A sporting revelation for India - Beijing 2008

Reams and reams of paper have been used to eugolise the achievements of the 1983 World Cup cricket team from India. Over the last 25 years', Kapil's Devils have reaped the rewards of a phenomenal and well-deserved life, for their miraculous deeds at Lords' on June 25, 1983. This date is etched in any Indian's memory ever since he/she was old enough to understand dates/history et al.

What Kapil & his team did on that sunny summer afternoon in London is nothing short of legend. That famous win against the mighty West Indies has often been ranked as the most unparalleled and supreme achievement by Indians in any sporting arena. And this praise, is well-deserved, and has further context to it i.e. India was not the liberalized economy that it is now; in those days, anything foreign or imported was considered superior to anything created within the country;anybody owning a cellphone or even importing a car made a headline;one had to wait for a few months to get hold of a landline connection;studying abroad was nothing more than wishful thinking;there was political turmoil in the country what with the terrorist-hit state of Punjab and the turmoil of a tough political environment. There were many such more complicated situations during the early 80s' in India.

But, Kapil & his team believed in themselves. Their victory tasted sweet, indeed, victory in itself always tasted sweet - but the situation that the country found itself in at that time, only made this victory supremely tasty. And has since been the first course, main course and the dessert on any diary that captures India's sporting ethos. Hats off to Kapil's devils for giving us such a unique, rare and incredibly fulfilling moment in our lives! They made us believe that India can be a world-beater; they made us believe that self-belief is the greatest virtue - we never had infrastructure and capital pumped into any sport during that time(unlike the conditions now!).

It was an achievement in severely adverse conditions- and to this date, the strands of hair on both my elbows, simply straighten as soon as I recall/see/visualise that moment when Kapil ran back 25 yards to take the rare catch that Viv Richard's offered that afternoon in London. For me, it is the moment of that World Cup - passion, desire to win, going after it, killer instinct, a mindset of winning, going against all ods, you name it. And of course, that image of Kapil holding the Prudential World Cup of Cricket on the famous Lord's balcony is part of Indian folklore now. Wow, what a moment!

I want to pause for a moment here and bring in Abhinav Bindra. Here is a man - who is perhaps 2 years older than what Kapil was in 1983, and has single-handedly brought the Indian sporting hopes alive after nearly 2.5 decades. Yes, the conditions are vastly different now in India - we get the latest gizmos in the corner marketplace in any city; we are a liberalized nation;we are able to take on the world;we have a say in corporate policy making;we have a presence in many facets of world affairs; we are counted as one of the most aggressively growing regions of the world; the average Indian owns vehicles of his own now; we are more global than we ever were in our entire lineage. And, we have our very own Olympics Gold Medal this year! Wow, what a moment!

Abhinav Bindra is a phenomenon no less than what we had of our legendary cricket team in 1983. While the win in 1983 opened the floodgates of talent in cricket across the country, Abhinav's Olympic gold has the potential to open innumerable opportunities in various other sports. We have people talking of the potential and talent that subsists many sportspersons in different parts of the country, who are otherwise unable to make progress. Abhinav's achievement has the potential to tap into that talent base, nurture them, train them, provide them the right form of training and build the long-term vision for sporting excellence. What happened in cricket was a natural phenomenon i.e. it was the most televised sport and got all the attention. Nothing wrong with that - the 1983 team were champions, make no mistake about it! But the growth in cricket was not necessarily structured till the various zones, Ranji Trophy and other regional cups got some form or shape to them.

But, Abhinav's victory here has the potential for India to look ahead in a structured format. This victory should alert the officialdom in the Sports Authority of India, the Indian Olympic Committee and numerous other regional, state and national authorities related to various other sports, to take up Sports Policy Making & Vision. Something like a corporate vision & mission. Abhinav's gold medal winning effort has the potential for us to go about our future plans for Olympics gold in an incredibly systematic manner. For that to happen, we need to first chart out what the goals are i.e. which games do we have the greatest talent in right now? How is their current situation?What sort of gaps are crippling the system from progressing?Where is the funding going to come from?How does corporate sponsorship tie in with India's Olympics' dreams for the future?And so on...we need to use this opportunity to be incisive, analytical, critical and incredibly ambitious(with a world-beating levels of killer-instinct), if we are going to reach anywhere close to future gold medals on the world stage for India.

Abhinav has given us the impetus. He will alone not be able to do it. We need a collective effort from various stakeholders.

There are many other people who can be included in this effort - and they are world beaters in their own right. Infact, World Champions! The unassuming Prakash Padukone who came back home in 1979, with the All England Club title under his belt - this is nothing short of sporting excellence on a world stage; Viswanathan Anand, a man who has single-handedly put Indian chess on the world map- again, a World Champion, that too twice! Geet Sethi - an unbelievable 8 world titles in snooker and billiards. These are legends - alive and still available with concrete ideas for India's sporting development. And they are people who came into their own in a generation when there was no sporting ethos in the country. Let's use their expertise and world-beating abilities/insights to drive home the advantage for the country in the future.

I hope that Abhinav Bindra's incredible victory spawns a dedicated Olympian culture in India. Hope we have many more such iconic moments in the future!! Cheers, Abhinav and to all the other champions that I have mentioned in this piece - simply admirable and inspiring human beings!Makes me proud to be an Indian - yet again!

Food-filled Saturday & a mini re-union

As my lovely vacation reaches its final leg, the momentum in the degree of fun that I am having is picking up. The day started with a wake up call from an old friend - one of 2 people I was going to have breakfast with, at our old, favourite joints around town. Got up, refreshed myself and reached the famous Veena Stores at 8 a.m. sharp, to be greeted by these 2 tall, ex-colleagues turned wonderful friends. It was a mini re-union of sorts for the 3 of us - Sharat, Vijay and I - to be back in Bangalore after such a long time and to be visiting these old, famous and favourite restaurants/food joints.

Kicking off the breakfast menu with the legendary idly/vada-chutney combination, we moved up the "value-chain" with khara baath, sauvige baath and sweet pongal at Veena Stores. My stomach was already full by the time we finished these, but these two pot-bellied, tall guys around me were in their elements & all set to continue the feast at 2 other famous places. Of course, their tongue-in-cheek of why I am so puny and slim(ok, that was my interpretation!), as against their pot-bellies, was one of the many jovial moments of the morning.

As we trudged down the near-empty street, on a a cloudy and lazy Saturday morning in Malleswaram, we caught up on each other's lives and had nice, long conversations of cultures, languages, et al. Typical, re-union chat, but a little more realistic & not the least bit flashy or ornamental. Good, old-fashioned friendship!

We reached CTR (Central Tiffin Room, now renamed as Shri Sagar) and dug into the ultra-famous "benne masala dosai". The only disappointment of the morning came at CTR, what with the Mangalore bajji and Maddur vadai, not available at that time. Sigh! I was choking, by the time I finished eating the full dosai. But, my counterparts were even more enthusiastic! We walked down to Janata Hotel - this place is usually known for its fantastic masala dosai, but not just me, but even my tall, pot-bellied friends were unable to even consider digesting it. We tried a slightly lighter alternative -kesari baath, which was the second sweet of the morning, in less than an hour, across 3 restaurants!:) This was awesome! And the weather and the quality of our conversation was immensely engaging!

By the time we came out of the Janata Hotel, Sharat, Vijay & I were pooped/tired - and tired because of the effort that went into consuming all these delicacies in one go!:) Anyway, we strolled down the street back to a basketball court(called the Beagles Court!) near Veena Stores and had a long, engaging conversation for the next couple of hours. It was actually so nice to be sitting down with 2 old friends, watching kids practice basketball on a Saturday morning, a stiff breeze blowing across our faces occasionally et al.

Finally, at around 10.30 a.m., calls from one of our local headquarters (read home), prompted us to trudge out of Beagles and head back home.

I was so pooped and full that I wanted to just crash into my bed for the rest of the day. But, I had a bunch of errands to finish and also had to watch a set of finals in the Olympics. Did all that, and skipped lunch!

In the middle of the afternoon, I left home for the Forum mall in Koramangala with 2 other folks and came back home by 7 pm. Of course, this was not before I endured 25 kms of driving in nightmarish traffic, literally moving, bumper to bumper! God help the roads in Bangalore, not to mention the traffic sense of people who drive:(. Managed to chip in with a McDonald's burger, french fries and coke in between, in the mall, amidst a maddening crowd on a Saturday evening in this mall.

