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!!