"Hey, welcome to Japan!", Vikram hugged him, as Anand stepped out of the ticket barricades at the Nishi-Nasuno station.
Vikram briefed Anand about the town and the surroundings, as he drove Anand to their dorm.
"Why don't you overtake him...", Anand couldn't resist interrupting Vikram. They had been trailing a mini-van for the past 10 or so minutes at a very slow speed.
"Aare, nahi yaar... idhar yellow line hai...", said Vikram pointing to the yellow line that ran the middle of the lonely road. "pakda gaye tho... I have to spend my whole month's salary on the fine..."
"But its such a lonely road, who is going to catch us?"
"No, No, No... rules are important, and moreover, that mini-vans are typically driven by old people here, I don't want to scare the budda", Vikram trailed the mini-van till the end of the road.
Vikram stopped at a stop sign on a very empty road, saw his speed-o-meter needle hit 0, and then moved again.
Anand instinctively looked at his watch. It was 2AM.
X--------------------------------------X--------------------------------------X
Anand was driving them to work in his brand new Honda.
Vikram was restless as they were late for a presentation.
"Aare, hit the gas man, we are late...", Vikram sipped from a can of coke, as Anand maneuvered the car on the high traffic lane.
Anand overtook a truck on the wrong side of the road, and was above to steer clear, when he noticed the lights turning orange.
Anand's adrenaline soared, as Vikram pressurized him, "Go, Go, Go...!". Anand hit the gas, and they went clear through a red-light.
"Damn", Anand kept repeating, as the Police car pulled them over the dusty side-lane. Vikram kept looking at his watch.
"For all the trouble of chasing us down, they are gonna charge a bomb...", Anand was now more worried about the fine.
Just as the policeman neared the car, Vikram said, "Let me deal with him", and jumped out of the car.
A few minutes went by. Anand was impatiently watching Vikram Talking animatedly with the policeman, from inside his air-conditioned car.
When he could take it no more, Anand stepped out of the car to listen to their conversation.
"Sir, you know the difficulty sir, the fine would almost be 400 Rupees...", dragged the constable in a worn out uniform and black shoes that had turned green due to lack of attention.
"What 400? no, no... bus pachaas doonga..."
"okay sir, give 150, you know for all the radio, and chasing... give 150 sir.."
"nahi, nahi, bahut hai, pachas..."
The argument continues in the blistering hot Indian terrain.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Thursday, May 25, 2006
The Corporate Ladder
"Hey, Charu, lets go!", that was the chorus of friends waving out to Charu. Charu moved away from Praveen's hold, and their fingers touched as they let go of each other.
"You forget all about us when Praveen is around", her friends shouted aimlessly as Charu walked towards them.
"Hey, just a sec...".
Praveen watched her walking back to him; Her curly hair, dangling over her cheeks, dimpled by the smile, that made her look like rathi - the consort of the god of love.
"I love you honey", Charu whispered into Praveen's ears, brushing her cheek with his doing so. With friends booing her from some 20 feet away, Charu started walking back to them.
Praveen watched as her negligible waistline moved from side to side, rocking him into dreamland.
She walked away in pure splendid beauty.
X----------------------------------------X--------------------------------------X
"Samay is cool, he was my senior in College. He might be able to tell us how to move into dev. He is a good corporate climber", Praveen said, as they walked hand-in-hand into the dev area.
Praveen and Charu were posted in the Quality Assurance department, testing the software churned out by the development department aka dev. Praveen being a topper in college, was cut out for challenges, which were rampant in dev. Moreover, being in dev was a status symbol.
Praveen introduced Samay to Charu. Samay was dumbstruck at the beauty that stood in front of him. It took him a while to recover and mumble a "hi". Charu coolly offered her hand.
Charu waited, watching Samay and Praveen discuss technical topics. She didn't understand a word of it. In spite of all the aspirations to move into dev, she simply was dumb folded by technical discussions. She watched her patience wear thin very quickly.
"Praveen, am leaving", she said looking pointedly into his eyes.
"Charu, just a few more minutes ma... Samay is giving some great ideas, that might help us climb the corporate ladder faster. In fact he himself has steadily climbed up the ranks, and within a short period.".
Samay seemed embarrassed.
"Corporate ladder, my foot!", she turned and walked away.
Praveen couldn't get himself to hold her back. He couldn't understand what made her so angry. But all he was thinking was, "She looks so beautiful, even when she is angry". It hurt part of himself to hurt her. He simply stood watching her go.
She walked away in anger.
X----------------------------------------X--------------------------------------X
"Why don't you get yourself a bike, Praveen", Charu asked, as they waited for the company bus to pick them up in the morning.
"hmm, I don't think I need one. There are enough bus services to the office, right? And visits to M.G.Road arent that frequent given our work schedules..."
"Don't you ever think about me? That I might want you do stuff for me?", Charu was complaining in general, as she always did.
"My dear, Charu, Anything for you. But *I* don't need a bike. How about you buy a scooty for yourself?", Praveen turned around and put a hand on her shoulder affectionately.
Praveen doted on her as if they were already married. They had been together for 5 years, and marriage wasn't far off, he thought. Charu was always the money-minded of the two, and Praveen was the forgiving of the two. Thus it worked.
At the exact same moment, they watched a bike whiz by, stop a few feet ahead of where they stood.
"Wanna ride, folks?", said the rider as he pulled up the visor of his helmet.
"Samay!", exclaimed Praveen, from where he was, "How are you dude? Whats up wit...". Praveen's voice trailed as he saw Charu walking towards Samay.
Strangely, he didn't feel motivated to stop her, or even walk towards them to find out what was happening.
"She wanted to ride on a bike...", was all he was thinking. "Should I have paid more attention to what she wanted?"
He watched her splendid body move in a perfect rhythm, even as she hurried towards Samay's bike.
She walked away indifferently.
X----------------------------------------X--------------------------------------X
Praveen saw less and less of her, and Samay saw more and more of her.
Everybody in the team started talking of Samay and Charu. "The ideal couple", he heard them say. "She forgets all about us when Samay is around", he heard her colleagues complain. "She forgets... She forgets...", Praveen thought, as he wondered how soon the world forgets the past.
It took Praveen a while, but he got back on his foot, focusing more on his job, trying hard for the move into dev or the promotion upward. He couldn't help notice that Charu was slipping on the work-front. She was becoming fashionable day-by-day, taking trips with Samay abroad, but when it came to work, she simply spent very less time at it. Praveen sighed as he deliberately pushed thoughts about her away.
Praveen could no longer talk to Samay like he used to. He wondered how Samay acted like nothing had happened between them and their girlfriends. Maybe thats the way the corporate world is, he thought to himself. Ruthless and nothing personal about it. Nevertheless, he worked hard and single-handedly faced impossible deadlines and impossible people, even as he watched peer leave for 'greener pastures'.
"They only want a new job. They can never make a career if they keep switching jobs like this", Pramod Saxena - his new-found mentor reasoned. Pramod was the head of the team in Bangalore. The 'big-boss'. Praveen went to him whenever he felt his job weighing down on him. Pramod always seemed to have an answer. Sometimes, Praveen wondered if Pramod was being biased toward the company when he advised Praveen. But Pramod not only advised Praveen about the job, but also encouraged him to apply for the only post open in dev. "He is really concerned about my career", Praveen thought. After all, Pramod gets to decide who gets that job in dev. "Maybe he has a surprise waiting for me", Praveen was excited at the prospect, as he went to bed that day.
X----------------------------------------X--------------------------------------X
On the occasion of a release party aka `the big day', Praveen had to complete a few reports for the week and get some preliminary work done for the next week. He sighed as he got the work done, and shut-down his computer. He looked at his watch and realized that he was late for the party.
Praveen was the hot favorite to clinch the `Best QA Engineer of the year'. He had been solely responsible for uncovering some vital design flaws early in the testing phase. He had also motivated and mentored a small team to achieve 1.5 times the number of bugs expected as per industry metrics. Big achievements for a person just one year into his job. A plethora of people `pre-congratulated' him on the award. Praveen was also waiting eagerly for the day, as Pramod had promised everybody that he would announce who from QA would move into dev. After all these hints, and the fact that Pramod himself had asked Praveen to apply, it seemed to Praveen that the dev job was his, and worth all his efforts that year.