In the evening, my bro-in-law was feeling rich, and took 2 of us - my cousin and I , to the Windsor Manor! It was the first time ever I had entered this particular star hotel in Bangalore, and lined up a beautiful dinner by the poolside!:) Wow, good place, awesome ambience, and obviously the other extreme of the spectrum compared to a Veena Stores or a Janata Hotel or a CTR!

Am pooped and tired - of eating. Am going to sleep now. I need a break, as this vacation is "tiring", but am not complaining!!:)

Legends and the premium on longevity

I have long been fascinated by veterans that I have either seen on TV or have met in my life. I used to have this old theory that these people are not necessarily the best people, in tune with the changing times etc - not all, but a few of them. I also used to feel that many of them have been with one organization and may not have necessarily seen the world in other places.

My thoughts on these things have changed over the years as I have myself changed organizations, cities and roles in my 7-year career. And I am now convinced that there is a tremendous amount of premium on durable people, and folks who can last it out – like the ones I have mentioned above. Read on to understand the theory of my case, so to speak!

I personally know of people in industries such as banking, automobile & manufacturing in general, and consulting, who have spent their entire lives in one organization. All of them share a common theme - they now hold/have held extremely senior positions in their respective industries, and are known by their first name by the newest entrants into these industries. These are people who have built such a long innings in their careers in one firm -by the sheer dint of their merit, hard word, sweat, blood and toil.

Yes, there are the biased views that these senior people did not necessarily have the multitude of opportunities that we youngsters are perennially faced with today. But, what these veterans managed to achieve in their environment was truly legendary -. they did not have the various opportunities of today, during their time; yet, they used their careers in building some very core capabilities and skills that make them the legends that they are today. This is so unlike the numerous fly-by-night, short-term, job-hopping careers that many of us in the current generation are possibly guilty of.

These veterans command respect not merely by the titles/designations they hold, or the positions they currently hold/have held in the past. If anything, they command respect for what they are, for what they know, for what they have contributed, not to mention, for their personal credibility. I personally know of one of the senior most banking executives in India, whose word was law in commercial banking i.e. if he refuses a term loan to a company, most executives in many other banks would refuse loans to that company (despite their individual due diligence teams) - such is the credibility of this banking legend that I am talking about. Amazing man! This banking giant is now retired, but enjoys so much credibility that people in his industry still recall his contribution over a 3.5-decade career, as one of the legendary performances seen in Indian banking history.

Similarly, I know of a legend in consulting - in fact my first, big boss - who can literally pick up the phone and speak to the who's who of corporate India today. But the man never misuses his position, is an extremely down-to-earth individual, has his head firmly on his shoulders, and is a person in front of whom, I stand speechless - not because I am scared of him or anything, but purely because I am amazed and inspired at how one individual can achieve so much in a span of 30 very hard-working years. I remember how stunned I was, when he recalled my name and spoke to me for 5 full minutes at Bangalore airport, a year ago, when we crossed each other on our way to our different flights. I mean, a man who consults with people who decide things in corporate India, actually remembered me – possibly, the youngest consultant/trainee he had ever encountered in his life & to remember me by my first name! Stupendous!

At the end of it all, I have decided that it pays to stick it out in the middle, despite the challenges, despite the limitations imposed at various points in time. What is durable is vision, the sense of looking at times to come, the ability to see the larger picture, and to guts it out in the middle. Whether there are bouncers, yorkers, seam-up, spin or full tosses, it takes a combination of all these (if not more), to achieve personal credibility in an industry and be called as the last word in your area of specialisation. Infact, it makes me feel very proud that we have such people in our midst; people, who have proved to me what it means to build an innings and last it out.

The other common thing with all these 3 legendary people is that they are exceptionally committed, sincere and hard working people, who have risen the ranks from being a nobody. All of them were not born with a silver spoon and grew in their careers (and in the eyes of people who know them), by the sheer dint of their individual performance and capabilities. It is actually quite spectacular that they were able to tide over such tough market conditions such as the license raj of the 1980s, adapting well to the changing dynamics of liberalization in India, after 1991 etc. For e.g., these are people who are any day more comfortable making calculations in their native language; or any day more comfortable in writing out a business plan on paper and thinking through the various steps; any day, more comfortable in building systems and processes using good, old-fashioned manuals/process documents etc. That is because their fundamentals were strong and their learning curve was steep. But, they adapted to information technology; to jazzy presentations; to videoconferencing; to conference calls; to jet-setting lives etc. And given a choice, all 3 of them, prefer their simple lives, outside the premises of their respective offices.

And the one final thing in common amongst these 3 veterans is the variety of hats that they donned within the same organization in their careers. They joined at the junior-most levels in their firms and joined with absolutely no backgrounds suited to those industries back in the 60s and 70s. They learnt the very hard way -people may have been there to teach them, but these people had to grind it out. And it was harder than we think it is - no free market economy, highly regulated markets etc. For e.g., I know of one such case, where importing a computer needed permissions from at least a handful of ministries, not to mention the steep customs duty involved. Interestingly, today, all these legends know so much about their industry, that they are called to campuses and internal training centres in their firms, to deliver lectures about their industry at large - not just specific to their company! Of course, all these people worked/are working in gigantic firms within their industry, which in itself, gave them the room to navigate across different roles, functions, departments, locations and types of work.

I am also convinced that their humility and acceptance of the fact that they did not know anything about their industry when they first started, helped them in shaping their careers i.e. learning at every step of their career, in whatever position they may have held, be it a specialist position or a general management position.

Amazing folks, and people who are truly inspirational! After having changed a few jobs in my life, I am more than convinced that its better to don different hats in one large organization and build that personal credibility over the long-term. Not that this is not achievable in a start-up or in a smaller firm - but just that, the certificate of credibility is a bit more over-powering when such a background is built in some of the better known firms.

Hats off to these 3 people I know - the automobile genius, the consulting magician and the banking legend that I have talked about here. They have made me realise the value of durability in its very essence. And having seen it, I can easily say, that it is worth being known as a credible, honest, sincere and good human being. That's the bottom line, rather than flashy designations and quick money.

Thrilled to be back!

Home sweet home! Back after nearly 4 years! Away from the razzmattazz of the mad world outside, into the sweet and safe confines of home.

Back to life of zipping around in my car all over town listening to my favourite FM radio channels (and sweet voices of the RJs!):). Back to my old friend's circle. Back to my active social life of enacting dramas, watching plays, going to live recitals and shows. Back to the roots of some cultural ethos and reinforcing my old belief that while modern outlook and growth in life is a must, so is the need to retain old values, traditions and ethics.

Back to my favourite food joints in town - especially the ones near home such as the legendary Veena Stores or the CTR or and Janata Hotel, not to mention the evening chaatwala on 8th cross! Back to getting drenched in the rain without having to worry if there are dry sets of clothes at home or not.

Back to times where I can catch up with old friends and just be myself and have some serious quality time together with people who have mattered for a long time in my life! Back to parents and being a support structure for them in the latter phases of their lives - its never hit me harder that they are the 2 greatest individuals I have ever met & the number and quantum of sacrifices they have made in bringing me up is something I genuinely treasure. Time for me to take care of them and be there for them now!

Back to life where there is time to write in my blog and think of newer ways to keep myself engaged. Back to the times when I can stroll down MG Road and Brigade Road on a Saturday evening and enjoy the sights, sounds and colours around!:).

In a nutshell, back home!!!!

Why its important to stay away from home for sometime...

I never expected to be writing on this theme. But having gone through this phenomenal experience in my life, I couldn't hold back from expressing it.

The context for this particular blog piece is that I have been away from home for over 4 years and just got back to my lovely Garden City a few days ago. Of course, I have been making periodical visits during these last 4 years, but the feeling of being back in the place where I belong is something else. It’s hitting me quite hard and I also see this place so differently now. I mean, the old landmarks are the same, the roadside corner shops are still the same, the tree-lined street near my house is still the same, the sense of familiarity and happiness while cooping up in my old bed is still the same (if not, enhanced due to the home factor!). Yet...there are changes.

The changes are in the way I view my lovely hometown now. Bangalore is not what it used to be. It no longer is the pensioner's paradise that it used to be. Reams of paper have been spent in writing about the growth of this silicon city of India. But for a local like me, the change is apparent - growth has both its pluses and minuses. And more importantly, having been away from home for a while, I view home differently now.

