managing myself

Who is a good manager?? What is that quality which is a must...in a manager? I think..above all he should have a respect for his subordinates, he should be sensitive to his subordinates.
I don't care about anything else...whether he has got the business acumen or not, whether he has good communication skills or not...whether he is hardworking or not... all these qualities are of no use, if the manager is insensitive, doesn't respect his subordinates, and treats them as resources, instead of human beings!!!
Resources ...who are to be used to gain profits, who are to be put on fire to light the corporate house... that's it they are...in the eyes of such managers...they forget that their subordinates are not just resources...they are alive human beings...!


I have seen such insensitive managers in my career till now...which makes me feel sometimes that I could have done better than those...and I don't think they can do any good to the company they work for. It is due to such managers, that many good resources ..bright talent leaves the organization...as talent is always in demand in the market...and only those..who are useless..who have got no qualifications...remain in the organization..because they are ready to lick their manager's ass..!!! I could not find any other words to express..!


But again...management is something...I never ever fancied...I have never led anywhere..in my life..I have always been a team member... be it in school...college..be it within friends...in cricket team..or in my career till now..!! I have never led a group...I have always been doing my job..in any team..and..I have always been happy doing that.
My brother always encouraged me to do MBA...get into management..since I was in 3rd year of my Engineering...infact I took coaching for CAT..wrote CAT in final year...but probably..deep in my heart I was never ready for that..!


But again...things are changing so fast in the world...I don't know..what will happen in future..with so many engineers graduating every year..compitition is throat cutting...in India...what is the future of a software engineer..that too in old mainframe technologies?


Moreover...I am not an ambitious person....I have small dreams..I want to go back to my city..I don't want to live in Metros...I would be a happy person..if I can lead a comfortable life in my own city with my family..parents..my friends!
I don't know what's there in future for me... but I have never ever planned things in my life..took it as it came to me...that's how I am ..that's how I am made..and I can't change!


Wow...now, if I read this blog from start...great deviation from the subject I started with!! :-)
Is it about me...or a good manager? :-)

Gulam ka Gulam

Sochte aur jagte.... sanso ka ik dariya hoon main..
apne gumdashta...kinaro ke liye bahta hoon mai...


Gulam Ali sings this gazal and I keep on listening it agian and again!
Although not everything is easy to understand, due to the use of difficult urdu words in the poetry, but the melody is beautiful...the very inimmitable style of Ghulam Ali..free flow of voice...and classical touch...makes me to say... 'wah wah wah' .. :-)


Sometimes I feel that Gulam Ali is even more talented than many other classical singers.
His improvisations, and imaginations are really a treat to listeners.
If I can immitate atleast 1 gazal of him...then I will consider myself a singer...of good musical acumen.

My passion

Aapko dekhkar dekhta rah gaya...
kya kahoon..aur kahne ko kya rah gaya...


aise bichde sabhi raat ke mod par....
akhri humsafar raasta rah gaya....


when I listen this gazal sung by Jagjit Singh with my headphones ..full volume..it takes me to a different world...a world of emotions and imagination.... Jagjit Singh and his Gazals have always had a deep impact on me.... what a deep and sensitive voice he has got... gives his rendering of gazals a different edge... although not that technically complicated as compared to the other gazal maestro..Ghulam Ali.... but very effective.


I am not an emotional man...very little at emotions... so sometimes when I feel totally bereft of emotions....it is at this very hour....when Gazals.. and especially Jagjit's gazals help me... they charge me with emotions and sensitivity. I once again start to feel...feel for life.


Since I have been listening his Gazals for nearly 7-8 years now.... with each and every gazal I associate some or other memories from my childhood, from my college life...so a particular gazal of Jagjit takes me back in that time.


Sometimes I feel that I like to dwell in past much more than being in present...or imagining about future....!! probably that's the reason why I like to read about history related topics.
But people say that dwelling in past is a waste... but I cant help it...and I dont care about what others think about it.


duniya parai hui....mera thikana gaya...
ansoo hain sathi mere...ab muskurana gaya....


