Yup that's right, I do sound STRANGE!
I believe that in every person there is a conventional and unconventional identity. A conventional identity is based on what a person is taught as the reality, and the unconventional identity is based on what a person experiences as the reality. We are all in one way or other a mixture of both these identities. It's safer to follow a conventional path but the unconventional identity always keep popping up in one way or the other throughout our lives. The conventional stuff is common to everyone, while the unconventional stuff is unique to each person. It's only 5% of the people in the world who dare to live the unconventional lives. Among those 5% it's only 1% of it who succeed in their ventures. So knowing all these things nobody is going to jump into an unconventional lifestyle without being pushed into it. And it depends on too many variables to calculate and logically decide that it is the right time for a person to become unconventional. It's a speculation and if the unconventional wisdom that one has in him is an idea whose time has come, he will succeed. Otherwise he will fail. I might fail or I might succeed. The probability for success is only 1%. I have given myself the best possibility to succeed by going through a long and ardous training procedure to cling on to my instincts and keep on speculating. Even after all these efforts I might still fail. It's neither my fault nor the system's fault. It might be because it's too early to implement the idea. But I have no choice but to try it out, because that's what makes me myself. And if I fail to make it a success, I have to kill myself, ie I have to turn myself into a stereotype. And the idea that I have is nothing but a world full of people with their own identities and no stereotypes. No wonder that a failure on my part, most fittingly would turn me into a stereotype. But I am not going to give it up without a fight. I'll fight it out in the streets, like what Sunil Mittal told about getting educated in business, I am too inclined to repeat the words of Mahatma Gandhi..,
At first, they ignore you, then they laugh at you, but those who try hard with lot of passion, eventually win.
I hope you do understand why I sound STRANGE now!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Sunday, March 19, 2006
The Five Precious Crystals!
Once a man called his little son beside him and offered him five crystal clear spheres.
He said "These are the most precious things in life. These are imperishable and everlasting. So hold onto these as if to your life. This will give you success in life"
The child being inherently inquisitive by nature retorted,
"Are they really imperishable father?"
Father was reassuring in his reply,
"Well, that's what my father told me, so it must be true!"
The child was still not convinced, he kept on quibbling,
"How did he know that?"
Father was growing impatient at this.., he said,
"This is what I have experienced and learned from my life. You take this and follow what I say."
The child knew that he had no choice but to take the orders..,
But he was naughty enough to pretend to be careless while taking those spheres as he let all of them fall to the ground..,
Now what? Good Gracious.....! Isn't that blasphemy? How could one put the sacred crystals down? Isn't this boy insane? Or is he arrogant? What punishment would suffice for this?
Well, the boy is none but each one of us, not everyone puts down the crystals though. We do keep them with utmost piety and reverance. And the father is the society that we belong to..., And as you guessed right the naughty boy who put those crystals down is none other than me.., And what happened after that?
I have seen some of them shatter into pieces and some are still yet to hit the ground. I don't know what crystals others might have got, but I'll have only those crystals that are truely imperishable and everlasting!!!
He said "These are the most precious things in life. These are imperishable and everlasting. So hold onto these as if to your life. This will give you success in life"
The child being inherently inquisitive by nature retorted,
"Are they really imperishable father?"
Father was reassuring in his reply,
"Well, that's what my father told me, so it must be true!"
The child was still not convinced, he kept on quibbling,
"How did he know that?"
Father was growing impatient at this.., he said,
"This is what I have experienced and learned from my life. You take this and follow what I say."
The child knew that he had no choice but to take the orders..,
But he was naughty enough to pretend to be careless while taking those spheres as he let all of them fall to the ground..,
Now what? Good Gracious.....! Isn't that blasphemy? How could one put the sacred crystals down? Isn't this boy insane? Or is he arrogant? What punishment would suffice for this?
Well, the boy is none but each one of us, not everyone puts down the crystals though. We do keep them with utmost piety and reverance. And the father is the society that we belong to..., And as you guessed right the naughty boy who put those crystals down is none other than me.., And what happened after that?
