Welcome to India's newest, secret state

Welcome to India's newest, secret state- Hindustan Times

I regularly read the blog Antidote by Sauvik Chakraverti. Its inspiring and pedantic. Blasts the floor out of so called development and inclusive growth that our elected representatives keep harping about. Some of the most awesome stuff and best Libertarian Opinion that I have found in India.

In his post for today, he points out the article above. It sets me to think, if the Naxals have realized that the way to entrench themselves in the mind of the junta is to go about building infrastructure rapidly then why doesn't our mighty The State realize this. Or is it just that nobody wants to realize this. And from the HT article again, if they are contemplating doing this as an honest low-cost job, then why does it take the government so long to plan and execute such infrastructure projects ??

As Sauvik points out in his various posts, our The State is higher and holier than thou. Its so far up there that it will never understand the problems that we the common man have. And isn't that true ? How can somebody sitting in Delhi realize that a common man in Bangalore Rural is probably dead because of a badly built road and open manholes. I like to believe that these things are best left to the local government, like BBMP. And have localites as officials in these bodies who when forced to travel through such roads on a daily office will sit up and take notice. Or am I dreaming !

Welcome to the real world. We've done it.

Those are the words from Morpheus to Neo and Trinity when they are able to bring out Neo from The Matrix into their ship Nebuchadnezzar in the real world. When I entered into corporate world along with my other fellow college mates, I could almost equate my feelings with this awakening, this enlightenment.

Back in college I was the absolute king of my domain. Nobody disturbed me in my stupor and nobody cared, for everybody around me was in the same state or maybe greater. Oh, I enjoyed the discourses that I gave to my disciples (seniors, juniors and fellow classmates). Put me in control, brought a newer understanding of the basics and more confidence in self. The fame, the adulation, I lapped it up all.

I began differently from others in my batch in that I knew more about certain aspects of academic life that others didn't and took some time to realize. For example, attending classes that too sitting in the front row was not going to fetch anyone any marks. For example, completing all your assignments before time was a mark of nervousness on your part. For example, last moment cramming was of no use. You just got to know the brief description of the lessons, which you can get anyway if you apply your common sense to it. For example, you don't need to be a genius to complete an experiment in the physics lab. All that it takes is a bit of patience and perseverance. For example, every senior knows that you need to earn the respect of the junior to really be called a senior behind your back.

Anyways, armed with what little experience I had, I started a little ahead. So my full concentration went in catching up with my reading which had been languishing a bit. Obviously reading "The Economic Times" had an attached snob value in the first year. Am a bit boisterous in the fact that I don't easily make acquaintances. But with my skills and obvious disdain towards a structured environment, I attracted people filled both with acceptance and curiosity with what I was. With this I participated in fests, organized them and in general went around doing pretty much what I liked. Alongside I started with a bit of experiments on robotics, programming and design.

All above just goes to show that I grew quick and enormous within the span of four year in college. Armed with more knowledge about technical and people stuff, I became confident in being able to deal with the big bad world outside. Why bad?? Because every senior I talked to would be cringing that it not a bed of roses. You needed to trudge and plod to make your way, and there was no fun in it. But in my mind I was this super being who would just blow away walls of rock with a small breath.

That was until I actually stepped into the corporate world. One thing that I must say before I proceed is, from day one I was treated like a true professional. No longer was I a student who would be spoon fed lessons and excused for mistakes and shortcomings. There was no sympathy, only praise and encouragement.

It all started with what is called as "boot camp". A overall training in all technologies that I would be dealing with during work. It began well with me trying and succeeding in capturing the lessons, asking the right questions and completing the practice problems. Then as it gradually built on the previous lessons, it took more effort on my part. By the time it was the last few days of the training period and the last series of lectures, I was ready to give up. Even the instructor then informed us, "Even the most experienced programmers take away lessons from only the first 2-3 days of this lecture series." Notice the change in the outlook from college. Where in college I was onto ideas at a higher level of abstraction here I was trying to unveil the abstraction of Java and Oracle Application Framework classes.

But all was not that bad. Along with hard work came parties, mostly on a fortnightly basis. People unwound over dinner and drinks. Talk varied from the current movie to the hottest gossip in the team. Realization dawned that these people working with me were just another bunch of normal human beings. Only the level of commitment was higher and focus was stronger. I was among a group of go-getters. There was one nagging doubt. I had made my path laterally, in that I had never participated in the direct race path but still managed to come up tops, getting what I wanted and beating others to it. Here there was no such scope. There was just that one thing that you did and no other way. Then while talking to someone and reading more, I knew work was not life. Work is what provides the fuel to run the vehicle of life.

