Trip to Cameron Highland

Dost, they say time heals. Have been trying but it has not helped....at least so far. It would take more time. Till then....take care

Yeh na socha tha kabhi, itne yaad aaogey tum

Rome was not built in a day

Till an hour back, you had no food and no hope of food. Your cook was not making anything. In fact he and his assistants were eating away the supplies that you were giving to them. This was going on for days. There was no menu, no plan, no ingredients and no hope. You were depressed. 

Half an hour back, your fired the cook and his assistants. You brought in a new cook, who was popular and in his last job, he successfully served a smaller household. You became hopeful. 

At present, the new cook is taking stock of the situation, making plans and preparing the ingredients. It takes a little time as it is not a magic. And since the last cook and his assistants did not leave behind any supplies, it would take little more time to arrange the ingredients. The cook is not only thinking about your next meal but is also trying to ensure that you do not go hungry ever. 

However, some of the members in your household are skeptical. I can understand that all of you are hungry. I am hungry as well as I am also a member of this household. However, we should be patient. We should provide the required supplies to the cook instead of only enquiring about the food. Try to help (or at least try not to interrupt) the cook if you want things to expedite. 

The ingredients look right. The kitchen smells good. The food will be exceptional. Just have a little bit more patience.

This is from the doctor's clinic...and believe me...the one on the left is the patient!!!!

Someone hit the gym!!!

Is the fare hike by Indian Railways justified?

Indian railways recently announced price hike, which was (of course) followed by hue and cry, stone-pelting, the usual dharnas and all. The hike would definitely pinch the pockets of the Indian middle class and lower-middle class (as they are ones who travel by train). They are already braving inflation and this hike would make their lives even more difficult. So, is this hike justified? 

Following are some fun facts that one should be aware of;

1. Indian railways is among the world's largest railways network
2. It is also among the top 10 employers (by the number of workforce)
3. It carries ~24 million passengers and ~2.8 million tons of freight......DAILY 
4. About 70% of its revenues are paid-out as salaries!!!
5. Indian Railways is going through a financial stress. It is cash-strapped, which is not a good sign for an organization that is heavily dependent on infrastructure
6. Passengers are not paying what they should be paying as government subsidizes the fare. The consumer subsidy is around INR 26,000 crores!!!
7. Railways need INR 4.5 lakh crores to complete 586 pending and ongoing projects
8. No investment for safety and investment as there is not enough money left

(Source: Wikipedia & Times of India)

So now, the facts are in front of us. The next thing that we need to do is to ask a few questions to ourselves. Is there a need to change anything? Does Indian Railways require better infrastructure so that it can give the passengers their money's worth? The answer is YES.

Indian Railways must improve its infrastructure. It needs to expand its reach. It may be among the world's highest railways network but India is a BIG country. There are several places that are not yet connected. Railways need to deploy faster trains. Railways needs to make the trains and platforms cleaner. Railways need to serve hygienic food. Railways need to improve the safety of its infrastructure and passengers. Railways need to create a self-sustaining and profitable model. We all want that, isn't it? That is not the issue. The issue is that we want it to be free. Things must improve without us making any contribution. That happens in Panchtantra and Dada-Dadi ki Kahaaniyaan. Probably, not even there.

We cannot ask for better governance, standard of living etc on one hand and freebies on the other. Governments have been subsidizing several essentials but Indian economy can no longer sustain that much burden. Central and State governments of the past have been giving away freebies. Free rice, idlis, television etc. and probably we have become a little used to of all the freebies. One has to understand that when they give freebies, the economy takes a hit and then we start paying higher for other essentials. Nothing and no one develops in this process. 

It is high time that we start believing in the reform measures. These measures are neither short-sighted nor aimed at gaining instant popularity. It would make our lives more difficult in the short run. However, we all will win in the long run. Have faith and patience.

Expert in a Minute!!!

Manager: There is a project involving Economic Impact Analysis?

Employee: Hmm...Interesting. However, I have never done a full-fledged project involving Economic Impact Analysis

Manager: It involves quantitative as well as qualitative assessment parameters

Employee: That sounds more complicated. It may give result only in qualitative terms

Manager: That's okay. Talk to someone who has done something like this.

After a while....

Employee: I have checked with others. Only few have done it and they say it takes time

Manager: How much time?

Employee: Framework itself takes at least 2 weeks

Manager: That is fine, we will let the client know

Employee: But, most agree that it would be difficult to use quantitative as well as qualitative assessment parameters without getting qualitative results. Do you know how to do it?

Manager: No I do not. But, 'we will find a way' 

Employee: Before committing anything, we should know how to do it, isn't it?

