Rail Diaries #4 : Grinning from ear to ear: Blog # 42

Rail Diaries #4 : Grinning from ear to ear

22^nd July 2012, 7:00 PM, Onboard our own Aleppey Express J : Travelling in RAC ticket!

A coffee vendor came by. An elderly person sitting beside me waved at him. When he gave a 10 rupee note, the vendor told he doesn’t have change and left. I gave a judgemental smile (shaking my head in disapproval and all) to the elderly person. In a while, the vendor came by, gave back the 5 rupees change and he looked at me and smiled. He might have seen my disapproving smile et al. I flinched! May be my friend Sudarshan is right – I judge a tad bit too fast J.

I haven’t stopped smiling since I boarded – For no reason at all. I am not just happy, Ecstatic is more like it J. I am too distracted with happiness that I kept back the ‘Aleph’ I was beginning to read.   

  

Was it the afternoon meeting with Raghu and Vivek Or is it the last minute hug from Amma before leaving home? May be it was the small chat I had with dad about his Gulf days before I boarded. My sister’s sweet gesture of buying a biriyani and surprising her friend, Anju at the station also made me happy.  

         But come to think of it, there is a more valid reason – One of pride and humility.

There is this scene in the Malayalam film, ‘Ustad hotel’. The grandfather is hospitalised and the grandson (who is the protagonist) who loves him dearly says “I just hope he doesn’t ask me to stay back.”.The grandson was about to go on a much longed for job assignment abroad. I found myself in his shoes recently – well almost.

            My Grandfather has a younger brother who is unmarried. He is now 92 and he stays in an old age home. He refuses to come and stay with any of his relatives. I am close to him owing to my dad being his favourite. Earlier, there were times when dad used to suggest bringing him home. I was not in favour of this idea – don’t judge me –I am fairly good person ;) . There are certain handicaps for us as a family which makes it difficult for us to think of such a solution.

            But this time around, when dad brought up this suggestion again, I found myself absolutely quite. I couldn’t object. Have I become more mature or did I put myself in his shoes? Inspite of all our handicaps, I wanted to give it a try.

Being the quick fixer that he is, dad went ahead and called up all his cousins and found a solution which was in utmost consideration of his uncle’s preference and convenience. He also suggested all his cousins visit their uncle without fail and I know he will be the one who will be there first.  

When life throws such challenges at us, we need to think and act from within. My father did exactly that and I feel extremely proud of him and love him for what he did. 

           I realized watching ‘Satyameva Jayate’ , teary eyed and with a lump in my throat doesn’t solve the problems. Neither does the post show - intellectually and emotionally stimulated conversations pitying the current state of affairs of our society help.

            I pray and hope all of us feel and act with all heart and soul whenever we are faced with a situation like this.

Arun Babu. 

Rail Diaries#3 - WL...RAC...And CNF !!!: Blog # 41

Rail Diaries#3 - WL...RAC... & CNF!!!

                  Anyone who has travelled by train would have gone through this painstaking process of their ticket going through the stages of Waiting list, Reservation against cancellation and Confirmation. I did too, last Sunday.

               IRCTC shamelessly ditched, as always. With great difficulty, I got a tatkal ticket (thanx to Vivek’s chalakudy clout ;) ). And here I was, on board Aleppey express on 15^th July 2012 yet again.

          

     In our compartment, there was this person who got transferred from Delhi to Chennai. He said he is working in AAI and is going to work for a while in Chennai Airport. He said “Here, no one understands what I say. Neither can I make out what they are saying. There should be only one language in the country”.

          Being the language zealot that I am, I would never agree to that. The beauty of languages is in their diversity and little similarities. For instance, Bengali is one of the sweetest languages. It is similar to Malayalam in the sense that it doesn’t consider gender as much as in Hindi. Hence for mallus and bongs, “Gaadi aaya and Gaadi aayi” are one and the same J .

             I like the melodious ring of tamil as much as I like the buoyant spirit of Gujarati. And who doesn’t love the most vivacious of all languages, Urdu? Hindi gives a head start and acts as a talking point in itself with almost anyone from any part of our country.

           I think languages in themselves are a paradox. In spite of all their differences, these languages hold this great nation of ours together. People teach and learn each others’ languages and a camaraderie evolves from that.

