Preparing for Promotion Assessments - Sharing my experience

Promotion assessment is a big nightmare for most of us in the corporate world. We cannot avoid it some day or the other, while trying to climb the corporate ladder,

I recently got a chance to present myself for the assessment. It had happened two years back and the result was awful. I had spent a lot of time and energy preparing myself this time. Though the results are not out yet, I am feeling much relaxed. At least, I could present what I intended to.

Here are some small but useful tips which helped me. I learned them the hard way and I hope it helps you as well.


Be Serious. It matters A LOT

Promotion is directly linked to your salary. If money doesn't matter much to you, stop reading :).

Many of the times, we take promotions for granted. I worked so extremely hard, promotion should come to me automatically. When it comes to day-to-day ork activities, we do it with at most vigour.

I used to think it the best if your work speaks for yourself. It does in real life, but not during promotion assessments.

Normally, the assessments would be done by external experts. They will not know how things work in your organization, what is critical etc...

Be ready to spend some quality time while preparing the presentation and collecting proofs. I prepared the presentation during non-working hours. You have to stay focused while preparing the key slides.


SPY the Panel Members

Mostly the assessment panel would comprise of experts within the company from various teams. They may be of different skill sets and may not understand your work area in depth.

During job interviews, we know little about the interviewer. But for promotion assessments, you have a chance to learn more about the panel members. For example, if one member is an expert on Open-Source area, it will help a lot if you can present some points in that.

SPY on them :)

Google on the panel members... search in the intranet portals... try to get as much detail about their area of work. Look at their LinkedIn profiles, talk to friends of friends from their teams. Try to get as much detail in advance.

Remember, you are presenting yourself in front of them. You talk their language, you win ;)


Talk to people who are already promoted

You will definitely have a friend or friend's friend who is already playing the target role. Talk to them, understand the expectations, ask for inputs from their assessment etc.

Also discuss with each one who had attended the presentation earlier. Especially, the questions that were asked and try to avoid the same for you.

All of these must be done ahead of preparing the presentation.


Identifying your HOT CAKES and Weak Areas

We all work so hard. But there would be some Unique Selling Points for each one of us. The hot cakes need to be identified based on your assessment of the panel and your own expertise.

We know Edison for he invented BULB. But he has invented so many other things much complex. But Edison is only BULB for us.

There may be some work contribution, which did not take too much time, but may look HUGE for the panelists. Identify such points and highlight during the presentation.

Equally important to identify weak areas. Rephrase them as identified improvements and present UNLESS it sounds silly. Remember, nobody is perfect and its the best when you yourself identify your improvement areas.

Preparing your Presentation - VERY IMPORTANT

Normally, your supporting/HR teams will provide a template for presenting. My suggestion is to use your own template but covering all key points as per template.

Remember - your presentation is NOT FOR YOU, but for the panel. For them, what matters is what you have written in the presentation. So, avoid jargons, keep it in simple language. Highlight your hot cakes.

Make sure that the presentation flows easily on its own. Slide 2 has to be some continuation on previous slide. Search for "How to Make Great Presentation" on Slideshare and you get a lot of useful inputs.

Some simple tips - highlight major achievements. Do not use too many colors, too many fonts. Text should be be readable. Highlight the GOOD metrics (numbers speak). Images/Diagrams to be used effectively. Your key points should come as early in the slides. Include an Agenda slide.

If your slot is for one hour, at least half an hour must be spent on the main slides. Ensure all relevant content is present, no repetition and ensure content makes sense for the panelists.


Proofs Collection

The Panel may ask you for presenting Proofs during the presentation. Keep all key proofs handy. If required, write down in a note the important proofs to present and go through them one by one after presenting main slides.

In our case, we had to present the most complex designs we made. Remember, it is very important to present based on their knowledge levels. A technial expert may not appreciate if you explain in poor layman terms. The same goes reverse, if the panelist is from an HR background, he may not understand advanced technical terms.

You SHOULD have a proof for key points in the slides. It does not look good if you mention like "Can I share you the proof after meeting?".


Get it REVIEWED

Make sure your presentation is reviewed at least by one person. This can be your manager or friend who is already at the promoted level.

You should be THOROUGH with your final presentation. Go through as many times as required. Look at it from the panelists' eyes.

Try to present the slides yourself before the actual meeting. This will boost your confidence.


Ready Steady GOOOO...

Groom yourself well for the presentation. True that for technical jobs, your dressing doesn't matter. But no harm in presenting yourself well composed. In most cases, you may be meeting the panel members for the first time. The first impression matters.

Be calm and composed. Take a deep breath and stay relaxed. Do not run through the presentation in hurry-bury. Give them sufficient time during each slide. Try to make it interactive and ask for their inputs whenever you feel it is required.


Question Answer time

If you are doubtful or not aware of any specific point, admit it. Nobody expects you to know each and everything. It's a good practice to ask them for answers at the end if you feel required.



Work on your weaknesses

At the end of assessment, you have identified so many weak points even after preparing that hard. Good that you realized and work towards improving them.

I am much more prepared now and learned a lot many new things through the exercise.


All said and done, I had many sleepless nights preparing for the presentation :(. I had failed it earlier and I knew at the end that I was much better this time.

Wish you all the best for the next promotion. Do not forget to share your personal experiences.

സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യ ദിനത്തിലെ മൂന്ന്‍ അനുഭവങ്ങള്‍

ഏവര്‍ക്കും ഹൃദയം നിറഞ്ഞ സ്വാതന്ത്രദിനാശംസകള്‍...

ഇന്നലത്തെ മൂന്നു അനുഭവങ്ങള്‍ പങ്കു വെക്കുന്നു....

