Travails and Harmonies

Leadership – Some Thoughts!

2020-08-16T12:43:00.006-07:00

The other day, I woke up to a rather unusual WhatsApp message. A friend had queried my thoughts on leadership, with three simple questions

1. What is leadership?

2. Who is a leader?

3. What makes leader a leader?

I wondered how to respond, when epiphany struck. I decided to pose these questions in my school's WhatsApp group. I reasoned, people my age, would have twenty years or more in terms of professional experience, meaning most would have either contributed in leadership roles or would have formed clear thoughts around the topic. I posted these three questions in my school's WhatsApp group - The Batch of 1992 and requested all to share their views. I didn’t quite stop there, I went on to ask these questions to every connection of mine, outside my school group who I knew had contributed in leadership roles at some point in their careers. Following is a compilation of the responses I received. I can’t begin to think how best to express my gratitude for the generosity of all those who responded. I’m eternally indebted and dedicate this compilation to all of you. Do note, I received all these responses via WhatsApp, since that is where all group level social interactions reside. Subsequently I took the easy way out to request those who are not part of my school group but were part of the list who I wanted to ask, on WhatsApp too. It is important to bear in mind that I have not attempted to dilute these responses in any way, barring the odd spelling correction, in order to retain their original flavors. Now since, WhatsApp is not exactly Grammarly, ignore the syntax errors and focus on the ethos of each message. What I would confess though is the overwhelming pride I experienced while penning these introductions. Read on and learn, these are very practical perspectives gleaned from years of experience and expertise. They cover a wide array of contexts and points of view of highly functional minds, ones that have enjoyed unbridled success in leadership roles.

Dipankar Banerjee (Global Head of Sales and Go-to-Market - SAP Preferred Success

Leadership is bringing everyone together, creating a sense of belonging, sense of identity, to achieve common goal.
A leader emphasizes, promotes, is inclusive and builds great talent and one that is trusted.
What makes leader a leader is someone who puts team’s interest first, an individual who is knowledgeable and understands company’s direction, has open dialogue, easily builds trust, is dynamic and has the right attitude.

Rohit Limaye (Partner @ EY, India)

Ability of an individual or a group of individuals to enable people to achieve the shared goals of the team
Leader is a person who effectively communicates the goals, enables processes for people to achieve the goals and takes ownership of the outcome
A balanced mix of empathy, domain skills, assertiveness, resilience, patience, aggression, integrity and fairness

Eshwar Sundaresan (Multi-Specialist: Writer/Trainer/Counselor)

A leader is a person who can recognize the action required in a particular situation and respond accordingly.

Therefore, the qualities required of a leader who is running a corporate organization is quite different from a leader running an orphanage or an army squadron.

Mythical qualities of a leader tend to be physical attributes and larger than life qualities romanticized in art and literature.

Mandatory qualities include:

The ability to recognize and accept one's own mistakes
The willingness to follow when the situation demands it
The strength to keep one's promises (integrity)
The courage to withstand criticism
The discipline and perseverance to offer quality over long periods of time

At a high level, there are three kinds of leaders:

People leaders (the only truly recognized category of leader)
Thought leader
Process leader

Since the latter two categories are not recognized, leadership gets a skewed definition

Sandeep Saxena (Founder @ Aranyaani Natural Foods)

Leadership is about enabling others to lead a more meaningful life and reach their potential in that. In that pursuit, one may have to live by self-example to demonstrate or test a solution or thought. It is not about making anyone follow or influence anyone's opinion to a particular path.

In that sense, leadership becomes mostly situational and role based.

A parent may be a leader to child and a follower too in another situation. I do not understand the goal of being a perpetual leader - looks like just an ego trip.

Perpetual followers and leaders are mutually propelling combustion engines- one fueling the other and harming the whole world with their ego trips.

Manish Kutty (Vice President Axis Bank)

Each person plays a leader’s role in every sub act of his life.

Acts – Family and Work

Tried to break the leader spelling and add value to the L E A D E R

Listen: should be a good listener
Educate: Should be the mentor to his folks ... teach/upgrade the team’s knowledge and when he identifies a gap in his own understanding ... be ready to learn
Aware: Should be aware of his team’s strengths, weakness and most importantly their needs
Detail: Should be able to explain the expectations and the goals in detail… no short measures… plans from start to end and works out or charters the course
Empathy: should have the desired levels of empathy for the team to be at ease.
Result: should be one who leads the team to achieve the desired results ... lead from the front and step back and let the team to savor the result if good and shoulder the responsibility in event of failure

Vikrant Raj Urs (Director of Operations at Freedom Health)

Leaders never manage, they empower independent thinking and initiatives, drive self-reliance.

Leadership is not just delegation, you can delegate task too then you are not a leader just a task manager, any monkey can do that. Real leadership is about making your team feel empowered.

Sunil Varrier (CSMO @ Shapoorji Pallonji Real Estate)

Characteristics of a Leader

Has clear vision and tangible goals.
Set positive example for other leaders and employees
Visibly committed to company’ transformation goals
Authentic in communication and intentions
Has industry experience and deep understanding of the organization
Looking forward and anticipate change
Ownership of failure
Respected and credibility
Empowers others
Listens to others and open to feedback
Open to ideas from other leaders and employees
Rigorously prioritize and steer the company
Communicate consistently with transformation team
Effectively work with cross functional team
Sustainable and sensible in long run
Most importantly does proper succession planning.

When it comes to People; a great leader would build organization (internal measures)

Trust
Conflict / conflict Management
Commitment
Accountability
Results

Anuj Malhotra (Urban Development & Mobility Specialist, Senior Planner at Sabarmati River Front Development Corp. Ltd.)

Excellent. Summarizes very well. In 1. I would only add, participates with the team to set a clear Vision and then drives agendas based on this collective Vision.

7 and 9 are extremely important points.

14. Is another amazingly important trait...is open to work with many collaborators and empowers each one of them as his own team.

16. Is not insecure. Sets his goal above idiosyncrasies and egos. And therefore, takes people along with him to work towards the Vision and not for him. (Achieving Vision as the Goal as opposed to working for him or working for the organization).

17. Does not dismiss ideas even by most uninformed people and works with an open mind.

18. Committed to good of people (specially her/ his team) than just good for the pocket/ bank.

19. Invests in people rather than only infra. Respects people and peers and therefore earns respect.

20. Is sensitive to others needs while at the same time intelligent to protect herself/ himself, his people and organization from divisive entities/ thoughts.

Hetal Sonpal (TEDx Speaker, LISTENER, Angel Investor, Sales, Marketing & Strategy Leader, Author, Marathoner, Half IRONMAN)

Since Limaye and Sunil have given very comprehensive response, I don’t think there is anything more to be added from conventional perspective. However, I have a very unconventional view to Leadership. According me, Leadership is all about People Management. Every scenario in an organization, for a leader, ultimately comes down to how the leader manages people, team, subordinates, peers, managers, etc. Most of the decisions that a leader takes, like new business initiation, sales, manufacturing issues, etc. all, sooner or later any leader will figure out. But how the response of the people to those decisions and how those decisions impact the people, to have that foresight and prepare/plan accordingly is what distinguishes a good leader from a not so good leader. In fact, the current pandemic crisis also has been a great example of people management. How Ratan Tata on one hand says don't fire anyone, Rahul Bajaj says the employees have to come to the plant, even if Corona has spread or how companies are now restoring salaries after the pay cut announcements made earlier. It’s all people management.