The similarity in languages acts as a binding thread and the differences facilitates a melting pot of varied cultures.

          But having said that, I read somewhere that there are two nations of the world which are divided by a single language – US and UK by English!. Strange!

                                                                                                                            

                                                                                                                                            Arun Babu.

A Thousand Wind chimes: Blog # 40

     A Thousand Wind chimes              

                  Anyone who has ever listened to a Wind chime cannot NOT love it. Moreover, if they are made of wood or clay, you can get lost in their symphony for an eternity .Such is the power of Music. So imagine the ecstatic feel of it when tens of thousands of people produce the same music.  That is exactly what is going to happen when the London city ushers in Olympics 2012.

              It is said whenever a grand event of the scale of Olympics takes place, a large population of the country feels left out - It is called London Olympics and Not Olympics of Britain.

There is nothing which has the power of inclusion like music. It resonates amongst one and all and creates a common thread.

Considering the above two sponsoring thoughts, this might be the reason for the authorities to think on the lines of such a musical theme. That is nothing short of brilliance.

          And the artist behind this idea is Scottish Turner prize winner, Martin Creed. Across Britain, bells of all sorts – of churches, cycles, ships and even mobiles will ring for three minutes creating a cacophonous amazing (in their own words) sound.

        I wish if I were there to lend my ears to that magnificent musical moment which will definitely find its place in history. May be for next Olympics J.

                                                                                                                               Arun Babu.

Rail Diaries#2 - A journey to remember.... : Blog # 39

Rail Diaries#2 - A journey to remember....

*A birthday blog for my Professor

               Now that DG Sir has immortalised this breath taking scenery through his lens, I miss Planet E even more. A couple of months back, to witness this lush green landscape with the elephant mountains chalking out the horizon, all we had to do was  look out of the wagons.

               This B-E-A-utiful pic reminds me of the numerous train journeys to and from Planet Etti! Of those, one was with DG sir J. As always, it was fun having a tete-a-tete with him. Let me try and recollect what it was all about. 

          We were sitting on the platform waiting for the train to chug in. Sir walked towards us with a Cola (Believe it or not) in his hand – may be Planet E was too sunny that day. We had a deal that we won’t tell Mam about this J. But now, Mam being in a different continent altogether, let me take that risk J.

          We stood by the train’s door. Sir talked about his student days. How he got in to Ponds and how preoccupied he was during those two years at IIM, yet so gleeful. Then we talked about Saanidhya, their summer getaway and how they love to come back by bus and only bus J.He reminisced about his Berkeley days and Mam’s globetrotting days.

How he loves to see a city waking up. What great fun it is to take an early morning walk through the by lanes of Palakkad. His liking for Kanji, the Kerala dish and the mangoes of Delhi.

           My point here is, through light hearted conversations like these and through the class room sessions, the learning that you have instilled in us is immense. From the comment that you made “Even I want to wish dg sir a happy birthday”, I sense an element of surprise and of being overwhelmed - Surprised, may be because how exceedingly wonderful the years at ASB turned out to be and Overwhelmed, of course by our affectionJ.

          I know I speak for many many of your students when I say you have earned every bit of that affection. So here’s wishing many many more Decades of Goodness J. Happy Birthday!

                                                                                                                                            Arun Babu         

Lure of the Limelight?: Blog # 38

Lure of the Limelight?

                    I was watching Ustad hotel, a (must watch) Malayalam movie. Then this very popular song came up and people went beserk. People were screaming. It was sheer madness. Akhila, my sister sitting next to me told “Imagine how those actors will feel when they see this kind of appreciation! What a high it must be!” That got me thinking.

                 Getting in to a creative field is risky – in every sense. To begin with, it is a very niche sector – it’s like opting for extreme specialization. The chances of success are miniscule. Shelf life is shorter than that of a milk carton. Yes, there is a monetary aspect to it. But again, the cash flow from this kind of profession is anything but constant.  Then why do some people get in to the creative stream of work?

               Is it the thunderous applause that drives them? Is it the hoots and whistles of appreciation? Is it the roaring welcome of the crowd that they enjoy? Is it the lure of  lime light and the attention? Let’s delve deeper.

