Different Perspective

People and Process

2012-01-15T02:42:00.000+05:30

Many a times in my career i have seen the struggle between the process and the people. People do not like the process if it does not suit their way of working/style, but want it when they get stuck or in a mess. It's tough to make and implement a process, and most of the people/organizations make the mistake of picking up something from another organization and try to implement the same. This mostly ends up in failure and frustration as all organization culture and people are different.

Generally the people in India seem to hate processes, partly because of our experience with the government/social infrastructure where everything is denied to the common man in the name of some process that takes years and never bears any results.

Every process needs to define exceptions, but should not necessarily try and cater to every exception. That only ends up making it more complicated and hard to follow/implement. I have seen most of the failures happening when people try to make a fool proof process and ultimately end up confusing others and themselves.

Process need not be above people. Process should be for the people. But process is more important than an individual, it might be fine to loose a good person who is not willing to follow the process for the sake of maintaining the sanity in the system. Process implementation is generally painful for the people who develop a huge inertia. The inertia may be because of mindset or long time being in the same state. The process benefits may not be immediate but come in a longer time frame. However its always important to measure a process for the desired benefits and keep on tweaking it.

Owned vs rented car

2011-12-28T22:42:00.001+05:30

People generally assume that car rental is very expensive and owning a car is cheaper. Here is a sample analysis for the same,

Assuming Car Value = 5 lacs

Expense Per month
Interest = 4000
Depreciation = 6000 (for first yr)
Insurance = 1000
Maintenance =1000
Driver = 8000

Lets assume 1000 km a month and average of 15
Petrol = 4500

Total expense for 1000 Km for a month = 24500. i.e. 24.5 Rs/Km

Most radio cabs charge from 15-20 Rs per KM. So it isn't really a bad deal.

However your own car offers a huge convenience of using it anytime at a moments notice and personalization.

The baggage problem

2011-12-28T07:24:00.000+05:30

It takes time to understand that its best practice to NOT keep a baggage on you when you have a fight or altercation with someone. Such baggage only increase with time and the burden is always increasing. One also then tends to make a perception which then influences any further interactions. We need to think if it is worth it? Isn't it much easier to try and get off the load and move much faster ahead happily? When you start keeping baggage's, people also start to keep theirs, and then others interact with one another, collating their bad experiences making a harder perception against you and you end up more and more isolated.

Instead of carrying bad memories it is always better to carry the good ones. It helps to take the lesson from bad ones so as to prevent it later. Also we have a fixed memory bank, why should we then spend on things we don't like? Why can't we make life simpler?

India without Gandhi

2011-12-27T05:32:00.004+05:30

We were taught in school that India got independence because of Mahatma Gandhi. Is it really true? What would India have been without Gandhi? I am not trying to say he was not a great leader, but his leadership and politics of congress split India and Pakistan, and the effect of that is for the generations to follow.

Most of the british colonies started to gain independence after the second world war ended in 1945. There was great devastation after the second world war and ruling over the colonies had become very tough. With congress we had an elitist class coming to rule over India. So from the Queen in England we had the local Kings now. And now we have the Nehru family rule over India from one generation to another. Will this change for India? I don't think so. There are two things that need to be done for India to progress, greater education and stronger judiciary. In all our 60 yrs of independence we have greatly failed in both. It has actually gone worst as education has become privatized with very low quality, and people have become smarter in exploiting the judiciary.

I am presently shocked by how the graduate engineers don't know the engineering basics but still manage to score 70%+. And how the MBA's of today cannot answer basic practical management questions. Education has become a business with very low standards.

Our media which used to be very powerful before and even after independence has increasingly also become a business. Media has stopped asking hard questions. People like Kapil Sibbal can publicly say that 2g was no loss to India and still get away with it and even continue as the telecom minister.

Lokpal and corruption has become a big news of the day, however lets stop for a moment and think how much are we all also to blame for corruption. How many times did we bribe to make our life easy. Even those who take bribe are our near and dear ones, but do we question them? I have seen people defending corruption and also proud about how much money they are making by it. They justify themselves by pointing to a bigger thief and saying they just make a little. Humans have an excellent knack to justify anything.

There are some fundamental problems in the Indian system, and people need to focus on them to fix the things for good. However most people think that it not their problem and they cannot do anything about it. But its only when we all will change and do something the change will come......

Credit score

2011-12-27T05:09:00.001+05:30

I decided to get my credit report from CIBIL to see my details and the score. I was expecting it to be very good, but was surprised on getting it. There was lot of old information with CIBIL. lot of contact information was incorrect, the problem, when the agents just make you fill the form and fill your form with wrong spellings. I will try and get it corrected so that in future when i try to get some credit i do not face a problem.

American Express bank reported a delayed payment when there was none, now have raised a dispute for that. We need to have a system where the banks are penalized for giving wrong information to CIBIL.

Also now need to think if i should close some of the credit cards which i do not use, it should improve the credit score.

electricity woes of India

2011-08-15T09:00:00.000+05:30

In India even after 65 years of independence the nation struggles with electricity. There are power cuts in all major cities. In small towns the electricity is there for 12-14 hrs, and as the towns get smaller, the electricity time gets shorter.

Here are some of the reasons which I think contribute for the same -

Free electricity which government provides to farmers - No/less electricity solves this problem. The government does not want to educate people, that they have to pay if they for electricity. Government just thinks of votes and promises free electricity.
Transmission losses - There is lot of electricity theft, thanks to corruption and hunger for votes. Additionally we have invested little to reduce this.
Bad planning - The general answer of the government is it takes time for electricity planning and implementation. Is 65 yrs not enough? For most of this time only 1 political party/family has been in power.

Killing in Norway vs India

2011-07-25T12:14:00.000+05:30

Recently in a terrorist attack by a fundamentalist in Norway, more than 80 people died. The response of the politicians there was quite different to the response that our politicians gave when people recently died in Mumbai bomb blast. Nobody offered excuses in Norway, and they were sad. In India, our politicians were found to be proud in the fact that we had 31 months without any blasts.

These 2 incidents happened very close, and the stark difference in reaction by 2 governments is something we all need to notice.

Safari Vs Scorpio

2011-07-23T09:42:00.000+05:30

This question still comes up to me many times. Now with almost 4 yrs of safari ownership, i wanted to pen down the response.

I loved the refinement in engine in Scorpio when i first took a test drive. Also Mahindra has a good reputation with jeep/diesel engines. What however made me buy a safari were 2 major points -

1. Safari base version was about 1 lac cheaper and more loaded.
2. Safari seating comfort and middle row are much better than Scorpio.

Safari has its issues with engine stuff and occasional undiagnosed engine behavior and weird noises. However when i bought they were offering 4 yrs extended warranty, which assured me that i would not be bearing high costs of maintenance. However now that warranty is expiring and i am a little worried. To give credit, safari has not given me much troubles in last 1-2 yrs. The initial time was a little bad, probably as they had launched the 2.2 VTT engine only then, and did not know of the issues. But now this engine is almost 4+ yrs old, and lot more improved in terms of components.'

My ownership review and experience till now can be read at Team-BHP.

Parkland hotel membership

2011-07-22T15:12:00.001+05:30

Last year I decided to enroll in the parkland resort membership. The offer was fine, for around 5k, they were offering the vouchers for room nights, cakes and wines.

Their restaurant Delhi masala in green park property is good, but only issue is it is v small and barely enough for the hotel crowd. So, if you want to book a table it's never done. There is lot of wait on weekends.

Another restaurant is grapes in Safadarjung enclave. The restaurant is fine but quite expensive. The experience was fine, but nothing great. The cake is available only at this place.

When i went to book rooms, the whole issue started. The reservation desk number is almost never picked up. I tried talking to the person who had sold me the membership, but he also started sounding dicey. Finally whole year passed and I was unable to book the rooms. Now that my membership is up for renewal, i am being asked to renew, and promised the nights which are already expired.

A very sorry experience. I hope in all the zeal of marketing, they think about customers and forging long term relationships.