1. സ്വാതന്ത്രദിനം തിങ്കളാഴ്ച ആയത് കൊണ്ട് ഇതൊരു long weekend ആയിരുന്നു. പ്രഭാത ഭക്ഷണത്തിന് കുടുംബ സമേതം പുറത്തു പോയി, A2Bക്ക് തൊട്ട് പുറത്ത് അപ്പൊ ഒരു കൊച്ചു നാടോടിപ്പെങ്കുട്ടി മൂവര്‍ണ്ണക്കൊടി വിറ്റ് നടപ്പുണ്ട്. ഒരു നല്ല ദിവസമല്ലേ എന്നോര്‍ത്തു ഞാന്‍ പത്തു രൂപ കൊടുത്തു. കുറച്ചു കഴിഞ്ഞു ഭക്ഷണം വാങ്ങാന്‍ ക്യൂ നില്ല്ക്കുമ്പോള്‍ ഞങ്ങളുടെ പിന്നിലുണ്ടായിരുന്ന സ്ത്രീ ആ കുട്ടിക്ക് വേണ്ടി ഒരു മിനി ടിഫിന്‍ ഓര്‍ഡര്‍ ചെയ്തിരിക്കുന്നു. നാടോടിക്കുട്ടി ഭക്ഷണവും വാങ്ങി പുറത്തേക്കോടി. ആ ഹോട്ടലിനു പുറത്തു തന്നെ ആ ഭക്ഷണം വേറെ മൂന്നു കുട്ടികളെയും കൂട്ടി കഴിക്കുന്നു. അവര്‍ കഴിച്ചതിനെക്കാളും കൂടുതല്‍ ഭക്ഷണം ഞാന്‍ എനിക്കു മാത്രം ഓര്‍ഡര്‍ ചെയ്തിരുന്നു. പക്ഷേ ആ കാഴ്ച്ച കണ്ടതോടെ തന്നെ എന്റെ വിശപ്പെല്ലാം തീര്‍ന്നിരുന്നു. അവര്‍ ഒരു സ്കൂളിലും പോവാതെ തന്നെ പഠിച്ച പാഠങ്ങള്‍ ഒന്നും ആര്‍ക്കും കൊടുക്കാതെ കഴിക്കുന്ന നമ്മളെക്കാള്‍ എത്രയോ മഹത്തരം.

Representational Image

2. വിക്കി എന്ന ഷോര്‍ട്ട് ഫിലിം കണ്ടു. അര്‍ത്ഥഗംഭീരമായ എന്നാല്‍ ഒട്ടും ബോറടിപ്പിക്കാത്ത ഒരു ഷോര്‍ട്ട് ഫിലിം. നെല്‍സണ്‍ മണ്ടേലയുടെ "there is no such thing called part freedom" എന്ന ത്യാഗത്തെയും വാചകത്തെ തീര്‍ത്തും അര്തവക്കാക്കുന്ന ഈ ഷോര്‍ട്ട് ഫിലിം തീര്‍ച്ചയായും കണ്ടിരിക്കേണ്ട ഒന്നാണ്. അഭിനയിച്ചവരെല്ലാം തകര്‍ത്തു. നമ്മളെല്ലാം അനുഭവിക്കുന്ന സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യത്തിന്റെ മഹത്വം അത് നഷ്ടപ്പെട്ടാലെ മനസ്സിലാവൂ.

3. അലമാരയില്‍ വെറുതെ കിടന്നിരുന്ന ഒരു പാട് പഴയ വസ്ത്രങ്ങള്‍ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു. പഴയത് എന്ന്‍ വെച്ച് വേണ്ടത്ര പ്രശ്നങ്ങള്‍ ഒന്നും ഇല്ലാത്തത്. വൈകിട്ട് അതെല്ലാം മടക്കി വെച്ച് താഴെ സെക്യൂരിറ്റിക്ക് കൊടുത്തു. അവരുടെ സന്തോഷവും പറഞ്ഞറിയിക്കാന്‍ കഴിയാത്തതായിരുന്നു. ഒന്നാലോചിച്ചാല്‍ നമ്മളൊക്കെ എത്ര അധികം വസ്ത്രങ്ങളാണ് ഉപയോകിക്കുന്നത്. വെറുതെ വെക്കുന്നതിലും എത്രയോ നല്ലതാണ് ആവശ്യക്കാര്‍ക്ക് അത് കൊടുക്കുന്നത്.


ഒരു രാഷ്ട്രീയ വിശകലനത്തിന് മുതിരുന്നില്ല. ഇപ്പോ ഉള്ള സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യത്തിനെ കുറ്റം പറയുന്നുമില്ല. പക്ഷേ സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യവും വികസനവും എല്ലാവരിലും ഒരു പോലെ എത്തിപ്പെട്ടില്‍ പിന്നെ അതില്‍ എന്തര്‍ത്ഥം.

ജയ്‌ ഹിന്ദ്‌...

Bangalore to Pondicherry Roadtrip

This is my first attempt to write a travelogue. I wanted to give it a try not just because we loved the trip.

Since Pondicherry is about 300+ kms from Bangalore, we thought Roadtrip could be the best option since Zaara was also with us. We didn't have many other choices for buses/train as it was a long weekend and people had planned theirs long back J

Another reason to write is not to rely on Google every time. It's a great tool to use for navigation, but sometimes the routes provided by them may not be the great if you drive.

Trip Planning

We had been thinking of multiple options for the Ganesh Chathurthi long weekend. Since most of friends already had finalized their own plans, we had to do it on our own. We were late for booking hotel/resort, so there weren't many options available. We saw Nalla Eco Beach Resort was a good choice both economically and location wise (due to its vicinity to East Coast Road, connecting Chennai to Pondicherry).

We had gone through the reviews on Tripadvisor and some other sites as well. Tripadvisor reviews are a good tool to finalize the place. Instead of booking directly on portal, we called the resort directly and confirmed booking for Standard room (later the management upgraded us to Superior room free of cost).

The rate was Rs. 3500 per night (also remember it was a long weekend). Pondicherry hotels allow checking only after 12 noon and checkout before 12. In case you arrive early, its better to plan some activity before you checkin to hotel.

Our original plan was for two day-one night trip. We were still prepared for an additional night in case required.

Bangalore to Pondicherry

We started from Indira Nagar at 4:40 AM. Not much traffic around and we could get out of Bangalore within 20 minutes (Electronic city flyover).

