Sumit ki Duniya...

Bharat Meeting India... Really?

2017-05-22T17:52:00.000+05:30

As the youngest country in the world and almost the most populated, India at the dawn of 2017 is staring at one of the largest human capital banks in the world. This however is just half the truth! The demographic dividend that India can reap as a country can easily turn out to be a royal disaster as well. With a mandate to practically train 33% of the entire country and put them to jobs by the year 2022, I just have one question to the entire industry – Are we really addressing the elephant in the room?

Yes, we need to think about it. Billions are being spent every year on creating the success story called “Skilled India” thousands of people are being trained by more than 1000 organizations across the length and breadth of the country, but the real motive of Bharat meeting India is still a glory, we need to achieve. To put things into perspective, we have more than 10 schemes for skill development and employment generation run by various ministries. The mandate to train and place these 500 million Indians by 2022 is going to become a larger challenge day by day because the entire skill development ecosystem is evolving at a space which is slower than the space at which other ecosystems affecting it are evolving.

For instance, a couple of years ago, requesting employers to hire candidates from skill development projects used to take much lesser effort, than today. Reason? Well blame it on low joining ratio and an even lower retention rate. The employers giving on the spot job offers to candidates during campus interviews, now want to be sure of the student’s commitment and hence want them to come to the company premises for joining, work for a couple of days, before issuing offer letters / appointment letters to them. There is no doubt about the fact that as a system, skill development is finally taking shape with third party assessments, monitoring by various bodies and newer frameworks like the National Skills Qualifications Framework, which defines the job roles and qualification packs for the industry to train people on. But are we really moving that fast? I have a few doubts:

While most of the training and placement programs are targeted towards the skill development and employment (livelihood) for the beneficiaries, the budgets allocated towards the training, placement and post placement support need to be looked at. Most of the jobs being offered in the space are bottom of the pyramid jobs, where as per the employers the students can join even without such heavy training. The idea is to create a platform for employers and job seekers so that a culture of employment is created and if there is a shortfall in skills of the job seekers, then provide them a finishing school training to get the desired job. More importantly, the budgets allocated to training can be used towards placement and post placement support. If a student survives the first 6-9 months in a job, there are large chances that he / she is going to stick to the corporate world. The student may still leave the job for another one, but is unlikely to sit at home after that.

Today, the government is very active on the direct benefit transfer and similar schemes. I believe that if the government makes a couple of changes in the way it provides benefits to students under these schemes, we can see a positive change in the joining and retention ratio. For instance, the government must consider providing the post placement support amount to the bank accounts of the parents of the beneficiary students as this will ensure that the parents will start pushing these candidates to stay on the job. Today, the parents are practically unaware about the benefits and since they can’t see it, they won’t believe in it. However a direct benefit transfer of the post placement support money to the parents, will also start a debate on whether we should be paying the parents for something that the kids are doing or not – but debates never end, do they?

None-the-less, my piece on Bharat meeting India is just a reflection of what I believe should be the next steps of evolution for the skill development ecosystem in India and I am very sure that the more we involve the parents in the entire story, the better our results will be.

Do share your thoughts with me on saxena.is.sumit@gmail.com or in the comments section.

Thanks for reading!

Is Aspiration Killing our Job Prospects? Time to Introspect?

2012-09-14T11:58:00.000+05:30

"I am a graduate sir, why should I do a job of 6000 Rs?" Rafique's eyes were showing the anger he had while he said this to me! I head the placement department of an skillling company and as my designation would suggest, I am the job man in the company. On an average, we get 100 to 200 jobs to our students every month and the number is on an incline. But Rafique who comes from a farmer's family in Hansi (Near Hisar, Haryana) is the only living being to have graduated in his studies to the 10+2+3 level and undoubtedly is very proud of this too! I was interacting with some of our students and during the interaction I told them that the market today is offering salaries of INR 5000 to INR 8000 in general at the entry level in areas like Sales, Retail, Restaurant Chains, Domestic BPO etc when Rafique decided to break lose.

Rafique says, why should I work for 6k when I can earn 280/- per day as a daily wage labour (that's about 8.5k per month). He also believes that if he has done his graduation then he should be paid a better salary than his other classmates who are not graduates as yet. And believe me, Rafique is not the only one who feels this! The youngest country in the world today faces a big deficit of skills in its youth, Skills and not Degrees. Thanks to our academic system, it isn't that tough to get degrees in India (at least the basic ones) but no-where during our school life or college life was there an emphasis on the skilling of these kids. As a student, even I never saw my school or college trying to impart a specific professional skill (as they do in the West) and this most of the time leads to a strong mismatch between the youth's expectations and what's available in the market.

Today's consumption based economy has resulted into thousands of jobs in areas like Sales (BFSI and others), Retail, Hospitality (Restaurant Chains), ITES (BPOs) but owing to the aspirations of our 18 to 22 year olds (which is not really to work in these areas as they should ideally do) these companies are facing a talent crunch. Most of the companies in these sectors have PAN India operations and their replacement hires per quarter runs up to 20,000 and if you add their new hires, it can range anything between 22,000 to 25,000 candidates. Now, this number is huge! Given the unemployment scenario in our country, only one client can virtually accommodate youth from a few villages for its normal recruitment cycles. But the problem is that our youth either does not want to work (I will not get into the reasons for that since its an entirely different topic) or they don't want to start with what they are getting.

They are not ready to go and do sales, or take / make calls in a BPO or stand in an air conditioned showroom to attend to customers. Their most common rebuttal is | "Sir, can I get some office job?" or "Sir, not this one, but may be a better job" | and this I am saying after interacting with youth from over 50 cities across the country! Honestly, the fact is that most of them din't invest time in thinking through what's going to happen when my family stops supporting me or what will I do when my family needs my support? Majority of them have the wrong aspirations set - but jobs will come only on merit and not on any other grounds. A job is always subjective - My job may be good for my sub-ordinate, I may like my boss's job more!

My advice to the younger generation would be:

- To speak to as many people as you can about what is available in the market basis your current skill sets
- If you don't agree with what you are getting, then try and up-skill yourself
- Don't rely on peer talks about salaries and jobs, the entire internet is at your disposal, go and find out yourself
- You won't be wrong all the time, so have confidence in yourself and march ahead

If you are offered a job, don't leave it. Remember as one of my ex super bosses said:
"There is a difference in a dwarf and a kid. A dwarf always remains a dwarf, whereas a kid as the opportunity to grow in life at his pace and on merit"

There is no reason why you can't make it big in life, but there is no reason why you shouldn't start small. I started my career 11 years back as retail store executive for a salary of INR 1,740 per month and I feel proud of the growth I experienced in 11 years and I truly believe that if people like me can, then You Can.... India Can......

I would be very happy to talk about this topic in case you have any questions. Just comment on the post or write to me through the contact page and I will catch you in a day's time!!!

Till my next post, keep working hard and never take a job offer lightly, it might just a turning point in your career :)

Cheers
Sumit

Important: The name of the student and location was completely imaginary and was used for this specific blog post. There are no resemblances to any living being in this post.

I am 12th Pass - What Next?

2012-06-14T10:59:00.001+05:30

Right then

This one is for all the youngsters who are stepping out of their school lives and are stuck with what to do next! Yes, for millions of youngistani's this question has either not been answered or has been answered be their parents / relatives / peers or other influences in life. I remember the days when cleared my Senior Secondary examination from CBSE about 11 years back - everyone around me starting talking about me becoming an Engineer, that too from IIT or DCE only. Some of them had started calling me Er Sumit Saxena (on a lighter note of course). But, I wasn't too keen to become an Engineer - not that I knew what should I do in life, but yes not Engineering for sure. Due to the fact that I was being pushed against the walls (only by the expectations of my ecosystem) I decided to appear for the entrance exams (JEE and all) and flunked with flying colors! Yes, I could not clear any of them, only because I was sure I can't be an Engineer, even if I become one by degree!!!