Theory X and theory Y

2011-06-22T17:15:00.001+05:30

Theory X and theory Y - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I still find many companies and people still rooted in theory X. I am a strong believer in theory Y. I have seen people work exceptionally well and teams deliver some great work. However there are some people who are exceptions, and they need to be weeded out instead of managers or management to move to theory X.

Theory X does not look democratic to me and does not look suitable for the knowledge industry. You cannot force people to do mind work force-ably or with fear. Force or fear may sometimes be the negative motivators that may have to be used, but it should be the last resort.

What do other feel?

E post office

2011-06-13T14:02:00.001+05:30

e Post Office

I used epost office now 2 times to buy stamps to add my philately collection. The service has been prompt. The only disappointment has been that the range is very less. Loads of stamps are published, but only very few are there to buy. Also no first day covers and other collectibles are available.

Like all government initiatives, it looks like started with good intent, however it will not carry long. Or it wont ever reach the exact zenith that is should and could reach. I tried emailing to the 2 email id's that i could find on the site, however both of them bounced back.

However still i hope that this initiative does not die off and i can continue adding new stamps to my collection. I was able to buy some really nice stamps from the site.

Cross browser compatibility

2011-05-28T22:41:00.000+05:30

Many people often ask me to have the website tested on all browsers and all versions to ensure all of the users of any of the browsers have a good experience of the site. The only problem with this approach is that the effort taken is very high, and new browser versions almost come our every few weeks.

The best way to ensure cross browser compatibility is to ensure that your HTML and CSS is validated and follows the specifications. The JS should be clean.

More suggestions?

Unionism in Kashmir

2011-05-08T07:57:00.002+05:30

On my recent trip to Srinagar and around saw how tourists are treated as golden geese by the locals. The people have started to assume that tourists have the responsibility to feed their families, so whatever they do to tourists is justified.

In gulmarg the pony wala's will jump on your car and driver as soon as you enter gulmarg. Your car is stopped about 1.5 Km before the gondola, and from then you are forced to either walk or hire a pony to gondola. My biggest challenge was that my mother has had a knee replacement operation and cannot sit on the horse. But the locals just don't care. On my way back from gondola, I hired a pony, however these ponies are ill maintained by thier owners, and the pony my dad was on, started to panic, and I had to hurriedly get my dad off the pony for his safety. The local police is completely missing.

The ticketing for gondola is also messy, the guides/pony men, just hog the window. 2 men are in the queue and then 6 just join them. The gondola tickets are decently priced, with Rs. 350 for first stage and another rs 500 for reaching the 2nd phase, However no facilities are provided, like clean toilets. With the rush that was there I am sure the gondola is making huge money, however there is very little thrust to provide the facilities to the tourists. The people just hog you on gondola to take the sledge/ski's. They charge high, also bargain high. However the relaxed atmosphere for which you go to such a place, is not what you experience. You feel like honey, and all the fly's buzz around you..

Same is also prevalent in Pehalgam, where the local taxi union will not let you take your care beyond pahalgam to either Aru or chandanbari.

I am not really sure, if i would want to go to srinagar again. Feel the hospitality and hotel rates are much better in uttaranchal and H.P.

10 Things To Learn From Japan

2011-04-03T21:00:00.000+05:30

A friend shared this, and it is worthy for all of us to read,,

1. THE CALM
Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has
been elevated.

2. THE DIGNITY
Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a
crude gesture.

3. THE ABILITY
The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn’t fall.

4. THE GRACE
People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could
get something.

5. THE ORDER
No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads.
Just understanding.

6. THE SACRIFICE
Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will
they ever be repaid?

7. THE TENDERNESS
Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared
for the weak.

8. THE TRAINING
The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they
did just that.

9. THE MEDIA
They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No silly reporters.
Only calm reportage.

10. THE CONSCIENCE
When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the
shelves and left quietly

The doom loop

2011-03-13T01:35:00.001+05:30

I read about the doom loop in Good to great by Jim collins.

Found the doom loop to be very true. Organizations changing CEO often, new people trying for quick gains, and in the end the price is paid in weaker results and no momentum. The company becomes weaker and weaker with time. Something for all of us to think and prevent,

Seeing doom loop i understand why some projects/companies just fail to take off even when all is right. Its funny how the basic are ignored...

Appraisal discussion

2011-03-13T01:25:00.001+05:30

I have seen managers shying away from appraisal discussion, and the every employee looking at the whole process as an unnecessary evil and suffering. Something that you have to do as your HR/manager has asked you to.

In my experience I have given people, good, average and even bad rating, and never had an ugly discussion. The average and bad rating have to be given in a way where people understand, what they lacked clearly, and what they need to do to achieve better ratings. Appraisal discussion are hard on those managers that do not share the good and bad the whole year, but share the wisdom only at the appraisal time.

Appraisal discussion is very important for development of people and the organization. I just hope that managers are better trained to do it, and understand the importance of it.

25 Unwritten Rules of Management

2011-02-15T09:58:00.000+05:30

Different Perspective: 25 Unwritten Rules of Management

I blogged about this more than 2 years back and maybe read this as the same time, however with time I have only seen the relevance grow of this list. This list now is pinned on each and every of my team members desk. See the rules

The rules are simple, but little harder to understand, and very hard to practise and make it a habit. Lot of issues can be avoided by these simple rules. I have seen many people failing by not following these simple rules. Or people who are just stuck where they are, and not moving ahead...

A lot is written, read, trained in management, but that is nicely summed up in these points.

My fav in the list are -

2. It is easier to get into something than it is to get out of it.
15. Be extremely careful of the accuracy of your statements.
17. Promises, schedules, and estimates are important instruments in a well-ordered business.
* You must make promises. Don’t lean on the often-used phrase, “I can’t estimate it because it depends upon many uncertain factors.”
25. Have fun at what you do. It will reflect in your work. No one likes a grump except another grump.

Why do people work late?

2011-02-04T08:21:00.004+05:30

Here are some common reasons for people working late -

Plain inefficient – Lacking logical thinking you spend loads of time on simple problems.
Bad planning – Managers bad planning, leaving no time for the execution phase, so team has to slog.
Bad process – Whole process is inefficient so lots of time waste.
Managers perception – If people working late are assumed to be efficient, then you have to sit late..
Bad personal planning – people wasting time in initial phases and then scrambling in the end. We tend to have the last minute scrambling syndrome.
Inefficient team – So you end up doing what you team was to do. This is probably fine in initial phases but sometimes it just never improves.
Office perks - Bachelors sit for free internet, coffee, dinner, comp off's, etc.

I have had many instances where people working late as perceived as hard workers. The problem is big in software industry as this is a service industry. You can spend hrs solving and researching a trivial problem, or you can solve that in 2 mins. Managers who do not get into the thick and thin either agree go with the perception. So all efforts by perceived good workers are assumed as legitimate and all by perceived bad workers is assumed illegitimate.

what more??

The Case of the Bonsai Manager

2011-02-03T11:13:00.000+05:30

The Case of the Bonsai Manager: R Gopalakrishnan: PB Books Buy The Case of the Bonsai Manager India: - Infibeam.com

I am reading the second book from this author, when the penny drops, and there are few references to the Bonsai trap. Whats interesting is that every manager falls into this, but few only manage to understand, learn and come out of the bonsai trap.

What i also feel the difference is that book talks about the challenges in management in Indian companies, which are different from those in MNC's. A good book which somehow i feel is some years ahead of me...the writer has poured his yrs of experience.

What is also interesting that writer feels, that loyalty to manager, is more important than loyalty to your company. For many yrs i used to feel otherwise, but recent experiences also make me agree with the writer. However, this is something i believe will come very hard to me...

Learning is never easy,,and never stops....