We had decided to go by the Google route that took us through Krishagiri-Uttangarai-Thiruvannamalai-Gingee-Thindivanam-Pondicherry route, as shown below.

This was the worst part of the trip L. The distance in this route is 310 km. We reached the resort by 11:40 AM. This included a break of half an hour at Thiruvannamali for breakfast.

The road work is in progress from Krishnagiri to Thindivanam. There are good stretches of 1 to 2 km in between, but remaining is either mud road or old road with big pot holes. In case you are driving, please do not follow this route at all.

Thiruvannamalai is a comparatively big town. We reached there by 9 and had breakfast at Aakash Restaurant, near Bus Stand. Love the chutneys they serve with Masala Dosa/Idly. The town also hosts Annamalaiyar temple, which is symmetric in nature.

Enroute to Thidivanam, you can also see the Gingee Fort, which covers two hills and you go in between. We didn't stop  over to ensure we had sufficient time in Pondicherry.

The last stretch of Thindivanam to Pondicherry is a toll road. It was quite relaxing to relax from frequent gear shifts and breaks for the last 3-4 hours.

We checked in to the resort directly and freshened up.

Paradise Beach

The first destination was Paradise Beach, which was about 18 kms from our resort. You need to go to the boathouse first. Ferry is available at Rs. 150 per person (Speed Boats available at Rs. 1200). It takes around 20 minutes by Ferry to reach the island creek.

It's the only beach in Pondicherry, which has shallow waters and you can swim around. The place is well maintained and very clean. We reached there by 1.30. Zaara was very happy to play in the beach after a long time J

If you go in a group, you can spend quality time in the beach, playing Volleyball, swimming. There is only one eatery available, which was a setback. We were already hungry J

The boat service continues until 4 pm into the beach and till 6 pm back.

Promenade Beach:

Promenade can be called as the Marine Drive of Pondicherry. For people familiar with the Queen’s Necklace in Mumbai, Promenade offers a similar experience. The place again is very well maintained.

We had lunch at the Spice Route, near to the Promenade Beach. They served delicious food (Fried Rice and Tawa Machi or deep fried Pomfret). One good thing about Pondicherry is that you can see all sort of quality French/Italian/Thai/Indian restaurants available in the area.

All buildings near the Promenade are built based on French Architecture style. Even the streets have name-boards in French like "Rue Romain Rolland".

The Promenade Beach also has many tourist attractions including Gandhi Statue, French War Memorial, Chief Secretariat etc.

Annasalai Street:

The Annasalai Street belongs to the business district and you can see many big exclusive stores in the area.

We went to the Pothy’s textile showroom in Pondicherry. It was a mind-blowing experience. You need to see the collection of garments they have kept and the best part is that it’s available for all price ranges being displayed.

Auroville:

The next day, we started visiting Auroville first. It’s a world on its own, situated 11 kms from Pondicherry main beach area. The place is vast and it is very different from other places with good vegetation.

The main attraction is the Matri Mandir, which is a golden metallic sphere at the centre of town.You can correlate it much to the Lotus temple in Delhi for the Bahaii believers.From visiting centre, the Matrimandir is around 1 km by walk. We spent around an hour in the Auroville area. Very much different from normal Tamilnadu landscape, with so much greenery around.

Back to Bangalore:

We took the longer route via Thindivanam-Vandavasi-Cheyyar-Arkot-Vellore-Krishnagiri route this time. It was so much relaxing to drive on this route with not even single pothole. The route is about 375 km but we took around 6 hours driving time.

Reached Home by 5.30 pm and at the end, it was a pleasant and joyous trip throughout.

Pondicherry is a calm place to visit anytime around the year other than rainy season. One day is good enough to cover all major attractions in the city.

Good for a weekend drive J

Photography and Photoshop - Book links

While browsing Scribd, I found some very good books related to digital photography. Sharing the links.


Beginner:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/14164466/Langfords-Advanced-Photography-7th-Edition-2008
http://www.scribd.com/doc/49133736/essential-guide-for-photography
http://www.scribd.com/doc/34630040/Getting-Started-in-Digital-SLR-Photography
http://www.scribd.com/doc/23508003/Quick-Snap-Guide-to-Digital-SLR-Photography-An-Instant-Start-Up
http://www.scribd.com/doc/17195037/Langford%E2%80%99s-Starting-Photography-The-guide-to-great-images-with-digital-or-film-Fifth-Edition-2007-by-Michael-Langford-and-Philip-Andrews

Lighting:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/38469488/Basics-Photography-Lighting

Composition:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/25278358/Creative-Composition-Digital-Photography-Tips-and-Techniques
http://www.scribd.com/doc/31316863/Photography-The-Art-of-Composition

Panorama and Landscape:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24230702/Panoramic-Photography-From-Composition-and-Exposure-to-Final-Exhibition
http://www.scribd.com/doc/48649666/landscapePhotography

Portrait:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/40354157/Professional-Children-s-Portrait-Photography
http://www.scribd.com/doc/44107016/Classic-Glamour-Photography

Nature: 
http://www.scribd.com/doc/19662570/Gerlach-John-and-Barbara-Digital-Nature-Photography-The-Art-and-the-Science
http://www.scribd.com/doc/12975805/NaturePhotographyInsiderSecretsFromTheWorldsTopDigitalPhotographyProfessionals
http://www.scribd.com/doc/17891536/Natural-Photography

Wedding Photorgraphy:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/38167880/Mastering-Digital-Wedding-Photography
http://www.scribd.com/doc/47656991/Wedding-Photography

Sports:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/44689208/Sports-Photography
http://www.scribd.com/doc/46156097/Master-Guide-for-Team-Sports-Photography

Macro:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/41809390/Macro-Photography
http://www.scribd.com/doc/46895094/2009-Close-Up-and-Macro-Photography

Street:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/23485670/street-photography-for-the-purist

Black and White:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/42436054/Advanced-Digital-Black-White-Photography
http://www.scribd.com/doc/47107217/Creative-Black-and-White-Photography