This is exactly what many of you may be going through - Engineer, Chartered Accountant, Doctor are the most commonly used mind bogglers by parents and relatives. But will every single student become any of the above 3? Does everyone possess the skills and inclination that any of the above roles require? Are you aspiring to study something that you don't have a clue about? Are you even sure your choice of streams in 11th and 12th Standard were correct? Are you an Engineer by nature? A doctor by instinct? Not necessarily... Lets talk about some of the other career options you may want to chose from (especially for students in 45 to 70% marks)

OK, so even if you don't get through any of the entrances for Engineering or Medical - the next big question is whether you will qualify for a good college for a routine graduation? And even if you do, whether you will be employed at the end of your degree? What's in your mind while choosing your course / college? Are you doing it because you want to do it or because your parents can pay the fees for it (for students taking payment seats in Engineering/Medical colleges)?

While evaluating options, first think of what you wish to be? If you are not technically sound and don't love screw drivers at home, then may be Engineering was not for you. If you don't have the urge to take care of people, then you may just be unfit for a medical fitment. If you are not good with numbers, then what are you thinking about while aspiring to become a CA!

Its about time that we look at Vocational Education as an option. There are a lot of companies offering Graduation courses across the country (from UGC recognized universities) and offer placement support as well. Some of them even structure the 3 year graduation into 2 years of theory and 1 year of paid / unpaid internship - which means by the time you graduate, you have 1 year of work experience as well. There is no entry criteria and and the jobs you get post the course are only as per your merit. The most genuine colleges / institutes will never commit a salary figure or a company or even a job to you - No one can predict what's coming in future. But in vocational institutes (who have a national foot print as well) the best students get the best jobs and the worst dont get one. It is all a case of merit.

Apart from Vocational, you can look at evening colleges (where the cut offs are generally low) and along side your graduation, try and get some skills as an add on. Please note that the maximum hiring in today's world is happening in Sales, Retail and ITES and in about 3 - 5 years time, the trend does not seem to change majorly, hence its important to set your own expectations correctly and take up the right stream. There is a lot of growth in these sectors simply because of the sheer hiring.

You may chose to become an Accountant, Operations Person, Sales Guy, HR & Admin Champ or even decide to work as a freelancer. If you have good writing skills, try doing freelance blogging, it is a developing career. If you are good with Software's / Websites, try a BCA and get a development job. If computer parts have always attracted you to them, please get your hands on a Hardware / Networking or Infrastructure Management Services course brochure. You don't have to have the best first job, you need the best learning and the best first job as per your merit - Careers are shaped over the years not just by your first job.

Other than this, if you have your inclination in areas like, acting, sports, RJ or something, please try and speak to your parents and jointly take a call whether you should pursue your interests or not. Once again, please:

- Do not take any call under the influence of your ecosystem

- Ensure that you speak to yourself first and decide what do you want to do

- There is enough present on www.google.com to help you out with choices / options

- No matter what, the final call has to be yours and a sensible one: once you enter a stream, its tough to take a U turn

- Don't be demotivated seeing high cut offs: there is something for everyone today

- You are a part of the youngest country in the world, you are our strength and you are our future: be responsible

I hope I could be of any help here, in case you would like to know anything about various career options available as per your skill sets and merit, please feel free to write to me through the contact me page!

I wish you all a grand career and hope to see some success stories from Indeah!!! Keep smiling and stay confident

Cheers

Sumit

Travelling Outstation? Here Are Some Tips...

2012-05-30T09:59:00.000+05:30

Ok Folks

I bet some of you are feeling that I am enjoying my maximum free time off late and there writing blog posts almost every 3 days! The fact here is that off-late I have been travelling extensively these days and am getting some time to blog during my inter-city transit. So what do I have for you today! I am going to talk about what I love doing the most - Travel!

In the past 2 years or so, I have so far gone on 66 trips (and I am my 67th trip), traveled for over 160 days to 36 cities in India. While traveling was never a cake walk for the comfort loving personalities, you may still find it interesting if you take care of a few basic things, which I am going to list down for you. Here is what I feel you should take care of while I am traveling / starting for a travel to ensure smooth times for me:

- Plan your travel well in advance. No matter what, it gives you immense confidence if you have your travel tickets Air/Rail/Bus or the cabs organized well in time. Last moment travel planning can cost you more as well

- Pack light. As a principle, I do not carry anything which I cannot pack in my shoulder bag (on an average my travel is from (1-3 days). Its fantastic to travel with the minimum hand baggage as psychologically you feel much better if your hands are free

- Leave your house/office in time. Generally our travel starts either with the first or the last train/flight and hence it is obvious that we leave our homes at wee hours of the day. If we do not leave on time, we may end up asking the taxi/auto driver as well to rush which is unsafe since during these times the trucks and other heavy vehicles are also running around a little wildly

- Please pack your essentials carefully. Your toiletries must be packed in a manner that they dont leak in your bags. This happens very often that the tooth paste just leaked by the time you reached your hotel or something else, which may lead to your cloths getting screwed

- While choosing the hotel, its better to consider where will you be moving around during your visit. If you are leaving from the hotel on your way back, then its advisable to take the hotel near the airport/railway station. This helps you reduce the intra-city travel during your visit

- Eat wisely. While I do not follow this completely, but its advisable to eat wisely during your travel. The last thing you need is an upset stomach and your eyes searching for a washroom most of the day during the travel

- Do not drink with strangers or acquaintances . This is something that most of the people may indulge into, you are out of your home, alone with some friends, colleagues and you may want to chip in a drink or two: but wait a minute, are you sure of the person sitting with you? Its always better to be in your senses and complete control when you have strangers and acquaintances around.

- If it is an official trip, avoid getting late to your office and leaving very early. While you may be tempted to go out and have a look around at the city, but please book your evening hours for that.

- For official travelers, its a must to ask for a bill for every single thing you pay for. This helps you in easier clearances of your travel bills

- While getting your air tickets done, you may wish to give out your frequent flier number to the travel desk, this not only gets you free miles, but also gets you some added benefits as well from the airline.

- Ensure that during the travel your mobile phone, laptop are complete charged

- Carry enough (and not a lot of) cash during travel. Extra cash may attract the attention of some crooks around too. After all, better safe than sorry.

- If you find time, its always good to use google before you travel. Ask google to let you know more about the place you are going to. For instance, if you are travelling to Mandi Govindgarh, a small town in Punjab, you may want to know that this town has one of the maximum number of furnaces and is known for the iron recycling at a large scale

- Stay calm, dont pick fights with the locals. The more cautious approach you take, the smoother your travel becomes.

- Last but not the least, be proactive and not reactive!!!

I hope these pointers make some difference to the way you travel outside your home town and you find some sense in them. Thanks for your time on Sumit Ki Duniya - would be great to have you as a fan on our Facebook page too. Till my next post, stay safe and healthy!!!

Cheers
Sumit

Dear Bad Boss - Thank You Very Much!!!

2012-05-15T13:26:00.000+05:30

Image from www.rolandocabral.com

So - when was the last time you were pissed at your boss for being "one heck of a stupid ass" - at least this is what you must have felt, isn't it?

The dynamics between a boss and a subordinate can be smooth or full of friction, but two things may be common at all levels:

- The boss feels, he/she is the boss at the end of the story!

- The subordinate feels he/she can do better than the boss!

This article is for everyone, who has ever said or even felt that he is reporting to someone who can be easily termed as a "Bad Boss" and is looking for a rescue from the "Bad Boss". Well, first things first - there is nothing called a good or a bad boss. Its all our perspective - in the "Corporate Jungle", the biggest unsaid rule is "Every Man for Himself". Everything else said or unsaid follows this rule. You never work to make your bosses or subordinates successful, you make them successful so that their success contributes to your success. Your own Success!!! Yes, I strongly feel its the success of the individual or his/her idea that is the motive behind every initiative / action in the Corporate Jungle...

So, why so much of fuss about the bad boss then? Why is it that most of the people feel their bosses are the negative category and attract so much of hatred and negativity from their team members? The answers go back to some of my previous lines in the very article! Because the average subordinate feels his/her boss is a threat to his/her success (or timely success) or his/her idea. This actually may be true in many cases too, but we are not getting into that dialogue in this article. I intent to pen down the learning's that we can take from our real bad bosses (where the boss is actually roadblocking the growth of subordinates)...