That's the song I am listenning to..right now... Hariharan's album 'Halka Nasha'.
What a wonderful singer he too..is.... great control over the fluent voice...and such a meticulus classical training...you can see in his songs.. he is one of the 3 great gazal singers I like.


The 3rd one is not to mention..one of the toughest to mimic..or copy...or immitate... the one and only..Ghulam Ali..! His rendition of gazal...thumri..or any other light classical forms..is such a master piece that no one can sing exactly with the same perfection.
His voice is not that sweet or deep as Jagjit's voice.... but still his style is unparallel to anyone.


I still remember those school and college days.... when me and my brother..who is also a gazal fan like me.... used to discuss for hours..on gazals... comparing these 3 maestros..trying to immitate their styles..and fighting over..as who is great out of the 3.
Similarly I got a great friend in my intial 2-3 months training in Trivandrum in TCS....he was also a music lover... specially gazals... and incidently we had to share the same room in the hotel...so here that room became like a recording studio..:-)


We used to sing...immitate...discuss over music...for hours...late night...now I really crave for such a musical company...especially the music that I like.... but alas..!!! no-one is here with that taste.. so sometimes I feel frustrated.
Anyways.... that's the way it goes...it depends on an individual...if he can find the company he wants...or if he becomes like the company he has got.
wow...!!.. that sounds poetic statement..!! :-)

Tit for Tat

Yesterday I watched one program on BBC channel4, about 1972 Munich Olympic where 11 Israeli athletes were murdered by the Palestinian terrorists and after that massacre Israel decided to take revenge with those who were the master minds behind this attack.
'Mossad', Israel’s intelligence agency, took up this task to eliminate all those leaders of Palestine who had some or the other connection with this massacre.
It was really surprising and awe striking to see a government run agency targeting it's enemy as professional killers. More over they assassinated their enemies not in their own country, but across Europe and Middle East. Their enemies were living or hiding in countries as Lebanon, France, Rome, Greece etc.. But they succeeded to kill all of them.




Whether it was right act or wrong… is a matter of debate….but this definitely shows what is an Israeli’s commitment to his task and the determination. Israelis showed that they value their countryman’s life, and if their 1 man is killed they kill 10, a tit for tat policy.


Whether it resolved Israel’s problems…. whether it helped to curb terrorism in Israel… a big NO…. but even if Israel wouldn’t have taken this revenge…terrorism wouldn’t have stopped…..at least this revenge sent a strong message to terrorists that they will also meet the same fate of those innocents whom they kill ……..at least it terrified the terrorists!!!


Just imagine if India can adopt such a policy with regards to terrorism…no way…are you mad…..we believe in gandhiyan way…which is a way of non violence…a way of love…, there is no place for such a revenge and bloodshed…. That’s why we see everyday some or other terrorist or naxalite or Maoist or whatever you call them, killing innocent citizens and soldiers …..but we are holding the peace talks with those, so called freedom fighters.. because we believe that we got our freedom through non violent methods…we have full faith in our tried and tested non violent formula….so we will definitely be able to win hearts of terrorists…!!!!!


Those who kill innocent children, rape women, and kill man with utmost cruelty, can they have a heart to win..??? ..and winning hearts at the cost of whom…. ??Not at the cost of those leaders….but at the cost of lives of common men..!!
This policy can never stop terrorism… if this was the case, then why Punjab needed a man like KPS Gil, to convert it to a terror free state from a terror zone…..was he preaching love and non violence there on the streets of Punjab..??

Ye Jo Des Hai Tera

Today I watched it second time and immediately have decided to watch it once again.That's the charisma of this movie called 'SWADES',a film by an Indian,about an Indian, for Indians.


A very daring efforrt by Ashutosh Gowarikar in times when there is a flood of senseless and rubbish films, full of item numbers, item girls,sex and double meaning comedies!!
As long as direcotrs like Ashutosh Gowarikar and Farhan Akhtar are there in the film industry,some class and quality will always be there in Hindi film industry.


