave in.
Yathish: No, please, I am sorry Vinay, it wasn't intentional as you know, I can't ask money at home and you are my friend, please...
Everyone around seemed be convinced that I shouldn't complain!
And then...with a nervous smile, I uttered the words...'Well, hmm, err, actually it was me who had stepped on your bag & your pen is broke, I was so scared that you would do all those...sorry...'
I didn't want to see the changing expressions on his face.
After a moment of silence when I looked at him, he broke into a pale smile. I shook his hand, patted his back and said sorry again.
We smiled a bright smile now.
Shaking his head, he said 'you are just...' pause and then we broke into a hearty laughter :-)
(I was inspired by the story I had read in Chandamama, where Ramu's dog eats tough-nut-neighbour Shamu's hen & Ramu uses the above trick!)
That day, I & Yathish bought new pens together during lunch break. Buying a new pen, those days, it was a huge moment!
All friends, ignoring our protests about scratches & cries not to spoil it, passed hands, tried their signatures, some keen ones even de-assembled & assembled back etc which went on till evening!
And then it was play hour in the evening. All the students ran to the ground.
I slowly walked up to Yathish with a grim face and called him aside.
(This guy Yatish's known to be a tough nut!)
Me: Hey, while running out you stepped on my bag & broke my pen.
Yathish: I didn't.
Me: You did, and there are people who have seen it!
Yathish: What happened, did it break completely?
Me: No, it's just a crack.
Yathish: Fine then, just use cellophane tape & fix it?
Me: BUT IT'S BRAND NEW.
Yathish: So?
Me: Buy me a new one.
Yathish: It's 5 rupees & I don't have.
Me: Then why did you break, I'll beat you up.
Yathish: Try it, I'll beat you back.
Me: Ok, since you broke my pen, I'll break yours...
Yathish: But it won't fix your pen.
By now there was a gathering around us, some encouraging & enjoying the fight, some feeling bad for the broken pen, some even contemplating whose side they were!
I pulled my last weapon out (or so everyone thought!)
Me: I'll complain to the class teacher.
Our class teacher was so scary that even the tough nut Yathish gave in.
Yathish: No, please, I am sorry Vinay, it wasn't intentional as you know, I can't ask money at home and you are my friend, please...
Everyone around seemed be convinced that I shouldn't complain!
And then...with a nervous smile, I uttered the words...'Well, hmm, err, actually it was me who had stepped on your bag & your pen is broke, I was so scared that you would do all those...sorry...'
I didn't want to see the changing expressions on his face.
After a moment of silence when I looked at him, he broke into a pale smile. I shook his hand, patted his back and said sorry again.
We smiled a bright smile now.
Shaking his head, he said 'you are just...' pause and then we broke into a hearty laughter :-)
(I was inspired by the story I had read in Chandamama, where Ramu's dog eats tough-nut-neighbour Shamu's hen & Ramu uses the above trick!)
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Theory and Practice
Last Thursday was the 'Wake up Sid' premier at PVR - Forum Mall Koramangala.
(Twitter Review – ‘Nicely made, but the movie lacks soul’)
Since I reached early, went to Landmark & was about to make an 'impulsive buy' of Welcome To Advertising! Now, Get Lost
(Verdict – ‘Avoid’)
By now friends had come & were waiting at McDonald's in ground floor, to grab a quick bite.
7.45, 15 mins to go.
Quick glance at the long queue in the 2nd floor (single) counter & I made a dash to 3rd floor.
Multiple counters , around 10, a quick application of queuing theory, i.e. no of persons & no of items they were holding, how many were actual buyers & how many were just accompanying etc, bringing all my queuing theory basics to fore.
I picked a queue with 5 people ahead of me. On further analysis the credit card reader in the counter was working, & his processing time seemed to be lesser.
1st one was quickly done, since the uncle bought only eraser & pencil!
Satisfied with my choice, I decided not to change the queue. By now queues were growing too.
All the other queues seemed slower, for a change!
Again a call "just 10 minutes to go, where are you?"
By now the 4th one was also done & and the 3rd in the queue, a teenage girl holding only one book moved towards the counter. And the person in front me, carried only one book too.
Me "Am almost on my way", patting myself on the back for my judgment.
As I glanced ahead, a lady who looked like her mom, standing in next queue, passed 2 baskets full of stuff to be billed to the teenage girl standing at the counter!
"The difference between theory and practice in theory is much less than the difference between theory and practice in practice.” - Unknown
Update:- I had attributed the above quote to Randal L. Schwartz, who commented below “It's odd how that got attributed to me. I'm just quoting it from somebody's .sig I once saw.”
(Twitter Review – ‘Nicely made, but the movie lacks soul’)
Since I reached early, went to Landmark & was about to make an 'impulsive buy' of Welcome To Advertising! Now, Get Lost
(Verdict – ‘Avoid’)
By now friends had come & were waiting at McDonald's in ground floor, to grab a quick bite.