The best learning from your bad boss that you can ever get (and I must mention, one of my good bosses in the past gave me this advice) is that you get to "Un-learn a lot of Bad Practices"

Your boss may be insecure, insensitive with towards you, but he/she may exhibit a lot of behavioral aspects which can prove to be a great learning for you. Some common traits can be:

- Taking away all the credit for success
- Blaming the failures on to the team
- Initiating politics within the team to keep his/her position strong
- Restrictions on communication at large with external customers
- Wanting to be the central power point instead of a leader
- Above all, trying to instruct and not lead

Whenever you are dealing with a bad boss, you must realize that you may be in this position too and the bad boss may not even be aware of the fact that he/she is being bad! It can just be a personality trait which is more natural then intentional - and you need to identify it accordingly. Things that you can learn from your bad boss can be how not to:

- Deal with your team members
- Structure your team and communication styles
- Evade positives of your team members and indulge in malpractices, like internal politics
- Have a bad reputation with your team members (most important)
- Much more...

All this can happen only when you look at this entire scenario as a workbook and intentionally try to learn stuff. In all fairness, you will always have a boss in your life (most probably) and must understand that you can't evade him/her ever. Don't try to change your boss, change the equation with your boss. Please talk whenever you feel suffocated - it is imperative to breath freely in any job.

One last time again, there can never be a perfect boss or a subordinate - the only thing that can near perfection is the dynamics between the boss and subordinate - try and focus on this and you may get better results. Remember, if you know what not to do as a boss, your task to be a good boss is almost half done!!!

Hope you enjoyed this piece, till my next post, smile more often and eat healthy!!!

Cheers
Sumit

Is HR Becoming Home to Females?

2012-04-19T20:38:00.000+05:30

Friends

Great to be blogging again after almost 2 months!!! For all those who are employed somewhere, this article may have something to relate to. While I talk about my thoughts on the topic, this post actually is backed by more than 100 years of Human Resource experience!

So, what comes to your mind when someone says HR? Here are some of the responses that I got from people working in other departments:

- Lucky people!

- Backbone of the company

- Undoubtedly my biggest liability (ofcourse from a sales person at a senior level)

- What HR? OK that department where some girls work?

- It hires and fires people

- It holds the company together and many more...

But one common observation I had in most of my interactions was that they all thought HR has now become a profile for females only - which was a big shocker to me (being an HR Professional myself). Hence I decided to speak to some specialists around and take their opinions about the same.

Mr. S.K.K. Warrier, a Stalwart in the Human Resource Function with almost 35 years of experience in various Industries (and currently heading HR in a leading Education Company) believes that this is not true completely. He certainly believes that due to a lot of females opting for higher education, the options in the Corporate World are opening up to them, but in the Manufacturing sector, where things are more unionized, males are still a preferred option. This does not happen because of the subject matter knowledge, but because in many cases females are not able to handle the aggressive union leaders and may just succumb to the pressures of employee unions, which does not happen frequently with their male counterparts.

Mr. Warrier however believes that the males are definitely losing it to females, when it comes to HR hiring. according to him, the need for 360 degree appraisals in HRD has risen owing to the increase in HR workforce in the last decade or so. Employees are happier interacting with female HR professionals and having females in your HRD helps you maintain a more decent code of conduct, says Mr. Warrier.

When I spoke to a female HR leader, Ms. Padmini Vinay who works for Teamlease Shared Services Pvt Ltd as a Senior Manager - HR, I came across a slightly different point of view. Ms. Vinay believes that HR is still a land of equal opportunities for both males and females because it is not the gender, but a mix of skills, education, personality and experience which makes a good HR Professional. She maintains that males may be losing out to females in the HRD, but does not think there is a concrete evidence or data to back it. Padmini however agreed with Mr. Warrier's views that HR certainly needs to be reviewed 360 degrees.

I think with so much happening in the corporate world in the last decade, the hiring in Human Resources has increased many folds. While this has opened doors for a lot of people who always wanted a nice corporate job, but the fact is that HR is not for everyone around. Just like Sales, IT, Finance - HR is also a specialist job. On an average interact with 30 to 50 different HR people in a month and the list just keeps building. Yes it is a fact that most of the people I get to interact with are females, but that's true only till the entry or middle level. However keeping the current workforce of females in HR at the entry and middle level, the day is not far, when we see the fairer sex on top of HRD in many more corporate.

I strongly believe that barring some of the good organizations, where HR is treated with its due importance - many companies seem to be hiring untrained professionals in HR with a mindset that HR can be done easily, which is not true! Right from recruitment's, to employee relations to training and development, everything needs expertise. HR to me is more of customer service and sales. Sales because they deal with people at the recruitment table and customer service because that's what they are supposed to do - "Ensure fair deals with and for their customers - The Employees"

I must make a mention, that this is not happening well, in-fact one could easily notice a hint of arrogance in the HRD today, though not always, but yes it has started to happen. While some companies focus a lot on strong HR practices, some tend to ignore the bad practices here. I think what really makes for a good HR person is strong technical acumen, an overall knowledge of how businesses work and most importantly - An urge from within to work for people. HR is the bridge between the employees and the management, this bridge has to be fair and strong. I know many HR people in the industry who are nothing less than exemplary and have myself been learning from them.

Overall, I don't think I endorse the belief that females are better suited to HRD then their darker counterparts :), but the trend is certainly changing - which says that if you are a female, then you have a home in HR! But that's not correct!!!

I hope you enjoyed reading this one, till my next post - keep that frown upside down :)

Cheers

Sumit

The Agony of an Indian Son, Husband, Father.....

2012-02-09T19:26:00.000+05:30

Disclaimer: This post is completely imaginary and bears no resemblance to any living being or incident. These are just my thoughts and may be a little bit of sarcasm around the topic. Pure fiction! Hope you enjoy reading :)

_________________________________________________________________________________

I was born in a small town of Uttar Pradesh in a Kayastha joint family. My father is a government employee working as a clerk and earns only so much that we can live by ourselves. We obviously cannot save anything and my mother always kept dreaming of living a life which is full of fun, frolic, holidays and jewellery! While I was growing up, I kept listening to my mother blaming my paternal grand parents for all the hardships and problems we have faced so far and saw her crying many a times whenever she would retaliate to what my father or grand parents would say. In our kind of families, females are not allowed to argue much with the in-laws as it was considered rude, even if the in-laws beat her up at times.

During my younger years, I used to go to the school with a dream in my eyes. The dream was to become a cricketer, just like Sachin Pa Ji. I was growing up seeing him smashing some of the best bowlers in the world and slowly becoming the best batsman in the world - but I was completely unaware, that my father and grandfather had already decided what I will be in life. While I was waiting for my board results, I was told that I have to become a doctor and suddenly the entire family started looking up to me to take care of all the hardships they were facing. Suddenly all my relatives starting talking about me being a doctor soon and taking the family's boat to the bank of river. I was zapped, suddenly I wasn't allowed to play cricket with my friends, I was told that playing is only good while you have your holidays, but now you need to prepare for your Pre Medical Test!!!

One fine day, when I was fast asleep, batting on 98 with Sachin Pa Ji on the other end against Pakistan and almost hit a six on an Akhtar delivery (off-course in my dream), my Chachu woke me up aggressively! My mother was crying and my grand parents almost in a state of shock. Everyone looked stunned around me and I woke up to the news of my father in the neighborhood nursing home. He suffered a brain hamerage and doctors said, he was critical. With whatever little contribution we got from my father's office - it was time for my mother to say good bye to her last set of ornaments! With a lot of hardships and prayers, I saw my father back at home after 20 odd days. I finally decided I will sacrifice my dream and hooked my family's expectations on to me :( From this day, I became just a spectator....

Life changed, I got into one of the top medical colleges and went on to my final year with fantastic grades. My professors and colleagues thought I had the makings of a game changer medico! But listen to me, I fell in love - with this charming girl who studied with me these past few years and also loved me like crazy. We had our dreams set for when we become doctors. A nice career, small home, car and other material happiness' clubbed with the "sufiana" love that we shared all this while. But I was stupid enough not give any attention to the last name of this girl! She was a muslim girl named Ayesha, who haled from a very conservative family in "Dilli 6" - obviously we had sent an invite to many problems by just falling for each other. I was quite confident that when I speak to my family and they wont let my feelings suffer. However, when I spoke to them, I came to know I have already been fixed with the daughter of my father's colleague who is a childhood friend. I was told that there is no other option then to marry this girl, because there is a decent amount of money that my family is supposed to get from this girl's family as "dowry". Despite knowing all my life, that dowry is a crime - I was now forced to tell my dream girl that I cannot marry her now.