              I was going through a film magazine and found this interview of an debutant heroine. She said, shortly after her film was released, people were walking up to her at the airport striking up conversations and complete strangers were smiling at her. Initially, she found it strange and then it dawned on her that it is the image that people are connecting with. So is it this image that allures them? Is it the identity that this image brings along which people enjoy?

           Is it the small doses of reaffirmations which keep these people going? For instance, people walking up to an actor/actress and saying they liked their performance or saying the same to a musician or a writer?            

           Our society finds it extremely difficult to accept a person who doesn’t fit the mould. But, there are certain exceptions. Being in a creative channel is the easiest way of getting that. It gives the luxury of being different and still being accepted.

            Also, people always look up to others who can do something which they themselves cannot. This translates in to affection and then acceptance. It is this acceptance that urges the creative people to take these risks. And when this acceptance happens, all the risk taken is worth it.

             I think it’s a little bit about all of the above things which boils down to acceptance.

        Have you seen the recent Ad of Maggi noodles? It is exactly this concept of acceptance that they have banked on. Watch it closely the next time you see it on TV.

Arun Babu

The Month that was… June 2012 : Blog # 37

The Month that was…June 2012

*A monthly column on Business

          It was during an FB chat that Bala and I discussed about the idea of a column for the ASB magazine, 'Kaleidoscope'. We both agreed on this topic which gives an aerial view of previous month’s happenings. It is not a formal list down in the chronological order, but a look back at the events which are of interest, mostly from the world of business. Hope you enjoy the read.

                 The first week of June saw the television screens being inundated with Ads of Randstad. They have taken over India’s premier HR consultancy firm, Mafoi. The first Sunday’s ‘Satyamevjayate’ was discussing inter-caste marriages and the atrocities of Khap panchayats. If we continue to turn a blind eye towards these barbaric practices, vision 2020 will remain confined to cricketing format alone! Even now, the policy paralysis and the indifference that has inflicted our nation have brought down the growth rate from a 9% to a measly 5.3%. The rating agency, Fitch has followed S&P and downgraded us from Standard to Poor.

     Rajat Gupta, the poster boy of Indian Diaspora in the US and in a way, the world over stands tainted convicted of insider trading.

               Adding to the list of Global M&As by Indian conglomerates, Sahara group is buying out New York’s plaza hotel. In this time of a rumoured slowdown, IT behemoths are vying for the second phase of MCA21(Ministry of Corporate Affairs) project.

            It was interesting to know that a cola drink got the much sought after ‘Foshu’ label of Japan’s food regulatory authority. It is ‘Kirin mets’ cola that bagged this highly stringent certification.

   In a bid to increase the reach of ATMs in non-urban areas, Government is going to allow White Label ATMs (licensed for private sector ownership) as against the existing Brown label ones (licensed in the name of a commercial bank).

  Retailers are targeting loyal customers big time in order to beat the slump. Some operators like Shoppers stop derive as much as 75% of their revenue from loyal customers. The decision as to whether or not to allow or FDI in multi brand retail still hangs in thin air.

 Reliance Industries seems to be looking for a suitor for their much acclaimed brand, ‘Only Vimal’. It is also said that it might be the beginning of the end of the company’s presence in textile sector.

 Amidst all the negativity, there is a ray of hope. The Swedish retailer, Ikea is entering the Indian market in a big way.

           After much mudslinging, there seem to be a consensus on the candidature for country’s highest civilian post. But what needs to be watched is how things are going to change in the north block.

                                                                                                                       

Arun Babu.

Where is the ‘Experience’? : Blog # 36

Customer Experience?

During many of our retail marketing classes, I have heard our Professor, Kulkarni sir saying “Experience plays a very important role for the customer’s delight/despair”. I also think on the same lines. But here is one place where I found a contradiction.

It was Friday evening and I was all geared up to come home (as always ;) ). As I was to set foot outside, it started raining or pouring rather. With great difficulty I reached the suburban station of Tambaram and got in to the Chennai beach bound local (I find the announcement funny when they say “Kadalkarai” J ).Luckily it was not raining at Central. Having decided to indulge, (fresh from my salary) I went to this restaurant inside central station.

There are a minimum of 50 people almost blocking the entrance to the hotel. They are waiting for their parcel of food/sweets. I made way through them to reach the stairs leading to the dining place, which should have a sign that reads ”Make way for upward traffic” like in hill stations. The stairs are that steep and narrow!

