WHY???

Till today they were playing their ‘Game’ but nobody seemed to have bothered. Nobody seemed to have noticed, until this happened. They were found guilty for Spot Fixing in the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League. All of a sudden they have become a household name since past few days. There is a thin line between Fame and Defame and in their case it is the latter. They wouldn't have wanted it this way. No individual wants it this way but I always hold a strong belief that none of your sins goes unpunished and this episode has made my belief stronger.

When S. Shreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan are being probed by the Police, I, a common man have only one question to ask, WHY?

Shreesanth is better known for his temperamental cricket and has always had his tantrums on the field. To overcome this I understand he was practicing Yoga. He was also seen paying his homage to the Gods and Goddesses by visiting the various temples. As far as my knowledge goes, both Yoga and God have the potential to lead you towards enlightenment and in no way can corrupt your mind. Then what went wrong in Shreesanth’s way? And most importantly why did he let this happen to him? WHY?

Ajit Chandila, 29 year old lad from Haryana has hardly played any noteworthy Domestic cricket (till date). May be it was his good fortune that his coach Narendra Hirwani, discovering his talent had recommended his name to Rahul Dravid. Without any significant experience he was selected for Rajasthan Royals. Being so, the boy was on the dream run. But suddenly betraying his coach and backstabbing his captain, he ‘performed’ in an abysmal manner. WHY?

Ankeet Chavan comes from a well cultured middle class family. Wedding plans were on chart. Making his mark in cricket, he also wanted to pursue an MBA at a later stage of life. When he had such determined personal and professional goals, how did he go off the track? And again most importantly, WHY?

They say that IPL is more of a ‘PAISA’ League than a Premier League. And with the spot fixing incident this is proved yet again. An acrimonious manifestation of money exchanging hands!

When whistle blowers are demanding a ban on IPL, there are many who had loved this format. For a common man this was an entertainer where one saw one’s favourite stars battling against each other. And that was the very reason why handling the work pressure in the morning, when the share market was crashing, somewhere in Pakistan when Sarabjit was dying, Far away in the Northeast when China was entering, every evening this common man sought a refuge in the IPL. This was indeed a stress buster.

But this Spot Fixing Saga has blemished not only IPL but also cricket on the whole. That cricket, which is not a mere sport but a religion in the country called India.

Who gave them the right to play with the emotions of the billion people? And why did they do so? WHY?

Today, playing Cricket is a highly paid job. There are umpteen competitions where you can prove your mettle. And once you do that you are a star. Brands run after you for endorsements. IPL Franchisees pay high to ‘own’ you. Even after you retire, there is a plethora of news and sports channels which spread their red carpets for you.

Shreesanth, Chandila and Chavan three of them were (Yes, I have purposely used the past tense) in such a lucrative profession then WHY???

Life Ban or no ban at all but at some stage of life when they will be away from the limelight, away from the fans, all alone may be then they will have to answer it for themselves, WHY???

Sojourn at F'Nagar

The global dictionary of slangs may disregard the ‘F’ word as a taboo but when it comes to the employees of GSFC (Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals) Baroda, they have a completely different approach to look at the letter ‘F’. For them, ‘F’ means Fertilizer, that Fertilizer which earns them their daily bread. So deep is their respect for their product that they christened their company’s residential quarters as Fertilizer Nagar. Lovingly called as F'Nagar. 

Invited by the newlywed Mr. and Mrs. Roy (Mrs. Roy being an employee of this organization) to their new haven, I got an opportunity to visit this place and who had thought that one visit and I would fall in love with this place.

Located in the outskirts of Baroda, F’Nagar is situated at a distance which is about thirty minutes drive from the Baroda railway station. If you are a resident of this F’Nagar then conveyance is not a problem since the company offers a bus service which runs to and fro between the colony and the main city umpteen times on any given day. And a single journey costs you less than a rupee (Yes, this price is valid even if you are in the year 2013!).

Though located near to the fertilizer company, the atmosphere here is not at all hampered by the acrimonious smell of chemicals which usually surrounds such areas rather, the moment you enter the massive gate of the F’Nagar, you are welcomed by lush green gardens. All those trees and flowers which you must have learnt in your Botany class are available here and are definitely adding to the beauty of the place.

The employees are allotted with quarters on the basis of their cadres. As one moves up the career ladder, company ensures that one also moves to a bigger and a better home (and why shouldn’t be, after all it’s the law of nature). These houses are generally two storied and the construction is rock solid. Unlike cities like Mumbai and Kolkata, space here is not a problem and thus the quarters are built at a certain distance and follow certain symmetry.

