What do I dread most about my job? Well, having lunch in the cafeteria....umm.. a close second; buddy... The biggest fear factor is the N number of meetings we have throughout the week to discuss mundane things with an aimless agenda and even more clueless people..
The only constant is the 100% attendance registered at such events; be it a team meeting or focus group discussion or all hands meet or corporate get-together. Various events have different kinds of incentives attached to them and depending on an individual's aim in life.... he/she would shine through these with mind-numbing expertise.
So you would always find " I am born to lead this planet against aliens" guy in a all-hands meet or a " I ate the complete Encyclopedia on coding standards for lunch" guy in all your client interactions. The most obnoxious brethren of this art of "Meetings Visibility" would generally end up being omnipresent at all, they would generally be relegated to the bench and disliked by one and all at work.
The creepy fact is the real ideas or agendas that spark off the meeting is generally always forgotten irrespective of the criticality of the issue and the only constant you take home from most meetings would be strategic info about the weather in some remote geographical locations...
What do i do in my meetings, you ask.......
Well; what else... We all catch up on our sleep which was never completed thanks to the friends meeting at dinner table to discuss the uselessness of all these corporate meets...
Friday, April 28, 2006
Who really died???..part 2
Wednesday refused to pass away without disturbing us further. Thankfully, all 15 of me and my room-mates got back home in good time, unfazed by the disharmony that had erupted. TV was our only mirror to the goriness engulfing the end of an era...
Somehow, we managed to cook a decent dal-rice meal for us with the supplies available and went off to sleep hoping for a better day on this uncalled, unprecedented holiday... Thursday dawned like any other except for the fact that it was different... Though things seemed the same; there was an unspoken unease in everything... Shops hadnt opened even at 8am and it seemed unlikely that life on the roads would spring up. To add to this conundrum, everyone was home looking a lil dull and weary of what might follow...
TV was switched on and the only thing staring back was darkness ... Cable had been cut off and only news channels were open. Incidents of mob violence were reported with alarming regularity and the circus engulfing the legend was a scary sight...
It was clear that the day was one for the black books and only sadness would prevail in the end... Mob violence was gonna turn ugly; that 6 people including a cop would die cos of this was out of anyone's imagination. That people would go without food for the whole day was assumed to b as true as Newton's laws of gravity. That the dead and gloom would make life a misery was now etched out...
We...... all 15 of the flat mates..... finally realized... Rajkumar hadnt died himself... He was taking a part of Kannada heritage with himself.... The death of a civilized society plastered across our souls by the unabashed mortification of goriness was shuddering our beliefs to the deepest cores...
The news that was gonna linger in our minds was : " SIX PEOPLE DEAD. MOB FURY TAKES AN UGLY TURN IN BANGALORE. RAJKUMAR'S SOUL RESTS IN PEACE.. ." The CITY doesn't.....
Somehow, we managed to cook a decent dal-rice meal for us with the supplies available and went off to sleep hoping for a better day on this uncalled, unprecedented holiday... Thursday dawned like any other except for the fact that it was different... Though things seemed the same; there was an unspoken unease in everything... Shops hadnt opened even at 8am and it seemed unlikely that life on the roads would spring up. To add to this conundrum, everyone was home looking a lil dull and weary of what might follow...
TV was switched on and the only thing staring back was darkness ... Cable had been cut off and only news channels were open. Incidents of mob violence were reported with alarming regularity and the circus engulfing the legend was a scary sight...
It was clear that the day was one for the black books and only sadness would prevail in the end... Mob violence was gonna turn ugly; that 6 people including a cop would die cos of this was out of anyone's imagination. That people would go without food for the whole day was assumed to b as true as Newton's laws of gravity. That the dead and gloom would make life a misery was now etched out...
We...... all 15 of the flat mates..... finally realized... Rajkumar hadnt died himself... He was taking a part of Kannada heritage with himself.... The death of a civilized society plastered across our souls by the unabashed mortification of goriness was shuddering our beliefs to the deepest cores...
The news that was gonna linger in our minds was : " SIX PEOPLE DEAD. MOB FURY TAKES AN UGLY TURN IN BANGALORE. RAJKUMAR'S SOUL RESTS IN PEACE.. ." The CITY doesn't.....
