Father again

In some of Indian caste and relegion, it is believed that having girl child is good. And some others feels having boy is good.

This is because of the culture and rituals they followed.
To me, having a 'healthy' child is more important.


My wife gave birth to my son few months back and my daugher is also equally excited as we are.
Keep your fingers crossed for a healthy child, doesnt matter whether its a girl or a boy.

What is Management?

Is it delegation?
Is it trust?
Is it ownership?
Is it blaming others?
Is it blaming self?
Is it making huge bundle of process related papers?
Is it commonsense?
Is it acting "Smart"?

IT HAPPENS IN INDIA: The art of Service

Hello….can I speak to Muralidhar….Yes sir, I am Muralidhar here, tell me how can I help you? And the typical conversation goes on and I used to hear very polite and soothing words from any similar service engineer here. It can be a bike service station, car, mobile, TV, Washing machine etc. That’s one way good.

One day, when I stepped down from my office, I saw a foreigner and an Indian (looks like he is a manager or Sr. Manager in one of the reputed IT service Firm) walking and It seems the Manager guy is guiding the foreigner to the way home back. Since he showed a path where pedestrians are not allowed, this manager guy was little upset, as in general majority of the people acts as if he / she knows everything (“Namma Bangalore”), and good that the security person showed the right path, where pedestrians are allowed to walk. Suddenly, the manager was offering the foreigner that he is ready to carry his bag, and I don’t know what happened after that, as I was rushing home and I crossed the two “gentlemen”. This is another face of service.

Yes, this is “Good for Life” service centre….how can I help you. After explaining the problem they provided me a complaint registration number. I was so happy by thinking that the people behave so good. Later, a service engineer came to my home to look into my Washing Machine, for that I have raised the complaint. “What is the problem sir?” he repeated the question, “Its not functioning” – I replied. “From when sir?” (I didn’t understand the relevance of this question, as it is not a fever or headache) he asked, “Two days back” – I answered him. He removed few parts and was doing something and finally it started working (not sure properly or not). He charged me the service charge and both of us were happy. The same problem happened after two more days, and I continued the same procedure. After two weeks time, I exchanged the Washing Machine with a new one. In general what I experienced is the poor skilled labor, which damaged my Washing Machine. This is just an example; people from across the world may have the same opinion for different product.

Sir, your bike is ready after servicing….a sweet voice from the bike service station. And I have rushed to the service station and was eager to see the re-conditioned bike. I have started it and pressed the “horn” it didn’t worked, tried indicators, both are not functioning. I was so irritated and told the supervisor to get the charge sheet, where, I have clearly told to check the battery and if it needs to be replaced, please do it, “Who cares”. He told, he can do it now. No answer for why he didn’t checked. I was not sure apart from putting some water over it, and applying some oil here and there, they might have not done anything. This is a bad service.

I am sure, similar experiences will be there for people who are depending on us for any service. The promises are great, and the reception is great, the treatment is great, but I am doubtful about the output what we returns back as a paid service we are offering, be it in bike, Washing Machine or IT services, this is what we need to improve. Take how much ever you can, do a good job on those you have committed.

The Professional

There were no seat available for me for more than four months and I was sitting in a training room with a PC which always suffers to live by itself. I can get a coffee by the time it boots up and sometimes I used to wait with my coffee for this genius to wake-up. I met my manager weekly once and she told me to send daily updates before I leave the office, and I never got a reply. Fortunately, bi-weekly meeting is mandated; where-in, I got a chance to see the other team mates. I am thankfully recollecting one good side of the process. All of them used to talk so many jargons where I was totally out in those conversations. I have never seen a sign of notion from anybody to make me aware what they are talking about. I keep asking questions, where some of them got answered. I used to be the first on time in many of the planned meetings, where this organization is well known for its timely delivery of projects. I have never seen anybody talking anything about their personal life here, may be no time to think about it. When I attempted for it, I have never got an encouragement. I don’t know why. Are these people are afraid that if we talk more, whether it will be considered as a “less strict” lead / manager. For you to make people work, you should not talk more, ask only status and many “Whys”. Hide information as much as you can, so that people around you will depend on you. Sometimes, give wrong hint, so that they will fail and again you will get a chance to reprimand them. Do not discuss anything openly, so that no body will understand what you think.

I too have started learning these.

Incredible India

It was at night around nine my uncle called me and asked for assisting one of his friends who came from Paris.

Mr. Peter is a professional photographer, specialized in Hindu mythology photography. He once told me, “as soon as I realized what I have been taught in Paris is useless to me, I have started looking for something better for me, and I landed-up in India”. At times I was amazed by the enthusiasm and energy flowing from him, when he was talking about our heritage and its details. He knows all the good (well maintained) and ruined temples and its history, the specialty of it, the architecture (Chola, Chera, Hoysala etc) and almost everything about it. He is well aware of our Puranas, and almost all good things we started forgetting these days. At times, I was not able to give the right answer for few of his questions related to our heritage, and apart from being felt ashamed, I was helpless. He was in Kerala to learn Indian Philosophy. He is visiting India for the past 32 years. Once I asked him “What is your profit margin for this project” and he replied, “Sankaran…this is the precious time I am getting to spend few months in your country, and that itself is the profit”. May be because of our socio-economic conditions and the way our thoughts and knowledge are formed, I was not able to fully digest it. We became good friends (I believe so) after we met, and I helped him as directed by my uncle.