7.45, 15 mins to go.
Quick glance at the long queue in the 2nd floor (single) counter & I made a dash to 3rd floor.
Multiple counters , around 10, a quick application of queuing theory, i.e. no of persons & no of items they were holding, how many were actual buyers & how many were just accompanying etc, bringing all my queuing theory basics to fore.
I picked a queue with 5 people ahead of me. On further analysis the credit card reader in the counter was working, & his processing time seemed to be lesser.
1st one was quickly done, since the uncle bought only eraser & pencil!
Satisfied with my choice, I decided not to change the queue. By now queues were growing too.
All the other queues seemed slower, for a change!
Again a call "just 10 minutes to go, where are you?"
By now the 4th one was also done & and the 3rd in the queue, a teenage girl holding only one book moved towards the counter. And the person in front me, carried only one book too.
Me "Am almost on my way", patting myself on the back for my judgment.
As I glanced ahead, a lady who looked like her mom, standing in next queue, passed 2 baskets full of stuff to be billed to the teenage girl standing at the counter!
"The difference between theory and practice in theory is much less than the difference between theory and practice in practice.” - Unknown
Update:- I had attributed the above quote to Randal L. Schwartz, who commented below “It's odd how that got attributed to me. I'm just quoting it from somebody's .sig I once saw.”
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Real story of a fan!
One
I am addicted to the sound of fan, while sleeping. The first thing I checked was that both the fans were working, when I moved into the current house.
Also as far as possible I don’t sleep right under the fan, for the phobia that it might fall one me someday!
Both the fans in the house working fine, cot placed in the side of the bedroom, every day I slept peacefully :-)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two
One fine day, a friend of mine, over a coffee told me about this self sufficient building he watched on some TV program, where the windmills were strategically placed on the building, which generate enough power for the building. Amazing, I slept thinking about it!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three
I had spent the whole day & night working at office. Came home & caught 2 hours of sleep from 5 AM to 7 AM. Woke up and had to hurry again, to make sure that the critical demo to client went fine in the afternoon.
I was drowsy. I climbed on the cot like a zombie, yawned & raised my hands.
Thud...I fell on the floor!
Mind stopped thinking for a while...
After few seconds, completely awake, I was, in horrible pain.
When I gathered the thoughts, it was my hand that hit the fan in full speed!
I looked up, fan was still working but at half the earlier speed.
After stopping the bleeding from small cut with some cotton, I rushed to office.
Demo went fine, I came back home.
There were 2 things to take care of, hand, for which I bought pain relief spray & fan, since it was too fast earlier, this half the speed was just enough for me to sleep :-)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Four
That day I was alone at home, and it was night when I reached, and as I was about to open the lock, I saw it lying there.
A doll, with head separated!
Brushing aside the scary thoughts, I murmured to myself that it must be kids from upstairs who threw it there, smiled at myself for getting scared for a moment, switched on the fan & slept.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Five
It was yesterday night.
I was fast asleep.
Suddenly some creaky noise woke me up.
There was no sign of it reducing, nor could I make out where it’s coming from.
When it really got intolerable, I got up.
I asked the landlord who stays in the next house, that if it’s some neighbors making that noise, we should ask them to stop.
We decided to figure out & went out, crossing the building behind, where I had never been before.
As we crossed the tree, in front of me was an unbelievable sight!
A cross between a giant fan and a windmill fitted over a building which by it self’s a cross between a scientists lab and a scary haunted house!
It was rotating slowly making creaky noise!
My heart was thumping loud with a mixture of excitement & fear!
I looked behind & the landlord who came with me was not be seen!
That’s when I realized the tricky situation I was in, standing all alone, in the middle of the night, not knowing what to do next!
Before I could do anything...well...then...I woke up for real :D
It was the fan in my room which has been working at half the original speed, since I hit it, had now almost stopped, making creaky noise!
I switched it off, and tried sleeping without the fan :-)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Epilogue
Got the fan repaired and today, as usual, I am going to sleep peacefully :-)
I am addicted to the sound of fan, while sleeping. The first thing I checked was that both the fans were working, when I moved into the current house.
Also as far as possible I don’t sleep right under the fan, for the phobia that it might fall one me someday!
Both the fans in the house working fine, cot placed in the side of the bedroom, every day I slept peacefully :-)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two
One fine day, a friend of mine, over a coffee told me about this self sufficient building he watched on some TV program, where the windmills were strategically placed on the building, which generate enough power for the building. Amazing, I slept thinking about it!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three
I had spent the whole day & night working at office. Came home & caught 2 hours of sleep from 5 AM to 7 AM. Woke up and had to hurry again, to make sure that the critical demo to client went fine in the afternoon.
I was drowsy. I climbed on the cot like a zombie, yawned & raised my hands.