Jwalant Mehta (Senior Leader at Infosys)

If one is able to meet/beat goals within realm of IQ, EQ and DQ, then he/she is great leader. Something we can learn from people like NRN and Ratan Tata. Values, Integrity and vision are key differentiators.

Anurag Jain (Ex Head of Procurement at Vodafone India)

In my view there is no one type of leader however all leaders tend to share a few qualities that I believe are common to them all be it political leader, a business leader, leader in the office. Those qualities are conviction of belief based in truth and wisdom, power of believing and therefore inspiring people without having to ask for it, a man of words matching the action, a believer and doer of greater cause then himself (herself). Sonam Wangchuk is a good example of a leader as he is inspiring out of box thinking, Modi is not a good leader as he doesn't allow others to grow or promotes team Kapil Dev was a good leader and so is MS Dhoni, as he allowed Sachin & co. to take center stage after WC final and was seen walking behind the team ( which is a very selfless act). So, for me a leader needs to be selfless first

Same qualities are also displayed by war mongering leaders too such as George Bush.

From stories I heard in recent times, Abdul Kalam was a good leader with great leadership style

I think leadership has no set style, but every leader is unique.

For me character is the key ingredient of a leader.

A leader should be able to identify strength in an individual and make that individual also believe in it. Mostly people are not aware about their strengths and weaknesses. A good leader identifies that. Imran Khan per se.

To understand team or people, inspire, motivate, build trust and confidence, walk the talk is what makes a leader

And to add to what I said, "A leader builds foundation" Steve Jobs like. He has become " Amar " now. Innovation was his idea and he would keep inspiring Apple for that for many years to come even after his death. The impact is huge.

Narayan Murthy won't have same impact on Infosys after 100 years...but Steve Jobs has left a huge footprint.

Myself

What is leadership?

Ability to organize, inspire and sacrifice personal agenda for greater good, ability to be adroit, farsighted and fearless under all circumstances, ability to be kind, optimistic, common and human at all times.

Who is a leader?

A mix of guide, knight and mate.

What makes leader a leader?

Courage and humility.

Oh Corona!

2020-08-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

Difficult times bring out the best in us. While COVID-19 lockdown has challenged the way, we have lived our lives so far on this planet and impacted the way we will live our lives henceforth, it has allowed us time to stop and take stock. To introspect and course-correct, as necessary. When we’re spoilt for choices, we end up being indecisive. When our choices are numbered, an outcome is guaranteed. Social distancing, isolation, quarantine is the new normal in a pandemic afflicted world that is trying hard to regroup socially and commercially. Who would have ever imagined that ‘distancing’ would be considered ‘social’ or ‘isolation’ would become the panacea for the ailing? Naysayers be damned - a vibrant group of forty-three music afficionados, all over the age of forty, chose to turn the COVID-19 impasse on its head. It’s often said that ‘birds of the same feather flock together’, and collaborations are formed out of commonalities. This posse of music enthusiasts chose to work with the limited choices available and collaborated from afar to create magic.

A carefully cultivated culture of collective appreciation for each effort shared by members on the group was the nutrition that nurtured confidence in these forty-three hearts. Each member wanted to connect, touch base, listen to and commend each other. The ethos of patiently listening to and encouraging each other provided a strong link to glory days, when we were in school and didn’t have a worry in the world. Where friends were prized assets and appreciation was not forged on an underlying agenda. Replete with newfound enthusiasm the group members embarked upon a magical journey to rekindle their creative juices and imagination, to perform their part in a carefully planned musical video. The director had assumed the mantle of the gaffer and had laid out each one’s part in detail, all adding up to the piece-de-resistance! Shedding inhibitions is one of the bravest things to do – more so when you’re being recorded in the act. It requires oodles of belief in one’s self. Deciding upon the sojourn was the first half, the second half was an experience called the journey.

There it was, clear as the day, in your face! A solemn reminder that being a pedantic armchair critic is easy. To deliver the goods, however, is tough. What appeared as a simple and fun to do directive in text turned out to be a near impossible gig to actually perform. Clothes, location, frame position, expression, lip-sync, coordination with the audio-track, each required individual attention. By the end of it, the effort had instilled in our group a newfound appreciation for the institution of marriage. Two key learnings emerged off the bat, i.e. it is absolutely critical to establish great communication with family members and that one must never take the family for granted. Their value is hard to conjure, leave alone measure. While orchestrating and recording the entire deliverable was a herculean task, next hurdle to clear was the director’s approval. Pleasing others was never easy, so why would this be any different, especially if the intent was to conform to a pre-ordained guidance. Here in came the third learning i.e. patience is a virtue, followed by the fourth i.e. perseverance pays off.

The task, the journey and the outcome have all taught us in their own ways, the importance of appreciating each other and believing in ourselves.

Of those that were evident and those that weren’t!

2016-11-20T10:28:00.002-08:00

To begin, let me share context. This piece is set in early November 2016, in India, formerly a British colony, which gained independence in 1947. 69 years later, Modern India flaunts a changed landscape:

Population - second largest in the world circa 1.3 Billion

Area - 7^th largest in the world i.e. 3.28 million sq. km.

GDP - 9^th largest in the world 2,073 Bn USD (growth rate of nearly 5%)

It is evident that despite number of people, India is not producing at par, is also constrained by area, implying it is a developing country, which is in its building phase. Urbanization and infrastructural development has been limited to 9 to 10 top tier cities with Mumbai and Delhi leading the march. Mumbai is home to 21 million and Delhi hosts 25 million Indians. On a given day, Mumbai and Delhi witness a parade of countless heads, moving at differential speeds depending on the mode of transportation deployed, hustling and jostling away to reach ‘a’ destination. India is the largest democracy in the world, since China isn’t! India is comprised of 29 States and 7 Union Territories. Governance is two tiered, i.e. a Central Government that runs national Policy, Planning and Budget and State Governments who do the same but for their States. Indians vote twice – once for Central Government and then for State Government. Dichotomy of the process is that, the party in power at Centre does not enjoy power in even 50% of the States. So there is a perpetual disagreement in the Centre v/s State political scape that nurtures and emboldens inefficiencies in execution of most projects, even those that are acutely critical and important to growth of the nation. Inefficiency can be understood in easy terms as higher time and money spent for less output or work. So someone, somewhere benefits from a higher payout and lower expected delivery. When such is the reward, people and businesses don’t mind sharing some of the spoils. And when there are those spoils to be enjoyed, power is not easy to relinquish. What is at stake is national development and progress, which could not be less important in the scheme of things, isn’t it? Groups and parties are willing to give an arm and a leg to seize power and maintain power. Mind you the end objective here is and always has been in my opinion the quest for wealth accumulation. Needless to say in a land where density of population is high and corruption has created quite a parallel economy, quality of life can’t be the best. Over the span of 69 years and continued hardship, people have more or less adjusted to being asked to accommodate all the time. Standing up for one’s rights has been rebuked into unconditional subservience. In these days of political consternation, not only at home, but globally……..

