It is wee hours now. Just an hour past midnight. After completing my regular academic reading for my PMP examination, I was going through Con Coughlin's ebook Saddam-His Rise and Fall which I downloaded from scribd.com. I found the book to be melodramatic and decided to read the blogs I follow which includes Thinniam, Iyer-n-higher and Random Thoughts.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the post of Mr.NS Iyer which said "posted 50 minutes ago". I thought I am not alone. The post "That's Life" was quite absorbing. I enjoy the blogs of Mr.Iyer and Mr.K.Parthasarathi for two reasons, first every post is thoughtful and absorbing and second they hone my writing skills. I am lucky to have two Dronacharyas.
Coming back to what I want to say, I thought for a while and posted my comments which took almost 15 minutes. By the time I posted my comments there was another Post in Thinniam by Mr.T.S. Sridhar "Two news item" "posted 10 minutes ago" which reminded me that I am not alone.
By the time I post this, there may be a post in Random Thoughts. We are definitely well connected.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
TRUE NATIONALISTS?
Today I was totally bemused and mystified after reading an article in the newspaper that ABVP men ransacked a missionary school in Bhopal protesting against an alleged insult to the National Anthem. On reading this article the reader would jump to a conclusion that these so called patriotic political outfits are guardians of India, its culture, its national flag, its national anthem, its father, its constitution etc. If you deduce so, you are wrong. After reading this article, I wanted to have a look at the home page of the so called custodians of India to see whether there is anything prominent in their homepage that symbolizes India or a patriot. First I started with the website of ABVP www.abvp.org. You would see a burning torch and an article "Gandhigiri cant curb terrorism?" which indirectly trounced the Gandhian values of tolerance and ahimsa. If you expect anything that symbolizes India, you would be disappointed. Then I visited the website of Shiv Sena http://www.shivsena.org/. It had the photo of a roaring tiger and the Thackeray's. It had nothing on India, no India map, no national flag, no Gandhiji photo. Sorry, they don't believe in non-violence. Then I visited the website of VHP http://www.vhp.org/. It had the OM Emblem, photo of Lord Rama and other Hindu Gods. Nothing to bewail. Then I visited the website of so called guardians of India http://www.rss.org/. I spent a lot of time to identify something that symbolizes India. Definitely something should be there because they talk so much about India, Indian culture, respecting Indian flag, akanda Bharath, so on and so forth. I could see the photograph of Sevaks marching with a Saffron flag. Photograph of a shaka, etc. I am still searching to see whether anything symbolizes India. Friends!!! Don't lose heart some day or other you would find one. Till then keep searching. Then I visited the website of Bajrangdal http://www.bajrangdal.org/. It had a prominent display of Trishuls and a Big OM symbol above that. I could definitely see a distorted Indian Map (by the way is it South India Map?) with Lord Hanuman with a mace on top of it. No national flag, No Mahatma, No Ashoka Pillar. Only Weapons that symbolizes a non-violent nation that won Olympic medals in wrestling, boxing and archery. Wow!!! Then went to the website of God of Big Things and the savior of India, BJP http://www.bjp.org/. I could see a big lotus photo, the photo of a gentleman turned politician Mr.ABB Ji, the photo of a man who called Mohammed Ali Jinnah a secularist waiting for the Prime Minister's chair desperately and photo of his friend waiting to pull him down. You would definitely agree with me that the Homepage is incomplete without the advertisement of the Autobiography of Mr.LK Advani title "My Country, My Life". Yes, I could find that. But what about the national flag? Sorry it is His Country and only Lotus is allowed. Then finally without any hope I visited the website of the people who are exploited for their vote bank http://www.iuml.com/. I could see the Green Flag with a Crescent on it symbolizing their religion. But what is quite interesting is that you can find the picture of the father of our nation displayed prominently which said "My Life is my Message". It also had a clip art which said "Against Terrorism" with a Dove carrying this message. I am not advocating anything. Of all the websites I visited today only the website of IUML carried something which symbolizes the non-violence, religious tolerance and ahimsa preached, followed and lived by Gandhiji.
Published for msn.com
http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=32a9cf72-60c0-4ff5-9ca1-881a10f03246
Published for msn.com
http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=32a9cf72-60c0-4ff5-9ca1-881a10f03246
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
My First Corporate Learning
A couple of decades back, just after completing my graduation, I took my first employment with a big Company, a Company which was the most preferred employer for aspiring and talented young professionals and I was an exception. I was lucky enough to be there.
A few months later, I invited my colleagues home for a dinner, my invitation was accepted and came home my colleagues.
We were busy discussing everything that came to our mind, some wise and some otherwise. I was quite anxious. My colleagues were introduced to my mother and other members in our family. My mother offered them a typical South Indian filter coffee that made some of my colleagues our regular guests.
As we were discussing, my father returned home. This was the moment I was waiting for. I wanted to introduce all my colleagues to my father.