Thud...I fell on the floor!
Mind stopped thinking for a while...
After few seconds, completely awake, I was, in horrible pain.
When I gathered the thoughts, it was my hand that hit the fan in full speed!
I looked up, fan was still working but at half the earlier speed.
After stopping the bleeding from small cut with some cotton, I rushed to office.
Demo went fine, I came back home.
There were 2 things to take care of, hand, for which I bought pain relief spray & fan, since it was too fast earlier, this half the speed was just enough for me to sleep :-)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Four
That day I was alone at home, and it was night when I reached, and as I was about to open the lock, I saw it lying there.
A doll, with head separated!
Brushing aside the scary thoughts, I murmured to myself that it must be kids from upstairs who threw it there, smiled at myself for getting scared for a moment, switched on the fan & slept.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Five
It was yesterday night.
I was fast asleep.
Suddenly some creaky noise woke me up.
There was no sign of it reducing, nor could I make out where it’s coming from.
When it really got intolerable, I got up.
I asked the landlord who stays in the next house, that if it’s some neighbors making that noise, we should ask them to stop.
We decided to figure out & went out, crossing the building behind, where I had never been before.
As we crossed the tree, in front of me was an unbelievable sight!
A cross between a giant fan and a windmill fitted over a building which by it self’s a cross between a scientists lab and a scary haunted house!
It was rotating slowly making creaky noise!
My heart was thumping loud with a mixture of excitement & fear!
I looked behind & the landlord who came with me was not be seen!
That’s when I realized the tricky situation I was in, standing all alone, in the middle of the night, not knowing what to do next!
Before I could do anything...well...then...I woke up for real :D
It was the fan in my room which has been working at half the original speed, since I hit it, had now almost stopped, making creaky noise!
I switched it off, and tried sleeping without the fan :-)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Epilogue
Got the fan repaired and today, as usual, I am going to sleep peacefully :-)
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Ode to a ‘haven’t met’ friend :-)
Like dewdrop that disappeared before the morning sun
Like fragrance from an unknown flower
Like streak of silver light in the night sky from a shooting star
Like distant cloud on the mountain top
Like sweet dream that vanished when I woke up
Like whisper of child murmuring its happiness in sleep
Like song from an unseen bird
Like music rustling leaves made
Like mountain streams I met and parted
Like mist in the valley, that went away with the wind
...................................................................................
"A poem is never finished, only abandoned." – Paul Valery
Like fragrance from an unknown flower
Like streak of silver light in the night sky from a shooting star
Like distant cloud on the mountain top
Like sweet dream that vanished when I woke up
Like whisper of child murmuring its happiness in sleep
Like song from an unseen bird
Like music rustling leaves made
Like mountain streams I met and parted
Like mist in the valley, that went away with the wind
...................................................................................
"A poem is never finished, only abandoned." – Paul Valery
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Three of my own lines :-)
May be it’s the rainy, cloudy, breezy, drizzly weather of Bengaluru now, 3 of my own lines here :-)
1) Like waves in the beach, you are, all the time on my mind, as the shore pushes back, waves go back, for a moment, only to come back, constantly, (little scary but!) so wonderful.
2) You are appearing & disappearing like moonlight on a cloudy night.
3) Are you really everywhere or is it that just I see? :P
(Image credits: www)
1) Like waves in the beach, you are, all the time on my mind, as the shore pushes back, waves go back, for a moment, only to come back, constantly, (little scary but!) so wonderful.
2) You are appearing & disappearing like moonlight on a cloudy night.
3) Are you really everywhere or is it that just I see? :P
(Image credits: www)
Monday, September 29, 2008
Storytelling...
Here's Bhimsen (episode 10), Mahabharata from the point of view of the Pandava Bhima , an English-language re-telling of M T Vasudevan Nair’s Randaamoozham, as a series of blog posts, by Prem Panicker.
It’s just brilliant.
Archives in sequence here
(Note: the website is problematic, so refresh/reload a couple of times if it doesn't open at first try.)
I am hooked to it, events unfolding as if real.
Takes me back to childhood days, reminding me of my grandpa, a narrator par excellence. Apart from Ramayana & Mahabharata, which he translated to mother tongue from Sanskrit, he had his own amazing hunting experiences to narrate, which’s still so vivid in my memory.
With the choice of words, voice modulation, gestures and pauses, storytelling is an art tough to master and listening to a master storyteller is such a wonderful experience. Ah, those days...
It’s just brilliant.
Archives in sequence here
(Note: the website is problematic, so refresh/reload a couple of times if it doesn't open at first try.)
I am hooked to it, events unfolding as if real.
Takes me back to childhood days, reminding me of my grandpa, a narrator par excellence. Apart from Ramayana & Mahabharata, which he translated to mother tongue from Sanskrit, he had his own amazing hunting experiences to narrate, which’s still so vivid in my memory.
