Left Out…High and Dry…and Taken Back In...

The events that took place since last Tuesday will have a lasting impression on the Indian industrial as well as political scene. It will also had a lasting impression on me, as it was the very next day that I learnt ‘lay-off’ is a more civilized term used to reduce the guilt (for the employers) and the agony (for the employees) that results from usage of harsh word like ‘fired’.

By now you may be aware that I am referring to the latest removal of about 2000 employees from the Jet Airways (please do forgive me, if my own words sound too harsh!!!). Oh my, what a storm it raised and rightfully so!!! However all seems merry again with Jet announcing the reinstatement. A major advantage of looking at the matter after it has been settled is that it gives a clearer picture, and that is exactly why I have taken up this topic a week after the events unfolded.

Now Mr. Naresh Goyal, who emerged at the eleventh hour to become the gallant knight-in-the-shining-armor, proves to be quite an interesting personality. Here are some snippets, from various news sources over the net, to prove my point:

• "Decision is not under any political pressure"
  Yeah, right!!! With so much politics going on behind the matter, with Raj Thackeray’s MNS, the ruling Congress lashing out on the issue and Civil Aviation Ministry expressing it’s displeasure…I am sure you remained as cool as a cat.
• "I have nothing to do with Kingfisher, the decision does not relate with alliance (with Kingfisher)"
  Well, forgive us Mr. Goyal but common sense dictates that a decision that comes after a merger has to be linked with the merger. And if you say you’ve nothing to do with Kingfisher, why is the news circulating that you had a quick chat with Mr. Mallya after pressures began mounting?
• "Management had decided it and when I read about it I saw tears in their eyes, I decided on my own to call them back.”
  Surprisingly, Mr. Goyal (or should we say Mr. Emotional), Founder Chairman of Jet Airways, claimed that he ‘did not know about the day-to-day decisions of the management’, no wonder the airline is incurring losses. With all due respect Sir, if you looked into the decision making process of your company more often and take better decisions ‘on your own’, maybe, just maybe you would accumulate enough good karma to take your company out of the dumps.
  

Also, when the case has just been resolved and all seems just fine. My ‘other side’ makes a guest appearance to hint that all is not as simple as it seems, coincidentally I come across this article by a Citizournalist that tells us what Mr. Goyal could gain from this fiasco.
However, all this uproar seems to have had another advantage it has also prevented further lay-offs from other airlines like Kingfisher and Air India.
All this reminds me of a quote by the former President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam:
“Love your job but never fall in love with your company for you never know when it stops loving you.”

A Dilemma with Friends...

I have already introduced you people to the gang (my closest friends from college). I would like to share another incident that changed the way I used to look at relationships.
You see, a week ago we had this college fest to welcome the juniors to the campus. It’s one of the happening events on the campus with preparations lasting for weeks (funded by the money that’s literally extorted from us!!!). All lectures after the lunch break were suspended to make way for the party. The bell rang indicating that the break had begun and I hurried downstairs to the classroom where the gang was having their lunch. I did this everyday since the start of the semester, in that half an hour we had our lunch together, we caught up on the latest happenings in our respective classes, all this with lots of mazaak-masti.

I thought this arrangement was fine until that day. I sat for lunch with them; we had our share of food and fun. A few minutes after the break got over we got a call from our classmates telling us that the party had begun; we all went down on the playground to find that the party still hadn’t got into the groove and a few last minute arrangements were underway.

Hitesh suggested that we sit in the adjacent garden and so we headed in it’s direction. The garden was crowded that day (there’s not even a dog to be seen there on a regular day), students sat on the grass in large circles with their own groups of friends. Hitesh ran ahead and sat down with the students from his class; I looked at them and found no one recognizable other than the few from the gang. Right beside them were the guys from my own class. Just when Hitesh beckoned to me, one of my own classmates spotted me and called me in to join them.

That’s when it happened…that’s when I realized what a mess I was in. Now I know that this would not sound like a dilemma to some of you but for me it was! Here’s something you should understand - I had been in the dumps when I realized that I would not be with the rest of the gang for the new semester. I was trying hard to make new contacts and friends in my own class, but it wasn’t the same as the last year, it couldn’t have been and never will be. Also, I was dying to be with the gang and found the lunch-break arrangement a good excuse to be with them. - The chain of thoughts broke as they called out to me again; I looked at Hitesh, who was still beckoning, I looked back at my classmates, uttered a hurried ‘excuse me’ and went ahead and joined Hitesh’s circle. As I sat there and looked on the guys having fun, I realized that I could not relate to them or their conversation…I wasn’t fitting in. I glanced at my classmates’ circle and realized (my second big realization of the day…) that I wasn’t sure that I knew all of them well enough either. A perfect “Na ghar ka na ghat kaa” situation.