Every single actor has performed brilliently,and each and every character is well defined.It is easily Shahrukh's best performence because I am going to watch this movie 3rd time(Before this I was the member of 'Shahrukh sucks' gang..)!!
Gayatri Joshi, the new face has never looked like a new comer and gave a fine performence.Each and every song of this film, infact each and every stanza of each and every song has very prominent message which has been communicated with very fresh and melodious music by Rehman.All songs are totally connected with the main theme of the film and don't come out of the blue as the item numbers in other so called hit movies.


The film is about an Indian who is living a satisfying and comfortable life in US with a great job as a project manager in NASA.But he comes back to India as he wanted his beloved kaveri amma to come with him to US, as he missedher a lot.
Then he sees the real India in a small village.He sees there, the abject povery,castsism,lack
of infrastructure,illiterecy,corruption prevailing all over the country even after 50 years of its independence.
It's about how he realizes that he has some responsibility to work for his own country which badly needs people like him.
The film tries to convey the message that just complaining about all these problems and blaming government and politicians for this,is not the end of our resposibility.Infact it is not even a start,it is useless.Today we hear people saying that India can never improve...I ask who has the responsibility,only government?It is very easy to blame others but are we doing anything to improve the conditions?The movie makes viewer to think about all this and that's where it's success lies.Some moments in the film are very touching and very inspiring.


The movie is good, but I am not very hopeful that it will be a huge hit!
Well...it is true that people go to watch a movie for entertainment....but I found that this movie too had healthy entertainment..along with something to think about... now it's a different matter if we don't want to think at all about something real.
'The film is a flop', told one of my friends,I know it's not going to do huge business,but such films not doing good, shows the current mental status of our generation.It shows that who are the ideals of our generation, when it goes mad about shahrukh as a lover boy whose only aim in the life seems to win the heart of his girlfriend and finally to marry her and when it doesn't accept the same shahrukh as Mohan Bhargava who leaves all comforts to work at the grassroots for his country.


But we don't loose hope as the whole world lives on hope.India is changing, the film itself is a proof of it and we,the people of India will change it.

TOI-my favourite daily!!!!

At last Dhananajoy chatterjee will be hanged on his birthday, a big setback to human rights,great oppertunity lost by the president to show his respect to human rights,and what not...chattered ,the so called human rights activists after the President of India rejected the clemency pleas from Dhananjoy's family and all these human rights organisations.
Their argument about this is that the capital punishment is now obsolete in many countries, so India should also do away with this inhuman punishment....,now this is really absurd.When someone told these human rights activists that US has common civil code,so Inida should also apply that here,then they said no,it cannt be done in India as it may affect minorities rights.


So one should understand that these are the people who will play from both sides and they don't have any firm logic to back their opinion,so one should not pay any attention to them.They just want to come on the front pages of the newspapers, that's all. And just because a country or group of countries does follow something ,so we should also follow the same, is totally foolish thinking.
And we cannt say that capital punishment is inhuman, if it is executed with the fair trial and in a quick time then it will definitly work as a deterrant, it will definitely discourage people to kill others, to rape innosents or to indulge in such brutal crimes, infact it will be a great service to 'humanity'...which is supposed to be the top concern for these human rights activists.


I agree that this court decision came so late after the crime(around 14 years later),that it was not of much use,but still it is very significant and it cannt be made a reason to do away with death sentence.And see how much media coverage got this rapist and murderer,who should have been hanged long before.It seems media is short of news to publish...is it possible,especially Times Of Inida which is totally waste.
If kashmir gets another bloodbath..they publish on front page "keeping mobiles in your pant's pockets can reduce your sperm count"
If Bihar is fighting with floods and vidarbha with drought,their front page reads,"Gracy sigh dances in Raj bhavan, or say england's football coach has intimate relationship with his bangladeshi secretery".
The fights in kashmir are not glamaorous,the floods and droughts are not new phenomenon,then why waste the front page in these boring news,when we have some really sensual and sexy scandals and researches to publish, isn't it.
This is the hopeless daily...totally bullshit. There is no analysis of any news or any political or soacial issue,the only good thing to read is the letters to editor,which are always full of criticism.The readers correct the author or editor, and then we find the apology letters the next day...I have seen this happening many times.
And what to say about Bombay times....that is nothing but a collection of nude and semi nude phtographs of the celebrities and high society's(it seems ironical that as the society goes higher and higher, richer and richer,the cloths they wear go on lower and lower ,smaller and smaller) party gals.Totally useless for middleclass,which must be the largest section of readers of this daily.Why serve all this to middleclass who have nothing to do with all these parties and flesh showing.India's leading daily sells sex, then who can say that sex doesn't sell.