We were in Darjeeling and it was our first night together. Her sisters and friends were calling her up to tease her ahead of the nuptial night and I was nervous as hell. I gathered some courage and went up to her to tell her about my first love and the time I may take to adjust with her in life. Manisha, I called her name with a lot of hesitation in my voice - she looked up to me and before I could utter another word, she said "I don't love you. It is impossible for me to come close to you". Life suddenly stopped for me, it was also because of the rejection I got from Manisha. I stood my ground, calmly smiled and told her - "its ok Manisha, I can understand. Please take your time, I will wait". I forgot to introduce my wife, Manisha to you - an interior designer by profession already earning in 5 figures and living alone in Delhi since her 8th standard. She obviously believed that life is what you want to make it and not what you get. But maybe because of her family, she had to marry me. But she was in love with this guy called John, her colleague with similar mindsets and values. She told me that John and her have decided to stay together and hence she cannot be with me. It is because of her family that she is staying with me, but there can be nothing more than this between the two of us. I was broken, every single, moment I spent with Ayesha came right in front of my eyes. I decided to cut short our honeymoon, and come back sooner then expected and told my family that I had work to sort out hence could not continue the trip. It was my parents' wrinkled faces that held me back keep quite and let life take its turns from here on.

John din't stay in Manisha's life for very long. After another 2 years of relationship they broke up, leaving Manisha completely shattered. She had almost lost hopes from life and decided to slip in her own shell. We never had anything going, but I was slowly getting fond of her. I realized that this perhaps is the only time when I can have my life back on track and give some support to her as well. I decided to keep aside all my anger and told her that I am with her. I wanted to do this for another reason, in our society, if a female gets into a situation like Manisha was in, she certainly cannot live an easy life. Her career would have taken a toll too. Not to mention, my family would have suffered badly. I extended a warm hand to her and slowly, she accepted it too.

I am happily married now, we all find happiness eventually, and have an angel called "Gauri" who is studying fashion technology with a leading institute in Delhi. Gauri has bought the much needed love and affection in our lives - she is the only child who survived out of the 3 kids we had, obviously she is more than special for us. We have done everything possible to ensure that the frown on her face remains "upside down". Even she has done everything to ensure that we feel proud parents. I was more than sure that she won't turn my word down ever. This was her 22nd birthday and I decided to gift her something special. I thew a suprize party for her and decided to let her meet this wonderful guy I met a few days ago at a family function. I had already spoke to his parents about a possible lifelong association between our families and invited this boy to meet her. However, much before I announced it in the party, she introduced me to this guy called Veer whom Gauri loved and they had been together for a couple of months now. Gauri announced Veer's arrival in her life in front of the entire family (may be thinking that we will never say no to her decision as important as a life partner). I was shocked, but could not utter a word after noticing that sparkle in the eyes of my angel. I decided to apologize to the guy I had invited and because the pressure of my daughter's expectations and society, accepted Veer in our family!

In my life so far, there have been many instances when I had to sacrifice my dreams and wishes just because as an Indian Son, Husband and Father I have always thought in a very fearful manner. I was always afraid of "The Society", whom no one could define to me till date. I always thought, how will my decisions effect my and my family's life adversely in a society.
_________________________________________________________________________________

We all talk about the sacrifice of Indian girls, which can certainly not be questioned at any stage, but somewhere, we forget about what an Indian Man does for his family. He often goes unnoticed with his silent efforts, because he is afraid and does not cry easily! This was an imagination about just one of the wonderful men India has produced... I am sure we have many more different stories....

Just an effort!!! Hope you enjoyed reading!!!

Cheers
Sumit

Would You Compromise on Quality to Hire for FREE

2012-01-20T16:53:00.001+05:30

Employers

With so much happening in the recruitment space, we all have numerous options available with us to hire right from:

- Free Hiring Through Institutions
- Paid Bulk Hiring, Turnkey Projects
- Temp Staffing (Through players like Teamlease)

A lot of people are facing a situation wherein they have huge fleet on the ground requirements in Sales, Retail, Hospitality, ITES for freshers or up to 1 year experience, but are unable to fulfill them simply because sourcing is a big concern for these profiles. Today almost 80% of hiring is happening in the above sectors, while on the flip side almost 75% of the job seekers are looking for opportunities in other functions like Engineering, IT, Finance and others.

This is the irony that not only the employers are facing, but also the ones working on the sourcing of these projects are handcuffed with. The recruiters are having a tough time convincing the good (or at least average) candidates for their "fleet on the ground" requirements, whereas, the candidates are absolutely OK to sit back and do nothing, but join the function they have always dreamt of!

This subsequently has been forcing quite a lot of employers to start compromising on quality and hire candidates who are below par. By the way this has happened after quite a lot of companies increased the compensation they were paying earlier for similar roles.

While this has opened gates for a lot of training companies and professionals - but this means that the entry level workforce that some of the employers are taking in is not "Up to the Mark"....

As someone who works in the employability - employment domain and have been undertaking numerous "Bulk Hiring" projects, I have only one question in my mind, "Would You Compromise on Quality of Candidates if you get them FREE OF COST?" Would be great to have your opinion so that I can complete my analysis on "Bulk Hiring". Your comments and suggestions would be more than handy for me. Please feel free to write back, email or bbm me on the subject.

If you like this blog, then please feel do visit www.facebook.com/skdblog and hit the "like" button... Please share the blog and this poll in your circles too

Cheers
Sumit :)

Spice Up Your Blog: A Simple Way To Use A Drop Cap Large First Letter - For Bloggers

2012-01-13T17:36:00.000+05:30

Spice Up Your Blog: A Simple Way To Use A Drop Cap Large First Letter ...: A very popular effect used in magazines and newspapers is a drop cap first letter to paragraphs.This effect can also be found on many blogs ...

Cheers

Sumit

Are You An Entrepreneur Stuck in an Employee's Body?

2012-01-05T14:23:00.000+05:30

Right then, did you ever try to find out if you are an entrepreneur or a good employee (or may be just another tom, dick or harry in your company)? Did the thought of analyzing your self on some of the personality traits you may display at work and off it cross your mind off late? Did you ever feel that you are an "Entrepreneur Stuck in an Employee's Body" but could never confidently say this to your peers (or even to yourself)? Well - let us spend the next 30 odd minutes in reading this article (with inputs from www.entrepreneur.com) and then infer if there is an entrepreneur waiting to be unleashed within ourselves.

Entrepreneur, as many of us who are at the middle or senior levels of their professional careers like to address themselves as, are a breed that is unfazed by failures and enjoy what they are doing. Problems for them are mere roadblocks, which they like - as this gives them another opportunity to learn. An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiativeThe term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to help launch a new venture or enterprise and accept full responsibility for the outcome. Jean-Baptiste Say, a French economist, is believed to have coined the word "entrepreneur" in the 19th century - he defined an entrepreneur as "one who undertakes an enterprise, especially a contractor, acting as intermediatory between capital and labor" A broader definition by Say: "The entrepreneur shifts economic resources out of lower and into higher productivity and greater yield.

But wait a minute, all this is actually the theoretical jazz behind the "controversial" word - Entrepreneur (I said controversial because I have seen many people calling them Entrepreneur, just because they like the word or may be just for the heck of it). Does this give "Gyaan" make any sense to me if I cannot make out from this whether I am an Entrepreneur or not? Well for me it was a no-brainer and the answer was "NO". Then how can I look at myself and come to a conclusion? Let's talk about it a little:

- An entrepreneur is generally the most uneasy person in his seat: He does not want to settle down with what he has and what he is asked to do. He constantly believes there is more to it than what is being done. According to an Entrepreneur, if you stop improvising, you start losing.

