Out of all the blogs, Mine First

I'm just writing this because I don't like the idea of having a blog not written/my brainchild, first in the list, though I admire these blogs (it made it to my blogspace afterall ;-)), wait ... there is only one blog which is not the product de amishra's brain.

I'm not able to continue with anything new in my blog lately because I'm not able to comeout with anything new, due to external factors mostly. I hopefully would followup with something interesting soon and maybe the silence means, I will have a more refined topic coming out, just like the distillation chamber works huh ... and yes ... the distillation is happening with every experience with life ...

Driving in INDIA!

This hilarious article was written by a Dutchman who spent two years in Bangalore, India, as a visiting expert. A little long article but worth reading it!!! this was really heart consoling to me as for some reason I've experienced that human tend to take comfort of the fact that he is not the only person who is sharing the same plight. After I read it on one of my friends blog, I couldn't help myself from posting it on my blog as well. (thanks KK)... anyways ... end of my blah blah

May the Dutchman speak errr ... write for himself:


Driving in Bangalore / India For the benefit of every Tom, Dick and Harry visiting India and daring to drive on Indian roads, I am offering a few hints for survival. They are applicable to every place in India except Bihar, where life outside a vehicle is only marginally safer. Indian road rules broadly operate within the domain of karma where you do your best, and leave the results to your insurance company. The hints are as follows: Do we drive on the left or right of the road? The answer is "both". Basically you start on the left of the road, unless it is occupied. In that case, go to the right, unless that is also occupied. Then proceed by occupying the next available gap, as in chess. Just trust your instincts, ascertain the direction, and proceed.


Adherence to road rules leads to much misery and occasional fatality. Most drivers don't drive, but just aim their vehicles in the generally intended direction. Don't you get discouraged or underestimate yourself except for a belief in reincarnation; the other drivers are not in any better position. Don't stop at pedestrian crossings just because some fool wants to cross the road. You may do so only if you enjoy being bumped in the back. Pedestrians have been strictly instructed to cross only when traffic is moving slowly or has come to a dead stop because some minister is in town. Still some idiot may try to wade across, but then, let us not talk ill of the dead.


Blowing your horn is not a sign of protest as in some countries. We horn to express joy, resentment, frustration, romance and bare lust (two brisk blasts),or just mobilize a dozing cow in the middle of the bazaar. Keep informative books in the glove compartment. You may read them during traffic jams, while awaiting the chief minister's motorcade, or waiting for the rainwater to recede when over ground traffic meets underground drainage. Occasionally you might see what looks like a UFO with blinking colored lights and weird sounds emanating from within. This is an illuminated bus, full of happy pilgrims singing bhajans. These pilgrims go at breakneck speed, seeking contact with the Almighty, often meeting with success.


Auto Rickshaw (Baby Taxi): The result of a collision between a rickshaw and an automobile, this three-wheeled vehicle works on an external combustion engine that runs on a mixture of kerosene oil and creosote. This triangular vehicle carries iron rods, gas cylinders or passengers three times its weight and dimension, at an unspecified fare. After careful geometric calculations, children are folded and packed into these auto rickshaws until some children in the periphery are not in contact with the vehicle at all. Then their school bags are pushed into the microscopic gaps all round so those minor collisions with other vehicles on the road cause no permanent damage. Of course, the peripheral children are charged half the fare and also learn Newton's laws of motion enroute to school. Auto-rickshaw drivers follow the road rules depicted in the film Ben Hur, and are licensed to irritate.


Mopeds: The moped looks like an oil tin on wheels and makes noise like an electric shaver. It runs 30 miles on a teaspoon of petrol and travels at break-bottom speed. As the sides of the road are too rough for a ride, the moped drivers tend to drive in the middle of the road; they would rather drive under heavier vehicles instead of around them and are often "mopped" off the tarmac. Leaning Tower of Passes: Most bus passengers are given free passes and during rush hours, there is absolute mayhem. There are passengers hanging off other passengers, who in turn hang off the railings and the overloaded bus leans dangerously, defying laws of gravity but obeying laws of surface tension. As drivers get paid for overload (so many Rupees per kg of passenger), no questions are ever asked. Steer clear of these buses by a width of three passengers.


