A Day 2 Remember.

Its 8.30 in the morning, the traffic signal is waiting to go green with the reverse count of the digits and you are geared up to go and beat the clock, at least today and save one more day from becoming ‘Shaheed’ in ESS (marked red).You run crazily after it, punch the card to find that the clock of the punching machine still stands undefeated as it is already past 8:45.And you reply with, no ways buddy ,I will definitely beat you in the evening by leaving on exact time.(After all, there is something called as Punctuality).

In your thrust to beat the clock, you realize that you have ignored several natures calls (or missed calls) and to answer them, you enter into the ‘Officers’ washroom (Be specific). It is one of the very few places which shows you negative aspects of having  more than average height as you find it tough to mind your own business. Besides that I have never understood what different activities Staff and Officers do in the washroom that they need separate ones.

You reach your desk which is already waiting with a breakfast, a tea (with a unique test, you can’t buy outside even after paying 1000 bucks) along with several hurdles. Absenteeism being the daily evil to deal with while doing the job distribution and with specific work areas allocated to individuals, you find that nobody is ready to officially encroach into others areas in their absence, especially if the nature of work order don’t serve as catalyst. (Had our national boundaries been so rigidly defined like our work area boundaries, we would have not lost considerable part of our country to China).After successfully matchmaking the contract labours with outdoor staff (Even here choice comes into picture); you come to know that the meter which was to be downloaded urgently is simply refusing to communicate with MRI. (Now days, even machines are becoming moody).

After dealing with internal customers, time comes to face the external ones. When sound pollution (originated from high electricity bill) becomes unbearable CCC transfers it to your desk as his meter was replaced in the recent past. With all the energy and enthusiasm, he let you know, what you all are and what you all are not. His each sentence reminds you, why you are paid higher than average industry standards. You don’t lose your cool and says”Are you done with, can I speak now?” This cools him considerably(even without AC) and then you do the herculean task of explaining that the air conditioners do not work on air only, it needs electricity and in fact a hell lot of it. (All the utilities should promote the sales of AC’s and refrigerators, after all it will multiply their business).Then, the customer leaves with somewhat satisfaction or dissatisfaction (God knows).But this incidence makes you sure that no matter however irritating your life partner becomes in the future, you can keep your cool.

Now your stomach starts calling, there is enough of ‘Gaalis’, let’s eat something. While standing in the queue in canteen, you make a promise that at least today I will not leave any food in the plate and takes less food than yesterday. As you start, the quality of food ensures that it is the promise to be fulfilled some other day. But thinking, how much you can ask in one and half Rs. and there are millions in this world who don’t even get to see the food, you manage to engulf most of the food. And the best part is that the best dish (water) is unlimited, so drink it as much as you can. Still your empty stomach made you realize, it is the time to have someone who will cook food for you or at least create the circumstances that will teach you, how to cook, wash dishes and many more things you are yet to do.

After lunch, it is the time to go on site. In software industry you get one onsite opportunity after three years of hard work whereas we can go ‘onsite’ thrice a day that too at places you never dream of, to mention a few,Makranipada,Premnagar, Mograpada. (Thank god ,I have my passport).The visit to these places, teaches you a lesson that life not only exists but also blossoms even in such places and even after having everything you are crying for something else and not making full out of life . Then you visit the posh society chairman regarding old meter replacement and learn that these highly educated people make full use of abuses without even sounding offensive (Education teaches you almost everything).Another valuable learning experience, even the best of sales job can’t facilitate such ‘pleasant’ interaction with the customer. You move back to attend the meeting.

 While you are waiting outside the cabin, few professionals come out with a smiling face not leaving a trace of what may have happened behind that closed door. Now it’s your turn to face the music. All the meetings since inception starts with the same question as it is critical to organization, “What about developed reading?”(With all the developed countries relying totally on developed readings, we work against developed reading as we are still developing country).This question triggers the blame game (a universal phenomenon) between meter reading and meter management departments.