The Root Cause

Whenever I read any newspaper... India seems to be the hub of all poverty, social backwardness, corruption, low economic growth, communal tensions, regionalism, high rate of crime, and what not...
What are the reasons behind all these problems...which our nation is facing right now?
And more importantly what can be the general solution to all these problems?
Can there be one generic solution or one broad faced policy which will take care of all the above?
Lets see first the reasons behind all these problems....
If one tries to see the whole picture of today's India, one can easily say that the main culprit is our rapidly increasing population.
But can we say the same about China...?
China's population is the highest in the world...and it is a world power.
I am not saying that they don't have poverty, they don't have corruption. They do have these problems.but still their economy is way ahead of Indian economy.


Basically Population is nothing but Human resource. It is a resource, which uses all the other natural resources for it's own growth.
Take an example of an employee of an organization.... for the organization; he is a human resource,
And after receiving proper training the resource becomes productive, and if he is also having values like loyalty and dedication. Then he will be great contributing factor in that company's growth and prosperity. So the point is that proper training with values can help both, the company and the individual as well, to prosper and grow.
Can’t we think on the same lines about a nation's Population also?
Then we can give one sole reason for India's all problems, as economically unproductive, corrupt, and high Population of India.
And then it can be easily seen what is the main problem behind our economically unproductive, corrupt and high population?
It is Lack of education to all...
Lack of proper education, lack of education with values, lack of moral education, lack of education that instills a feeling of pride in the young minds for India's ancient culture and heritage, and at the same time inspires them to abandon all the age old stupidities and vices of our culture.
Lack of education that doesn’t give just bookish knowledge but encourages young minds to experiment, to explore and to think independently.


Yes, it is the sole and whole reason of India's all problems...isn't it?
Give these people proper education...make sure every single citizen of this country gets education,
And you will see slowly but surely we will be free of corruption, we will be free of communalism, regionalism, we will be free of poverty...we will be heading towards becoming a developed nation, with our true potential, which has not been utilized fully till now due to all these constraining factors.

What says my INNER VOICE?

Today as I was going from Borivali to Churchgate in the slow local train to Churchgate,
there was a lady sitting on the same bench with me..there was another person sitting between us.
Perhaps she was new to Mumbai as she was asking whether this train would go to Bandra...which actually falls on the same root from Borivali to Churchgate.She was sitting on the corner of the bench on which normally 4 persons sit, but ideally it is for 3 persons.
As usuall at Kandivali large crowd came in and people rushed to vacant seats...or those benches where only 3 people were siiting.
One man aged around 35-40, came to our bench and asked me and the person besides me to move a bit ...so that he could fit in. And he sat with his big back on the bench moving the lady out . She had to standup,and she said nothing..then he moved little bit so as to accomodate her..,and she sat at the corner managing somehow.


I saw all this...i thought how could be a person so mannerless and shameless.
My mind was full of anger at that time...i thought this is wrong.
But I didnot do anything.I was sitting there as usuall with no reaction.
Why didn't I do anything?
I think I had two clear options :
Either express my anger publicly and tell that person to not to take the seat of the lady..hoping that rest of the public will also support me.
Or standup and give my seat to the lady..without uttering a word against anyone..expecting that the man will feel guilty and embarrasment..and his heart will change.


