Long Conversations

I have just realised that I like long conversations too. After having had some this week. Enlightenment does not happen in one shot; it can come in installments too.

I have already had three (long conversations, not bouts of enlightenment) this week. Met a student of IMT and her parents, at their place in Mumbai. We chatted about several things including places we'd lived in, and found some common peeves (cold weather), and likes-filter coffee for instance, which her dad made very well- I vouch for it. Saw a lovely Golf course which I did not know existed near her place too, and some beautiful rain-soaked mountains.

Two other students of IMT and I met for dinner, and we discussed important life and career matters, aided by some really unique stuff like Nitro Dhokla (talk about being politically correct!). The importance that Law has suddenly found as a career was one topic, and life in the U.S. (mine, erstwhile) was another. Also the importance of HR in different sectors in India. We did not realise how quickly time had passed, and quickly gobbled up our dark chocolate (with a rasgulla or rasmalai stuffed in it) and got back to our abodes.

I travelled in a cab with a lady prof. visiting to teach at our Mumbai campus, and realised that we had been to the same school in Kothagudem-St. Mary's. So obviously that took us on a long chat about our childhood (at different times!), and our Ph.D.s- she did hers at Monash in Australia, and I at Clemson in the U.S (at different times). Picnic spots near Kothagudem and rivers (Edla vagu and Muredu vagu) found a reference.

And today, I met my favourite ex-associate, who is between jobs- Saumya, who was at Indore briefly. Having met after a year and a half, we talked about Marketing Research (in which she works) and a lot besides.

So that is the long and short of it.

There is no Single Right Way

All our life, we are attempting to do things right. But what is right? Who decides? You should decide what's right for you (within bounds of decency, of course). For example, what to wear. Formal clothes are such a pain, for example, particularly when we ape Western wear in Eastern Tropical climates. Why can't we develop our own norms for what is formal, if we need to-or have multiple possible attires, including some traditional options?

It goes on in all walks of life, not just what you wear. Many people have achieved happiness or success doing things which did not feel right to someone or the other. Some were crucified for it historically too. Being judgemental about other people comes a bit too easily to most of us...a lot of us may have been judges in a past life!

Sometimes advice is sane, but mostly, it is a case of one size does not fit all. Career choices are also somewhat similar. I became an engineer (I mean I got a degree in engineering), but I turned out to be a non-engineer-whatever that is. So exploration may be a good idea, as far as your own choices go, so long as you can afford to be independent economically. If you can't, well, follow the advice of all the well-meaning folks and do what's RIGHT.

Anything to Look Hot- Book Review

A plastic surgeon has written this unusual book. It's about Indian celebs wanting to go under the knife to perpetuate their careers through their looks. Not surprisingly, no body part has been left out, and no technique. Names are disguised, of course, but some are guessable.

Shows that this is a need- almost hunger-like in its intensity, and will keep many a plastic surgeon/cosmetologist busy. A nice read, because there is his story at the bottom of it- a romance too, between a Dilliwala Panju and a girl from the North East who marries him. Very truthful, shows the downside for both patient and surgeon when things go wrong. And some unethical practices too.

There are benefits, of course, for the celebs, and some non-celebs-accident or burn cases, for example. Worth a read! Author-Jas Kohli.

Some gyan about how marketing is necessary too, particularly Word-of-mouth.

Entertaining People

I am talking about food and beverages, as in a party. Not performing cartwheels, though that is also entertainment of a kind.

While we lived in Bhubaneswar, Harihar and Hyderabad, we did this more regularly-I mean my wife and I. For one, we were friends with a lot of people, and we were young (and foolish?). The idea of having a chai party at Bhubaneswar was once seen to fruition, with some snacks to accompany it. The idea of having black tea, milk and sugar separately available occurred to us because we were just back from the U.S. where it was common. And one of the guests (British) was pleasantly surprised at this, because it was unusual in Indian households.