He noticed that Samay and Charu were standing near the dias, with wine-glasses in hand, talking to people in important places. He was astonished that Charu had started drinking. But he deliberately turned his thoughts away from her, and talked to a few teammates here and there, as he had his glass of `fanta'.
Suddenly, there was some static on the speakers. He saw Pramod come on stage and wave to everybody. After a few initial formal words, Pramod said he wanted to toast for a very special couple.
"To Samay and Charulatha...", he said, "The pillars of dev and QA who got us where we are".
The crowd chorused what seemed like "ToSam yaA ChNaruDta", as everybody raised their glasses up in the air. Praveen started wondering if Pramod was drunk. But it was difficult to say, as he suddenly felt that Pramod always talked like he was drunk.
"Charu also bags the `Best QA Engineer of the year' award! Charu, come on stage and get your cheque, cmon...", Pramod was slurring by now. But nobody seemed to notice.
"...and as a token of appreciation, I have decided to let Charu move into the `dev analyst' role. Am sure she would do me proud."
Praveen could no longer hear what was happening around him. He couldn't decide what hurt him more. Was it the sleepless nights? Was it the rain of blows that were just delivered? Was it the because even the `pre-congratulators' didn't seem to mind?
But amidst this all, he could see Charu walking towards the dais.
Her dazzling red gown and make-up strangely, made her look ugly. But he had to admit that she had become this seductress and a good one at that.
He watched her walk up the dias haughtily.
X----------------------------------------X--------------------------------------X
It did not take long for Praveen to find a new job, though he did not have the luxury of negotiating the salary.
"I just have to leave, and now!", he thought to himself.
"I placed so much faith in you. I was even planning to move you into dev. You are betraying us...", Pramod burst out. Praveen couldn't understand why Pramod was angry or why he was making up YAUP - Yet Another Unkept Promise. Not that he cared anymore.
What hurt him was the difference between what he thought he could accomplish in the company versus what he had accomplished in the company. He had lost a year with no improvements in his career, tons of working hours, his girlfriend, and most of all - faith in the company.
As they say, time heals. But part of our past comes back to haunt us from time to time. For Praveen, it took a couple of months.
Praveen was waiting for his company bus to pick him up.
A car stopped in front of where he stood. It was a chauffeured "Hyundai Sonata" - The favorite among executives recently. The gleaming gold-framed, white door opened, and out stepped Charulatha.
She was dressed like a royal, and was a world apart from the Charu he had known a few months back. She was an eye-turner, literally.
She walked towards him, resplendent in artificial beauty, stood before him and smiled.
Praveen couldn't help notice that this was the same place where she once walked away to ride with Samay.
She smiled like there had been no past. She smiled like as if she Praveen would enjoy her presence. She smiled like as if she was smiling self-lessly.
She opened her hand-bag and pulled out a charmingly done, expensive invite.
"Am getting married. You should come with your family. Are you married yet?...", Charu's words might have sounded so genuine and sincere to anybody around them, but not to Praveen. But he couldn't make out. He tried looking into her eyes. She hadn't bothered to take her sun-glasses off. He deliberately took his eyes off her and looked at the invite.
"Anyways, please do come. By the by, do you need a lift? Am going towards Electronic City too. Need to hand out a few invites...", she blabbered on endlessly.
Praveen shook his head with his gaze fixed at the invite. The invite had said:
"August 15, 2006, Charulatha Murthy weds Pramod Saxena."
He didn't realize that she had started walking back. When he lifted his eyes from the invite, she was already walking towards the car.
He watched her walk with an air of confidence. No, was it indifference? No, she wasn't walking. She was climbing - climbing the corporate ladder.
"You forget all about us when Praveen is around", her friends shouted aimlessly as Charu walked towards them.
"Hey, just a sec...".
Praveen watched her walking back to him; Her curly hair, dangling over her cheeks, dimpled by the smile, that made her look like rathi - the consort of the god of love.
"I love you honey", Charu whispered into Praveen's ears, brushing her cheek with his doing so. With friends booing her from some 20 feet away, Charu started walking back to them.
Praveen watched as her negligible waistline moved from side to side, rocking him into dreamland.
She walked away in pure splendid beauty.
X----------------------------------------X--------------------------------------X
"Samay is cool, he was my senior in College. He might be able to tell us how to move into dev. He is a good corporate climber", Praveen said, as they walked hand-in-hand into the dev area.
Praveen and Charu were posted in the Quality Assurance department, testing the software churned out by the development department aka dev. Praveen being a topper in college, was cut out for challenges, which were rampant in dev. Moreover, being in dev was a status symbol.
Praveen introduced Samay to Charu. Samay was dumbstruck at the beauty that stood in front of him. It took him a while to recover and mumble a "hi". Charu coolly offered her hand.
Charu waited, watching Samay and Praveen discuss technical topics. She didn't understand a word of it. In spite of all the aspirations to move into dev, she simply was dumb folded by technical discussions. She watched her patience wear thin very quickly.
"Praveen, am leaving", she said looking pointedly into his eyes.
"Charu, just a few more minutes ma... Samay is giving some great ideas, that might help us climb the corporate ladder faster. In fact he himself has steadily climbed up the ranks, and within a short period.".
Samay seemed embarrassed.
"Corporate ladder, my foot!", she turned and walked away.
Praveen couldn't get himself to hold her back. He couldn't understand what made her so angry. But all he was thinking was, "She looks so beautiful, even when she is angry". It hurt part of himself to hurt her. He simply stood watching her go.
She walked away in anger.
X----------------------------------------X--------------------------------------X
"Why don't you get yourself a bike, Praveen", Charu asked, as they waited for the company bus to pick them up in the morning.
"hmm, I don't think I need one. There are enough bus services to the office, right? And visits to M.G.Road arent that frequent given our work schedules..."
"Don't you ever think about me? That I might want you do stuff for me?", Charu was complaining in general, as she always did.
"My dear, Charu, Anything for you. But *I* don't need a bike. How about you buy a scooty for yourself?", Praveen turned around and put a hand on her shoulder affectionately.
Praveen doted on her as if they were already married. They had been together for 5 years, and marriage wasn't far off, he thought. Charu was always the money-minded of the two, and Praveen was the forgiving of the two. Thus it worked.
At the exact same moment, they watched a bike whiz by, stop a few feet ahead of where they stood.
"Wanna ride, folks?", said the rider as he pulled up the visor of his helmet.
"Samay!", exclaimed Praveen, from where he was, "How are you dude? Whats up wit...". Praveen's voice trailed as he saw Charu walking towards Samay.
Strangely, he didn't feel motivated to stop her, or even walk towards them to find out what was happening.
"She wanted to ride on a bike...", was all he was thinking. "Should I have paid more attention to what she wanted?"
He watched her splendid body move in a perfect rhythm, even as she hurried towards Samay's bike.
She walked away indifferently.
X----------------------------------------X--------------------------------------X
Praveen saw less and less of her, and Samay saw more and more of her.
Everybody in the team started talking of Samay and Charu. "The ideal couple", he heard them say. "She forgets all about us when Samay is around", he heard her colleagues complain. "She forgets... She forgets...", Praveen thought, as he wondered how soon the world forgets the past.
It took Praveen a while, but he got back on his foot, focusing more on his job, trying hard for the move into dev or the promotion upward. He couldn't help notice that Charu was slipping on the work-front. She was becoming fashionable day-by-day, taking trips with Samay abroad, but when it came to work, she simply spent very less time at it. Praveen sighed as he deliberately pushed thoughts about her away.
Praveen could no longer talk to Samay like he used to. He wondered how Samay acted like nothing had happened between them and their girlfriends. Maybe thats the way the corporate world is, he thought to himself. Ruthless and nothing personal about it. Nevertheless, he worked hard and single-handedly faced impossible deadlines and impossible people, even as he watched peer leave for 'greener pastures'.