I did neither of that, and just sat calmly on my seat.
Why?
Even I dont know...I had the right thoughts but no action.
I think I should have followed the first option strainghtaway.
The second option would have been correct only after applying the first.
I even have the justifications for the action which I would have performed...but still I did nothing.WHY?
I have no right to think that why others were not opposing this, because I was also a part of 'others'.I think all of us have become so used to see all these sort of wrong things happening in every sphere of our life, that we don't feel odd..we don't feel like opposing.
We look at others.If someone takes the initiative, then only we help them..and that also only if that thing is easy and affordable.Otherwise no body comes in support.


It has happend many times with me that about something I am sure I am right but I am not able to convince others or I don't try enough to convince and I endup following others.
If at all I think that I am right, if at all I have faith in myself, I must express myself,I must convert my thoughts into action.
Hope I will next time.

What says Sonia's INNER VOICE

What propelled sonia gandhi to deny the prestigious and powerful position of prime minister of India, in addition to her INNER VOICE??


First of all Let's take a look at the qualifications of sonia gandhi:
she is said to be a cambridge university graduate.....this rumour has been propagated by the congress people and the english media , since quite some time now..,
although cambridge university says there is no sonia maino in there alumini's list..,
actually she had come to cambridge in some night school for learning english, that's all.
anyway there is no law in indian constitution which says that PM must be a cambridge graduate!!!,
BUT still the point is that she never clarifies on this issue.


In 1968 she came to india marrying rajiv, applied for foreigner's permit to live in india for 5 years as a foreigner...,then again after 5 years asked for another 5 year permit...and got it..., between 1968 and 1973..during bangladesh war ..sonia and rajiv fled to rome...they returned back only after peace was restored.
Now let us come to the period between 1973-1978. In 1977, when Indira Gandhi was defeated, Sonia sensed the mood of the nation, took refuge in the Italian Embassy and refused to come out of it. She said she was going back to Italy. Sanjay Gandhi had to go and plead with her to return.


she has never ever clarifyed on this issue that why she took 16 years after marriage to accept citizenship of india....
the reasons she knows best than any other congressman..


any way even if we dont give any importance to the above facts..., still a PM of india needs to be well aware of india's political ,social, and geographical conditions...and a PM should possess opinions about the problems and challenges faced by the country currently...and also
a PM should have a decent knowledge of indian history..and many more things...,
i am not saying that the PM should be a pundit of political science, history, geography etc...., but still we expect our PM to have an understanding of india's history and heritage,india's society and the current problems.
and anybody can predict that this all will come easier to those who have born and brought up in india.....like manmohan singh ..like atal bihari vajpayee..
and this will always be a problem for sonia gandhi...., that is why we dont see her giving open interviews or attending open press conferences ....discussing any social or political or for that matter any topic which demands some knowledge of india as a whole.
She has not given a single interview or offered any ideas on a single issue facing India now. Her only qualification is that she married a Gandhi. No newspaper has taken up the issue; no political party is opposing this.
It is not her fault that she does not know much about india or she doesnot have opinions on any issues faced by india....,b'coz she was born and braught up in ITALY...and then after coming to india she was confined to 10 janpath .
I think she knows best about this fact...than any other congressman.
BUT the problem arises when these congressmen are seen pledging to MADAM to accept PM's post....,they are more experienced more knowledgable..,more capable than MADAM...still they and the english media are moving like dogs around her.


I say Sonia is no threat to INDIA...there is no danger.....she simply cannt be. She is not capable enough to be a threat...,
BUT what worries most is the attitude of the media and the 'GULAM MANSIKTA' of the congress people which can be a substantial threat to india and its polity.


I can surely say that average people like you and me also , know much more than sonia..about india...about it's culture ..it's history..etc etc.
and she knows all the above facts very well...and that is why she refused to become prime minister of India.
But this is seen as a great sacrifice by the english media, comparisions being made with ancient sages,which is all stupidity.
Sonia is well aware of her capabilities and the possible embarrasment she would have faced if she worked in office daily as a PM because it would have been similar to a person knowing nothing about music, given the flute to play 'RAAG DARBARI'.
But the sad part is that congressees as well as media, can not see these simple facts or they donot want to.