The Prime Minister has banned currency notes of INR500 and INR1000, with immediate effect! Media outcry - Centre delivers tremendous blow to black money and the reprehensible parallel economy. Entire nation stands by the PMO in this bold decision. Celebrities, cricketers, page3 folk and others of repute cried hoarse, their support for the PM’s decision. Almost sounded like they were privy to the highly classified decision almost like epiphany. Question was, while the PM announced GOI’s decision to call of 500 and 1000 denomination currency notes, all currency notes contain this line, “I promise to pay the bearer of this currency note…..” signed RBI Governor (RBI is Reserve Bank of India, who decides national fiscal policies and manages matters of financial governance at national level). Did the RBI Governor just say, “Guess what guys, I was joking……LOL, gotcha!”????? Radio stations dished out fake interviews with cheap impersonations of those that are less endowed economically. They happily chirp, “My money is safe”, and “A little inconvenience shall go a long way in building the nation”, with the consummate ease of trained orators…..uncanny resemblance to RJs! As fake as silicon implants, these pieces of inappropriate creativity, reek of propaganda and also have a sting in the tail. The articulations openly mock the intellect of radio audience! In any case, in the first three days after the announcement, banks and ATMs saw endless serpentine queues, wary people, lined up to either withdraw cash or secure replacement of banned currency notes. Understandable, as even the GOI machinery with their planned offensive against black money or parallel economy would need couple of days to replace the banned currency denominations with new ones. What was strange though was the fact that even after a week and a few days more, the situation didn’t improve. Without getting into details of the chaos that followed in everyday life of commoners, let me share with you couple of interesting observations during this turbulent period of time.

a) Sacrifice and Patriotism: Great nations instill an innate sense of patriotism and countrymen would willingly sacrifice, for national cause……Look at our soldiers – they face hardship all year round and never complain; A small sacrifice will go a long way; Your sacrifice will usher in the ‘new India’ for your children and grandchildren; Why crib so much – the queues are getting shorter by the hour; The war on black money can’t be won without plebeian sacrifice – brace up

b) Social order and civic sense: A society attains greatness when there’s mutual respect and egalitarian values…..This ATM is out of cash and the next ATM is 4 blocks to the west – better hurry; Hello Sir, any luck with the machine?

c) Love thy neighbor: Healthy relationship with neighbors is the cornerstone of a progressive society…..Katyal sahib can you help me get new currency notes with the help of your labour; Mr. Sharma I have a meeting with the bank manager today – why don’t you give me your cheque – I shall encash it

c) Respect women: A society that doesn’t respect women is regressive and destined to fail and one that does is bound to progress…….Bhaisaab (brother) please allow ladies in queue to form a separate line – they needn’t go through this madness; Hello Sir can you mark my place for a minute I need to step aside for a moment to tend to my home – Sure madam will do

d) Social media and NRIs: You can take an Indian out of India but you can’t take India out of an Indian…….numerous/countless impressions and opinion are exchanged over social media today by NRIs expressing their take on the PM’s decision.

e) Friends forever: You can’t choose your father or your Manager, choose your friends wisely…… Arup if you’re in dire straits and there’s no solution in sight let me know I’ll courier you some; Arup, I can arrange for help from Mumbai in case you’re totally stuck – please let me know.

f) Know your turf: Ignorance is no bliss…….Despite their tenuous opposition to the decision or belligerent show of solidarity for the move, nobody of eminence was ever seen queuing up outside banks/ATMs – barring once when Rahul Gandhi queued up to access an ATM. Its all part of the circus we call politics! Showtime baby.

To me personally this episode has rendered learning and takeaways for a lifetime. I believe everybody, would have their own take on the sequence of events. We all hope and pray, this move called “demonetization”, leaves an indelible mark on the black money trail. Despite the politics and leverage on offer, for India’s power crazed politicians, the nation almost unanimously looks forward to a positive impact, one that creates opportunity for governance, to bolster India from number 9 to number 2 in terms of global GDP rankings. India boasts of “manpower” advantage – add to that improved capital…..there will be no looking back.

Ecstasy and pain

2013-03-27T07:08:00.002-07:00

Inherent to the task of team management is managing expectations year on year. Expectations of senior management and the team. Both sets comprise of professionals who register similar responses to a similar set of stimuli. Only difference is that each set has its own set of professional targets to achieve. On a common level the targets are twofold. Comprising of professional growth and financial stability.
Organizations move ahead or stagnate depending upon their ability to respond to challenges. In easy language this means if employees take it on, anything is easy. Suffice to say that organizations are built up of men and women who aspire and expect.
Middle managers have the unenviable task of managing and meeting the expectations of two disjoint sets within the same organization called senior management and team. In a very select few cases these two sets are bound in harmony. When that is the case, we are talking of organizations like Google. It takes a lot of effort to harmonize senior management and the teams, and when that happens managers can enroll for a seven day crash course in golf!
Until then, managers can do little but hope for help from Gods to be able to manage these two disjoint sets and deliver growth. Most successful managers are gifted with the gab, and they forge relations with the team members. Senior management is driven by steadfast objectives and may not be that easy to befriend, so the only hope for the manager is his own team. That is exactly the point where the "expectations" creep in. Senior management expects results and the team is supposed to deliver on these expectations. Reverse to this the team expects to be adjudged favorably in lieu of these stretched deliveries. Pure give and take!
Perceptions, impressions, biases and critiquing mar the entire period of adjudication that is called appraisals in corporate lingo. Smart managers are able to make the team see the immediate to long term benefits of associating with the managements' cause, and extract an above average performance from the team. this leads to ecstasy! Where most smart managers fail is they are unable to do the reverse. For lack of audience with senior management or for sheer mortal fear they are unable to favorably influence management's view of their teams. In such cases, not only does the manager lose credibility with his team, but the organization then faces a stiff task of motivating a large group of unhappy professionals. This ensures a lot of pain for all in the system.
In modern times, the HR departments are aided by employee satisfaction measures and results made available to them at the expense of a few millions. Access to this information allows HR to address most employee issues at a large scale. Although individual qualms have to be addressed individually for a 100% result. For that the organization looks up to the managers.
The manager is yet again faced with the dichotomy of diverse expectations.

Human biases!