Quite differently, actually. There is a great sense of appreciation for home. There are a few million things that I had to do all on my own in the last 4 years in the different places I stayed in - all of which are just taken care of down here at home. No need to run around in paying bills, no need to hunt for a house, no need to save up extra cash, no need to pay rent, no need to hunt for a reliable servant...the list is endless. And these are the charms of life back home that I have begun to appreciate even more than I did before. Possibly because, I had to not only manage my career, bosses, clients, teams, what have you, in the last 4 years, but also had to manage my own self and things associated with my life outside of a career.

But, those experiences of having struggled through the last 4 years and having been through my own set of unique experiences, has taught me the value of going through that phase. It has convinced me that everybody needs to have a stint outside of his/her home, in order to learn about many things in life. It is not that these things cannot be learnt sitting at home, but the learning curve is steeper and faster, if one moves out of one's comfort zone. There are experiences, which maketh the individual and contributes to the shaping of a personality. Staying away from home has taught me many things - while the list is quite long, the ones I immediately recall are that I have learnt to manage myself better; staying away from home has taught me to manage my finances; it has inculcated the good habit of saving for a rainy day; it has made me learn the meaning of investments; it has made me extremely self-reliant; I have become very, very confident to tackle life; staying away has made me learn that everything in life is not offered on a platter & that one needs to work hard and literally, "earn" one's living; staying away has taught me that the world is full of inequalities and imbalances and imperfections; that situations are circumstantial; that things change at the rate of knots; that there are things one can exercise control over, and there are things that one can do nothing about.

In the course of staying away from home, I have learnt to speak to people from different backgrounds. I have tried to see how different people approach life; how their backgrounds, compulsions and experiences contribute to the way they see the world. The simplest example, I can think of, is the assumption I had of laptops and computers being the ‘common-est’ thing possible. But no, there are places and people, who find it hard to get a phone and manage it. There are people who don't know English (another thing I had thought to be the most common thing possible). There are people who are uneducated. There are people who cannot afford the luxury of even a budget airline in the country...like I said, staying away from home has taught me many, many things - the list is truly endless.

I grew up in the comfort of my parents' abode, where we had all the facilities in the world, thanks to my dad's employment in good positions in India's biggest bank. There were so many things I took for granted - car, driver, servant maid, good houses, great campuses, access to facilities, etc - am not saying that I was a spoilt child, but I did not necessarily understand that there is a world beyond this where there are millions of people who are deprived 2 square meals a day. That is what I have learnt, having stayed alone for the last 4 years - I mean, I always knew it, but having survived and having fended for myself, I now know the meaning of hard work.

Having been through all this, in the first quarter of my life, I am convinced that each individual needs to see life in its elements for himself/herself - and staying away from home is one of the greatest ways to learning all that. Not everybody can do that - some people come from the privileged race and may not necessarily be accommodating of the lesser privileged (am not generalising here, but just stating that such people exist). Others, may not be able to do it i.e. stay away from home, due to compulsions in their lives. But, it is important to see the world. It is important to know that there is a big world out there, full of imperfections and things that many of us just assume to be so normal. For me, at least, staying away from home for 4+ years, was an eye-opener. I am a much improved person now in terms of my ability to understand things and look at alternative opinions and feelings.

I am extremely tempted to join the Teach India initiative that the Times of India has started. I don't think I want to let the hard lessons learnt in the last 4 years, go wasted.

A famous weekend at Kasauni, Uttaranchal - Part I

It was one of the greatest weekends of my life and most definitely the best weekend trip I have made during my life in north India. We were a gang of 14 - young, vibrant, enthusiastic, self-driven (read, charged) people, who just wanted to scale the world. We almost did - we got to the edge of the Himalayas! This was at the place that Mahatma Gandhi famously called as the Switzerland of India - its called Kasauni in the state of Uttaranchal.

The trip was immensely enjoyable by the sheer fact that the 14 of us gelled like a fantastic unit. The frequency of thought, the wavelength of reactions to each other was something else altogether. The trip started off at a pulsating rate for me, as I barely managed to reach the railway station at Delhi. I was stuck in office on a client deliverable till 8.40 pm, while our train was scheduled to depart at 10.00 p.m. What a life, I thought to myself - that too on a Friday night, when 13 others had banked on me while planning this trip! Nevertheless, I ended up taking things in my own hands and told my boss that things were done and we will continue the effort on Monday. She obliged and I managed to eke out of office at 8.40 pm.

The office cabbie gave me a hard look when I told him that I need to reach Delhi railway station in 45 minutes (the usual duration is 1.5 hours!). He then told me, "We'll do it and you will be there in 30 minutes flat. All you have to do is, sit in the front seat, lower the window (let's not use AC), and leave the rest to me". I knew that I was in for the ride of my life, as it were, in the next 30 minutes. But that cabbie was phenomenal! We missed 3 pedestrians, 2 cyclists, sped past 2 police vans, did not stop at any of the red lights, nearly scraped the vehicle against an autorickshaw, and eventually got to the station in 28 minutes flat! One helluva ride, I must say! But kudos to that cabbie - whatever the risks may have been, the guy had the skill to navigate through the Friday evening traffic in a city like Delhi and get me to the railway station (usually, the most crowded area in any city), in such a short time.

When I got to the station and called up the others who were joining me on the trip, they could barely believe that I was there. One of them said, "Are you serious? We just got here ourselves!". And they had left office at 7.45 p.m.!

Anyway, I finally ambled along to the railway restaurant and met the thriving 13. We had dinner together, and there were a couple of new faces in the gang that I noticed - only to be introduced to them much later by the respective "stakeholders"! Once our tummies were amply full, we got into the railway station - religiously using the, "Do Not Enter" doorway - and headed towards the platform where our train was supposed to depart from.

The platform was choc-a-bloc, what with folks like us with tough clients and bosses to handle during the week, seeking this sort of a weekend getaway to picturersque Kasauni and surrounding areas. However, it was very hot in the platform as we awaited the train, and the sultry weather did not help matters either. I must have gotten my handkerchief damp in less than 5 minutes after we set foot on that particular platform - very oppressive conditions there.

The tempo of things to follow over the next 2 days was set, right on the station platform itself. All 14 of us began to enter a robust sense of ease and pull each other's legs. This was the start of a few memorable moments that were to follow in the next 48 hours.

The train eventually made its way into the station and we hopped onto the bogie. That's when the the power of one of our "leads" came into the picture, with support from a couple of others. The problem in where we were seated was that,the 14 of us were distributed across 2 ends of the same bogie. And in order for us to eventually sit together as a group, we had to shift other passengers in the bogie to our current location. This needed powers of negotiation, incentivisation, cajoling, perseverance and many other man management skills before we achieved our end objective of being seated together. And once we were seated together, the party began in full gusto. People's opinions, freewheeling conversations, card games, leg-pulling, a perennial set of jokes with one following the other, et al,flowed. Junk food came into its own and that marked the start of a variety of cuisine that we would end up consuming over the next 2 days.

In the middle of the night, one of the guys in our troop came up with this brilliant idea of playing a card game called, Killer. The rules of the game were such that each person in the gang is given 1 playing card each. Of the 14 folks around,3 people are marked out - 2 as policemen and 1 as a thief. The "objective" of the game was to deceive the policemen at all costs i.e out of the 14 people in the game, the thief had to outsmart 2 cops by winking at the remaining 11 people in the game (who were neither cops nor thieves). Every time one of the 11 members figured out who the thief was, he/she had to proclaim himself, "I'm dead". This would give hint after hint to the cops as to who the thief might be and they would have to narrow down their search to the actual thief to a handful of people in the end. Of course, there were eminent tricks of the game that were widely used, such as folks who were not thieves winking at each other, in order to fool the cop even more! I had the time of my life in this game, when I was the thief in one such game, and one of the cops happened to be a lovely young girl who kept staring at me. I very automatically remarked, "Its been many years since any girl looked at me non-stop & for so long". That created one of the loudest moments of the trip with all 14 of us in splits for the next few minutes! This was an exciting game that kept a lot of people engaged, and it was one of those rare occasions when girls winked at guys in a train! Whoa! Life couldn't get much better than that, could it?:) . Killer, for sure!