Reasons for communication gap

2011-02-02T09:32:00.000+05:30

Loads of books have been written on effective communication and related topics. A quick googling on reasons for communication gap, did not turn out anything interesting, simple and straight to the point. Therefore i decided to blog my thoughts on this. Some reasons according to me are -

Fear - Sometimes when the position of 2 parties are not same, then because of fear, you may not have clear communication. People should not have the fear, that what they speak in front of you shall be used against them.
Mistrust - If the persons engaged in communication do not trust one another, then they are not actually listening. both try to do one way communication, or worst still, they just don't bother to communicate.
Contempt- if there is contempt, then that reflects in words, and leads to dirty or half hearted conversations.
Fixed ideas - People are just too fixated on what they want other person to understand and know, that they just do not listen. Not listening, breaks down the communication.
lack of homework - Sometimes it is good that before talking you do research on the topic and then speak. Else the communication leads nowhere, and leads to a gap.
Body language and tone - if body language and tone is not right, then right communication does not happen. Insurance companies, just by listening to the tone of doctors voice, can predict rightly the probability of that doctor getting sued.
Communication medium - some discussions are best over emails, personal, phone etc. You need to chose correct medium and environment to ensure proper communication..

What do you think? i am sure to have missed out many....

I am not wrong!!

2011-01-27T13:47:00.001+05:30

Everyone wishes the other person with whom they are dealing with have a clear thinking and decision making. We want to move ahead in life and not get stuck because of delay the other person is introducing by not giving the decision. However, we ourselves are guilty of sitting on many decisions? This needs some serious introspection.

We are afraid of decisions, about being wrong. Suddenly, i see being wrong as something totally unacceptable by ourselves. We go to great lengths to prove we are not wrong. We can hurt people who dare say that we are wrong. People feel age or position/rank gives them the immunity or that innate power of never being wrong.

We avoid confrontations and sit on decisions, hoping situations might just resolve itself. The pressure of always being right, is leading to people being more and more lonely, because they are afraid to share. The permutations that go into making any simple decision has increased many folds. Thus more depression and aggression. life used to be simple, but who has complicated it? us?

20-70-10 Differentiation

2010-12-29T15:46:00.004+05:30

Reading “Winning” by Jack Welch and his thoughts on differentiation-- the person who introduced this idea, and also implemented it globally.

One good point he made and that is clearly missed is before an organization goes this route, they need to have a robust performance appraisal system, that is free from bias.

“Here is the background on what i am talking about”

Here are the reasons to hate differentiation and their answers.

Most of the companies have embraced this system without actually understanding the strengths and weaknesses in their HR processes. I don’t even think companies look back to see if they are gaining anything implementing it or not.

Personally small teams of less than 10-15 people can do away with this. Small teams cannot work if they have a less than average guy, and incase there is someone then it should not need waiting till the appraisal cycle.

I have been asked to just implement the normalization curve many a times without anybody wanting to explain me WHY,,,or even attempting to understand, why me and my team are better without it.. However not risking to be branded as a forever rebel i have also embraced this idea…

My suggestion is to benchmark salaries in the annual performance appraisal and move ahead…infact performance appraisal should happen in much shorter cycles..an then annual cycle should just be a salary correction exercise…

Giving a dollar vs earning one

2010-12-10T11:59:00.000+05:30

A 29 year old Steve Jobs sounds off on philanthropy in an early interview with Playboy.

"I'm convinced that to give away a dollar effectively is harder than to make a dollar.

"There are some simple reasons for that. One is that in order to learn how to do something well, you have to fail sometimes. In order to fail, there has to be a measurement system. And that's the problem with most philanthropy--there's no measurement system. You give somebody some money to do something and most of the time you can really never measure whether you failed or succeeded in your judgment of that person or his ideas or their implementation. So if you can't succeed or fail, it's really hard to get better."

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For me the measurement is the difference you make to someones life. I don't believe in giving some rs to a roadside beggar, it only encourages beggary, and is no good. But yes following up on donation and making sure it does good involves whole lot of effort, perseverence and time.

Harsh criticism

2010-12-09T20:59:00.000+05:30

Criticism is something I have been struggling with since a long time. Both in giving and taking criticism. Sometimes I am soft while criticizing others and then found that there was no effect, and sometimes I criticize too harshly on something very small. Criticizm helps people to grow, and is very important. Constructive criticism works like polishing on a rough diamond, but hard polish can break the diamond also. Some people fear criticism, specially managers, who are afraid that it might be seen as a negative trait. It might just make enemies. Those criticized might resign, or spread dissent in team.

I feel its a great injustice to your team if you are not sharing criticism and working with one another on those, to build stronger teams and stronger bonds.

Six Very Painful HR Leadership Lessons I Learned From My 360 Feedback — Don’t Make These Same Mistakes… | Success in HR

2010-12-06T11:42:00.001+05:30

Six Very Painful HR Leadership Lessons I Learned From My 360 Feedback — Don’t Make These Same Mistakes… | Success in HR: "’s leader. Even if you don’t deserve it. Even if your name never gets used. You get paid more. You have access to higher-level people in the company. You got there because you have the smarts and can think the big thoughts.

The other side of the coin is hanging your team out to dry when things go wrong. If you publicly crucify them for a mistake, they’ll never forgive you.
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I found this article really stupid. Though it may look great to newbies, experienced managers would know that this states nothing new, and however ignore the practical problems that managers face.

Biggest pain is getting the right feedback...People just don’t give feedback because -

They are afraid - u may track and persecute.
They don’t care - Most have already lost hope. Don’t want to waste time.
Some are immature - their feedback is kind of stupid and meaningless.

Now even after getting feedback, u can't do shit about it because -

U don’t have budget.
U cannot change organizational policies.
U cannot always share hard realities with people.

N.Korea readies missiles as US, South Korea begin drill - The Economic Times

2010-11-28T10:06:00.000+05:30

N.Korea readies missiles as US, South Korea begin drill - The Economic Times

Looks like as US is pulling out of Afghanistan, it is readying itself for next engagement. A big part of US economy is weapons, therefore war happening in some part of the world is important for US to test its weapons, and also sell it to other countries.

Product Management Tip: How to Piss Off Customers

2010-11-22T11:30:00.000+05:30

Product Management Tip: How to Piss Off Customers: "hout advance warning,"

This article is good in a way ad it highlights the things we do to screw our product. As we are a product company, doing all this screws our product only....

Piaggio three-seater soon to take on Tata's Nano - The Economic Times

2010-11-08T12:40:00.000+05:30

Piaggio three-seater soon to take on Tata's Nano - The Economic Times: "to Piaggio top executives would be production ready within 3 years. It is expected to hit the Indian market with a approximate price tag of Rs 1.5 lakh.

The 2.4m long NT3 initial to be powered by a 200cc capable of offering speeds of up to 60 km/hour and a or 300cc engine (max speed of 80km/hour) that could also have a hybrid variant with possible electric motor in future."

Electric cars are the way to go. I m just waiting for some good electric car to come out....

Keyboard - Ek Pyar ka Nagma

2010-11-03T00:24:00.000+05:30

Jaane kya dhoondti rehti hain - Keyboard

2010-10-20T16:24:00.000+05:30

BBC News - Water map shows billions at risk of 'water insecurity'

2010-10-16T19:32:00.000+05:30

BBC News - Water map shows billions at risk of 'water insecurity'

Its important that government and people understand the risk of water and work towards it...Whole of india is in Yellow or red..

Rain water harvesting and waste water management seems to be the only ray of hope...

same meds different prices

2010-10-15T16:12:00.000+05:30

Save money: Know price of top Indian brands of a medicine generic

Found this good site to compare prices of various medicines. Found some cheaper options for the expensive meds prescribed to me..

Tata Aria: Who would buy?

2010-10-14T11:32:00.001+05:30

Tata Aria: Review Tata Aria, Price, Photos and Technical Specifications of Tata Aria

I am wondering at the price and placement of Tata Aria. Priced in the range of 14-17L on road, who would buy this? No wonder many beautiful features have been added, but one needs to visit the Tata service center to understand how much they are crowded by taxis and how much they are overworked to deal with cars in this range. Being a tata safari owner i know the pain the service center people are.

People who would be shelling out this much amount would shell few more to go for vitara, toyota fortuner or endeavour.

Probably tata would launch a strip down version on this to give competition to Mahindra XYLO and innova..

Tata is a good player in the value for money segment, but i am wondering which segment does aria fit in..