The team that I joined had recently faced a lot of attrition, so a major workload befell us new employees. Workload from my perspective and that of people fresh from college. It took some time, patience and struggle to do all that was given. It helped that I had an amazing work environment. First names for all (a trend that I started in college, although some preferred otherwise). People coming over to your machine to show you the works. Personalized training for the new employees on the working of the product. Most of all free internet (althought I kept it at a minimum by choice).

Now after almost 9 months (significant, yes??) I have settled down. Work is fun and life after work is all relaxed. I have been traveling around a lot. Based in Hyderabad, all major cities in the south - Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Goa, etc. - are within overnight travel. My company pays me enough so that I buy books whenever I please (my roommates are worried at my thrift in this).

Conclusion: There is no conclusion. The journey has taken a new turn and is starting to be fun. For all people in college: come, see and absorb. Initially it will just as if you are in the first year of your college. But with the maturity that comes with age things will settle down quicker and then all the fun begins. Yet there are time when I wish I was back at college and the lounging around all day, reading, thinking, talking, dreaming. Someday maybe again, but not yet, not yet.

A small anecdote to end:

Looking for the Best!!!!

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university lecturer. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the lecturer went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups : porcelain, plastic, glass, some plain-looking and some expensive and exquisite, telling them to help themselves to hot coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the lecturer said
"If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the better cups and are eyeing each other's cups."
"Now, if Life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change." "Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."

So don't let the cups drive you...enjoy the coffee instead.

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This post was written for the digital edition of a publication from my college, around Mar 2007 with the current student and alumni as target. Cross-posting it here.

Do I Drive Rashly??

Couple of weeks back I met with a road accident and am still nursing a broken bone in the left forearm. Due to this I took to working out of home. In the meanwhile people in office and elsewhere took the liberty to discuss my driving skills. So when I met them now they first sympathized and then mentioned that somebody had told them that I drive rashly (some out of being politically correct moderated it to drive fast). On this note, I wanted to clarify this to all and sundry including myself:

1. When I take a risk, i.e. drive rashly, I accept that at some point I might fail. Yet with every failure of mine I increase my knowledge and experience. So the next time I fail I fail at a higher level. In fact the level at which I fail is higher than the level that most people would like to call success. Most people would rather play it safe and then cry why they are not successful.
   
2. When I carry the burden of somebody else who does not put his/her trust in me, I drive carefully because if you cannot trust me then you don't enjoy my company and I care two hoots about yours.

This post has been written by the use of the fingers of the right hand only. and it takes some effort to do that.

Can I Fly??

What a stupid question that is! Obviously I can't, right?? The more insightful (fastidious) of people around me would be wont to think that I want to be an escapist. Or probably a hermit?? Who knows.

It's like asking can I walk on water?? No. But from a story that I heard, rather read, as a child a certain disciple of a certain teacher walked on water while the teacher could not. The reason: the teacher preached his students that they could do anything if they had belief in self. So while this particular student accepted the lesson without further thought, the teacher himself could not. Ergo, the result.

Coming back to the topic, I believe I know how it would be like to fly. I have this recurring dream where I am falling, falling, falling,... that's it. Nothing more to it. I am falling, full stop! So when I wake up and am in my rational state of mind, this mind that has been fed with "science" and "reason" since long past tells me this - flying is the opposite of falling. As in where there is a sense of weightlessness, there would be a sense of extra pressure on the body. Something that I observe when going down or coming up in the lift (I am trying my best to completely stop using the lift now-a-days).

But the romantic side of me tells me, flying should be devoid of burden. Being able to glide with the wind rushing in your face. Twist your toes so to move in another direction. The whoosh! And the superman dive from the heavens above to the ground below. Stopping millimeters above the ground and then lazily moving back up, nary a care about the open arms of mother earth ready to engulf me forever. Fly up to the heavens and say hi to stars, the night sky full of them and crystal clear. Will they twinkle for me *sigh*.

The only people who really get the thrill of flying are those in the Air Force, flying those almighty hurricanes. That is their job, but what a job!

The question remains, where do I want to fly to?? Nowhere, far as I can think now. It is supposed to take me closer to the inertia. I want to see what the astronauts see. I want to see the world at a glance, know it for what it is - a teeny weeny piece of dust in this universe, whose distance even when measured in parsecs need to add the prefix 'giga'. I want to able to show the same thing to every individual who thinks that a piece of land is his exclusive property. Oh! And I definitely want to fly over the Bermuda Triangle and find out the reason why it gobbles up all the things. I mean, no clue as where this list of 125 aircrafts and this list of ships vanished. There are theories here, but then they are just that - theories.

