SLOW DOWN

Taken directions from a mail to write all this:-

Please give it a thought on when did you last do any of these activities?
1. Watching the sun go down and gazing at it into the fading night
2. Sitting silently at the corner of a crowded place and simply watching people do all kind of activities, without troubling your nerve cells
3. Watching kids play at the Children’s Park and smiling on each act of their supreme innocence.
4. Listening to the rain-drops falling on the ground and trying to catch minutest of the sound.
5. Following erratic butterfly flight.
6. Standing by the road side without any intention to go anywhere and watching the vehicles crossing by you in a desperate urgency.
7. Watching two kites’ entangling twine and rescuing one of them to the freedom in an unknown blue space.
8. Following the distant birds flying at immeasurable heights from extreme left to extreme right.
9. Watching the seconds’ hand of a clock do tick-tick, tick-tick, tick-tick, tick-tick……


Do any of the following things happened with you?
1. When did you last asked yourself ‘How are you?’ and could you manage to reply on that?
2. When did last someone asked you ‘How are you?’ and did you actually replied on your actual state of condition?
3. Do you run out of your house each morning?
4. How many times this thought comes to your mind – Oh! I am getting late!?
5. At the end of the day, does this come to your head – what are the next chores I am required to do?
6. Do you think that had there been twice as much time available as it is now, your life would be much simpler?
7. Do you think cellphones, airplanes, internet are the best things ever could be created?
8. Do you think night is ‘only’ a period to give you a stopover to start with your next day activities?

Could you ever notice these things happening around?
1. The sorrow on a kid’s face when you asked him/ her to do an act tomorrow as you being busy today.
2. The pre-mature death of your friendship as you never had time to call and say “hi” and genuinely tried to know about your friend, “how are you?”
3. The silence of other person when he wanted to talk to you but you couldn’t listen due to paucity of time.
4. The saddening face of your mother when you dint say a last bye while moving out of the house in a hurry.
5. The hope in the eyes of your loved-ones when you broke a promise to do an act, that the activity would be done without making you remind again.
6. The bitterness in the relations you made and broke in the rush of things you had to do.
7. The dreams in the eyes of your father which he made ever since you were born while letting you go off to realize your dreams.


If you could understand what I have written supra, it’s the time you should slow down in the race of your life. I have always found myself racing against time, but in the end I have realized that I am never the winner. As they say, give in to the taste… you definitely need to cherish each and every moment of life without rushing on to the next activity. Its not that the person who completes the maximum activities wins the race; it’s the person who “completes” the activities who wins the race. When you run so fast to get somewhere, you miss half the fun of getting there. The fun is not reaching the destination but the path to reach the destination. When you worry and hurry through your day, its like an unopened gift…thrown away!

Kindly promise yourself to do at least one activity a week of the type mentioned in first part here. Try to live in present as future never comes. Promise to give time to your loved-ones, which is of prime importance and pledge to take care of them rather than letting them take care of themselves.

Words.......

Smile
An everlasting smile
A smile can bring you near to me
Don't ever let me find you wrong
Cause that would bring a tear to me
This world has lost it's glory
Lets start a brand new story
Now my love
You think that I don't even mean
A single word I say
It's only words
And words are all I have
To take your heart away

Talk
In everlasting words
And dedicate them all, to me
And I will give you all my life
I'm here if you should call to me
You think that I don't even mean
a single word I say
It's only words
And words are all I have
To take your heart away
It's only words
And words are all I have
To take your heart away

Da da da da da da da
Da da da da da da da da da da
Da da da da da da da
Da da da da da da da da da da

This world has lost it's glory
Let's start a brand new story
Now, my love
You think that I don't even mean
a single word I say
It's only words
And words are all I have
To take your heart away
It's only words
And words are all I have
To take your heart away
It's only words
And words are all I have
To take your heart away

