The Auto Driver

 Auto walla-- One with kaki color shirt, always asks for more on the meter, If hired without a meter there will be no limit and depends on our knowledge distance experience and bargaining skills.  This is what we define them.It is almost always like this. Mainly we keep this in mind when we go to a new place.

        And if it is a place like Chennai- it should be kept in mind. But this time I had a different experience. I had to catch a private bus in koyembedu  to return to my hometown. It is about 8 km from place I am starting. So I made my mind to bargain and fix the price at maximum 100 Rs.

      Bidding good bye walked towards the main road. As it is being night and peek hours obviously auto walla knowing our urgency to catch the bus they will definitely charge high. As I walked 2 auto rickshaws crossed and failed to make a deal with them as they quoted 250 and 200 and not willing to get down from their prices. Being firm I walked a little more …. an auto driver crossed me with liight speed and stopped at a distance and turned back called me “do you need an auto”  I said yes he quoted 100 rs … WOW.. the same price in my mind it is as if he read my mind and with out a word i jumped into the auto and requested if he can make it a bit faster.

      He is in his formal attire got his shirt well tucked and may be aged 60. He asked me where I belong to and he said he is not an regular auto driver and so he asked for a low price. He will borrow a auto from his friend when ever needed. He just dropped his elder brother in the bus stand who came to visit him. He said he was also warned by his brother to go back home and call him without taking any passengers. But by seeing me, he felt can earn another 100.

     He is retired after working in crane spare parts manufacturing company. As he is in low cader job he doesn't get any pension. He is speaking good English. He got two sons and a daughter, all well educated, got married and settled in good position. His elder son did MBA and working for an MNC in Bombay. His younger son is an electrical engineer and works in power sector near Chennai. His daughter is a teacher and got married to a lecturer in a degree collage. I sensed the pride and satisfaction in his voice.

      He is driving in a different route as it is being late and there is huge traffic jam. He is explaining the route and about the developments happened in last decade and many things about metro rail which is being constructed. Described about the crane manufacturing industry and how the software revolution changed the fate of many people. We travelled around 20th and 21st century in those 30 min of journey.

 We reached our destination and he wished us happy journey and said “discipline and well planning always gives fruits”.  Yes, it his philosophy of life. His belief which bought him success and happiness. After getting into the bus and these 30 mins talk or rather call an experience dint let me sleep for a while.

   He is one among the unforgettable strangers I met. Stranger may be he is not a stranger any more.

DARE.....

Its first time in Indian history, Whole India stood with their jaw dropped, it is times when very few women , very very few women would come out with a vision of change.She is the first lady in India to be an IPS. she served not only India but she worked with UN United Nations as a Police Advisor to Secretary General in department of peace keeping operations.

She is always DIFFERENT.She wants to be different that led her to choose a different path always. I say she is different in taking her path. she is different in defining her path. she is different in treating her path. She defined policing concepts. She took the power as a police to prevent rather to punish. This philosophy of her made her to think like a mother when she headed the Tihar jail which is said to be largest and toughest jail in the world. she wanted to make the prisoners realise and change than punish and revenge. Then it was first time in the world , where all the prisoners about 10000 had a busy schedule and went into education program.

She turned prison, world’s toughest prison into an ashram which made government to take it further and passed a circular to all the jails in India to take the step. She bought Vipassana meditation which is said to be oldest meditation founded by Budha. Which helps in looking in one self and self realisation. It is a 10 day program and it is the change bought from inner self. It is not that change came only in 10 days. It is change has begun in them. As we’ve said change is inevitable. Change came in positive. Terrosits, rapists, serial murderers, drugsits and many more whom the society is not accepting their forms, all of them, rays of positiveness grew arround.

She could all this because she believed basic seed of crime is distorted mind and hence mind should be treated and that made all the difference.And this technique was not only to prisoners but also to the police inside the prison which changed the way they treated each other.

Here is 9min TED talk given by her.

               

These are only a small moments in past which created a history. She is the author of three books and had a biography. She is leading NGO’s for rural India. She reformed many policies in police services and laid foundation mission for safer India. She is presently an active member in the Jan Lokpall bill moment.