With the choice of words, voice modulation, gestures and pauses, storytelling is an art tough to master and listening to a master storyteller is such a wonderful experience. Ah, those days...
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Random
Giving directions
a) Take right in second dead end :P
b) Take the next left, this is ‘No Way’ ! (one way sign)
Humor in anger
a) @ service station, incensed mechanic, giving it back to the car owner, when the owner didn’t buy his explanation. “Nanna Hajama andko bitya?” and then realizing that owner doesn’t understand Kannada, he translates, “Do you think I am a barber?”:P
b) @ a small hotel, as the customer screamed at the owner/cashier/waiter(all in one), that it’s 20 mins since his order etc, owner calmly retorts “Have you paid advance? Get lost”!
c) @ a studio, the girl scolds the owner/photographer “photo chennagi bandilla”, he screams “Nimma mukha estu chennagide?”!
Namma Bengaluru
Yeah, lakes are disappearing, only around 65 left out of around 400 at once
But as TOI says, from just 100 parks in 2000, there are 508 now and more coming up...
Random Thought
While doing International Finance assignment
What value is financial industry adding to society?
a) Take right in second dead end :P
b) Take the next left, this is ‘No Way’ ! (one way sign)
Humor in anger
a) @ service station, incensed mechanic, giving it back to the car owner, when the owner didn’t buy his explanation. “Nanna Hajama andko bitya?” and then realizing that owner doesn’t understand Kannada, he translates, “Do you think I am a barber?”:P
b) @ a small hotel, as the customer screamed at the owner/cashier/waiter(all in one), that it’s 20 mins since his order etc, owner calmly retorts “Have you paid advance? Get lost”!
c) @ a studio, the girl scolds the owner/photographer “photo chennagi bandilla”, he screams “Nimma mukha estu chennagide?”!
Namma Bengaluru
Yeah, lakes are disappearing, only around 65 left out of around 400 at once
But as TOI says, from just 100 parks in 2000, there are 508 now and more coming up...
Random Thought
While doing International Finance assignment
What value is financial industry adding to society?
Friday, August 08, 2008
It Happened Again!
After this, nothing happened for some time now and I was about label the ‘books section in Landmark’ safe zone.
Terror struck again! & how!
I had forgotten the incident and peacefully browsing the magazines area, when I heard it…
One chap using the same pick up line ‘Do you like magazines’ and the other chap falling for it and they went on to discus, about work etc…
Slowly I moved out of that danger area and went to new arrivals books section.
As I was taking a deep breath, there he came…
“Do you like books? I like, I have read some of these”…
Ha!
I was still recovering from the shock, when he went on with intro “I am so & so, I work with so & so…”
I had to shake hands and exchange pleasantries.
I was as uncomfortable as Dravid facing Mendis (:P) but he didn’t seem to care.
Then he went on to deliver the timeless/classic line “I have seen you somewhere, before, that’s why…”
Ouch! It did hurt.
I kept on walking slowly and when the distance was safe enough to make a dash to the door (just in case!) I waved bye to him and came out with my friend, who by now joined me.
I guess it’s one of those personality development camps, creating havoc @ Landmark in Forum Mall. (Or is it a pickup area? :P) They must be the people let loose by some personality development coach, to practice talking to strangers/make friends/network.
Since Landmark’s one of my favorite frequent hangouts, I will unravel this.
I WILL.
Watch this space.
Terror struck again! & how!
I had forgotten the incident and peacefully browsing the magazines area, when I heard it…
One chap using the same pick up line ‘Do you like magazines’ and the other chap falling for it and they went on to discus, about work etc…
Slowly I moved out of that danger area and went to new arrivals books section.
As I was taking a deep breath, there he came…
“Do you like books? I like, I have read some of these”…
Ha!
I was still recovering from the shock, when he went on with intro “I am so & so, I work with so & so…”
I had to shake hands and exchange pleasantries.
I was as uncomfortable as Dravid facing Mendis (:P) but he didn’t seem to care.
Then he went on to deliver the timeless/classic line “I have seen you somewhere, before, that’s why…”
Ouch! It did hurt.
I kept on walking slowly and when the distance was safe enough to make a dash to the door (just in case!) I waved bye to him and came out with my friend, who by now joined me.
I guess it’s one of those personality development camps, creating havoc @ Landmark in Forum Mall. (Or is it a pickup area? :P) They must be the people let loose by some personality development coach, to practice talking to strangers/make friends/network.
Since Landmark’s one of my favorite frequent hangouts, I will unravel this.
I WILL.
Watch this space.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Leading by example
Twice I had to miss the ‘Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na’ after booking tickets.
Finally 8th July, Tuesday’s the day.
After a long day’s work, I drive with my friend to Forum Mall, hoping to get into PVR by 9.45 and grab something there.