After a few hours of this game, a few dreary eyes started stretching. There was a particular railway station in the middle of the night where the train stopped and most of the 14 got down to take a stroll; a handful of them, stepped out to grab a hot cup of tea in the wee hours of the night. That break tilted the scales for the really tired folks to hit the sack. And before we knew it, the train got moving again, and all 14 of us eventually retired for the day.

Most of us managed no more than a few hours of sleep and before we knew it, daylight struck. The fresh oxygen in the air and the surreal surroundings of a hilly region beckoned. Many of us were awake even before 6 a.m. a feat rarely achieved on a Saturday morning for the best part of the last decade, at the least. The first railway station that the train stopped at,first thing in the morning, got the feet moving for most of us, what with early morning strolls, hot tea, cigarette breaks setting the tone for the day ahead. A couple of them were in an adventurous mood upfront with their cameras in hand and clicking photographs away to glory (they claimed they were enjoying nature, but you never know with photographers, do you?).

The entire sequence of non-stop laughter from the previous night caught on greater momentum from this railway station. People were fresh & awake with renewed energies and an entire weekend beckoning them. The thrill of being in natural environs was an experience by itself - a far cry from the dirt and mudpots of pollution in Delhi.

The train finally reached its destination - Kathgodam station (I ended up calling it the 'station with the godown'). My jaw dropped the minute I alighted from the bogie and got on to the platform. I was awestruck by the fantastic sight in front of my eyes - there were huge mountains right behind the station and it almost seemed that the train had stopped right where the track ended/where the mountains began. It almost felt like the mountains will take care of the entire folks standing at the station, a big motherly facade to it and the sheer greenery of it all just added to the touch. Phenomenal sight - just the start of more mesmerising sights that we would see later.

After the initial photographs on arrival at Kathgodam, we walked out of the station in search of suitable cabs at affordable tariffs, that would accommodate this huge, energetic team of 14. We were lucky in that we were chased by a cabbie who had a huge van that would accommodate exactly 14 people. We took turns examining the vehicle and sizing up the leg space et al, before getting into negotiations with the cabbie on the routes to take, the spots to visit, and the eventual rates that we were willing to pay. Some sort of a middle ground was achieved at the end of this negotiation and we started crawling into the van, one by one. Not before a couple of guys had finished yet another round of puff, puff (read -cigarettes) and others had gulped down bottles of water and eaten a pack of wafers! By the way, the sales of the top 3 brands in the wafers industry last weekend in Uttaranchal state, must have skyrocketed - purely driven by the revenues they generated from the 14 of us!

The fun that we had is way too much for me to capture in this single blog. I am going to break it up into 2 parts - read on for the main part of the trip in Part 2 of this blog, that follows.

When bad times have befallen...

Its true that good and bad are a part of life. But, when the economic slowdown across the globe comes around to hit you and retards all personal plans that you make, life can get suffocating. Very, very suffocating.

I mean, people make plans - a number of them - in their personal lives, based on some calculated risks, or measurements that they believe will work out for them. But, when none of their risks or when none of their attempts every fructify, despite putting in one's heart & soul into it, life can get way too depressing. The old excuse of, " I did my best, but things did not work out", is exactly that - an excuse.

This phase of endless disappointments is like hitting your head against a hard wall that shows no signs of cracking, let alone breaking down. I just hope that we gather the courage of conviction, build the necessary temperament to tide over this ridiculous recessionary economy. Many of us need to maintain our sense of balance, poise and indeed in many other cases, find ways to recover from downfalls.

Judgement calls - about jobs & references

There have been times when companies have recruited people for specific positions, purely on the basis of the references that the prospective candidate brings. There are other times, when candidates refuse companies based on the feedback that they receive from their reference - either direct or indirect. In each case, the role of the referee becomes critical for either the candidate or the new company.

But, there are instances, when one should never ever listen to references. And these instances are the toughest to handle i.e. you know the credibility of your referee, you know him/her for a long time, he/she wishes the best for you - but at the end of it all, the choice that you make, could completely backfire. It is not the fault of the referee per se, nor is it the fault of the candidate who makes the move to join the new firm. There are other elements involved - the whole fitment issue, the cultural adjusment, the softer and deeper nuances of the firm, the ruthlessness of the top bosses in the new firm, the ridiculous working hours in the new firm, the bad orientation to bend head over heels to clients etc - which the new candidate may never believe in and find may find hard to adjust to.

The role of the referre becomes even more pronounced, if he/she knows both about the firm where the reference is being made, and, the candidate himself/herself. It is important to present both the pros and the cons of the new firm so that candidates can make informed decisions. This, is something I am going to do whenever I refer somebody to a firm, especially when I know the goings-on within that firm.

The predictability of the American language

Before I write this, I would like to put in a disclaimer that this article is not an attempt to make a dig at the US or its citizens or its constituents. I have some seriously wonderful friends all over the US and I have tremendous respect for them and indeed folks in that country. This article should be read in its spirit of joy, humour and indeed sensitivity! Just tongue-in-cheek and no more! Here goes:

Over the many years that I have been interacting with US clients, colleagues, bosses etc, I have learnt of their mannerisms, their way of life, their approach to work, their professionalism and indeed about the immense weight they place on work-life balance. But, this article is not about any of that. It is about their way of speaking and the terms they use in normal, day-to-day conversation.

We've all grown up watching a Santa Barbara or a Bold & the Beautiful or have been keyed in to Oprah Winfrey shows. More recently, the fame and popularity of the Friends' series, or Sex & the City and others, have exposed us to a wide array of things about the American way of life. But, in my experience, a casual conversation with an American can actually be pretty predictable and indeed, test the point of being "templatized". Read on!

Let's take the scenario of people from India dialing into a conference bridge number and addressing an American. First things first - the American will call it out upfront and ask you, 'Is it a good time to talk?” This has kept me nonplussed for years now - I mean, the call is a scheduled call; we sent the American on the other side of the planet as it were; there is an advance notification of the call; we set up the bridge numbers and sent him he conference call details via email; and still, he asks us,” Is it a good time to talk?"!! Huh!:). OK, I know they are confirming any last minute changes, but it beats me no end, that EVERY American asks this question - a handful of them asking this question is still understandable, but not every single one of them!

Or, at the start of the call, the customary statement of, "Let's make this call as interactive as we possibly can. As I run through this presentation, feel free to stop me at any point if you have any questions. I'd be happy to address them and draw the best possible outcome from this call".

Of course, the legendary, "sounds good" is the epitome of the American way of professional conversation. If they like your suggestion, or like a particular agenda, or like the hint of a particular scheme of things that look plausible, they will invariably appreciate it with their standard remark, "sounds good".

Another part of the legendary terms that the average American uses is, "Really appreciate it". And I have heard this term used in a wide variety of settings, some serious, some not so serious. Here are a few such scenarios - if you just set up a call and share the bridge numbers, if you chip in with an idea, if you cover for a bad client situation, if you send in regular updates and interim deliverables and so on.

There are set of other predictable terms that you come across while speaking to Americans -
1. Works well for me
2. Do you have a sense of the time it is likely to take to accomplish this? - The keyword, is the term, "sense", and is used in multiple ways i.e " My sense is...", "Do you have a sense of....?", or a more measured version such as, "I get a sense that the client is trying to test our skills...".
3. Am out on vacation - even if it is just a day's leave of half a day's leave! By the way, they do not necessarily understand the word leave in the context of a holiday!
4. I'm good - rarely have I come across an American who has told me that he/she is fine!
5. Thanks for your time. I really appreciate your taking time out to discuss this
6. Let's think through this situation. What is it that we are really trying to achieve here?

One of the most unique phrases that I have heard Americans use is, "I need to do a better job of...”. This is a pretty serious remark actually i.e. they are conscious that they did not do something well and are quite particular about not repeating whatever caused them to make that statement in the first place. As a related point, if they are not particularly happy with somebody's performance, they are extremely polite about it(usually). You will never hear (at least, I haven’t) an American boss tell you, "What the hell is happening?" etc. They get upset if you don't perform, but let you know in very clear and polite terms, "Is there a way you can fix this?", or , "Can you please take another look at this and get back to me?", etc. This should be indication enough that something in what you did or did not do, is not up to their expectation. Of course, they are masters at recording this in feedback sessions and performance appraisal discussions, when it hits the most!