At the blink of the eye, a smart brain from meter reading department gets hold of the pitch and starts hitting the ball all over the fences. “We are throwing all the BIW reports (almost BIW itself) at them but nothing is getting done”. While being at non striker end, you can sense the unsaid words, “As it is teamwork, we will be always there to grab the credit but if it’s not done for whatever reason, they should reciprocate the generosity by accepting the blame”. After realizing the actual definition of teamwork, you think about going to another end of the pitch and find that it is already hijacked by another creative mind who is detecting the electricity theft with the help of helicopters flying so high in the sky that even if you try looking at them, you will end up with a pain in the neck. And once again you choose to keep quiet.

You think that meeting is over and the sense of successful survival grabs you, when suddenly a bouncer directed at you shakes your head asking, “What is the status of zero consumption projects?”(I always feel that we should promote zero consumption as a corollary to our energy conservation efforts).You somehow tackles it by saying that you are awaiting the current month data from SAP.(This time delay always ensured that work done on zero consumption project is almost zero) and you survive getting the benefit of doubt. Learning from the meeting, ’If you don’t want to talk, make sure that your performance does all the talking’.  

Back to the desk, you realize it is the time to manage, Mr. Manager. As the TAT is ticking and the daily orders are still pending. With the experience being the best teacher, you learn everything and you manage it (Don’t ask how).Then, you get the download of the meter which was not downloadable yesterday (may be because of his family problems) and you asks for the load (connected) and comes the reply ‘download’ is with you, ignore the ‘down’, whole ‘load’ is yours. At the end of the day, you open the Lotus notes and something brings the smile on your tired face which reads as I&C Scorecard.

Suddenly you recall that you were supposed to beat the clock by leaving on exact time and you run and punch the card. Like every other day that clock still stands undefeated, as it is already 6:30 PM.

Before leaving the office, you enter the officer’s washroom for being on safer side as you never know with the peak Mumbai traffic when things will escalate to unavoidable circumstances.

(If punching machines are placed on washroom doors, the option ‘Forgot to punch’ from ESS will vanish on its own).

Next morning, traffic signal waiting to go green and the recent chartbuster song starts playing at the back of your mind,“Bhag Bhag.....Bhag Bhag.........you know the rest of it”.

While being there I always thought that I am not learning much, but somehow, unknowingly I learnt many valuable things (besides multilingual abuses) which created a sense of belonging which always say,

” Dear, always try to fly high as much as you can, but never forget the place where it all started”.

Cheers!!!!

Mahesh Godse.

A Transformational Teacher

Days were passing, pressing the thumbs on biometrics and getting acknowledged for the presence(Sometimes getting irritated with the sound of ‘Pl try again’) and nights were swallowed by the pre-reads of economics, leaving many gorgeous faces circled and sleep deprived. The erratic behavior of the curves in those pre-reads was making them look horrible (going against their vary notion of being attractive). Strategy and   probability was brought into the action to safeguard ourselves in the classroom. As the probability of getting hit by the spell was higher in the region of eyesight and on the corner benches, we get strategically positioned on the extreme back benches and become invisible. So the balcony benches were getting booked much in advance and booking was extended to close ones with notebooks and mobiles working as booking agents. Though after the lecture, things were falling in place and curves were appearing attractive again (Even they didn’t dare to be undisciplined in the classroom).This was the scenario with the economics, marketing and statistics were also slowly starting to tighten their grip and one more monster was marching its way towards the Spartans i.e. Accounting.

Most of us being engineers, our lives revolved around machines and programming codes, we were as much familiar with the ledger and the journal of accounting as a beautiful lady used to be familiar with loneliness. In other words, the liabilities were piling up in leaps and bound, assets were weakening and Spartans equity was also depleting (after analyzing ABC case study so many times).The basic accounting equation was in danger of facing imbalance. Hang on folks. A powerful asset was already on its way to Greatlakes. Similar to the way, Amitabh Bacchan used to rescue helpless from the goons starting with the dialogue,”Rishte me to hum tumhare baap lagte hain, naam hai Shahenshah”, he entered the classroom with the words”Hi, I am Suryasekar Krishnamurthy from Florida university and I will be teaching you accounting”. Though the words were as humble as he is, the result was as much powerful as that of Mr.Bacchan.