Picking the food menu for dinner parties was not very difficult most of the time, and usually veered around to a chicken dish for the non-vegetarians, and a veg. gravy for the others, with a dal or equivalent. When drinks were also served, people usually concentrated on the appetisers, and these were so filling, that the food usually got sidelined.

In Harihar, on New Year's Eve, we usually went to a friend's house (Pavan Appachu), and had a great time with some Coorgi mutton curry, or chicken as the main item on the menu-thanks to Jamuna, his wife. Sometimes we also had home-brewed flavoured wine.

The art of entertaining is slowly dying out (or at least it feels so), for various reasons. But it has its own charm, in spite of some work that it involves.

A Visit to Pataal

Actually, Pataalpani's the place we went to. A waterfall near Indore, it's in its element when it rains a lot. So this is how it looked in 2018 August-

A train also happened to pass by running on the metre-gauge line that is the Indore-Khandwa section, now under conversion to broad gauge in parts.

 Preventing each other from jumping off :)

Rain Fury

This year, it has spread to unusual places- almost the whole state of Kerala, Kodagu in Karnataka, and a few places in Gujarat.

Makes me wonder if there are any long term measures that one can take to prevent such devastation in case of heavy rains, and maybe also preserve the rainwater for use in lean times. Of course, emergency rescue in the short run needs a lot of improvement too. I do remember seeing some reports of cyclones on the east coast- Orissa, or Andhra Pradesh being handled relatively well sometime ago.

Governments would do well, both at the Centre and the states prone to such disasters (now we know many states are), to think about such measures in advance. For example, can release of water from dams that are likely to overflow be timed better so that it does not cause floods?

That is what progress is for. Otherwise, all talk of mundane applications of AI, IoT, Analytics,  and all that is just talk.

A Friend Retires

A friend (right, above) retires this month to go back to his hometown, Chennai. And I am happy that I can bug him a little more when we meet (more often) on our Golfing trips together. We have known each other since my days at Harihar (1995), when we worked at Kirloskar Institute. Also played Golf together at the wonderful course we had on campus.

I learnt a lot from him, including some of the niceties of SPSS. He is a natural teacher, and has also co-written a chapter in my Marketing Research book (on its way to a fourth edition soon). I was happy that he joined IMT Nagpur, where he has been the last few years, teaching HR at first, and then Analytics, which is his forte. He has helped countless people with their Ph.D. s, officially and unofficially.

I am happy I am in his list of friends. Happy retirement, Vijayakumar.

Vajpayee - An Obituary

Rarely do you see a politician who does not answer to the image that most have carved out for themselves. He was one. Can't really think of another one in our country. Nelson Mandela, maybe.

"School chalein hum," was a song of his that was played on radio a lot. Such a simple message, and effective. Communication was his forte, but one among many. Being humane, and respectful even in disagreement, was another.

His speeches were a delight to listen to, and I have heard a million in my life which were not. His pregnant pauses, a lesson to those unable to deliver in their verbal barrages..

His attempt to connect India through a road network of Highways has only an American parallel that I know of. His brand of coalition politics was very different from many others'. He left an indelible stamp on everything he did, from asserting India's right to nuclear testing, to many other things.

A colossus.

Talking to School Children at Nanded

Had a unique opportunity to talk to school kids at a Nanded school. It was scary too, because I was new to this experience. The talk was on careers, since the small-town Indians are generally a bit less aware of career options, and their parents may be less aggressive in hunting for options other than the mainstream- CA, Medical or Engineering. Though I am a mainstream engineer/MBA, my kids are not, so I gave examples of careers that are non-mainstream.

These are the kids-all of them, with some teachers.Biggest audience for my talk in recent times!

Nanded is famous for a Gurudwara too, and here are some pics of this amazing place of worship.

Karwaan (Hindi)- Film Review

Irrfan and the dialogues (by Hussain Dalal) are riveting. Mithila Palkar reminded me of every teenager who rolls her eyes and says "whatever"every chance she gets. Salman (not that one) is a revelation, with an underplayed hero's role if there ever was one.