2013-01-10T13:06:00.000-08:00

Eric von Dyke claims there were space travelers who helped the human race evolve. These travelers contributed not merely with their techniques and tools of architecture, but also with generous portions of semen to help this cause. Humankind reveres these travelers as Gods! I can not possibly refute the strength in supporting evidence to the hypothesis. The book sales bears testimony to the preference readers have taken towards this script. I am not in denial of the very potential and pertinent questions raised by the great author. Indeed they hit readers as "what about the truth" category questions that every literate person should be asking of their teachers of faith.
With every passing day, that I mull over the cogent text, I bend a little further towards this theory of space travelers, albeit without losing my religion.
So I continue with what I believe in and will allow readers to pursue their own, till we collectively reach higher grounds.
If we for the moment focus on this marvelous outcome of the space travelers' efforts or pure human genetic evolution, we behold species "homo-sapiens". Bestowed with amazing logical and reasoning abilities, this species has undoubtedly proved to be the crowning glory of all that lives and dies on planet earth. Its achievements far outrun all other fellow intelligence on our planet, and space is the new frontier of knowledge and ever unfolding truths for mankind. Possibly we in this beautiful planet are oblivious to higher intellect in our galaxy and those besides us, but there is no denying of the huge satisfaction I derive out of reveling the achievements of our race.
Although I have enunciated my affiliation, I also need to establish my distaste for everything that does not qualify as suitable behavior of our species. Humans are mentally biased, at least most of us are. Biases tend to skew our rational towards a particular side. Skewed rationales are wrong conceptually and can never lead to workable outcomes. Most biases are built over a period of time and take really long to shake off, for the countable few that realize in time. Biases are like fan-following that sees celebrities through their thick and thin highs and lows. Fans refuse to accept that their celeb has declined in form or performance and the pedestal has been taken by a new contestant worthy of the crown.In the same way.....biases prevent minds from taking a rational view and push decision towards an established ideal. Strange thing about biases is that they stem from common grounds. We are biased towards our gender, culture, caste, religion, region or even nation. We tend to give weight to this bias over all that come across as logical, which puts us in disarray with the very rationale of human evolution. Logic has been mankind's best friend since long. One of the very first being "survival of the fittest". Even if we analyse the concept behind survival of the fittest, its a given that only the strongest logic will stand the timeless tests of time. So a biased point of view will be an effort in vain to hold the inevitable in abeyance.
If we can, as a race overcome bias that manifests intelligence and obliterates logic, we'd treat ourselves to a better and more organized social order.
The day your favorite footballer is not one from your part of the world, the tennis player you so earnestly cheer for, as a face in the crowd, does not hail from your town, your favorite movie star is not your school alumni and your most revered business leader is not from your own Management school, the world will see a new order. An order of merit that comes with the epitaph, "survival of the fittest" or even "may the best man (or woman) win". We would then hopefully be able to avert social upheavals and political unrest that claim innocent lives. Religious frenzy that pushes us to go against religion and condone massacre of helpless masses, will no longer be the stepping stone to popularity for any hate monger.
It is high time for us to realize that God, or the space travelers deemed us equal, and created us so. Then why impediment the harmonious coexistence of the entire race in all its glory and all its diversity. Difference in shapes, sizes and color can not be possible determinants of differential lines of treatment, so why impose them on the society and make the innocent suffer.
Time for us to step aside, if not back and ponder.......as a species!

That thing about food

2012-08-22T01:39:00.002-07:00

Food plays a very vibrant role in man's life. It is a superlative example of how men have guarded legacy.

From time immemorial, men have sought food as a means to satisfy desire, not mere hunger. For hunger there is the ever available home cooked meal. But for the soul, it is certainly gourmet. The sheer romance of the options forms the beauty of the enigma called food. Fine dining has always been "the" thing with men! Men have revelled and venerated good food, and that is the single common thing throughout the evolution of "man". Culinary expertise is a skill that pays hefty dividends in recent times. Men and women, even children appear to have taken to cooking as their sole passion, and why not! For the kind of financial promise, who can deny the appropriateness of sticking with it.

Media serves up gourmet and culinary content with hungry men devouring it across the globe. It is everywhere that you look to. It is anointed as the sacred smear by media barons, who dare not fall short of quality on this account. And what a fantastic remedy food has proven to be, for all sorts of men.......ailing; wailing; defeated; drubbed; disgusted; disdainful......to the happy; victorious; scheming and focussed, unto the "hungry"! Men of all the said dispositions have worshipped good food. But good food is a very personal definition per say and only a handful of business magnates have mastered the recipe for success. Most men ail from a prominent lack of understanding or should I say overture that suggests "food is the surest return on investment". Actually that is quite a myth. Not many out of practically all men with available means who intend to venture into food business have made it big. Reason is simple.....the complexity of the delectable decadence. But those who hit the winning combination have always been among the monies.

Come to think of it, being a man with a taste for gourmet, or let’s say plain good food, what are your choices. If put to paper each one of us craving men will run into at least double digits for options. Globalization has led to the osmosis of cultures along with food. This gigantic phenomenon has boosted food business, which has done a good turn to the overall economy. People are no longer confined to the mere local delicacies. We want to try the food from the near and not so far to the other end of the globe.

Food has been a constant motivation to men, as food delivers experience second to none. The symphony of the taste connotations in a masterfully crafted dish works magic on men. Good food has the ability to “buck you up” every time you hit a low.

FDI in Retail

2012-07-27T01:29:00.001-07:00

Vacation blesses one with time to relax. I am no exception. I was watching a very interesting and engaging discussion on the tube the other day, on FDI in Retail. Panel participants represented different backgrounds, to bring diversity to discussion. In spite of the diversity the discussion was vibrant throughout. What got established for a fact were that just like other important sectors, the Government has failed to draft an overarching policy paper to guide and govern this business. Lack of clarity on the part of our Government’s stand on various aspects has left the stakeholders groping for answers on their own.

Let’s dwell on a couple of cogent points of debate……

Should we open up the Retail sector to foreign investors?

What is the size of unorganized retail in India? What will become of entrepreneurs who are part of the unorganized retail?

If we do open up, should we enforce sourcing from India for everything that hits Indian retail shelves?

Is there a way to improve Indian production to global standards so as to win some part of the source business, from our neighbors China?

If we decide to open up, it will offer a better choice to consumers, for sure. But will that alone create a sustainable economic model? Is there another market with socio political and economic limitations like us that has imbibed the opening up of retail to FDI? What are the learning in those markets?

We know for a fact that the production efficiencies are better in China, which allows them to price their products low. The trick here is to produce better quality that China, so as to justify our high cost. Or are we inferior in all three aspects…….efficiency; cost and quality? If the answer to this is yes, then FDI may not be a great move today.

How long can we not open up, simply to put up with inefficient ways of production, is what we need to address as a nation and community.

Talk of FDI is Achilles heels for the unorganized Retailers in India, as they foresee losing business by way of market share dilution, as well as margin. But what may not be coming to fore is the fact that these neighborhood stores have been and will always be convenience stores. That business is for them to spruce up and maintain.

In any case the reason for liberalization is always to grow the market and increase consumerism. That in turn brings in economic growth. What is imperative is a sound Policy framework to be created keeping in mind the landscape of India, socially, economically and politically. What is also important is to put in place a regulator to orchestrate this melancholy into the music of monies. This brings us back to how dependent the country, this time the economy is on a very functional and intelligent Government.

I think we still have some yards to go, before we have a political setup with such delivery mechanism.

Kanwad.....a religious frenzy?

2012-07-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

Religious tolerance is a great characteristic to flaunt. It sketches image of a society free of endemic mindset. Open accommodative and tolerant. I came across a Religious phenomenon called “Kanwad”, which turned out to be an eye opener.

I mistook so many rights and liberties for granted, which our society has relinquished for some time I am told. Probably I need to adjust my expectations.

Kanwad is a Religious rage in North India, in the Hindu religious sect. It triggers a diaspora of believers to the Holy Ganges. Holy water from the Ganges is picked in “Kanwad” or a miniature cauldron, and ushered to local Shiv temples back home.

There is one stringent principle that governs this pious and holy act…….thou shan’t put the “Kanwad” once filled with holy water to ground. It has to be carried on foot to the destination. The entire pious act is beset in sweltering heat and humidity, and within a stipulated window of time.

The route to Ganges is but a few and one is faced with perennial traffic that runs into kilometers after kilometers of traffic congestion, when crossing cities that fall in between the devotee and his destination. Naturally it is very inconvenient for those who embark upon this test of physical endurance. If only there was this corridor dedicated to such religious cause, alongside our city roads. Conspicuous arrangements are in place to allow this human overture to occur in harmony with busy city life, in the big city – Delhi. But travel further north and we witness a striking change! Cities which one must tread to reach Ganges and that do not have broad roads and decent sidewalks, are a nightmare. This time though, for the society at large.

