Little Drops...

Little drops of water make the mighty ocean - Do I need one that big to sink into!!!

All's well that Ends Well...

Finally it’s done... The feeling of wait is over – I’ll miss these days... Here’s a short list of wat I’ll miss:

• First and foremost, meeting the seniors day-in-day-out. I know most of them may not remember any of us, and that we tracked each one of them through their arduous journey is a fact that not many will know or acknowledge.
• Running behind one pparticularly sweet PCommer who kept forgetting things – most of aall, FOOD!!!
• Getting stares and requests from the people in process and more often than not, fullfilling them to my content.
• Calling up the FnB team at the most awkward of times to order for some really reallly awkward demands.
• Calling up one non-V-Group V anytime I couldn’t find anyone to do a job!!!
• Allotting companies and then realising the coordinator was not in town!!!
• Cribbing about not being studying and sc#$%ing up OR test coz all others were busy with studying and couldn’t be there in the process.
• Scolding and threaatening PCom with non-cooperation (or at least appear to) even when I cudn’t bring myself to, in anyway, endanger the process..

I dunno wat the official release says, but one thing’s for sure – it nevver can estimate the value of the joy of hearing the official release with a 100% result in these tiimes. I’ll miss waiting for this moment...

PP

Free Democracy...

Dear Blog,

It’s the election time once again. It’s the time for allegations and counter allegations to fly. Its time when the media – the essence of a free democracy – should play its most important role, that of bringing in news that matters, that of informing the voter about his candidate, that of helping him make an informed decision, that of making everyone realise how important it is to exercise his right to control the future of India.

I was just reading the news and reviews of Varun Gandhi’s “Hate Speech” and something just struck me. Why do we find that the congress can seldom find anything faulty in the opposition but being communal? I’m no supporter of BJP but given their past record, I’m forced to believe they do fight on issues – issues which affect the country. Talking of a Hindu-Raashtra is no doubt communal and condemnable but at least better than policy of minority appeasement. We as usual, do not learn from the history. The policy of appeasement has, in the very recent past, led to a world-war and another internal one is surely on the cards.

It is now that the Indian population is realising that the policy of appeasement remains at that – a policy. An earnest implementation will lead to erosion in the complete vote-bank of the appeasers. The inherent problem of the policy of appeasement is that the face of the appeased are benefitted and thus like the whole community to believe that they are benefitted by the policies which is far from truth. The inherent selfish nature of these privileged few ensures that the truth behind the sham of the policy is never brought to the fore.

Can we have an election where no sops are announced for any category of individuals? Can we have an election which just talks of improvements in the system through inclusive development and not through exclusive opportunities for a few? Can we have an election where the election commission need not intervene in matters of money-distribution and mutilation of a free and neutral democracy?

PP

Legacy Costs...

Dear Blog,

The culture, they say, is the biggest asset that any organisation can have. Yes, the culture, when it is started is the biggest asset but as with every long-term asset, it has its own depreciation rate. In a stark contrast to other accounting assets, culture is one asset that doesn’t depreciate to zero - it goes beyond that. It goes on to become a negative asset or a liability. The rate of depreciation then starts increasing and the liability of culture on the organisation starts increasing. It can go on to a point where the organisation becomes bankrupt just because of the strong culture that it had.

The rate of depreciation of the culture is higher if it is founded on principles of “information is power and must be preserved to derive competitive advantage”. Unfortunately, in an environment which is highly competitive, this principle is more fundamental to the existence of the organisation than any other. And this tenet of closed-door working philosophies lead to an environment which further speeds up these legacy costs.

It is these bankrupt conditions that prevent (when in fact they should promote) the efficient functioning of a change agent – an agent who looks to examine the conditions and precursors to the asset of culture being adopted and also if that baggage needs to be carried any longer. Any overhaul suggested is seen as tampering the sacrosanct liability accrued over years!!!

Looking to be the change agent...
PP

No, Not Yet...

It was a long summer night,

And elongated it would be,

I saw a hope, a light,

Thought the sun would rise,

A voice said, "No, Not yet..."

I leaned an ear to my side,

To listen to a soothing voice,

I heard a chirp, I felt,

Thought my bird was back,

A voice said, "No, Not yet..."

I stretched all around,

For the touch I so longed,

I brushed a soft feather,

Thought I would be soothed,

A voice said, "No, Not yet..."

Given up, I cursed myself,

Forced a dreary me to smile,

Wanted back my ol' days,

The damned voice rang out loud,

"No, Not yet and never again..."

Mr. Wadvani V/S Mr. Sehru

Disclaimer: Any similarities with any person (dead or alive) or event (past or future) is purely intentional.

It was a dark dreary night in Hindia. Mr. Batwarlal Sehru and Mr. LaKh Wadvani had set up office not far from each other. Both are looking to be the next Kautilya - the biggest office of profit in the Bindian Democracy. Our reporter Mr. Darkha Butt (DB) was there to report live – for the first time from temporally shifted but geographically connected locations. 

DB (from outside Mr. S’s office): It’s a scurry of few people rushing in and out of the two offices. Two mins back a 60-yr young man rushed in with the news of successful distribution of the pamphlets in the Historiabad. Election manifestos have been read by the junta. A Digress victory seems imminent. The charisma of the leader will ensure victory. The vote bank is expected to swell following the successful implementation of the new dam project in the state. The voters are enthusiastic about the last 5-yr plan. Promises of jobs and food are seeming possible. Darkha Butt reporting (a)live from 1959. 