I have seen some of them shatter into pieces and some are still yet to hit the ground. I don't know what crystals others might have got, but I'll have only those crystals that are truely imperishable and everlasting!!!
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
The lonely traveller!
As I wade through the meadows of this earthly population, I am prone to that dreadful thought, Am I alone?
Nobody wants to be alone and I am no exception. But as I take a deep breath and look around at the marvel of all creation around me, I realise, I am not alone. If I were alone then every one is alone, and isn't that the truth? Or is it a mere illusion that we are alone in this world? Which is the reality and which is the illusion? "We are alone" or "We are bonded by an invisible string" which many believe is what drives the world forward. I can't help but think of that magical cube completely enclosed from outside but with a source of light in the centre and mirrors on all sides inside the cube. What would a person within the cube see if he looks around? I don't know whether my gumption is right, but with my limited knowledge I believe he would be seeing those things inside the cube which are in the line of his view. He sees depending on the way in which he looks. And the most funny part of all this is that the poor man believes all this to be happening outside the cube. Am I that man? Oh no! All these thoughts are about things happening within my mind and I have been made to believe that they were the reality. But then what is reality? Aren't these kind of projections by all the people in this world that we perceive as reality? So isn't reality a variable that ought to be changed and not an all-encompassing rule which we are bound to obey. It might be impossible to change the world around by sitting within the cube. But by changing the way we look within the cube, actually we are changing the reality, because reality is nothing but an illusion caused by the multiple reflection of the internal source within us at the mirrors inside the cube. The views might sound radically different, but it's just the old wine in a new bottle.
So Am I alone or not? A question that can never be answered objectively!!!
Nobody wants to be alone and I am no exception. But as I take a deep breath and look around at the marvel of all creation around me, I realise, I am not alone. If I were alone then every one is alone, and isn't that the truth? Or is it a mere illusion that we are alone in this world? Which is the reality and which is the illusion? "We are alone" or "We are bonded by an invisible string" which many believe is what drives the world forward. I can't help but think of that magical cube completely enclosed from outside but with a source of light in the centre and mirrors on all sides inside the cube. What would a person within the cube see if he looks around? I don't know whether my gumption is right, but with my limited knowledge I believe he would be seeing those things inside the cube which are in the line of his view. He sees depending on the way in which he looks. And the most funny part of all this is that the poor man believes all this to be happening outside the cube. Am I that man? Oh no! All these thoughts are about things happening within my mind and I have been made to believe that they were the reality. But then what is reality? Aren't these kind of projections by all the people in this world that we perceive as reality? So isn't reality a variable that ought to be changed and not an all-encompassing rule which we are bound to obey. It might be impossible to change the world around by sitting within the cube. But by changing the way we look within the cube, actually we are changing the reality, because reality is nothing but an illusion caused by the multiple reflection of the internal source within us at the mirrors inside the cube. The views might sound radically different, but it's just the old wine in a new bottle.
So Am I alone or not? A question that can never be answered objectively!!!
Saturday, March 11, 2006
My XLRI Interview!
There were 3 ppl in the panel,
one in the centre, P1.
one to my right, P2.
one to my left, P3.
I would use M for myself.
I ask permission and enter the room.
P2 and P3 were amused abt somthing in the meanwhile and start laughing by saying something eachother.
M : Good evening Sirs.
All : Good evening. Take your seat.
P2 : Let me have a look at your certificates.
I hand over my file to him and sits in the chair.
P1 : So you like cricket?
M : I'm not that much interested in it now, I used to play it in my school days.
P2 : So you are the last man for the day?
M : I think so. There's none left in the waiting hall.
P1: Have you heard of night watch man?
M : yes,sir.
P1 : You know nightwatchman! what is it?
M : A nightwatchman is a nonregular batsman send in to bat at the end of the day so that the regular or specialist batsmen are not exposed.
P2 : Shows me a register and asks me to sign in front of my name.
I take my pen and get ready to sign.
P3 : So do you mean to say that he keeps an overnight vigil there or what?
I do not sign on the sheet, looks up at P3 and replies,
M : Yes, Sir. In the sense that he protects the regular batsmen overnight.