Friday, April 21, 2006
Who really died???..... Part 1
RAJKUMAR dead............ As news started trickling in last Wednesday, many of my Kannadiga friends went white in the face... Soon reports started pouring tat stray incidents of violence have erupted and mob-fury was evidenced in places around town. We, outsiders, were in our own merry world oblivious to anything wrong with the world...That is when it happened.. Offices across Bangalore got mailers from security personnel stating that the city is tense and its better to move out ASAP... Followin this was another mail askin employees to take a day off the next day...
Managers added to the confusion asking us to stop work and pack up for the day... ME and my friend very unwillingly packed up and came out cursing the hot sun and humid air along with this sudden change in situation... This is when it struck me... An icon had passed away... There was a sea of people at bus stops and rickshaw queues waiting to get home as quikly as they cud. Every1 anticipated trouble to erupt in various parts of town....
Luckless that we were; I suggested that we start walking home; a good 8 kms... My friend realized there was no other way we could make it and unwillingly dragged his feet on.. Roads were quiet and an eerie atmosphere prevailed even at 4 pm.... the bright sunshine did nothing to eradicate the gloom that had set in... The city resembled those "Spot the difference" pictures where everythin seems the same but still you know sumthings amiss....
After walking 2 kms, GOD seemingly smiled on us and we caught hold of a bus at a signal... though, it didnt go all the way we were sure to reach safer parts of town in this... As i climbed in, I was flooded with calls from my PG buddies beggin me to get home as soon as I could... Neighboring areas had been privy to little violence and it wasnt safe to stay out...
In the bus, my mind was wandering again and again to this one thought... If Death is so hurtful to legions of fans of a star... shouldnt they be sensitive not to hurt others???
How can someone who has lost someone special be inclined to inflict hurt and cause grief to others of the same kind??? Has evolution betrayed us in this aspect of growth????
Managers added to the confusion asking us to stop work and pack up for the day... ME and my friend very unwillingly packed up and came out cursing the hot sun and humid air along with this sudden change in situation... This is when it struck me... An icon had passed away... There was a sea of people at bus stops and rickshaw queues waiting to get home as quikly as they cud. Every1 anticipated trouble to erupt in various parts of town....
Luckless that we were; I suggested that we start walking home; a good 8 kms... My friend realized there was no other way we could make it and unwillingly dragged his feet on.. Roads were quiet and an eerie atmosphere prevailed even at 4 pm.... the bright sunshine did nothing to eradicate the gloom that had set in... The city resembled those "Spot the difference" pictures where everythin seems the same but still you know sumthings amiss....
After walking 2 kms, GOD seemingly smiled on us and we caught hold of a bus at a signal... though, it didnt go all the way we were sure to reach safer parts of town in this... As i climbed in, I was flooded with calls from my PG buddies beggin me to get home as soon as I could... Neighboring areas had been privy to little violence and it wasnt safe to stay out...
In the bus, my mind was wandering again and again to this one thought... If Death is so hurtful to legions of fans of a star... shouldnt they be sensitive not to hurt others???
How can someone who has lost someone special be inclined to inflict hurt and cause grief to others of the same kind??? Has evolution betrayed us in this aspect of growth????
Understanding books...
Whenever I read profiles of people, one hobby or interest prominently stands out...
Reading--- evryone reads... got me thinking a bit.... most of my friends are literate enough to read and educated enough to understand what they were reading. We all read numerous books to get through our graduations. Some are prescribed text-books while some are axillary, ancillary reads... When does this enforced readin transcend over to reading stuff of our own free will and making a choice about it?
I guess it starts off right at the beginning... from when we choose the book with the better pictures or bigger alphabets or musical pages... As we grow up the taste refines and segregates into much finer aspects of liking depending on your views, idelogies and the whole nine yards...
What you read is influenced by a whole essay of reasons.. ur friends and what they read, the books your parents dig into, the magazines and news papers your household has subscribed to, books recommeded by teachers, stuff lying ard at home, books available at the library, successful movies inspired from some novels, short stories to while away your time and smaller novels to tide away the holidays... the list keeps increasing as your scope and spectrum widens..
As I look back I understand the connection... If I understand the books you read; I would be very close to understanding the person your are....