When kids in Metro cities are acquainted with only two birds viz. the sparrow and the crow, kids at F’Nagar are privileged to see our National Bird Peacock dancing at their door steps.

Amenities like school and supermarket are inside the Nagar. Beauty Parlor is also available for the beauty conscious female residents. All daily needs being available in the vicinity of the quarters, people here seldom need to get out of the complex.

With long stretches of jogging tracks, a well equipped gymnasium, tennis and badminton courts around, this is actually a heaven for fitness freaks. If you feel that these facilities are common today even in the residential complexes built in confined spaces of cities then think again, because F’Nagar is also blessed with a Golf course and as if that was not enough, the place also flaunts a Cricket ground where state level cricket matches are played.

But as they say no place is hundred percent ideal and F’Nagar too is not an exception. Though very less, this Nagar too has its own drawbacks. It is very common for one to find snakes in the locality. Houses being built at a distance, there is a large space of no man’s land between each type of quarters. Though the Nagar offers you with various sports facilities but if you are not keen sportsman then sorry you will soon find boredom gripping you.

As it usually happens in company paid accommodations, people here are no alien to wasting resources like electricity and water. Tube lights and fans serve 24 x 7 no matter even if there is nobody to get served. Same is with water, house maids are seen washing the clothes or doing the dishes under continuous flow of water. People are to be blamed for such deeds but as one spends a lot of time at such “free” atmosphere, one unknowingly tends to develop such “waste” habits and all of us very well know that old habits die hard.

But these drawbacks are actually nothing when compared to the benefits and picturesque beauty which the Nagar offers. After all there is no better a pleasure than sitting in a verandah, sipping a hot cup of coffee with a novel in your hand, of course your loved one sitting on a chair next to you and a peacock dancing in front of your eyes.  

Oh God, it’s actually Heaven!

(And yes, completely mesmerized by the serene beauty of the place, I am eagerly waiting for the next invitation from the Roys!)

Dreaming down the Memory Lane...

A lazy Sunday morning spent in finishing the last part of Shiva Trilogy was followed by a historic afternoon; India whitewashed Australia 4-0. Not sure about what next, I decided to pay my regards to the Sleep Goddess. Yes, at 4 pm in the evening, I went to my bed chambers (Word inspired from Amish’s Shiva Trilogy). Hrishikesh Puranik may find resemblance to this act of mine as He is the one whom I know is the champion of sleeping at odd times.

Barely had I slept for two hours (only!) when half awake, I started dreaming.

I along with Omkar Deshpande had a ticket booked for the evening train to Shegaon. We had to attend the lectures scheduled for the next morning. It was final year. And as I was half awake, I was trying to recollect who my then room partner was. The left hemisphere of my brain said it was Mukesh Bhongade but the right one voted for Babloo Vaidya (It’s not short term memory loss; it’s just that I was half asleep!)

This dream was interrupted in between as my half open eyes saw the clock ticking to 7 pm. I can’t sleep now. After all there has to be a difference between Hrishi and me!!! (No offence taken!) Had I been in Hrishi’s shoes, I would have enjoyed sleeping a bit more!

But this dream took me down the memory lane. That 800 m long lane from Shegaon gate to Khamgaon gate; the hostels surrounding this lane was once our home where all of us had met for the first time.

In this span called Engineering The Puranik-Khandalkar-Joshi-Dabhadkar Family had gradually extended to Deshpande(s)* -Bhongade-Vaidya-Kothe-Mahajan-Patki-Kokle-Mankar-Pusam-Aaglawe-Alkari-Varadpande. [(s)* Omkar and Alok]

There are various anecdotes which if I start mentioning then each one of these can become a separate chapter of a 500 page book which may be called None of us is as Smart as all of us! (I hope you remember this line). But still there are few incidences which I simply can’t avoid mentioning here. Each one of which brings a smile on my face. Majority of them are from First year!

The year started with our names getting displayed all over the college. No we had not topped in any event or exam. We were actually fined for celebrating my Birthday in our own room and possessing a 2 in 1 Cassette player whose volume was not even sufficient to be heard in a 10 x 10 room. With our names getting displayed even in the Girls’ hostel, We were famous.

A day before a Unit Test when I was trying to concentrate on studies; three of my roomies were busy playing with the ‘Sauf ka Dabba’ and in came the Warden Bhambere!

Semester 1 exam began with M1 (Hrishi lovingly called it as YAM 1), at mid night few hours before the paper, few of our abysmal seniors had tried leak the next day’s paper. Not to mention, none of their provided questions could make an appearance in the actual paper.

