Taking the healthy path…

The last five years of neglect towards my health has been showing great results lately. I have clocked 85kg (for a better understanding refer the the person standing in the extreme right above with his not so new pot belly), snor a lot, cannot sleep well, keep having recurrent pains in my knees and back. I walk like an elephant. Last week even my CEO could not stop himslef from commenting on my evergrowing weight.

So I have decided that this is it. The perfect scorpion that I am, I was waiting for a trigger like this. I have decided to turn healthy and take good care of my health. In the last two weeks I have learnt swimming and have been hitting the gym ever since.

Will keep you posted…

My Daal Baati perspectives

How do you react when you are treated with Daal baati cooked in the authentic traditional style atop a hillock, from where everything looks green and pristine, in a remote village of Dewas….Well you gorge in 4 big baatis, about 250 gms ghee and lots of daal and salad. God lives in good food…thats for sure.

Quick update….

After my last post lot of changes occured in my life on professional front. I joined IL&FS Cluster Development Initiative Ltd. Its one of the best org that I I know of in India. Working here has been pure bliss and I didnt even realize how the past 2 yrs have passed.

Presently I am based out of Bhopal and managing our skill development initiatives in the state.

Will update further in some time.

Joys of ‘implementation’…………..

Full respect and honor to all those who are into research, IT, consultancy etc. Looking back when the ‘working at the grassroots’ bug had bit me during the fag end of my management days, I realize those moments when this life at the grassroots had compelled me many a time to reconsider the decision which I had taken. Challenges were many…..meager salary when others were earning handsome bucks…..non existent facilities to work comfortably (office hours were spent under the sun, not in AC office)…..working with goat and sheep rearers in the scorching Rajasthan heat……travelling with these rearers many a time continuously from morning till sunset…….travelling at least 100 kms daily……working with leather artisans…..touching and smelling and feeling raw and processed leather (now my dad is going to kill me if he reads this) to understand the subtle difference between cow, goat, sheep and buffalo leather……working with these innocent souls and facilitating them in earning their livelihoods…….getting flat tyre with weather having other ideas…..controlling my anger and bearing the eccentricities of government officials…….having my forearms tanned to the extreme while the other half of my arm hinting at an altogether different past……it goes on and on.

What did I gain? Love and respect from my parents….are you kidding? Admirations……well yes, some genuine ones others coupled with pity and sardonic smiles. Money…..well yes to a certain extent; I can afford to pay installments for my bike and laptop!

Then what did I gain? Well its difficult express outrightly but it was explicitly evident few days back. Few months back I was successful in getting a shelf space for the products of leather artisans, with whom I am working, at Rajasthali – the grandest handicraft showroom at Jaipur. I had defeated a big cartel of filthy rich leather businessmen of Rajasthan to secure the shelf for my poor leather artisans. Of course I had to resort to various ‘bihari’ strategies to get the vital nod from the decision makers.

Few days back I went to the showroom to check the amount of money my villagers were to get for goods sold.

What did I gain for working at the grassroots? The sense of fulfillment after seeing my villagers competing with ultra rich businessmen who, at one point of time used to exploit them, is something which gives me immense pleasure. My small efforts have given these poor souls hope, and its their sense of pride and optimism which make my senses go sublime and confidence soar to epic proportions – let me be here, let me be among them, let me work here – this is my work and this is my life – NOTHING ELSE WILL MAKE ME HAPPIER.

Yash Chopra can fool all the people all of the time………….

I grew suspicious when I watched Dhoom-2 but finally my fear has been vindicated by Ta ra rum pum. What a pathetic performance by each of these actors! And yet look at the crowd enjoying Rani’s gyrations and Saif’s somnolence. Pooor chap Victor Banerjee. Will anyone tell what the hell he was doing in the film? Mighty banal commercial bollywood cinema – it can cripple one and all, make stars out of thin air and can even reduce shining actors to a non entity.

Ta ra rum pum was not the first time I have felt so wretched. It was Dhoom 2 which made my heart a waterloo for Yash Chopra. Great location, beautiful scenes, nice actions, sexy sartorial assemblage – but hey… didn’t acting go for a toss?  

Comments are welcome…………………………..

My blog inspiration get a small space on my blog!!!!!!

Friends, Indians and country men (and women) and all those who visit my blog

Prepare to get loads of inferiority complex as my blog would link all of you to the world’s best blog, among whatever I have seen till date.

Santosh is a good friend of mine and incidentally happens to be my junior from IIFM. Our bonhomie started long before he came to IIFM.

Trust me folks he is one in a million guy with the most perspicacious head on his shoulders. Most mature and affable boy next door.

And one thing more – he is the best tech geek without a tech degree n can give any IITian a run for their money n degree.

ENJOY HIS BLOG – www.santosh.wordpress.com

P.S.- It was his bloggin activities which inspired me to start my own blog.

Carbon credit…….’debiting’ climate

The whole aspect of carbon crediting, which is attracting the best minds from throughout the world to jump in the bandwagon and make profit, is being thrust upon the rest of the world as being a win-win concept for everyone – the polluter and the climate of the world. It has always been very hard for me to digest its reasoning - that since the polluter is made to pay so everyone benefits.  Will this concept lead to lowering down of emmissions is evrybody’s guess?

The recent article, albeit a small one, in the Times of India says it all. The news item starts with the following lines – “British companies are handing over millions of pounds to an Indian chemical plant so that western firms can continue to pump out thousand of tons of green house gases .”

I am not a pundit in the field of carbon crediting so my mindset might only come up with a set of juvenile reasonings. So be it.

The aspect of carbon crediting does not seem to, in any way, compell the companies to emit less GHGs. The rate for credits to is very minimal and varies a lot if one comes from any western country to India. So in a way the polluters pay peanuts but peanuts in dollars are not at all peanuts in India!!

How to screw your chances……..(contd.)

I knew it, and now it has been validated in first person, that I am not the only one committing absolute morongiri  in the interviews. Hear what my close pal Ranjan has to say (from his own experience)….

1. Kick the interviewer …..while making yourself comfortable on the chair…say “sorry… Cant help it I am too tall…”

2. keep looking at the interviewer below her neck… when ever her dupatta slips…and smile innocently

3. When asked questions from mechanics (physics)…say “my core expertise is Nano technology and I can forsee certain signatures that biology and nano tech will merge one day…” and look thoughtfull.

How to screw your chances…….(contd.)

3. Your formal dress for the interview is comprised of pink shirt, green jacket, creamish trousers, metallic blue tie and black shoes.

4. Frequently pointing fingers behind your back (where there is no one) while answering

5. When asked why you want to do MBA after Physics (H) you answer (most laconically)  – “why not MBA”

                                                    ……………………to be continued….

                     

How to screw your chances in interviews at top B-schools!!!!!!!!!

1. “My favorite novelist is Sidney Sheldon….. ” (and then after realising the enormity of the goof up) “…and Ayn Rand and Eric Segal and Jeffrey Archer.”

2. Questioning the faulty selection process of the institute.

                                                              ………to be continued