Commercial:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/45105487/Photography-Your-Way
http://www.scribd.com/doc/48319845/commercial-photography

Camera Reference:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/30877718/The-Nikon-Guide-to-Digital-Photography-with-the-D80-Digital-Camera

Magazines:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/32459899/Digital-Photography-Techniques-Autumn-2009
http://www.scribd.com/doc/33531717/Digital-Photographer

Advanced:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/8021456/Mastering-Digital-Photography-and-Imaging
http://www.scribd.com/doc/47565771/The-Art-of-Digital-Photography
http://www.scribd.com/doc/7534306/Digital-Photography-in-Available-Light-Essential-Skills - More on low light photography.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/46772504/Perfect-Digital-Photography-2nd-Edition-2009-Malestrom
http://www.scribd.com/doc/17249250/The-Book-of-Photography
http://www.scribd.com/doc/48891544/Art-of-Professional-Photography
http://www.scribd.com/doc/49052367/Professional-Commercial-Photography-Techniques-and-Images-from-Master-Digital-Photographers

Post Processing:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/263274/Digital-Photography-Acquisition-And-Processing-Techniques-By-Ron-Reznick

Reference:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/47785757/manual-of-photography-10th-edition
http://www.scribd.com/doc/38522912/Mastering-Digital-Photography
http://www.scribd.com/doc/48377584/Focal-Press-Manual-of-Photography
http://www.scribd.com/doc/26568740/Basic-Photography-Guide-for-Newbies

PHOTOSHOP:

For photographer:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/45970478/Photoshop - Beginner
http://www.scribd.com/doc/3843824/Photoshop-LAB-Color
http://www.scribd.com/doc/7248088/Total-Photoshop-Design-Photo1
http://www.scribd.com/doc/46944735/Real-World-Adobe-Photoshop-CS5-for-Photographers
http://www.scribd.com/doc/47286072/Layers-The-Complete-Guide-to-Photoshop-s-Most-Powerful-Feature-2nd-Edition
http://www.scribd.com/doc/39695493/Creative-Photoshop-Digital-Illustration-and-Art-Techniques
http://www.scribd.com/doc/38451067/Black-amp-White-Photography-Techniques-With-Adobe-Photoshop - Black & White
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24616248/How-to-Become-a-Photoshop-Black-Belt-Fast
http://www.scribd.com/doc/7049110/Adobe-Photoshop-Cs-Tutorial-Diigital-Photography-Workflow-Handbook
http://www.scribd.com/doc/49214787/PhotoshopTopSecrets
http://www.scribd.com/doc/29065309/Photoshop-book-for-digital-photographers

Wedding Photography:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/33794308/Photoshop-Warrior - Tricks using Photoshop. Good one.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/46915269/Photoshop-Tricks - Some interesting tips.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/7049110/Adobe-Photoshop-Cs-Tutorial-Diigital-Photography-Workflow-Handbook

For artiste:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/46029786/Advanced-Photoshop-45 - More for a digital artiste than photographer.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/33795797/100-Photoshop - More for artiste than photographer.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/25217746/Digital-Painting-in-Photoshop
http://www.scribd.com/doc/39695493/Creative-Photoshop-Digital-Illustration-and-Art-Techniques

Reference books:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/26447529/Photoshop-CS3-Bible
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2357234/Adobe-Photoshop-Every-Tool-Explained
http://www.scribd.com/doc/31989915/The-Adobe-Photoshop-Lightroom-2-Book
http://www.scribd.com/doc/47941016/Adobe-Photoshop-Lightroom-3-Classroom-in-a-Book-Mantesh

Ekta Yatra, Kashmiri Pundits, BJP, Tricolor, Congress - We The People...

I was quite amazed to see a constructive debate in facebook by my friends on such a sensitive issue. Read below a copy paste of the same debate... I thought I will pen down my thoughts too but opted blog instead as the discussion would take more words.

Comparing BJP leaders' experience being similar to the Kashmiri Pandit's fate has been one of the most ridiculous. The leaders (Sushma and Jaitley), would have never seen the brunt of first going through the hardships which first cause them to leave a place of their own. Kashmiri Pandits left because they were unable to live in their homes. But this was never the case for these people, who never gets to know how the common BJP worker who comes from far states like Bengal or Karnataka to reach Ravi Bridge.
The biggest irony is the way the same party rules in the state of Karnataka. If media reports are to be believed, the Chief Minister has been blackmailing the central party leadership on the basis that an entire community (Lingayat, which is supposed to be Karnataka's biggest) stands by him, no matter the amount of misdeeds he commits. Then the same government hosts the Reddy brothers who are also being in the news for a while again for not-so-good reasons.
I'm certain that the BJP is obviously didn't think about the Kashmiri Pandits when they organized the Ekta Yatra.

Indian establishment and dealing towards anti-national forces (call it separatists):
This has been a topic that has been in discussion for a while that when it comes to combating the Kashmiri separatists or Maoists, the establishment hasn't been successful. The only reason for this is that even the mightiest super-powers are not able to win over the similar minds around the globe. As it has always been said along, the only way forward is through open dialogue and we, as law abiding citizens of the country, should tackle the issue with an open mind. The destination should be peace and it doesn't matter how long or how hard the decisions are, ultimately the aim of the government should be to serve the people, to allow them to live peacefully. The same rule is applicable to Kashmiri Pandits and every Kashmiri citizen also. The sub-continent has been injured fatally due to one partition already, and it may not live up to handle another cut.

Double Standards to Kashmiri Pandits:
I am not quite clear as to what exactly the problem here is, but if it is that the government is not allowing the once flown Pandits not returning to their homes, the issue has to be dealt with seriously. Again, the only point is to make sure that, if someone has a concern, let that be heard and resolved before the person attempts to use force.

Solution and responsibility of a Citizen:
Kashmir had been called the paradise on earth and it's been quite a while since the paradise has lost its charm and becoming a hell on earth. Let us though not trying to make it a paradise again, at least ensure that the sense of normalcy prevails. The government should do all that it can to ensure that peace prevails and people can return to their home and work peacefully. We all talk about Kashmir so much just because we would have rather never faced such a life, where the parents are cynical to send kids to school fearing there would be a bomb blast.