- An entrepreneur is generally the best planner around. Even if the people around him are not sure of what he is up to, at least the entrepreneur will be sure of where his plans will take him. They have the tendency to draw a virtual road map out of every situation.

- An entrepreneur knows the value of money! He understands that both income and expenses must be managed in the most cost effective manner, however he will not necessarily a "tight fisted" individual and would not mind spending wherever required - Only if he has planned for it in advance

- An entrepreneur will urge people to buy his product / solution. All the research, hard work in developing a product or solution will go for naught if there is no one to buy it. At times the greatest of the products also need a push to the buyers. A strong sense of marketing is something he will display at all times

- An entrepreneurs certainly knows that at the end of the story if there is no one buying his product / solution, then there is nothing for him and his business, hence for him - "The customer is everything"

- Entrepreneurs like and enjoy what they do. He would generally be happy about what he has done throughout the day, but will never be obnoxious.

- An entrepreneur will depend on his core team, but at all times keep an "eagle eye" on what is happening in and around the business. Needless to mention, a strong accumen in other areas of business (apart from sales and marketing) is something that is displayed by most of the successful entrepreneurs

- An entrepreneur invests in himself and his development as well. He makes all the possible efforts to flex his mental muscles at all times. This may happen by reading books, magazines, journals or may be networking. Top entrepreneurs attend business and marketing seminars, workshops and training courses, even if they have already mastered the subject matter of the event. They do this because they know that education is an ongoing process. There are usually ways to do things better, in less time, with less effort. In short, top entrepreneurs never stop investing in the most powerful, effective and best business and marketing tool at their immediate disposal--themselves.

- An entrepreneur wants to be know as a specialist! Mr. Manish Sabharwal, Chairman of Teamlease Group is trying to build India's biggest Education - Employability - Employment chain and he is doing this with the help of his core team and a lot of PR activities with the leading Newspapers and Magazines. These activities, give you more mileage in the market.

- An entrepreneur is generally quite accessible for his core team. He knows the value of communication and hence is pretty much available at the other end of the communication line. You won't see him shying away from issues

- An entrepreneur is a master in the art of "Negotiations". The ability to negotiate effectively is unquestionably a skill that every entrepreneur must make every effort to master. It's perhaps second in importance only to asking for the sale in terms of home business musts. In business, negotiation skills are used daily. Always remember that mastering the art of negotiation means that your skills are so finely tuned that you can always orchestrate a win-win situation. These win-win arrangements mean that everyone involved feels they have won, which is really the basis for building long-term and profitable business relationships.

- An entrepreneur is one of the most organized professionals around. Not only does he manage his work station and email boxes well - he has it in him to slot stuff into various categories and execute them in order. Someone who misses deadlines regularly or is followed up by co-workers is not necessarily the best contender to be called an "Entrepreneur"

- An entrepreneur generally keeps an eye on the happenings of the company, but limits the number of hats that he will wear. He will be a good supervisor, but cannot obviously start giving hands on contributions to all the areas. He must think about all the aspects of the business, but taking up everything on himself is certainly not going to do wonders to his productivity.

These just a few traits which I look at when I think of an Entrepreneurs. Though I strongly believe that Entrepreneurs are "Born" and not "Made" - But people may differ and as they say in our company, "Conflicts are Welcome"

Just a small effort to pen down whatever small little I feel about this vast subject of Entrepreneurship. Hope you liked it :). Your comments, likes, dislikes, opinions on this post would be helpful. In case you want to say something to me in person, then shout back at my email saxenasumit56@yahoo.in or BBM me on 274A9A45. Would be great to have you hit the "like" button on Sumit Ki Duniya's facebook page

Stay tuned for the next post and till then, keep that frown "upside down"

Cheers

Sumit

Letter To PM - You Have Lost 1 Vote Sir!

2011-12-19T15:40:00.002+05:30

Dear Prime Minister Sir,

I hope you get to read this letter some time. I am a citizen of this country and am living in the National Capital Region. I am 28 years old and work in the corporate sector. This is all about myself that I am sure you would like to know. I am writing to you today as a rightful citizen of India and as someone who voted for Congress in anticipation that things will change in the country with some of the most promising faces in the political arena favoring Congress. I would not hesitate in saying that it was also attributed to the lack of good options that made you the obvious choice.

It all went very nice and cosy after the elections till we started getting jitters from the government or should I say lack of governance. I am neither an economist nor do I specialize in "how to run a country" - but as a citizen of this country, I am entitled to ask you some basic questions:

- What went wrong with inflation? Why all of a sudden everything seems to be getting dearer?
- Why did the government had to allow numerous fuel price hikes in the last 2 years?
- Why is this government bowing down in front of the allies despite knowing that they are at fault?
- What stops the government from bringing in the Jan-Lokpal?
- What's happening to Kasab? Till when should I keep paying taxes for his food and stay in our country?
- When will we get to hear about the sentences for people like Suresh Kalmadi, A Raja who are more or less proven guilty in the respective cases of corruption?
- Why is the crime rate still increasing in the country?
- What is the government doing to curb crime and corruption in India?
- Why can't you convince the opposition on even a single issue, except of course the salary and perk bills for MPs
- Why did people like Digvijay Singh, Kapil Sibbal and Ambika Soni go on a rampage against team Anna with the motive to defame them on charges of corruption?
- Why was Google served an IT Department notice the very next day when it refused the Government's request to tone down the content on internet?
- Talking of IT Notices, why does it seem to me that the IT Notices are being used by the Government as a Bomb to explode any base camp against the Government
- What is the government doing to stop the 100 Crore begging racket running in Delhi / NCR. Is this not illegal?
- Who is accountable for the amount wasted in the parliament when it does not work for days?
- Why are the schemes like MNREGA and UID not properly monitored?
- What will happen to the black money stashed in Swis Bank?
- Why does Mr. Mukherjee not want to share the names of people with black money? Nothing seems to be wrong in doing this?
- Why do you not curb the quota war? Mayawati Ji now wants additional Quota for Muslims in OBC category?
- Why can't be quota allocated as per the financial and geographical parameters, instead of the caste parameters?
- When a minister gets slapped the government gets extremely active, what about the cases where innocents are being killed in fake encounters? Why no sentences so far?
- What is being done to upgrade the courts in the country? Did you visit any labor/district court in a smaller district?
- If yes, did you feel the need for some improvement?
- What are you doing to upgrade the Babu's of Government? Is "Naukar Shahi" the only skill required?
- Do you not believe that the Politicians and Beurocrats should be more Citizen Centric?
- What was the Government not able to convince the opposition on FDI when the entire nation seemed to be geared up for this?
- Why should the middlemen become richer and farmers become poorer? Why should I pay extra from my pocket to run my expenses?
- Till when are we going to be a Developed Country?
- Rupee seems to be at an all time low, what went so wrong? Or is it just bad timing?
- Who is keeping a track of the expenses made by political parties during and around Elections?
- Why should I pay 500 Rs to get the passport delivery from the postman? What makes you think, that I should pay an extra amount to get my passport made?
- Who is responsible to scan the background of politicians before they are allowed to contest elections or even join hands with any political party for that matter?
- Till when the UP and Bihar continue to live in fear of MNS in Maharashtra?
- What stops you from having an extradition policy with countries where our criminals are hiding?

These are just a few questions that came to my mind and trust me if you start asking people, 100 million people will ask you at least a similar number of questions from you.

I know some of the above issues may be completely out of your hands, but will you agree that most of the above issues are well within the purview of this government? Would you not want to come out clean and shining of all these issues being raised against your government and then enter the elections in 2013?

I am almost certain that this letter will not reach you, but for anyone else reading this letter, I would like to say something - "You have lost a Vote Sir"

I don't think I will vote for your party again, till it comes out clean of all the accusations. Even if it does not matter to you - My choice is made!!!

I hope better sense prevails...

Regards
Sumit
A Citizen (and Netizen) of India

Getting Interviewed For Your First Job"?" - Let's Decode This Question Mark

2011-12-15T19:42:00.003+05:30

Losing your night's sleep because you can't stop thinking about that interview which may take you to your FIRST Job? Not feeling confident about the professional meeting next day? Well - I am sure almost every single person who is yet to get his first (or even second/third) job and is really looking forward to one will have only one answer to these questions - "YES"

So what does it take to crack that interview? Is there any fool proof mechanism by which you are sure to get a job? Let us try and decode these question marks in the next 15 odd minutes.