First lecture started with the accruals and cash concept and he started answering every single hand that went up. Few of us started asking complex questions and I started to feel that lecture is diverting from the topic. But soon realised the futility of my thinking as such was his grip over the subject that no matter wherever it goes, he will bring it back on the track.

The magic wand that he brought with him started showing its effect. Suddenly the demand for front benches exceeded the supply; atmosphere inside the classroom got filled with trust and confidence. Eye contact started establishing and more and more hands started rising with the belief that no matter ‘whatever’ the doubt is and however foolish it is, it will be cleared with crystal clarity. With the continuous flow of knowledge from his side and 300 brilliant minds sitting in the front, accounting became more accountable with Journal appearing as General and Ledger appearing as Pleasure. Any murmur in the classroom would die down with his three simple words (don’t misinterpret) i.e. Hang on folks. Such was the flow of knowledge inside the classroom that even the benches in the classroom could recognise the difference between the asset and the liability.

Being the University of accounting in himself, the exchange of knowledge was not confined within the walls of the classroom. A coffee with him in the Bistro and you will digest the accounting concept much before the coffee. A walk with him in the green campus and he will take you on a ride of various accounting concepts.

Apart from his teaching skills, it was his personal connect that added the cherry on the cake. It may be his that extra mile walk on the stairs of classroom to listen to the question of the back bencher or appreciation of the singing skill of fellow Spartans in the temple or mischievingly congratulating us for our sour response to the non mandatory doubt clearing session on ratios, with the justification of understanding our priorities. Those invisible walls between the faculty and the students got demolished and he started appearing as one of the fellow Spartan.

After being the testimony to the fact that learning can be flourished even in the atmosphere of trust and confidence, he left on the same note as he started with “Hi, I am Suryasekar Krishnamurthy from Florida University and I will be teaching you accounting”

As a transformational leader made a sheep lion realize that he is lion. Being a transformational teacher, he made us familiar with that accountant beneath most of the engineers.

Be Selfish 2 Join the Hands

While reading about how blackmailing being done by an individual is paralyzing the

democracy and how it will set a wrong precedence, few thoughts cropped up in my mind. What justifies the act of Lord Rama killing Bali from behind while he was fighting with Sugreeva? What justifies the act of Yudhishthira lying (though indirectly) that Ashwathama is no more, which cost Dronacharya his life?? Let’s come to the present, if the bullet fired produces the same result, why does it matter that whether it is fired by a soldier or by a terrorist? All these questions are answered by a single sentence from the Bhagavad-Gita “It is not the way of doing the things but the purpose behind that deed which decides whether it is right or wrong”.

Look at us; we didn’t question the blackmailing done a terrorist who hijacked the plane, because using power they left us with no option. But if that blackmailing is being done for a noble cause in a peaceful way then it reminds us about our power and we start questioning it. In developed countries even presidents are under scanner of independent committee which looks after corruption, does it means that democracies are paralyzed? By the way, for whom this democracy is, isn’t it for people? Or are people for democracy? Unless there is something wrong with it, millions of people would not have come to the streets without any vested interest. Then is this so called paralyzing of democracy (headed by a paralyzed prime minister who lacks freedom of speech) is a wrong thing for a cause which is haunting millions of people?

What about setting a wrong precedence? What if everybody started going to hunger strike? Well answer to this question is also simple. What will happen if someone decides to go on hunger strike till death, unless Miss India is made to marry him? Needless to say, his name will die hungry (as no one will attach his name to that of theirs) with him. This Gandhian weapon (fasting) becomes useless, unless the cause for which it is used has the capability to touch millions of lives. Our politicians (won’t say leaders) have no other excuse; hence they are using this baseless defence. And when our smart politicians become clueless, they remind us about the theory of foreign hand.

But, why is corruption so rampant in India? Why one has to pay  bribe for a proof that he is alive(birth certificate) and after being dead, your closed ones have to pay the bribe for a proof that now he is having good time with those Apsaras in the heaven or with Yamraj in the hell (Hope corruption has not reached there).Why access to education depends on your ability to pay  fees rather than your intelligence quotient(The word ‘donation’ is used as if you are running with dilemma, what to do with the extra money you have).