Keyboard- Dil to hai Dil

2010-10-06T16:14:00.000+05:30

Most amazing moments on camera

2010-10-04T20:29:00.001+05:30

While coming back from Ranikhet via ramnagar, there was this river crossing. As it had rained heavily since morning, the river was flowing with immense power. All vehicles were waiting at both ends for the river to reduce its fury. A Mahindra maxx guy thought all waiting are idiots and he drover the car across in the stream. people got afraid that the car would topple and tried to get out. The auntie slipped and could not gain footing back. Some people told me she was taken out of the stream,….I don’t know. I just saw her going down in the stream with the water..

This was what we see on AXN, worlds most amazing videos..happening in front of u, it was mind numbing experience.

8 secrets of success - TED

2010-09-27T10:17:00.002+05:30

Keyboard - Zindagi Do Pal Ki

2010-09-27T09:57:00.000+05:30

The Valley trouble

2010-09-19T23:26:00.000+05:30

Kashmir valley is a beautiful place and thus any killings etc happening there hurt even more. Around 100 protestors have been killed till date in last few months.

Protestors blame the army for killings.
Army says they are helpless when mobs attack them and protest.
Omar abdullah blames the Hurriyat.
Hurriyat blames Omar

The people getting killed - innocent kashmiris.
The people benefiting - The defunct politicians who had no support like gilani and yasin malik.

I hope the people of the valley just focus on these basics and the valley returns to normalcy at the earliest..

Moments from Ranikhet

2010-09-18T22:55:00.002+05:30

Elephant and the rider

2010-08-24T10:00:00.001+05:30

The last book i read compared the rational-emotional mind of person to the Rider-Elephant. So our rational mind is like the rider sitting on top of emotions or Elephant.

Rider can think but move only when the elephant moves. Rider can force his will on the elephant, but not for very long and it is tiring. This synched with something i believed in since long time, that until you/others put emotions in the work, you won’t achieve much. The passion is required to achieve extraordinary.

Some people have a thinking/rider problem, they keep thinking but don’t move. They think so much that they get jammed…Others have the elephant problem, react too early to emotions. It is important to have both the rider and elephant in sync and aligned.

Price of petrol

2010-07-07T11:51:00.004+05:30

The petrol and diesel price rise seems to be big news now a days with opposition calling for bandhs and government saying that it is still priced cheaper than in neighboring states..

It is interesting that government does not compare the price of fuel in comparison with US, where the fuel is still cheaper than what it is in India.

Also interesting to note is that both state and central government tax the fuel in a good manner, and then claim to give subsidy.. What a farce....

States like Maharashtra and West Bengal which had the best of bandh and protest, and where both state governments supported the protest, are the ones that have highest tax on petrol and diesel.

All the parties are having fun at the peoples expense, who are fighting a huge price rise.. I dont know how many years it will take for the Indian people to understand this, and have good leaders running the country..

Term insurance

2010-06-09T12:45:00.002+05:30

Term insurance is something i strongly advocate. You get good coverage in low premium. I just discovered that aegon religare is selling it very cheap and exclusively over the internet only.

The site is a little pathetic, some browsers are not supported, credit card payment was not working, but it gives insurance at cheapest rates.

worth a shot.

Difference between role and designation

2010-05-19T22:01:00.001+05:30

This is a follow up post based on a comment on my old post. Here are dictionary definitions of Role and designation

Role - Prescribed or expected behavior associated with a particular position or status in a group or organization.

Designation - nomination, appointment, or election to an office, position, etc.

In many IT companies I have seen designations and roles as totally mismatch. So someone being called as an Architect does no different work from a developer. And sometimes Leads act as managers, and managers just act as project coordinators. This often leads to confusions among what is expected from people, and what are their goals.

It's also important to understand that ROLE PRECEDES DESIGNATION. So if you are a lead aspiring to become a manager, in addition to your responsibilities, you need to get into the role of your manager. Start doing and understanding the nuances of being a manager.

Any questions?

Is anger good?

2010-05-03T14:22:00.002+05:30

There is a lot of things written on Anger and its management. I have heard lot of times, its not good to be angry, i feel differently. I feel anger is a basic emotion like happiness and crying, and thus should not be suppressed. It's good to be feeling and being angry, else we would just become vegetables.

What is bad is how anger is handled. It is very important to hold your tongue and body when angry. It's important to not do anything irrational when angry. When angry, try to think more rationally about it..Like how a third person would think on the situation and on the anger. Channelizing your anger is very important. Sometimes physical exercise, long walk and chatting with a good friend helps you develop a deeper insight.

Credit cards

2010-05-03T13:43:00.004+05:30

I have been using credit cards since quite some time now and have used of various banks. Here is a brief on my experience with them.

HSBC - most avoidable. pathetic customer service and orientation. I wanted to use it, but the website is so stupid and customer care answers so arrogant, that i had to cancel it.
ICICI - It seems they decided to give the reward points management to Imint. Which makes reward redemption a very messy deal. Again totally avoidable.
SBI - I like this card, they don't call you too much or trouble you. But the website is not good, it is down occasionally. The points system even on the platinum card is not really that great. They used to have great offers at one point of time, but not anymore. Customer service is very bad,,,sometimes emails are not responded till a reminder is sent.
HDFC - I have the card, used it once, got service charge added for petrol when they said it wont be...That was reversed after email, but i am confused, do i need to call them every-time for something that basic? Not using it now.
Citibank - I found it to be most professional and with best practices. Using it since last 7-8 years with almost no problems. It has a decent points system.

Holi 2010

2010-03-02T13:01:00.001+05:30

Holi 2010
Originally uploaded by ankur186

Happy holi to everybody, the day was fun with colors and some bhang.

Dubai Visa

2010-02-25T09:45:00.002+05:30

There was a confusion regarding Visa for my recent visit to UAE. For visitor visa your visa is processed either by the hotel or the travel agent of Dubai, but as i was going to stay with family there, this was not the option open to me. Next option is to ask the family there to get the visa for me, however for that the deposit asked by government is very high. Finally thought of trying the option of DVPC. On reading more figured that this is open for people flying on emirates airlines only. Finally made the papers and applied for visa. Then after 2-3 days i called up emirates airlines and they sent me an email, which was supposed to be the visa...

When i went to get foreign exchange to the travel agent, her got confused on seeing the printout.. Then i asked him to call up the emirates airlines and check on the visa. He did confirm it, and only after that gave the forex.

Flying was fine, however when i landed at Dubai terminal 3, at the immigration, the officer there was not pleased on seeing the email. He said he needed some individual email for all 3 of us. I said, this is what i have,,,,Seeing the child and the family, he said, i am letting you go, but from next time get individual visa...NEXT TIME....HMMMMMMM

Water fountain view from the observation deck at 124th floor

2010-02-24T16:08:00.001+05:30

Water fountain view from the observation deck at 124thh floor
Originally uploaded by ankur186

Watching the dubai from burj khalifa was wonderful experience. The view was like from a plane just when it is about to land. All the buildings that appear so tall when on ground started looking so small from the 124th floor.

Getting to burj khalifa was a little expensive and tricky. There is always a 2 day waiting list for the 100 AED ticket. If you want immediate entry then the ticket is 400 AED per person.

We went to khalifa on saturday and from Monday it got closed. I don't know if its opened or not, but we just made it in the nick of time.

I have also been to empire state building observatory in New york, but the view from here was much more awesome. But in empire state you go to the open balcony on the 80th floor, but here it was a closed observatory. There is an outside open balcony on 124th floor also, but the same was closed for maintenance. Probably because one suicide has already happened...

Many indians were involved in senior and important positions in making of this building and it was a nice experience to see their names on the way out..

Blink

2010-01-17T23:51:00.003+05:30

I am presently reading this another book by malcolm gladwell. The book is not as engaging as the outliers, still it has some interesting stories.

Like how a marriage counceller can just listen to 3 mins of conversation and tell whether the couples wud stay or split.

But it also validates something i also believe in, listen to ur inner voice. Also that first few seconds when you meet someone or start a ne engagement are very important. I always ask my team to carefully record their first experience with a web application. The best and most meaningful bugs generally come in those first few seconds. "The usability blocks", "the bad UI" impacts u most in the first initial seconds, and then as the time goes by u become used to that.

