A few crores & less......

Many years ago, a twenty day holiday, to Punjab & Himachal Pradesh was capped by a visit to the Wagah Border. This is the place, where our border with Pakistan, stays open but guarded, in Punjab. We have the BSF in India and the the Pakistani Rangers on the other side.

The defining moment is the flag lowering ceremony on both sides, as the sun slips below the horizon to the West bringing on a sombre mood. Flags are lowered, simultaneously, with much aggression, watched on by cheering 'patriotic' citizens who shout their lungs out hoping their voice will be heard in Lahore and Amritsar. I was one of them.The ceremony brings you 'goose bumps' and your heart swells with pride.

Recently, the armed forces of both countries have decided to ditch the aggression and have low key programs. I agree with the sentiment though the ceremony provided much drama and excitement.

Was my voice heard in Lahore? I know not...........however I want my voice definitely heard in Delhi & Mumbai & Bengaluru! The latest scam, is the Adarsh housing scandal with even the CM of Maharashtra being part of the dirty deal. I'm not overtly concerned. Most politicians are corrupt and it is an evil that this country can't wish away in a hurry.What caused concern was that the Armed forces leadership was there too................for a flat on Napean Sea Road.Sea Facing!

The armed forces, a pillar of democracy in this country, is probably the last one worthy of respect, with the legislature, executive & judiciary being compromised time and again. Now the leadership in the armed forces are subject to finger pointing for a few crores.Is that the cost of this country? Is that the cost for selling ones soul? A few crores?

Please, let us have something that we can look up to................

Story of our time........

"To-day do I bake, to-morrow I brew,
The day after that the queen's child comes in;
And oh! I am glad that nobody knew
That the name I am called is Rumpelstiltskin!"

I have no idea, how many of you have read the Brothers Grimm, who about a couple of century's ago, went around Europe collecting stories and then published them.

Of the many stories that I read as a kid, Rumpelstiltskin, has the greatest recall. The name is striking and the characterization of the villain is brilliant.I was afraid, reading the name.The point is how simple it was in the days of yore. Good and evil clearly defined and the forces of evil once identified would be destroyed!The good would live happily ever after.

Cut to the present. The complexities are mind boggling!The good can be evil and vice versa......

The 'good' IT czar is suddenly found to have siphoned off crores of Rupees and short changed his innocent share holders, while the villainous mining Baron, donates a crown worth crores of Rupees to one of India's most famous shrines.

You suddenly find that your sporting icon, has been quietly cheating on his family on the side. Moral turpitude.

Lets go back to Rumpelstiltskin.........here is the caboodle:

A miller lies about the capabilities of his daughter to the king. She can spin gold out of straw ( done today as well, as you inflate your CV ). The daughter cannot deliver and to escape punishment, makes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin ( an evil dwarf ). The evil Rumpelstiltskin, keeps his side of the promise and delivers,but the young pretty girl, now a queen, uses her resources to dump Rumpelstiltskin, now that she is in a happy situation.The dwarf is banished for ever and the queen lives happily ever after.Who was the villan, the dwarf or the queen? Or was it the intent?

I guess the story is a reflection of our times. Many shades to a personality.Maybe a fairy tale, but for me a lesson in management.

As a kid, I cheered the story.I rejoiced at the young girl thwarting the goblin. Today, older and wiser, I'm not sure, mate.........complex, you bet!

A Wonderful Evening!

Saturday evening, saw our apartment complex in the throes of excitement, with a 'Navratri Night'.( belated ) The gig included Gujarati food & the 'Dandiya and Garba'. The event was sponsored by an MNC bank, so that we did not have to fork out too much of money.

I took at shot at the Dandiya and made a couple of sorties,sticks and all, before the cold looks that I got from the pretty girls on the circuit were too much to ignore and I sadly exited to try my luck with the 'Dhokla' and 'Thepla'.

While making my way to the food, I was accosted, by a reasonably portly gent, who apparently represented the sponsoring bank. My wariness turned to angst when he peered at me and called me Capt. Gopinath. I sternly told the bloke that I wasn't the famed ( Air Deccan ) Gopinath and he should step out of my way, pronto, while I twirled the Dandiya sticks, rather menacingly. The chap, once again called me Capt.Gopinath, but added that I had taught him HR. The penny dropped.....sure enough I had taught this guy during my early days at Alliance. The confounded confusion had lifted. For some reason both of us were very excited on discovering each other outside the class room.