I happened to venture out unaware of the monstrous proportion this religious trip has assumed in MODERN India, and was left aghast at what I saw. This city was held hostage by Kanwadis - those who perform Kanwad, running nothing short of riot. Should your car fall in line of sight of the barefoot jogger running with the Kanwad, or the two trucks of enthusiasts following him, it shall be ravaged. Police force deployed on the roadside housed in merciful shades provided by jutting porches from balustrades of the shops lined roadside, appeared happy spectators.

One ill-fated car, I saw, received a pounding on the bonnet then the rear glass pane, to leave the vehicle deformed and the owner scarred and scared. One auto rickshaw driver attempting to extend his daily run for livelihood at this religious hour was authoritatively slapped across the face by another enthusiast, as he too was in the line of the bandwagon. It was total abdication of law and order by an obdurate few.

Frustrated with the ugly turn of events, I looked around to observe the reaction of people on road. I found no contempt or anger over what just happened. It takes much more than a few slaps and car wrecks to arouse us, to take a stand for what is right, maybe!

I was informed later that night by my brother in law, who was accompanying me earlier that afternoon when it all happened, that the overriding sentiment was in favour of the Kanwads. Zeitgeist suggested that since the Kanwads were confronted with so many hurdles and impediments in their brave sojourn, those in the comfort of their cars and homes need to accommodate in every possible way. Even compromise a few rights as citizens of this great democracy.

I mean no disrespect to any religion, and I believe Religion is a very personal asset. More importantly, no religion teaches intolerance, domination or violence. Religion is simply stated, the route to God, the definition of which is beyond words.

Khap Panchayats…..the face of Conservative extremism

2012-07-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

The Assam teenage girl’s molestation in public is the darling of Indian media these days. One senses a surge in moral angst, on account of the open occurrence of such an unfortunate event, from literate and liberal India. Well, Urban India for sure. But there is more to the conflict in the opposing ideologies than meets the eye. As was evident to me from the beginning, my beliefs found substance in the channel casts that have been aired these few days.

Time and again and in all programmes and discussions following this subject, it has been argued that, mainstay politics is shying away from this whole conundrum. Inexplicably so! It is anyone’s guess that the covert driver of such nonchalant response from men in realpolitik is the affected vote bank.

However hard you try to get your head around the subject, it boils down to the following few key points

Is India actually ready to go democracy?

Is Capitalism in India for real?

In a democratic setup, the masses choose Leaders to power hence public offices. The voters here need to rise above everything else and first associate with the nation, to be able to vote a political outfit to power. Do we really live as ONE nation? Differences of Language, Region and Religion are manifest in this great land since independence. Do we obliterate our differences that are predominantly personal, before we go out to vote?

Ours is a land of too many, and a lot of depravity. A big chunk of the population is still deprived and poor. What chances of a fair judgment do our ballot boxes stand when it is commonplace for our smart politicians to pay a customary visit to these starving millions and provide them a day’s meal as part of the investment in an election, before polling? In such a diorama, expecting the ones with no access to education, food, life and a cause to rise above all else and vote is an outrage.

Those who eventually get elected and taste the intoxicating ministerial echelons, are they there to lead the nation to sustainable development? Or are they subservient, only to further their own cause, at the cost of national development.

For a nation, where it is rather easy to coerce the voters and a political class that is just not devoted to national development, are we really ready to go democracy?

Point that our enterprising Politicians may be missing is that Capitalism in India can’t be a long term prospect. In fact isn’t it common sense, that if I have retirement plans and am industriously laboring into pocketing public monies, by the time I am done and am old, I will have starving men around me with no money or means, hungry to kill me and take away my wealth.

With such little going for democracy in India, there is the bright side too. My only concern is the time it takes for us as a nation to do everything.

Amidst such socio-political set up, North India witnesses a new phenomenon, the “Khap Panchayats”.

Panchayats have been about since donkey’s years and empowering Panchayats is part of extending the judiciary to our rural areas. This is well understood and appreciated. The only difference is that Khap Panchayats are not the normal Panchayats, these are self-styled, self-appointed bodies who seek to govern small villages. These are not democratically elected Panchayats.

Male dominated and chauvinistic in nature, these bodies have been blurting out commandments to keep the rural society in a cloistered haven. Women folk are no longer allowed to stay out of their houses after dusk. Should the need arise, they have to be compulsorily accompanied by a male member. Addendum- Dress code for women, no cell phones for women.

This recent phenomenon is seen in rural parts in the vicinity of the Capital (Delhi), an attempt by valorous and righteous rural male folk to restore the social order of the past. Little do they realize that the very edifice of Indian freedom is antithetic to this forceful mindset. One can equate it to Conservative extremism. The syndrome is so acute and widespread in those who see this as the right thing to do, that I remember a Politician on TV claiming that the teenager who was molested in Assam deserved what she got, because she was partying and was returning home late. I was petrified beyond all possible bounds to even attempt, how many of these leeches beset our political class.

We are in an era of global competition and simply can’t afford to lose the plot, now that the west is under economic duress and we hold the key to resurgence. With the immense growth that awaits us at the anvil, we need to take the lead and get there soon. To do that it may take more than our archaic view-points of selfish ideologies.

I know not how, but with this political setup it is a far cry. So the change if there is one in the offing will begin with you and me.

What’s acting got to do with it?

2011-09-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the heroine of the movie…….straight from London UK, the one and only Ms Chattereena Saif. Background ----- clap clap clap, hootings, whistles, shouts!

I’d want to thank my Mum, my Dad and my neighbour’s dog Sally for tolerating my late night overtures, in pursuit of stardom. Had they not been around to support me, I’d not be here.

Ms Saif, do you eat Indian food while in India? I mean during film shoots, what do you eat?
Well, I manage with the salad and juices, as the spices are a little too difficult on my system and also I’d like to establish here that “masala” is not my scene. I’m more of a grill and bake person. I kind of like fish.

And Ms Saif, who’s your favourite hero?
Well, I hate to be paired opposite to Newman Khan, as real life pairs are a little boring to watch on screen. The new generation offers a lot of promise; they are kind of free with me and DON’T CALL ME BHABI! In the waste generation, sorry I mean the Old generation, besides Newman of course, I prefer to work with BHAKSHAY Kumar, he holds me soooooo close and soooo tight in all those songs that we’ve done together. He’s a sweetheart.

Ma’m what about your accent, I mean you sound very fake when you deliver your dialogues?
Beg your pardon, you mean to say that I sound very BRRRRITISH!!! Well thank you for the compliment. And as far as speaking Hindi goes, I care two hoots (giggles away to glory). I mean come on, face it. Indians, don’t you so aspire the proximity of white skin? I mean, your fan following for me gives you out. You work day in and day out and spend abnormal proportions of your income to get your children into schools and circles where they can learn to speak like ME. And why curse me if I am born with that talent! I figured it out from the publicity I got out of one of the very first celluloid exposures, where I acted alongside two other famous models. Fact of the matter is that I was the ONLY one out of us three that managed whatever publicity was on the offing for that hi class jack shit of a creation, if you may associate the word creativity with that undignified production. You can still view my steamy cuts on you-tube.