They are also masters of casual conversation. This is true when they speak to you about your country, your culture, your background etc and is also true in situations where they are speaking to prospective clients. I personally know of 2very senior folks in the US, who actually take turns to do the following i.e. one person joins the call 2 minutes late, in order to facilitate idle talk by the first person with the prospective client & set the tone for the meeting. Amazing practice, if you ask me!

The term "great" is something one would have to get accustomed to really fast, when working with Americans. They use the word great at the drop of a hat, in situations that don't even warrant it. Great job, great work, great team, great manager, great analyst or hell, just great guy or 'this is great, thanks'!!

Net-net, I'd say they are fun-loving people who value their lives beyond an office. While there may be outsourcing et al, some of them are cognizant of the work/life imbalance that exists in many parts of India today. But then again, they are the most approachable and informal set of people that I have ever interacted with. These phrases mentioned above are (I repeat), only meant to be tongue-in-cheek, and is not meant to be derogatory.

Happy Birthday, Sachin (for the 35th time)

I do not know of any other living sporting icon from India, who's birthday is a red letter day in the Indian calendar.

April 24 of every year is a day when Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar makes national headlines(just like he does at every other time of the year). But this date is special. It is special because it is a time to salute a man who has offered yeoman service to Indian cricket, and indeed, Indian sport in general. It is a day when the entire nation, cutting across artificial and real differences, unites to celebrate a man who lives a life that millions dream of. Sachin Tendulkar is the aspiration and inspiration of an extremely ambitious nation. This day is a celebration of a real life dream!

What Sachin has done on the sporting arena usually gets overpowered by the things that he has done off-field. The sheer weight of expectations that every Indian sportslover showers on him every time the champion plays cricket, is a pressure that very few on this planet can handle. To expect him to win every match for India on a world stage, for the last 18 years is in itself a part of Indian cricketing legend. I actually recognise the man more for his temperament, his ability to handle such pressure, his mental strength, his poise, and indeed his sense of balance and simplicity that he retains till this day.

For a man who can command things in Indian sport (if he wishes to), Tendulkar remains committed to the country and his team and always puts these two gems ahead of his personal milestones. That is incredible, given that most sportsmen live a short life in their stream and are remembered for their records.

But not Sachin. He will be remembered for his contribution to India as a whole. He will be remembered as a man who taught Indians to prove to the world that we are well and truly capable of being the best in the business. He reminds every Indian that it is possible to dream big and achieve great things in this world. His name echoes the distant possibility that one can realise one's deepest passions, ambitions, dreams, and desires by the sheer dint of courage, hard work, performance and indeed meritocracy. All that one has to do is to constantly reinforce his/her belief that one is good enough, come what may.

I think the greater recognition of the man's stature in international cricket is represented by the immense adulation he enjoys with cricketing audiences worldwide, and the fantastic camaraderie, respect and fear that opponent teams have for him, even as he enters the twilight of his illustrious career.

And I think, to Sachin's credit, he makes every Indian proud. Very, very, very proud!

Happy 35th Birthday, Sachin!

Colourful day at the office

Its Grail day today - the second anniversary of this start-up, Grail Research, that I am a part of. And it was an exhilarating day at the office, with a lot of fanfare, colour and immense cheer all around (not to mention the complete absence of motivation to work!).

The festivities actually began before everyone got to the office in the morning, when our worldwide CEO sent an enthusiastic email to everybody highlighting the firm’s achievements, and recognizing key milestones in the last 2 years. He also set the tone for the times ahead with future challenges and also acknowledged some key performers since the inception of the firm.

As soon as I entered the office premises, I was greeted with a majestic, yet colourful view of endless workstations decorated, ceilings hooked up with red and white balloons. There was more to come -, flowers and garlands at the office main entrance, wonderful artistic decorations (rangolis) donning different spots in the office, posters with photographs from the past capturing some memorable moments such as the offsite at Dehradun, training sessions and birthday celebrations in office etc.

The mood in the office was extremely cheerful, with people smiling at each other and celebrating the spirit of the day in colourful attires. Of course, the highlight of the day was the theme that each "set of workstations together i.e. bay", came up with. There were diverse themes floating around the office with some bays taking the pains to actually source real ingredients to reflect the authenticity of the theme in question. For example, there was one bay on the 7th floor that came up with the theme of a dhaba (an Indian traditional, countryside food joint); another bay came up with the theme of a jail; another one thought of converting their bay into a bar; yet another bay sold their idea to the intellectuals with their theme of a knowledge centre.

There were a handful of folks who did not participate, but that was more on account of the premium on their time in the recent past(read, client pressure!).However, they did come up with a last minute wisecrack full of hoardings that marked arrows to other bays in the office and suggesting that they would have done a better job than the rest of the pack!

Our bay was full of folks filled with energy and creativity. We came up with the Grail Disco!I almost did not recognise the place that I sit in everyday, what with pictures of dance partners, frilly material, designer cardboard, bartender indications(water bottles depicted as beer bottes!) etc. We coined our theme as Groovy Grail, and also had a disco ball that was affixed to a bulb on top of our bay!(Its a different story that the ball kept falling down, every other hour - but it was a rotating ball, you see!).

As the evening neared, the entire office congregated on the 7th floor and there were announcements on promotions, special awards for people who had made key contributions and a few other formalities. The fun committee(responsible for deciding the best themes in various bays), then made their announcements - and we were the second runner-up! Not a bad effort at all, given that a large number of ideas actually hit us only an hour before everything had to be ready!

After this meeting, there was beer, pizza and garlic bread - on the house, which was just what the doctor ordered for the vibrant set of under-30 folks in the office!

All in all, a red letter day(our logo is red too!) for everyone Grail Research!

ps: It is also the cricketing legend, Sachin Tendukar's birthday today!:)

Old world charm...

Its been years since I sat back and had a long, engaging and incredibly fulfilling conversation with any friend. The pressures of the professional world have seriously put a premium on such charming pleasures of life. But today was a rare exception. I got to spend a good 2.5 hours with a very good friend of mine at Barista. It was one of those fascinating evenings where we tooks turns in going through time, and through some of the most poignant moments in our lives.

Of course, my version of the story has just scratched the tip of the iceberg - but, it was fascinating to learn of some seriously mixed set of times that my wonderful friend has undergone in her life. Learnt a lesson or two as well, in the course of this long conversation.

This has to rank as one of the finest evenings in a long time. The old world charm of spending quality time with a good friend, at a coffee shop, and engaging in deep, animated dialogues,without ever realising the passage of time - wow! Old charms of life, in its truest essense!

My Friend From France

She is much taller than me. She has a dazzling smile. She is strong in the fundamentals of finance. She is well-qualified. She has lovely brown eyes. She is incredibly down-to-earth. She eats with her hands more adeptly than any villager in the country would.She is a fascinating human being. And believe it or not, I am talking about somebody who I have grown to admire, respect, love and indeed cherish, even though she is not born in India. She is a special girl!

I am not talking about any girlfriend that I have (wish I did!). But, I am talking about my lovely friend from France, who has been living in India for the last few years. She came to India on an exchange programme in a top business school and has since been working here. I first heard her voice when my boss was recruiting a foreigner into our team. And he said France - obviously, my ears caught that word - I mean, how many guys will get to have a French girl as a team mate in India! Finally, my boss managed to recruit her, get her visa done and then she arrived in our office in Bangalore - back in the summer of 2005.

We worked together, but very quickly became good friends. She knew a lot about India even before she arrived and had seen so much more of the country than my friends and I together had. She was good at her work and picked up the Indian way of working pretty quickly ( meaning, long hours and working on weekends!). I will never forget those lovely Friday afternoons when she used to bring a home baked chocolate cake to the office and share it with the entire team. It was an unseen culture in our office - but she carried it off & brilliantly at that.

I quit that firm and we kept in touch. I saw her transform from the regular European, bland food-eating individual into more and more of an Indian. She started eating spicy Indian food. She learnt the variants of the north Indian and south Indian palette. She picked up the tricks of the trade, so to speak, in eating without a fork and a knife. Of course, she did crazy things along the way - such as mix gulab jamun and curd for dessert, that had us in splits! But, that's the kind of effort she put in, towards understanding the Indian way of life, not just the food. I have seen her take great efforts to be as Indian as possible on Ethnic Day at the office, when she would turn up in a saree and dumbfound the most ardent of Indian male admirers. Her height, her charisma and her poise were exemplary at all times even when she was surrounded by men and women who spoke the local language - poor thing, she never understood Kannada or Hindi! That's something she always told a good friend of mine and me (we were all in the same team) - that both of us, never ever speak the local language in front of her. We understood what she meant - imagine surviving in a country of over a 1000 languages, and knowing only one language i.e. English! Tough life! But my lovely French friend has done it, and done it with style for a long time now. She is even training to learn Hindi nowadays.