"They only want a new job. They can never make a career if they keep switching jobs like this", Pramod Saxena - his new-found mentor reasoned. Pramod was the head of the team in Bangalore. The 'big-boss'. Praveen went to him whenever he felt his job weighing down on him. Pramod always seemed to have an answer. Sometimes, Praveen wondered if Pramod was being biased toward the company when he advised Praveen. But Pramod not only advised Praveen about the job, but also encouraged him to apply for the only post open in dev. "He is really concerned about my career", Praveen thought. After all, Pramod gets to decide who gets that job in dev. "Maybe he has a surprise waiting for me", Praveen was excited at the prospect, as he went to bed that day.
X----------------------------------------X--------------------------------------X
On the occasion of a release party aka `the big day', Praveen had to complete a few reports for the week and get some preliminary work done for the next week. He sighed as he got the work done, and shut-down his computer. He looked at his watch and realized that he was late for the party.
Praveen was the hot favorite to clinch the `Best QA Engineer of the year'. He had been solely responsible for uncovering some vital design flaws early in the testing phase. He had also motivated and mentored a small team to achieve 1.5 times the number of bugs expected as per industry metrics. Big achievements for a person just one year into his job. A plethora of people `pre-congratulated' him on the award. Praveen was also waiting eagerly for the day, as Pramod had promised everybody that he would announce who from QA would move into dev. After all these hints, and the fact that Pramod himself had asked Praveen to apply, it seemed to Praveen that the dev job was his, and worth all his efforts that year.
He noticed that Samay and Charu were standing near the dias, with wine-glasses in hand, talking to people in important places. He was astonished that Charu had started drinking. But he deliberately turned his thoughts away from her, and talked to a few teammates here and there, as he had his glass of `fanta'.
Suddenly, there was some static on the speakers. He saw Pramod come on stage and wave to everybody. After a few initial formal words, Pramod said he wanted to toast for a very special couple.
"To Samay and Charulatha...", he said, "The pillars of dev and QA who got us where we are".
The crowd chorused what seemed like "ToSam yaA ChNaruDta", as everybody raised their glasses up in the air. Praveen started wondering if Pramod was drunk. But it was difficult to say, as he suddenly felt that Pramod always talked like he was drunk.
"Charu also bags the `Best QA Engineer of the year' award! Charu, come on stage and get your cheque, cmon...", Pramod was slurring by now. But nobody seemed to notice.
"...and as a token of appreciation, I have decided to let Charu move into the `dev analyst' role. Am sure she would do me proud."
Praveen could no longer hear what was happening around him. He couldn't decide what hurt him more. Was it the sleepless nights? Was it the rain of blows that were just delivered? Was it the because even the `pre-congratulators' didn't seem to mind?
But amidst this all, he could see Charu walking towards the dais.
Her dazzling red gown and make-up strangely, made her look ugly. But he had to admit that she had become this seductress and a good one at that.
He watched her walk up the dias haughtily.
X----------------------------------------X--------------------------------------X
It did not take long for Praveen to find a new job, though he did not have the luxury of negotiating the salary.
"I just have to leave, and now!", he thought to himself.
"I placed so much faith in you. I was even planning to move you into dev. You are betraying us...", Pramod burst out. Praveen couldn't understand why Pramod was angry or why he was making up YAUP - Yet Another Unkept Promise. Not that he cared anymore.
What hurt him was the difference between what he thought he could accomplish in the company versus what he had accomplished in the company. He had lost a year with no improvements in his career, tons of working hours, his girlfriend, and most of all - faith in the company.
As they say, time heals. But part of our past comes back to haunt us from time to time. For Praveen, it took a couple of months.
Praveen was waiting for his company bus to pick him up.
A car stopped in front of where he stood. It was a chauffeured "Hyundai Sonata" - The favorite among executives recently. The gleaming gold-framed, white door opened, and out stepped Charulatha.
She was dressed like a royal, and was a world apart from the Charu he had known a few months back. She was an eye-turner, literally.
She walked towards him, resplendent in artificial beauty, stood before him and smiled.
Praveen couldn't help notice that this was the same place where she once walked away to ride with Samay.
She smiled like there had been no past. She smiled like as if she Praveen would enjoy her presence. She smiled like as if she was smiling self-lessly.
She opened her hand-bag and pulled out a charmingly done, expensive invite.
"Am getting married. You should come with your family. Are you married yet?...", Charu's words might have sounded so genuine and sincere to anybody around them, but not to Praveen. But he couldn't make out. He tried looking into her eyes. She hadn't bothered to take her sun-glasses off. He deliberately took his eyes off her and looked at the invite.
"Anyways, please do come. By the by, do you need a lift? Am going towards Electronic City too. Need to hand out a few invites...", she blabbered on endlessly.
Praveen shook his head with his gaze fixed at the invite. The invite had said:
"August 15, 2006, Charulatha Murthy weds Pramod Saxena."
He didn't realize that she had started walking back. When he lifted his eyes from the invite, she was already walking towards the car.
He watched her walk with an air of confidence. No, was it indifference? No, she wasn't walking. She was climbing - climbing the corporate ladder.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Patience is a virtue - Part II
Krishna reached home in a fit of rage and a headache that had worsened during his victorious rendezvous on Bowring Road.
"Are you going to eat?". That was Vasudha Veeraraghavan.
Vasudha was Veeraraghavan's wife of 32 years. Vasudha and Veeraraghavan were always the envy of neighbors. Veeraraghavan was employed at the `Central Bank of India' for latter 40 years of his life, always avoiding promotions and the transfers that came with it. Raghavan had doted on his wife and only son - Krishna. Raghavan was as proud of Krishna as Krishna was of his father. Vasudha watched them grow older, adoring the two men in her life.
"Dont you want me to...?", shouted back Krishna.
"No... just that its 4pm, and was wondering if you already had lunch somewhere...", Vasudha said, stretching, getting up from her afternoon nap. "Its almost coffee time."
"I'd sure like a coffee...", That was Raghavan.
"Like I didn't know you would... could you wait for 10 minutes more? I got to make dikakshen now..." It was more of a statement than a question.
"Sure, take your time, Vasu. You know, one should enjoy the time at the kitchen, don't hurry yourself... meanwhile, I'll munch on the murukku that Asif-bai brought.. damn, can't believe he can make a brahmin specialty like he was one. Could I help you with the dishes... or would you rather...", Raghavan ranted on endlessly. One could see the love of life and his wife in his words.
"Where the hell is Saridon, Amma? Dont you refill the first-aid box every month?". That was Krishna, interrupting his father's not-so-useful monologue.
Veeraraghavan, looked up from his book through his bifocal, staring at the impatient Krishna. Said nothing.
"It must be right over there, in the horlicks bottle beside the old first-aid box...", Vasudha came out of the kitchen, wiping the sweat of her forehead, with her saree.
"Can you beleive this is Bangalore, its so hot...", she smiled as she passed Raghavan in the hall. Raghavan smiled understandingly and went back to his book.
Crash... rattle... "Dang your reorganization, why don't you label the new containers? AMMA, WHERE ARE YOU?", shouted Krishna as he threw down the strip of medicine in his hand. His heache was splitting now.
"... hold on, hold on, was right on the way... relax, Kicha... Look... here it is..", she said, as she pulled out the strip of saridon from the other lot of medicine.
"Give it to me", said Krishna, as he snatched the strip from her hands.
Raghavan was watching the commotion added...
"Why dont you eat first, that should fix your headache... it must be the sun... eat and relax. Its not good to swallow medicines everytime you have an ache or pain. Use it if you still have the headache after eating... why am telling you all this is...", Raghavan stopped on the tracks, when he noticed that Krishna wasn't paying attention. He went over to the kitchen munching Asif-bai's kai-murukku.
"Be easy on him. He seems to be in some kinda of tension..."
"Okay, Mr.Daddy. Dont tell me how to deal with my son... you better tell him to leave his office woes at office... ", Vasudha was the one short-tempered among the two of them.
Raghavan gently went on into boasting about Asif-bai's culinary skills, as if he didn't hear what she just said. Vasudha turned around from the stove, and gave an angry stare, twisting her lips to either sides of her face, hands on the hips. Raghavan winked at her.
"Are you going to feed me or not?", shouted Krishna from the dining table. Vasudha hurried to serve him.