This raises few questions. Are we corrupt by birth, inheriting those genes of corruption? Or are we corrupt by choice? For most of us, the answer is a big ‘No’. A traffic constable becomes corrupt because his salary fell short to cater to the dreams of his children (If at all he can afford to have one) in this corrupt society. Like that traffic constable, most of us travel the path we would not like, in order to meet the undying demands of this modern and corrupt society. And once that path is chosen, there is no way back but a dead end. For those in power, more the power they have, greater is the need for them to feed the power. If you kept power hungry, it will eat you. And they fearlessly do it as they are damn sure about our ‘short term social memory loss’, they are sure that we will enjoy the drama about the scams on the news channels, not even realizing that we have sponsored that drama.    

Why the hell, I am talking about corruption? Why should I give it a damn, when my CTC is enough to take care of the bribes to be paid and my wife is also earning (The term house wife is dying naturally in metro cities, as the luxury of having house wife is not affordable) and a quote in a bracket, I am also one of the beneficiary of corruption either by not paying taxes or by some other indirect means (Do I need to mention?).Wait, there is more to it. As long as you are not one of those big sharks in this corrupt world (who makes tons of black money), you are always paying more than what you are gaining from corruption. How?

Why economy is growing at 8% whereas inflation is growing at almost 14%? Why national income since independence has multiplied by only a few folds whereas the cost of land (or flat) skyrocketed thousand folds? It is simply because the black money which comes from corruption is fuelling the demand, taking it beyond our reach. It is this corruption which is making you spend considerable part of your life in travelling (enjoying the body odour of fellow commuter while exchanging yours) as you can’t afford a place in the heart of the city. It is this corruption which makes you think hundred times before having second child as you may not afford it (Don’t even dare to dream about the third one).It is this corruption which adds meaning to the word ‘Higher’ education, taking it higher, beyond the reach of the common man.   

It is this corruption which makes a mother advice his son who is working away from her in a metro city “Beta, don’t travel by train and prefer autorikshaw over bus”, as those caring eyes have read somewhere that there were bombasts in trains and buses. How is terrorism related to corruption? There is no terrorist attack in America since 2001, because they have the infrastructure which can detect any terror suspect. In our case, this corruption prevents building the infrastructure which can counter the terrorism. It was corruption and not terrorism which cost a senior police officer(Mr.Karakare) his life as he get caught almost naked with that substandard life saving jacket (which itself lacked life).See the miracle, after some time, that jacket became invisible in government custody (Don’t worry, a committee is searching the cause and soon it will also become invisible).

The problem with us Indians is that too much of technical details bore us. Few of the suggestions proposed in Lokpal are really good such as, processing all the corruption cases within two years (Boforse case is pending since last 25 years), putting all the government employees under scanner with deadlines defined to complete the work, if the Lokpal committee member has corruption allegations then within two months, he will face an enquiry and action if required. Nothing in this world is perfect; everything has its pros and cons. By doing the things we are doing since last 60 years, we can’t expect change. Even if it has the potential of reducing the corruption by 1%, it is worth giving a shot.

As rightly said by Napoleon “A nation suffers not because of deeds of wrong people but because of silence of good people”. Let’s break that silence. It took us 200 years to be free from those foreigners whereas to be completely free from this corruption which is deeply rooted inside us, it may take another hundreds of years. The journey of thousand miles begins with a single step. Let’s take that step, who knows being optimistic and hoping against the hope, our future generations may see India as a place where one does not have to be corrupt or immoral to reach the top, one does not have to question the integrity of a person from specific religion who boarded a train and one does not have to leave the country for better opportunities.

Be selfish (as we all are); join hands for a noble cause if not for the person who has nothing to gain at the age of 74, being bachelor and spending most of his life in a small temple (Look at the irony, a Maharshtrian put Gandhi era to an end, where as another Maharashtrian is keeping him alive through his values). Let’s ensure that this spark generated turns into a wild fire which will burn this evil which is still keeping our country ‘developing’.  

Don’t you think the time has come to stop crying that nothing will change but to bring the change??

What say??

Cheers!!!

Mahesh Godse