Let the emotions be dumped and rational approaches being carried ahead. The biggest threat to the world's largest democracy is that we just do not have a better alternative. While the Congress has lead the corruption history, BJP is not less either. People might have forgotten the Coffin, Hawala scams as well as the telecom policy shifts which all were done during a smaller period when BJP ruled. Karnataka example has shown how the party's dumps its ideologies, when it comes to sticking on to power. But, I would also like to congratulate Narendra Modi on the resurgence of Gujarat. It shows a clear example as to how the rational approach can lead us to development when we keep our emotions and communal agenda aside. But the man's credentials are again questioned because his involvements in the riots have been established undoubtedly. I am more worried if he would return to the same sort of vote-bank-riot-politics one day, when his good-deeds are not enough to win a major election.

The voter should ensure he gives a clear mandate to one party, because coalition politics has added to the deterioration as well. Think about a situation where a man of integrity like Manmohan Singh cannot act against the corrupt lot. If the same goes on where the smaller parties rule important ministries, these things will continue and we shall argue again on similar lines about corruption and other issues.

Destination next?

I'm getting bored of everything now. The same monotonous job that has nothing to motivate is where I spend at least 40 hours a week. Agreed, that the job pays me good amount of money, but it does not fascinate me anymore as it used to do.

But switching job seems to be a tedious task, where I need to learn some new technology/enrich the current knowledge-base to fool interviewer: as to make him believe that I've been working on this for decades.

What now? Time for a good break? Off late all journeys in and around have become stressful and now is the time to take some time out and travel to make us happy.

Now, searching for the destination... Any suggestions?

The day Nortel Died

Found this interesting song, composed by one of ex-Nortelites...

Rest In Peace Fernando uncle...

Writing this in the fond memory of Fernando uncle, the owner of my first home in Bangalore. Sounds weired that I'm writing an obituary of a landlor?

One dear friend had once told: Many people will walk along with you, all of them will fade away, but some leave the footprints in your heart, and it never goes.

Uncle was a kind-hearted human being, always happy even while facing bigger issues in life. We have interacted very less, but still the way he considered other human beings was amazing.

I still remember the kind of help he offered, when I had fallen sick in that place. He never complained about the noise pollution we created at home, when friends were there. He had this for the violin and he used to teach young children how to play the instrument.

My heart goes with the family sharing the grief. May uncle rest in peace...

Fathering boredom

Wrote this sometime back on a lazy day in office. Thought of posting it now...

“You know what?”

“Tell me”

“I’m getting bored to the peak yaar… Nothing to do in office… Got madder these days”

“Well yeah, people who love their work will feel so”

“It’s the same for 9^th month in a row”

“Jokes apart, I can understand the feeling”

“Had I done something else then, I’d have become a proud father now”

“Yeah, you are now a father of boredom”

“Wow… nice title”

“Yeah you can start writing a book now with that title”.

I thanked the company for a while. They have done a lot of good things besides my salary for no work being done. G-talk helped a lot, especially when you sit idle and there are no new stories when you refresh the newspaper pages.

Not that I haven’t done anything in all these months. But nothing I did added any value to the company, considering the amount they pay me.

The trainers taught us very well to enable us to execute the project-to-be-started-next-day with ease. And it’s been 8 months waiting for the-next-day-that-never-comes.

“Shall we have the risk capturing meeting now?”

“Yes, but what about the project?”

“Who knows, it may or may not come, but we need to capture all the risks so that it doesn’t stop the project mid-way.”

“Yeah, but we don’t have any risks specific to the project, other than that if the project doesn’t come we may lose our jobs”.

The discussion goes on and on…

Hope I get a break before fathering my next kid…

2009 - Looking back...

Wish you a very happy and prosperous 2010. Hope all your wishes come true this year.

This has been my longest vacation in last 6 years since joining IT. Though its not as relaxing for a vacation this time, it feels nice to be out of work for a change.

Looking back, 2009 had been an amazing year for me. The new year began in a train bound to Ahmedabad. We were on our way to visit Bhuj and Kutch there. It'd been one of the best trips yet.

The day started with offer letter from IBM and followed by NSN on 2nd. Putting down the papers on second week was a different moment altogether- filled with agony, confusion and above all excitement as well.

Nortel's fall was another big moment this year. Mike Z couldn't help the giant stand the game. It's been fun to look for new articles on allaboutnortel.com every morning.

The Bangalore stay had too much fun into it. Looking back, I attended many concerts this year. Pankaj Udhas, Wadali Brothers, Kailasa, Shreya Ghoshal, Sonu Nigam, Shilpa Rao, Runa Laila and the list goes on...

New work also brought about many new friends with it. An interesting work, filled with many interesting people and lots of fun. I sat at 5 different locations this year (though changed job only once)- Kulupwadi Road, MG Road, Hosmat, Manyata.

Number of trips I had gone would probably give you a figure on how much masti we had in the year- Kutch (Gujarath), Ganapatipule (Maharashtra), Dandeli, Chikmagallur, Mysore, Kollur-Kodachadri, Nandi Hills (Karnataka), Madurai-Rameshwaram-Dhanushkodi, Yercaud (Tamil Nadu), Delhi. Its been a journey well travelled. And I could learn some more about photography (checkout albums on orkut).

And to top it all, the best achievement of the year had been finding my soulmate. It got fixed by September and life has been more of fun since then. It makes us stronger when we know that there's someone who's going to be with us no matter what we do.

The year 2010 begins with a grand opening. I'm all set to marry Jesi on 3rd of Jan. Hope its going to be another rocking year this time just like 2009.

Once again wishing you all a very happy new year...

Google Chrome OS on its way

After successful release of Chrome browser, Google is own its way to eat up Microsoft’s trademark Windows with its new Chrome Operating System. Check out more on the Google OS preview event here.

Celebrate World Toilet Day Today

It’s not just the dog but toilet also has a day these days. Today is celebrated as World Toilet Day.