One-way Street: These boards are put up by traffic people to add jest in their otherwise drab lives. Don't stick to the literal meaning and proceed in one direction. In metaphysical terms, it means that you cannot proceed in two directions at once. So drive as you like, in reverse throughout, if you are the fussy type. Least I sound hypercritical; I must add a positive point also. Rash and fast driving in residential areas has been prevented by providing a "speed breaker"; two for each house. This mound, incidentally, covers the water and drainage pipes for that residence and is left untarred for easy identification by the corporation authorities, should they want to recover the pipe for year-end accounting. Night driving on Indian roads can be an exhilarating experience for those with the mental make up of Genghis Khan. In a way, it is like playing Russian roulette, because you do not know who amongst the drivers is loaded. What looks like premature dawn on the horizon turns out to be a truck attempting a speed record. On encountering it, just pull partly into the field adjoining the road until the phenomenon passes.

Our roads do not have shoulders, but occasional boulders. Do not blink your lights expecting reciprocation. The only dim thing in the truck is the driver, and with the peg of illicit arrack (alcohol) he has had at the last stop, his total cerebral functions add up to little more than a naught. Truck drivers are the James Bonds of India, and are licensed to kill. Often you may encounter a single powerful beam of light about six feet above the ground. This is not a super motorbike, but a truck approaching you with a single light on, usually the left one. It could be the right one, but never get too close to investigate. You may prove your point posthumously.


Happy Driving!!

What is SWADESHI and why do we need it Today?

It was a movement part of the Indian freedom struggle under the leadership of people like Lokmanya Tilak, Veer Savarkar, Shri Aurobindo, Mahatama Gandhi and more I don’t know but definetly must have been significant contributors.

The idea of the Swadeshi movement was to choose the Indigenous manufactured commodity over the alternative foreign make in order to help and generate the market and increase demand for the locally manufactured goods and improve upon the economic independence of these industries which would directly have a voice in the then colonial government (Since money speaks as you all must know!), the choice here I guess was conditional i.e. if you don’t have the purchasing power go for the cheaper option regardless it being a foreign make.

Even decades after independence from British Colonialism it was felt that for total economic freedom it is essential to make Swadeshi a way of life. To make people aware of the on going economic imperialism, few organisations like Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) etc. started a massive campaign for Swadeshi in 1980s. This movement helped in spreading awareness among the masses about the importance of Swadeshi as a way of life.

I have an alternative belief here which is slightly different; Swadeshi is a way to ward away from the competition. Why do we need swadeshi concept in a globalized world where whole of the world is a single open market.

Why shouldn’t I have a choice to choose from all the available alternatives existing without the Swadeshi biasness and why not leave the discretion to the consumer to take the decision, why not assume he is not a sentimental fool and stop his emotional exploitation?

Why do the corporate induce this mental biasness into the consumer even before he has made a choice, isn’t this part of an unfair practice?

Swadeshi is just a tool in today’s world to trigger sentiments to do business in an unfair way, not to forget exploiters of the sentiments are never expected to do business based on emotions, they are here to make money and philanthropy and business never go hand in hand.

What is the literal intent of the Swadeshi movement?

I think is to have the confidence and the belief in your self and face the real open competitive world without fear, be fair in you ways of business and respect the competition, they are your major source of motivation for improvement, change for good and growth.

A consumer is justified in his choice if he chooses a foreign make over an indigenous one and currently considering the cheaper Chinese and other foreign make in the market, I see the Indian industries need to re-organize and ramp up to the competition as every sentiment has a limitation and it wouldn’t be long when people would give up to it.

Consumers are businessmen too and they count their money as well before putting it in their wallet.

What If I was a Manager today!

It is a long time since I have written something on this blog, yeah … like anybody actually notices it. O’ps (Single ‘O’ not oops, seems less feminine to me this way and notice the apostrophe as well) just in case some one actually goes through it … I prefer being optimistic.
I don’t expect this article to be something very serious kind of stuff, though it could end up something meaningful by the time I end writing it.

To start of with, as you can already see the title of the blog, “what if I was a manager today!, (Not targeted to anybody personally)”. I don’t know how interesting it sounds to someone else but I’m sure more than the usual beauty pageants kind of question that the contestants go through like, What if you were the PM/President of your country? That is followed by the usual bluff and crap by the contestants with a list of rosy things that they know they would never have to do since they just don’t want to be in full time philanthropy business instead of starring in a blockbuster (Hey! you beauties with the crown, I know that the intend of the deeds also counts).