There have been some memorable moments with her - like going to a Hindi movie and translating every word for her, so that she gets the context of the movie (she must be one of those rare girls who does not drool over Shahrukh Khan when he is on screen; but instead was all ears to my translation efforts - possibly the only time I scored over King Khan!). There have been other times with her as well, such as long walks in and around her neighbourhood, or catching up on evenings at Coffee Day and having a nice little conversation or two, or going to watch a play, or watching a concert at Rangashankara (a famous Bangalore art centre), or just driving around Bangalore in the car and listening to music and engaging in long conversations, or trying out some new cuisine in town. Interestingly, there have been so many variants to our outings that I have forgotten which is more memorable than the other - they have all been special!

The fact that she has become so much of an Indian is demonstrated by the fact that she is able to fight with rickshaw drivers on the tariff! Another testimonial is her ability to drive in Indian traffic, that too the pathetic Bangalore traffic, which is a nightmare for the most seasoned of drivers. But for my European friend, its no big deal! She will glide through the traffic at ease. Her road sense, her ability to jam on the brakes at the eleventh hour, her sense of navigating around cyclists and buffaloes and what have you are a revelation in the art of learning to live in a new country. Imagine, for someone so used to picture perfect situations back home in Paris, where there is no trace of a bullock cart of a cyclist on the main highway, to driving a four-wheeler in the nightmarish, one-ways of Indian roads! Some transformation and ability to adapt, that!

I have been away from Bangalore for a while now. But every time I go home for a vacation, I ensure that I meet my lovely French friend. She is a delight to hang around with. Just reliving old times, catching up on old office gossip, learning about her trials and tribulations in our country have taught me the lesson that great friendships have no barriers - not of geography, not of language, and definitely not of food etc. She knows that I am a vegetarian and that I am a tee-totaler. And she respects that. All the same, she has taught me many things about how life pans out in France; how people end up going out to restaurants 3 - 4 times in a week; how family dinners are a special place; how people work in one firm for many years, unlike what we find in India, where the average Joe jumps jobs at the drop of a hat and how the French government takes care of people without a job.

All in all, my French friend is one of the finest human beings I have ever met. Incredibly sweet girl and somebody whose friendship I genuinely treasure. I know that she will go back to France eventually, but to have gotten the chance to meet her and get to be such great friends with her while she is in India, is one of the privileges of my life. And one of the truly memorable friendships in my life, which I am confident, she reciprocates!

Cheers to you, girlie!

Summer rains!

Its been raining here in Noida for the last 4-5 days. And the weather has been nothing short of a spectacle - breezy and nippy in the air, dark, misty clouds in the morning and cloud cover for most of the day, lovely greenery with wet leaves dripping with raindrops - the sights of the north Indian rains in the summer is a rare one indeed. And quite beautiful! Reminds me so much of the weather back home in Bangalore, where its pleasant for most of the year.

The lovely weather here in Noida this week has brought about smiles on people's faces. There is a sense of cheer in the air, in the absence of the hot sun that is the norm here at this time of the year. No wonder people use the word, moody!

Of credit cards, cash and India's growth story...!

Every thought of how paying telephone bills either in cash or by credit card can actually be a reflection of India's growth story? I never could have imagined the connection between a regular telephone bill payment and India's GDP growth rate, till recently!

My internet connection at home was misbehaving and I had to land up at Airtel's customer service centre in Noida last Tuesday. I reached this centre at around 1.30 p.m. , just after lunch. As I walked into the crowded service centre, the first thing I noticed was the change in the layout since I last went there around 6 months ago. The service centre was cleaner, more spacious and had an air of class about it. I had only 20 minutes to wrap up my conversation about my faulty internet connection at this service centre. I went straight to the enquiry counter and explained that my internet connection at home was not working properly at times and that there were issues with it. The service agent checked up the status on my bill payments and noticed that there was on bank transaction that had not reached the phone company in time- so much for online banking! I told him that it was not my problem, as I had paid the bill on time.

Eventually, I managed to cancel that old bank transaction and asked the service representative to fix the issue with my internet connection immediately. He suggested that I make an on-the-spot payment for my old bill and that he would immediately put in a request for speedy resurrection of my internet connection. I did not have time to argue and agreed.

When I then asked him about the billing counter, he pointed me to the far end of the service centre, where I noticed two queues - one for credit card payment and one for cash payments. And the queue for the credit card payment option was at least 3 times longer than that of the queue atthe cash payment counter. That sight had a message for me, that was loud and clear. And it hit me hard(positively and brought a smile to my face!).

Although it may seem like a mundane billing counter, I thought that the longer queue for credit cards clearly demonstrated the kind of growth India is growing! I am not anywhere close to being grey-haired, but in all my growing years, when there was no internet, no mobile phone, no credit card in the country, it was cash all the way. And to see that the number of people owning credit cards far outscored the number of people lined up for cash payments at a remote customer service centre of a famous telecom company, made me realise how much this country has progressed. Not only was the ownership of mobile phones increasing, but also, the ability to pay bills using hitherto high-end products was a revelation! I don't live in 300 B.C., don't mistake me!

These indices of a larger number of credit card owners than cash payers may never hit the headlines of any newspaper. But for somebody who has seen the upward migration curve of India, the sight of those two queues at that service centre was a huge statement. It was an attestation of the new India that is ready to take on the world and live life, king-size!

Cheerio!!

A trip to the Wagah Border

Its the closest I ever got to Pakistan. Its the first time in my life that I felt the palpable excitement of Pakistani presence, beyond a cricket field. This was when I went to the Wagah Border on Republic Day this year and to the Golden Temple just hours before getting to the Indo-Pak border.

My first impression on seeing a Pakistani soldier, inches away from the Indian border, was one of toughness.I felt that they were immaculately dressed in dark green army outfits, with sharp noses and incredibly piercing eyes.Their posture in "attention" position, was one of "I am ready to take on the world".Their style of marching was incredibly aggressive, yet classy.I will never forget the moment when I saw this smart soldier march towards the Pakistani flag, make a right turn and slam his foot into Pakistani soil with a thud. I was a few hundred feet away from him, but the reverbrations of that foot slamming the ground was felt quite a distance away! I shudder to think what he would have done had the gates been open!!:)

I also think that the concept of a retreat in possibly one of the most patriotic spots in the world - what with Pakistanis and Indians screaming at the top of their voices with passion for their countries- is a remarkable thing.With practices of a lovely march by the Indian Border Security Force followed by a similar exercise on the Pakistani side, the national anthem on either side of the fence being played one after the other, the opening of the gates for a few minutes where the Indian and Pakistani soldiers meet, the playing of hot Bollywood numbers such as Kajra Re to up the tempo,and with the lowering of flags of both the countries in tandem(& with immense respect) were a treat to watch!The highlight of course, was the fever pitch patriotism on either side of the Wagah Border, what with the few hundred Indians who had assembled into the stadium screaming Jai Hind and Vande Mataram, and the Pakistanis trying to match the decibel levels in the vicinity, if not exceed it. All in all, an immensely patriotic place and one of the most unique places I have ever been to. Would love to go there again!.

The defining moment for me actually came after the retreat, when people on either side of the border were allowed to right up to the gate of the border(see pic) and meet each other, shake hands with each other, speak to each other with the barricade on, and indeed see the other side of the fence up,close and personal. This is allowed for just 15-20 minutes, but it was sight to behold! I also saw many Pakistanis walk along the gate at a far end that did not have a barricade, touching the small fence that divided the 2 countries, and smiling at many Indians.This was a far cry from the acrimony that usually exists on the sporting arena,when the two countries meet or when the political games are played out in Delhi and Islamabad. This was reality on the ground with people meeting each other - I guess this is what politicians mean by 'people-to-people' contact. It was phenomenal to see and I would like to do it again. And maybe one day, even cross the border using the bus that plies between Delhi and Lahore, given that Lahore was just 23 kilometres away from where I was standing on that wonderful January 26 evening!