The rest of the evening was quite normal, mostly Sagar, Sourabh and me stuck together enjoying the fest, accompanied by our regular mazaak-masti.

From then on the dilemma persists. I still continue with the same lunch-break arrangement, still don’t know my classmates well enough to call them friends and try to ignore my ‘other side’ that keeps telling me to resolve my confusion as soon as possible.
But, it just seems easier to let the things go on as they are. Though I know that I need to sort things out.

P.S. I know this post turned out to be really, really long…but I just had to get it all out of my system.

A Day Out with Friends...

I know the title sounds like some 5th grade essay. But believe me in the past week, this has been one of the many ‘teenage milestones’ and an iconic and enjoyable experience. It all took place very spontaneously. I had just left the college campus and I met up with the whole gang, I and all these guys have literally shared the same bench in our junior year. Unfortunately we were assigned to separate classes in our present year… let me introduce you to all of them;

• Hitesh …The fun loving, cheerful and completely bindaas guy.


• Sagar…Simple, straight-forward, ready to bring a smile to your face with his own unique style.


• Sandeep…Cheerful yet responsible, he was and still is the Class Rep’.


• Amit…Small in size, but with a sharp mind and sparky tongue.


• Parth…The brightest, cleverest and most scholarly kid of our course.


• Sourabh…He’s soft, silent yet with a hint of mischief and a complete gaming enthusiast.

One of them announced that Hitesh was gonna give a treat to celebrate his birthday. I was persuaded to join the celebrations which, it was later planned, would take place at the nearby McDonald’s joint.

It was a surprisingly simple affair. All of us ordered a burger and a cola each and sat eating at a large table for about an hour. What was so special you would ask? Well, first, it was my first spontaneous get-together with college buddies (without having to bother about parent-permission…) Also it was the first time I was sharing personal time with these guys, since the re-assignment of classes. It was complete casual ‘guy thing’. All this made it a beautiful experience.

Don’t get me wrong, I also have other groups of friends with whom I enjoy some time out. But going somewhere with your college buddies without having to worry about lectures, assignments or home!!! That is what made a truly great experience. Way to go guys…This post is especially dedicated to all of you.

It was at that time, I realized what I had been missing out. That day I understood, sometimes Life can be so confusing and problematic, and yet suddenly it gives you these little moments that make our living so special and worth it.

Back To The Blog!!!

A hearty hello to one and all! Even before looking back at the last blog I realize that it’s been a hell lot of time since I last posted. You see, the end of the term period is spelt ‘H-E-L-L’ for students of technical courses in Mumbai. Once again I can offer nothing more than my sincere apologies.
Just after the last post, I realized that nothing remarkable was happening, neither on the current affairs scene nor in my own life… and that was when my brain went into the ‘writer’s block’ status and I was kinda stuck in the same rut all this time. It was only last Friday while reading the news, that I realized what all events I had missed out on!!!
The blasts in major cities across the nation, devastating Bihar floods, the unrest and violence in Orissa, Tata’s move out of Singur, the story of the unstable global markets and the great 700 billion $ bail out and not to forget the hottest ‘talk of the town’ the recent ban on Smoking. A few incidents in my own life these past few weeks are also worth a post or two.
Well, trying my best to provide you with the ‘viewpoint’ I’ll be trying to come up with a few blogs in quick succession.

Govinda Aala Re Aala!!!

A very happy Gokulashtami to all you readers out there, as always my wishes come a wee bit late as the day comes to an end, but as they say “Der se aaye par Durust aaye” (For all those who did not get what I just said, please ask some Hindi-English speaking friend, ‘cause I do not wish to insult either language with my poor translation skills!!!).
This year’s Gokulashtami is truly unique. I say this because the Dahi Handi organizers have set new standards this year, what with political parties in Mumbai arranging enormous amounts as prize money and insurance covers for the Govindas (speculations are that these are just publicity stunts to garner votes in the upcoming elections). And what’s more, if the news reports are correct, primary, high schools and even B-schools are participating this year!!! No silly, not for the cash, they are using the human pyramids to display and thus impart qualities and like leadership, teamwork, trust and managerial skills, a superb combination of learning and tradition. Kudos to such institutions for coming up with such a creative way of education for their students.
When I, myself was watching the Govindas from various mandals and pathaks this evening at the chowk opposite our building, I realized that these guys (and gals, there are many all-ladies groups out there as well…) represent the sheer determination and strength of the human mind and body. Their pyramids prove that in any structure, be it physical, organisational or social, the true strength lies below. As the handi is broken and the topmost Govinda waves his or her hands in victory with the floodlights and cameras aimed at him, I think of those below him, whose strength and resolve are the most responsible for the victory, yet they please themselves with but a fraction of the limelight and, as the pyramid dismantles, they dissolve into the crowd and into oblivion. In any and every structure we come across such people who work for the success of the complete formation from the backstage, at grass root levels and yet such people get very little of the credit they actually deserve.
Surprising, how much a human pyramid can teach you in so much little time!!!