Manager: Yes but we cannot find out now. I do not know as well and that is okay. 'We will learn together'

Employee: Hmmm....

Manager: Let's have a call with the client and understand what he wants. We will communicate the challenges

Employee: Ya, that is better

On the call....

Manager: Hi, this is something which is going to be challenging

Client: I understand. But please do it

Manager: Of course. We also understand that it is a time-consuming exercise

Client: I understand. But please do it in 1 week. That is what we have

Manager: Of course. But in that timeframe, we can only create a high-level model

Client: Hmmm....

Manager: We will conduct a workshop. We will take you through the model and tell you how to do this

Client: Okay, but we want someone who can tell us exactly what needs to be done

Manager: Of course. We can do that. Employee over here has done this in the past. He will champion this

Employee: .........hmmm....ok....but I have a few questions

Client: I cannot answer anything. It is top-secret

Manager: That is okay, we will do it. Employee please start working on the framework

Employee is wondering, what happened to all the issues that were discussed and what happened to "we will find a way" and "we will learn together". Employee is also wondering why was he suddenly projected as an expert!!!

....And there goes the weekend!!!

Common Mistake

Many a times people use 'lightyear' to describe a significant amount of time. People say things like, "my wife takes a lightyear to get ready", "I have been waiting for you since one lightyear", "my system takes a lightyear to boot" etc. It is strange that a lot of people do not understand that 'lightyear' is not a measurement of time. Instead, it is a measure of distance!!! Common mistake

Everyone is going crazy over the ongoing FIFA World Cup. As a minority, who does not really follow or enjoy soccer, I am understanding what my wife goes through during IPL

I know I am difficult...not fun to be with.....But I care for the people I like and consider close to me.

Yet....I do not have a single good friend!!! 

May be I did not do a good job in retaining them....I am of course bad in making friends.

There were a few....I got busy, they got busy. Some said things I did not like and I am sure some drifted away as I may have said things that they did not like. Some were not meant to last long anyways as my priorities are different. 

Yet....not a single good friend!!! 

Well, that sucks!!!

Wrist Pain is BACK....

Khataara ki Sawaari

Will Nadal Win 18 Grand Slam Singles Events?

Read a news article on Rafael Nadal's amazing 9th triumph at the Roland Garros. The article also had comments from Nadal about what he feels about his future in the game. It threw a light on what the player honestly believes regarding where he is headed. His comments were disappointing for his fans.

Nadal has 14 majors in his kitty and is currently tied with 'Pistol Pete' (Pete Sampas). After so many majors and a career Grand Slam, he is already a legend. However, he is not the leading Grand Slam singles champion...yet. He is still three short of Roger Federer's mark, who is still playing but is way past his prime. As a hardcore Nadal supporter, I would like him to go past 17 Grand Slam victories. However, it is not going to be easy and now it is out that Nadal believes the same.

Nadal is already 28 and not many have won a Grand Slam singles event after crossing 30. Tennis is a physically draining sport and at this age, players start to slow down and thus, leave the door open for younger and fresher legs. 

If Nadal has to go past 17 Grand Slam wins, i.e., 4 more titles, he cannot rely only on wins at Roland Garros. That would require 4 perfect years and he would be 32 by then. Thus, he has to do better (than everyone) in other Grand Slam events as well. However, his Grand Slam victory record is skewed as he has won French Open more than any other event. He does have an all-round game but he is not as dominating on grass and hard courts.

Grand Slam Singles Victories of 3 Leading Grand Slam Winners

The above picture clearly shows that though Nadal is an all-time legend, he has not been as effective on other surfaces as he has been on clay courts. However, that is true for most other greats as well. Federer has been extremely effective on grass and hard courts (both acrylic and synthetic) but has largely struggled on clay courts. Pete Sampras never won a French Open and he was more effective on grass and acrylic hard courts (US Open).

So, the challenge in front of Nadal is that he needs to win few majors other than French Open. That is NOT going to be a cake walk. His style of play puts a lot of pressure on his knees and ankles. Moreover, he does not only have to worry about the challenge posed by Novak Djokovic as on other surfaces, there are few others who can give a serious fight. Andy Murray has been effective on grass as well as hard courts. Others like Stanislas Wawrinka and Juan Martin Del Potro are no pushovers as well. Wawrinka defeated Nadal in Australian Open final (though Nadal was struggling with a back trouble). Del Potro is indeed enigmatic and injury-prone but on his day, he can beat ANYONE. He possesses one of the strongest backhands in tennis and that negates Nadal's strength.