------------------------------X------------------------------
"Krishna, Mukunda, murare...", sang Raghavan, animatedly, counting his `thala', as he walked into the dining room, munching Asif bai's kai-murukku.
For a second, Krishna thought that Raghavan was calling out to him.
"uh...?"
"Nothing, Kicha, nothing, was just trying to get you to relax..."
"From what?"
"Aren't you feeling tense? Feeling like everybody else is getting on your nerves?
"Ah, dont bother, Appa.Its just something at office..."
Then, there was silence. But Raghavan had caught Krishna's attention. Raghavan was always `the Buddha' of the house. Krishna was proud of his father and his experiences. More so, of the way he shared worldly wisdom with his son.
"You want to say something, dont you?", Krishna broke the ice, but was calmer.
"Krishna, my boy, letting temper take over is like stepping on the gas of a car, thats speeding over a cliff - no brakes."
Krishna thought long and hard. He knew that his father was right. Anger never helped. He could safely deduce from his near-decade industry experience. But today, everybody seemed to be taking turns driving him crazy. First it was George and Anubhav, then it was Samantha. Later it was the trouble with the cyclist - with no brakes.
"What if you see somebody driving a car at you like that, what if I weren't the one stepping on the gas?", asked Krishna, sure that Raghavan would have an answer.
"You just have to move out of the car's way. Now, how difficult is that?"
"..."
"Its only a matter of time. Let the temper drive the car down the cliff. When you look down from the edge of the cliff, you'll know that the car isn't yours. Neither was the problem, it never was...", Raghavan had deftly linked the metaphor with `the problem'.
"Patience is a virtue, it really is", Raghavan patted his son on the back, and left him to contemplate.
------------------------------X------------------------------
Anubhav didn't say a word, since he walked into the room. Krishna dialed the number to the US office on the speaker phone, as the clock stuck 11 - PM of course.
"Hello", That was Samantha.
"Samantha, Krishna here. Anubhav is here with me..."
"Hi people", Samantha and George shouted in chorus from the other end.
"Hi...", Anubhav chirped in, not so interestedly.
The rest of the conversation wouldn't interest the readers as much it would George. Suffice to say George took over after the status discussion.
"Ram and Nitin must stay with us to get us to Endura... They are great resources!". George made Ram sound like RAM - as in Random Access Memory, and Nitin sound more like a tin-box.
"George, it has been a long time since they both visited their families. Moreover, Anubhav tells me that we are comfortably placed to reach Endura.", Krishna defended.
"Nah, not again, I do not get this point of `visiting family' and `friend's marriage'. How long would they take anyway? We could get resources who would take lesser days off for a friend's marriage out here".
Krishna touched Anubhav's shoulder and indicated him to keep calm.
"I'll take care, Anubhav. Don't worry", Krishna whispered into Anubhav's ears.
They didn't see Samantha glaring unbelievably at George and shaking her head. Neither did George.
"George, its also Diwali - the christmas of the hindus. The first Diwali after marriage has special importance in the hindu family...", Krishna tried to rationalize.
"@#$%, oops, did I just say that...", continued George in mocking apology, "Even today, I had to take Nancy to the doc before I arrived here. Didn't I make it, sharp at 10.30 AM? You folks dialed in 7 minutes late. You guys should try to be more professional...", George continued the rant, in spite of Samantha.
Anubhav was near the edge of his seat, only passified by Krishna who promised to handle the situation. But Krishna wasn't talking.
George had by now crossed the limits of social and professional behavior - indian and american.
Unknown to Krishna and Anubhav, Samantha tried to interfere, but George was unstoppable..
"Sssh!..dont...", whispered Krishna as he motioned to Anubhav, with a finger on his mouth. But Anubhav was about to explode.
"My wife is out there pregnant and all that, would I be here during Endura? you bet I would. I dont understand why personal life should *ever* affect work..."
At this point, the conversation stopped a bit, They heard a rattle around the other end, and then a bit of muted silence.
"uhm,", Samantha cleared her through as the other end came alive again.
"Krish, looks like Nancy is not well, and needs George by her side. George has left to the hospital..."
"..."
"...uh, I guess nothing more needs to be said about the vacations", Samantha paused uneasily. "I leave the decision to you both."
Anubhav was beaming.
"We'll pray for Nancy. Let us know as soon as you hear from them, would you?", Krishna was a confident self.
"Of course", Samantha said smiling, knowing Krishna was in control of the situation.
------------------------------X------------------------------
"Hats off to you, boss! You handled it brilliantly. If it weren't for you, I might have added more trouble. By the way, where do you learn all this soft-skills, Krish? It will take me years to get to where you are...", said Anubhav, mocking a salute as they walked down the corridor.
"oh, con. You are almost there", encouraged Krishna.
"oh, by the way, am sorry for how I behaved to you in the morning... its just that I thought your patience was letting us down... I know better now. Am sorry.".
Krishna paused walking, and turned to face Anubhav.
"Anubhav, patience is a virtue, it really is", that was Krishna, s/o Veeraraghavan talking.
"oh, yes, you are right, but what could I do with somebody like George. Especially on this topic, when just loses his temper, and doesn't listen to anybody else?"
"Its only a matter of time. Let the temper drive the car down the cliff. When you look down from the edge of the cliff, you'll know that the car isn't yours. Neither was the problem, it never was...", said Krishna as he turned and resumed walking down the corridor.
Anubhav stood blinking at Krishna's back, only half-understanding what was just said.
The End.
"Are you going to eat?". That was Vasudha Veeraraghavan.
Vasudha was Veeraraghavan's wife of 32 years. Vasudha and Veeraraghavan were always the envy of neighbors. Veeraraghavan was employed at the `Central Bank of India' for latter 40 years of his life, always avoiding promotions and the transfers that came with it. Raghavan had doted on his wife and only son - Krishna. Raghavan was as proud of Krishna as Krishna was of his father. Vasudha watched them grow older, adoring the two men in her life.
"Dont you want me to...?", shouted back Krishna.
"No... just that its 4pm, and was wondering if you already had lunch somewhere...", Vasudha said, stretching, getting up from her afternoon nap. "Its almost coffee time."
"I'd sure like a coffee...", That was Raghavan.
"Like I didn't know you would... could you wait for 10 minutes more? I got to make dikakshen now..." It was more of a statement than a question.
"Sure, take your time, Vasu. You know, one should enjoy the time at the kitchen, don't hurry yourself... meanwhile, I'll munch on the murukku that Asif-bai brought.. damn, can't believe he can make a brahmin specialty like he was one. Could I help you with the dishes... or would you rather...", Raghavan ranted on endlessly. One could see the love of life and his wife in his words.
"Where the hell is Saridon, Amma? Dont you refill the first-aid box every month?". That was Krishna, interrupting his father's not-so-useful monologue.
Veeraraghavan, looked up from his book through his bifocal, staring at the impatient Krishna. Said nothing.
"It must be right over there, in the horlicks bottle beside the old first-aid box...", Vasudha came out of the kitchen, wiping the sweat of her forehead, with her saree.
"Can you beleive this is Bangalore, its so hot...", she smiled as she passed Raghavan in the hall. Raghavan smiled understandingly and went back to his book.
Crash... rattle... "Dang your reorganization, why don't you label the new containers? AMMA, WHERE ARE YOU?", shouted Krishna as he threw down the strip of medicine in his hand. His heache was splitting now.
"... hold on, hold on, was right on the way... relax, Kicha... Look... here it is..", she said, as she pulled out the strip of saridon from the other lot of medicine.
"Give it to me", said Krishna, as he snatched the strip from her hands.
Raghavan was watching the commotion added...
"Why dont you eat first, that should fix your headache... it must be the sun... eat and relax. Its not good to swallow medicines everytime you have an ache or pain. Use it if you still have the headache after eating... why am telling you all this is...", Raghavan stopped on the tracks, when he noticed that Krishna wasn't paying attention. He went over to the kitchen munching Asif-bai's kai-murukku.
"Be easy on him. He seems to be in some kinda of tension..."
"Okay, Mr.Daddy. Dont tell me how to deal with my son... you better tell him to leave his office woes at office... ", Vasudha was the one short-tempered among the two of them.
Raghavan gently went on into boasting about Asif-bai's culinary skills, as if he didn't hear what she just said. Vasudha turned around from the stove, and gave an angry stare, twisting her lips to either sides of her face, hands on the hips. Raghavan winked at her.
"Are you going to feed me or not?", shouted Krishna from the dining table. Vasudha hurried to serve him.
------------------------------X------------------------------
"Krishna, Mukunda, murare...", sang Raghavan, animatedly, counting his `thala', as he walked into the dining room, munching Asif bai's kai-murukku.
For a second, Krishna thought that Raghavan was calling out to him.
"uh...?"
"Nothing, Kicha, nothing, was just trying to get you to relax..."
"From what?"
"Aren't you feeling tense? Feeling like everybody else is getting on your nerves?
"Ah, dont bother, Appa.Its just something at office..."
Then, there was silence. But Raghavan had caught Krishna's attention. Raghavan was always `the Buddha' of the house. Krishna was proud of his father and his experiences. More so, of the way he shared worldly wisdom with his son.
"You want to say something, dont you?", Krishna broke the ice, but was calmer.
"Krishna, my boy, letting temper take over is like stepping on the gas of a car, thats speeding over a cliff - no brakes."
Krishna thought long and hard. He knew that his father was right. Anger never helped. He could safely deduce from his near-decade industry experience. But today, everybody seemed to be taking turns driving him crazy. First it was George and Anubhav, then it was Samantha. Later it was the trouble with the cyclist - with no brakes.
"What if you see somebody driving a car at you like that, what if I weren't the one stepping on the gas?", asked Krishna, sure that Raghavan would have an answer.
"You just have to move out of the car's way. Now, how difficult is that?"
"..."
"Its only a matter of time. Let the temper drive the car down the cliff. When you look down from the edge of the cliff, you'll know that the car isn't yours. Neither was the problem, it never was...", Raghavan had deftly linked the metaphor with `the problem'.
"Patience is a virtue, it really is", Raghavan patted his son on the back, and left him to contemplate.
------------------------------X------------------------------
Anubhav didn't say a word, since he walked into the room. Krishna dialed the number to the US office on the speaker phone, as the clock stuck 11 - PM of course.
"Hello", That was Samantha.
"Samantha, Krishna here. Anubhav is here with me..."
"Hi people", Samantha and George shouted in chorus from the other end.
"Hi...", Anubhav chirped in, not so interestedly.
The rest of the conversation wouldn't interest the readers as much it would George. Suffice to say George took over after the status discussion.
"Ram and Nitin must stay with us to get us to Endura... They are great resources!". George made Ram sound like RAM - as in Random Access Memory, and Nitin sound more like a tin-box.
"George, it has been a long time since they both visited their families. Moreover, Anubhav tells me that we are comfortably placed to reach Endura.", Krishna defended.
"Nah, not again, I do not get this point of `visiting family' and `friend's marriage'. How long would they take anyway? We could get resources who would take lesser days off for a friend's marriage out here".
Krishna touched Anubhav's shoulder and indicated him to keep calm.
"I'll take care, Anubhav. Don't worry", Krishna whispered into Anubhav's ears.
They didn't see Samantha glaring unbelievably at George and shaking her head. Neither did George.
"George, its also Diwali - the christmas of the hindus. The first Diwali after marriage has special importance in the hindu family...", Krishna tried to rationalize.
"@#$%, oops, did I just say that...", continued George in mocking apology, "Even today, I had to take Nancy to the doc before I arrived here. Didn't I make it, sharp at 10.30 AM? You folks dialed in 7 minutes late. You guys should try to be more professional...", George continued the rant, in spite of Samantha.
Anubhav was near the edge of his seat, only passified by Krishna who promised to handle the situation. But Krishna wasn't talking.
George had by now crossed the limits of social and professional behavior - indian and american.
Unknown to Krishna and Anubhav, Samantha tried to interfere, but George was unstoppable..
"Sssh!..dont...", whispered Krishna as he motioned to Anubhav, with a finger on his mouth. But Anubhav was about to explode.
"My wife is out there pregnant and all that, would I be here during Endura? you bet I would. I dont understand why personal life should *ever* affect work..."
At this point, the conversation stopped a bit, They heard a rattle around the other end, and then a bit of muted silence.
"uhm,", Samantha cleared her through as the other end came alive again.
"Krish, looks like Nancy is not well, and needs George by her side. George has left to the hospital..."
"..."
"...uh, I guess nothing more needs to be said about the vacations", Samantha paused uneasily. "I leave the decision to you both."
Anubhav was beaming.
"We'll pray for Nancy. Let us know as soon as you hear from them, would you?", Krishna was a confident self.
"Of course", Samantha said smiling, knowing Krishna was in control of the situation.
------------------------------X------------------------------
"Hats off to you, boss! You handled it brilliantly. If it weren't for you, I might have added more trouble. By the way, where do you learn all this soft-skills, Krish? It will take me years to get to where you are...", said Anubhav, mocking a salute as they walked down the corridor.
"oh, con. You are almost there", encouraged Krishna.
"oh, by the way, am sorry for how I behaved to you in the morning... its just that I thought your patience was letting us down... I know better now. Am sorry.".
Krishna paused walking, and turned to face Anubhav.
"Anubhav, patience is a virtue, it really is", that was Krishna, s/o Veeraraghavan talking.
"oh, yes, you are right, but what could I do with somebody like George. Especially on this topic, when just loses his temper, and doesn't listen to anybody else?"
"Its only a matter of time. Let the temper drive the car down the cliff. When you look down from the edge of the cliff, you'll know that the car isn't yours. Neither was the problem, it never was...", said Krishna as he turned and resumed walking down the corridor.
Anubhav stood blinking at Krishna's back, only half-understanding what was just said.
The End.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Patience is a virtue - Part I
Krishnamurthy Veeraraghavan deftly avoided hitting a jay-walking pedestrian on the overcrowded Bangalore road. He managed that by steering his Hyndai Santro (Hypothecated to the State Bank of India, Rajaji Nagar Branch, Bangalore) sharply to the right. That got him straight in the way of a over speeding cyclist riding on the middle of the road. The cyclist had also, among other poverty ridden tales, been unable to buy a new pair of brake-shoes for his bicycle for the last two months. But did that deter him from driving on the middle of the dangerous Bowring Road? You got that right. NO. He was the proud owner of a cycle - hypothecated to nobody.
Bang, Clash, Cling. The last one was the cycle's rusted bell hitting the windshield of Krishna's car.
A furious Krishna jarred the door open. In the process, pushed the cyclist, precariously balancing his cycle with only his thumb touching the road, down on the other side of the road.
Screech! That was the BTS bus veering over to avoid the fallen cyclist. Well, this bus had a brand new brake shoe - TVS Brake Lining, Mfg date: May, 2001. Never used.
"aiyee... @#$#@nda maga... " That was the bus driver who never used the brake - TVS Brake Lining, Mfg date: May 2001.
After a prolonged road rage with the cyclist - who kept blinking at whatever happened, Krishna managed to cajole the traffic policeman into believing it was the cyclist's fault.
"aree %&^%*^E#nda maga, edhu enu cycl-na, illa circus kadi aaa? brake ill, bell illa... nada stationigae...", and slapped the cyclist on the head - not so affectionately.
Nobody noticed that the cyclist was shaking from the near death experience of the veering BTS bus.
Did we mention that this incident didn't help improve the traffic condition of Bangalore, even a little.
------------------------------X------------------------------
Glad that he had the situation worked out in his favour, Krishnamurthy played "Karma chameleon" as he slid his Santro from that chaos to another.
Krishnamurthy worked for Klandisoft. Incorporated in the USA, Klandisoft had opened an offshore development center in Bangalore to cut costs - and in the process cut cruelly short, the careers of many of its employees in the USA. Krishnamurthy, an Engineering graduate from one of the many sprawling factories, er... colleges of engineering in the country, was currently leading the Bangalore center.
With 25 employees working for him (`under him' in India-talk), he managed to bring out features and bug fixes to Klandisoft's product as best as any manager could. This didn't go unnoticed by Samantha. Samantha Beudolf was Krishna's boss working out of the Redwood City, US office. Samantha had been able to motivate and get the employees from both countries connected and contributed greatly to the success of Klandisoft's India office - Klandisoft software India pvt. limited.