A night before Mechanics paper; one Deshpande (Omkar) had increased my anxiety by enlightening me with the knowledge about previous year’s mass destruction which Mechanics had caused. The next day saw me getting eaten up by this paper. Six month later when I was to face this monster again, it was another Deshpande (Alok) who came to my rescue. He had wholeheartedly taught the concepts. After the result, he was angry that I had managed to barely pass and not excel in that paper.

One night after returning from Mumbai, Omkar started living in room no. D14 (our room, which was home for all, yes in Hindi we may call such homes as Dharamshala! agaon, no offence taken) never bothering his actual (on paper) roommates again.

The second semester exam when I suffering from Chicken Pox, had managed to clear all my NINE papers in one go. That was by all means my most successful semester (Not by marks but by the way how I had overcome the situation. Thanks to all the Mahol Pottes who stayed by me)

The rains in Shegaon when all had bathed at the terrace followed by hot Chai in canteen.

Hotel Krishna which used to serve Unlimited Thali at 25 bucks. Akshay used to eat 25 Chapatis there (and it’s not exaggeration). Ultimately the hotel was closed one day.

More Bhau’s Tapri, Ganne ka juice, the Mango Juice wallah (who was rumored to be suffering from AIDS!) were the regular places to satiate our hunger.

The New Year Celebration at Lala’s residence at Khamgaon and the Kharangana Morangana Trip at Pusams are few of the outings of Mahol Pottes.

Ketan and KK’s Gaming zone where Babloo and Akshay also marveled. Being a bad player, I never enjoyed.

Patki and Mukesh’s sketches, Mahajan’s weird acts can’t be forgotten.

The MANIA Photo shoot was just another weird thing which we did.  

PMC, The Benches near Khamgaon Gate, Rasika Dhaba, the temple, the faculty building…

Everything is a part of our cherished memories.

It’s now almost four years since we have engineered ourselves. All of us are now a part of corporate (I heard somebody saying bloody corporate!). Few amongst us married, many on the verge of getting married.

But everything from the Shegon days is fresh in mind as if everything happened just yesterday.

In the end as I am unable to find an appropriate end to this blog, I leave you with a picture which speaks better than these 919 words!

                                                                                                       

                                                                            

Imagination of a Creative Kid

Date:     February 24, 2013

Venue:  Outside CMAT Centre, Bandra

A bit anxious and a bit worried, I am standing outside the exam centre (for the umpteenth time) waiting for the janitor to let all of us in. It is when this good looking girl approaches me. She is fair and a bit taller than me (actually with my height just crossing five feet, most of the girls are taller than me). I start wondering why she wants to stand beside me.

But soon the secret unveils and she clarifies her motto and the conversation begins:

She:       Hi, are you here for CMAT?

I:             Yes (Short and Precise!)

She:       Actually, I am from ABC College of MBA and our College is about to organize GDPIs            for you guys on the basis of your CMAT results.

I:             Ah…  Okay

She:       So, can I have your name and number please?

I:             Nachiket, 9930…….

(Now with a bit difficulty she tries to pronounce my name and with an even greater difficulty tries to jot it down and like a good boy that I am, I come to her rescue)

I:             It’s

                N:           New Delhi

                A:            Ahmedabad

                C:            Cochin

                H:            Hyderabad

                I:             India

                K:            Kolkata

                E:            Ah… (Now what is E for???) Ernakulum

                T:            Tamil Nadu

I can clearly see a sigh of relief on her face after writing my Herculean Name. She smiles at me and hands me a copy of her college brochure.

She:       Thanks for providing your details; we will let you know if you qualify for the GDPI.

I:             Thanks, so are we done?

She:       Yes

The conversation actually ends here but the real conversation begins here not in person but in the most creative part of my body called The Head…

And here it goes:

I:             If we are done then, can I have a few details about you too?

She:       (A bit surprised) Yes, tell me

I:             What’s your name?

She:       Pooja (or Sonia or Katrina or XYZ… readers can imagine whichever feminine name they like)

I:           So Pooja, what do you study at (checking the name on the brochure) ABC College of      MBA?

She:       Finance (Short and blunt)

I:            Okay

She:       But why are you interested?

I:             Well, actually my parents are in search of a good bride for their only son and i.e. me. And to make     their life easy, I too have joined hands in this pursuit of theirs.

                So Pooja, I have clicked your photo through my eyes and have saved it in my heart. So, now if you can give me your number, I can inform you your result.

Before the imagination could go further, the clock ticks to 13:00 and the janitor makes a last call for the bloke called NACHIKET and thus this imagination ends here.

With this I leave the end of this imagination to my readers.

My well wishers can of course conclude this with the girl smiling at me and hence sharing her phone number (HAPPY ENDING!!!)

And those of you who don’t like me as such can think of any bizarre ending, after all it’s your creative mind. 

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.