The affable guy introduced me to some of his cronies as his 'Guru' and the affection was genuine. As we parted ways the cockles of my heart were truly warmed, on what I thought was a chilly night.

I guess it is a perk of being a teacher!The Gujju food was wonderful.A truly wonderful evening!

Money......one way or the other!

Labour peer Lord Swaraj Paul, was suspended from the House of Lords, in the United Kingdom, last week for allegedly cheating the taxpayer out of tens of thousands of pounds in wrongly claimed expenses. Apprently the Lord cannot be expelled!

It amazes me as to why somebody as rich as the peer would try to deprive the system of its due.What is even more amazing is that the British MP thought he could get away with a simplistic scam that he tried to pull off................

It was found that Swaraj Paul, a steel magnate and one of Britain's wealthiest men, lived in London but designated a one-bedroom flat in an Oxfordshire hotel that he owned as his main home.

The question is 'Are politicians the world over, no different from each other'?

On that note lets look at the business world:

On August 6, 2010, Mark Hurd resigned from all of his positions at HP, following discovery of inappropriate conduct in an investigation into a claim of sexual harassment made by former reality TV actress Jodie Fisher.The probe concluded that the company's sexual-harassment policy was not violated, but that its standards of business conduct were.Hurd said he "realized there were instances in which I did not live up to the standards and principles of trust, respect and integrity that I have espoused at HP" and added that he believed it would be "difficult to continue as an effective leader at HP." In exchange for releasing HP from future litigation, Hurd received $12.2 million in severance, plus vested options and restricted stock for an estimated total of $34.6 million.

What followed was even more bizarre!

Oracle Corporation CEO Larry Ellison, a close friend of Hurd who has also been the object of sexual harassment claims, sent an e-mail to the New York Times saying "the HP Board just made the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple Board fired Steve Jobs many years ago. That decision nearly destroyed Apple and would have if Steve hadn't come back and saved them. HP had a long list of failed CEOs until they hired Mark who has spent the last five years doing a brilliant job reviving HP to its former greatness".

The only sad conclusion that one may draw from these rather distasteful episodes are:

1. The richer you get the meaner you become.
2. The better you are at your job, there is a latitude for indiscretion, that mere mortals are not offered and you are entitled to believe that normal rules do not apply.To me it smells of 'megalomania'.
3. You swing along as long as you do not get caught.

At the end of the day, it is sad that many believe, that one can be dishonest, if you do not get caught and if you do then have friends or a system that can bail you out.

Honor & Ethics! You gotta be kidding......the buzz word are networking and money, any which way you can!

What the eye sees....

Just for a lark, this morning, I sent the picture of the aircraft carrier John F Kennedy, making port at Malta, to a few of my friends.........

The reaction was both interesting and immediate. Some said it was an awe inspiring picture, another said the ship had a peculiar shape and a third that the size was phenomenal. Interestingly, the first time, I saw the picture, my mind skipped the obvious and went straight to the plight of the Captain of this behemoth. He would have had his heart in his mouth, till the ship was safely secured at a jetty.Why did all of us perceive something different in a similar picture? My experience as a sea captain, and experience in similar situations, caused me to sympathize with the captain of the carrier.The others were not sea folk so saw something else.

The point I'm trying to make is that perception comes from our experiences and just as one object can give rise to multiple percepts, so an object may fail to give rise to any precept at all: if the precept has no grounding in a person's experience, the person may literally not perceive it.It is the reason why, experienced people are more perceptive and arguably better problem solvers. It would also follow that people who are more open to learning or experience have richer experiences and would be more valuable human resources, in most settings.

It is also important to realize that we have had diverse experiences in life, so our perception and following behavior can be very different. You can expect the unexpected!

It is something to think about!

Chance!

Have you ever experienced that sense of Deja vu, where you feel external events are in control of your destiny? Did you feel that decisions that you think you have made are nothing but the throw of a dice? Chance..........