This question I think is obviously more interesting and meaningful since I know one day I would be in that place. (Like anyone would judge me with what I have written here)
To begin the flow of thought I would like to mention something I just recalled that I had heard during my college days (No, not a B-School).

The Management fundas, explained with simplicity, something interesting and meaningful unlike when I heard it for the first time, I just thought it was some creative joke that could be used to impress others.

Lesson One

An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing.A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing?"The eagle answered: "Sure, why not." So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested.All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Management Lesson #1 - To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

Lesson Two

A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy.""Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull. "They're packed with nutrients."The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree. He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Management Lesson #2- Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

Lesson Three

A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold; the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.
As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Management Lesson #3
(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

This ends our three-minute management course :-) and now I can continue with my blog, (A trick to refresh you so that you are not out of you mind and sleepy reading my blog).

Well, the trigger that instigated my urge to blog this time is the Management Lesson #2, Bullshit might get you to the top but won’t keep you there.

What exactly is bullshit here? Being Manipulative and Exaggerative about your work, Stealing credit for others work, downsizing others contribution or just being (over) ambitious but at the cost of others and who are the others, are they dumb who learns late or don’t want to learn?

My belief is dumb is not an adjectives to define a person’s personality instead an adverb or say a temporary state of mind which is just long for few people who have greater resistivity for a change.

Good thing for an (Over) ambitious person bullshitting is, at least bullshit gives the initial thrust for them to achieve their ambition, to reach the top, so why not let them justify it’s use as a rocket fuel. What can a Manager do with the knowledge of these fundamentals if they are actually applicable; a lot, as it obviously sounds.

In this case I’m the manager (If you actually remember), I thought about it and wrote it in my blog.

1. Accept Bullshit is an Integral part of the real world and this is not a Bad world, It is perfect don’t crib about it.

2. Since I’m the Manager in this case I’m the moderator here and I control the amount of bullshit in my domain.

3. Recognize the talents who are your sources of the bullshits and ensure (use all your skills) that there is a balance in the amount of bullshit at any point of time, because you don’t want the talented people here to be over dependent on bullshit you want them to do your work done as well, in a talent scarce world you have to get optimum productivity from everyone under you.

4. Now for those who are not a source of bullshit in your team, they should be a concern only when they are a victim else don’t bother to do anything about them(A Manager’s time is precious).

5. The Victim, or so called dumb people, if the bullshit doesn’t give them the stink they are the High Resistivity people and you cannot really do much about them unless they agree to come out of this mental state, I believe only way to help them is leave them to help themselves, let them be the victim till they learn and have a change in their mental state and move to the category of people that I mentioned below.

6. Oooh! this bullshit is really bothering them, god knows why someone isn’t doing anything about it!A manager’s job, avoid the transition of these people to the bullshit source (Nobody is dumb!) keep them motivated and keep a watch if things go out of proportion i.e. too much of bullshit stink.

Moral of the story! An employee is one with vision, i.e. they ought to know the tree top (No! it is not just a CEO thing) and Manager (Not to forget also an Employee) needs good visibility (you can’t manage all the above without it).

Something for the better future of your kids and an undivided nation, being part of the Anti-Reservation rally in Bangalore on 28-May 2006, the pic was clicked on mobile by my roomie Sumit Pandey (who works with me at my office).

One of the many Wild Biological Discoveries we did during this Trek

This was tested by the Guinea Pig of our team Mr. CP :)), that it is safe for we humans.He was the first to touch them and untangle them from their habitat (flowing water).I was reluctant to touch them since they looked yucckk!!! and more like the excreta of extra-terrestrial life forms dumped on earth, fortunately they didn't come to life and wove around us.

 

This is a Pic that includes CP

Me, KK, CP and Jitu Sharma

 

The Team, had been to RangaSwami Hills on the 31st of Dec 2005.

From Left-To-Right, Rajath, Me, Jitendra, KK, Rajiv(Rajni's Brother), Rajni, Romi and CP - Thanks CP (ChanderPal (Not Visible) is clicking the Photograph for us).

It was one of the most tiresome treks of my life almost 7-8 K.M. of steep climb which drained all the energy we had by end of day.