13 Books for 2013: Experience The Joy of Reading…

They say that every man should drive a hobby horse and when it comes to a hobby, nothing serves it better than reading. When Books you give immense knowledge, they can also be man’s best friends. But for those who are not yet friends with Books, here are 13 such books which you must read in 2013 to inculcate this hobby in you this New Year.

1)    Five Point Someone (Chetan Bhagat): For those who are not comfortable with the English language, start with Indian Authors and when it comes to Indian authors you simply can’t ignore this man. He may not be a literary genius but he is largely responsible for bringing the youth back to books. Talking about this book, this is a story of three average students at IIT. Well the Magical Bollywood film ‘3 Idiots’ was based on this very novel (Whatever Vidhu Vinod Chopra may have to say!!!)

2)    I too had a Love Story (Ravinder Singh): Another Indian Author who became the youth heartthrob by narrating his own not so perfect love story. Simple language, Great narration, sure to melt the reader’s heart.

3)    Who Moved My Cheese (Dr. Spencer Johnson): A short story for all ages. The story portrays four characters who symbolize four types of human natures. You will surely find yourself in one of the character. Funny Story but of great learning. An amazing way to deal with Change in your work and personal life. Not an Indian author but very simple English.

4)    2 States (Chetan Bhagat): Chetan’s the best narration till date. A Love Story of a North Indian Boy and a South Indian Girl. Different people, varied cultures coming together in a feeling called Love in one Secular country, India!

5)    The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho): After gaining some reading experience it’s now time to get acquainted with foreign authors but yes with simple English. Paulo Coelho is one such author. Alchemist, his great work is a story of a shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of worldly treasure. The story teaches us about listening to your heart, learning to read the omens strewn along life’s path and above all following your dreams.

6)    Love Story (Erich Segal): Another Love Story. Sure to touch your heart.

7)    The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini): This is a story of little boy and his life in troubled times of Afghanistan. Khaled has the power to make one spellbound by his wonderful narration. You won’t stop crying.

8)    The Namesake (Jhumpa Lahiri):  Jhumpa Lahiri beautifully describes the lives and problems of ABCD (American Born Confused Desi). These are the people who are trapped between two cultures neither of which they can call their own.

9)    My Experiments with Truth (Mahatma Gandhi): It’s now time to try an Autobiography and when we say autobiography nothing can be better than life story of The Father of the Nation.

10) The Immortals of Meluha (Amish Tripathi): The Legend of Lord Shiva. Mythology imagined in a very creative way. Amish Tripathi is yet another Indian author who has struck the gong with His Shiva Trilogy.

11)  The Secret of the Nagas (Amish Tripathi): It’s a sequel to The Immortals of Meluha. Equally exciting as the first book.

12) The Oath of the Vayuputaras (Amish Tripathi): The third and last of Shiva Trilogy is expected to release in March 2013. Very high expectations from this book too.

13) The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown): Now that you have an experience of 12 books under your belt, it’s the right time to read something wonderful. Mystery gets unveiled page after page. You simply can’t put this down.

All the above 13 titles you would love to read and these are really capable of transforming you into a voracious reader.

And for all those who are already great readers and have already read few of these, you can suggest your choices for this New Year!!!

Have a Great Year Ahead!!! Keep Reading... Keep Sharing...

MOBILOMANIA: Are You Mobile Safe?

Mobile phone today is not just a calling device it is much more. It can connect to the internet as efficiently as it can play the music. Work or play it can manage both effortlessly. It has really transformed into an ‘all-in-one’ device and thus has become a part and parcel of our daily life. But using this device for our convenience is one thing and getting addicted to it is another. Do a small exercise and you will find the truth for yourself. Just walk around a street near you and observe the people around. You will find that six out of ten people are busy with this hand held device. I call this as Mobilomania. Mabilomania, this word doesn’t exist in the English dictionary but looking at the ongoing craze for mobile phones, that day is not far when a need will arise to coin such a word.

Can this craze be hazardous, let’s check out.

Spectacles, which were once a sign of forty plus are now aiding the vision of four plus kids thanks to the high end games which their parents’ smart phones offer. TV and computers were already creating a hindrance in the physical activities and outdoor sports of kids. To add fuel to this we now have mobile phones. No doubt that these phones are making the generation smart but are also equally responsible for their physical degradation.