I reached the dining place and pushing and shoving with my bag, I got in. It’s a small hall that has a seating capacity of may be 50 or so people which is filled with a 100 people, half of them standing. While you are standing, you need to make way for the people leaving after having had their food, the waiters serving food and the managers taking order. Although the tables are clean, there is chaos everywhere. The hand wash place is just two basins and one was clogged.

I stood firmly behind an elderly couple who were waiting for their coffee (which means they are about to leave). I smiled at them sweetly indirectly hinting I am waiting for them to get up and being the sweet people they were, they got up soon.

As soon as they got up, I sprang on the seat. There was this couple sitting opposite to me. Both were holding hands. Sweet J. They were lost in their own world. The waiter came thrice and asked them if they were intending to have anything else. The first two times, subtly and then almost asking them to get the hell out of there! When will they understand this is not a place to be lost among themselves and whisper sweet nothings. This is SBH People!. Have your Idli and VANISH!

So getting back to our question, it seems if the product is exceedingly good, people are willing to compromise on the experience part.

Arun Babu

Rail Diaries#1 - The Blue Malabar Wagons : Blog # 35

Rail Diaries#1 - The Blue Malabar Wagons

       7:00 pm, Sunday, 24^th June, Onboard Aleppey Express: I  am on the first of many many Chennai trips to come, my office being at Mahindra city (a planet far far away from Chennai ;) ). Having recuperated from a small bike accident for a week at home, I am going to be back at work tomorrow morning.

         I find train journeys reasonably boring. At Palghat station, I got down for a cup of tea and to take a stroll. Blowing in to my cup of tea, I looked across and there is parked, the all too familiar blue wagons of Malabar Cements Ltd (MCL) and it got me thinking.

            A quick flash back to our engineering days; the reason being a couple of my close friends had done their final year engineering project at MCL. Out of sheer curiosity, I had set out on a journey to MCL with them when they went to collect their certificates from there. Seated on the concrete slabs, I remember staring at these wagons back then from the very same platform. I distinctly remember us collectively fretting about placements. But we were moderately confident and hopeful. Later on, some of us joined some IT firms and the rest including me set out to Bombay in search of a job. Luckily, all of us landed jobs and is now spread across India.

           After a year at Bombay, I resigned from RIL and came to do MBA and thus began the train journeys to and from ASB, Coimbatore. Boy, those were fun! Even then I remember noticing these blue wagons. I used to give some gyaan to anyone who cared to listen as to how they belong to MCL and how it might be on lease from railways and so on, usually that person being Vivek. Many a time when I repeated the same gyaan (which was more often than not) he shut me up too J .Even then, we used to wonder where we will be after the course ends. I guess the blue wagons just manifest themselves whenever I am in search of a job.

        And now, again on a Sunday night, I see the blue wagon J, enroute my office. I hope it’s not an omen of an impending search for a job! Given the market situations, you never know J. But being the wanna be optimist I am , I look at it as a sign of luck and as something which is going to bring me seasons of good times to be cherished.

 

                                                                                                   Arun Babu.

       

F.R.I.E.N.D.S, the Series : Blog # 34

       A blog on FRIENDS, the series           

   The title song of this stupendously successful sitcom brings a smile on my face, every single time. When it comes to TV shows, ‘Friends’ is the first word and the last. It is what they call a CLASSIC! This series was aired on the US Television and then the world over for 10 long years. What is more fascinating is the fact that it had the same star cast of 6 friends all through the 10 seasons.

           What I love about the show is the fact that it doesn’t have a story per se. It portrays the everyday lives of 6 friends (Chandler, Phoebe, Joey, Monica, Rachel & Ross) set against the back drop of a coffee shop. Even in the first episode, there was no narration involved. The show implored the audience to understand the story line over a period of time. This might be one of the many things that worked in its favour.

            There is something about it which makes it worth watching repeatedly without a pint of boredom. It is about friendship, love and family. It touches up on all the emotions without being preachy for even a second. I envy the scriptwriters. How abundantly talented people! Same goes for the cast. One cannot resist but fall in love with each one of them.

          The subtlety with which each episode is approached is praise worthy. There is no in the face messages or mushiness. It leaves a lot of room for the audiences’ imagination .It doesn’t confine the audience’s thought process neither does it consciously guide them.