To my surprise traffic’s less & we reach with around 40 minutes to spare.
Tired, hungry but excited to watch the movie, we walk into the Pizza Hut.
We get a seat straight away and a waiter delivers menu in no time.
We decide what to eat, then wait and wait impatiently for more than 10 minutes.
Not in a mood to miss the beginning of the movie, we decide to walk out.
A waiter comes by now, we ask him how much time our order will take?
He says 15-20 minutes.
So we proceed on our way out.
There comes the ‘Manager’ (not sure of designation, the one seemed to be managing there).
I tell him, we waited more than 10 minutes, none took the order, and now it seems it’ll take 20 minutes and we are getting late.
He keeps his cool and asks ‘getting late for 10 PM movie? Don’t worry sir, I‘ll make sure your order is delivered within 10 minutes, please be seated’.
We take his word; and he delivers the plates, fork, spoon & tissues immediately.
He then comes back with some extra tissues.
Hmm…, good start, perhaps to show that he cares for customers, I think.
And then he comes with ‘Iced Tea’, within 5 minutes the bread, and serves Pizza within 10 minutes as promised. He also manages to ask ‘How’s the Pizza Sir?’(It wasn’t really great but I was forced not to complain by his customer service)
As we paid the bill, I had to thank him, & ring the bell :-)
As we walked out, I couldn’t help but wonder.
May be it’s a small gesture from his part, but it had a bigger impact.
Firstly, he did was to satisfy & retain two regular customers.
Secondly, instead of giving excuses or scolding the waiters in front of us, he, himself just went on to serve.
A lesson which they’ll probably remember for quite some time.
Isn’t that leading by example all about?
Finally 8th July, Tuesday’s the day.
After a long day’s work, I drive with my friend to Forum Mall, hoping to get into PVR by 9.45 and grab something there.
To my surprise traffic’s less & we reach with around 40 minutes to spare.
Tired, hungry but excited to watch the movie, we walk into the Pizza Hut.
We get a seat straight away and a waiter delivers menu in no time.
We decide what to eat, then wait and wait impatiently for more than 10 minutes.
Not in a mood to miss the beginning of the movie, we decide to walk out.
A waiter comes by now, we ask him how much time our order will take?
He says 15-20 minutes.
So we proceed on our way out.
There comes the ‘Manager’ (not sure of designation, the one seemed to be managing there).
I tell him, we waited more than 10 minutes, none took the order, and now it seems it’ll take 20 minutes and we are getting late.
He keeps his cool and asks ‘getting late for 10 PM movie? Don’t worry sir, I‘ll make sure your order is delivered within 10 minutes, please be seated’.
We take his word; and he delivers the plates, fork, spoon & tissues immediately.
He then comes back with some extra tissues.
Hmm…, good start, perhaps to show that he cares for customers, I think.
And then he comes with ‘Iced Tea’, within 5 minutes the bread, and serves Pizza within 10 minutes as promised. He also manages to ask ‘How’s the Pizza Sir?’(It wasn’t really great but I was forced not to complain by his customer service)
As we paid the bill, I had to thank him, & ring the bell :-)
As we walked out, I couldn’t help but wonder.
May be it’s a small gesture from his part, but it had a bigger impact.
Firstly, he did was to satisfy & retain two regular customers.
Secondly, instead of giving excuses or scolding the waiters in front of us, he, himself just went on to serve.
A lesson which they’ll probably remember for quite some time.
Isn’t that leading by example all about?
Monday, June 16, 2008
3 Types of diarrhea & Remedy!
Well this is about a different kind of diarrhea, that the IT companies suffer from. What? Read on...
Disclaimer: Any resemblance to companies/persons is purely unintentional and no offense meant. These are my personal views. Comments are welcome.
They say what an MBA degree does to you, is to change from Verbal Constipation to Verbal Diarrhea :-)
(Well, no offence meant to MBA community, In fact I am pursuing one)
But as far I have seen IT companies suffer from 3 types of diarrhea.
1) Verbal Diarrhea - Yeah it's true that communication skill is the key in this industry, but that doesn't mean you blabber around corporate lingo , tech jargon or management gyan.
Mostly the management suffers from this and it's contagious, so those who are on the verge of getting into management roles watch out!
The repetitive talk about company culture, personality development (aka mentors), management gyan, how different your team or company is etc… de motivates the employee and reduces the weight your words carry, in addition to complicating everybody's life involved.
P.S. if a company's website's too wordy, that's a sign of things!
I am sure as you read this you are relating to some of your mentors/reporting managers.
Remedy: Keep away as far as you can. Try cutting the crap with a nod saying yea right, absolutely, I get it. (Don't be rude. It's a tightrope walk. If you get into bad books of a person with verbal diarrhea, it's dangerous, remember he/she can easily shit around, and you will have to clean it!)