It is evident from his comments that he understands that he has tough times ahead. However, at the same time, it is clear that Nadal is planning to have a serious go. He was cramping in the French Open finals on Sunday but on Monday morning, he hit a grass court to kick-start his preparations for Wimbledon, It is an extremely positive sign and is encouraging for his supporters, including yours truly. 

If he wants a serious go at 17+ Grand Slam victories, he needs to probably reduce the number of events that he plays in. He should pick and choose the right events, which will (a) give him match practice against decent opposition and (b) help him in preparing for the majors. He needs fresh legs and a fit body to be able to climb the 'Mount 18 GS' summit, which is not going to be easy at his age and with his current workload.

So the answer to the question, 'Will Nadal Win 18 Grand Slam Singles Events?' is not clear yet. We do know that it is going to be a big challenge but we also know that the Champ is gearing for the final push. That is what all of us want, isn't it?

Note: The picture has been 'put together' by Animesh Kumar but it contains several pictures and icons, which have been taken from other websites. All pictures, trademarks, icons and logos are acknowledged as the properties of their owners. 

Awesome Run!! More to Come

ऐ राही, तू बस अब चलने की तैयारी कर

माना की तुझमें कमियां हैं,
पर जिनको मिला वो कहाँ के सिकंदर थे,
बंदर-बाँट मची है यहां,
तू खड़ा रहा बाहर बस और वो ख़ज़ाने के अंदर थे,

तूने ना भीख मांगी,
ना छीना ना धमकाया,
पर हक़ का मिलेगा यहां,
हुआ सोचना तेरा ज़ाया,

कुछ नियम हैं ज़रूर इस खेल में,
नियम तोड़ सब तख़्त पर चढ़े हैं,
आईने बेच रहा है तू यहां मगर देख,
यहां तो सब अंधे हुए पड़ें हैं,

मिलता तुझे तो कुछ है नहीं,
काम, चिंता और आशाओं के बीच तू जूझता है,
मिलेगा भी कैसे जब,
नियम के पालन के लिए ही सही, तू सवाल बड़े पूछता है,

सवाल पूछने और काम करने वालों को,
कब मिला है अपना हक़,
हां-में-हां मिलाने और पीठ खुजाने से,
सब मिल जाता है यहां बेशक,

बदल कर अपने को रहने को तो यहां,
रह सकता है मगर,
तू ना बदलेगा मालूम है मुझे,
सो ऐ राही, तू बस अब यहां से,
चलने की तैयारी कर

Twitter is Character-Less

I may have said this in the past but what the hell, I would say it again. Twitter is the most annoying social media tool on planet earth. You go on social media to share what you think, what you feel about topics, issues that you are passionate about.  But what really happens over there? Twitter kills your thought process, passion and mood.

You write something passionately and then realize that you have crossed 140 character limits!! Then starts the process of shortening of words. 'The' becomes 'd', 'to' becomes '2', 'come' becomes 'cum' (!!!) and so on. Do not know about others but I hate writing like that. What am I...a teenage college girl?  

If, even after shortening the words, your tweet does not fall under permissible limit, then you start restructuring the sentences and removing certain word. For example, 'I would like to' becomes 'wud lik 2'.

And if, even after all that tactics, you are still not where you want to reach, you start the process of breaking your tweet into multiple shorter and permissible tweets. 

It is common to see intellectual and inspiring personalities tweeting like 'wht it wud b like 2'. It becomes difficult to get the real message as it is difficult to take such communication seriously. I like to share things that I am passionate about. However, instead of sharing what I really feel, I start worrying about how to win this Twitter character-limit game!!!

Dnt lik dis....2 frstratng!!!

Saare jahaan se accha....

Yesterday, an Air India jet was hit and damaged by a catering truck at Newark airport. AI is seeking compensation from Ports Authority of New York and New Jersey, who manage the Newark Airport. 

However, most interesting bit is the statement of a Senior Pilot, "Such things like aircraft getting hit by ground vehicles or passenger boarding ramps flying around during strong storms are common at Indian airports. But something like this happening in New York is unimaginable"!!! 

Point to Ponder - 2

Superhero fans come in all shapes, sizes and age groups. I, for that matter, am not a superhero fan. If I have to select the superhero that I like the most, I would probably go with the 'HULK'. 'Who is the best superhero?' is an argument that I have witnessed on multiple occasions. But has anyone ever thought about who is the shittiest superhero? Some can fly, some can stretch, some have super bikes/cars. My answer to that question is, without any doubt, Spiderman. Just think what will happen to Spiderman if he is left in the middle of the desert. The stupid, useless bugger can only try to walk home and in the process, he would die!!! Isn't it?