Main aur Meri Tanhai

लोग कहते हैं हुई थी बारिश उस रोज़,
उन्हें क्या पता ग़म-ए-हिज़्र में रोया था कोई।

यूँ साए देख कर खुश होते हैं सब ग़ाफ़िल,
उन्हें क्या पता कल धूप में सोया था कोई।

कतरा-कतरा कर के मुस्कुराते हैं सभी,
उन्हें क्या पता चश़्म-ए-तर का रोया था कोई।

मंज़िल-ए-आखिर को चलते हैं अब राहिल,
उन्हें क्या पता इन राहों पर खोया था कोई।

रहते है साथ साथ मै और मेरी तनहाई--
करते है राज की बात मै और मेरी तनहाई--

दिन तो गुज्ञर जाता है लोगों की भीर मे--
करते है बसर रात मै और मेरी तनहाई--

सांसो का क्या भरोसा कब छोड जाये साथ--
लेकिन रहेंगे साथ मै और मेरी तनहाई--

आए ना तुम्हे याद कभी भूल कर भी शायद--
करते है याद तुम्हे मै और मेरी तनहाई--

आ के पास क्यं दूर हो गये--?????
करते हैं तुम्हारा इंतजार मै और मेरी तनहाई

Second-handers!!

This is about the deadliness of second-handers. They have no concern for facts, ideas, work. They’re concerned only with people. They don’t ask: ‘Is this true?’ They ask: ‘Is this what others think is true?’ Not to judge, but to repeat. Not to do, but to give the impression of doing. Not creation, but show. Not ability, but friendship. Not merit, but pull. What would happen to the world without those who do, think, work, produce? Those are the egotists. You don’t work through another’s brains and you don’t work through another’s hands. When you suspend your faculty of independent judgment, you suspend consciousness. To stop consciousness is to stop life. Second-handers have no sense of reality. Their reality is not within them, but somewhere in that space which divides one human body from another. The second-hander acts, but the source of his actions is scattered in every other living person. It’s everywhere and nowhere and you cant reason with him. He’s not open to reason. You cant speak to him – he cant hear. You’re tried by an empty bench. A blind mass running amuck, to crush you without sense or purpose.

(These are not my words... but I feel they are as inspiring as any other thing could be... to help us think, create, and believe in ourselves....Keep the faith)

Appraisal Time…

For the starters, PwC has recently introduced an online appraisal system. The trainings were organized in the (Big) Board Room of newly constructed office at Gurgaon. Yes, you heard it right…trainings for filling up the appraisal forms. I guess that’s y they call it MNC. And this is how we make the simplest things complex in our very own way! I cant recall attending any audit-related training for a long time, but this one was mandatory!!! And among all the deadlines, this one is the last kind of deadline anybody would be expecting…2nd March 2007 is the date by which I am supposed to fill in my appraisals and evaluate appraisals filled by my juniors. So “appraisals” is my this week’s project.

The funny part is that we are supposed to get the appraisals done after each assignment but its only towards the end of Financial Year (dats how I have been accustomised here to define the time of the year), auditors – or at least the PwC Auditors – start getting prayerful. Auditors are not particularly religious lot. So why the prayers then? The auditors are praying not for spiritual salvation but for a far more earthly thing: the annual increment!! And no ones prayer is ever answered, or so it seems. To the question, How was the increments and promotions this time?, the answer is a dismal one, With great difficulty, and only after using a magnifying glass.

When will we auditors learn? When will we learn the fundamental difference between Pelf (money) and Self (the ego and ethics). Pelf belongs to the world of Top Management (read: partners of the firm); Self is kept safely inside the hearts of (field level) Auditors. I am sure a partner would come out with this sort of reply: We understand you don’t get any little share of the hefty audit fees obtained on the basis of your work done. But why do you want all that money? See how much experience you are getting in PwC. You are interacting with CEOs and CFOs of all the big corporates. Your issues observed are being discussed all throughout. How much self-realisation you achieve in all this.

And then, partner would say, you are given chance to go abroad on secondment. The perdium (I don’t know the spelling) which is given is over and above the regular salary. Think of the times when you go to UK, US, Canada or Australia. I have never been sent for secondment to UK, US, Canada, Australia or anywhere abroad for that matter. Though they never miss any chance to keep me outta Delhi, be it Pune, Chandigarh, Lucknow or Jaipur. I went to my manager last year and asked him to send me Out. He sent me to Pune saying dats outta Delhi!!!!!!