Here is the link to DOING TIME DOING VIPASSANA . It shows how prison is transformed into an ashram.

http://vimeo.com/13920146

It is not that easy as I wrote, that easy as they say, It is the path taken by women lead by a women a visionary faced many hardships and failures and contridictions even a year before her retirement. She is rejected for post of Delhi Police commissioner , inspite of her high cader and eligibility for the post job was given to a man junior to her. (as she being a women) she is termed as revolutionary social activists.

There was non fiction film made on her life by an Australian film maker named Yes madam sir which bought many awards. This was filmed in India for over six years.Describes how she took every opportunity and turned to her side. MUST WATCH film.

           
  We can find some other details here

I had no words to define her , I can only say she is tough women to handle, women who always stood true to herself, caring, different, outstanding,innovator and the visionary.

August --- The month of Celebration

I remember very well in my school days  I never returned home without a birthday chocolate in the month of august (more than half of my classmates share august as their birthday month). For me this month of august is time of celebration as no exams will be there or nearing as 1st Unit test will be completed in July and next Quarterly will be in September. So, August is for celebration.

August  month actual festive season starts. “Sravana Masam”  Lord Krishna’s birthday followed by Rakshabandan which is year long waited festival for me as I have bunch of elder brothers, Nations birthday “Independence Day” and now comes The Day of the month My Birthday. And the most beautiful part is my parents wedding anniversary also falls on the same day I was born. But, till date that DAY was made and celebrated as my Day only.

Coming to this years celebration...  August was the month of expectation, partying though what ever may happen. Yeah I was rejected twice by US consulate to enter US on study VISA. Its a big big thing my family is waiting for. huh.. but it ended this way. LET IT BE.  After all, the month of August comes only once in a year.. ;)

The real part of the celebration was :

 

     When clock striking 12 a.m and showing 17.08.2011 , laptop singing Happpyyy birthdayyy... my cutiest Nephew dancing beside me on the bed shouting “atha” “atha” and my brothers waking me up , pushing sweetest gulabjamuns into my mouth. Yeah.. this was “The moment”.

   Morning when my nephew immediately after waking up running towards me shouting “atha” “atha”

Enjoying the warmth of my Dhupata....

In the afternoon was KFC home..

KFC bucket, Mcdondals Burgers hahaa.... this was my day and month of August.

Insight of Grocery Shop

When any one question me what you love to do? my spontaneous answer will be analyzing/researching people, others attitude, businesses, mindset, and many come in the list. Here is one of the my analysis or so called research.

A middle aged man running a grocery shop in my street.

His actual routine goes this way:

shop working hours -- 7 am to 1pm & 3 pm to 9 pm.

Quality of the products -- excellent

history -- opened in 1980 by his beloved father and 
he took full charge on it when he was 20.
                                            Now he had two sons studying 3rd and 5th standards.

shop type -- proprietary

helpers -- his wife or father in peek hours

competition -- heavy competition with similar grocery shops in the locality.

Customer base -- Had many constant customers like me(who dont know how to measure quality in groceries mainly by look and feel) we believe as our mothers believed(from their experiences)that he will provide best quality.

some questions came in my mind which tend me to conversate with him. He talked a lot meaningful concepts in business which one could ever imagine that a grocery shop man could speak. 

when I asked him about the Quality product his straight forward answer is “its best way to  with stand in heavy competition” and doing whole hearted ethical business.He also included the competition from the people who call it shopping experience(Big Bazaar, and other chain of super markets). He is not completely against the chain of super markets or shopping in AC showrooms.He had customer base of all segments.

He questioned me back “ How many time you bought your whole monthly grocery items from Big Bazaar or reliance fresh ? “ when i asked him if his  business has effected after the entry of reliance fresh, spencers and big bazaar in my locality. yes truly I dint ever completely bought all the grocery items from those markets. though i tried a couple of times in reliance fresh still its quality is not upto the mark.