P2 : Please sign the register.
I sign the register.
P1 : Looking at your qualifications, you have done your Graduation in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, then you have work-ex in power generation, you have also done your M-Tech in Power Systems, You have a very bright future ahead of you in the Power Sector. So why do you want to do this course now? Is it just because the market is all going like that ? What is your reason to change your stream now?
M : Yes, I am a good power Engineer and I have a very good future in the power sector. I have never been a stereotype kind of guy who did things just because everyone else was doing it. People do not think in the same way throughout their lives. As they get more experiences and knowledge they take more mature decisions.
Then he went into many stuff abt power systems and basic technical and GK stuff on powersystems. I answered all of them(God knows whether they were right or wrong, I had the conviction and he kept nodding.) and he was done with in 7-8 mins.
Then P2 took over.
P2 : When a person is becoming an Engineer the society is investing a lot on him. So now that you have done an M-Tech, and then you want to shift to a manager you are actually bringing a huge loss to the society, The society is losing a lot so how do you justify your decision?
M : Sir, I believe that, any organisation, any society or any nation can only be lead by people who have a very good understanding of both the technicalities and the human side involved in it. I am someone who has always had a holistic approach to life. My idea was to become conceptually strong in one of the technical areas and then get into the human management side. If I were living ten years ago I would not have done this course, it is only recently, especially in India that we have the corporate structures and organisations coming up in such large scales. My idea now is to learn about the systems that help people to perform better in organisations. Also from my life until now I have seen two ways to learn, the easy way and the hard way. The easy way is to learn from people who have a good conceptual understanding of the things that I want to learn and the hard way is to learn it by oneself.
Then he went on to many questions about the social implications of Power, and how I foresee the future of Indian Power Sector. I was very diplomatic and remained non-committal on all my answers by making all of them conditional(Don't know how he took it).
It went on for 9-10 mins.
Then P3 took over.
I don't remember much of his questions now, but most were Current Affairs topics like N-Deal, Iran Issue, then he asked about Kerala and the only portion that I remember clearly is how it ended.
P3 : So how have you been preparing for this interview?
M : I have been in Chennai for the last 3 weeks. I have been interacting with a lot of HR people. And actually I have got a contract to standardise the selection process of a printing BPO firm.
P3: Oh you have been here for the last 3 weeks, So what did the HR people tell you?
M : They asked me not to say the truth.
P3(was all of a sudden very excited): What! So you have been bluffing us all the way along?
M : No, But I did not hear them. I believe that interviews are things which happen in the spur of the moment. You answer the question instinctively, so I don't believe in having pre-planned answers. I am someone who has always been true to myself and I believe that that's all what I need to keep doing to take me through.
P3 : So were your preperations a waste of time?
M : No, It is is only because of my efforts that I have been able to get this contract that I mentioned earlier. Whenever I take a decision in my life I like to hedge myself, so even if I did not get into XLRI I needed to have a solid plan to fall back upon to make myself confident that I can make it big in HR.
P3 : Thank you
M : Thanks.
Gets up and thanks everyone, takes my file and leaves.
The entire interview lasted for around 25-30 minutes. My objective of remaining unconventional has been achieved, I don't know whether any of the things that happened there would be considered negative and hence me judged as a controversial guy. Anyway I am very happy with the interview because I could remain true to myself inspite of all temptations to look conventional. To be frank, I don't mind getting rejected after such an interview. Because I have showcased myself in the best way possible, and if I do not fit into the scheme of things it's better for me to keep out as well.
one in the centre, P1.
one to my right, P2.
one to my left, P3.
I would use M for myself.
I ask permission and enter the room.
P2 and P3 were amused abt somthing in the meanwhile and start laughing by saying something eachother.
M : Good evening Sirs.
All : Good evening. Take your seat.
P2 : Let me have a look at your certificates.
I hand over my file to him and sits in the chair.
P1 : So you like cricket?
M : I'm not that much interested in it now, I used to play it in my school days.
P2 : So you are the last man for the day?