Of course, there are a few things that I did not like there - such as special seating for women such that they had chairs and benches to sit while we guys were left standing and jostling for space, a VIP seating arrangement for people with "access" to be seated right next to the gate that divides the two countries and the sad planning (on the Indian side at least) in accommodating people. There were tons of folks who could not even sight the retreat in full, and were pretty much seeing the entire 30 minute show through handycams and digital cameras of people around. Anyway, as with many things in life, this needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, I guess, because, the larger picture of patriotic fervour was something else!!

Jai Hind!!

Why I think Sania Mirza is right?

So much has been written about India's tennis ace, Sania Mirza deciding to skip the Bangalore Open in March 2008. Experts have even written obituaries of her sizzling career with almost no future. Veterans of the game have ridiculed her for having taken the stand that she will not play tennis in the near-term within the country. Commentators of the game have gone on record saying that she should reconsider such decisions, as ATP tournaments rarely come to India, players like Venus Williams are coming home for the first time ever and that Sania has a great opportunity to defeat the top 10 players in her own backyard, given the crowd support and momentum.

But well, hang on a minute! Has anyone ever seen the champion's point of view? She just says that she finds it so difficult to focus on the game, given the innumerable distractions and "imposed" controversies, none more than the one to do with the Indian flag and her feet. Call it the mastery of the cameraman to have brought in that controversy to the front pages.

I genuinely feel that Sania is standing up for herself, for her values.She is just saying to the world that she may love the country immensely and will do anything to represent the country and win,but, she will not accept such demeaning behaviour by people instigating such controversies.

In my mind, she has demonstrated enough by going all out in the Fed Cup despite nursing an injury.How many times have we seen the other tennis ace, Leander Paes go out and do it for India in the most extenuating circumstances? But, the difference is, he was never ridiculed for anything and rightly so. Similarly, its just not right to accuse Sania with mundane things such as short skirts,because that is how the game of tennis has been played for decades. Alright, connoissuers of the game can argue that back in the early part of the last century, girls played tennis with full trousers,but unfortunately, they need to remember that Sania Mirza is a reflection of the generation next.She is a core part of the new breed of achievers emanating from Indian sport.She is the next big hope of a country to win the coveted Wimbledon crown, down the line, which means she needs to play on grass like in the upcoming Bangalore Open. However, the current environment is not letting her build that expertise.

She is ranked in the top 30, which is no mean feat for an Indian sportsperson.So, why stop the juggernaut with such "imposed" controversies? I just hope she gets back on track soon and shuts out all the negative vibes going around.We have had a Prakash Padukone get us an All England Championship many years ago;we have had a Geet Sethi give us crowning glory in billiards many times;we have Olympic bronze medals from shooting and weightlifting.We have had Leander and Mahesh bring us many a doubles championship for us.Let's not stop Sania from getting us great glory in individual sport,for our country!

Taare Zameen Par - an awakening

I guess I am human. Immensely human. More human than I ever thought I could be.Incredibly emotional too, behind the razzmattazz of the practical world too.Learnt so much from an 8 year old boy today, that there is more meaning to life than the mad rat race that I find myself a part of.I watched the movie Taare Zameen Par today.

There may be enough number of people who are writing reviews on this masterpice of a movie.However, to me,it was more than a movie.It was a loud,clear message, going beyond just childhood and the pressures that the so-called, "non-performing kids" in society go through.This theme is equally applicable to adults too.People in a wild rush,out to achieve so much in professional life, and pretty much forgetting to lead life in the bargain.The kid in the movie keeps quiet and goes through the agony of nobody understanding him, and not just the agony of being a so-called non-performer.How many of us find ourselves in that same situation of being a part of the rat race, and not even feeling like we belong there?Our true desires,elsewhere.Our true talents, elsewhere.Our true dreams, elsewhere.Our true ambitions, elsewhere.Our true drives in life,elsewhere.

I am incredibly shaken by this movie.Oh yes, I am!Its given me the message, that one is not a loser in life, if one is not a part of the "regular" crowd. Its ok to be offbeat.Its ok to be different.Its ok to have talents and imaginations that do not form a part of the mainstream.Its ok to be lonely, yet dreamy-eyed.Oh yes, it is.There is life beyond a corporate office, and a professional career. Yes, they are important, but if one is not a part of that race,its not the end of the world.

One of the greatest movies I have ever seen in my life!

The excitement of a vacation...

Its been a year full of speed, agony,trials and tribulations, along with opportunities to meet new people in a different part of the country,acclimitise to a different culture, adapt to an alien environment, converse in a language that is not exactly second nature to me, work for endless number of hours in increasingly fluid environments. Its been one big, action-packed year for sure!

But hey! Tomorrow is the last working day of this calendar year.And we have a ten day vacation! Its official too! I can't wait for the moment when I shutdown my computer for the final time this year. It is going to be a moment to cherish and indeed, as I sit in front of my computer right now, its a moment I am so eagerly looking forward to. The very thought of putting up that "out-of-office" reply is an intriguing proposition!

Taj Mahal & Fatehpur Sikhri

That sublime monument; one of the seven wonders of the world; the epitome in the expression of love for a soulmate;the pinnacle of serenity - the Taj Mahal. It has got to rank as one of the privileges in my life of having seen this mesmerising monument twice in my life, the second trip that happened last weekend.

It was a sudden trip that one of my office colleagues suggested, to which I just nodded. And I was so happy that I went with them. We had a great time together, thoroughly laughing through the day, sharing some seriously good jokes with each other, walking endlessly around the historic monument, and yet, having the bent of mind to understand and appreciate just why such a great monument attracts people from all over the world.

The Saturday that we reached Agra was one of those days when the Taj would be open for only half a day - a visit by some dignitary would close the doors of the great monument for the public at large after 1.00 p.m. This was the first message that greeted us at Agra Cantt station. But thankfully, the cab driver was genuine and knew what he was talking and infact drew up the agenda for us through the day.

We reached the Taj Mahal at around 11.00 a.m. and after winding our way through the weekend crowd, we finally reached the great tomb in 45 minutes or so. The very first glance at the classic monument had me breathless. I was gasping for words and staring at this world-famous structure endlessly, while my friends were busy taking photographs. The charm of the place, the serenity that hits you, the passion that the king(Shahjahan) had for his wife (Mumtaz) hits you hard.The symmetry of the monument catches your breath, the path-breaking architectural thinking that masons of those days had dumbfounds you, the greenery of the garden around and the subtle trickle of the fountains in front of the monument adds great flavour to the moment.Quite simply, an exhilirating experience.

And as you near the monument and see flocks of people from all walks of life and from innumerable countries, you realize how great a monument it really is. And not just monument- it is an expression that the world understands. The expression of love.

We walked around the entire marble structure and took a number of snaps. We looked at the hallways, the intricate designs, the freshness of the marble, the inscription of the Quran etc as well. Simply, mind-blowing!

Finally, we waded our way out of the monument, given that we had to exit the place by 1.00 p.m.

Fatehpur Sikhri
Once we were out of the historic place, we nudged along to the parking lot to head to Fatehpur Sikhri. I have never been to this place. But it was yet another experience to remember.On arrival, we were hounded by more than a handful of local guides, claiming expertise in their knowledge of the history behind the place. Finally, we chose on guide, who was persuasive and seemed committed(don't they all?!). But he turned out to be a good choice. I personally learnt a lot about the history of the place.

We went around the huge open space in Fatehpur that had long hallways, huge corridors, vast open spaces, blocks on the wall that was an announcement booth to signify the arrival of King Akbar for his prayer, hostel rooms, huge lights,a small pond and a temple that had marble windows such that nobody could see anything from the outside but the reverse was possible.

Heading out of Fatehpur, we got into a rickshaw and went to Sikhri, the huge palace.This was a sublime experience. the perfection of the place, the magnitude of the palace, the thinking behind the various structures - vegetable market, women's shopping corner, panch mahal(5 storeyed tower), school, meditation centre, palace, prayer hall, one palace for each wife of the king(3 wives - on Turkish, one Islamic and one Christian- lucky king!),the carvings, the gardens, the walkways & paths, the surrounding horizon, the elephant tower - was truly a fantastic experience.

This trip taught me the lesson about how much of a royal time the Mughal kings had in India. They may have taken away a lot of the riches from India back then, but they also contributed immensely to the current historical landscape in the country with such stellar monuments such as the Taj Mahal and the palaces & forts at Fatehpuri Sikhri.