This Independence Day…

The run up to the 61st Independence Day of India could not have been more ridden with strife and turmoil along with a dash of joy and glory. The past couple of months have been a mind-numbing rollercoaster ride. First the bomb blasts ripping across the cities along with the rising tension in Jammu and Kashmir over the Amarnath Land row. Then came the enraging breach of ceasefire by Pakistani soldiers who crossed to the Indian side of the LOC. And just when the Indian morale had hit rock bottom, along came a shy, young Olympian who made us all proud by coveting the first gold for India, an event that made history. More recently, we had the revision of the 6th Pay Commission Report, uplifting the salaries as well as spirits of the Civil Servants and the IPS, Army officers.
However, all is still not well; the region of Jammu and Kashmir still burns with unrest and ire of it’s people and the situation degrades as the days go by. The BJP is playing the well known game of dirty politics to consolidate it’s position by adding ghee to the fire and aggravating the situation. Pakistan isn’t helping (has it ever done so?) by passing snide comments on tactics employed by the Police and Army to contain the mobs. Even human rights organization like Amnesty and HRW are having a field day criticizing the forces on their crowd containing tactics. With all due respect, maybe these organizations should come over and try to stop thousands of civilians marching on to the streets with nothing effective enough to stop their progress!!! Then there is the un-success story of the Police departments of the various states (where the bombings took place) and the Anti Terrorist Squad, who still haven’t been able to track down the masterminds behind the blasts, giving us the clear message that after so many blast-episodes across the nation in the past years, we still are not equipped well enough to deal with Terrorism.
But like all our freedom fighters and the common Indian man as well as (more recently) our young Olympian shooter, Abhinav have rightly shown us, we all can always have hope!!! Hope for a better India, without strife and violence, with a peaceful and fulfilling life for every citizen. Thus as the sun sets and the Indian tricolour is lowered I take your leave with hope in my heart and a prayer on my lips for a better, more prosperous and a truly independent India

At Last…

This was the headline on the front page of one of the various English Dailies in the metro. The article was, of course, referring to India’s first ever Gold medal in the Olympics won by Abhinav Bindra. And I think this is also is what the rest of the Indian’s will be reflecting!!! Certainly, like all other Indians I too am proud to read and watch news reports of the prestigious win by the Indian shooter but there was that ‘other’ part of me that wasn’t all that impressed.
The first ever individual gold for a country with a population count exceeding well over one billion and harbouring a large pool of athletic and sporting talent, what an irony!!! The headlines all over the newspapers, it seemed, were secretly mocking at the present sports scenario in India. And my ‘other’ part seemed to agree.
This gold is the symbol of the dismal image of the country on the world’s sporting scene. It reminds us that we, the people, as well as coaches and sportspersons, have been ignoring the sports and games other than the bloody game of cricket. While all of us pour our interest, time and investments into the Gentleman’s game we forget that our country needs to exhibit it’s excellence at other sports as well. Table tennis, swimming, archery and so many such sports are still waiting for their fair share of popularity, fame and glory.
On the other hand this gold also tells us another truth, the truth that the Indian Sportsperson is ready to give it his or her best. He is ready to face any challenge and any hurdle, be it lack of finances, lack of training facilities or pure negative criticism, and rise above it all with a passion for the game in his heart and be a true winner. And that is what I think Abhinav has truly done, he has invested in himself and his own training (with not only money but with hardwork and determination as well) while other ‘experts’ out there were shamelessly criticizing him. A hearty congratulation to you, Abhinav.
Hence as my ‘other’ part rightly says, this Gold medal makes us proud and yet it leaves us humiliated!!!

A Sincere Apology…

Since the past few weeks, my Internet connection has ditched me, because of which I am not able to blog often and since I am a busy guy (grinning),time constraints have prevented me from accessing Net cafés.
Hence, my sincere apologies to all you bloggers and blog readers. I am trying my best to get all the articles published as soon as possible. Please forgive this helpless guy for any delays and ‘zero-blog’ periods