But honestly they bought a great change in the way people shopping their list of groceries. In fact the number and veriety of items people shopped a decade back were very limited. Now a lot of new products they were shopping like three different flavours of ketch ups, jams, substitute in milk products...etc.

consumption has increased a lot. a decade back very few people would buy these jams or gulabjam mix or boost or even branded tea packets. But now they are shopping three to four different flavours of soaps, tooth paste,shampoos, cosmetics, ketch ups , jams, complan ,boost, tea products according to taste of each one in the family.

The major part is my shop opens at 7 in the morning which helps many houses to buy the necessary  early in a hurry while they are running for their lively hood. In case these big bazaar or reliance fresh is the only solution then people should make out some of their time on their week ends and rush to these markets and feel guilt if they miss out any thing from the list and wait for the next week end. For many, time became a criteria for which these online shopping also has come but they cant dare to get the groceries through online shopping so these grocery shops at the end of your street are great time savers. One can give the list in the morning while your leaving to your office and pick up the bag in the evening.

I even know what compulsory items and quantity my customers buy every month. I had few customers whom I pack things and make a call to pick up their groceries every month. This helps them to relax, no need to worry about the kitchen groceries unless there are any special occasions.

Due to all these changes happened people might think there is decrease in customer base but population has also increased, consumption has increased.

This is all the conversation I had in 15 minutes while he was packing my set of groceries which consists of two verities of soaps, milk products , shampoos :) I felt these manufacturing companies are spoiling us or else I would have saved a lot in my monthly consumption of money :)

Developing INDIA

As a kid I used to be always exited to shout INDIA! INDIA!. Also felt bad sometimes when everyone are saying it is developing nation always... When will it become developed nation? But now when ever I think of this statement many questions arise. In what way a developed country different from developing country? I see people always comparing India with America. Then why don't people compare themselves with Americans. Doesn't India mean people inside it.

Keeping this part aside what does they mean saying developed country and developing country? When I pose this question to any one they simply speak about all the infrastructure. I agree America has more developed infrastructure than us but  the phrase developed or developing is only about infrastructure?

India stands in 4th place in serving best education to millions of people in the world as well as largest education system in the world. From past 30 years there were many Indians playing an important role in change making organisations worldwide. In many ways, Indians made us rise our head with pride.

India is always seen differently by Indians living in India and Indians living outside India. Also there is different opinion formed for European seeing India and American seeing India.

Out of many developments came in last decade, should the phrase DEVELOPING COUNTRY still be used? YES! Its still a developing country. There is a lot more to develop, but now the phrase should be used with pride, dignity and awe. Isn't it good to see we are always developing than to say developed which sense that there is nothing more to develop or “finished”.  The phrase developing have some positive sense and mean some progression.

Doesn't everything on earth has death and now that's what so called developed countries are facing the problem. Are they not moving to the beginning stage.  To be honest it may be more comfortable to live in those countries because of its infrastructure and standard of living but think what will be the next phase of the those nations?

So, my humble request to all take pride in expressing that India is a developing nation this phrase always expresses some progression and we have a target to go somewhere and to reach the heights we dream sky is the limit.

    INDIA IS A DEVELOPING NATION ---- Always develops

HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY

I always wonder how could Dictionaries define some words like  “love” and “Friendship”. I also wonder how one will form a bondage with some one unknown on the very first day of school with out even knowing the meaning of Friend. I too stand up with millions of people to say “There will be no person with out a friend on the earth.”

Though I some times regret for having a day for everything/occasion like earth day, aids day, youth day.... etc (its not that I am against it but I wish there is other way to show gratitude)but I wait year long for this FRIENDSHIP DAY.

Friendship bands, small gifts, tight hug, a firm look which say same thing is running in my mind too. Though we may be at distances at times, though we may not be right beside at times, still we know we are for each other. Every thing in life which we deserve may come to us at a particular time it is defined. But a FRIEND will be there for us at all times.

So, I sincerely  take this opportunity to wish from the bottom of the heart all my precious friends a HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY.

So guys, Its the celebration time, to say cheers to friends who gave a life time guarantee to be there for every thing.

I dedicate this article to all my friends for being there in all the good and bad times.

FRIENDS =  They are fuel to ignite the fire in you.