The direction reminded me of the best in this genre. Akarsh Khurana is a debutant director? Hard to believe. Every frame of the screenplay is crafted to perfection, and flows seamlessly, from the first scene in the bus headed for Gangotri, to the last, set in Kerala. The Kerala shots reminded me of Chef which was also shot there, among beautiful surroundings.

Kriti Kharbanda, who has made it big in Kannada films, has an endearing small role.

But just for Irrfan and the dialogue, the film is a must-watch (mast watch too). 5 stars from me.

Staying Loyal

This is not about relationships-go look for an agony aunt-but about loyalty to organisations/jobs.

What makes people want to continue to work for an organisation, say after 2-3 years?

Learning
Inertia
Good pay/perks-golden handcuffs, as they are known sometimes
Challenge
New responsibilities/promise of promotion
Emotional attachment to people in the organisation
A bond signed in return for something like training given, study leave granted,..

In my case, there were any or many of these whenever I stayed back for more than two years. I have stayed more than two years at Kirloskar Institute (18 hole Golf course), IMT Nagpur (great people), and at IIM Indore (Poha, kachori and jalebi being the Sev-ing grace)-close to my fifth birthday here now. At Vignana Jyoti, too, which was a startup B-school in Hyderabad, and the biryani was irresistible. Yes, Biryani can be a reason too.

Mandu in the Monsoon

Some more pics of an outing to Mandu. 2018.

I am up to my usual tricks-photographic ones.

Tea for Lilliputs?

Jahaz -mahaling.

Perfect! The board and the bhutta!Teen Deviyan bhutta khane pahunch gayin dharti par.

Outdoors in Indore

This is the best season at Indore with rains, and greenery. Also a great time to go out. So we did. Joined by a friend from Vizag, we took a short road trip to Mandu, by a road less travelled.

Listening to Kishore Kumar- Ina Mina Dika

I never get tired of listening to him. His voice is full of life. I must have first heard him in the late sixties, on radio when I was around 8 or 9. The early songs may have been Yeh dil, na hota bechara, from Jewel Thief, and then the delectable Mere sapnon ki rani kab aayegi tu from Aradhana. I still listen to these two.

In between, the range of songs I heard and liked grew into a big number. Almost all Rajesh Khanna films had him, and so did most Dev Anand films. Pal bhar ke liye koi hamein pyar kar le, picturised on Dev Anand and Hema Mailini was  a favourite those days, and so was the duet from the same film (Johny Mera Naam) -O mere Raja,..and still are.

Hum the woh thi aur samaa rangeen was my favourite among many lovely songs in Chalti ka Naam Gaadi, and his own acting was even better. Paanch rupiah baarah aana, also for its innovative lyrics. The film called Padosan was non-stop fun, in large part due to his singing and acting.

He also sang some superb songs in relatively unknown films- only the songs are remembered today. Pyar maanga hai tumhise from College Girl, Tum kitni khoobsurat ho fro Jangal Mein Mangal, O hansini from Zahreela Insaan, Aise na mujhe tum dekho from Darling Darling are some examples.

His duets from Aandhi are probably the best ever. And there were three in the film. Other duets that are memorable, for me Koi maane ya na maane, from Adhikaar, Pyar hua hai jab se, Mere meet bata, Tu laali hai savere wali, Gore rang pe na itna gumaan kar, Maar gayi mujhe teri judaai, Jaisa des waisa bhes phir kya darna, Neend churake raaton mein, Tum bhi chalo hum bhi chalen chalti rahe zindagi,..

Soulful songs? Those were in plenty also- Ajnabi, tum jaane pehchane se lagte ho is one standout song in this category. Mere mehboob qayamat hogi is another. All his songs from Amar Prem too.

Qawwali? He sang one in Anokhi Ada in this style- Haal kya hai dilon ka na poocchho sanam. Bhajan? Jai Govindam, Jai Gopalam (a parody), with the funniest lines- peechhe pad gaya income taxum, etc..

Nonsense lyrics? Ina mina dika, ..