Second point you do well to remember is that if that's the culture around, your work is hardly recognized unless you make some noise.
2) Process Diarrhea - There are methodologies, like SDLC, XP and then there are standards like, CMM, ISO.
Instead of means, i.e. guidelines to increase effectiveness of individual/company, it becomes end in itself. The religious practitioners of process go about it with a hypnotic trance, where more emphasis is on process & effort's wasted on documents than the actual work.
The other common hazards are dress code to look more professional, timesheet to measure productivity and a template each, that needs to be filled, for everything that you do…leading to a pile of documents which nobody reads.
And then there is protocol/policy/process on, what time you can eat or play, what you can carry to office, etc...
Also metrics, right from your contribution in the designated role, to, your intangible contribution to company... leading to over accumulation of data, but there's only so much you can measure with data, like it's said, "If your one hand on fire and other one's in freezer a statistician would say on an average you are very comfortable".
Some companies even have a process & template in place for innovation. Bwa haha.
Too much of process kills creativity.
Remedy: Don't be a rebel. "To change the system, you have to be in the system".
Appreciate the stuff in place, follow, and then suggest gentle changes to simplify things.
If you want to try something new, for which it's hard to go through process, well, do it and then say sorry :-) (Deep down the founders/at least some of the top management will be creative souls, who would have taken the road less traveled by)
3) Meetings Diarrhea - Team meet, status update meet, daily focus meet, weekly one on one meet, individual KPA meet, review meet, brainstorming meet, well, if you find yourself dragged to meetings all the day, be worried, because you are surrounded by people who hardly get anything done.
Such people will be busy appearing busy, more meets you conduct/attend more important you are!
Never fall into this trap.
And when you are made to wait for long periods during the interview process, that's when you should think twice.
Remedy: Take the lead if you can in the meet & take action, try avoiding if you can't.
I am not against any of the above. They are good when within limits. I am just against the overdose. Constipation of any of the above is bad too.
Compared to any other industry people are mature & meritocracy prevails in IT industry.
And software development is neither rocket science nor pure art. (But it's silly to compare it to assembly line production.)
If you hire mature people, with right attitude, there's minimal need of the above. It's said "Rules are made for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men".
For example when the admin is forced to send mail, asking to flush the toilet after use, you know you have hired some people who really stink.
Hiring the right people is THE solution. Because building software can probably compared to architecture, yeah there are basics which's science, then beyond that it's more art than science which makes it all more important.
And it's not just money, (Of course if you pay peanuts you get monkeys), the companies where people flock to work have the best people, are more open with less rules, and obviously they are successful.
If you find yourself in a place with people suffering from the above, my prayer's with you. Since it is contagious, move on before you catch Diarrhea.
Disclaimer: Any resemblance to companies/persons is purely unintentional and no offense meant. These are my personal views. Comments are welcome.
They say what an MBA degree does to you, is to change from Verbal Constipation to Verbal Diarrhea :-)
(Well, no offence meant to MBA community, In fact I am pursuing one)
But as far I have seen IT companies suffer from 3 types of diarrhea.
1) Verbal Diarrhea - Yeah it's true that communication skill is the key in this industry, but that doesn't mean you blabber around corporate lingo , tech jargon or management gyan.
Mostly the management suffers from this and it's contagious, so those who are on the verge of getting into management roles watch out!
The repetitive talk about company culture, personality development (aka mentors), management gyan, how different your team or company is etc… de motivates the employee and reduces the weight your words carry, in addition to complicating everybody's life involved.
P.S. if a company's website's too wordy, that's a sign of things!
I am sure as you read this you are relating to some of your mentors/reporting managers.
Remedy: Keep away as far as you can. Try cutting the crap with a nod saying yea right, absolutely, I get it. (Don't be rude. It's a tightrope walk. If you get into bad books of a person with verbal diarrhea, it's dangerous, remember he/she can easily shit around, and you will have to clean it!)
Second point you do well to remember is that if that's the culture around, your work is hardly recognized unless you make some noise.
2) Process Diarrhea - There are methodologies, like SDLC, XP and then there are standards like, CMM, ISO.
Instead of means, i.e. guidelines to increase effectiveness of individual/company, it becomes end in itself. The religious practitioners of process go about it with a hypnotic trance, where more emphasis is on process & effort's wasted on documents than the actual work.
The other common hazards are dress code to look more professional, timesheet to measure productivity and a template each, that needs to be filled, for everything that you do…leading to a pile of documents which nobody reads.
And then there is protocol/policy/process on, what time you can eat or play, what you can carry to office, etc...
Also metrics, right from your contribution in the designated role, to, your intangible contribution to company... leading to over accumulation of data, but there's only so much you can measure with data, like it's said, "If your one hand on fire and other one's in freezer a statistician would say on an average you are very comfortable".
Some companies even have a process & template in place for innovation. Bwa haha.