Would love to finish this book quickly and move on to the next one...Am trying to find another good book to buy..

Outliers

2010-01-05T23:45:00.002+05:30

Amazon.com: Outliers: The Story of Success (9780316017923): Malcolm Gladwell: Books

Picked this book from the bestsellers shelf, the title is somewhat cryptic, but it means that this book is about all those who lie outside/above the rest. This book in no uncertain way proves that hard work is the only thing that is in your hand to achieve success. Luck, family, economy and other factors play a part, but they are beyond your control. It also dispels the myth on high IQ/genius.

It also clearly states that for job satisfaction 3 things are important -
1. Challenges
2. Autonomy
3. Relation between effort and rewards.

A manager can create point 1 and 2, however point 3 is to be looked at an organizations level.

Role and Designation

2009-12-20T13:17:00.004+05:30

There is lot of difference between role and designation, but v few people in IT industry actually understand it. Many a times role and designation are aligned, but many times it is not. Whenever it is not aligned it leads to lot of frustrations, and confusion for the person on what he should be doing. To make the matters worse, in your annual appraisal cycle you are judged on basis of the designation, and as you were in an unaligned role, you fare badly.

The only way i see around is to press management and HR functions to constantly review this and correct this. However as this is a long run exercise it gets overshadowed by many other things. Many people blame attrition on salary, however one can have happy employees even at slightly lower salaries if you can provide them a challenging work environment and role.

Also there is big lack of planning future for your employees. Most organizations do not have a growth plan for their people. few who have do not stick to the plan, or make a plan which even the employee does not understand and the plan ultimately fails.

Some people do not want to get into a role as they do not have that designation, however it is to be always kept in mind that role precedes designation. Also its easier winning interviews and promotion in other companies if you are already playing that role. About salaries, i have always had a firm opinion, that if you present company does not pays you upto the mark, then someone else will.

I have mixed up loads of things in this post, but that's because the Human resources function in IT industry is majorly pathetic.....

Art of team growth

2009-12-09T16:55:00.004+05:30

There can be 2 ways to grow a team, one can be a transplant, where you just hire all the cogs you need and build up the bigger machine, and other is organic growth, where you let the current pieces in the system move up and hire new people to fill the void created.

Transplant is easier to achieve, but is slightly costlier as new outside experienced resources always come at a premium. But this is easier to explain to management and also comparatively less risk prone. At a loss is the current team which does not see the avenues for the growth.

Organic growth is more natural but needs more planning. This is something which i believe in, but it is much harder to explain to the management which sometimes in its narrow sightedness is not able to align to your vision.

Battle of Nuranang

2009-11-28T18:17:00.001+05:30

Battle of Nuranang
Originally uploaded by ankur186

Lest we forget the sacrifice the soldiers make for our future. Please read and salute the heroes

Fish Aquarium

2009-11-10T17:25:00.001+05:30

Fish Aquarium
Originally uploaded by ankur186

Bought this small and lovely fish aquarium yesterday, Its real fun watching fishes swimming. I hope they survive and i am able to take care of them. Would feel really sad if they wud die..

Bigg Boss

2009-10-15T16:49:00.001+05:30

I watch big boss season 3 on and off. It is interesting because it shows the real people that is inside most of the celebrities. As, there is no escape, it is entertaining to see how the differences are worked on. Predicting who is going to go and who is going to stay, makes for interesting chai time discussion.

This season i am thinking that Raju srivastava, might go till very end. He does not picks fight with anybody and is generally seen having fun. I would like to see Kamal R Khan go at earliest, he is a nuisance, not even remotely interesting. With sherlyn, i am hoping that people start using the pool soon :-)

Onscreen husband and wife makes for a cool watch. U cant get together and u cant go away. I am impressed with the way tanaaz handles herself in argument, v crisp, sharp and expressive.

Inglorious basterds

2009-10-06T09:37:00.001+05:30

The name was very catchy and different for a movie, and it got me interested. With director as Quentin tarantino and actor as bradd pitt, it caught my attention even more. Finally yesterday decided to give it a shot.

There is an amazing background score, which is typical for tarantino i guess, and that was one thing which held me to the movie. The move starts as v gripping and interesting, but somehow looses the steam in the middle. There is an amazing discussion between German SS Hans and a farmer, and it was just a masterpiece. The acting, direction and the plot.

So, movie may be watched once for all its sparks of brilliance and the music.

Changing IT scenario

2009-09-06T00:28:00.001+05:30

Case Study: The Buck Has No Takers

This is a nice piece and something which i have been thinking since some time now. Customers want a holistic experience. If you want business, you need to present the whole range. There may be some low profit/high headache part also, but you need to absorb that.

My company was never a leader in the market place, but yes if it wants to be there we need to pour in collective thoughts and provide a complete experience to the clients. We need to think different and work towards it. IF we do not remove the blinders soon, we would be left out....

Misalignment of goals

2009-08-30T10:09:00.001+05:30

Discussed a peculiar situation with a friend where he said, that his boss was against the growth of their unit because he feared that if it became big then he might get replaced by someone else. IN such a situation the individual was simply not able to do well, because his good initiatives were bent down, to satisfy the boss’s goal. And to top it all, the person is blamed for average mediocre performance. Obviously the boss will not obviously say that mediocre performance is my goal/aim, he lays that down to his people.

Such a situation is not very unique, increasingly i have seen this happening in many of its variants. Every person working for individual goals and they not collectively aligning to the company’s goal. This is always a big loss to the company. Who is to blame?

Senior management, when it starts relying on people more than the data, when it cocoons itself from grass root workers, this is the situation most prevalent. When the managers cannot share their concerns with the senior managers, such situations arise. Where it is all political games and self goal achievement.

Such situations are not hard to deal with, but it needs some management with vision. Vision is one of the important traits of leaders, but sadly most do not have it. Some have a vision, but do not understand how to reach it, they just want magic.

Provident fund

2009-08-27T08:56:00.001+05:30

EPFO

We all have to make a compulsory contribution to the provident fund, but keeping track of it with changing jobs really become a pain. Rules also change with time, earlier there you need to have a new account with every company, and then it was that you can have the same account when you move across organizations. What makes it more complex that big organizations have their own provident fund collection and management, i.e. TCS and Bennett and Coleman.

I need to solve this mess for me, and probably then i might have my answers..

Justice late and denied

2009-08-21T20:55:00.001+05:30

Justice in India is late and denied. It was nice to hear about it from our prime minister himself. But what came thereafter is disappointing, the CJI and PM differ in the reasons, both have pointed the problem in each others area but do not want to make the change that lies in their hands. So i don't think anything will change. This situation is not very different from our corporate. This is sadly the state when management is indecisive and does not want to put in the effort required to solve such difficult problems. Such problems need lot of perseverance and determination. There is no easy solution. But to create a plan around this is not really very hard.

Figure out the rate at which the courts are being approached, and what manpower is needed for them. This is important to ensure that there is no more pile up.

Next is to plan an additional capacity that works for cleaning out the current piled up cases. This overcapacity shall be neutralized in longer run with retirements happening and increase in the run rate for current cases.

The reason why nothing happens is simple, up to an extent both the judiciary and executive gain from dead/lame justice -

1. Judges continue to be important, as they are few in number and always laden with work. India not only prides itself with almost largest population, but worlds maximum and most busiest people will be in India.

2. Judges get paid by frustrated people trying to work through this mess.

3. Executive uses lame justice to their advantage. Do anything and by the time the decision come you are already dead. GO to lower court, then high court and then supreme court.

Working with hands tied

2009-08-13T19:19:00.002+05:30

I am experiencing how frustrating it is to work with hands tied. When just installing a simple thing on your laptop is pain, thanks to stupid antivirus which can only be disabled by the IT team.. When people don't bother to respond to your emails, and when people all around you can give 100 excuses, and just cant admit they did wrong, or atleast they can improve!!! Or can't admit they don't know. Very few people infact have the guts to say I don't know, but i am willing to work on it.. And even fewer actually work on it and get back...