Reading--- evryone reads... got me thinking a bit.... most of my friends are literate enough to read and educated enough to understand what they were reading. We all read numerous books to get through our graduations. Some are prescribed text-books while some are axillary, ancillary reads... When does this enforced readin transcend over to reading stuff of our own free will and making a choice about it?
I guess it starts off right at the beginning... from when we choose the book with the better pictures or bigger alphabets or musical pages... As we grow up the taste refines and segregates into much finer aspects of liking depending on your views, idelogies and the whole nine yards...
What you read is influenced by a whole essay of reasons.. ur friends and what they read, the books your parents dig into, the magazines and news papers your household has subscribed to, books recommeded by teachers, stuff lying ard at home, books available at the library, successful movies inspired from some novels, short stories to while away your time and smaller novels to tide away the holidays... the list keeps increasing as your scope and spectrum widens..
As I look back I understand the connection... If I understand the books you read; I would be very close to understanding the person your are....
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
As life passes me by...
Most days of our lives start the very same way that the rest of it has; and yet, somewhere.. deep down...one gets this feeling that today aint like those "Any other day". As I woke up today, everything seemed to be in its place yet I felt a strange pull. Things were in their usual place and chores were taking place with their mundane certainity. But I had a premonition that the day wudnt pass me by without a few twists.
It wasnt as if the signs werent there. The water hadnt heated up and one had to make due to with a few splashes of cold, torturous water over the body. I had missed my regular bus and the next one wasnt due for another half hour. I was unprepared for the meeting and suddenly I got the eerie feeling that it would be a while before I was gonna be done with it.
With all these forebearings, I started my laptop... Strangely, nothing unusual happenings took place... Was it my imagination? Why was I doing this make-believe stuff when all was really very normal... Maybe the work pressures making me a bit paranoid.. I assured my self and logged into my messenger...
This is when it happened... My best friend( in our group of 5) pinged me... a bit mad at me for not tryin to keep in touch... Only yesterday had I come back after meeting one more from the group. I had called one more staying in some obscure part of India and gotten to know abt his well being.... Even the last one; I had tried to hunt him down after he had gone missin in his job in the US as being some secret CIA agent... But my best buddy.. well HIM.. I had totally forgotten..
Now it all came back to me. The signs were there. Only I was too myoscopic to see rason behind them... Life was passing me by... I was losing track of my footsteps in my search for bigger, better lifestyle and the shadow was covering not just my eyes but my mind too... The warmth of the money was developing me into a heartless, cold-shouldered individual whose only friends were soon gonna b his own idiosyncracies and haugtiness.
But then, I do ask you.... Isnt this true in some ways for all of us? Arent we all being slightly sidetracked from our paths blinded by this quest for personal glory? Is the price worth paying?
What is the sum-total of these Individualistic lifestyles we are constantly seekin to imbibe?
Should we just let LIFE pass US by......
It wasnt as if the signs werent there. The water hadnt heated up and one had to make due to with a few splashes of cold, torturous water over the body. I had missed my regular bus and the next one wasnt due for another half hour. I was unprepared for the meeting and suddenly I got the eerie feeling that it would be a while before I was gonna be done with it.
With all these forebearings, I started my laptop... Strangely, nothing unusual happenings took place... Was it my imagination? Why was I doing this make-believe stuff when all was really very normal... Maybe the work pressures making me a bit paranoid.. I assured my self and logged into my messenger...
This is when it happened... My best friend( in our group of 5) pinged me... a bit mad at me for not tryin to keep in touch... Only yesterday had I come back after meeting one more from the group. I had called one more staying in some obscure part of India and gotten to know abt his well being.... Even the last one; I had tried to hunt him down after he had gone missin in his job in the US as being some secret CIA agent... But my best buddy.. well HIM.. I had totally forgotten..
Now it all came back to me. The signs were there. Only I was too myoscopic to see rason behind them... Life was passing me by... I was losing track of my footsteps in my search for bigger, better lifestyle and the shadow was covering not just my eyes but my mind too... The warmth of the money was developing me into a heartless, cold-shouldered individual whose only friends were soon gonna b his own idiosyncracies and haugtiness.
But then, I do ask you.... Isnt this true in some ways for all of us? Arent we all being slightly sidetracked from our paths blinded by this quest for personal glory? Is the price worth paying?