Ma’m my young brother is absolutely head over heels in love with you, your aura, your majestic smile and your fulfilling presence on screen. Would you want to convey a message to today’s youth?
Well I mean, I know, I know very well that the youth is in love with me…..aren’t you? Newman doesn’t let me be with Bhakshay and YoungBir Kapoor, fears I may end up on page 3, kissing them. What the heck! I know my limits and I’m a dignified girl. My mother is British and my Dad’s Indian, so I appreciate the Indian mentality. And keep working on the ACCENT. Skill or no skill, this world loves you if you can make it up like me (tee hee). Fitness is supreme and learning the “in-thing” is an advantage. Look at me, I am taller than most Bollywood heroes, but they all want me in their movies………in their songs. You know I can do the lapdance and belly dance really well. I even took professional coaching. Learn to move your booty girls……you’ll soon get rich.

Ms Saif, you did a movie that had two young heroes, one form Mumbai and the other from Lahore…..what was the experience like working with artistes from across the border? Was there any acrimony at all?
Well there’s one thing for sure……”Boyz will be boyz”, no matter where they belong! And what borders are you talking about? The only border that exists in the subcontinent is the one between the haves and the have-nots. Ms Saif, last message for the nation? Yeah, I guess I’d say, keep appreciating the ACCENT and the color of my skin, for I have little besides that to qualify for even a side kick to a Bollywood heroine. What’s ACTING got to do with

True influence

2011-08-31T06:07:00.000-07:00

Context:
I engaged in small talk after lunch with friends in office one day, and before I realized, we were talking of investment. “One tends to invest in properties that have either been highly recommended or where more than two friends decide to go it or where you have close ones. Mind you, your close ones are invariably your in-laws, your wife’s relatives.” I couldn’t avoid a laugh. It might have been derisively stated, but it is true as Hailey’s comet. Simply put, this is the ‘True influence’ in a man’s life.

Backdrop:
Man is a simple being with not so simple needs. Hence most of the times men find themselves out of sorts with real life situations. We want to keep really complicated things very simple. “Simple --- isn’t it?” is the way to conclude a really complicated discussion. We like to arrive at conclusions and we like to believe “Yes we did it. It was challenging, but what are challenges when faced with the whole of I-me-myself!” In a nutshell men are complicatedly simple.
Women are the exact opposite --- they are simply complicated. Complications are a part of a woman’s simplicity. In this labyrinth of simply complex compartments that constitute a women’s mental setup, is housed a closely guarded perimeter. This is her “my family” section. Most men find the definition of this “my family” difficult to understand. Well most men spend their lifetime attempting to understand it. Those who do manage to crack the riddle spend their lifetime attempting to qualify as family.
A marriage is depictive of this unnatural agreement that men and women give into, out hope for reaching sync for posterity. Never seen that happen though! While much has been spoken of the man woman mental composition, I for one am a big fan of this subject, who likes to revisit it time and again. Simple as I am, I like to derive simple pleasure out of indigenous analysis. An analysis that holds men at a higher pedestal as God’s creation vis-à-vis women. Not really conceited, eh!
M.C.P. was the word that friends and foes used to describe me and I hold no grudges to that. I grant every human the freedom of thoughts and expression, even at the cost of defame. With time and age, I have gained experience, rare experience that has gone into building my M.C.P-ness further and more precise.
Out of a 100 married friends that I studied as part of my “post nuptial arrangement”, I can safely say that over 85 can be easily be classified as “wife driven”. While it may not be a bad idea to be wife driven, it certainly comes across as feeble. Many smart men voluntarily fall under this category, after definitive planning. “Doing so keeps the arrangement going, as well as feeds the vanity of the partner!” is what they say. So the man’s world shifts from his home, parents and relations to his wife’s within a few years of marriage. Kids are the final nail in a man’s “my life-my priority” coffin. Kids have a definitive bend towards the maternal side with a serious disconnect towards the paternal side. This is true for the whopping majority of married friends I have observed, so far.

Analysis:
Remember the term “home maker”? A very informative piece of nomenclature, it is. Women are the ones who run the show at home. With the proliferation of the micro-family syndrome in urban India, they are left with their own devices to manage and optimize? Given a lack of association with the husband’s side (read parents) in the initial stages, the lady perseveres to take charge of not just her own but her husband’s and her kids’ lives. Very soon, all the effort hits a crescendo and falls in perfect harmony. Not all women are accommodative, well even men aren’t, so altering the way things are done, suddenly, is added challenge that they grapple with, in excess of the already pledged task of taking care of the (useless) husband and kids. Symptomatically husbands forget to introduce the lady to his side of the world, so the handshake seldom happens, leading to the much discussed situation. After all, if you didn’t help her when she was struggling in the initial stages, you can ill afford to advise her, once things are streamlined. That is so “not done”!

Remedy:
I invite one and all to share with me “panacea” for this widespread malady!

Death by Media

2011-08-30T14:13:00.000-07:00

One burning issue; one topic that has the nation engaged and hooked on to television and radio. One bit that has spawn new presenters, announcers and anchors! Superstars and celebrities, in the making. What talking style and what impressive presentation, how immaculate was the grey of the suite and how impeccable was the tie matching the polka-dot shirt. 1.3 Billion to quote and a good 20% catchment over viewership, albeit spread across the plethora of old and new, performing and new-concept kind of News channels. Being part of media is by no way a mean feat.
Remember the epic of yore, “The World this week” presented and anchored by Pronnoy Roy, a program that etched a permanent place in young minds and mended opinions. Are we witnessing the culmination of that movement called “media” into a well orchestrated symphony that leads to instant stardom? Probably we are and why not, every focussed and farsighted struggle fetches apt rewards, if not immediately, then at the opportune moment. The way that program “The World this week” connected with the TG, it was a hit the moment it broke into prime-time broadcast.
Point that I very humbly want to bring up for consideration is that despite the high pedestal that India media enjoys, does it live up to that level of Social responsibility? High visibility calls for high integrity on the part of professionals representing media. After all who wouldn’t want the highest rated in-house channels incessantly ranting about your feat as a leader, Business, Social or Political? Has the “Truth shall prevail” kind of foundation, shifted towards a “Truth may get mired” kind of a stance? Incredible India with its breathtaking 7% plus GDP growth in the face of huge economic downturns in the developed world, offers that kind of opportunity, however sad, to those who want to make the most of it.
Broadly speaking News follows the following three stages of coverage over its period of life and broadcast………
Phase 1: Investigate; Unearth; Bring to the fore and hog footage
Phase 2: Analyze; Get experts talking; Hold a discussion forum and establish an opinion
Phase 3: Conclude and establish a valid point of view, YOUR point of view.
Every issue gets picked up; highlighted and played repeatedly till they leave an impression. Here howsoever hard I attempt to look back and rake my memory for want of one story that saw all the three phases, I can quote none. Is this a short term memory loss I am condemned to or do I see concurrence! The Anti graft uproar that the entire nation witnessed, last week ended on a high note. It was a high note for a celebrating nation and a frenzied mass that enjoys emoting. While everybody was happy to see a broad parliamentary consensus, and empathy towards implementation of Lokpal, Indian media left the story high and dry. While it is certainly too early to establish inadequacy of the media to seeing this episode to its end, but the hype and hoopla has for sure fizzed out from the channels. My best wished to Anna Hazare and his bastion of Lokpal supporters, for they can ill afford the truancy in News channels.
Media these days with all the glitz and glam leaves easy marks on impressionable minds and has trendy TRP ratings to validate the viewership of every prime-time broadcast. Well where is the synthesis of all that jazz? Covering Social sparks, Political unrest and coalition upheavals, celebrity gossip is by no means easy. But you can’t just let go of the most crucial story of yesterday, only because there is no further masala to exploit and leverage on the mass euphoria covering the issue. My big question is “Well what do you stand for?” Barring a noted Political bend displayed by leading Channels , and a full house of “available on the call” speakers, noted personalities from a wide cross section of public domains, Channels have obliterated any other position they stand for. “This story was first brought to you by our channel”, is the high pitched cry we hear. Fair enough, as this leads to corporate coffers and wealth for the Channel.
One can’t ask media to abstain from earning easy bucks, especially in these hard times. Is asking them to pursue their prime job really wrong?