Now what can be done, when you are surrounded by inefficiency and feel hands are tied -

Try finding like minded people and see if something can be done about it..
Try doing whatever you can, atleast do good, whatever is in your hands.
Try pushing management to take some corrective action. - RISKY option :-)
Find another job - well this can be an option, but every job has its own challenges, the new job may have its own even worse problems..
You also enjoy, lazy around, make excuses - but this is very hard for dumb people like me to do....

More??

Kargil war

2009-07-26T09:22:00.001+05:30

Tiger Hill
Originally uploaded by ankur186

This is a remembrance of our heroes and to salute them on the 10th anniversary of the Kargil war. It is only when you see this terrain you understand what they were up against. The hill slopes are barren, even a rock thrown from above can kill you. Nothing to hide or take shelter when climbing the hill. Nothing in the world like the Indian army which climbed these slopes without proper gear and in the hail of bullets to finally capture it.

Bollywood rocking twitter

2009-07-15T10:04:00.001+05:30

Ev joins in
Originally uploaded by @Twitter

So mallika doing jiggy at twitter HQ....wow

Mayawati rules

2009-07-10T16:06:00.000+05:30

No stay on installation of Mayawati, other Dalit leaders' statues at Noida: SC - India - The Times of India

It does not matter if UP has roads, electricity or food for its people. But it should have mega monuments for its great leaders. Its great leaders that made this state even greater.

The Great Driving challenge

2009-07-08T09:40:00.002+05:30

Mitsubishi is organising the great driving challenge where they will choose a couple to drive 3k km in 10 days starting and finishing in mumbai. Person needs to blog and upload pics for 10 days. Winner gets 10 lacs.

I have created a profile for fun and just simply want to be part of this. I like the effective use of social media. I want to look forward to more such events where the car companies come forward to support car entusiasts. Atleast its much better than burning 10's of lacks in advertisements, that dont really get you much. Now the company is getting connected with the people that are interested in the cars and influence the market.

Mitsubishi no doubt makes good sports car, but its just that after sales and high costs of spares that scares people. I hope they would also work on this front in the coming days.

However people do vote for me. Feels good. I know the chances of coming in top 3 is almost impossible, still i want to have the fun of trying.

Why is traffic bad in delhi

2009-07-03T15:24:00.003+05:30

Just saw the traffic mess pic in rinf road in delhi in the Todays TOI and could easily see why we have the mess -

1. Rickshaw on main road.
2. Buses not sticking to lanes.
3. Car drivers jumping lanes.

from Airtel to MTNL

2009-05-20T15:07:00.003+05:30

I am changing my internet connection from Airtel to MTNL. Few reasons are -

1. I wanted to upgrade to 512 KBPS connection and airtel was expensive. unlimited connection was for 1500 with airtel. MTNL offer that for 1300 and also gives me 500 free calls per month.
the toll free numbers are available only on MTNL.
Airtel has been slashing rates for sometime now, but does not pass the benefit to existing customers, this made me slightly upset, and i wanted to do my bit of small damage.

I know MTNL has slightly sloppy service, but i have heard from people that they have improved and i want to give them a chance.

Did you know?

2009-05-12T18:36:00.002+05:30

An interesting presentation that tell you some facts and probably you start to think on another line ...

Road to improvement

2009-05-09T10:30:00.005+05:30

I have seen most of the people getting defensive or repulsive when you tell them some improvement area or ask them for some details of their work. People perceive it offending and often as interfering. These are the people whom i see going as nowhere and stuck where they are, King frog of their own wells and oblivious of the world outside. Now if the frog is right or wrong in assuming the world as the well is another point of discussion.

I have however seen some people who take criticism very positively and try to understand the point other person is making. I have seen such people learn, grow and reach new heights. They love to talk about their work and get your opinion. They are always trying to grasp and learn from the world around them, they understand that learning is an unending process. The more you learn, more you have an understanding of the things you do not know.

I also have a strong belief that people cannot improve till they understand and accept the thing that has went wrong. Road to improvement begins after accepting the mistake. I have seen only those people repeating mistakes and not improving, who would say yes on your face but not understand and accept the mistake.

Rafting time

2009-04-29T08:25:00.001+05:30

Jannat
Originally uploaded by ankur186

Went for white water rafting at rishikesh during the weekend, Chose to drove to rishikesh and back..went sat and back on Sunday. A tiring drive but it was fun. Laying down in the river makes you forget all the pains and troubles. Neitya enjoyed a lot playing in the sand and water. She could get all dirty and nobody was bothered. This was also first time rafting for Nidhi, so she also came to know what amazing fun it is...

The world is round, and so i met my good office friend at grand cheetal in Midway while going. Also at the camp there was an another group of 3 guys, of which one was friend of Nidhi and other was a current employee of globallogic..

More pics are on camera of friends and I am waiting for them..

Flexi hours and telecommuting

2009-04-15T10:58:00.002+05:30

I have long been a fan of flexi hours and telecommuting, thanks to be working with Globallogic for 5+ yrs, which was one of the first few companies that started that in India. I have found people/managers who do not like this idea, as they feel that it hampers work and reduces productivity. I wonder in service industry, are we measuring the output wiz time? If someone delivers me on time and as promised should i be bothered if he works from home/office or works what hours. Now in the age of internet and mobile as long as the person is reachale it should be good enough.

Some benfits which i see-

People become more responsible, they understand with freedom comes resposibility.
People save on fuel cost and travel times, increasing productivity and job satisfaction.
Companies save on infra/operations cost. - Space is one of the biggest cost that company takes, so if you can optimise on that, great.
People are not in tension about thier personal work when in office,,,,they can adjust, prioritise and deliver.

Samajwadi party and taliban

2009-04-13T10:57:00.002+05:30

I read in the newspaper about the manifesto of the samajwadi party and speech by thier leader to oppose computers and farm machinary as it came in way of rural employment.

This is very much like taliban which opposes education, entertainment and all other host of things. Taliban has already dragged afghanistan back by ages, and it seems now SP wants to do that.

I hope people rout out SP in these elections, so that nobody dares to even think on these lines in India

INDIA'S TROUBLES- Lets Think

2009-04-08T12:21:00.004+05:30

Almost everybody in India has his viewpoint on where we are lacking and what we need to do about it. A bad economy and upcoming elections makes you think even more.

Many think, our huge population is our biggest problem. I read an article many year ago which said, that why cant the numbers we have become our strength instead of our weakness? This question has stuck with me since then. India upcoming as the IT/outsourcing hub has proved that to certain extent. The Chinese might in manufacturing industry has also shown us how the huge manpower can be used to our advantage. Illiteracy is the biggest hurdle in achieving this aim. The people do not realize their potential, they do not understand the power of their votes and their rights, and they are then exploited or under utilized. This also makes me think, why is it not crime when people who have access to schools, send their children to work instead of study?

Another major problem India faces is of law and order. Justice delayed is justice denied and that is what is exactly happening. Too few judges and too few courts. What do we lack? experienced and learned lawyers who can be made judges? Government apathy? Quick resolution of court cases would lead to lot of pain to those who exploit this slowness to their advantage. The rich and powerful.

Infrastructure is also our major problem, electricity, water and roads are a big problem in 98% of our country. Why can't we have toll roads on highways? There are industrialists in India, who are willing to setup power plants, but then with the current level of electricity stealing in India, they don't get paid, so we generate less electricity and even the paying and right people do not get electricity. Also thinking, Why has electricity situation in Delhi improved so much after privatisation? Why should MCD and PWD in Delhi not be privatised to improve the same?

I have raised more questions than answered, but my belief is the right questions lead us to the way of right solution. We need to ask these questions to our leaders/politicians, and support those who give us an answer and work towards a better India.

I forget and remember

2009-03-27T09:47:00.003+05:30

The tough economy makes you remember and forget many things. One thing i forgot was--

Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana,
Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani

Its said that essence of Gita is in the above shloka, and whenever you would read it, you will interpret it differently. When in tough times and you have been cornered, the above shloka helps give you strength and move ahead.

Wishing myself and everybody greater strength and wisdom.

Politics of change

2009-03-24T11:23:00.001+05:30

MP who submits himself for examination every year - Yahoo! India News

Finally a politician who makes me believe that change is possible..