Wish you all a very happy and prosperous day to all of you. I hope you all had an amazing celebration today morning, but I couldn’t contribute too much because my stomach was working normal.

I wish I had a friend whose birthday matched with the toilet day. I checked my orkut friend list for any matching birthday after reading the article “Celebrate World Toilet Day today”.

Jack Sim has made some valid points regarding the situation: “The toilet has always been an intimate part of human civilization. But these days, there is a stigma associated with sanitation habits and the ‘toilet culture’,”

Jack abandoned his business and established WTO (World Toilet Organization) in 2001 for the same cause. “Toilets have to catch up with the growing standards of living in India, hence the need to privatize them — fast,” He adds.

So wish you all a very happy toilet day.

P.S: From the book “Mother Teresa: a biography”:

No task was too menial or disgusting for Mother Teresa to undertake: One sister, repelled at the thought of cleaning the toilet, hid herself away. Mother Teresa passed by, not noticing the Sister in the hall. Seeing the state of the toilet, she immediately rolled up her sleeves and cleaned the toilet herself. The sister never forgot the experience and applied herself more fully to her tasks.

Johns the bachelor...

A special gift to Johns on his d-day... Congrats on the big occasion

Reviving the blog

It’s been so long since I posted something on this blog .

Today, I was feeling like posting something stupid online. I was amused by some amazing blogs hosted on www.wordpress.com today and was planning to actually post something on my yet-to-be-open blog.
The layout of a blog is as important as the content and I was not quite happy with the way my blogspot space looked like. I wanted to post a picture behind my blog title, add something more interesting etc… I was under the impression that there’s not much on blogger that I could customize.
I just gave a try and looks like blogger is highly customizable stuff. You play around with the html code and you get something that would make you happy. I feel a bit more relaxed when I see my blog’s layout now. I don't think I would need any other blogger service now.
Next step is to revive the same with new posts. Lots have changed since my last post: promotion in life, lots of trips, new friends etc…

I hope to post more about them soon.

Congratulations India

The people of India has made the right choice again. Congratulations to Congress and UPA for the clear mandate it has got in the 2009 elections.

The verdict shows that people of India has voted for:

• A leader who is a man of action than words (Manmohan Singh).
• Selflessness and Sacrifice (Congress leadership team).
• A team against an individual (BJP fought this election portrating strong leader).
• Honesty against corruption (Fall of Paswan, Lalu, Mulayam, Maya, Jayalalitha).
• National cause that has led many of the narrow minded regional players sit aside.
• Performed parties on a regional level (Bihar, Orissa).
• Communalists and terrorists (UP against Maya, Kerala against PDP-CPM alliance).
• Vibrant and youth India (Shashi Tharoor, Rahul Gandhi, Sachin Pilot...).
• Optimism and Hope (Fall of left).
• People-oriented development (Fall of Singur/Nandigram model development).

Here are some of the big moments of this election:

• Advani took it personal with Manmohan calling him weak multiple times. People thinks the other way.
• Narendra Modi: Nobody questions his development agenda for Gujarath, but nobody also questions his role in the post-Godhra riots. When the commandos were fighting it hard in Mumbai against terrorits, he is the first person to make a political gain out of this by blaming government at the very moment. People did not buy this argument. 26/11 was a failure of our system, but nobody buys the argument that the government was at fault. The so-called strong leader of BJP made some stupid statements when asked about the Kandahar story, where a cabinet minister had to accompany three terrorits to resolve the hostile situation.

• Lalu Prasad Yadav: One of the most celebrated Indian politicians openly admits that it was a mistake not to go with Congress.
• Ram Vilas Paswan: Last time's king maker not getting a single seat.
• Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh: Kingmakers sitting not knowing what to do now.
• Mayavati: Please come up with a national cause next time. India wants a prime minister who can see other's problems as well. Manmohan is Sikh but very well understands every single individual of the country.
• Jayalalitha: Long way to go maam.
• Prakash Karat: Somnath Chatterji put it in the right way: Being a narcissist won't help the country/party.
• Pinarayi Vijayan-Ma'dani: It's time to rethink.

An open letter to Sri. Manmohan Singh

Dear prime minister,

I am highly distrubed by the sequence of events happening in the nation, which I have been loving and serving since my birth. The continuous failures of the world's biggest democracy has become irritating and its the time for people like me and you to act.

I am a great fan of yours for the kind of economic reforms you started and your team is continuing with, which has obviously changed our lifestyles. I respect you for the strength and determination you showed during signing of the HIDE act with the United States. All of them has helped the Indian economy to grow faster.

But, before we change our lifestyles, the first and foremost concern that the common man here need is the right to live in a peaceful way, the assurance to sleep peacefully. You have been elected as the prime minister of India BY THE PEOPLE, and you have the responsibility for their lives.

What has your goverment done to the people of India and their security in the last four and a half years of your administration? The time has already ran away and if your government do not take any more action, it is high time that we act.

There had been many loop holes in our system which needs immediate attention. I request you to not consider these problems as regional to a particular state and address them as an issue of national concern.

Bombay and Maharashtra: Before coming on to the bigger picture of 26/11, there are many other issues that require immediate attention:

• Raj Thackarey and MNS: Problems with regional propoganda: I do not see any differences between the modus operandi for Lashkar e Toiba as well as Maharashtra Navanirman Sena. Both of them has regional intersts and motives. While Raj Thackaray is a political coward, the other party makes use of modern ammunitions. A day where MNS activits arrive in another city with AK-56 and grenades cannot be completely ignored. It is time to ban this party. This party has already done enough damage to the national spirits. What is the difference between they killing a common man from Bihar just for the reason that he is from Bihar.
  

• Malegaon blasts and BJP: One of the best gimmicks found in the recent days. On wednesday, I saw an article about BJP/Shivsena planning to hold a Band against Hemant Karakre, the ATS chief (salute him for his bravery and martyrdom for the nation). A truly loyal officer, who believed in the age-old proverb of "work is worship". The next day, the great leader LK Advani comes to his home and consoles his family. I respect his family for not accepting the money that another fox in the game, Narendra Modi provided. Do not worry, the entire Nation is with you. There are corrupt hands in the great Army of our nation. Let us stand together to first clean our hands.
  