Together in the last two years, Samantha and Krishna had noticed a lot of different flavors of English tossed across by both sides over the phone and mails.
"Hi, this is Madan Sreenivasan"
"sorry, could you say your name again..."
"Two syllables.. `Ma' - as in mom, `then' as in now-and-then"
"I just saw your email. Your name is Ma-daan sss-rey-nie-va-saan. Be proud of it, say it loud and clear.", that was the soft-skill equipped Terrie.
"er, um, Thanks. But my name is pronounced `Madan Sreenivasan' and not the way you just said."
"sorry, could you say your name again..."
"I'll be taking today off, as am feeling sick"
"Well, you are", chuckle, chuckle.
More often than not, it was the side who used the mother-tongue which got the psychological one-up. But the team had managed to glue and produce astounding results over the last couple of years. But of late, there was trouble brewing. Many programmers in India, were complaining about the way George had been dealing with them.
George 'patriot' Grover was a republican with strongly misplaced US values and personal ideals. He was all-out against offshoring jobs for monetary gain, and his criticism had been really sharp and could be felt in the workplace. This was felt painfully at office, especially after his wife was let go by her employer, during her pregnancy for lack of Medicare - George blamed it on offshoring. Nancy Grover was 8 months pregnant.
Today was not a good day for Krishna. Earlier in the day, Krishna had walked over to Anubhav's place to discuss about the next deadline for Anubhav's project.
"Su che... nai..well, talk to you later...", that was Anubhav Patil closing his conversation with someone in his family, Calling from Vadodra.
Anubhav looked up at Krishna, and shrugged. "Krish, We can reach the endura milestone comfortably. I only wish George doesn't keep insisting that both Ram and Nitin cancel their vacations. Both of them have worked hard and deserve their vacations. They are getting sick of George's comments about their `lack of responsibility'."
"But don't you think we would be comfortable with them around during the deadline, am sure George means well.", That was Krishna defending George.
"We are well on our way to meet the dates, Krish. Plus Ram and Nitin are newly weds. You know what that means..?!", continued Anubhav, "Its not fair to do this to them... We'll only end up losing them, considering the job market thats hot for good people."
"I will talk to Samantha again, but for now, tell them that their vacations stand canceled."
"Wonder when you'll straighten your spine, put your foot down and refuse those ... ", Anubhav's voice was in a whisper when he said that, and turned his back to Krishna. Krishna stood staring unbelievingly at Anubhav's back. Krishna knew that Anubhav was right, but that didn't stop his anger brimming over. He could feel his Blood Pressure rise, giving him a sharp one-sided headache.
"Well, don't worry about him, he just ranting. He's real nice otherwise...", Samantha over the phone.
"I know, Samantha, but he should learn to criticize positively, without bringing his personal opinions into the conversation". That was Krishna.
"He means well, I will talk to him. You know he is one of our best engineers. Dot you?"
"Well, I just wish he didn't drive the `other' good engineers crazy."
"..."
"Samantha... what am saying is that it is difficult to keep people here motivated amidst such fury of personal attacks, especially since George is a good engineer, and is present in most of the meetings".
"Krishna don't get me wrong, but you need to have control over your employees out there..."
Krishna could hardly focus on the rest of the conversation. The headache had spread to both sides, by now.
- To be continued...
Bang, Clash, Cling. The last one was the cycle's rusted bell hitting the windshield of Krishna's car.
A furious Krishna jarred the door open. In the process, pushed the cyclist, precariously balancing his cycle with only his thumb touching the road, down on the other side of the road.
Screech! That was the BTS bus veering over to avoid the fallen cyclist. Well, this bus had a brand new brake shoe - TVS Brake Lining, Mfg date: May, 2001. Never used.
"aiyee... @#$#@nda maga... " That was the bus driver who never used the brake - TVS Brake Lining, Mfg date: May 2001.
After a prolonged road rage with the cyclist - who kept blinking at whatever happened, Krishna managed to cajole the traffic policeman into believing it was the cyclist's fault.
"aree %&^%*^E#nda maga, edhu enu cycl-na, illa circus kadi aaa? brake ill, bell illa... nada stationigae...", and slapped the cyclist on the head - not so affectionately.
Nobody noticed that the cyclist was shaking from the near death experience of the veering BTS bus.
Did we mention that this incident didn't help improve the traffic condition of Bangalore, even a little.
------------------------------X------------------------------
Glad that he had the situation worked out in his favour, Krishnamurthy played "Karma chameleon" as he slid his Santro from that chaos to another.
Krishnamurthy worked for Klandisoft. Incorporated in the USA, Klandisoft had opened an offshore development center in Bangalore to cut costs - and in the process cut cruelly short, the careers of many of its employees in the USA. Krishnamurthy, an Engineering graduate from one of the many sprawling factories, er... colleges of engineering in the country, was currently leading the Bangalore center.
With 25 employees working for him (`under him' in India-talk), he managed to bring out features and bug fixes to Klandisoft's product as best as any manager could. This didn't go unnoticed by Samantha. Samantha Beudolf was Krishna's boss working out of the Redwood City, US office. Samantha had been able to motivate and get the employees from both countries connected and contributed greatly to the success of Klandisoft's India office - Klandisoft software India pvt. limited.
Together in the last two years, Samantha and Krishna had noticed a lot of different flavors of English tossed across by both sides over the phone and mails.
"Hi, this is Madan Sreenivasan"
"sorry, could you say your name again..."
"Two syllables.. `Ma' - as in mom, `then' as in now-and-then"
"I just saw your email. Your name is Ma-daan sss-rey-nie-va-saan. Be proud of it, say it loud and clear.", that was the soft-skill equipped Terrie.
"er, um, Thanks. But my name is pronounced `Madan Sreenivasan' and not the way you just said."
"sorry, could you say your name again..."
"I'll be taking today off, as am feeling sick"
"Well, you are", chuckle, chuckle.
More often than not, it was the side who used the mother-tongue which got the psychological one-up. But the team had managed to glue and produce astounding results over the last couple of years. But of late, there was trouble brewing. Many programmers in India, were complaining about the way George had been dealing with them.
George 'patriot' Grover was a republican with strongly misplaced US values and personal ideals. He was all-out against offshoring jobs for monetary gain, and his criticism had been really sharp and could be felt in the workplace. This was felt painfully at office, especially after his wife was let go by her employer, during her pregnancy for lack of Medicare - George blamed it on offshoring. Nancy Grover was 8 months pregnant.
Today was not a good day for Krishna. Earlier in the day, Krishna had walked over to Anubhav's place to discuss about the next deadline for Anubhav's project.
"Su che... nai..well, talk to you later...", that was Anubhav Patil closing his conversation with someone in his family, Calling from Vadodra.
Anubhav looked up at Krishna, and shrugged. "Krish, We can reach the endura milestone comfortably. I only wish George doesn't keep insisting that both Ram and Nitin cancel their vacations. Both of them have worked hard and deserve their vacations. They are getting sick of George's comments about their `lack of responsibility'."
"But don't you think we would be comfortable with them around during the deadline, am sure George means well.", That was Krishna defending George.
"We are well on our way to meet the dates, Krish. Plus Ram and Nitin are newly weds. You know what that means..?!", continued Anubhav, "Its not fair to do this to them... We'll only end up losing them, considering the job market thats hot for good people."
"I will talk to Samantha again, but for now, tell them that their vacations stand canceled."
"Wonder when you'll straighten your spine, put your foot down and refuse those ... ", Anubhav's voice was in a whisper when he said that, and turned his back to Krishna. Krishna stood staring unbelievingly at Anubhav's back. Krishna knew that Anubhav was right, but that didn't stop his anger brimming over. He could feel his Blood Pressure rise, giving him a sharp one-sided headache.
"Well, don't worry about him, he just ranting. He's real nice otherwise...", Samantha over the phone.
"I know, Samantha, but he should learn to criticize positively, without bringing his personal opinions into the conversation". That was Krishna.
"He means well, I will talk to him. You know he is one of our best engineers. Dot you?"
"Well, I just wish he didn't drive the `other' good engineers crazy."
"..."
"Samantha... what am saying is that it is difficult to keep people here motivated amidst such fury of personal attacks, especially since George is a good engineer, and is present in most of the meetings".
"Krishna don't get me wrong, but you need to have control over your employees out there..."
Krishna could hardly focus on the rest of the conversation. The headache had spread to both sides, by now.
- To be continued...
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Cross Culture
Rangarajan sat at a table in the office canteen, rubbing his palms waiting for the samosa. The samosa that was given to all employees of Karmic Innovators, as evening snacks in a bid to boost employee morale while working late nights. Karmic Innovators, the company which was at the helm of India's IT boom. India's IT boom, which suddenly brought a lot of technology work from countries where Robs and Bobs and Mitachis could afford to buy a watch that could deliver e-mail - for the cost of an... er, samosa. Rangarajan's only culmination of e-mail and samosa would be at his office.
Ranga sat contemplating how to break the news to Subbu. Subbu's name had been recently added to the list of people to be laid-off by Karmic. Just as Karmic had been a leader in bringing tech jobs to India, so was it the leader in being lean, and the recent downturn of economy worldwide had put presssure on the profits of the company.
Rangarajan was Subbu's manager, and was tasked with breaking the news. The terms of termination would follow later. But to Ranga, all this was new. Subbu sat there talking about the recent changes he had made to the software for mobile phones.
"That damn vibrate mode gets triggered even without pressing the trigger button. Takei-san is going to have a fit - literally, when he starts using the phone."
Takei-san was Kyojiro Takei - a manager from Matsui Electronics, for whom Subbu's team was the vendor.
"Well, what happened to the english keyboard for that model... are you sure you pressed the right button? Where is the translator guy... whats his name? Anil?"
"Anil is missing for the last two days... Dude got engine-trouble in his car a couple of days back, and hasnt turned up since! Thats why I tell Jaya, never go in for a second-hand car."
Jaya was Subbu's wife. The marriage was recent, and the newly-weds had to shell out a heavy party to Subbu's team on account of the happiness. Unable to converse nonchalantly anymore, Rangarajan decided to break the news.
"Subbu you know, you dont have to worry about phone anymore.."
"Why? Did you get more freshers to handle the screen graphics?"
"No, worse..."
"Did the project get scraped?"
"uh.."
"I knew that %#$ Takei has been looking at a cheaper company... Is that what you were trying to tell me? huh? I knew about it already. Renuka was already hinting at that sometime back... I was kind of expecting it... anyways..."
Subbu got up and sucked his thumb clean of all the sambar. He wasnt using the spoon which came with the dish. The caterers had to clean it again anyways.
"But, Subbu..."
"Ranga, dont worry... we'll get a better project... anyways, catch you later..."
And he was gone.
"...and did you know you suckers cost me 22K on that party that you guys squeezed out of me?" That was Subbu on the way back from the hand-wash to the staircase.
Ranga sat watching the hot samosa that just got delivered.
*----------*----------*
Renuka sat staring unbeleivingly at Ranga.
"If you cant tell that useless tramp, I will let him know how productive his code was...", Renuka continuted, "For all the simple stuff he has been churning out as work, we could have saved money, by assigning a fresher to do the work.."
"But we knew he was new to this technology. We decided to try him out. And its not like he is not trying..."
"...blah...blah...blah", mocked Renuka.
"We talked about this already. Nobody else in your team...", her voice trailed.
"But... I... er... he just got married... poor guy, we squeezed an expensive party on him just a week back... now to say that he has lost his job..."
"But, Ranga... You have to understand. The management has its targets. We need to get rid of the bottom-5 right away."
Bottom-5. That was the name used to denote the list of employeess that Karmic managers thought were the least talented 5% of the workforce.
"hrm... but we should be calling it 'lay-off' and stop pretending like we are letting go of incapable employees. We should let the world know that we cant afford him anymore."
"Look here, Ranga. As a manager, your job is to help the management with its goals. At your level you do not get to comment about management policies. If you mix personal feelings with professional life, Karmic will find someone to let you know that you fall in the bottom-5 of managers...heh heh heh..."
Renuka Gupta, the perfect manager of personal and professional life, sat giggling at her own joke.
"OK", Ranga said, breaking the laughter, "I will arrange a meeting with him to let him know."
"Good... and stand up as a professional manager."
"...And by the way..." Renuka continued, "You know we are letting Anubhav go, right? Today is his last date. We decided to merge Anubhav's team with yours, so you are the manager for both teams starting tomorrow."
Ranga straightened up with pride, and spilled a generous smile on his face.
"Thank you Renuka. Thank you. I will do my best... Thanks for the confide...", words trailed as he shook his hand alone in anticipation.
Renuka's eyes went to the computer without acknowledging his joy, as if she just announced that she would be having lunch alone - as a matter of factly.
"Maybe that is how one should handle official news... with no personal touch. I should learn from her. After all, she has been in the US for 7 years...", thought Ranga, and he collected his papers from Renuka's desk.
Ranga's ego flew high, but one only saw a drooped head as he left Renuka's office.
*----------*----------*
Subbu couldnt hide his agony when Ranga broke the news to him - matter of factly.
"But why couldn't you at least drop a hint about it. I could have looked out...". Subbu was near tears.
"Its a management policy.", Ranga said loooking at his computer monitor.
*----------*----------*
Two months later, Renuka came by Ranga's desk, and sat comfortably on Ranga's desk.
The last two months had been good for Ranga. A new team, and a new project tasked under him, he looked all set for his next climb up the corporate ladder. So, had the training he had attended indicated.
"You are here because Karmic thinks its future is you. YOU.", the trainer had said pointing to Ranga.
His short trip to Michinaso, Japan had been good, and the project he clinched made him a favorite with the management. Life started looking up.
Renuka's ways with Ranga had changed too. She had started handing down more important tasks. He was looked
up as the successor to Renuka more and more. Her trusted lieutenant, confidante and emissary.
"You know, Takei-san has been asking for a india-manager from Matsui Electronics. In effect he wants a Matsui manager to manage the projects here. What do you think?"
That effectively meant that Ranga had to report to two managers. A prospect Ranga didnt like too much.
"Cultchur, Takei-san. Cultchur problem desu", Ranga explained in a mix of english and japanese, over the telephone later.
"ah, I see... wakarimastha, wakarimastha...hmmmmmmmmmm", stretched the japanese manager, understanding the concerns of his indian team. For him, the Karmic team was no longer vendors. They were 'family'. He was saddened by the recent decision of Karmic to let a slew of people from his team go.
"so, so... I undershsthand...", he continued in a katakana accent, "tho, I...discuss with... with... Yui-san. Yui-san, abouth this. Sank-You", and profusely 'Sank-you'ed the team till they agreed, over the crackling telephone line.
"Sank-You, Sank-You", Renuka mocked Takei-san, shaking hands with Ranga, after the call. Ranga smiled thinking of his change of fortunes over the past two months.
*----------*----------*
A month and several meetings later, a representative from Mitsui Electronics, an "Indo-jin by origin" - as per Takei-san, had arrived at the Karmic campus. Renuka and Ranga were to meet with him, along with the management. As Ranga struggled with the powerpoint presentations, Renuka was busy arranging an evening high-tea for the visitor.
The meeting had been scheduled for 10 am. Renuka and Ranga were unusually dressed in formal clothing, as they entered the room, where some members of the management, and the representative from Matsui Electronics had already gathered.
"Mr. Subramaniyam Doddala", whispered the HR manager, and skillfully pointed to the representative with her eyebrows. The man was short and dressed in suit. Hiding behind the laptop screen, he was typing furiously at the keyboard with atmost ease.
"Ohayo, Subramaniyam-san, Watashi no Renuka desu, Ano wa Ranga-san desu", said Renuka, offering her hand.
"Please call me Subbu-san. We know each other already, so lets cut the chit-chat and discuss about the vibrator feature for the M-series.", said Subbu-san, alias Subbu, without looking up from the screen.
*----------*----------*
Ranga sat contemplating how to break the news to Subbu. Subbu's name had been recently added to the list of people to be laid-off by Karmic. Just as Karmic had been a leader in bringing tech jobs to India, so was it the leader in being lean, and the recent downturn of economy worldwide had put presssure on the profits of the company.