In the past we greeted people by removing our hat, today, we do it by removing our earphones. Bus or train no matter which mode of transport we are travelling in, we always find people around with their earphones on. In our company buses too somewhat similar picture can be seen. Moreover what is incredulous is the fact that these earphones are welded in the ears even after people get out of the bus. Many have their breakfast with music thumping in their ears. The earphones are removed only after they reach their desk. Are these people really passionate about music? No, it’s just a Mobilomania.

Things don’t stop here, we find people with their earphones on even while they are themselves driving. Worst part is when a person doesn’t have a handsfree or a blutooth headset and thus struggles to attend a call with phone stuck to ear and neck tilted to support it. A picture can speak a thousand words so see this picture. Handsfree or no Handsfree, talking on phone while driving means you are giving an open invitation to accidents but still people do it. Is a phone call more important than one’s life?

Few days back, while waiting for a train at Ghatkopar railway station, a very funny hoarding caught my attention. It was an appeal by a local politician. It read, “Please do not cross the railway line, but if you still do, please ensure that while doing so you are not talking on mobile phone”. After giving a little thought, I realized that the hoarding was not really that funny, it was actually depicting the harsh reality. Crossing a railway line is an offence. This is a rule made for the well being of people but as they say rules are made to be broken, very often we see people crossing the railway line. They consider themselves so efficient in this adventure that they make it more audacious by talking on mobile phone. Multitasking isn’t always good. This act can take them to their ‘Final Destination’ but still who cares?

I am writing this prudent article doesn't mean that I never suffered from this Mobile addiction. I too have gone through this phase. Once upon a time on the streets of Mumbai, mobile phone fixed to my ear, engrossed in a discussion, I was walking. Oblivious to the outer world I missed a big stone which was lying in my way. I fell down. Fortunately there was no major injury but I was definitely taken aback. Coming to my senses I realized that the place where I had fallen was very close to a construction site and I had missed the iron construction rods by just few inches. Had things went wrong anything could have happened. Honestly speaking, I was lucky. But this realization was enough to learn a lesson (Thank God!)

Mobile phone is really a boon which technology has given us but its overuse can lead to our doom. Remember, the famous ad campaign of a cellular company ‘Walk when you talk’ doesn’t stand true when it comes to real life. By reading this article if at least one of you is able to get rid of this addiction then I would consider my writing as successful. And if you do not suffer from this mania and you still own a mobile phone, then Congrats my dear friend, you can proudly call yourself as Mobile Safe!

-Nachiket Dabhadkar 

(The writer once represented the Mobilomaniac generation

And is a proud owner of one of the costliest smart phones present in the contemporary markets)

* Photo Courtesy:  Anup Joshi  (Another diplomat of a Mobile crazy population)

THE REAL HEROES @ SIEMENS

“It is six o’ clock in the evening and the hands of the clock are tickling fast. There is dead silence and the place is abandoned. Office timings have crossed and everyone has already reached home. After all it is India meeting the Pakistan in the Semis of the Cricket World Cup 2011. But in this deserted territory, six eyes are glued to their computer screens desperately trying to figure out the cost overruns of a project. Amongst these three musketeers, two are amateur kids trying hard to tackle their difficulties but their efforts are hardly bearing any fruit. But as they say that ‘at the end of every tunnel there is light’, these two greenhorns are shown the right path and suddenly the problem no longer remains a problem. Courtesy: A young man of fifty, their boss.”

When whole of India was watching their home team play, these two novices were reverently watching ‘their Tendulkar’ bat. Being their Chief, he could have simply ordered them to complete the task and he himself could have feasted on the high profile cricket match. But He is different and He always leads from the front.

This is Mr. Joseph Thomas- our ‘Thomas Sir’ for you.

 Thomas is a true team man. Out of ten, if he distributes eight tasks among his subordinates then he ensures that the remaining two are personally taken care by him. Not to mention he is equally involved in the other eight too.

Technically, he is undoubtedly the best amongst the lot. His standard is such that whenever a knowledgeable person is seen at the workplace, his/her skills unknowingly get compared with Thomas.

Thomas always goes to the root of every situation. It is because of this quality of his and of course his practical brilliance that the Switchboard Factory Kalwa was able to handle numerous difficult projects of difficult clients like IOCL, Volkswagen, Mahindra, Tata Power, HPCL, BPCL, EIL and the list goes long and still continues.

It was the year2007-08, when there was no dedicated team for the execution of Gas Insulated Switchgear at Kalwa, Thomas who was a part of Air Insulated Switchgear along with his team had shown the courage to accept this challenge and had successfully sailed through the novel project of IOCL  

But one project which raised his standards to an all together new height was definitely TYCO THERMAL CONTROLS. When many shied away from this so called non-standard type of switchboard, it was Thomas who not only executed the project successfully but also ensured that Siemens earned good profits.