• Investigation into the 93 Blasts and Riots: It is already 15 years since horrific incident occurred. And till now, our so called instituations are not able to complete the investigation and jurisdiction. It is high time that we do something in order to fasten our probes into such sensitive cases. The judiciary needs to work towards better productivity.
  

On 26/11:

I have not had a peaceful sleep since thursday since the news about terror attacks were flashed. There used to be a small restaurant named Bade Miya, which I used to frequent on weekends for their tasty shikh kebabs. Thank god that the incident occurred on wednesday or else I would have also been one of them. My deep felt condolenses are with the families who lost their dear ones in the massacre, I would call it.

My Salute to all our heroes, who had been extraordinarily brave to save our country: the NSG commandos who smashed all terrorits, the firefighters who ensures that the damage had been far more lesser than it could have been, the brave police officers who could catch one of the guys alive, the army men and to all human beings who helped others risking their lives like the chefs, the employees and management of the hotels etc...

Dear Prime miniter,

1. I thank you for your proposal to have a central agency similar to FBI, which could ensure that the investigation into sensitive issues could be started as soon as possible, to ensure no evidences are being lost.
   
2. I request you to ensure that we have a more able, capable and responsible home minister who is stern in actions, not just in changing clothes.
   
3. I request you and your team to setup the NSG commando groups at multiple zones in the country. There had been about 10 hrs of delay in getting the NSG commandos on action which if not happened could have resulted in saving more lives.
   
4. I request you to put the country's best officers into this probe and get the investigations done as soon as possible.
   
5. I request you to establish a fast track court for the issue to ensure that the case is complete as soon as possible.
   
6. I request you to capture all those involved, either dead or alive as they have been responsible for taking away the innocent blood from our nation. If there are evidences about a different country's arms in the prob (Pakistan, Afghanistan), I request you to work with them to ensure that the convicted are caught alive. If the countries are not williing to help, I request you to attack the same. India need not stand this anymore.
   
7. I request you to strengthen our forces, in all measures to ensure that the lives of innocent people are given due respect.
   
8. I request you and your party not to play vote bank politics with this. Remember, this is a problem that we as a country is facing. This is not a problem which is specific to a religion, region or an ideology. This is a problem faced by common man.
   

The value of life is more than the way in which we live it. Your economic policies have helped in bettering the way in which we live. However, the security policies have been very weak, which does not ensure that we could live our life, in the way we live it.

DEAR SIR,

WE STILL HAVE FAITH IN YOU. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WHICH YOU AND YOUR GOVERNMENT IS NOT CAPABLE OF DOING. YOU DO THE RIGHT THING AND THE ENTIRE NATION WILL STAND WITH YOU.

Rajappan opens BnR bAr in McCallum Corner

By Our Special Correspondant.

McCallum, 11th Aug 2008: Rajappan Associates, a well known name in Dallas area for their own reasons entered into a new business last weekend. The proprietor and managing director of the company, Mr. Rajappan Narra inagurated the new "BnR bAr" in McCallum Blvd on Saturday night. The bar and drinks served has already become the talk of town out here in Dallas McCallum area.

"This is a dream come true", Rajappan told to the Times on the auspicious occassion. Currently being run by the manager himself, he told to the Times that he had been longing for a long time to open one in McCallum corner.

"We had a dinner party on this friday with friends at On the Border. One of my friend ordered a Mojito and I just got a chance to smell the drink. At that moment, I realized that I was born to make others' life happier. It just took my brain away with my thoughts. This is a humble beginning. I dream it big, make more more bewadas out of my bar". Rajappan became quite emotional when we asked about the inspiration behind the new venture.

The glamorous inaguration was also attended by the great Samba Panda (also known as fattu among Dallas business circles), Mud-it Junior, SuperStarER JK and followed by a DJ hai/huy/mhey/mho/hmmm Sheena.

"I felt like I was flying", told Samba Panda who was caught while having Kungfu-Mojito on the rocks (need to clarify here, he was just jumping on the small stones outside the bAr). The curd-king was overwhelmed by Rajappan's efforts in preparing the drink.

Times have also confirmed from trusted sources that the BaR was designed by the tallented Interior Designer Ms. Hmm/Hem/Hein. The Martini set and other equipments were imported from L-n-T Dallas by the latter on Saturday. The designer was presented a special drink on Sunday for the efforts.

The best drink served till now is named "g i r l - f r i e n d". Rajappan prepared a special edition of "girl friend" for Mr. Mud-IT yesterday night. When asked about the speciality, Rajappan told "This is to celebrate a new beginning. I am beginning from where others have ended...".

Please note...this is a purely fictitious piece...any resemblance or inspiration from any individual living or dead is purely intentional and non-coincidental! Rock on...

Religious extremism continued…

Thanks to all my friends for the comments on my first attempt to pen down the thoughts. It is really encouraging and here I try again...

Well, I talked about Islamic extremism earlier but there is a far more prevalent form of extremism India faces today. Perhaps, I am wrong when I say “today” because it has started long back (older than independent India).

The country recognizes “Mahatma Gandhi” as the father of nation. But how many of us know that the saffron party, who was held responsible for the great Gandhi’s murder is all set to come to power in the next elections? Most of us know that Godsay killed Gandhi for the reason that he stood for the cause of minorities in nation. When Gandhi took his final breath versing “Hey Ram”, it was the end of a completed devoted Hindu, who respected every other religion with equal respect as he did. “Mathamethayalum manushyan nannayal mathi” – “It’s not the religion, but self which has to be good” (as told by Sree Narayana Guru).