Handle Pressure Well: It is very easy to succumb to pressure and nervousness before the interview or even during it. But let me tell you something here - no one expects a fresher to be a "Rocket Scientist" while he/she applies for his/her first job! The employer, in most of the cases, also recognizes that you are still fresh and are entering a completely new arena, fresh from your college/school lives. They also understand that its not easy for you to come and fit the bill perfectly, hence they are a little lenient towards the first timers. While some may understand that you are a little uneasy, others may be a little bullish and try to dominate you even more. Before the interview, just like our examinations, all you need to do is prepare well and relax yourself. Do not take unnecarry pressure.

Brace up for The Interview: There are no free lunches in life! So if you do not put in any effort in preparing for an interview, then you are in for an expected surprise - "Rejection". Every single interview is different as the employers vary in various industries. Please ensure that you work hard on the following:

1.)Resume, The Wonder Document - I will start this section with a real life example. During a campus interview, I was called by the employer in his cabin and with a smirk, he handed over a stack of 14 resumes to me stating that the one on the top is shortlisted, and others don't have to wait for the interview. Shocked with this statement and eager to know the reason for this, I asked him - WHY, replying to which he urged me to read the resumes properly. I was in for the biggest surprise in recent times. All the 14 candidates had the same Address, Objective, Educational Qualification and even the FATHER's NAME!!! The only shortlisted candidate was held back because of his team spirit. We spend so much time on social networking sites like facebook, twitter, orkut - why? Only to ensure that our profile is interesting and attractive enough and people feel like connecting and interacting with us. Similar just needs to be done with the resume as well. As a fresher, please ensure that you have a realistic objective statement on your resume. The skills must be well displayed on the front page with the length of the resume not exceeding 2 pages. Please try and include alternate contact details if possible.

2.)Research About the Company - What do you know about the company? This can well be a question which may become a road block during your interview. It is imperative that you do a basic level of research about the company you are appearing for the interview in. Start your research about the company as soon as you get a call/email for the interview. Please don't waste any time in logging on to the company's website and checking out facts and figures related to it. Some of the pages that you must visit on the company's website are "Home", "About Us", "Media/News", "Services", "Customer/Clients". Going through these pages will, without a doubt, give you the basic understanding of what the company is. It is also advised to try and Google the Industry Trends. For instance, if you are applying for a job in TeamLease Services Pvt Ltd, then its advisable to check out additional facts and figures or trends about Perm and Temp Staffing and see where does TeamLease stand in the industry today. This will give you nothing but leaps of confidence when you sit for the interview.

3.)Appearance - Appearing stressed, rumpled or haggard downgrades your professional image. Portraying a harried image - regardless of how smart you are - places you at risk of damaging your professional reputation, of hitting a wall in your career, of impeding your success potential, of not getting the job you want. You don't have to look like your favorite movie star or dress up like you are going in for a party - all you need to do is just dress professionally and take care of the basics of grooming. Trust me one of the most annoying things for an employer can be having to look at a "Shabby" or a "Jazzy" candidate during the interview. Don't let the first impression hamper your chances of getting that job.

4.)Be Smart - With the number of applicants rising for many positions, the employers now have an edge of getting choosy about the people they pick for jobs. As an employer, if I had to make a choice between two candidates with similar sort of skills, then I would prefer the one who know more than what I want him to and the other one. It is always advisable to keep yourself updated with what's happening around you. For instance, even before you sit for your first round of personal interview, you can be a part of a "Group Discussion" round and the topic may be "Jan Lokpal" or "Rupee's Downfall in Recent Times". No As a candidate, if you have heard these words for the first time in your life, then please pack your bags and head southwards to home! Even before you are asked the first question about your technical skills you are out of the place and trust me, there is nothing more frustrating than this.

5.)Introduction - You know your own selves for the last 20+ years and you can't speak a line or two about you? This is the worst possible perception of your candidature that the employer may form immediately after a bad round of introduction! Remember an introduction generally accounts for the first 2 to 5 minutes of any interview and failing to come out good in this part may just also mean an immediate rejection. Please prepare well on the introduction and ensure that your introduction consists of at least your, Full Name, Highest Educational Qualifications, Your Professional Training's, any other trainings/certifications that you may have done or are going through and your experience (if any). Anything more than this or less than this may prove to be hazardous. Less because you are not giving the minimum required information to the employer and more because, you are inviting more questions from the employer (considering the next question many a times arises from your previous answers)

6.)Subject Matter Knowledge - I work for a company which provides trainings in Finance and IT-Infrastructure domain and it can't get worst, if a candidate applying for a job in Accounts can't tell the "Golden Rules of Accounts" or an IT-Infra candidate applying for a Desktop Support Engineer Jobs can't help the employer attach a network printer to a computer/laptop during the interview. Please ensure you are on top of your knowledge and leave no stone unturned while preparing for the interviews.

If you remember, during our board and college examinations we always had an option to attempt our papers the way we wanted to. We may decide to attempt Section C first and then move to Section B and subsequently to Section A or vice versa - the scenario during interviews is mostly different. You will be attempting Section A (Appearance/Introduction) and if you clear it, you go through to the next Section (Subject Matter Knowledge) else, you are on your way back home.

Some other things that may just matter during your interviews are:

- Your typing speed
- Your flexibility on Job Profiles
- Your ability to travel and work during odd hours

I hope that this article makes a change in the way you approach your first interview and brings about a difference in your lives. For any questions, please feel free to write back on saxenasumit56@yahoo.in.

Best of Luck!!!

Cheers
Sumit

Simply Dinesh: Learn Mail-Merge, Great MS Office Tool

2011-09-24T15:06:00.000+05:30

For beginners... In case you were wondering what is mail merge or how to do it... may just be useful....

Simply Dinesh: Learn Mail-Merge, Great MS Office Tool: E-mails are very important mode of documented communication in today’s world, and due to the upcoming trends multiple mails need to be sent ...

Read on....

Cheers

Sumit

Arshi - The Spirit of the Age "Zeitgeist": 8 Reasons Your Employees Don’t Care

2011-09-16T13:37:00.000+05:30

Interesting article on one of the blogs that I read off late.....

Arshi - The Spirit of the Age "Zeitgeist": 8 Reasons Your Employees Don’t Care: Pay only goes so far. Higher salaries are like the bigger house syndrome: Move into a bigger house and in...

Read on!!!

I Was With Anna @ Ramlila Maidan - You Should Also Support

2011-08-20T23:46:00.002+05:30

Hi Frenz,

I dont think I remember the last time I had gooze bumps seeing something as beautiful as this. I was on my way to the ramlila maidan thinking what will I do, how will it be and what not - but the moment I entered Ramlila Maidan, I realized I was in for something bigger. I saw thousands of Indians, telling the world that they were Anna Hazare and they were not ready to bow down this time. I joined in and became one of the thousand Anna's. One of the best sights of my life was to see Anna sitting alone on the stage with a huge Mahatma Gandhi photograph in the background.

I can't recall ever seeing anything of this sort before this day, but am sure if the government does not agree to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill, then we are in for some even bigger shows. Trust me, the first thought that came to my mind when I entered in the Maidan was that "India has realized its power". Right from film stars to Radio Jockeys, Doctors to Lawyers, Students to Professionals, Kids to Elderly - everyone was involved, selflessly for their country.

It was commendable to see that despite the magnitude of this protest - there was no voilence, No Peepli Live type markets (one of the TV news channel said it might just happen, but it hasn't so far). The volunteers were all set to serve people of India right from serving food, water and even collecting the garbage.

If you haven't gone so far, then I urge you to go, even if its for an hour - but let the world know your love for your country, after all its for your own self only. I trust we all need a better future for ourselves and our families and this is required to attain that - dont let this threshold go away... We may not get another chance to get our "AZAADI" back. Last but not the least, I will say only one thing - "Anna tum aage bado, hum sab tumhare saath hain. Inqelaab Zindabaad...." Sharing some of the videos of the rally in Ramlila Maidan on 22 August 2011

Vande Mataram....
Sumit

I am Supporting Anna - Are You?