I was fortunate to meet him again in 2009 December, just before he flies back to Paris after his two and half months of another visit to India. As usual, we talked a lot about many subjects. “Sankaran…I have started loosing interest in coming back to India. And I think, in the last 32 years of my visit, this being the worst one, and I can see the overflow of commercialization at each corner of your country, where this is not the culture you should exhibit. People don’t know what is good for them, By seeing a ‘white’, they somehow wants to burgle him and it was really painful – Why is it so?” – he asked me. “I am ready to pay for getting necessary quality service and being not served with less quality, why should I pay more?, Sir…give me Rs 20/- and I will guard you- a man told me, why should he guard me? And ask me like this? It was not the same India I had loved. It is not the same Indian culture I had been admired, It is not the same Indian people whom I felt envy about” – he added and I kept listening. “Sankaran…now being talked to you about my frustrations, I felt little relaxed” and he wished me for a good Christmas and wish for the new year to come. “I may again visit India to see people whom I love and respect, but I dont think I will come back to see your country” – He added.

While driving back, I was little upset and was thinking about the slogan “incredible India”

New Year 2010

Somehow all of us want to create more hope on 31-DEC, why it cannot be on everyday evening?.

Like any other day, JAN-01 is another day. Sun will rise and it will set. Wind will blow as usual (not sure about today as there is an eclipse), dust will form, air will be polluted, rules will be violated, resolutions will be taken, and few of them will be neglected or ignored.

Its interesting to watch such crazy people who care 31-DEC evening a lot, and roars new year slogans on a midnight. Taxi operators makes new business “why to drink and drive – you drink we drive” with these words, encourages any person not-to-stop consuming alcohol. Beverages corporation hits a record (might be a world record) by selling all kinds of alcohol products, cinema theatres are showing all the movies “house-full”, all the hotels are crowded, arranging DJs-where you are permitted only if you have a partner (of opposite sex).

On Jan-01 most of the news papers will cover all the accidents and the number of people injured or dead, photos of different New Year celebration, like crowded MG Roads and the list goes on. Finally 01-Jan will be over and we are back to square-one, awaiting another DEC-31 evening to make or break the life. I don’t know what is the meaning of all these or does it mean anything to me, us or the society.

I wish all my blog readers a useful new year ahead.

The artificiality

I was watching an interview of a super film star in TV on Onam Day. It was a useless conversation, where-in the interviewer is trying to ask all foolish questions and the actor was giving all the useless answers. You may now think why I should see it, as I have all the freedom to switch-off my TV. I should say, it was quite unfortunate for me and I was in such a mood to see something in the TV, so continued the show. All channels are having similar or waste programs than this, and it was very sad that these kind of programmes are accepted more. This is the same happening with Malayalam film industry as well. We can hear many criticisms regarding this from the team of film makers itself, but at the end they need films which is more seen by the people. May be in future, films also can be seen with a certificate “ISO” or “CMMI” to ensure the basic quality and make the customer fool at the end. Any ways, let us leave this topic here.

I was thinking, how Onam might have celebrated in olden days and why Onam became so sweet in memories. Repetition of the history about Onam might not suit here, hence I am leaving it apart. Schools and collages will be closed for ten days. Kids and teenagers brings the onam spirit more. So, they will roam around to collect flowers, make flower carpet (Pookkalam), and the remaining traditions as usual will be celebrated or conducted. All of us will get time to meet our relatives, and some of them will gift you some dress as well. This is the season where everything is available in plenty and its easy to share among ourselves. I dont think, the society in Keralam might have grown up economically as we are now, and these small things will bring us more happiness in olden days. So, it was poverty which added more enthusiasm and colorfulness in any such celebrations. I know my parents might have struggled to make a decent economically well balanced life, where-in we never lived a luxurious life at all. Defenitly, at this mid set, we will feel more happy if we are getting new dress and little extra money to spend, like watching one or two movies in theater etc.

Now, economic situation (average) has improved a lot, more than ninenty percent of the people are having colour TV at home, mobile phones, Two / Four wheelers, quarterly they will buy new apparels for themselves and for the family (may not be true always), will go for an outing or have lunch or dinner from good hotels, family get-together, friends get-together and people wants to celebrate life daily in one way or other. Availability of all goods in the market has increased, which encourages any customer to use more services and products.

In a situation like this, my habits are changed, interests are changed, assets are changed and liabilities are changed and altogether lifestyle is changed, and I cannot go back, think back (can) or act back. This is not only my case, our country has changed, corruption, inflation, price hike, increase of non ethical profitability, unhealthy competition and instability and insecurity in the society, increasing criminal cases and terrorism, and I feel ashamed to list more. I am not sure (or less convinced) a society like this has accepted the real sense or message of onam, and possessing an artificial celebration of Onam. I was feeling the same artificality in the super star interview that I was watching in the TV.