DB (Outside Mr. W’s office): Since evening the pings have been coming... The 42" plasma-screen is abuzz with SPSS response-sheets from various constituencies of Futurpur. IT engineers are trying to create the information overload problem and ensure the voter knows just who to vote for. The CDs with the End-Voter agreement have been circulated. Media content is being offered for subscription fees through jTunes or dedicated large-capacity servers. No one has time to glance at the Ticker Election Manifesto. The windows-based ticker was hacked in the past hour by sleuths of Hon. Mayavidhi Trojan. Froogle Mad-sense has ensured the internet is flooded with Mr. Wadvani’s advertisements. Kinks to his blog and website are everywhere. Darkha Butt reporting live form Bin-City, Futurpur, 2009.

Studio: Thank you Darkha. Hum dekh rahe hain ki Mr. Sehru bhi technology ko use karne ki baat kar rahe hain. Mr. Wadvani apna agenda reset kar rahe hain. Voters, fundamentalism, aur money ke beech multiple regression ke result kuch hi der mein aane waale hain. Uske baare mein aapko kya jankari hai?

DB: Mr. Sehru scientific thinking ke lagte hain. Shayad is 50 saal mein agla 5-yr plan implement ho sake. Mr. Trojan ke successful hack ka result ummeedvaar batane se inkaar kar rahe hain but jaankar sources se humein pata chala hai ki Mr. Sehru apni constituency mein jeet rahe hain. Mr Wadvani apne agenda ki multiple copies ke saath press video-conference ke liye ready hain. Regression ke scenario analysis IT engineers na kar diya hai aur result aate hi voter mind corrupt karne ka suitable virus launch kar diya jayega. Back to you, Raazkeep.

PP

A Toy Story: It Happened one day to me...

It was a fine morning (or was it afternoon, I doubt). A very dear uncle of mine called on me (Yes, he called on me, after long, but for real) to inform me that he was coming... and with him I would get to meet a few friends he was getting for me to play with– plastic ones. It got me so worked up for the day. God, I so loved my uncle... who doesn’t love the uncle who gets toys!!! I dint tell anyone about uncle coming, lest he be seen as partial... someone who could come if it was for me and my toys but not otherwise.

The whole day I just thought about the toys that I’d be getting on the morrow. The whole day I felt so lucky to have got an uncle who loved me so much as to get me those wonderful toys that he was gonna get for me. My friends called me for a game in the evening but I couldn’t go – what if I got tired of the game and din’t have enough reserves left to play with my uncle when he came – oh sorry - “If” and when he came. They played my favourite game – the game I loved – the game I fought to play – the game I was never allowed to play but recently– but to hell with them – my uncle was far more important than any of their (or for that matter, my) games. I told them my friends I was tired – they understand.

The night approached. The anticipation grew. I checked up on my uncle to find if our plans were on – they were. The morning approached. The anticipation grew. I checked up on my uncle to see if our plans were on – they were – with a slight delay though. The noon approached. The anticipation was subdued. As the evening approached, I gave away all expectations. I don’t want any toys. I never wanted any toy. I never wanted any plastic friends to play with. What I surely didn’t want were the wax promises of those plastic friends.

I know uncle will come... My dear uncle... My favourite uncle... My only uncle... Sometime...

Sometime I'll play... With the plastic toys... With the wax promises... Sometime...

Its time now. Its time I stopped playing. Its time I stopped wishing I could play. Its time I stopped wishing.

PP

Mathematical Model of a B-Schooler

It was another boring and hectic night and the day. As I was getting bored to the point I was looking to the ceiling and making patterns of the blotches in white-wash, a slightly more interesting idea came to me. My next weird project, developing a "Mathematical model of participation and interest of a B-School class (Good idea to pass a term spl after learning to use SPSS) in the subjects over the term in particular and the program as a whole."

I hypothesize that it is a positively shifted exponentially decreasing absolute function with pulses of a decreasing amplitude and a linearly increasing time period, starting around a week and going onto a longer period of around a term.

Explanation: The shift is given to ensure that it always remains on the positive and appears lucrative to a non-B-Schooler. When the student enters the B-School, (s)he is full of enthusiasm and more so expectation. The initial momentum is squashed in the first few days when (s)he discovers that a B-School is not much different from the bachelors or the job he was doing - the same mundane task of searching for data and placing it into contexts which suit the preferences of the evaluator continues. The interest continues to decline rapidly at first. There are a few short bursts of interest whenever he sees some interesting assignments or projects. Then, as the deadlines close and he doesn’t find time to even think about the project until the morning (or at best, the night) of the submission, the decline continues. Thus, on a declining trend, ends the first term. The second term brings in new hope, though the magnitude is greatly diminished. Goes without saying, not much changes from the first term. The interest decreases and alarmingly, what decreases is the effort put in. The third term is where the realisation dawns that the whole exercise is futile. The peak of interest is also reduced. Well, this is the point where I lie currently. Low on interest and loyyer on effort. Lets see if the curve follows the hypothesised curve right upto the end of course or shows a deviation from the hypothesis.

PP

The other side

The grass is greener on the other side of the fence... Is it?

To make a short story long...

Dear Blog,

It’s strange how the human mind works... It looks for meanings in nonsensical things and ignores the facts when they are glaring... It makes a mountain out of the mole-hill and ignores the oncoming deluge... It relinquishes the future to history and construes sagas out of simple statements...

One small line on Gtalk... One long story in the mind... A story conceptualised over time... A story scripted by fate... A story directed by the forces... A story depicted through hidden emotions... A story enacted through unsaid words... A story played by unnamed characters...

A story of grit... A story of sensitivity... A story of trust... A story of betrayal... A story of sacrifice... A story of selfish desires... A story of fake smiles... A story of tearful outbursts... A story of wax emotions... A story of stone-heartedness... A story of relentless effort to appease... A story of effortless denial... But above all that it seemed... A story of friendship...

Was it just another story??? No... It was more... A legend that went beyond the realm of a story... Into the realm of life...

PP