The Alternative

2011-06-05T23:56:00.000-07:00

Petrol is a fast receding commodity. The staggering demand for petrol keeps rising every day. Progress is a given and so is the development of ways of a quicker consumption of this scarce commodity. Cometh a day when there is no petrol on the face of the earth, how shall we manage? Manage to run the multitude of resource hungry applications, designed to give us comfort, comfort maybe beyond human needs. Needs is a queer trait that humans display, for it changes. Not person to person, but it changes within the same person. Funny, as we are then chasing chimera. For needs can never be met, is obvious. Or can they be? And at what cost?
Human needs and desires are let best with thinkers, philosophers and Management Gurus, to mull; the question for the lesser doyens of the intelligentsia is "What may this alternative be?" All that we innocuous mortals seek is a way to prolong our comfort, well yes man made comfort. Mankind has toiled for centuries to usurp nature and its manifestations, to bring in a state of play where comfort and desires are by now engrained in civil society. That certainly is a benefit that the human race reaps, thanks to the inventions and advancements in technology. Is it not apt to assume that for sure there will be some tech druid in his monastery praying to his God – his tools and chemicals, seeking an answer to “What may this alternative be?”
Can lateral thinking hold the answer?
Here is an imaginary or a not so imaginary solution. Can we not look at something that is guaranteed to last as long as man lives, something that is part of every human. If we step back a stride and review the requirement to specify the deliverable expected of this alternative, we realise that it needs to act as a fuel. An added advantage can be if this fuel comes with endless supply. Think hard, rake your brain, is there something that the child in you starts pointing at, something that you as a mature loathe to even consider as an option? Of course there is, it is the human urine. It comes with a guarantee of surplus production for as long as we discover a better option. I do not know if we actually need to work on a better option, if urine can play the placebo for the fuel hungry metal glen we live in.
Urine is rich in nitrogen, proteins, metabolites and contains an assortment of organic and inorganic salts. Isn’t there a way to use and synthesize these chemicals into yielding something more relevant, something more meaningful? A breakthrough……anyone……please???? Why do I feel that someone somewhere is pursuing this trail, and making headway by the hour! Is that mere phantasm, or the optimist in me kicking out, yearning to be heard, by the universe? After all, we have at some point in time in our lives believed. A common solution to an extremely sophisticated seems unbecoming, but hey isn’t that what we should learn from children. Well call it conjecture if you shall, but give the child in you a chance.
I do not wish to purport that we use urine in its raw form, as that comes with its share of possible epidemics. After all we are contemplating an element that human bodies discard, after efficient use. I wish to further my theory with a structure here. Urine should be the raw material that is accorded the requisite treatment for disinfection rendering it worthy of further processing. What we get as end result may be the answer to our quest for the alternative. Imagine if this theory comes true. Look at the possibilities it brings to the fore. For a moment if we ignore the vices that will wrap themselves around it, once it works, as greed is the bane of human-kind. Aren’t we our strongest enemies? I say this for I fail to conjure an explanation to the irrational amassing of wealth that the “haves” have perpetrated, at the cost of entire nations. If all this development has failed to instil humanity in men, nothing ever will. So we must know, there shall be evil, to deal with, always.
Close your eyes for a moment think of all the poverty in the world, and human forms that wish they were never born. Assume that the maniacs wielding power have a change of heart and lo – these lesser beings are fed, cared for. Even if out of greed, greed for securing more raw materials, they look after this ill fated lot, and mankind gets a second chance. Suddenly the tides would turn in favour of the third world, in a comparative sense though. They’d be in a better position than they are in today after all.
Oh for the love of comfort, give mankind a second chance.

Of Cricket and Superstitions

2011-04-16T07:09:00.001-07:00

Being Indian qualifies me as one who has a point of view on Cricket, and why not. In the wake of the World cup victory after all these years, Cricket in India is agog. Mine is not to opine on which player is how good with his skill. I have an observation to share, on Cricketers. No I don’t intend to edify them or guide them to overcome vulnerable facets of their game, I leave that brackish drill to the overpaid coaches.
From my earliest memories of watching Cricket I was fascinated by Cricketers. Their persona, their lucid graceful movements the sheer glory associated with just about everything they did on field. They are such super athletes, especially with the kind of following Cricket enjoys in India. Important Cricket matches effect a total moratorium in India, audience fixed to their seats, watching hoping praying. Every supporter in his own way attempts to create the magical celestial alignment to help his team over the victory line. Not that our players do not reciprocate, they do and they do so in good measure. It is not just the fans watching on television, or in the stadium, but also the players, those exaltations of Indian aspiration in unison attempt to push the universe and its magical forces towards a favourable result.
The common name for these efforts is superstition. Superstition in the modern context is easily dismissed as an emotion attributed to lack of awareness to the conquests of Science and logic. Superstition many believe is an embedded part of the magnificent precinct of Indian society. There isn’t enough intellectual evidence qualifying this assumption as true or false at my disposal, hence I let that rest. Point that I would like to stress upon is that I have witnessed those larger than life Cricketers indulge in their superstitions on field, on camera, in matches. How amazing is that! Growing up with Cricket as an essential part of personality development, that bit sunk in involuntarily and demurely, in me.
Rake your minds to take cognizance of what you have seen. Mohinder Amarnath with his handkerchief; Ashok Malhotra with his trademark bat swirl before tapping into his stance; K Srikanth’s antics with his nose and moustache while batting; M.L. Jaisimha and Farukh Engineer’s scarves; Sachin Tendulkar’s striking white hat on his blue uniform in this world cup; MSD undoing and redoing his batting gloves prior to facing every delivery; MSD’s jerking of the neck to his right prior to every ball that spinners deliver; Srishanth’s fisting, praying, kissing the ball. To top it all, I used to take guard for the leg stick followed by guard for the middle stick. Before facing every delivery I’d draw a long line with my bat from the middle stump to the crease. Why do they do that? Why did I do that?
On the other side of the boundary line, the ubiquitous Indian fan. A frail frame painted in tricolour with Tendulkar anointed on his chest. I bob my head and recollect the image of the Pakistan fan. You would’ve seen him at Sharjah. He was an aging man with a wobbly gait, sporting a green cap. I can’t for the life of me remember an English Cricket fan or an Ozzi Cricket buff who stood out as much, match after match. I may well be mistaken here.