2011-08-19T17:24:00.000+05:30

Ok, so we are witnessing one of the biggest movements (largely in public interest) in the country since Freedom and the world is witnessing it! I have hardly been able to do anything for this movement and time for me to pitch in with a small contribution.

I have decided to go to Ramlila Maidan where Anna stands tall with this anti-curroption torch in his hands and join him for a day to protest against the good old plague of our country - Corruption!!! I will be at the venue on 20 August 2011 to support Anna and fast for my country and myself. I have taken an off and want to ask you all - Will you join us?

If everyone around us starts taking an off from the work and joins this protest, the government will realize the power of people and will have to bow down to us. Personally I am really upset to see my political heroes like Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi and some other senior congress leaders (I have always been a pro-congress national - only till date, may be not anymore) behaving in this discgraceful manner and almost proving to the entire nation, that they are no less corrupt (or at least in support of the corrupt) and this disturbs me.

I am out to fight for my country (by peacefully fasting) and hope to see you join us soon as possible. Take great care of yourself and do not promote corruption in any way - this will be your small little contribution to our country!!!

See you in Ram Lila Maidan on 20 August 2011...

Jai Ho
Sumit

Nokia Or Blackberry - Who's Racing Ahead!

2011-08-15T12:07:00.000+05:30

Hiya Friends!

For those who know me well, must be wondering why this post came so late. Well I have been kinda gadget freak and must admit that I have used some of the most wonderful phones in the past! Thought I will share my personal views (strictly personal views). This ain't a phone specific review, but a comparison of the features offered by both the manufactures. Right then, lets start with the basics first:

In Battery Backup, Nokia emerges a clear winner in this this with almost all the phones offering a talk time of as high as 8 to 9 hours (on 2G) as compared to the 5 to 6 hours of any of the RIM Phones Blackberry). This however has a lot to do with the number of applications running on the Blackberry Services (and they run non-stop). On any RIM Phone, you will on an average find 2 email accounts (it can go up to 10), 2 to 3 instant messaging applications (including the BBM) and a whole host of other applications, while a Nokia may not see so many of em running in tandem. On the interface part, though I found RIM phones superior to the good old Nokia, but because of the huge market share that Nokia has, the acceptance of any new Nokia product is much higher than RIMs of the world - however this is going to change for sure!!! RIM has one of the smoothest OS available in market (even the ones which are not running on OS 6 are better then the new Nokia Phones) while the much older symbian and the new born android are yet to match the stuff RIM has to offer...

Both the companies have priced their products nicely, with Nokia winning the battle (decent smart phones available from Nokia in the range of 6 grands) and RIM discontinuing the 8820, 8830, and some of the other phones which were priced in the range of 4 to 7 grands. Though these models are available on some online shopping portals, but they are not new - they are refurbished phones with a 6 month warranty. Also, we still don't have many people buying cell phones from online portals, despite the rise of users on these portals - Cell Phones are something that you would like to buy only after holding it in your hands (I do so)

On the application front, RIM is a clear winner with its fantastic "Blackberry App World" application, which features some of the best utilities, business apps, themes and much more. The BB App World, clearly outshines the "Nokia Ovi Store" not just in terms of the number of apps (I am talking about free applications) but also in terms of the quality and user friendliness of the applications. The Ovi store is far from the BB App World. I haven't really checked out the "Google Android Market" but with the name "Google" linked to it - I would like to safely assume that it can give a tough fight to the BB App World or may even beat it.

While both RIM and Nokia almost go hand in hand on the features we spoke so far, there is one feature that will clearly distinguish the two of them! Connectivity.... Yes you heard it right and many of the users who have used the RIM and Nokia services both, will agree with me completely here. The revolutionary Blackberry Internet / Prosumer / Enterprise Services are far more superior then the old and substandard GPRS and even 3G (because if its unavailability in most of the parts of the country)

Though this is not the geniuses on subject matter will say, but in my opinion, the difference between RIM Connectivity Services and GPRS is similar to Direct Current (DC) and Alternate Current (AC). RIM does not fluctuate and its seamless wherever you go, while GPRS can give you tough times, especially when you are on roaming.

Overall, I have used more than 20 Nokia Phones and 3 RIMs and the RIMs win the race for me!!! I am going to buy my next RIM in a day or two. If you are planning to buy a phone in the budget of 9 to 10 grands, and are stuck in the Nokia V/s Blackberry battle, then I would suggest you put your money on the RIM (go for Blackberry 8520 / 8530) and see the difference it brings to you. This I am saying after using more than 30 different phones in the last 8 years.

If you found it interesting and need any more information and you feel I can help you with that, just write to me on saxenasumit56@yahoo.in and we can stay plugged in from there!!!

Till my next post - keep smilling and "Happy Independence Day"

Cheers
Sumit

Simply Dinesh: Matrimony Classics

2011-06-28T16:04:00.000+05:30

This one can tickle your funny bone!!!

Simply Dinesh: Matrimony Classics: "Hi, I received this from an old pal and thought of sharing it. This is Ultimate.................I bet u can't stop laughing. These are g..."

Read on!!!

Cheers

Sumit

Is This The Value of Human Life?

2011-06-26T15:11:00.001+05:30

OK so this is what you may see in smaller towns of our country, where the law and order is not really up to the mark! But hold on, one of the biggest cities and a prominent part of the National Capitol Region has something on offer, which I caught on my mobile camera!

The most recently developed expressway in Noida, Yamuna Expressway connects Noida with Agra. We have mini buses plying from Noida to Greater Noida and trust me if you were wondering why so many people meet with accidents on this expressway, this video is your answer! The people dont put a price tag to their own lives and Police - what police? I dont think I have seen any active police patrol here on the Express Way in the last 2.5 years of my daily travel.

This road needs help and Behenji (Mayawati Ji) needs to look at these roads apart from the glorious parks planned in the state. I have sent it to a few news channels and authorities, hope somebody looks into this? An effort to help my town! Are you making any efforts? Please share this video with maximum people to contribute...

Cheers

Sumit

Simply Dinesh: Keyboard Shortcuts: May Cut Short Workload

2011-06-23T09:30:00.000+05:30

Interesting - this may be helpful for you in your office!!!

Simply Dinesh: Keyboard Shortcuts: May Cut Short Workload: "The world is going tech savvy up to new heights every day and the base of this technological revolution undoubtedly is Computer. The increa..."

Read On!!!

Mumbhaaii - Not That Bad!!!

2011-06-21T11:00:00.001+05:30

Friends

First of all - it feels great to be back in Apni Dilliii :)

Thought, I would share my experiences on the Mumbai, Pune and Jalgaon Trip last week. Well it was official and i had to be there for one of the job fairs that we did in Mumbai, Thane for my company IIJT and thankfully it turned out to be one of the best job fairs so far! While, the trip proved to be a confidence booster during my first official visit to Mumbai and Pune, I had some mixed experiences as well:

Mumbai: I landed in Mumbai on a rainy Friday morning (obviously the flight was delayed) and the scene outside the Airport was similar to a typical beginning to any other trip to Mumbai - CHAOTIC!!! We had traffic snarls, long ques of cars and our good old Fiats in their most suited Yellow and Black outfits. The rides in these fiats weren't that bad! The wada pao on Juhu Beach during the high tides will stay in the memories for some time. I got a chance to drive in Mumbai as well, though it was not the best of the experiences in world, but I will still not be able to forget it for some time. Like any other Dilli Wala, I am pretty much used to the traffic snarls - but Mumbai was different and it really needs help!!! Not that I am cribbing, but now I can say that Delhi Government has still done a fantastic job of maintaining roads like the Inner and Outer Ring roads and the Toll / Express Flyways - which carry majority of the traffic. The drive on the Worli Sea Link was an exception though :) Amidst those Mumbai rains, the drive on the sea link followed by a little beer actually made up for the fatigue :)

However the good old crooks (taxi and auto walas mainly) left a bad impression on me! They will overcharge and irritate you to the extent you cant even imagine!!! I had to almost beat up a taxi wala for not being able to take me to Mumbai Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus for my Train to Jalgaon (my next destination on this trip) - beware of them when you are in Mumbai!