Another incentive, partner offers, is that the cocktail parties organized by Client (even that too client!!! Seems we all have been adopted by our client), where CFOs come up to you and elicit your views on the latest issues identified, treatments and control perspectives of new product launches, effects of the financial policies on company’s financial position and discussions on ethics and integrity (which I appreciate would be lowest in me even when you pool in the cops or the prisoners in Tihar Jail). I once gatecrashed (I am not saying I have done such kind of act only once, I am just narrating an incident over here) a cocktail party where someone came up to me and 'elicited' my views on where the loo was, having mistaken me for displaced lavatory attendant. I escorted my Guest to the loo, which I needed to visit myself, where he kept eyeing me suspiciously until I offered him a paper towel in expectation of baksheesh. (though he dint give me any baksheesh…cheap Indian)

Partner finally would say that the difference between Pelf and Self is nominal, involving simple transpositioning of numbers. Pelf is when you take any number from 1 to 9 and put lot of zeroes after it. Self is when you take any number from 1 to 9 and put a lot of zeroes before it. Are your prayers answered?, asks Partner. Amen, I concur.

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Aaj ki Routine ---->>
Reached office at 11:30
Office socialising till 12:00
Talked to annie till 1:30
Lunch Time: 1:30 to 2:30
Ohh....i am in office...and am paid for working....worked till 3:30
Munna called up and interrupted me while working...said he needs to go to gym early today and i wld have to make it by 6:30 frm gurgaon
I stopped working...planned things for next day...and it was 4:30 by now
Socialising again...till 5:30 and left for home!!!

Feeling little better after writing such an eventful and efficient schedule of mine. I would achieve a gr8 deal if i keep up with this pace!! aur annie/choppa khush honge....sabaasi denge!! afterall i have learned somethings frm them.

Dinner with Prof Shally of Kelley

I wasnt much excited initially about the invitation I got from Professor Shailendra Pratap Jain (Shally) from Kelley School of Business. Not in a very great state of mind...but one of my friends convinced me that I must go there and to reach on time... 7:00pm was the time I was supposed to be there....and tried to frighten me by saying that it would look so odd if I reach wen everyone is already at the dinner table. Honestly, this time i had decided to be there on time...my first networking dinner enroute to MBA. But somethings would never change in me...this eternal lag of half an hour in my timings wld prove to be fatal someday...i wonder!!

7:30 pm. There wasnt any1 in the hotel lobby of Maurya Sheraton...Being the 1st time i happened to be at that 5-star (obv it doesnt mean dat i am a regular visitor at other 5-stars), i checked at the front desk if i was at the correct hotel lobby. Unfortunately i was. So i racked my brain and i am thankful that it did remember the name of the restaurant...Westview. As i feared, everyone was seated and i found myself making an entry like an Indian Guest of Honour!!! I introduced myself to evryone and got seated.
The lady serving at the table asked me, "What would u like to have Sir. Scotch, whiskey, beer, vine?"
"I dont drink"
(luckily i gathered back my senses after hearing all those names...whiskey n all... i was like...where am i!!!! and escaped from the awkward situation)
"Any soft drink". She had decided that she wld make me drink something today.
"Ok, get me one Fresh Lime water..salted".
(The focuses shifts from me)

Suddenly a guy stands up and starts giving his business cards. I was wondering what had happened to him...and i thought i am the guest of honour!! Why at all I need his business card???? he wasnt a good looking gal ;) neither he seemed like someone having the capability to hire me in future!!
Anyways, i thought i shld jump in the opportunity and give my cards as well..which were so fondly printed for me by PwC...and I had never used apart from showing them once to my Mom when I first got them. Though its not like I havent had good business meeting before where there are chances to give your business cards...it just that everytime either i wasnt carrying my visiting cards or having enough number to distribute to all. Today was no exception!