It was Thomas’ Midas touch that he dug out gold from the ‘not so happening’ Verbund (Intra Company) Business of Switchboard Factory. With his proper planning, he streamlined the process for such projects. While giving practical solutions to the internal customers, he also made it a point that a hawk eye is being kept on the project costs.

It was Thomas’ brainchild to do the C2 costing (costing done after complete manufacturing to check if there is any cost overrun) for all Verbund projects. It once happened that his experienced eyes sensed some sort of ambiguity in the costing sheets of a certain project. On doing a detailed costing himself he came across many catastrophic revelations. Then and there a decision was taken and today you will find that C2 costing is done for all the Verbund projects.

Irrespective of one’s age or cadre, he is always ready to help. People too knock his doors to quench their thirst for knowledge just like the voyagers who go to the river. And like an eternally graceful river, doors of his cubicle too are open for all, 24x7! The same doors are also open for discussions. Though his experience speaks for itself but still He hears to others’ opinion with a patient ear. Had it not been the case then he would have not stood with me in the middle of the dispatch section when I was skeptical about some of the crucial dispatches of the month. At that time, his industry experience was of glorifying 23 years and I, I had just celebrated my 23^rd Birthday.   

 He always treats his team as his own family. He is always behind them like a stanchion in their good or bad phases, be it professional or personal. And for his team, he is not just a boss. He is a Father!

No doubt that he has achieved many accolades in his alluringly long career but what makes him stand apart is indeed his humble nature. With a work experience which is slightly more than my life experience, his legs are still firmly grounded and this truly makes him one of The Real Heroes@Siemens and we@Siemens are proud of him.

We Have Moved On, But…

2012, It’s now two years that I am a part of the SIEMENS family and in these two years many things have changed and adapting to these changes not only I, but also each one of you reading this article has moved on. After all it’s human to move on and to move ahead.

While Pravin Wakade moved on to Germany (While you will read this, he will be back, see we move on), Chetana moved on from ‘US’ and is again back with ‘us’. If Kallu is busy developing the business, Ajgaonkar too is managing the orders, they have moved on. Sid and Kashid are no longer boys, they are men-responsible men! Bhapkar and R.K. too are in the queue to follow the trait. Kiddo Vrushali is now a mother to a kid and regarding me, giving up my age old visual aid, today I see with my own eyes.

So, in some or the other way, each one of us has moved on.

Yes, we are moving, but if we see around meticulously, things aren't really changing. I mean every day we still wakeup cursing the alarm clock. Every Tuesday, we still get the Idli and as always we stand in long lines for the Vada Pav every Wednesday.Every month we fight vigorously for the Turnover (Lovingly called as TO). At times we defeat the target and most of the times the target defeats us. The controversial game of IPL is still being played with a great vigor and a lot of glamour, criticizing it's demeanor and cursing the expensive ticket prices, we still march to the Wankhede. Come every Dassera, the canteen serves us the same menu and when all the lovely ladies have their treasuries of Sarees to flaunt we boys mostly wear the same old kurta, year after year (Check for the pictures of Bhapkar and that of mine clicked during Dussera 2010 and 2011, you will realize that I am not lying). So, even if we move on, the things around us doesn’t really change as we think.

While I write this and you are reading this, we have moved on to August, yet another August! The 3^rd of August!

August actually means ’respectable’ and it indeed is. For the Hindus, August sometimes mean the divine month of SAWAN (Shravan in Marathi). For Muslims, it is at times RAMZAN. Brothers vow for their sisters’ well being in August and thus Rakshabandhan is celebrated. August embarks the beginning of new Friendships with the Friendship Day. Lord Ganesha sometimes pays His visit to His devotees in August. Lord Krishna too celebrates His Birthday in August and so are many of our Friends and Family members. Not to forget India won her independence in 1947, the month then was also August!  August is undeniably divine. But 3^rd August for us stands as an exception to all this. That black date which each one of us wants to forget and forget at the earliest.

But,

 

No matter where we have moved and how far we have moved, this date brings with it a wave of sadness and the world around us stops, making us, rather forcing us to look back, to look back at Him. He who always walked ahead of His own pace. But on that day, 3^rd August 2010, while walking, engrossed in His own thoughts He moved on and on so far that it was impossible for us to catch hold of Him.

He was gone, far, far away from this world, leaving behind a vacuum in our world which was once adorned by His presence.

They say,”We should give time, time and time heals all our wounds”- True, but it is this same time that takes us back to the memories, memories that make us sad as if everything has happened just yesterday. And the heart asks only one question, WHY?

We try to answer ourselves in various ways, I too have tried this but have never been successful in getting a convincing answer and thus the question still remains the same, WHY?

Unanswered, we move on, Life moves on. Many Dasseras will come, many Birthdays will follow. Every occasion which will serve good food will bring back the memories of this Foodie Friend of ours. Every tough situation will ask us to think in His inimitable way and every prank played will be compared to that of this great Prankster. Though making us sad, taking His name will definitely bring smiles on our lips after all He was the ray of light when one thought that there is no hope ahead.

Today, on His second death anniversary (while I write these two words, my hands tremble, but accepting the reality we have to move on), come let’s close our eyes and pray for that Divine Soul who was a Friend, a Philosopher and a Guide.

The Man who was VIVEKANAND! - He who was always there with us and will always be with us in our memories, in our hearts.

You will always be in our Prayers Dear Vivek and we know that you are listening. We know that we are not alone, You are definitely watching us. With this strong belief we move on, Life moves on!

ROTI, KAPADA AUR SQUARE FOOT

It’s now seven years that I have known Omkar. Together we had been awarded our Engineering Degrees from a College which was not called the IIT. Going a step further, Omkar even managed to complete His Management Studies.

Thanks to Our Alma Mater, today, we are earning our ROTI, wearing Branded KAPADA but whenever it comes to MAKAAN (the Third Basic necessity of Man) we have three questions that we always ask ourselves: KAB? KAHA? And most importantly KAISE??? But, hang on, MAKAAN, KOTHI or BUNGALOW is not the category of homes which we are eyeing at, rather we are not eligible to apply for this category of Homes (Even after earning double the salary when compared to that of mine, Omkar too feels the same). In fact this category is really a rare find these days and what we get to see today are FLATS! 1RK, 1BHK, 2BHK Flats which are sold on Square Foot Basis. And if you want to know the rates, then below mentioned values are well enough to open your eyes…(In fact these are responsible for the sleepless nights of many)  

Thane: 6000-8000 Rs.

Mumbai: Well.. JIS GALI JAANA NAHI USKA PATA KYU POOCHNA (For your information, the Proverb SKY IS THE LIMIT suits best when it comes to Mumbai)

So, 

One fine evening, taking time out of our busy schedules (I don’t know if we are really busy but we do get out of our respective Homes by 6.30 a.m. and come back by 9 p.m.) we were discussing our present lifestyles, work cultures, bla bla bla…

Suddenly our discussion changed gears and it halted on the station called ‘Homes’.

This is how the discussion went:

Me: Yo Man, Omkar! now that you have earned your MBA degree and have got a much coveted job in a Public Sector Bank, nothing much remains for you to quest for. So now is the time for you to “Get Married and Settle Down”…

Omkar: :) (Blushing)

Me: I am serious. And as a first step in this pursuit, you should now think of buying a new Home in Thane, may be you can think of buying ‘few more’ of your adjacent flats and make your existing Flat a REAL BIG ONE!

Omkar: Stop kidding Nachiket! With my existing salary, I think.. I can only buy a ‘Square Foot’ of these flats. Buying a BIG Flat remains a BIG DREAM: a distant reality.  

Me: What a novel idea. Start buying one square foot every month and one day you will realize that you have bought a BIG HOUSE…….

Well this is how the discussion went on for some more time but this discussion indeed flashed a sudden spark in my mind and my Think Tank got ignited-

Today, I only hear that the bubble of Property Rates is to burst soon and these hiked prices will come down in the coming days, but this hardly seems to be a reality as I have never heard of any property price coming down in the recent past. So, with the Bubble of Property rates ever growing, that day is not far when markets will see SYSTEMATIC INVESTMENT PLANS (SIP) of Property being introduced. Well, few years back, who had imagined of Paper Gold. But with Gold rates touching skies, GOLD ETF is today’s reality. So we never know if this imagination of mine of investing in ONE SQUARE FOOT of land every month comes into a reality.

And if such a scheme has already been born to life then please treat this as my ignorance… May be I am so much sunk in my dream of buying ‘MY FIRST HOME’ (which is actually the universal dream of my generation today) that I am just building castles in air totally oblivious of the contemporary markets!!!