Though the RSS was active in the country from the pre-independent days, its role became very evident with the 1991 Rath Yatra, led by Advani. Though the Yatra helped Advani and his team to become a power center in the country, it also led the country to a major religious divide. The Babri Masjid demolition took it all to a high. Most of the muslims in the country know about the masjid demolition but only a few know that it was not used for prayers for a long time. No extremist is born, they are being made. The same happened with the Babri masjid demolition too. Karsevaks, do you really think that Rama would be so happy if you build a temple after killing some descendants of the same Rama Rajya?

Our country is also infamous for the fact that not even a single person has been punished for the communal riots after independence. Everyone knows about the Bombay blasts that happened and the riots followed after that. But nobody knows about the riots that happened before riots. The movie “Black Friday”, which talked about the Bomb blasts, had a single scene that showed the riots that triggered Tiger Memon to plant bombs around the city. But nobody knows how many lives were being taken in the earlier riots. The Sree Krishna commission investigated about that but the report never came out. There are reports coming out that mentions that Bal Thackeray had been involved in these riots.


And then comes the Gujarat way of it… A story that humiliates any concerned Indian citizen… We have a godfather chief minister who even planned a fake encounter, killed many people in the name of religion, just to secure his position. The movie “Parzania”, which talked about a real story of the search of a family for the child they lost during riots. Modi, shame on you… You didn’t even allow the movie to be released in the state.

Extremism of any kind is not good. Extremism has never won… It just kills… be it in the name of Jihad or Hindutwa… US helped the extremists in Afghanistan to fight Russians and now everyone knows what happened on 9/11 and post 9/11.
Politicians and Prists, please do not attempt to split us in the name of religions, please do not break the communal harmony that we live in. While using the name of religions for your personal goals, please try to understand the meaning of the religion.

Daiva Naamthil - Khuda ke liye - In the name of God

I just watched a Malayalam movie “Daiva Naamthil”, directed by the award winning Jayaraj. An excellent movie that deals with one of the biggest threats world faces now – “Religious Fundamentalism”. The movie has shown complete justice to this tough subject. Set in a Malabar Muslim community background, the movie talks about the emotional dilemma that Anwar (played by Pritwhiraj) and Sameera (played by Bhavana) go through.

The movie begins with Anwar getting married to Sameera, both well educated and representing modern Muslims. Soon, Anwar has to leave for Aligarh to complete higher studies, where he gets transitioned to an extremist. This leads to a clash between ideologies and emotional dilemma. The movie ends at a point when Anwar realizes his mistakes but his soulmate loses her life.

The story is very similar to the critically acclaimed Pakistani movie “Khuda Ke Liye”, which was recently released. This movie had earlier broke all box office records in Pakistan and was well received in India and other countries as well.

I was lucky to get a chance to watch both movies. Off late, many movie makers have started dealing with complex subjects like religious fundamentalism (Parzania, Black Friday). Not to mention the older Mani Ratnam flicks Roja and Bombay, which also dealt with similar issues.

How do people become extremists and how are they able to kill their own friends in the name of faith?

The world Islam literally converts to “Peace”. Still, most of the killings that occur in the world are in the name of this peaceful religion. Why is this happening? Where are we making the mistakes?

In the name of god, the most gracious, the most merciful…

This is the oath that a Muslim takes before doing any work. The word Muslim literally translates to “one who submits (to God)”. Being born and lived under Islamic culture, others call me also a Muslim but I am not sure yet as the submission part has never been complete.

Some questions I had at the back of my mind from many days:
- It is recorded that many wars were there during the early rise of Islam. Also there are multiple records indicating that most of these conquests helped in expanding the Muslim world. Does the religion justify these wars?
- There are multiple issues that the contemporary priests fight about, but nobody understands (or rather do not accept to believe) that the biggest threat that Indian Muslim faces now is religious fundamentalism. Why are they not doing anything for handling this?

In India, the root of the problem goes back the British Raj days. When Gandhi, who studied religions deeply, wanted India to be a secular state, it was Jinnah who wanted the country to be split on communal basis. Jinnah was considered a messiah for the helpless muslims during that time by the Muslim League. The funny part about the founder of Islami Country of Pakistan is that he never learned Qur’aan and he used to drink alcohol, which is prohibited by the religion.

It is recorded that the India-Pakistan split lead to one million deaths and many more million people losing their near and dear (do not forget to watch the movies Hey Ram and 1947-Earth, which also deals with the subject).

The next biggest threat to Secular India had been Babri Masjid demolition. Thanks to Sangh Parivar for triggering another extremist thoughts. Though the pariwar could secure their political interests, it corrupted many more minds and created the insecurity worm inside Indian hearts.

Coming back to Kerala, I am ashamed to talk about a political party named “Indian Union Muslim League” which is still very much active in Kerala politics. Both MLA and MP that represent my place have been representing this party. The party still comes to people requesting for votes based on the divinity of “Panakkad Thangal”. Qur’aan says “Iyyaaka na’budu va iyyaakaa nastha’eem” – “we pray only to you, we request for help only to you”. Many more religious extremist parties still exist in Kerala. National Democratic Front and People’s Democratic Party are to name a few.

Islam calls itself a religion without castes. The reason for everyone wearing only two pieces of white clothes during Hajj is to make us feel all are same in front of god. There is no rich no poor, no white no black, no scholar no stupid. But in Kerala, there are at least seven different sects of Muslims (Mujahid 1, Mujahid 2, Sunni AP, Sunni EK, Jamaath, Thareeqath, Ahmediya, and the list goes on). All of these are strong organizations with strong monetary funds too (especially being funded from the Middle East).

But none of them are interested in dealing with religious extremism because they have issues within themselves to fight for.

Swami Vivekandan told once “Keralam Oru Bhraandalayalm” – Kerala is a home of mentally retarded people.

The best way to learn religion is to go back to the books specified by the religion, and you will understand it. Our’aan says “It has wisdom for people who think”.

It is time that we need to understand our self. Let us start in the name of god, khuda ke liye, daiva naamathil, for a better tomorrow.

References:
- BBC Series on Islam - http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/
- Review of Khuda Ke Liye - http://indianmuslims.in/khuda-ke-liye/
- Daiva Naamathil movie part you’re your tube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10xfgiWAuTk
- Series on Islam: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam