-Akshay Ranganath
The other day, we (wife and myself) were travelling from Bangalore to Mysore by train. It was a typical weekend morning journey - train overflowing, children bawling and grown-ups yawning. However, there was this one uncle who was way too excited to do any of the above. And so he was chatting away with a (poor??) co-passenger.
So, this uncle's son was in training at Infosys, Mysore. He had got placed at Infy and been called for training at the 'five-star' office at Mysore. He'd invited his parents to visit him since his training was about to end.
However, the funny thing was the way uncle was discussing about IT. The co-passenger (CP), it turned out was a non-IT types and so, the conversation was quite interesting...
Uncle: These IT people no - they have no sense of time. My son was telling me that once training is over, he will be working any time.
CP: uh-oh
Uncle: My son is in some project it seems. All to do with retailers.
CP: I don't understand. What do IT people do with kirana stores?
Uncle: No. no. Not Indian kirana stores - it is the big foreign shops.
...
I could hardly suppress a laugh.
But, it was quite a touching scene. Regardless of the inaccuracy of project description in the IT services industry, what stood in my mind is the image of a proud father getting down with a small worn-out suitcase to meet his successful son who would earn more salary in a month at start than the father during his retirement.
Truly IT has changed us all.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Arranging Groom - How much is enough?
-Akshay Ranganath
So this is the story of greed. Or rather the limitless liking for money - and how indignified a person can get in his bottomless search for financial gratification.
A family friend of ours has a daughter for whom is looking for a match. The girl is a qualified doctor. The groom's family they'd gone to meet too were a family of doctors. Father - Head of Urology, Mother (late) - Gynecologist, daughter and son-in-law - doctors based in Australia. And the groom too had just completed his MD.
So when uncle met the groom's father things were went on very well. The son is quite intelligent, the home looks nice, parent looks quite civilized. Then started the marriage talks. The groom's father had over 100 acres of land in Belgam - and about 1 house each in 3 different cities of Karnataka. So, he'd accumulated enough money and property to last well past his lifetime, and mostly his son's lifetime as well. Or thereabouts, my uncle thought.
Then came the biggest shock. The HoD of college, practicing urologist asked uncle, "We'd like to buy a flat in Bangalore. Will you pay 50%?". My uncle was left 'flat' at this request and terminated the alliance. Looking at the background of the family, it is just incredible that the father even demanded a dowry.
What left me stumped is that all the education and the changes in India has still not made any mark on the mindset of people. Girls are still commodities. Dowry has to be taken since it is 'tradition'. No introspection is ever done on whether the request makes sense or sounds reasonable. Quite despicable indeed.
So this is the story of greed. Or rather the limitless liking for money - and how indignified a person can get in his bottomless search for financial gratification.
A family friend of ours has a daughter for whom is looking for a match. The girl is a qualified doctor. The groom's family they'd gone to meet too were a family of doctors. Father - Head of Urology, Mother (late) - Gynecologist, daughter and son-in-law - doctors based in Australia. And the groom too had just completed his MD.
So when uncle met the groom's father things were went on very well. The son is quite intelligent, the home looks nice, parent looks quite civilized. Then started the marriage talks. The groom's father had over 100 acres of land in Belgam - and about 1 house each in 3 different cities of Karnataka. So, he'd accumulated enough money and property to last well past his lifetime, and mostly his son's lifetime as well. Or thereabouts, my uncle thought.
Then came the biggest shock. The HoD of college, practicing urologist asked uncle, "We'd like to buy a flat in Bangalore. Will you pay 50%?". My uncle was left 'flat' at this request and terminated the alliance. Looking at the background of the family, it is just incredible that the father even demanded a dowry.
What left me stumped is that all the education and the changes in India has still not made any mark on the mindset of people. Girls are still commodities. Dowry has to be taken since it is 'tradition'. No introspection is ever done on whether the request makes sense or sounds reasonable. Quite despicable indeed.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Book Review: Two States by Chetan Bhagat
-Akshay Ranganath
Last week, I ordered the book "Two States" from Rediff Books. Amazingly swift, they delivered it to me in two days. And I managed to finish the book in about the same time :-)
This book, although a work of fiction is supposed to be partially true. The book explores the hypocrite behavior of Indians - our banal talk of "National Integration" and a racist attitude towards each other. All such serious matter explored and explained in a very humorous manner - in a love story. That in a nutshell is what this book is about.
From my perspective, it is a typical Chetan Bhaghat novel. It has the humor, the standard depressed soul who plans/is planning to commit suicide, lots of thought on sex and finally, a dig at the Indian culture and society. However, what I like in this book is the cultural aspect, especially, the North-South divide is so well written that it you can almost feel the characters come alive. For most part, you can visualize every one of the character as someone you know in your family.
The book quite very well raises interesting questions on the mindless belief in 'fair girls', 'purity before marriage', dowry, mutual distrust between cultures and the insensitive nature of our communication. For example, considering that all South Indians as dark and being in awe over a fair colored 'madrasi'.
Despite raising all such socially relevant questions, the book stays clear of becoming a book preaching anything and sticks to the narrative of how you manipulate around these prejudices to get what you want - to marry the one whom you truly like, and overcome the barriers imposed by the traditions and culture.
Its a very readable book - at just under 200 pages and costing just Rs 95, it is definitely worth a read.
Buy Book: India Only
Last week, I ordered the book "Two States" from Rediff Books. Amazingly swift, they delivered it to me in two days. And I managed to finish the book in about the same time :-)
This book, although a work of fiction is supposed to be partially true. The book explores the hypocrite behavior of Indians - our banal talk of "National Integration" and a racist attitude towards each other. All such serious matter explored and explained in a very humorous manner - in a love story. That in a nutshell is what this book is about.
From my perspective, it is a typical Chetan Bhaghat novel. It has the humor, the standard depressed soul who plans/is planning to commit suicide, lots of thought on sex and finally, a dig at the Indian culture and society. However, what I like in this book is the cultural aspect, especially, the North-South divide is so well written that it you can almost feel the characters come alive. For most part, you can visualize every one of the character as someone you know in your family.
The book quite very well raises interesting questions on the mindless belief in 'fair girls', 'purity before marriage', dowry, mutual distrust between cultures and the insensitive nature of our communication. For example, considering that all South Indians as dark and being in awe over a fair colored 'madrasi'.
Despite raising all such socially relevant questions, the book stays clear of becoming a book preaching anything and sticks to the narrative of how you manipulate around these prejudices to get what you want - to marry the one whom you truly like, and overcome the barriers imposed by the traditions and culture.
Its a very readable book - at just under 200 pages and costing just Rs 95, it is definitely worth a read.
Buy Book: India Only
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Quotes: A better India, A better Wolrd - N. R. Narayana Murthy
Some of the best quotes from N.R. Narayana Murthy's book, 'A better India, a better World':
Buy the book, India Only
I believe that the only unchanging attributes of a successful corporation will be openness to new ideas, meritocracy, speed, innovation and excellence in execution. (p19)
Self-esteem flourishes when discussions can be held in an environment of civility and courtesy to everybody. That is why we at Infosys believe in the adage, ‘You can disagree with me as long as you are not disagreeable’. (p20)
Meritocracy is not letting personal preferences or prejudices affect our evaluation of an individual’s performance. (p52).
Successful leadership today is about dealing with the contemporary and the future issues of development. It is not about fighting for relics, icons and ideas of the past. A nation is judged by its contemporary status and not by its past. A confident leader looking at what he/she can do in the future to better the lives of people rather in digging up the past. (p75)
A leader is first and last, a change agent. Progress is his agenda. His responsibility is to raise the aspirations of his people to make them more confident, energetic, enthusiastic, hopeful and determined to seek a glorious future for the community and for themselves. (p158)
As long as you constantly ask the questions, ‘Can we do things faster today than yesterday, last month, last quarter and last year?’, ‘Can we bring better ideas to the table today than yesterday, last month, last quarter and last year?’, ‘Can we execute those ideas with a better level of excellence and quality today than yesterday, last month, last quarter and last year?’, I believe you will create a learning organization and will succeed on a sustainable basis. I strongly believe that these attributes are extremely important for the enduring success of a corporation. (p164)
If the wealth of the world is equally divided among people throughout the world, there will, of course, be no rich people any more. But everybody will still be poor. You cannot distribute poverty. Socialists often forget that we have to first create wealth in order to distribute it. (p212)
Our success at Infosys depends on our ability to recognize, learn and assimilate changes quickly, and in bringing business value to our customers by leveraging the assimilated knowledge. Learnability is critical for us. We define learnability as the ability to extract generic inferences from specific instances and to use them in new, unstructured situations. (p233)
The biggest challenge for a knowledge creating company like Infosys is to recruit, enable, empower and retain the best and the brightest talent. We realized long ago that we had to make a compelling value proposition to our employees, much the same way as we did for our customers. (p253)
We have realized over the years that solution to most of our problems lie within ourselves. Rationalizing failure is simply a sign of weakness. The easiest way to escape from accountability is to blame reality. (p234)
The best form of leadership is leadership by example. In a knowledge company whose core competencies include human intellect and learning through a process of observation, data collection, analysis and conclusion, leaders will have to walk the talk. Any dissonance between rhetoric and action by leaders will hasten the loss of credibility. Leaders will do well to heed the words of Mahatma Gandhi who said, ‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world.’ (p234)
In a typical globalized corporation, product development takes place where human talent and innovation are best; production takes place in factories situated in countries where it is most cost-effective to produce; and sales take place in countries with high disposable incomes. (p248)
Buy the book, India Only
I believe that the only unchanging attributes of a successful corporation will be openness to new ideas, meritocracy, speed, innovation and excellence in execution. (p19)
Self-esteem flourishes when discussions can be held in an environment of civility and courtesy to everybody. That is why we at Infosys believe in the adage, ‘You can disagree with me as long as you are not disagreeable’. (p20)
Meritocracy is not letting personal preferences or prejudices affect our evaluation of an individual’s performance. (p52).
Successful leadership today is about dealing with the contemporary and the future issues of development. It is not about fighting for relics, icons and ideas of the past. A nation is judged by its contemporary status and not by its past. A confident leader looking at what he/she can do in the future to better the lives of people rather in digging up the past. (p75)
A leader is first and last, a change agent. Progress is his agenda. His responsibility is to raise the aspirations of his people to make them more confident, energetic, enthusiastic, hopeful and determined to seek a glorious future for the community and for themselves. (p158)
As long as you constantly ask the questions, ‘Can we do things faster today than yesterday, last month, last quarter and last year?’, ‘Can we bring better ideas to the table today than yesterday, last month, last quarter and last year?’, ‘Can we execute those ideas with a better level of excellence and quality today than yesterday, last month, last quarter and last year?’, I believe you will create a learning organization and will succeed on a sustainable basis. I strongly believe that these attributes are extremely important for the enduring success of a corporation. (p164)
If the wealth of the world is equally divided among people throughout the world, there will, of course, be no rich people any more. But everybody will still be poor. You cannot distribute poverty. Socialists often forget that we have to first create wealth in order to distribute it. (p212)
Our success at Infosys depends on our ability to recognize, learn and assimilate changes quickly, and in bringing business value to our customers by leveraging the assimilated knowledge. Learnability is critical for us. We define learnability as the ability to extract generic inferences from specific instances and to use them in new, unstructured situations. (p233)
The biggest challenge for a knowledge creating company like Infosys is to recruit, enable, empower and retain the best and the brightest talent. We realized long ago that we had to make a compelling value proposition to our employees, much the same way as we did for our customers. (p253)
We have realized over the years that solution to most of our problems lie within ourselves. Rationalizing failure is simply a sign of weakness. The easiest way to escape from accountability is to blame reality. (p234)
The best form of leadership is leadership by example. In a knowledge company whose core competencies include human intellect and learning through a process of observation, data collection, analysis and conclusion, leaders will have to walk the talk. Any dissonance between rhetoric and action by leaders will hasten the loss of credibility. Leaders will do well to heed the words of Mahatma Gandhi who said, ‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world.’ (p234)
In a typical globalized corporation, product development takes place where human talent and innovation are best; production takes place in factories situated in countries where it is most cost-effective to produce; and sales take place in countries with high disposable incomes. (p248)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Quotes: A Better India, A Better World - NR Narayana Murthy
- Akshay Ranganath
General Quotes
Valuable advice can sometimes crom from an unexpected source, and chance events can sometimes open new doors (p4)
'You cannot build reputation on what you are going to do', Henry Ford (p 32)
'science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind' Einstein (p 42)
'It is very easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities.' (p51)
'Some people have so much respect for their superiors that they have none left for themselves.' George Bernard Shah (p266)
We have realized over the years that solutions to most of our problems lie within ourselves. Rationalizing failure is simply a sign of weakness. The easiest way to escape from accountability is to blame reality. (p234)
If the wealth of the world is equally divided among people throughout the world, there will, of course, be no rich people any more. But everybody will still be poor. You cannot distribute poverty. Socialists often forget that we have to first create wealth in order to distribute it. (p212)
Issues with India
In France, everybody acted as if it was their job to discuss, debate and quickly act on improving public facilities. In India, we discuss, debate and behave as if the improvement of any public facility is not our task, and consequently, do not act at all. (p10)
Another bane of our thousant-year-long enslavement is apathy. The main reason why India is still very backward is our unwillingness to take proactive action even when the solution is staring at our face. We escape from the responsibility to solve our problems by blaming destiny. (p14)
Regarding constituents for success
Learning from experience .. can be complicated. It can be much more difficult to learn from success than from failure. If we fail, we think carefully about the precise cause. Success can indiscriminately reinforce all our proior actions. (p6)
..we need high aspirations. Aspirations energize us to overcome limitations posed by the context we are in. They engender and sustain hope, the main fuel for progress. (p12)
Objectivity & Discipline
Being professional and efective in our work helps us optimally utilize resources – human talent, raw materilas, domestic and foreign investment and infrastructure.. This is because a professional individual owes allegiance to his profession and not to any organization or person. Accordingly, he does not let personal relations interfere with his profesional dealings. He is fair and unbiased and starts every transaction on a zero base, without bringing in any baggage from prior transactions.. (p15)
..important aspect of professionalism is implementing meritocracy. Meritocracy is not letting personal influences or prejudices affect our evaluation of an individual's performance. (p52)
Discipline in thought & action: Discipline in thought is about objectivity, about using data and facts for arguments, and about supporting an idea purely based on merits. Discipline in action is about doing the right thing without being influenced by money, power or any form of self-interest. (p58)
I believe that the only unchaning attributes of a successful corporation will be openness to new ideas, meritocracy, speed, innovation and excellence in execution. (p19)
..'In God we trust, everone else must bring data to table'.. (p 15)
The most important attribute of a progressive society is respect for others who have accomplished more than they themselves have, and the willingness to learn from them. (p51)
Leadership
A leader is first and last a change agent. Progress is his agenda. His responsibility is to raise the aspirations of his people, to make them more confident, energetic, enthusiastic, hopeful and determined to seek a glorious future for the community and for themselves. (p158)
Demonstrate leadership by example. Most EE [Emerging Economies] have hierarchial culture. The best way to obtain compliance in such a context is through leadership by example. Demonstrate this through committment, hard work, simplicity and a focus on excellence. (p277)
Learning Organization
As long as you constantly ask the questions, 'Can we do things faster today than yesterday, last month, last quarter and last year?', 'Can we being better ideas to the table today than yesterday, last month, last quarter and last year?', and 'Can we execute those ideas with a better level of excellence and quality today than yesterday, last month, last quarter and last year?', I believe you will create a string learning organization and will succeed on a sustainable basis. I strongly believe those attributes are extremely important for enduring success of a corporation. (p164)
..Our success at Infosys depends on our ability to recognize, learn and assimilate .. changes quickly, and in bringing business value to our customers by leveraging the assimilated knowledge. Learnability is critical for us. We define learnability as the ability to extract generic inferences from specific instances and to use them in new, unstructured situations. (p233)
The biggest challenge for a knowledge company like Infosys is to recruit, enable, empower and retain the best and the brightest talent. We realized long ago that we had to make a compelling value proposition to our employees much the same way as we did to our customers. (p233)
In a knowledge company whose core competencies include human intellect and learning through a process of observation, data collection, analysis and conclusion, leaders have to walk the talk. Any dissonance between rhetoric and action by leaders will hasten the loss of credibility. (p234)
General Quotes
Valuable advice can sometimes crom from an unexpected source, and chance events can sometimes open new doors (p4)
'You cannot build reputation on what you are going to do', Henry Ford (p 32)
'science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind' Einstein (p 42)
'It is very easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities.' (p51)
'Some people have so much respect for their superiors that they have none left for themselves.' George Bernard Shah (p266)
We have realized over the years that solutions to most of our problems lie within ourselves. Rationalizing failure is simply a sign of weakness. The easiest way to escape from accountability is to blame reality. (p234)
If the wealth of the world is equally divided among people throughout the world, there will, of course, be no rich people any more. But everybody will still be poor. You cannot distribute poverty. Socialists often forget that we have to first create wealth in order to distribute it. (p212)
Issues with India
In France, everybody acted as if it was their job to discuss, debate and quickly act on improving public facilities. In India, we discuss, debate and behave as if the improvement of any public facility is not our task, and consequently, do not act at all. (p10)
Another bane of our thousant-year-long enslavement is apathy. The main reason why India is still very backward is our unwillingness to take proactive action even when the solution is staring at our face. We escape from the responsibility to solve our problems by blaming destiny. (p14)
Regarding constituents for success
Learning from experience .. can be complicated. It can be much more difficult to learn from success than from failure. If we fail, we think carefully about the precise cause. Success can indiscriminately reinforce all our proior actions. (p6)
..we need high aspirations. Aspirations energize us to overcome limitations posed by the context we are in. They engender and sustain hope, the main fuel for progress. (p12)
Objectivity & Discipline
Being professional and efective in our work helps us optimally utilize resources – human talent, raw materilas, domestic and foreign investment and infrastructure.. This is because a professional individual owes allegiance to his profession and not to any organization or person. Accordingly, he does not let personal relations interfere with his profesional dealings. He is fair and unbiased and starts every transaction on a zero base, without bringing in any baggage from prior transactions.. (p15)
..important aspect of professionalism is implementing meritocracy. Meritocracy is not letting personal influences or prejudices affect our evaluation of an individual's performance. (p52)
Discipline in thought & action: Discipline in thought is about objectivity, about using data and facts for arguments, and about supporting an idea purely based on merits. Discipline in action is about doing the right thing without being influenced by money, power or any form of self-interest. (p58)
I believe that the only unchaning attributes of a successful corporation will be openness to new ideas, meritocracy, speed, innovation and excellence in execution. (p19)
..'In God we trust, everone else must bring data to table'.. (p 15)
The most important attribute of a progressive society is respect for others who have accomplished more than they themselves have, and the willingness to learn from them. (p51)
Leadership
A leader is first and last a change agent. Progress is his agenda. His responsibility is to raise the aspirations of his people, to make them more confident, energetic, enthusiastic, hopeful and determined to seek a glorious future for the community and for themselves. (p158)
Demonstrate leadership by example. Most EE [Emerging Economies] have hierarchial culture. The best way to obtain compliance in such a context is through leadership by example. Demonstrate this through committment, hard work, simplicity and a focus on excellence. (p277)
Learning Organization
As long as you constantly ask the questions, 'Can we do things faster today than yesterday, last month, last quarter and last year?', 'Can we being better ideas to the table today than yesterday, last month, last quarter and last year?', and 'Can we execute those ideas with a better level of excellence and quality today than yesterday, last month, last quarter and last year?', I believe you will create a string learning organization and will succeed on a sustainable basis. I strongly believe those attributes are extremely important for enduring success of a corporation. (p164)
..Our success at Infosys depends on our ability to recognize, learn and assimilate .. changes quickly, and in bringing business value to our customers by leveraging the assimilated knowledge. Learnability is critical for us. We define learnability as the ability to extract generic inferences from specific instances and to use them in new, unstructured situations. (p233)
The biggest challenge for a knowledge company like Infosys is to recruit, enable, empower and retain the best and the brightest talent. We realized long ago that we had to make a compelling value proposition to our employees much the same way as we did to our customers. (p233)
In a knowledge company whose core competencies include human intellect and learning through a process of observation, data collection, analysis and conclusion, leaders have to walk the talk. Any dissonance between rhetoric and action by leaders will hasten the loss of credibility. (p234)
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Mahatma, Freedom of Speech and India Chauvinism
On the 10th of Aug, the Supreme Court of India rejected a public interest litigation that argued that every Indian must respect the Mahatma. (See Article) It was heartening to note the court took the spirit of freedom of speech in mind while announcing this ruling.
In recent times, India seems to be getting more and more zealous. The litigation asked the court to enforce a rule to make people respect Gandi's contributions. But, isn't democracy all about discussing and finding a better way? Ganghi, no doubt was a great man. We've read about it enough times in our history books and movies. However, we Indians seem to believe in adulation over all our leaders. Anything said against a set of leaders is met with violence, irrational anger and senseless opposition.
Democracy is about freedom to express and debate. The litigation seemed to forget this. Gandhiji for all his greatness still was a human and the associated weaknesses. His concept of a self-sufficient village is jut not practical in the modern 'flat world'. If you were to follow this models, cities would be more like a dark spot on the Indian landscape and villages would be shrines of economic activity. However, the world over, it is the exact reverse that is true.
In this fit of adulation, we have crores spent of Mayawati's statues, lacs lost over violence just because some sentiment was hurt in a movie made for entertainment and cities shut down because of language affiliations!
The best part is - despite all these internal issues, we're fighting the Autrailians in the name of racism :-)
In recent times, India seems to be getting more and more zealous. The litigation asked the court to enforce a rule to make people respect Gandi's contributions. But, isn't democracy all about discussing and finding a better way? Ganghi, no doubt was a great man. We've read about it enough times in our history books and movies. However, we Indians seem to believe in adulation over all our leaders. Anything said against a set of leaders is met with violence, irrational anger and senseless opposition.
Democracy is about freedom to express and debate. The litigation seemed to forget this. Gandhiji for all his greatness still was a human and the associated weaknesses. His concept of a self-sufficient village is jut not practical in the modern 'flat world'. If you were to follow this models, cities would be more like a dark spot on the Indian landscape and villages would be shrines of economic activity. However, the world over, it is the exact reverse that is true.
In this fit of adulation, we have crores spent of Mayawati's statues, lacs lost over violence just because some sentiment was hurt in a movie made for entertainment and cities shut down because of language affiliations!
The best part is - despite all these internal issues, we're fighting the Autrailians in the name of racism :-)
Monday, July 06, 2009
Know you have a spouse!
Arranged Marriage Blues – Part 6
-Akshay Ranganath
Well, this sounds clichéd. Yet, I never realized how important this quality is for a better married life. Unfortunately, this is a topic that will have to be a bit serious – I can’t think of bringing in humor – at least not at a first shot.
I am the single child of my parents. For me, life had always revolved around my dad, mom and myself. The demands from parents were quite straight-forward: study hard, keep fit, and learn to find your path. It was a simple target with enough lee-way for me to grow by myself. Being an open family, we had discussions and talk before taking any decision. It was always a democratic process.
However, I was never exposed to a world where things are left unsaid, where meaning is inferred from relatively innocuous actions, a thoughtless word or a stupid reaction. These I am learning now.
Challenging career situation
The path to my enlightenment started with challenging career situation. I had been with Cognizant for 5.5 years. Things had been really great for almost 4.5 years. Later on, due to some of my decisions, the teams I got into and other factors, the career was in doldrums. I was placed in a situation where I was not enthused to work in.
If you notice, I only thought of myself in the whole story. My wife did not enter the picture. Somehow, my career was only mine. It was not shared – not yet. Being the loner I am, I kept withdrawing into myself. I started to get self-doubts on whether I was capable or if I had hit a career plateau. I never shared or spoke to my wife.
Then, out of blue I got an offer and I was over joyed. I managed to do well in interviews and the selection process. I went to my wife and told her, “I am so happy for us! Now, I have a better job. I can be happy at work which means I’ll be happy at home!” She was happy for me. But, not all that enthused. I was confused.
I told her that I was sorry for being withdrawn, for being moody at times and unavailable for her emotionally. I told her it was all because of the strange situation that I’d got stuck in. She simply asked, “And why was there all along? Why did you not talk to me?”
Dawn of common sense
Ouch! That was right. I had got so involved in my own issues that somehow it had never occurred to me that from now on I had another person with whom I could share my fears, worries and concerns.
She went on, “You thought that your career hurt only you? Did you ever think of me? Did you notice that I was here waiting for you to open up? To tell me what you feared? Or what would make you happy? Did you notice that I too have made adjustments to be with you for more time?” Frankly, I hadn’t.
I guess every book, every elder and counselor says, “Understand your partner”. I believe it is all correct. Yet, from my thoughts, the first step is to realize that you have a spouse too. Although it is so silly to ignore, I guess it is the first step in going down the long drawn process of actually understanding your spouse.
What do you feel? Do let me know your thoughts and feelings.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Book Review: The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini
-Akshay Ranganath
Last week, I'd been to Jayanagar and there was some sort of a basement book exhibition. In there I saw this book, "The Kite Runner". For some reason, I had this vague feeling that I'd heard about it before and picked it up... and it turned out to be one of the best books that I've read.
The Kite Runner is more like an episodic story - it shows the childhood of an innocent boy, the brutal face of reality in a war torn religiously oppressive regime while contrasting it with the daily life of some real people eking out a living.. and miraculously still praying and having faith in God.
The book is a depiction of how the geo-political realities of the world shatter the simple life of people who simply are on the wrong place at the wrong time. It is a testimony to the fact that cold war may not have been a real war between the giants of USA and USSR but, it did take the sacrifice of powerless countries who just happened to be at a strategic point.
Starting with the innocent life of a boy born in a well-to-do family, the book chronicles the story of the boy turning into a youth and an adult while fleeing from war-ravaged Afghanistan to returning back to a hate-filled, depraved and violent place ruled by religious fanatics. It also talks about tender emotions like inexplicable relationship between the boy and his servant's son - a relationship that's not exactly friendship, nor is it of a master and slave. Yet, this is the relationship that forms the bedrock of the entire book, and of the author's confusion and his journey from Afghanistan to USA and back.
It is a beautifully written book with many harsh realities sprinkled in. There is unbelievable violence coupled with such tender love that it makes you cry. The book is also about relationships, defined within the strict masculine culture of Afghanistan - a culture where emotions are not shown and yet, the author makes you feel every bit of it all along. This book is not for the faint-hearted. It has violence, it has rape and cruelty. At the same time, it has hope and a message that somehow with a firm belief good always wins.
Best line from the book - '..lifting him from the certainty of turmoil and dropping him in a turmoil of certainty'. I can't write the context - or I'll break the plot! :-)
Hope you too enjoy the book…
Last week, I'd been to Jayanagar and there was some sort of a basement book exhibition. In there I saw this book, "The Kite Runner". For some reason, I had this vague feeling that I'd heard about it before and picked it up... and it turned out to be one of the best books that I've read.
The Kite Runner is more like an episodic story - it shows the childhood of an innocent boy, the brutal face of reality in a war torn religiously oppressive regime while contrasting it with the daily life of some real people eking out a living.. and miraculously still praying and having faith in God.
The book is a depiction of how the geo-political realities of the world shatter the simple life of people who simply are on the wrong place at the wrong time. It is a testimony to the fact that cold war may not have been a real war between the giants of USA and USSR but, it did take the sacrifice of powerless countries who just happened to be at a strategic point.
Starting with the innocent life of a boy born in a well-to-do family, the book chronicles the story of the boy turning into a youth and an adult while fleeing from war-ravaged Afghanistan to returning back to a hate-filled, depraved and violent place ruled by religious fanatics. It also talks about tender emotions like inexplicable relationship between the boy and his servant's son - a relationship that's not exactly friendship, nor is it of a master and slave. Yet, this is the relationship that forms the bedrock of the entire book, and of the author's confusion and his journey from Afghanistan to USA and back.
It is a beautifully written book with many harsh realities sprinkled in. There is unbelievable violence coupled with such tender love that it makes you cry. The book is also about relationships, defined within the strict masculine culture of Afghanistan - a culture where emotions are not shown and yet, the author makes you feel every bit of it all along. This book is not for the faint-hearted. It has violence, it has rape and cruelty. At the same time, it has hope and a message that somehow with a firm belief good always wins.
Best line from the book - '..lifting him from the certainty of turmoil and dropping him in a turmoil of certainty'. I can't write the context - or I'll break the plot! :-)
Hope you too enjoy the book…
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Tales from Travel
Sorry folks – been a really long time since I wrote anything. Call it laziness, or call it the effects of marriage.. But, now, I hope to get back to my business and update regularly..
After I joined my new organization, I’ve started to take a cab drop home. It is one of those moments when you get to hear some real tit-bits of unexpected human emotions and occasionally a few juicy gossip. But, I never imagined that a cab driver would open my eyes in terms of what it means to be ALIVE and wonderful it is to be kind. Here’s the story..
Mumbai Mess
I generally used to get a regular cab driver. That day, he was a different person. He looked quite nervous and out of place. I told him about my address and he seemed a bit confused. I sat down and he mumbled in hindi. I asked him if he knew Kannada. He barely knew it. He told me he was from Bijapur and knew Marathi well, comfortable in Hindi and barely manageable Kannada. When I told him that I had lived in Pune and could understand Marathi, his face split into a big smile. For three days, he told me, he was struggling in Bangalore since he could hardly talk. And he talked all the way home.
“I used to work in Mumbai, “ he started. “I used to be driver for this business man’s taxi. He owned a Skoda and I was the driver. One day, these goons in an auto stopped my car and tried to kidnap the child in my car. His father was some inspector, I learnt later. I tried to stop them and got stabbed. They stabbed me twice – once on my hand and once on my back.”
He was lost in silence for a moment.
“I don’t know how I survived sir. It was night and I was left on the road. But, somehow I am alive.”
“Mumbai is a bad place sir. There are areas where you don’t go. And at others, there are people whom you don’t want to make angry. I had done just that. The goondas had seen me. They knew my cab. They started to follow me sir. If they caught me alone, they would finish what they’d started. They wanted no witnesses. I had no choice and so I left the town, sir.”
Then he looked around the road and the people and said, “People here are so nice, sir. Bangalore is so safe. It is a very nice city, sir”
And then, we reached home. I kept wondering, “And we here in Bangalore crib about the traffic jams!”
Slumdogs
Today again, the same driver dropped me. He was chattery and chirpy. “My marriage is fixed, sir!” he quipped. After the congratulations, we started about how costly the whole marriage business. Then he said about his home-town – Bijapur.
“It is so nice in Bangalore. It rains and there is water. In Bijapur, there are no rains. Sir, we have 300 acres of land and nothing to do. We own 3 tractors and a jeep. My father says, I just drive the jeep and earn money. But, after seeing life in Mumbai and Bijapur, I don’t want to go back..”
Suddenly, he changed the whole topic. “Mumbai is so full of beggars,” he said. “There were two boys near my house. One was just 5 and the other was 7 year old. I could not see them struggle, sir. So, I gave them Rs 10 and asked them to get soap. I let them in and let them take a bath.”
“It was nearing the rainy season, sir. In Mumbai, it pours. It rains from May till Ganapati festival. I didn’t know where these two boys would live.”
“I asked them if they would come with me to Bijapur. I told them they would have to work on the farm and live in our house. They agreed.”
“My brother, when he saw them asked, ‘And who will pay for them?’ So, I send money every month, sir. My family gives them food. For clothes and their living, I send them money at the first of every month”
And we reached home.
I was amazed. Here we are – all IT types. Ensconced in warm, cozy 2 BHK flats with 24-hour backup generators, we never give a thought about how great it is to have a shelter. And despite the 50K, 60K or whatever salary, we can’t find money to fund any charity. And here is this stab-wound survivor, driving a cab, saving for his wife and yet sending money that supports two boys. It simply is incredible. The last thing the driver said before I got down seemed so true.
“Sir, I just do whatever I can to be kind. And God always sees this. I am alive today because I saved those two boys. God saw me that day and let me live..”
After I joined my new organization, I’ve started to take a cab drop home. It is one of those moments when you get to hear some real tit-bits of unexpected human emotions and occasionally a few juicy gossip. But, I never imagined that a cab driver would open my eyes in terms of what it means to be ALIVE and wonderful it is to be kind. Here’s the story..
Mumbai Mess
I generally used to get a regular cab driver. That day, he was a different person. He looked quite nervous and out of place. I told him about my address and he seemed a bit confused. I sat down and he mumbled in hindi. I asked him if he knew Kannada. He barely knew it. He told me he was from Bijapur and knew Marathi well, comfortable in Hindi and barely manageable Kannada. When I told him that I had lived in Pune and could understand Marathi, his face split into a big smile. For three days, he told me, he was struggling in Bangalore since he could hardly talk. And he talked all the way home.
“I used to work in Mumbai, “ he started. “I used to be driver for this business man’s taxi. He owned a Skoda and I was the driver. One day, these goons in an auto stopped my car and tried to kidnap the child in my car. His father was some inspector, I learnt later. I tried to stop them and got stabbed. They stabbed me twice – once on my hand and once on my back.”
He was lost in silence for a moment.
“I don’t know how I survived sir. It was night and I was left on the road. But, somehow I am alive.”
“Mumbai is a bad place sir. There are areas where you don’t go. And at others, there are people whom you don’t want to make angry. I had done just that. The goondas had seen me. They knew my cab. They started to follow me sir. If they caught me alone, they would finish what they’d started. They wanted no witnesses. I had no choice and so I left the town, sir.”
Then he looked around the road and the people and said, “People here are so nice, sir. Bangalore is so safe. It is a very nice city, sir”
And then, we reached home. I kept wondering, “And we here in Bangalore crib about the traffic jams!”
Slumdogs
Today again, the same driver dropped me. He was chattery and chirpy. “My marriage is fixed, sir!” he quipped. After the congratulations, we started about how costly the whole marriage business. Then he said about his home-town – Bijapur.
“It is so nice in Bangalore. It rains and there is water. In Bijapur, there are no rains. Sir, we have 300 acres of land and nothing to do. We own 3 tractors and a jeep. My father says, I just drive the jeep and earn money. But, after seeing life in Mumbai and Bijapur, I don’t want to go back..”
Suddenly, he changed the whole topic. “Mumbai is so full of beggars,” he said. “There were two boys near my house. One was just 5 and the other was 7 year old. I could not see them struggle, sir. So, I gave them Rs 10 and asked them to get soap. I let them in and let them take a bath.”
“It was nearing the rainy season, sir. In Mumbai, it pours. It rains from May till Ganapati festival. I didn’t know where these two boys would live.”
“I asked them if they would come with me to Bijapur. I told them they would have to work on the farm and live in our house. They agreed.”
“My brother, when he saw them asked, ‘And who will pay for them?’ So, I send money every month, sir. My family gives them food. For clothes and their living, I send them money at the first of every month”
And we reached home.
I was amazed. Here we are – all IT types. Ensconced in warm, cozy 2 BHK flats with 24-hour backup generators, we never give a thought about how great it is to have a shelter. And despite the 50K, 60K or whatever salary, we can’t find money to fund any charity. And here is this stab-wound survivor, driving a cab, saving for his wife and yet sending money that supports two boys. It simply is incredible. The last thing the driver said before I got down seemed so true.
“Sir, I just do whatever I can to be kind. And God always sees this. I am alive today because I saved those two boys. God saw me that day and let me live..”
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Book Review: Mike Wilson – The Difference between God and Larry Ellison
Inside Oracle Corporation
-Akshay Ranganath
The title of the book “The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison*” piqued my interest. The asterisk at the end which was explained as “*God doesn't think he's Larry” sort of convinced me to buy the book. Yes, it explains why God doesn't think he's Larry. But, what it doesn't tell very well is – what does Larry think, apart from the fact that he's God?