Too much of process kills creativity.
Remedy: Don't be a rebel. "To change the system, you have to be in the system".
Appreciate the stuff in place, follow, and then suggest gentle changes to simplify things.
If you want to try something new, for which it's hard to go through process, well, do it and then say sorry :-) (Deep down the founders/at least some of the top management will be creative souls, who would have taken the road less traveled by)
3) Meetings Diarrhea - Team meet, status update meet, daily focus meet, weekly one on one meet, individual KPA meet, review meet, brainstorming meet, well, if you find yourself dragged to meetings all the day, be worried, because you are surrounded by people who hardly get anything done.
Such people will be busy appearing busy, more meets you conduct/attend more important you are!
Never fall into this trap.
And when you are made to wait for long periods during the interview process, that's when you should think twice.
Remedy: Take the lead if you can in the meet & take action, try avoiding if you can't.
I am not against any of the above. They are good when within limits. I am just against the overdose. Constipation of any of the above is bad too.
Compared to any other industry people are mature & meritocracy prevails in IT industry.
And software development is neither rocket science nor pure art. (But it's silly to compare it to assembly line production.)
If you hire mature people, with right attitude, there's minimal need of the above. It's said "Rules are made for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men".
For example when the admin is forced to send mail, asking to flush the toilet after use, you know you have hired some people who really stink.
Hiring the right people is THE solution. Because building software can probably compared to architecture, yeah there are basics which's science, then beyond that it's more art than science which makes it all more important.
And it's not just money, (Of course if you pay peanuts you get monkeys), the companies where people flock to work have the best people, are more open with less rules, and obviously they are successful.
If you find yourself in a place with people suffering from the above, my prayer's with you. Since it is contagious, move on before you catch Diarrhea.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
India - Slogan
Poor to ‘Developing Country’
Third World to ‘Emerging Superpower’
Land of Snake Charmers to ‘IT Giant’
While ‘India Shining’ is by now cliché, the tourism department’s
‘Incredible India’ is catchy, but what suits best is
India - Under Construction
:-)
Third World to ‘Emerging Superpower’
Land of Snake Charmers to ‘IT Giant’
While ‘India Shining’ is by now cliché, the tourism department’s
‘Incredible India’ is catchy, but what suits best is
India - Under Construction
:-)
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Snapshot from ‘Life at a Traffic Signal’ :-)
That evening I was driving back from office and waiting at the signal.
There were office buses carrying the stressed out people back home. There were overloaded trucks and city busses.
Left to me was a young chap in a swanky BMW with a sexy babe.
Lucky bastard!
Right to me was an old man on a bullock cart carrying Iron rods, with a little boy sitting on it.
Also there was Ratan Tata's inspiration for Nano, a family on two wheelers, husband, wife, luggage & 2 children.
Then I noticed the Auto, first, the smoke coming out like a chimney, and then, the young couple in it getting cozy unaware of the surroundings, in their own world. Hello!
The line of vehicles behind was growing as far as I could see.
There were beggars, transgenders and people selling some stuff, knocking hard on the car window.
There was a sense the frustration in the air.
Out of the crowd around, ironically, the old man, with sweat & dust, looked more at peace, with a look of detachment on his face.
Everybody seemed to be in a hurry, trying to squeeze ahead in whatever the little space available.
Two wheelers were moving ahead in footpath harassing the pedestrians and the few stuck up were taking rest removing their helmet (the ones who were wearing).
The uncle on scooter was busy talking or rather screaming trying to beat the noise!
I tried to move ahead a bit to get a better view of a pretty girl in the two wheeler ahead. :-)
But no, there was no sign of moving ahead, looks like there's some minor accident & showdown on the road.
Btw you can hardly spot spotless vehicles in Bangalore.
There were hoardings of products and banners of politicians.
People were crossing the road, getting into/down from vehicles.
Aunty was fighting the auto driver on fair/change.
RJ on the FM was giving traffic update in between blabbering about her show.
I could as well turn off and listen to the music from punk fellow's loud music from the car ahead!
And then there's this new car, complete, with plastic covers on the seat, L board and at least a week old garlands!
Finally the vehicles seemed to start moving & there was collective sigh of relief.
The cab behind me started honking even though I was nearly 20th in the line!
By now uncle had done with the phone call & struggling to kick start the scooter.
Right in this chaos someone had coolly parked the vehicle and nowhere to be seen, invoking different kinds of honking.
As I started to move, the chap on the left most with his right indicator on and loud musical horn, frantic waving of hands, wanted to take a right turn & proceeded halting everybody.
Thanks to the experience of driving in Bangalore traffic for years, from being frustrated I have developed a Zen like calm :-)
As I almost made to the signal, the vehicle in front of stopped suddenly.
I just stopped too, ensuring I didn't hit him and no one banged me from back!