            Yes, there is a certain degree of Idealism to it. The Friendships of the real world might not be as perfect or as hassle free. But Life is all about aspiring , isn't it? - for a better companionship, for a happier existence. 'FRIENDS' manifests as a small reason for us to look up to and to aspire.

         The 1990s were a dynamic phase in any part of the world with the advent of many inventions like the internet. Still the show never went out of vogue. I don’t think it ever will.

                                                                                                       Arun Babu.

Call of Duty! : Blog # 33

Call of Duty

      

                    When my sister and I were school goers, we used to stay at a rented house closer to her school. That home has many sweet memories and remain a favorite till date.

              One saturday morning, we had a visitor. I was in 8th grade then.Dad was on his 28days leave from Abudhabi. He used to work in off shore rig back then. I opened the door and saw a person in white shirt and black pants.What caught my eye was his golden framed spectacles. I closed the door half way and went back to dad telling him he has a visitor.Dad went to the door and ushered that person in. I heard him saying " My son don't know you.Sorry that he kept you waiting here.Please come inside."

                Then they discussed many things over a cup of tea. When he left, dad told me "You shouldn't have left him waiting at the door. He is a Bank manager".  From next time onwards, I made sure he was welcomed properly. He was a very unassuming , humble  person.

               Now I understand the relevance of his visiting us at home. It was in mid 1990s. He was a branch manager at SBT. The four lettered private banks were not as prolific back then. So a Bank manager had no need to visit a customer's house. 

               Over the years, he became a friend of dad's and Suresh uncle for us.He was given the charge of a branch in Ollur, a small town in Kerala. That branch was facing  shut down and he was in charge of bringing some business. Dad, being an NRI back then was a premium customer. At times, he went on to the extent of delivering cash at home when dad was away. ATMs were a rare sighting in those days.

               Dad says  Suresh uncle used to travel up and down to Trivandrum (6 hrs away from here) every weekend to meet his parents.He was working so hard and yet he had a wonderful work-life balance. He used to visit many of his customers at their office/home and saved the branch from closure . Later on , he got a transfer with a promotion. 

                Thinking about it now makes me realize he was a great manager indeed.

                                                                                                                                               Arun Babu.

Spirit of Life : Blog # 32

                         Spirit of Life

                 I believe the essence of Life lies in the smallest of things. Life fills up in a hearty laugh. A lover's stolen glance epitomizes life as does a friend's hug.

                

                 Life is the most giving in the wide open arms of our Grandparents. It wells up in mom's eyes and rests lightly on dad's shoulders. Life hides in your sibling's sulk :).

                  Life is as much there in your home's favorite corner as in the most sacred of the God's places. 

  

             Life sings from the notes of an impassioned melody.Life plays around in a good game.It manifests beautifully in a good film.  

          Life hides in the tears behind life’s little sorrows.Life spills over in the unspoken love of your pet.Life buoys up in a spirited person.

                Life is there at a dawn and a dusk and all the moments in between.

                                                                                                                                         Arun Babu.

7th Grader is not a Five point Someone! : Blog # 31

7^th Grader is not a Five point Someone

                After having a sumptuous lunch from Kris’ home, I headed for MCity in a taxi. I have always loved cabs. Have always had this feeling that taxis are so comfortable, with the chauffeur et al. When I was in Bombay, I used to wait for a cab to come along even if autos were there. For one, the local cabs (fiats) were cheap there and it gave that comfy - indulgent feel.

             Stuck in the traffic signal, he told his name is Ibrahim, from palghat in kerala. My mom is from Palghat and hence I have a liking towards people from there. The awareness he had about things that mattered amazed me. The only difference was that he did not use the jargons that we people do.

He was reminiscing about his middle east days. He used to own a taxi service in Saudi. He was employing 4 guys. He said his business did well. The roads there are great, so no maintenance for the cars. The petrol price was very less. He said “ I agree that Saudi has oil in the country and that is why the price is very less. But it is highly over priced in our country. It is all due to the taxes. That is why the price of every damn thing is going up. Politicians should do something about it”.

  Ibrahim ikka loves Kerala beyond anything. He said “Kerala is an amazing place to live, truly God’s own country. But there is minimal employment. That is why our youngsters are moving to middle east. We cannot blame our government completely. We do not have the kind of barren lands that a Karnataka or a Tamil nadu has.”. “But what about the IT sector ikka?” I probed. He said “Yes that can be done. All these companies should come there - Infosys, CTS, Ascendes (I thought he was referring to Accenture. But there is a company called Ascendes!)”.