I started introducing my colleagues. While I was introducing one of my colleagues to my father, I introduced him as my subordinate. My father gave a gentle smile and a pat not so gentle on my back and told me “Talk to me before you go to bed”.
I could not see the discomfiture behind the smile. Why he asked me to talk to him was a conundrum to me.
After all my colleagues left, I approached my father who was engrossed by the book he was reading. I gently took his attention and he started with what he wanted to say keeping the book aside, “One thing you should learn early in your life - never ever introduce anyone as your subordinate. Superior-Subordinate is the hierarchy in the Organizational structure and that is not the relationship between the people. He is your colleague and that is the relationship”.
The message was abundantly clear. I realized that there was a lot of meaning in what my father said. That was the last time I introduced anyone as my subordinate.
A few months back, I had an opportunity to travel to Qatar along with a Senior Colleague, my Boss. He is quite a senior person, a member of the Company’s Board and a fatherly person to me. While he introduced me to his counterpart, he introduced me as his colleague heading Supply Chain. There are no words to explain the joy it gave.
I remembered my father who taught me the first corporate lesson, a lesson that I shall never unlearn.
A few months later, I invited my colleagues home for a dinner, my invitation was accepted and came home my colleagues.
We were busy discussing everything that came to our mind, some wise and some otherwise. I was quite anxious. My colleagues were introduced to my mother and other members in our family. My mother offered them a typical South Indian filter coffee that made some of my colleagues our regular guests.
As we were discussing, my father returned home. This was the moment I was waiting for. I wanted to introduce all my colleagues to my father.
I started introducing my colleagues. While I was introducing one of my colleagues to my father, I introduced him as my subordinate. My father gave a gentle smile and a pat not so gentle on my back and told me “Talk to me before you go to bed”.
I could not see the discomfiture behind the smile. Why he asked me to talk to him was a conundrum to me.
After all my colleagues left, I approached my father who was engrossed by the book he was reading. I gently took his attention and he started with what he wanted to say keeping the book aside, “One thing you should learn early in your life - never ever introduce anyone as your subordinate. Superior-Subordinate is the hierarchy in the Organizational structure and that is not the relationship between the people. He is your colleague and that is the relationship”.
The message was abundantly clear. I realized that there was a lot of meaning in what my father said. That was the last time I introduced anyone as my subordinate.
A few months back, I had an opportunity to travel to Qatar along with a Senior Colleague, my Boss. He is quite a senior person, a member of the Company’s Board and a fatherly person to me. While he introduced me to his counterpart, he introduced me as his colleague heading Supply Chain. There are no words to explain the joy it gave.
I remembered my father who taught me the first corporate lesson, a lesson that I shall never unlearn.
Published for Msn.com
http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=261b6e9d-00a1-4b7f-95ef-4f647f34aea6
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Magnum Opus - Mr.Omkar Goswami on Maytas muddle
Lost balls in the high weeds - that is what one would say about "The People" in Satyam who decided the proposed transfer of $1.6 billion of Satyam’s cash to Maytas and Maytas Infrastructure. It would be a long row to hoe for Mr.Ramalinga Raju and his directors to gracefully come out of this imbroglio and till then they have to be on the carpet.
Those who advocate a good corporate governance by Indian Companies and those who follow Satyam Imbroglio must read the letter written by Mr.Omkar Goswami to Mr.Ramalinga Raju (the link is given below for those who have not read).
http://www.businessworld.in/index.php/Columns/For-Gods-Sake-Go.html
Mr.Omkar Goswami is standing tall by taking the responsibility of salvaging the reputation of Corporate India by writing this letter to Mr.Ramalinga Raju. The letter written with a lot of concern for Corporate Governance and fiduciary responsibility clearly demonstrates the commitment of Mr.Goswami as an advocate of Corporate Governance.
Good corporate governance is not just abiding by law but much beyond and the Satyam Imbroglio is an abject lesson for other Corporate.
Hats off Mr.Omkar Goswami - we are proud of you.
Those who advocate a good corporate governance by Indian Companies and those who follow Satyam Imbroglio must read the letter written by Mr.Omkar Goswami to Mr.Ramalinga Raju (the link is given below for those who have not read).
http://www.businessworld.in/index.php/Columns/For-Gods-Sake-Go.html
Mr.Omkar Goswami is standing tall by taking the responsibility of salvaging the reputation of Corporate India by writing this letter to Mr.Ramalinga Raju. The letter written with a lot of concern for Corporate Governance and fiduciary responsibility clearly demonstrates the commitment of Mr.Goswami as an advocate of Corporate Governance.
Good corporate governance is not just abiding by law but much beyond and the Satyam Imbroglio is an abject lesson for other Corporate.
Hats off Mr.Omkar Goswami - we are proud of you.
Published for msn.com
http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=acee15cb-ebc7-49e3-bbf2-b99f9ad26951
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