What is the sum-total of these Individualistic lifestyles we are constantly seekin to imbibe?
Should we just let LIFE pass US by......
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Nightmare for personal info security.....
To what extent are we vulnerable to becoming the next harassment victims to these N number of callers who want you to apply for their credit cards cos its free for a lifetime? Are we really living in a free country where evry minute detail of yours is already sifting through multiple hands with yourself not even being aware of all the pertinent dangers attached to it....??
This awareness struck with the force of lightning wave the other day when my sweet Saturday rendevouz with sleep was disturbed by the constant flurry of beeps from my Mobile indicating that I have received some 8 SMS's. My initial reaction was ... WOW... this must be some festival or something akin to that. Saying so, I rubbed my eyes and unlocked the unsuspecting message box... Imagine my horror when I saw that a random number had messaged me all these times...
I first thot that this has to be a Aprils fool prank from some friend intent on harassing me and decided to doze off to glory...Even before I could turn my blanket over, propped in message number 9 and sorry to say, when I opened them I was nowhere close to Cloud# 9.... all messages had the same typical message body requestin me to apply urgently to avail of free credit cards and call SHIVA for further details...
Disturbed I woke up and enquired of my friends if sumone had reffered me. NO was the unanimous reply. I hadnt even thought of applying for this card... The bank who was supposedly offering me this card was one I didnt even have an account with... In fact none in my family/friends/ professional circle had any links to this venture...
On returning the message with a curt NO i was subjected to 3 more of the same variety. The only question rattling me was, " Is my personal info so easily accesible to such random people that my whole identity might be taken away?" Am I and my life so unaccountably vain that various databases have shared the info like some hot gossip... Is this happening only to me or is everybody caught up in this trap... Has personal identification theft spread so far as to categorize it as a punishable offence or do we need some people to lose their complete life and its belongings before we smarten up...
Whats the end of this all??? Do they know only my tangible secrets or they know my complete life and history or worse still.. do they know my future too...??? What wud trigger some sort of protection against this blashphemy???
I plan to resort to the Consumer protection act to help me here; but is it real worth the trouble or a mere eye-wash? I dont know but neither do I have many options either. As Gandhiji has said, suffering thru injustice is a bigger crime than commiting injustice.... I have decided to fight against this dastardly methods of business propogation. I hope you too, God forbid, if the time ever comes.....
This awareness struck with the force of lightning wave the other day when my sweet Saturday rendevouz with sleep was disturbed by the constant flurry of beeps from my Mobile indicating that I have received some 8 SMS's. My initial reaction was ... WOW... this must be some festival or something akin to that. Saying so, I rubbed my eyes and unlocked the unsuspecting message box... Imagine my horror when I saw that a random number had messaged me all these times...
I first thot that this has to be a Aprils fool prank from some friend intent on harassing me and decided to doze off to glory...Even before I could turn my blanket over, propped in message number 9 and sorry to say, when I opened them I was nowhere close to Cloud# 9.... all messages had the same typical message body requestin me to apply urgently to avail of free credit cards and call SHIVA for further details...
Disturbed I woke up and enquired of my friends if sumone had reffered me. NO was the unanimous reply. I hadnt even thought of applying for this card... The bank who was supposedly offering me this card was one I didnt even have an account with... In fact none in my family/friends/ professional circle had any links to this venture...
On returning the message with a curt NO i was subjected to 3 more of the same variety. The only question rattling me was, " Is my personal info so easily accesible to such random people that my whole identity might be taken away?" Am I and my life so unaccountably vain that various databases have shared the info like some hot gossip... Is this happening only to me or is everybody caught up in this trap... Has personal identification theft spread so far as to categorize it as a punishable offence or do we need some people to lose their complete life and its belongings before we smarten up...
Whats the end of this all??? Do they know only my tangible secrets or they know my complete life and history or worse still.. do they know my future too...??? What wud trigger some sort of protection against this blashphemy???
I plan to resort to the Consumer protection act to help me here; but is it real worth the trouble or a mere eye-wash? I dont know but neither do I have many options either. As Gandhiji has said, suffering thru injustice is a bigger crime than commiting injustice.... I have decided to fight against this dastardly methods of business propogation. I hope you too, God forbid, if the time ever comes.....
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