The American War of Independence at its height saw a beleaguered General George Washington fighting for his and his fledgling army's survival. Shortly before the crucial Battle of Brandywine ( What a name? ), while patrolling a battle area, Washington,is said to have chanced upon, a British army Captain. The General, turned his back on the British officer and rode away. The captain was the famed Captain Ferguson, inventor of the Ferguson breech rifle, which was a quantum jump in fire power for those days.The young Captain, raised his rifle and sighted Washington. For some reason, he then lowered his rifle!Had Ferguson killed Washington, that fateful day, the war would have most certainly taken a different turn, as the Americans did not have another leader of the stature of the great General. Why did Ferguson not shoot? We have no answer. However in those fuzzy few moments, a single man's decision altered world history..........

Another good example, is that of the great Mughal emperor Akbar. Akbar was firmly under the thumb of his wet nurse Maham Anga, who from all accounts was an irascible bigot. Akbar could not shake her off as he felt obligated, till her son, Adham Khan, in a drunken fit murdered one of Akbars ministers.The Mughal took an on the spot decision to execute Adham Khan, which in turn sent Maham Anga into retirement, allowing Akbar to be a more benevolent ruler and consolidating his kingdom.History changed course in about an hour. Contrast this with his great grandson Aurangzeb who was a bigot and set in motion, the decline of the great Mughals. Had Adham Khan not got drunk.........

Hitler had Europe beaten. In Asia, Japan was coiled to strike. A single German division under Erwin Rommel, had scattered the British in Africa, threatening the Suez Canal in Egypt. Iraq was lost, cutting off the land route for the Brits to India and then Hitler invaded Russia. The single decision cost Germany the war. Why did Hitler take that decision?

Random decisions, making history, that's what makes life interesting...........the throw of dice. Chance!

A Wolf in Sheeps Clothing!

Enemies come in many shapes, sizes and colors...................

A few years ago, the maquiladora industry in Mexico was thought to be the succor of rising unemployment in Mexico. The industry, established along the US- Mexico border, provided cheap goods, manufactured in Mexico and sold in the USA. Cheap labor in Mexico and devaluation of the Peso, aided this industry. It spun jobs for poor Mexicans and was talked about in glowing terms till the skeletons, literally tumbled out of the cupboard, even while providing cheap goods for rich Americans.

The workers, mostly women were, severely exploited, many sexually and poorly paid, with harsh punishment if they dared to buck a rotten system.Murder and rape were common. The Maquilodora industry was sanctioned by NAFTA ( North American Free Trade Agreement ) and signatories to the agreement were forced to closely look at this soul less industry and come up with remedial measures.......

They say history repeats itself and it has in Tirpur, in Tamil Nadu.The textile industry in Tirpur was expected to have brought cheer to thousands of poor women from the region, even so far as to aid them in marriage. Recent studies, have indicated this to be hogwash..............with horror stories of ruthless exploitation and harassment by unscrupulous owners.Many women were apparently paid @ Rs 25 a day, with promise to assist them in marriage later.The aid would have come after three years of abysmal pay. The modus operandi followed to deny the poor workers their due was to sack them just before the three year tenure ended.

What a tragedy, in a state, that prides itself on social progress and a government with a pro poor mandate, handing out TV sets, come elections.. Eventually the greatest enemy is one that is a wolf masquerading in sheeps clothing!

As for the poor workers of Tirpur, they await freedom!

Whistles and Blowers!