Neityas playschool graduation

2009-03-23T12:55:00.002+05:30

happy holi

2009-03-12T11:08:00.001+05:30

happy holi
Originally uploaded by ankur186

Happy holi to everybody, hoping everyone had a great time..

Manali trip - Little Snowman

2009-03-03T22:34:00.001+05:30

100_4363
Originally uploaded by ankur186

I went to manali from 25-28 Feb. A very long drive, but safari was fun to drive. Bad road did not feel that bad. The weather there was amazing. Experienced a little snow fall and played in ice...Made a little snowman for my daughter :-)

School admission milestone crossed

2009-02-03T15:39:00.000+05:30

Today got my child admitted to Gyan Bharati school. The requirements with the form were pretty weird-

Good health certificate for child.
Draft of Rs 7K

And we were just given 3 days to do the needful, else the chance is gone. Now why is a certificate required?? just take an undertaking from the parents, so incase you are found lying your admission is annulled. And what's the need for DD when most parents are from closeby and from Delhi, and even if they give the cheque it will be cleared in a day-2... The session starts from April 1 and not tomorrow...But seems people just don't seem to think practically now a days.

Good part is that unlike most schools which are charging around 25-50k for nursery admission, Gyan Bharati just charges 7k. I am an alumni of the school and it was started with the principle of keeping it economical, glad they have not lost the way completely. Admission seems a big victory, as today in newspaper read that 1.75 lacks children are still not admitted in any school. This situation is really scary.

Nursery admission was giving me headache and tension since last few months, i was clueless as to what to do incase child gets nowhere. Another hurdle, in the maze of life cleared :-)

Satyam debacle

2009-01-08T15:21:00.001+05:30

All now know that Satyam has crashed, a case of inflated books, sounds like ENRON to me, i am wondering how was it pulled off. Is it that easy? What did the auditor do? For those who dont know auditors are the famous PWC- pricewaterhousecoopers.

Now more questions -

Are the software outsourcing industry margins that low? Satyam was operating in a market, they could not be possible charging too low.
Now we have more than 50,000 employees of Satyam joining in the job market. What will happen to Indian IT industry now? And what will happen of all those people?

Probably as the projects with Satyam move to other companies, so those people also might be able to move to other companies.

The Indian stock market was rising since last 2-3 days, and i thought MAYBE some turn around is happening, satyam news came and market crashed more in a single day than it had risen in the last 2-3 days. So now more gloom for the Indian software industry and economy.

I have also posted some pics to flickr after a long time, I think flickr helps me see how probably life is happily moving ahead :-)

A very happy new yr to all..

School fever

2008-12-16T22:20:00.004+05:30

I never liked going to school, i always hate to do what others tell me. So i hated uniforms, hated homework etc. Even though i always decent numbers and thus there was little that teachers could complain about my studies to parents. Regrading others things, i was part of the system and made to comply.

With college I got partially independent, but engineering colleges aint that much different from schools. Teachers blackmailing you for practical marks, and lab asses trying to act smart.

Finished education, started job and then actually began to enjoy things, learning what you want, no exams to judge you (well appraisals are generally for ass lickers or perception, so never cared)..

NOW WHY AM I SAYING ALL THIS?????

My kid is now 3+ and has to start nursery.. So now again i have to follow schools rules. Every school takes a good amount in the name of prospectus and processing.. Now when the economy is bad every penny hurts.. Moreover, seems like seats are 2 few and children too many.. Every school has their own form with same fields, and some give it online, some make you stand in lines for buying forms, others make you stand in lines for submitting them. Moreover all have different documentation requirements, and most of the school admission forms to be filled from are from 15-31 dec.

Some forms ask me to tell out 3 negative qualities in a 3 year old child---IMAGINE...

Others ask me--What does education mean to me-
My answer- Getting a degree and then a job to earn a living....WAT ELSE??

Its part funny and part frustrating, but i think i need to blog more on this.... :-)

Marriage time

2008-12-10T11:39:00.001+05:30

It is the marriage season that's going on right now. For the benefit of international readers, in India for Hindus, the priests decide the auspicious marriage dates, these dates are few and generally lie together. With a big population like ours, the marriages tend to happen at the same time.

3 marriage almost in a row---my Bro in law, college roomie, and first cousin...

One of the hardest things now is -

travelling in clogged roads to reach function place.
Breaking ur head to figure out the gift.
Eating similar food.\
Figuring out dresses to wear for u and those around u.

To top it all a major release tied for this friday the 12th....May god bless me :-)

Lay offs

2008-11-14T10:16:00.003+05:30

Across industry lay offs are happening. Almost all companies where I have friends and mine including have had to ask people to go...This time I was also on the other side of the table and it was a real shaky experience, giving out the news...Even though much of retrenchment is because of performance issues, and people need to understand its a Jungle and one needs to be at the top of the game to survive.

Infact all my friends/family has stayed clear of the layoffs except one friend whose mail came in yesterday..I hope things get better soon.

The stocks are also down, and lots of my money is stuck owing to recent job changes. Then something or the else stupid stuff keeps happening. I have a policy with Max new york life insurance and i enrolled for ECS for payment of policy money, they don't raise the ECS request and then send me a letter for policy lapse. So for all concerned, max is a total NO NO for insurance. V V unprofessional.

Regionalism and MNS

2008-10-26T00:49:00.003+05:30

The actions of MNS in recent months has garnered lot of debate all around. Recent action is http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/19mns.htm

What MNS wants is to break the one India we have into many many small states. Worst is that some people of maharashtra have actually been misled by him.. Even more worst is that people with similar mindset like him in other parts of india have also been encouraged.

I was wondering that why is congress government (which is at both center and state) not doing anything about this, and then heard someone in a TV show say that, well Congress gets to divide the Shiv sena votes by working along with MNS, so both MNS and congress is gaining from the stupidity that is going on.. RAJ thackery has now become a nationally known politician, and we all know know that there is party of goons called as MNS. Shiv sena again cant complain about all this as they had been the ones doing this in the past to gain votes, and they fear to alienate thier present supporters, as the party stands on same idiols like MNS....

Blogging might help, but i think all media and eveybody has criticised whats happening there..but as both MNS and Congress are gaining nothing is happening...Judiciary can/might step in but that may do more damage to the present state of judiciary -->Executive relationship.

This is a battle which all the maharashtrains will have to fight and prove an example by making MNS as no entity in the elections.

Getting general insurance

2008-10-15T11:33:00.001+05:30

General insurance is now not that simple, where you could get it from any vendor and get the same price and service. Now there are many vendors and the premium quoted by them differs a lot. I was surprised to see premium quotes at http://www.policybazaar.com .. ICICI lombard and royal sundaram are both offering a good premium, however my workshop people are not comfortable with any of them, so i shall go with reliance insurance, with whom i had insurance also last year.... They are offering a decent amount.. However i would strongly now suggest people to compare rates before buying any insurance

Kyun?

2008-10-15T09:23:00.002+05:30

Kyun (Why)? is the favorite and often used phrase by my almost 3 yr old Daughter. It sometimes catches me by real surprise and I get dumbstruck. Sometimes its fun trying to answer the list of KYUN.. She makes a real concerned face when she says KYUN, and you are unable to decide if she is serious or joking...How to exactly respond...Guess this is a time which comes in the growing up of every child when he/she questions everything,,,,Probably another milestone in the journey of life..

Jai Shri RAM

2008-10-13T09:31:00.002+05:30

Jai Shri RAM
Originally uploaded by ankur186

On Dasshera day went to see the Ramlila procession in old delhi...There were good bands playing music and some nice shows..Still it is not as grand as what it used to be, we are loosing a big part of tradition in this.

It was fun to see Neitya and other kids enjoying the show, and i wish it gets passed on to generations after that also,,,,

Which site is best to maintain portfolio?

2008-10-05T21:43:00.002+05:30

I have till now tried to maintain the stocks portfolio on 3 sites-

Any other good/better site? Why?

Where are the markets headed!!