With a sense of irritation as I was figuring out the cause of this sudden stop, I couldn’t help a smile
It was a bunch of cows crossing the road, obviously not reading the signal lights and not caring about the poor traffic police's attempts to stop them. Holy :-)
Pizza man in front of me somehow made space between the cows & rocketed ahead!
Then I moved....well, to the next signal...
There were office buses carrying the stressed out people back home. There were overloaded trucks and city busses.
Left to me was a young chap in a swanky BMW with a sexy babe.
Lucky bastard!
Right to me was an old man on a bullock cart carrying Iron rods, with a little boy sitting on it.
Also there was Ratan Tata's inspiration for Nano, a family on two wheelers, husband, wife, luggage & 2 children.
Then I noticed the Auto, first, the smoke coming out like a chimney, and then, the young couple in it getting cozy unaware of the surroundings, in their own world. Hello!
The line of vehicles behind was growing as far as I could see.
There were beggars, transgenders and people selling some stuff, knocking hard on the car window.
There was a sense the frustration in the air.
Out of the crowd around, ironically, the old man, with sweat & dust, looked more at peace, with a look of detachment on his face.
Everybody seemed to be in a hurry, trying to squeeze ahead in whatever the little space available.
Two wheelers were moving ahead in footpath harassing the pedestrians and the few stuck up were taking rest removing their helmet (the ones who were wearing).
The uncle on scooter was busy talking or rather screaming trying to beat the noise!
I tried to move ahead a bit to get a better view of a pretty girl in the two wheeler ahead. :-)
But no, there was no sign of moving ahead, looks like there's some minor accident & showdown on the road.
Btw you can hardly spot spotless vehicles in Bangalore.
There were hoardings of products and banners of politicians.
People were crossing the road, getting into/down from vehicles.
Aunty was fighting the auto driver on fair/change.
RJ on the FM was giving traffic update in between blabbering about her show.
I could as well turn off and listen to the music from punk fellow's loud music from the car ahead!
And then there's this new car, complete, with plastic covers on the seat, L board and at least a week old garlands!
Finally the vehicles seemed to start moving & there was collective sigh of relief.
The cab behind me started honking even though I was nearly 20th in the line!
By now uncle had done with the phone call & struggling to kick start the scooter.
Right in this chaos someone had coolly parked the vehicle and nowhere to be seen, invoking different kinds of honking.
As I started to move, the chap on the left most with his right indicator on and loud musical horn, frantic waving of hands, wanted to take a right turn & proceeded halting everybody.
Thanks to the experience of driving in Bangalore traffic for years, from being frustrated I have developed a Zen like calm :-)
As I almost made to the signal, the vehicle in front of stopped suddenly.
I just stopped too, ensuring I didn't hit him and no one banged me from back!
With a sense of irritation as I was figuring out the cause of this sudden stop, I couldn’t help a smile
It was a bunch of cows crossing the road, obviously not reading the signal lights and not caring about the poor traffic police's attempts to stop them. Holy :-)
Pizza man in front of me somehow made space between the cows & rocketed ahead!
Then I moved....well, to the next signal...
Monday, February 11, 2008
Do you like magazines?!:-)
The other day, I was lazily browsing through magazines at Landmark, Forum mall.
Suddenly the person next to me asked, 'Do you like magazines?'
I was like yea right?!
And he continued, 'I asked since you are browsing them'
Ha!
Strange! Was it a way of striking a conversation? Any network marketing? (Or was it his pickup line? sorry, am straight!)
I thought of hugging and telling him, 'no, actually, I like you' :D
But then instinctively I shrugged and asked 'how about you?'
He said proudly 'I like cars', showing me the AutoCar magazine he's holding.
I just cracked a VPJ saying 'it's just a magazine' before moving with my friend, quickly! :-)
Suddenly the person next to me asked, 'Do you like magazines?'
I was like yea right?!
And he continued, 'I asked since you are browsing them'
Ha!
Strange! Was it a way of striking a conversation? Any network marketing? (Or was it his pickup line? sorry, am straight!)
I thought of hugging and telling him, 'no, actually, I like you' :D
But then instinctively I shrugged and asked 'how about you?'
He said proudly 'I like cars', showing me the AutoCar magazine he's holding.
I just cracked a VPJ saying 'it's just a magazine' before moving with my friend, quickly! :-)
Monday, August 27, 2007
A thought, on self help books!
There are so many of them out there, and considering they get sold in large numbers, if they really worked, majority of people in this world would have been success stories by now:-)
(Just kidding, some of them might actually help)
For otherwise 'free advice' lot of money though, makes me think of writing one!
How about this title?
Whatever: How to master the art of being jack of quite a few things
:-)
(Just kidding, some of them might actually help)
For otherwise 'free advice' lot of money though, makes me think of writing one!
How about this title?
Whatever: How to master the art of being jack of quite a few things
:-)
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