This morning, while on the tread mill I struck up a rather interesting conversation with a friend who lives in my apartment complex. The guy has worked with a couple of large IT firms in Bengaluru, one Indian and the other an MNC.
The chat was about the efficacy of policies and procedures in an organization and the level of implementation.( look at my level of commitment, talking shop even at the gym,hahaha) A case in point is the –Whistle Blowers Policy. Most large organization worth their salt has such a policy in place. However post the Satyam scandal; there has not been a single incident, in India, where the whistle has been blown on corrupt workplace practice. Can you believe that in a system as corrupt as ours, there would not be workplace practices worth looking at closely and reporting? Or is it the repercussions of reporting, wrongdoing? The fear?
With sweat trickling down our sides, we moved on to the Performance Appraisal system, in these organizations. On paper the process looks watertight. Three sixty degree feedback, an allowance to challenge your boss, if you do not like what he/she has said about you. However, how often do you find somebody challenging their boss? The answer is –zilch! Does this mean that all appraisals are correct and above board? You’ve got to be kidding to believe that!
I strongly believe that if you have got policies in place and the outcome appears to be too good to be true, then it is exactly that- cooked up results. This is where the top management ought to step in, support the system and closely look at the efficacy of policies that they have formulated and put in place.
The PA system in wrong hands can play havoc, with careers and can be used to elicit all sorts of favors, from people afraid for their jobs. The possibilities are frightening. It is also possibly the reason, why workplace relationships have become transactional and devoid of trust.
Many years ago, when a very senior IT professional, from Infosys, was under a cloud for sexual harassment, the then CEO , NRN, did not bat an eyelid in jettisoning the man, though grapevine said that the accused man was Narayanmurthy’s protege! Zero tolerance- there you have it. It is little wonder, why Infosys, is where it is.
After huffing, puffing and talking for about forty minutes, my friend and I parted ways, he to navigate the mind boggling terrain on the Kanakapura Road, which now resembles a lunar landscape and me to set course for Anekal. On the way home, I bumped into Raju, the security guy, from Nepal. A sprightly young fellow, I like him. Raju was testing out a shiny new whistle and looked satisfied with the ear splitting sound it emitted. In a grey world I’m glad somebody blows a whistle once in a way, somewhere, sometime and feels happy!

Of Shit and Dixit!

Driving out early this morning, with my family to have breakfast at the popular restaurant, 'Mayyas' in Jayanagar, I had to stop as the road was blocked by a group of school kids on a road cleaning drive. As I waited, for the road to clear, I over heard one kid telling another one, while pointing at me, what a beautiful car, the 'Shitty' was.I was nonplussed and angry momentarily, till it hit me. Obviously the kid was referring to my 'Honda City', which is a beautiful car. The City was Shitty to him........

If 'City' can be 'Shitty', can 'Dixit' be 'Dickshit' as called by a New Zealand, TV anchor, on a recent morning show. If you thought it was a fauxpax you would be very wrong, because the anchor, kept repeating his statement, and chortling even as his co anchors desperately tried to correct him. The guy just could not be shut up! He was talking about the Chief Minister of Delhi, Shiela Dixit, no less and getting a kick by deliberately mispronouncing her name!

India has reacted with suitable outrage and has asked New Zealand to talk effective and demonstrable action, against the anchor. Is it going to happen? I doubt, because the anchor, is going to hide behind what is called, 'freedom of speech', in a country far removed from India. To me, the guy is the classical bully- small, a loser, and a bully to boot, who hides behind, a system to attack people who he thinks will either ignore him or not respond, while he gets his high by making his cronies laugh and he keeps his self esteem from dropping further.

I was a little perturbed by the importance India gave the incident, but I guess the best way to tackle bullies to get them , into the spotlight and ruthlessly expose their charade, which has happened.

As for Mayyas, the 'Masala Dosa', in today's parlance was an awesome experience!

The Rough and Tumble!

India's one wicket win over Australia, at Mohali, has warmed the cockles of many an Indian heart. As for me, I'm delighted, particularly, with Ricky Ponting, having to eat 'crow'.Poor Ponting, for all his cricketing skills, has always come off as a person with a perpetual bee in his bonnet.

My first sight of the man, was, when he burst on to the international scene, vaguely resembling, the Hollywood star, Tim Robbins and in possession of the best cover drive that I've seen to date, Tendulakars included. During that series, Ponting was hit on the head by a screaming bouncer, from Bengaluru boy, Srinath.Ponting was floored. ( Srinath, apparently, is the fastest bowler, that India has produced, to date- this for ignoramuses who think vegetarians cannot be quick bowlers )Srinath, trotted up to a shaken Ponting and sheepishly enquired about his health. The response was, straight from the hip- "#### Off', from an incensed Ponting. Srinath was even more sheepish as he walked back for the next ball, head bowed. Cut to the present- Ponting got into a spat with yet another quickie, at Mohali, Zaheer Khan. There was nothing sheepish about Zaheer and his demeanour. He let Ponting have it, leaving Ponting looking disoriented and at a loss for words.Probably Ricky lost concentration for a while as well. The boot was firmly on the other foot!