Point to Ponder - 1

I see a lot of women buying and carrying 'Pepper Sprays' these days. I am curious to know how do they make out that the product that they have purchased is actually effective? What if bogus companies are selling water filled sprays? One may not ever find out. After all, what are the odds that one would actually use the spray?

Drinker's Club...Good Old Symphony Days!!!

Siem Reap

All the best Manish Pandey

Times of India has published a nice article on Manish Pandey. I have always liked the young cricketer. He definitely has the technique for International cricket. However, he probably lacks the temperament and of course the experience. He should take a leaf from Robin Uthappa's book, who was on the same boat but have now become much more consistent. I hope Manish Pandey makes his debut in International cricket pretty soon.

Manager of the Year!!!

Here is a story of a Manager and what you can learn from them (at your own risk);

1. In 2013, the Manager gave double promotion to a guy (let's say Mr. Toyota), who screwed up a project with the largest client. Learning 1: Quality and successful delivery of consulting projects are secondary priorities!!! Indeed. After all, in research and consulting environment, such attributes do not have a place!!!
2. The Manager acknowledged that the project was a disaster but reasoned that Mr. Toyota has helped in generating sales of over USD 1M. Fair enough. However, it was pointed out to the Manager that the sales executive was the one who contributed most to those sales. She was awarded for the same as well. Is it not double accounting of some sort that two people are getting rewarded for the exact same dollar contribution. The Manager said that "ya.....but Mr. Toyota is older than everyone else in the team". Learning 2: Over here, year of birth is a key criteria for promotions!!!
3. Whenever there is a complex project, the Manager looks for more 'able' and 'competent' resources in the team. To quote him, "Mr. Toyota would not be able to execute such projects. I typically hand him projects that require mere coordination by a Japanese resource". And the Manager has said such a thing for Mr. Toyota (who is the second senior most member in the team) on multiple occasions. Learning 3: It is not important to create a team where juniors look up to their seniors. If the senior is a nincompoop, it does not matter!!!
4. 2012 was a good year. The market handled by Mr. Toyota was a key contributor. And the client, whose project was royally screwed by Mr. Toyota, was a big contributor as well. In 2013, the client refused to work with the company. There was no business from them. As a result (and due to other factors), the market and the region did not meet its target. And due to that, the Manager have low increments to 'everyone' and no one got promoted. Learning 4: It is okay to penalize others or everyone for the fuck ups done by one or few!!! After all, certain chosen ones are the ones who matter and they should be protected, even at the cost of others.
5. There are several team members in this region. Most of them are based in Malaysia. Few are in Singapore. Out of them, one manages Thailand, Indonesia and neighboring countries. Mr. Toyota manages a far off market. Another senior resource works from Australia. He handles Korea. They spent considerable money on the travel, which is fairly regular. If the team gets shitty increments and no promotions, the Manager is quick to point that the team did not meet its target. However, if these senior resources move to their markets or to Malaysia, which is a much cheaper location, the bottomline would improve. The team may also be able to hire 1-2 good resources in the dollars that are saved. And with the freed-up bandwidth, the team can focus upon generating more business. So, the question is.....is there a reason why these people are sitting in costlier locations....well, other than preferential treatment? Of course there 'must' be. Learning 5: If faced with tough questions, give lengthy nonsensical explanations, put the blame on Partner/President or make promises that you are not intending to keep.
6. In team meetings, the Manager shows performance of resources on key parameters like utilization. However, he does not share the details of ALL team members. The details of the 'elite' few are suspiciously missing when he discusses the individual performances. Learning 6: Tell the commoners that they are not doing well so that they do not question later. They cannot question the deals given to the elite as there are no stats available!!!
7. An employee has been raising the issue of his promotion to the Manager since last 2 years. The first year, the Manager said that the employee is not eligible as he has spent very little time with the company. Later, when the employee pointed that others with fewer time spent in the company have been promoted, the Manager blamed the HR and other BU leaders. Then the Manager told the employee that he would get promoted the next year. The next year, the employee was again overlooked. When questioned, the Manager shared certain KPIs on which the employee was judged. However, those KPIs were never shared with the employee. They were different from the KPIs that were shared with him at the beginning of the year!!! Learning 7: If you do not want to give a better deal to an individual, Step 1: promise him/her something so that he/she shuts up for a year. Step 2: Set KPIs so that he/she believes that you are serious about your promise. Step 3: Later, do not give him/her the deal they are looking for and introduce 'hidden' and "most important" KPIs. Step 4: If he/she is dissatisfied, make additional promises like monetary gains and buy time. Step 5: Do not fulfill the additional promises as well and give another set of lengthy nonsensical explanations or put the blame on HR and/or Partners. Step 6: Buy a BMW!!!