M : I think so. There's none left in the waiting hall.
P1: Have you heard of night watch man?
M : yes,sir.
P1 : You know nightwatchman! what is it?
M : A nightwatchman is a nonregular batsman send in to bat at the end of the day so that the regular or specialist batsmen are not exposed.
P2 : Shows me a register and asks me to sign in front of my name.
I take my pen and get ready to sign.
P3 : So do you mean to say that he keeps an overnight vigil there or what?
I do not sign on the sheet, looks up at P3 and replies,
M : Yes, Sir. In the sense that he protects the regular batsmen overnight.
P2 : Please sign the register.
I sign the register.
P1 : Looking at your qualifications, you have done your Graduation in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, then you have work-ex in power generation, you have also done your M-Tech in Power Systems, You have a very bright future ahead of you in the Power Sector. So why do you want to do this course now? Is it just because the market is all going like that ? What is your reason to change your stream now?
M : Yes, I am a good power Engineer and I have a very good future in the power sector. I have never been a stereotype kind of guy who did things just because everyone else was doing it. People do not think in the same way throughout their lives. As they get more experiences and knowledge they take more mature decisions.
Then he went into many stuff abt power systems and basic technical and GK stuff on powersystems. I answered all of them(God knows whether they were right or wrong, I had the conviction and he kept nodding.) and he was done with in 7-8 mins.
Then P2 took over.
P2 : When a person is becoming an Engineer the society is investing a lot on him. So now that you have done an M-Tech, and then you want to shift to a manager you are actually bringing a huge loss to the society, The society is losing a lot so how do you justify your decision?
M : Sir, I believe that, any organisation, any society or any nation can only be lead by people who have a very good understanding of both the technicalities and the human side involved in it. I am someone who has always had a holistic approach to life. My idea was to become conceptually strong in one of the technical areas and then get into the human management side. If I were living ten years ago I would not have done this course, it is only recently, especially in India that we have the corporate structures and organisations coming up in such large scales. My idea now is to learn about the systems that help people to perform better in organisations. Also from my life until now I have seen two ways to learn, the easy way and the hard way. The easy way is to learn from people who have a good conceptual understanding of the things that I want to learn and the hard way is to learn it by oneself.
Then he went on to many questions about the social implications of Power, and how I foresee the future of Indian Power Sector. I was very diplomatic and remained non-committal on all my answers by making all of them conditional(Don't know how he took it).
It went on for 9-10 mins.
Then P3 took over.
I don't remember much of his questions now, but most were Current Affairs topics like N-Deal, Iran Issue, then he asked about Kerala and the only portion that I remember clearly is how it ended.
P3 : So how have you been preparing for this interview?
M : I have been in Chennai for the last 3 weeks. I have been interacting with a lot of HR people. And actually I have got a contract to standardise the selection process of a printing BPO firm.
P3: Oh you have been here for the last 3 weeks, So what did the HR people tell you?
M : They asked me not to say the truth.
P3(was all of a sudden very excited): What! So you have been bluffing us all the way along?
M : No, But I did not hear them. I believe that interviews are things which happen in the spur of the moment. You answer the question instinctively, so I don't believe in having pre-planned answers. I am someone who has always been true to myself and I believe that that's all what I need to keep doing to take me through.
P3 : So were your preperations a waste of time?
M : No, It is is only because of my efforts that I have been able to get this contract that I mentioned earlier. Whenever I take a decision in my life I like to hedge myself, so even if I did not get into XLRI I needed to have a solid plan to fall back upon to make myself confident that I can make it big in HR.
P3 : Thank you
M : Thanks.
Gets up and thanks everyone, takes my file and leaves.
The entire interview lasted for around 25-30 minutes. My objective of remaining unconventional has been achieved, I don't know whether any of the things that happened there would be considered negative and hence me judged as a controversial guy. Anyway I am very happy with the interview because I could remain true to myself inspite of all temptations to look conventional. To be frank, I don't mind getting rejected after such an interview. Because I have showcased myself in the best way possible, and if I do not fit into the scheme of things it's better for me to keep out as well.
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