India has always been, known for its gentleman sports people. Vijay Amritaj, Wilson Jones, Prakash Padukone and even Dravid and Tendulkar, who ignored brats, like Jimmy Connors or Ponting on the field.However I like people like Zaheer & Harbhajan Singh who return the complements and are up to a an old fashioned brawl.It puts things in pesrpective.

Psychologically, the team has turned a corner. We are not intimidated, before the match starts and are up to the rough and tumble of mind games.Does this reflect in our national psyche- Yes I think it does and I'm glad!

Live & fight another day!

Having time to spare over a long weekend, I watched Kathryn Bigelows 'Hurt Locker', once again and noticed a few nuances that I had missed earlier.The dark underbelly of battle is there to see but one gets to watch the how war touches the everyday lives of people in its perimeter and by default those connected to the front line actors.

Staff Sgt.William James, is a man possessed with a passion for his job, that can best be described as dedication beyond the call of duty, but does that entail or give him the right to disregard safety protocol of his bomb squad and endanger his team? Does it give him the right to distance himself from his family back home.
The movie is a managers delight because it brings in management facets that occur on a regular basis at the workplace.

It is interesting that in high risk jobs, such as being part of a bomb disposal unit, you need people who have a strong conscientious streak in their personality, rather than gung ho cowboys who place, their fellow workers at risk while pursuing personal agendas on the field of Battle.A poignant moment is when he places his team in danger and then risks his life to rescue a captured soldier. Brilliant!

Good organizations select people on attitude, a throw off from their intrinsic personality.People believe that you can teach employees most things if they have the chutzpah and the right attitude.

As William James spends more time on the job, his recklessness grows and he finds that he does not have a life without his profession.On returning home, the mundane jobs, that he does comes as a culture shock and his now 'divorced' wife is not interested in his exploits in Iraq. A classic expatriates tale of woe!

It also brings home the point that high pressure jobs not only lead to burnout but also lend a touch of insanity, which may pass off as skill and bravado.

The irony of the tale, for me, is that Jame's predecessor, who is killed in action, is the epitome of safety and a great team person, while James the quintessential cowboy lives to tell his tale. Napoleon the French emperor is once said to have said ' I don't need good generals, I want lucky ones!'

I can live with that!It is that luck which gives you that second chance to live and fight another day.........

Of one project and the next!

One story is set to go on line as another dies.Orissa, one of India's, least developed states, has seen a flurry of infrastructure projects over the last few years as the state attempts to play catch up, with the rest of India.Not without controversy, of course.

Dhamra, slated to be one of India's deepest ports is all set to go on stream in the near future. The port can take ships which have a draft of 18 meters which is pretty awesome when you compare it with Kolkata, which can accomodate craft of about 9-10 meters.

The port jointly developed by Tata Steel and L&T, has remained on course for completion despite, a few hiccups created by Greenpeace. The environmental activists alleged that the marine activity in the area was destroying marine line, particularly, Olive Ridley Turtles. Charges and counter charges were hurled, maps were bandied about,marine biologists brought on board and the project stayed on course.............One of the fall outs of the project on the positive side has been improved health care, education and housing, for people in the area.

Cut to the absolute present. Vedanta, the mining major, has not been so lucky. Their operation off the Niyamgiri hills, was stalled by the Environment Ministry.The repercussions were immediate. Vedanta terminated, contracts given to L&T, which laid off 5000 contract labor, who straight away went on the rampage and destroyed property. This was just the beginning. What about development, for the apparently very poor tribals, in the area? No schools, no health care and no chance for an easier life.Youngsters in the area are dreadfully disappointed, because they saw, Vedanta, as a way out of dreadful poverty.

We are not able to get development to remote areas, for reasons which range from the environment to poor governance, to apathy and when folk drift to urban cities, everybody moans, at the pressure that they put on a cities infrastructure. In recent times the Shiv Sena's angst about 'outsiders' flooding Mumbai, is a case in point.States 'exporting' poorly skilled labor, are a cause for concern, for this country.Development has costs and the fine balance is to be struck by those who govern us.

As for Dhamra, I'm looking forward to visiting, the port, some day and Niyamgiri the workers who lost their lively hood!