     

             The music system started singing a beautiful song from the malayalam movie “Ee Puzhyum Kadannu”. He said “There is no one like Yesudas. What a talented singer! In my lonely gulf days, his voice brought me back to Kerala in a second. You know, I did not come back for 20 long years! Can you believe that? First five years, alone and then 15 years with family. If I had stayed on, I would have got Saudi citizen ship. I said no way! I will die in my country”.

            Then the conversation got candid. He said that he has studied only till 7^th grade. “My wife is also a graduate. During that time, many people made fun of me and asked my father in law not to go ahead with the marriage. If you ask me, it’s all in the head. It never stopped me from doing anything. I worked very hard and made sure all my children studied". His elder daughter is a graduate and married a software engineer in HCL. His younger daughter is pursuing PG in Chennai. His face lit up when he talked about them.   

            I thoroughly enjoyed the journey (all the while, he was driving above 100km/hr, but eyes firmly on the road) and the conversation. As I got down I gave some extra money rounding off the fare. He got offended “You think I talked to you for this?”. I insisted again. He said “ I will not accept any extra money from you.  Next time when you call our taxi service, ask for me  :)  , or for any help in Chennai for that matter.“

           

             And I thought education widens the horizons of people’s thought process!

                                                                                                                                Arun Babu.

Addicted! : Blog # 30

Addicted

Having got a weekend off from Infy guesthouse, I headed to my cousin’s place. After some chit chat, she asked me if I wanted tea. I said yes. Then a guest came and my sister asked if I want tea. I said yes. Then my brother in law came back from work. Again she asked and my answer was yet again, YES! She laughed and said “You and your bro in law are mad about tea. He too never says no to tea J.”

What is it with me and Tea???There is a morning tea. There is a tea during breakfast. There is a 4 o clock tea. These are routine.

When I was in college, I used to wake up at 6! – for the TEA! There was a tea during every break. At times, it became two. Then there is a tea at 7 in the evening to call it a day!

Now at work, there is a tea between training sessions. To make things worse, there is a tea set in the room! So it has become even more frequent. 

There was a move to make Tea the national drink. I am all for it. It gives me a legitimate reason to indulge in my favorite drink J

                                                                                                                                 Arun Babu

City of Good times! : Blog # 29

        City of Good times

                     It is so easy to fall in love with this city. Be it the weather, the cosmopolitan appeal, all add to its charm.

               Yes, it has its own misgivings – the traffic is horrible, connectivity is bad by any standards. But no city is perfect and attempts are being made to make it better. Given the unexpected explosive growth that this city underwent, it needs some time.

                I used to visit Bangalore during my vacations when I was in 12^th and early years of engineering. This is where I first went to a multiplex, I had my first Pizza and even to a McD! Once, I came to B'lore for my sis’ scholarship test. It was in  Leela kempinski. Since then, I am in awe of B'lore and all of its charms.

              Later on,I did my summer internship here. There are some wonderful memories from that time too.

                 

               I am in love with the red Volvo buses here. It is so plush! Some ad says “ Noises are to be seen, not heard”. These buses give you exactly that kind of comfort - of course, that comes with a price! :).

            The people of B’lore are also very welcoming – at least so far. Although the numerous fly overs are cutting across the city’s landscape, some areas have retained their lush green - garden city character.

                            

           B’lore is also home to some people whom I hold very close to heart – friends, relatives – across all demography :) .

          The commercial street, the MG road , the Brigade road, ISKCON temple, Lal Bagh – all of them define the city that is Bengaluru! My friend, Unni jokes Silk board Jn is the Trafalgar Square of B'lore! All it lacks is pigeons :).

 There is a very rare blend to this city. It is as much home to a Vidhana Soudha and a palace as it is to a Forum or a UB city.

          And for those, who love a lot of beer and a bit of music, there are the heavenly pubs. Many of those in the twilight of their lives have settled down to wake up to the beautiful mornings of this city.

                       There is something for everyone in B’lore.

Arun Babu

Keywords : Bangalore, City, Metro, India, Bengaluru