And then I want to stand, or maybe sit, in midair while Mt. Fuji erupts in all its fury (oh by the way, Mt. Fuji is in Japan and last erupted back in 1717).

And I want to fly with the jumping dolphins (the ones that I saw off Coco beach in Goa).

And I would like to find out if I really to fall onto something in my dream...

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"It is only at the end of many births, the man of wisdom surrenders to Me, realizing that Vasudeva is all. But it is very rare to come across such great souls."
The Bhagvad Gita [Chapter 7 Verse 19]

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P.S. An analysis of my dream reveals that on the night I have that dream of falling, I seem to have done some "heavy" physical exercise, so when my body and the constituent muscles relax during sleep, I dream of this particular dream. Looks like with the loosening of the muscles, I keep sinking deeper into the mattress... :D

Are you SKILLED LABOR ??

Heard in the lift -- two people, not from my company

Person 1: "A team size of 15-20 is good for daily interaction. More is trouble."
Person 2: "I have a team size of around 40. But they are mostly technical people and freshers. You can get them to do what you want!!!"

Somewhere I may have misconstrued what person 1 said, but there is no way I could have misconstrued what person 2 said. And at that point I wanted to scream, "Is that all?? They are just hired hands !! Or would you prefer the term 'Skilled Labor' "

Why is it that there is no dignity of labor, especially among the people working in the Information Technology companies?? Why do the employers treat the subordinates as hired help?? I keep meeting lots of people from this industry and most of them are in the same situation. And they know their position and respect in the organization, yet they do nothing about it.

One classic example is my flatmate. He is the highest performer in his team of 35+ people (his annual performance rating says so). Puts in long hours, works with dedication and no distractions. Yet his company regulations require him to reach office by 9 o'clock in the morning. Can't a man even have his morning peace and quiet??

And who has not heard of the classic example of the developer knowing more about a certain product than the program manager, who is supposed to advise the client on issues, talk to them and understand their requirements. And most of it seems to happen in the IT services industry. With the lure of good "on site" offers and fat pay packages they attract good talent and then work them like donkeys. Why do you agree?? Don't you have a family life?? Don't you socialize??

And far as fat salary goes, the actual developer does even get paid a quarter of what the client pays the company for the developers' performance. What I wonder is, where does the rest of the cash go?? Being in the IT industry there is hardly any capital outlay and almost zero recurring expenses. So what does the company do with the rest of the cash??

Compared to such environments, I think it is a lot better to work for the government firms. There is no respect -- they are not asking for any in return at least. My advice -- break the Indian middle class mentality while you have a chance. Go get a life. Cultivate a hobby. Give up your comfortable and cushioned desk job and walk the streets. With India opening up to varied sectors jobs are a galore. And entrepreneurship is at the high.

One story that I heard : There is a service in Mumbai, which cleans your sports shoes (when did you last wash yours??) When it was started the proprietor used to hand wash them himself. Now he employs a few hands and is planning to bring in machines. Cool, na! Add to that, it is a door-to-door pickup-n-delivery like pizzas. Ooooooh!!! Too much!

As for me, thankfully by a combination of hard work, due diligence and opportunity (what is generally known as 'luck') I am in a company where there is dignity of labor, at the least. You are given opportunities, time, guidance. To top it all, I have landed up with a good manager and a greater team. Cheers!!! So while I work late at times, I also leave pretty early at other occasions. Work is fun! And life is a blast! And it is the ideal place to let the inertia take over... :)

Information Overload

The Start Page

Need to spend time

What's Happening??

Tired Eyes!!!

Timepass

Guess the pictures need to be clicked to get a proper view. Pictures from my desktop.
"How do I get these ideas? It's like a gift, you know? It's like I can't control it."
Created courtesy Google Personalised Home Page, which is something I use!!!

History Of My Reading Habits

Somewhere back in 1993:

A new entrant to Loyola School, Jamshedpur in the sixth grade the only things that I took a liking to was the Reading Class conducted by Mrs. Zareen Modi and the junior school library run by Mrs. Dhamodiwalla (besides of course the mathematics class by Mrs. Devi where I used to score highest in mental maths and she used to spread my fame in other classes, with a little exaggeration on my part). The Reading class had this colored books with lots of words and we had to do things with them. Each color was indicative of your grade of skill with english and even after joining a few weeks late I had almost caught up with the boy at the highest color level.