There exists an “unexplained” dimension for Superstition and super faith within us. Few brazenly identify with it and few do not. Those who can link up to it, see it as a source of secondary faith. It is a redundant pool you can draw from when it matters the most. It is our way of telling ourselves “God be with us” rather “May Luck favour us”. This belief, it manifests beyond cricket. I can easily look back and come up with instances when I laid claim to this secondary source of faith and drew shamelessly from it. Why not, I created it, for my personal use.
I remember using the same brand of pens for writing my exams. They brought me the unmentioned Good luck (Reynolds ball point). I also improvised my handwriting to incorporate the intentional italic bend, to bring me luck in evaluation. Well it worked. Always has. I am a qualified Engineer, however unworthy of the sacred Degree and I connect to this super faith thing.
Talking of logical souls connecting to the unexplained phenomena, Aamir Khan was spotted wearing the same T-shirt in India Pakistan Semi Finals and the India Sri Lanks Finals this 2011 ICC World Cup. For those who may not know Aamir Khan, he’s an Indian Actor reputed for his perfectionism and intellect. I did my bit to help team India win as well. I’ll come back to that.
While doing certain things brings luck, I propound that doing certain other things can ring in Bad luck as well. Over the last two decades of me watching Cricket I have observed, Sachin gets out if I watch him bat and India LOSES if I watch the entire match --- I’m referring to One day matches here.
I have been a true blue Indian Cricket fan and an avid Sachin-ist, and have done my bit to him pile up a heap of Centuries in both forms of the game. I have flirted with the idea of discarding my belief of not watching when Sachin was at the crease only to find him dismissed very early or in his mid 80s or early 90s without exception. Similar observations support my second theory too, so I don’t watch the full match. Our recent playoff with South Africa was a harsh reminder for me to stick to my beliefs. I did that with earnest and contributed to India’s ICC 2011 World cup victory.
ICC World cup 2011 Semi Final and Final matches: My TV was switched on for the entire duration of the match, with my family watching Channels that were NOT telecasting the match. I had issued firm instructions for all to abide, after all National pride was on line. I had discovered that I needed to place the TV remote at a particular angle on the right arm-rest of my single seat sofa, and I had to stand in the Kitchen. No I was not cooking, but straining my ears to capture noises from the neighbourhood. I had perfected the art of deciphering the sonorous cries of “Yeah” and “Come on” emanating from Indian households in my apartment building. On hearing one, I would run to the sofa, change to the Cricket channel, watch precisely another delivery and flip back to the inconsequential non-cricket channel. I assiduously kept to this routine, and Lo! India won the ICC 2011 Cricket World cup. I wore the same T-shirt for both the matches.
Now that India has won the World cup, Sachin’s long standing dream has been realised, I can deservedly go back to actively pursuing Cricket viewing. After all nothing betters watching a Cricket match with friends over chips and lager.

The Subcontinent and the Middle East

2011-02-14T08:34:00.000-08:00

"But dear the Middle east is not exactly the place to be"; an inane remark, I recollect, one of my schoolmates made when I shared my plans of Middle East. I conjured the image of a man seeking experiences and knowledge as Paulo Coelho says in the Alchemist "wise men travel the deserts in search of knowledge". My mind was made up. Given the savings and an International experience to boast of, I was toying with the idea of taking up a professional assignment in the Middle East.
Conventionally speaking the whole of North India, thinks DUBAI, whenever one says "Middle East" or "the Gulf". North India by and large has a very objective approach to life, where most of the quests that life throws up should lead to Financial gains. Not that you will not find people who think otherwise, but this is the ideology of the majority there. So the perceived affluence and "lifestyle" of Dubai and its permanence in media, as the dream destination are reasons to be blamed. I was thoroughly impressed with the city Doha, even in my first visit, secretly fondling the craving to spend some years of my Professional life in this city. Coming from highly competitive cities in India like Delhi, Ahmedabad, Indore and also having worked in he cities where life is a celebration like Chandigarh and Bhopal, I found in Doha a picture perfect combination of the urbane modernism with the lifestyle of a Chandigarh / Pune. Now this offer was hard to quell.
But this is not about my experiences in India, but about my innate desire to experiment and learn.
At the onset, I must accord a thoroughly deserved praise, to Doha.
The limited population in a "not that big a city" serves as bliss for authorities. The population mix is as diverse as it can get; with the subcontinent being the majority of the expats. The Qatari population is little short of 50% of the overall population, and it is an affluent community, with one of the highest GDPs in the world. Coming back to the expats, there is good representation of the east - China, Philipines, Indonesia, Malaysia; and the subcontinent - Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan. However these two blocks of expat population is today a serious contributor to Qatar's economy. The first block forms the backbone of the Service sector i.e those operating the Malls and Mc Donalds and the second block, the backbone of Construction and Banking. Initially it was only limited to Construction workers and gardners but now the subcontinent provides Bank Managers and FI Managers in Qatar --- a changing scenario. But it is following the trend already established in U.A.E. (read Dubai).
Putting things in perspective, what I'm trying to establish here is that the opening line of this piece where we encounter the affliction "M.E. - not the right place to be." M.E. has been the next frontier, after U.S. and Canada.
The income levels; tastes; education and lifestyle of expats from the subcontinent is not easy to pen out in a parchment. It is varied and diverse in the real sense of the word. Being in the service sector I have witnessed the sea change in the outlook of Managers towards, how to service this overwhelming group of expats. Epically the subcontinent only offered blue collar construction workers with low income level; but the influx of Management personnel is changing that composition ever so rapidly, that behoves the attention of the people managing the service sector.
Looking at it from the other side, as the EXPAT from the subcontinent......life is certainly easier than the dogged drills of a Delhi or Mumbai. Time consumed in traffic and transition over here is way lower, thanks to the limited city limits. Within its small periphery, Doha offers you decent options for entertainment, gatherings and eating, food being such an important component in our lives today. I have never had the good fortune of watching an International Cricket match in a stadium, but who knows, maybe soon. We get to see the best in class football; tennis and squash, as these are the sports that the region avidly follows.
Daily life is predominantly strung around work and the weekends are all about shopping; meeting up with friends and catching up.
Shopping has been specifically a lovable experience for me. The romance of retail, always gets the better of my abstinence. I neither profess frugality nor prodigal spending. I'm the experimental being who thrives on varied experiences, quite a few of which germinate at the Retail outlets in those opulent malls here. You name it and they have it, from brands to necessities catering to typically regional tastes and preferences. The accumulation is very global, and for me the experience has been mesmerising. Coming from Delhi (India) and getting through the Billing counters in that kind of time, form a big part of my good shopping experience.

What we do see as an area of improvement is the "not the best" public transportation in Doha. I'm sure with the kind of plans being dished out for the coming Soccor World cup, that's in for a quick fix. As of now, your own vehicle is a must for survival.

It takes an expat 3 to 4 hours to reach Delhi, Lahore, Colombo on a straight flight and god knows how many other variations one can work out on hopping flights. The proximity to Dubai and Bahrain adds to the "to cover" list of travellers and professionals serving in Doha. Europe is half a dozen hours away and London will take you an hour or two more. If you fancy the Istanbul Macedonia corridor, through to Greece, Middle East is just the place to kick off your travel. For those from the subcontinent who find travelling and exploring interesting, these are exhilarating details.

For all who have a not so favourable opinion of the Middle East, I recommend a one time travel covering Dubai, Doha, Bahrain. Its a modern world out here in the desert and believe me, you will have a change of heart.