2008-10-05T21:37:00.002+05:30

My fav question now a days to any person who has interest in stocks market is that---Where is the market headed..?? These are few answers--

Markets will bounce back in first Quarter 2009.
Coming months are bad.
Stay away from market for now.

But I have now seen that Indian market is famed for going against what all think...The Indian market has not fallen real bad even after all the US banks collapse. However if the SENSEX comes down to 10-11k, then it would be a bad time..The sensex would reach 2-3 yrs low.

Personally where the markets are headed should not affect a long term investor, the Indian economy is headed the right way, so if you keep on investing regularly, then in probably the next 4-5 yrs one should be able to make some a return which exceeds the current rate of return in fixed deposit.. The best part (lure) with stocks is that the income is not taxable..(income on investments more than 1+ yrs old)

Salary on time

2008-09-30T09:29:00.002+05:30

I resigned from my last company on 27th of that month after spending more than 5 years with them. The HR in our meeting points it out to me that as a PROCESS my salary for that month will be blocked. When I threatened to leave without giving a KT, then they released the salary.. This was after considering the fact that my final settlement was around 3 times my monthly salary.. (considering gratuity, 27 days salary for next month and reimbursements)....It felt very sad that company treats you in this way after you have given them more than 5 years. This was a culmination of 2 facts, processes over riding people, and ignorant/insensitive HR.

Most of the people told me that i was stupid to resign on 27th, should have waited till first. I did that because i wanted to serve maximum notice period and also once you have made up your mind to exit, it is best for all that you move out at earliest possible date.

Now just after 4 months with my present company i shall be making the move again. and this time I get my salary on time, and yes it makes me feel goood... In future again I would love to work with this company and its people. Probably the processes here are not that much set, or probably they check with persons manager and others for persons credibility before making such a decision.

I still wonder why does process need to override people? Process is always to facilitate and guide, its not words written in stone...Its not the final word....Everything needs to evolve and improve,,else it perishes, so its required to listen to people and improve process, rather than to lay processes on people. Or hiding behind process when doing something that is wrong...I strongly believe one does not need to be told what wrong and what's right, you just need to listen to your inner voice. Once can always lie to someone else, but lying to yourself is very hard. However in present days more and more people have killed their self, or stopped listening to it...

Exercise Start

2008-09-24T12:56:00.001+05:30

Finally after a break of 2-3 yrs, i have again started exercising since last 2 days,,,and it makes me feel v v goood :-) My Gym room now has glasses and my old weights, need to move in the treadmill and a bench, which i hope and plan to buy soon,

My Johari window

2008-09-23T10:59:00.003+05:30

Not much contribution happened on my Johari window, so this is another post for it,,for those who have not filled it yet, please give feedback.....http://kevan.org/johari?name=ankurindus

My search for good stocks

2008-09-18T18:39:00.000+05:30

Stocks and share markets are very complex, and with many many companies and your money on the line, it makes it really crucial to pick the best buys. My dad has been dealing in stocks as a matter of hobby since last many years. even though he is not into analysis, but his experience makes him come up with some good tits bits here and there for any kind of situation that the market is going through.

I recently moved my portfolio of shares to http://www.moneycontrol.com from http://money.rediff.com. Rediff is good and simple, however as my knowledge of things improved, i needed more slicing on my data, and thus moved my portfolio. But now seems the hunger as grown even more and I don't know what to do... I have come to now quite understand some of the terms like EPS, P/E etc and therefore want to compare my stocks on them. Indian stock market is at decent buying level presently, soo i thought of picking the few i might want to invest in.

Here is what i am looking for---Top 100 stocks in terms of net profit like we get here but i also want more colums having data like P/E, 52 week high/low. Any idea where i can get it?

Also now the portfolio statistics for reliance money have started working and now i can atleast see how i have been losing money since the time i started :-) he he he..

My experience with managers

2008-09-14T23:58:00.001+05:30

HR 2.0 : why team development is for losers: Why do we need middle managers

the above post lead me to http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/TwoStories.html

And then i thought of penning down my own instances...

Manager X from client side raises a big hackle of finding 400+ issues in the production released application.. He emails everybody to everybody in the outsourced partner working for him about this...Now management at partners side comes into picture, questioning the competency of the working team and how come so many issues were there. Fortunately the issues were trivial and the issue analysis was done and team told that there was 1 valid issue in the entire list. However, most of the management at client's or partners end was not convinced, most did not know the application, or bothered to open the defect analysis sheet, or attempt to understand the application. Now a big meeting is called of all management to analyze the situation and understand whats wrong and who to blame for fault..(Remember there was just one small valid issue in the big list)....Now we had a process audit and the management at partners end made a presentation that it was all teams and process fault and we would work to improve...And finally team is left demoralized..But who cared,,,ALL the management team made their point..Management team at clients end was able to show it was smart,,,,Management team at outsourced partner showed that it can keep client happy..Who cares about team??? Well iteration in IT stands at 24%, so why should anybody leaving organization bother anybody? SO Middle managers are needed to prove team is dumb and they can handle issues where none exists.......
My manager tells me client manager is not happy with my work. I ask exact reason--he does not know,,,i ask for group meeting--well managers do meetings, not worker...I got totally confused on what to do, and then just sent IM to client manager asking for the problem, he had a small query, which i answered and that was it...So middle managers are needed to create confusion...
One of the most remembered instance is where my Sr. managers complains to me that I have a very high benchmark of work, and that troubles others...SO he was totally fine with others not wanting to increase benchmark,,but wanted me to lower mine..Obviously i used both ears while listening to this :-)
My managers complains of bad quality, and when i ask for data, he points to 1 slipped bug...and then goes on to say....we want bug free applications (i wonder if any exist in this world),,and there is some more lecture on working better etc etc,,and following more processes (Processes are the magic pill for all ill) and etc etc....So middle managers are sometimes needed to talk junk..

What i have learnt any project running green is not a good feat for the manager (its assumed that the proj is just v easy), so good managers are those who make green project go red(blame on team), and then get project back to green(Thanks to thier gr8 mgmt skills)

my next vehicle

2008-09-12T13:49:00.001+05:30

BBC NEWS | Business | Plug-in hybrid boosts electric motoring

My next vehicle in most probability might be electric. In the city jams and traffic and with rising fuel cost, the electrics make a lot of sense. I would love to save money and do something for environment at the same time, the cost wud be a slightly slower commute..not much of a pain for small journeys.

One of the hurdles that remain is the high cost of batteries and the limited life of batteries, i hope some improvements come on that side also.

Go Daddy account..think again!!!

2008-09-12T09:15:00.005+05:30

I bought the domain ankurg.info from godaddy about one year back. I was not able to renew the domain on time and now godaddy has sat on my domain name through a smart way - http://domainsbyproxy.com/ so you dont know exactly who has acquired your domain. So now i guess the next step from godaddy would be to ask me use thier negotiation service for which i think they charge around 39$.

Now when i email godaddy about renewing the domain, they say it has been bought by someone else. Still the best part is that http://www.ankurg.info still points to my blogger blog (albeit an older one which does not have latest posts).

I tried renewing about 1-2 months back, but that time i was surprised to see that renewal charge for the domain was 7$, while for a new .info domain you still needed to pay 2$.

So either godaddy blackmails you to pay more, or squats on your domain...

So if you guys get lured by cheap initial prices from godaddy, think again if you want to be doing business with such kind of company...

Automatic cars in India - Hyundai i10

2008-09-09T23:24:00.001+05:30

The only automatic small car that you can find in India is the Hyundai i10 kappa sportz model. I always used to think that automatic does not make much sense, but now when i drive it, I see it makes a much easier drives in constant jammed traffic that we have, and also people who do not know how to drive stick shift vehicles can adapt and learn to drive such cars very quickly.

I am impressed with automatic cars, and surely suggest it to anybody thinking of buying a good small easy car for Delhi traffic.

TOI steals contents

2008-09-05T12:48:00.001+05:30

Times of India, leading national daily does not feel anything wrong with stealing content,,,,read more at http://blog.twilightfairy.in/2008/09/01/toi-believes-flickr-is-for-flicking/

thats a pic

2008-08-28T09:51:00.001+05:30

BBC News | Enlarged Image