All in all, a weekend well spent and truly memorable indeed!

Feel good factor!

I used to hear from my bosses in the past that there is no greater professional certificate than a client coming back to us for a repeat project. He used to say that, it is the only true merit of a person or a team or an organization. I never knew that such a feel-good-factor could manifest itself in a personal environment.

I got a call from one of my former clients in the US today. And this, from somebody who I have personally never met, but interacted extensively over the phone and email. More than anything else, it had been some time since we had corresponded with each other, but the minute she had some requirement in understanding a market dynamic in India, she remembered me. That really made me feel on top of the world. I mean, she is the head of a business unit of a leading technology company and interacts with a million analysts in her life. And could have easily chosen to reach out to any other analyst in any other firm. But, she remembered me.

It was a great boost to my confidence, and a great certification of my professional contribution in my sphere. I genuinely felt happy after a very long time today! It was a very simple thing in terms of a client reaching out to an analyst, but her choosing me over everyone else, gave me an enormous boost!

Its a memorable day in my professional life today!Pure meritocracy DOES exist, after all!

Why Outsourcing is Not Worth It?

So much has been said and written about the outsourcing industry in India and all that it has done to the economy. I beg to differ.

While there is merit in the financial benefits that have accrued to millions of human beings, who have received different types of exposure in this industry, I believe, that the trade-off and loss is far too high,for us to even bother about the benefits. Look at the average executive in his/her mid-20s; typically dreary-eyed, operating on a reverse clock that the human body is not accustomed to(which is tantamount to punishment);no regular food(ok, the occasional pizza is fine, but not every other day); lack of social life; inability to converse with people at a normal pace;greater familiarity and ease in using computers rather than having a man-to-man or face-to-face conversation;lingo that boasts of the 'yo-culture';living away from homes in remote cities;inability to participate in Indian festivals thanks to companies' policies of having only vacation as per the US calender;working for the benefit of the Americans - everything to their advantage.

What's the point? Why lose our own individuality and ability to contribute to our own nation? Why, such a big trade-off? Why, forego the simple thrills in life of going out with a lovely girlfriend on a nice, wintry evening for dinner, and instead, wasting time sitting in front of a computer or talking to an American whose face we don't even know?

Isn't this any less than the slavery we were subjected to by the Britishers for 180 years? How different is this from that? Maybe, that was more brutal and had capital punishment et al. But, I think, this outsourcing is nothing short of professional slavery - submit to somebody else, who is only out to exploit us.

Get real! This is India- the country that gave the world the digit zero; the country that gave the world vegetarianism; the country that gave the world religious ethos;the country that the world looks up to for democracy and management of diversity;the country that produced the greatest chess champion; the country that created history in winning a cricket World Cup; the country that brought home laurels in the form of a Nobel Prize in economics; hell, the country that gave the world the concept of kamasutra!

Why are we wasting our time losing our sleep to somebody else on some other corner of the planet, whom we don't even know?

I am writing this at 00.45 hours after just having gotten home, after an 18 hour day; that should explain why this industry is so not worth it....

The week that was...

The week that has just gone past, has to rank as the best week in 2007, so far. What a phenomenal time I had back home in Bangalore. There is another 7 hours for my flight to take off, and neither am I getting sleep, nor am I able to enthuse myself to get back to Delhi. The very thought is suffocating, to say the least!

A week replete with quality life - catching up with old friends, scouting the latest places in my city, checking out the movie halls, visiting the most sublime and oldest restaurants in town(CTR, veena stores, MTR, lakeview..slurp!). Not to mention, relaxing at home, enjoying home food, putting my legs up and watching an engrossing test match between India and England(India won, yippee!). Just a great week indeed.

Wish holidays lasted longer, or that one didn't have to change cities in this pursuit of a 'career'. Anyway, will write about that some other time...

India won!

Congratulations to Rahul Dravid and the Indian team for pulling off a series victory on foreign soil! That too, in Old Blighty! This series win is especially good because it had an all-round contribution from a vast majority of the players, throughout the series.And that, in the context of Indian cricket, is a rare phenomenon, given that we rely on a handful of great champions to contribute more often than not.

It was with great interest and spirit that I watched Dinesh Karthik. His 91 in the first innings' of the Oval test was quite a sublime performance, what with his ability to read the swing very well and cover for it. Infact, there were occasions when I noticed that he was able to hit through the line in seaming conditions and that spoke volumes about his confidence. Great shot, Dinesh!

But, for me, despite the entire team's performance, what stood out was one gentleman called VVS Laxman. That guy is pure magic, when on song. He may not have scored a century in this series, but his sheer stature, presence in the middle, ability to make batting look ridiculously easy, decimate the opposition with style and panache rather than brute power just amazes me no end. He is quite a magician for me, and I just hope that he is able to accelerate a bit more in the later half of his career and do better justice to his talent. Not to mention, his terrific catching abilities. Quite a magician, who I would watch all day long, if I had the time. Seriously, magical!

Of course, the fact that four legends - Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly - might have played test cricket for the last time in the Old Blighty. And it was great to see the spirit in their enjoyment of the victory, as if it was a school kid being given a lovely chocolate that he has longed for. Such is the spirit of thrill and effort that has made these four wonderful artistes the great men that they really are. Of these four,as a fellow Bangalorean,I couldn't feel more proud than I did, when Kumble knocked off Glenn McGrath's record and went on to win a 'Man of the Match' award for his first(and I guess, last) century in test cricket. Great job, Jumbo! And the Indian captain, hails from my college in Bangalore, just another feather in his great cap! He was just the same in college too - quiet, but steely! It shows that he meant business at a very early age!

Next stop, the masala of one-day cricket. But, I must confess, the thrill of watching good old-fashioned, hard-nosed test match cricket, in England, with its aura of tradition had a thrill of its own. The Indian victory, just added the cherry to the pudding!

Blissful holidays!

Ah! I am having the best time I have had in a long time. Away from the razzmattazz of the corporate world, far away from bosses, clients, teams, laptops, powerpoints, emails and all the paraphernelia that adds up to what is called the 'corporate life'. And I am just enjoying at home,cooling my heels, catching up with old friends, having home food, watching some sublime test match cricket, catching up with some movies, reading at leisure, sleeping for hours and trying to eliminate the dark circles that had accummulated over the last 3 months.

Aah, holidays! The most sublime time in life!

Weekend is here!

After a mad week of spending a good 18 hours in office everyday(never used to be this way earlier, groan!), I finally have my weekend. This is the best part of my life - weekends. Its MINE. Nobody interferes withit - not clients, not bosses, not juniors, not seniors. Just realised this week that weekends are indeed one of the great charms of life. And I am actually going to be going out and seeing the world. The last few days have been reduced to navigating around the office buildings and returning home and nothing else. Not even been getting to eat on time.

Its the weekend!Am out off to enjoy it in Dwarka, New Delhi!

Back in action

I know I have not written in this space for the best part of the last 3 months. I guess transitions of a job change as well as change in city, have their own manifestations and demands on time!

I have finally settled down into my new place in Noida. The firm is interesting, people are exceptionally busy,and the heat here is quite not what I am accustomed to. I seriously need to figure out ways to cool myself,and stop feeling so heavy everytime I gulp down a glass of water to beat the heat.Even sitting inside the office within an air-conditioned environment doesn't suffice!Its so damn hot here! Gosh...Bangalore..how I miss you!!

Will keep these posts updated from hereon in!

2007 beckons...!

Ah!A lovely year just got over.It was quite a memorable one,what with three trips during the year - Shimla,Chandigarh and San Francisco.Truly memorable.Met a lot of interesting people, made new friends, saw lots of new places, tried to become a better photographer and in between all this, had a good time in office too. Couldn't have asked for a better year bang in the middle of the first decade of this new century!

I guess, in between all this, definitely did make a sincere attempt to become a better human being.

There is a certain romance associated with anything new and I feel the same about 2007 as well. A strange excitement, as if this is going to be one of those defining years - though I cannot fathom where, how and why. But well, the romance would be killed if I were to pre-empt that! So, will wait and watch and try to have a better year.

2007 also has this very interesting titbit of having the most number of holidays on weekdays. So that's a good start already!!

Let's see how it goes! Happy New Year!!