P.S  felt really hard to write a article on friendship... but enjoyed going down the memory lane...

middle class WOMEN@60

WOMEN....  the term itself gives a expectation, a sense of comfort , a responsibility, a trust , a wall to lean on, and I personally feel a library to learn from.

The way she is being treated by others and also by herself is changing from time to time. But still there are times we should look high at women, at the roles she performed, priorities she took.

There are a few women raised very preciously and got more than good education and career at those times when people use to get their girl child married at 18 or 20. With her most respectful profession though majority of her colleague's were from the opposite gender, She might have raised her head high enjoying her financial freedom along with the freedom given by her parents to enjoy this life which usually a women couldn't get at those times or at least in her society.

Bigday has arrived as in all other women. As usual she too got married to all the responsibilities and expectations. She continued her job to support her husband with an extra income may be to help themselves in having a bit more comforts or a much brighter education to the next generation or to enjoy the pride in her profession what ever.

She has lived upto the expectation, took all the responsibilities satisfied every one. prioritised from time to time. Gave the best education to her child and made him sit in heights where even she couldn't reach.

Now, she retired from her profession, giving a way to new comers to grow, leaving a mark how one could take the opportunities from time to time, and moved from there with much more pride with much more satisfaction than she had when she started making her living. Child got married, her self respect , dignity has raised more, she made everything a happy ending.Outsiders looking at her enjoying with her grand child (enjoyment only a person in 60’s could get with a new born) might have felt a bit J.

Now in her new era of life in late 60’s - is she truly happy as expected without any commitments responsibilities or expectations from her? She doesn't have time to take a sip of coffee with book in the evening as she is assisting her grand child 24/7 , as she is doing all the house hold daily chores as both her child and daughter-in-law are busy with their professions. She used to do the same work in the house as before she did while she is working in her past 30 years. Along with she looked after her in-laws, her child education and also made her profession.

She is doing far less work, far less responsibilities than before but still she doesn't find few minutes to herself as she had before. Yes its all due to TIME. Her house is not in her disciplined time any more. Every one has defined their own timings up to an extinct that they don't even find time to sit together during the dinner. Its not her HOME she defined and ran for past 30 years And she was the only one left over to look after every one according to their timings. As a result she is left with no time for herself. Now where she is heading to?

Everyone's Story

Every organisation every institution every company every entrepreneur EVERY ONE have a story have a vision, have some goals, have dreams and try to give life to those dreams, goals ....etc.

Every story has pleasures, failures, victory, fear  you name it.. every one must have felt it. We often will be very much moved by all these emotions shown in biographies and auto biographies. No-ones experiences or situations they face in life  matches with others  but the feelings and emotions may, though the level of emotion may differ(may be it depends on the persons perspective towards it).

I heard a old women giving her biography to editing guys to edit her life story. She is normal person like millions of us but her sole purpose of writing her biography is she wants her grand children and grand grand children to know about her life and their family history and their roots. So, its not that biographies are meant for the so called successful people. Of-course when we talk about Success the perspective changes from person to person here I am taking the general meaning.

Most  lovable one is sharing our experiences  dreams incidents to others ofcourse some times listener will be the victim. So these autobiographies may also give the pleasure to the teller/writer.

Now the actual question arises whats the purpose of reading these biographies or autobiographies. Are they really worthwhile reading? As the purpose of writing them differs the purpose of reading also may differ.

Some may think reading others self stories doesn't change their life much. some believe it makes a lot of difference in their thinking process and so the lifestyle. What ever , it is the fact of accepting the lessons learnt from those books or their personal life.

I personally feel these books broadens your vision , and definitely they make a difference. The difference may not be seen by others or by themselves but sometimes it helps a lot in taking decisions in critical times. Though we don't accept the theory we learnt or understood it has the impact on our subconscious mind which helps to take spontaneous decisions.

I Agree there might be biographies which shouldn't be written. But after all its we who take the decision of what book to pick up. So, i say one should be very selective in choosing a book especially biographies(not for those who live/earn on giving reviews or critics on books). Yes I am very selective.I strongly believe some times books give solutions to our problems may be it is because we interpret differently each time we read it. or it depends on the purpose we read it.