Jalgaon: Well, it was a short stay in Jalgaon (just about 12 hours) but I must say, I enjoyed this small city! I stayed in a small hotel near the Railway Station and headed to my office in Jalgaon. During the lunch break - I savored some nice little treats from Jalgaon! The "bhel puri" and "pani puri" were amazing and filling too :) We had good fun in the city, except for the fact that it was hot, unlike Mumbai!!! From Jalgaon, I headed to Pune in Train :)

Pune: What can I say about this city? Wonderful city, fantastic weather and completely different from Mumbai's busy life. Though Pune is an IT hub and a lot of students come here for their higher studies from all across the country - this city still does not get crowded :) I stayed in Pune for 2 days and it was relaxing (by now it was pretty clear in my mind that I like Pune much more than Mumbai) We had some amazing "ghar ka khana" in our guest house and Ranjeet (our care taker) deserves a pat on the back for this!!! Though one memorable experience was with one Old Auto Wala, who almost kicked us out of his Auto in Pune since we could not make him understand where we wanted to go (it was our first visit to Pune)

If you are in Pune, don't forget to go to Shisha Cafe in ABC Farms - some nice hukka and brownies will relax you there. The service was not good though - but the experience still was nice and relaxing... It was a shame that I could not get time to visit Lonavla, but my train to Mumbai did pass through the station!

Mumbai Again: I had to come back to Mumbai for a few meetings and to catch my flight back to Delhi :) (by now I had started to miss my home) Day 7 on the trip was fine and in the evening, I took my (delayed) flight back to Delhi... Landed in Delhi late night and vroooommmm to my home :)

Overall - A nice visit (though a week was a little long) but I must say, nothing better than apni Delhi!!! To check out some of the pictures of this trip click here

For more travel updates, stay tuned!!!

Cheers

Sumit

Dharamsala - Could I Ever Afford to Miss it!!!

2011-06-03T10:55:00.001+05:30

Well, feels nice to be blogging again after so long!!! It feels like a lifetime already (though its just a lil more than 1 month). So it was a period filled with office, traffic, horns and quarrels on the roads, loads of travel for work & the good old Delhi Rush (which I guess all of us are addicted to by now)

View from our room

But all this motivated me to finally head to one of my favorite destinations, Dharamsala! Incidently my first post on this blog was also about a visit to Dharamsala and I must admit, this second time was no less :) This time I went with my family and it was a 3 day trip. This time around, instead of Bhagsu Nag I decided to stay in "Naddi" which is a small village 6 KM above Mcleod Ganj. Let me tell you one thing - if you are looking for some peace and solace, this place is a must visit. Though it now has a fair bit of hotels, but still the nature overshadows the crowd here.

We stayed at a budget hotel "Hotel Shikhar", on the basis of a recommendation from one of my good friends who stayed here sometime back and now I second his opinion about the hotel. Its a nice place to be - not a luxurious hotel, but it has a "Chummeshwari" view!!! The food was also nice and tasted as good as home cooked food :)

Me and my wife

Day 1: We decided to check out Naddi, click some fantastic views up for display and then head to Mcleod Ganj (6 KM walk downhill) to have a gaze at the market.The walk took my heart, though it reminded me of a recent horror movie owing to the church and grave yard on the way. In Mcleod Ganj, we decided to have some nice pastries :) and shopped a bit before returning to Hotel (by Auto this time) as we had a long day planned next.

Day 2: It was time to please the Almighty! We decided to hire a cab and visit the "4 Devian" in the area - Kangra Devi, Nagarkot Mata, Jwala Ji, Chintpurni Devi. A totall of 200+ KM of driving on the hills was tiring but the experience was amazing! The scenes at some of the temples were not so impressive with too much of crowd, but none the less as they say in hindi - Darshan Khule Ho Gaye :-). Came back after 13 hours of drive to the hotel and the night was waiting for us with the IPL Final on that day! Cheers to MSD...

Day 3: Our last day on this trip, the nostalgia was already on a high - I did not want to go back so early :-( but had to else I would not able to earn mullaahh for my next trip :-) We first went to Bhagsu Nag and went to my fav cafe`... Some old memories were refreshed, we even had Bhagsu Cake (its a special cake made in Bhagsu Nag) and then headed towards Mcleod Ganj again, from where we had to catch our bus to Delhi. After a bit of shopping in Mcleodganj - it was time to say good bye to Dharamsala, Bhagsu Nag, Naddi and Mcleod Ganj.

View on the way to Mcleod Ganj - Walk

Also, before I forget, The bus journey was horrendous!!! If you are travelling to Dharamsala, beware of "City Land Travels" in Pahar Ganj... Trust me, their buses were horrible and you can only regret ever stepping into these buses... The best way to travel is only by a Volvo (run by DTC and HP Transport) even a private Volvo is cool, but do not, I repeat do not travel by Non Volvo AC buses!!! Overall, a happy hangover and some unforgettable memories is what I came back and am already gearing up for my next visit to Mumbai for a week now :-)

Will come back with more travel adventures, till stay plugged in to me and keep visiting Sumit ki Duniya... In case you want to check out a few pictures of this visit then click here

Cheers

Keep Smiling

Sumit

Savi Group of Companies

2011-04-29T10:15:00.001+05:30

I found them interesting... Check em out: Savi Group of Companies

Cheers

Sumit :)

Visit to Kyari - In the Lap of Nature

2011-04-26T15:50:00.002+05:30

Just when I thought it was getting a bit too monotonous with work and travel for work to the same old locations, I came to know that we need to plan an offsite for our department and I was asked to be involved in the administration of this offsite. We finally decided to go to this beautiful village called "Kyari" in the jungles of Jim Corbett in Uttarakhand.

The resort where we stayed was also named "Kyari" and even if I sound exaggerated, I would like to mention that this was one of the best places I have been to in the recent past (considering so much of my travel). Fantastic location, Unmatched hospitality and some crazy fun is what you get if you opt to go to this place.

We decided to drive down to Kyari from Delhi in 3 cars and it was not a bad ride. We took around 7 hours, with 1 puncture break and 1 meal break. As soon as we entered this resort, we were greeted with smiling faces and a nice welcome drink. From there on, for the next 2 nights and 3 days - there was no looking back for us. We had some crazy fun with rappelling, body surfing, trekking and great food with drinks.

For a group of 14 people, the arrangements looked superb, even in-house games like Snooker, Basket Ball, Cricket were also available. This was one trip that I enjoyed to the fullest and wouldn't mind going there again for sure.

In case you would like to go through some of the pics of this place, please click here (anyone on facebook can see these pictures)

Keep smiling
Sumit

Cricket Match at Feroz Shah Kotla - World Cup 2011

2011-03-01T11:57:00.001+05:30

You may find it a little strange, but I went for a cricket match to our very own Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi between West Indies and Netherlands! The motive was to enjoy a day of cricket and the fact that it wasn't an India Match, at least we were sure of the fact that we will get to relax on our seats - which is exactly what happened! With not much crowd in the stadium, we relished ourselves there and enjoyed every bit of it. It was a relaxing experience!
However, this nice experience also came at a prices (remember the saying, "there are no free lunches in life"). We were travelling from just about 10 KMs to the stadium and it took us almost 3 hours to get to the seats - by then West Indies had already played their 20 overs! Let me express my extreme displeasure about the worst possible arrangements that could have been made for "Janta" to come and watch the match!

First it was the traffic (please prefix "terrible" here) that made us almost loose our calm! Some accident at India Gate and the traffic had tails stretching up to Shahjahan Road!People were selling tickets openly and no one bothered to check that. If that was not enough, the Policemen, Guards and Traffic Police were more than lousy and were not even willing to help anyone!

We had to wait for 1.5 hours here and there to get in the stadium and there wasnt a que for the entry! Overall, tragic to see Delhi still not up to the mark after the CWG 2010 debacle and its about time that either the Government does something about it or people do something about the Government - Though I have my doubts about any other Government's capabilities, we can always hope for the best for "APNI DILLI"

Cheers

Sumit