Then starts all those general conversations which we were called for. Which school is good, why it is good, what are accomodation options, cost involved, culture, weather, visa, financial aid, loans etc etc. Prof was going bla bla bla on the questions shooted by us. He warned us that we wont be able to catch sleep of more than 4-5 hrs a day in the devilish first semster!! This was the only thing which was bothering me and I ensured this twice. But the professor wont move from his statement! OK...shld i rethink my decision of pursuing MBA degree?? I sometimes think i wont be willing to marry even aishwarya rai (she is still not married no?) at the cost of my sleep! NO...i am not lazy...i just love my sleep... its a personal preference...I AM NOT LAZY!!

And ya...how can i forget to tell you my location in the table. I have heard dat even though u r talking to the person to your right at the dinner table..u shld be equally attentive to the person sitting to your left!! This made me pay attention to the lucky souls sharing there RHS and LHS with me!! As luck wld have it, they were the most dumbest of the people at the table. No i wld still not rate myself lucky even though i was sitting next to the only female available at our table. The person to my left wld not speak a word even if shaken violently...and this lady wld not stop speaking even though u dont respond to what she says!
"Hi, this is shweta. So are you joining Kelley School?"
"Yes", I replied.
"I have got another option as well, and I am confused"
"Ask professor, he may advise you on something", i try to give her a terminal reply again.

(After few minutes)
"Has professor chosen the Italian cuisine", shweta murmers again."I dunno who has chosen it, but i guess the menu suggests the Italian Cuisine", i tries to answer her stupid question without
losing my calm. I had no clue who had chosen what.. only thing i cld really understand on the menu was Pasta (though later on i cld not figure out when it was served). I was also wondering, why shld we really care abt dat now?? The menu is already chosen...u just have option to eat or not to eat. I wld obviously prefer the first option...dats wat i am here for.
Not satisfied with my reply (or the type of my reply), she speaks aloud, "Professor, I like Italian cuisine. Have u chosen this?
(I wanted to tell her dat we are all admitted students, buttering the professor now wont do any good)
"Actually, this was chosen by my niece, who is working in ITC...the choice of restaurant and cuisine was hers only", professor gives a disclaimer that if someone doesnt like the choice then its not him who shld be blamed for.
"I am so fond of Italian and its so nice of you to invite all of us here. I felt glad to see your invitation", she flatters again.
By this time, i was totally pissed off with her comments/questions/ talks and I had already completed third round of fresh lime water...and I was desperately seeking to go to the
loo now coz 1. i wanted a break from her irritating voice 2. for the obvious reasons!

It was 9:30 pm and i started yawning. Its always hard to keep my attention at one particular thing for so long. I exercised my neck and went beyond paying attention to the persons next to you at dinner table. This time i was paying attention to the next dinner tables itself. No doubt both the couples (read females) were amazing!! That was enough to keep me occupied for sometime.

The evening progressed. I was getting lessor and lessor interested in professor talks and students inquiry desk. There was no charm left in the surroundings. They were testing my patience. I must say, Rahul Dravid has got this good quality. But I havent. I was delighted to hear professor saying, " what wld u chose for deserts". Not that my taste buds were constantly pressurising me for the same... but through all my knowledge...i am aware that its the last course in any meal! Since I cld not get the names of the dishes she offered...i pointed towards a chocolate colored dessert and thought this wld be last of the series of trauma i faced!

11:30 pm. It was time to bid goodbye. We all shaked hands one by one ( i never understand the purpose of shaking hands...at the start of the meeting...and at the end of it....perhaps it symbolizes the start and the end of terrible time u have in between meetings). And off I run to my sweet Zen...parked in between a Merc and a Corolla. As much as i wanted to return back home quickly, things were lined up specifically for me. At the back of my mind, somehow i had this feeling that the evening went fine. Keeping to the tradition, something had to go wrong. No, this time i hadnt forgotten the keys in the car. They were right up there in my blazer pocket. I sit inside, but the key would not start the ignition!
Oops...i had kept the headlights on during that 4-hr long ordeal!!!!????!!!!!!????!!!