Anyways, without meandering and preening, what held my fascination most was the Junior School Library. The first day I entered the library my eyes must have popped out at seeing so many books and comics (you need that, right??) Started off with those Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Famous Five, Five Find-Outers by Enid Blyton, Three Investigators by Alfred Hitchcock and the related genre. Indulgent as my librarian was, she used to come early to school at 7:15am and school did not start till 7:40am. Imagine what I used to do. Go for the comics of course! Asterix, Tintin were the clear favourites (can't recall much else) and then again during the recess, while the other boys of my class devoured the snack that mom packed for me, I did the same to those books in the library.

Add to it I went to this big school to learn fine arts (painting for the uninitiated) where I met up with the Bobbsey Twins another Enid Blyton creation, although did not spend much time with them.

The Addiction Grows Towards Its Peak

Next year I graduated to high school and a larger library, and as if it was ordained that my addiction to books was to grow, so did my librarian. What more could I have asked for. For the first I laid my hands on Sidney Sheldon, Harold Robbins, Jeffery Archer, John Grisham, Robin Cook, Mario Puzo and more, not to forget Mills & Boons. So you see, my horizons kinda broadened and my eyesight kinda lessened. And the indulgence of my librarian kept growing likewise. Where others were allowed to take home only a single book per week during the "library class", I was especially privileged to take home another during the weekend. The affliction reached a cresendo in the 10th grade, when I still remember there was this one week when I read seven novels. Wow! I wish I could do that again. I generally used to start reading right after lunch. My favourite setting was the chair in the balcony on the first floor. And then in falling dusk and gently flowing warm breeze from the river nearby as I became oblivious to all my surroundings. Imagine the sight as I inch closer to the actual paper of the book in failing light to see better, when all I needed to do was get up and go inside my room, or better still stand up and put on the light in the balcony.

The Sad Decline

With the competitive landscape in India to do good in the field of study which allows for only rational and logical conclusions, I too got embroiled in the "rat race". Naive that I was, I hoped that giving up my reading habit would somehow help me in concentrating better. Anyways, during those two years reading came down to almost zero but due also to the senior school library where all the books were stale acads. The only book that I remember picking up during that time was Lolita.

During this time the only reading of any note that I did was Shakespeare (The Merchant Of Venice, Hamlet), the poems prescribed in the curriculum of which I remember the titles Byzantine, Good Fences Make Good Neighbours, La Belle Dame Sans Mercy, the short stories collection.

The Gradual Return and The Happy Maturity

Finally, as everybody does, I got through some undergraduate course and landed up where the library had non-existent sense of what a novel is. But thanks to this, I turned my attention to what was available. And the world of non-fiction, newspapers and magazines exploded in front of me. Spending hours on a daily dose of The Economic Times became the norm. Besides interaction with people from diverse location brought better perspectives. Long having outgrown the Sidney Sheldons and the Jackie Collins, I shifted to Arthur Hailey, JRR Tolkien, Ayn Rand, Bertrand Russell, Stephen Hawkings, John Gribbin, besides other couple of book wonders like Arundhati Roy, Chetan Bhagat, Jhumpa Lahiri not to mention the really good ones like Gregory David Roberts and the regular management guru speak. Yeah, I know I am dropping names but I did read all those. Ok. There are people like you who have read more, but then there are people like this one friend of mine. She had this huge trunk, mind you I did not say suitcase, full of books that she carried with her when she came to college. But then there were people who hadn't read a single thing their whole life.

Also here, I must thank somebody for that quirk of fate due to which I spend six years in undergraduate college, which essentially gave me more time for reading and realisation of what to read. I uphold this habit of mine amongst the achievements of my life. People define their aim in life through lots of things, I define it through this: "If at any point of life I want to buy a book to read, I should not fall short of resource and not fall short of time to read it." Amen to that!

Today I am happy to be in a position where I can and do buy books on my whim and fancy. As a matter of fact I have bought without having finished the ealier ones bought.

Also my two-pence recommendation for anyone who wants to start reading, not having read before at all and fascinated by the world of books that a bibliophile seems to descend into. If you don't have patience, read "The Love Story" by Eric Segal. If you think you have patience, read "The Client" by John Grisham. And if you like reading also read the other one.

Update: Loss Of Memory

In all this that I have said above, I forgot to mention where the addiction actually started. It all started with the genre of Raj Comics (Nagraj, Super Commando Druv, Doga,...), Diamond Comics (Chacha Chaudhary, Billu, Pinki, ...), Manoj Comics (Bhokal, Inspector Manoj, Hawaldar Bahadur...) along with tinkle, wisdom... Phew!!! Can't even recall half the stuff that I used to read at that time in junior school as a kid.

This loss of memory: mea maxima culpa.