Frankly, I was trying to get a book on what is Oracle and how it came about as one of the largest software companies in the world. This book explains the history and the beginning of Oracle but, from a perspective of how Larry went about doing it – his personal life style, his girlfriends and so on. The place where I felt a bit let down was that the book delves more on the personal aspects of Larry's life, rather than on how he built Oracle. The author feels that Larry is not a great business leader – rather he's a very good opportunistic person who happened to come across the IBM's papers on SQL standards and converted into a product. What the author never really explains is how did Larry think that this could be a big product. It does not say anything about how the engineers at Oracle do their research, how they develop the product and how they test it. It devotes a lot of pages on the salesmen, the sales debacles and the revenue dressing up but, never explains anything on the product development cycle at Oracle.
A big aspect that has been over looked is the mergers and acquisitions done by Oracle. Assuming Larry is just a plain opportunist. He still needs some acumen to spot the ripe companies to buy. Considering that Oracle kept buying others by a dozen until a year back, the book is woefully unclear on this aspect. It has a passing description of the Oracle Financials business but makes no mention of how important it went to become for Oracle – nor does it mention Larry's war on Peoplesoft. However, it devotes a full chapter and half on lawsuit filed by a spurned girl friend of Larry.
The place where I was disappointed was that this book reads more like a page 3 article. The book seems to present Larry as a hopeless womanizer, an unprincipled opportunist, a ruthless owner and a reckless rich-man. What it totally fails to bring out is the finer aspects of Larry that made him one of the richest men on earth.
I'd suggest that the book is a good read – more like a novel, rather than a business book. If you are looking for sleaze in Larry's life, go for this book. If however, you are looking to gain insights on Oracle Corp. then this book is not for you.
What do you feel? Please do tell me.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Travelling insights: The Dharwad Saga (aka Old Uncle & Interrogation)
Someone has said that, “The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.” Being a traveller by heart, I had nothing specific planned to see. And so, I let myself be swept in by the very journey itself.
And so last Friday, my better half and I set out on an adventure to Dharwad. All adventures in India happen in the second class coaches of the largest employer in the world, The (great) Indian Railways. The sheer sight of train, a station that is clean or a train that arrives on time (ie within an hour of its scheduled time) are things that brings joy and an occasional tear of happiness to the eyes. But, what is most exciting is the people you meet and the moments of life that is shared together – somehow people connect so well that a few hours spent becomes a part of a lifetime.
Ok – enough of philosophy. That was to make you guys a bit sleepy :-) Nothing of this sort happened on this travel though. What did happen was something quite amusing.
My wife and I reached the station early (must say, the train had been there parked for us even before we'd reached..) We got into our bogie and settled down on seats that were vacant. Reservation of seats is a concept that is for popus idiots. In India, you book seats and only while sleeping it has any relevance.
The moment we sat down, the old uncle in front of us suddenly came to life. The fact that he could manage to doze despite the noise of the (tail-less) grand children – that was an amazing feat of concentration. Anyways, there we are surrounded by 10,000 Watts of screaming and screeching with the old uncle who is barely beyond totally deaf interrogating us..
Uncle: Hmm.. So where are you going?
Us: Dharwad, uncle
Uncle: What?
Us: Dharwad
Uncle: WHAT?
Uncle's daughter: Dharwad (in a 10,500 Watts tone)
Uncle: Oh.. That's good. Nice place.
Us Silly grin
Uncle: So where do you work?
Me: Cognizant.
Uncle: What?
Me: (loudly) Cognizant, CTS.. (actually I’d just resigned from CTS.. but there was no way I could explain all of this)
Uncle: What?
Uncle’s daughter: IT.. IT
Uncle: Oh, ok. My daughter too – not this one, the second one is in IT. She works in Wipro. Had been to US, UK, Hong Kong and Singapore. You been to US?
Me: Hmm.. No uncle..
Uncle: We live in …. What about you?
Me: We live near …
Uncle: Our area – it is a good area. So you both are brothers and sisters?
Us: (totally shocked and unable to respond.)
Uncle’s daughter: (thoroughly red in face) Appa, they are husband and wife. (Turning to us) Appa wants to know everything!
And so, the journey went on. Uncle managed to extract all information from us – where each of us studied, worked, where our parents worked and live. I guess any marketing agent would kill to have field surveys done like this. After all, we just trust old uncles so much that we never even hesitate to tell them all the personal details that we’d not even tell our colleagues!
One thing though.. No matter where my wife and I go, people seem to mistake us for some sort of relatives or brother and sister. And this is a big pain in the backside!
And so last Friday, my better half and I set out on an adventure to Dharwad. All adventures in India happen in the second class coaches of the largest employer in the world, The (great) Indian Railways. The sheer sight of train, a station that is clean or a train that arrives on time (ie within an hour of its scheduled time) are things that brings joy and an occasional tear of happiness to the eyes. But, what is most exciting is the people you meet and the moments of life that is shared together – somehow people connect so well that a few hours spent becomes a part of a lifetime.
Ok – enough of philosophy. That was to make you guys a bit sleepy :-) Nothing of this sort happened on this travel though. What did happen was something quite amusing.
My wife and I reached the station early (must say, the train had been there parked for us even before we'd reached..) We got into our bogie and settled down on seats that were vacant. Reservation of seats is a concept that is for popus idiots. In India, you book seats and only while sleeping it has any relevance.
The moment we sat down, the old uncle in front of us suddenly came to life. The fact that he could manage to doze despite the noise of the (tail-less) grand children – that was an amazing feat of concentration. Anyways, there we are surrounded by 10,000 Watts of screaming and screeching with the old uncle who is barely beyond totally deaf interrogating us..
Uncle: Hmm.. So where are you going?
Us: Dharwad, uncle
Uncle: What?
Us: Dharwad
Uncle: WHAT?
Uncle's daughter: Dharwad (in a 10,500 Watts tone)
Uncle: Oh.. That's good. Nice place.
Us Silly grin
Uncle: So where do you work?
Me: Cognizant.
Uncle: What?
Me: (loudly) Cognizant, CTS.. (actually I’d just resigned from CTS.. but there was no way I could explain all of this)
Uncle: What?
Uncle’s daughter: IT.. IT
Uncle: Oh, ok. My daughter too – not this one, the second one is in IT. She works in Wipro. Had been to US, UK, Hong Kong and Singapore. You been to US?
Me: Hmm.. No uncle..
Uncle: We live in …. What about you?
Me: We live near …
Uncle: Our area – it is a good area. So you both are brothers and sisters?
Us: (totally shocked and unable to respond.)
Uncle’s daughter: (thoroughly red in face) Appa, they are husband and wife. (Turning to us) Appa wants to know everything!
And so, the journey went on. Uncle managed to extract all information from us – where each of us studied, worked, where our parents worked and live. I guess any marketing agent would kill to have field surveys done like this. After all, we just trust old uncles so much that we never even hesitate to tell them all the personal details that we’d not even tell our colleagues!
One thing though.. No matter where my wife and I go, people seem to mistake us for some sort of relatives or brother and sister. And this is a big pain in the backside!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Quotes: The 12 Habits that hold Good People Back
Some of the best quotes from the book, "The 12 Bad Habits that hold Good People Back"...
Anger and its resolution are an essential part of human experience. Peacekeepers can't accept that reality and thereby learn and master the process. The search for a career vision is an ongoing one, cycling unpredictably through the experiences of renewed vision, alienation and finding our way back. The steely career focus that seems to characterize successful business professionals does not come once and for all. Genuine career change and progress begins not with a flash of insight or with a great idea; it begins with a sense of alienation and discomfort, and a period of frustration and uncertainty, with no guarantees as to the outcome. But it also provides an opportunity for learning, if we can give it attention and let it speak to us. It can tell us of the hidden potential in us that has been shut out because there is no way for it to act in our current world of work. We may get frightened, because there is no obvious path in sight and we are afraid of losing ground and esteem in the eyes of others. We have trouble recognizing and connecting with what our heart of hearts says about our life and out work at that moment. But rescue can come only from determined attention to our unique circumstances and with the bit of courage necessary to act.
Everyone is afraid at times of a particular assignment, a new responsibility, a new environment. The key is not to allow that fear to leak out, in unintentional ways, into your performance or behaviour.
Think of people who are full of confidence. They do things slowly.
Meritocrats have a naïve reliance upon a certain king of authority, the authority of objective, measurable facts.
In the real world, you need patience, the ability to compromise, and the willingness to accept an occasional defeat.
Remember, life is a long campaign, and if you risk death in every battle your chances of fighting on and winning the war are pretty slim.
One of the hallmarks of a successful marriage is the ability of both partners to face up to the conflicts they have with each other and resolve them. The same is true with any kind of relationship, whether with siblings, parents, children, or close friends. If you recognize that you instinctively avoid conflict in relationships, think about the effect it has on you and those close to you. Do you genuinely stay closer together because of your ability to avoid conflict? Or does it, as we suspect, in the long term prove to be a wedge that drives you apart?
..people who know much less about a particular topic can offer wonderful suggestions and ask important questions, precisely because they stand further away from the issue.
The old paradigm “If it ain't broke, don't fix it” has gone by the boards. The new paradigm seems to be “If it ain't broke, break it before somebody else does, and see what else we can make of it”.
(Helping naysayers and helping in decision making)
Make a regular practice of considering the positive aspect of the change – the opportunities it presents – as well as negative, whether in your career, your job, a a project, or a strategic direction. Instead of a single list with the negatives of a new idea, draw lists of both the “positives” and the “negatives” as well as the merits and dangers of instituting “change” and “doing nothing”.
Jobs are like sailbots: unless we are actively trimming the sails and making course adjustments, they tend to drift. Our job can slowly migrate into something that is less attractive. Moreover, at the some point we all want to take our skills and interests to a new level by learning more and doing different things. It is important to remember, however, that our capacity to act to change our circumstances rests with ourselves.
Our potential is not the potential of anyone else. Our path can be traveled by no one other than ourselves. Yet we spend a great deal of time envying the position, talents, and accomplishments of others. We see our career from their perspectives and imagine how they would judge us. None of this will bring us closer to knowing our unique potential for contribution or our particular genius. Imitation is an important part of learning, but it is an early form of learning that must be internalized and made our own. Early on, we may need heroes, but later on heroes can get in our way.
To reduce a career decision solely to a process of maximizing compensation, and to design adaily schedule accordingly, is an invitation to alienation and dissatisfaction. On the other hand, not being honest with yourself about the importance of money can also lead you astray.
Primary causal elements for 12 habits:
- having a negatively distorted self-image
- not being able to understand the world from other people’s perspectives
- not having come to terms with authority
- having an inability to use power comfortably, skillfully, and effectively
Successful people in business know that there is no such thing as an autonomous career. People can achieve maximum success in their careers only by working effectively with other individuals, individuals who have their own needs goals, and agendas. They learn that they must achieve goals within organizations that, similarly, have their own objectives.
Empathy.. not only leads to insight and greater appreciation for others, but is a competitive advantage as well.
Understanding others’ point of view can help you use whatever power you have with greater reserve, precision and finesse. The ability to restrain yourself is just as important as taking action directly and strongly.
You are the one ultimately responsible for your career. People with a positive, engaged attitude toward authority are more likely to see their managers as wise and powerful because they want to see them that way. We see this eve in very mature individuals. This is always accompanied by a subtle abrogation of responsibility for personal choice and career and direction, which is then left in the hands of the person with authority. Mentors can be helpful in the development of career, but you cannot rely on them to know what you should do. For one thing, your best next career move might well be outside your current business unit or organization and thus in conflict with the interests of your manager. Even when this isn’t the case, no one can know the path that will bring you the greatest career satisfaction.
In order to maximize your success in your career and to be as effective as possible in whatever role you have, you must be – or become – comfortable having and using power. You have to learn to be comfortable enough, just as you need to be a good enough swimmer to be safe in water or a good enough driver to be trusted on the road.
Resources flow naturally to people who demonstrate good sense and good use of the power they are given. Empires are expensive to build and maintain, so build one only if you need it.
Each time you hold yourself back from doing something, each time you go home saying, “I wish I had..” or “Why didn’t I just ..?” your self-image tends to worsen even further.
In the end, the process of healing negative self-images is a process of acceptance: accepting our own particular history, accepting our poor judgments and others errors that have caused pain to ourselves and to others.
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