Rangarajan was Subbu's manager, and was tasked with breaking the news. The terms of termination would follow later. But to Ranga, all this was new. Subbu sat there talking about the recent changes he had made to the software for mobile phones.
"That damn vibrate mode gets triggered even without pressing the trigger button. Takei-san is going to have a fit - literally, when he starts using the phone."
Takei-san was Kyojiro Takei - a manager from Matsui Electronics, for whom Subbu's team was the vendor.
"Well, what happened to the english keyboard for that model... are you sure you pressed the right button? Where is the translator guy... whats his name? Anil?"
"Anil is missing for the last two days... Dude got engine-trouble in his car a couple of days back, and hasnt turned up since! Thats why I tell Jaya, never go in for a second-hand car."
Jaya was Subbu's wife. The marriage was recent, and the newly-weds had to shell out a heavy party to Subbu's team on account of the happiness. Unable to converse nonchalantly anymore, Rangarajan decided to break the news.
"Subbu you know, you dont have to worry about phone anymore.."
"Why? Did you get more freshers to handle the screen graphics?"
"No, worse..."
"Did the project get scraped?"
"uh.."
"I knew that %#$ Takei has been looking at a cheaper company... Is that what you were trying to tell me? huh? I knew about it already. Renuka was already hinting at that sometime back... I was kind of expecting it... anyways..."
Subbu got up and sucked his thumb clean of all the sambar. He wasnt using the spoon which came with the dish. The caterers had to clean it again anyways.
"But, Subbu..."
"Ranga, dont worry... we'll get a better project... anyways, catch you later..."
And he was gone.
"...and did you know you suckers cost me 22K on that party that you guys squeezed out of me?" That was Subbu on the way back from the hand-wash to the staircase.
Ranga sat watching the hot samosa that just got delivered.
*----------*----------*
Renuka sat staring unbeleivingly at Ranga.
"If you cant tell that useless tramp, I will let him know how productive his code was...", Renuka continuted, "For all the simple stuff he has been churning out as work, we could have saved money, by assigning a fresher to do the work.."
"But we knew he was new to this technology. We decided to try him out. And its not like he is not trying..."
"...blah...blah...blah", mocked Renuka.
"We talked about this already. Nobody else in your team...", her voice trailed.
"But... I... er... he just got married... poor guy, we squeezed an expensive party on him just a week back... now to say that he has lost his job..."
"But, Ranga... You have to understand. The management has its targets. We need to get rid of the bottom-5 right away."
Bottom-5. That was the name used to denote the list of employeess that Karmic managers thought were the least talented 5% of the workforce.
"hrm... but we should be calling it 'lay-off' and stop pretending like we are letting go of incapable employees. We should let the world know that we cant afford him anymore."
"Look here, Ranga. As a manager, your job is to help the management with its goals. At your level you do not get to comment about management policies. If you mix personal feelings with professional life, Karmic will find someone to let you know that you fall in the bottom-5 of managers...heh heh heh..."
Renuka Gupta, the perfect manager of personal and professional life, sat giggling at her own joke.
"OK", Ranga said, breaking the laughter, "I will arrange a meeting with him to let him know."
"Good... and stand up as a professional manager."
"...And by the way..." Renuka continued, "You know we are letting Anubhav go, right? Today is his last date. We decided to merge Anubhav's team with yours, so you are the manager for both teams starting tomorrow."
Ranga straightened up with pride, and spilled a generous smile on his face.
"Thank you Renuka. Thank you. I will do my best... Thanks for the confide...", words trailed as he shook his hand alone in anticipation.
Renuka's eyes went to the computer without acknowledging his joy, as if she just announced that she would be having lunch alone - as a matter of factly.
"Maybe that is how one should handle official news... with no personal touch. I should learn from her. After all, she has been in the US for 7 years...", thought Ranga, and he collected his papers from Renuka's desk.
Ranga's ego flew high, but one only saw a drooped head as he left Renuka's office.
*----------*----------*
Subbu couldnt hide his agony when Ranga broke the news to him - matter of factly.
"But why couldn't you at least drop a hint about it. I could have looked out...". Subbu was near tears.
"Its a management policy.", Ranga said loooking at his computer monitor.
*----------*----------*
Two months later, Renuka came by Ranga's desk, and sat comfortably on Ranga's desk.
The last two months had been good for Ranga. A new team, and a new project tasked under him, he looked all set for his next climb up the corporate ladder. So, had the training he had attended indicated.
"You are here because Karmic thinks its future is you. YOU.", the trainer had said pointing to Ranga.
His short trip to Michinaso, Japan had been good, and the project he clinched made him a favorite with the management. Life started looking up.
Renuka's ways with Ranga had changed too. She had started handing down more important tasks. He was looked
up as the successor to Renuka more and more. Her trusted lieutenant, confidante and emissary.
"You know, Takei-san has been asking for a india-manager from Matsui Electronics. In effect he wants a Matsui manager to manage the projects here. What do you think?"
That effectively meant that Ranga had to report to two managers. A prospect Ranga didnt like too much.
"Cultchur, Takei-san. Cultchur problem desu", Ranga explained in a mix of english and japanese, over the telephone later.
"ah, I see... wakarimastha, wakarimastha...hmmmmmmmmmm", stretched the japanese manager, understanding the concerns of his indian team. For him, the Karmic team was no longer vendors. They were 'family'. He was saddened by the recent decision of Karmic to let a slew of people from his team go.
"so, so... I undershsthand...", he continued in a katakana accent, "tho, I...discuss with... with... Yui-san. Yui-san, abouth this. Sank-You", and profusely 'Sank-you'ed the team till they agreed, over the crackling telephone line.
"Sank-You, Sank-You", Renuka mocked Takei-san, shaking hands with Ranga, after the call. Ranga smiled thinking of his change of fortunes over the past two months.
*----------*----------*
A month and several meetings later, a representative from Mitsui Electronics, an "Indo-jin by origin" - as per Takei-san, had arrived at the Karmic campus. Renuka and Ranga were to meet with him, along with the management. As Ranga struggled with the powerpoint presentations, Renuka was busy arranging an evening high-tea for the visitor.
The meeting had been scheduled for 10 am. Renuka and Ranga were unusually dressed in formal clothing, as they entered the room, where some members of the management, and the representative from Matsui Electronics had already gathered.
"Mr. Subramaniyam Doddala", whispered the HR manager, and skillfully pointed to the representative with her eyebrows. The man was short and dressed in suit. Hiding behind the laptop screen, he was typing furiously at the keyboard with atmost ease.
"Ohayo, Subramaniyam-san, Watashi no Renuka desu, Ano wa Ranga-san desu", said Renuka, offering her hand.
"Please call me Subbu-san. We know each other already, so lets cut the chit-chat and discuss about the vibrator feature for the M-series.", said Subbu-san, alias Subbu, without looking up from the screen.
*----------*----------*
Ping From India - Introduction
Inspired by the writing style of R.K.Narayan and the dog-eat-dog way of the IT industry in India, I decided to chronicle the life of an average indian techie, in wierdly eccentric stories.
Techies: Stories that appear here could be things that happen to you day in and day out. There is bound to be a certain amount of satire/coincidences in the characters, based on the situation and the story. I'm not going to apologize. If any of the events/characters look ruefully close, its probably time to take a relook at your life! ;)
Others: I have tried to be as non-technical as possible, ping me if the packet doesnt match the protocol.
Criticisms, suggestions always welcome! (For the record: I hate appraisals, especially the `points the improve')
Am planning to publish a story a week - one every thursday. The impatient among you, please contact me on email : madanus@gmail.com
Techies: Stories that appear here could be things that happen to you day in and day out. There is bound to be a certain amount of satire/coincidences in the characters, based on the situation and the story. I'm not going to apologize. If any of the events/characters look ruefully close, its probably time to take a relook at your life! ;)
Others: I have tried to be as non-technical as possible, ping me if the packet doesnt match the protocol.
Criticisms, suggestions always welcome! (For the record: I hate appraisals, especially the `points the improve')
Am planning to publish a story a week - one every thursday. The impatient among you, please contact me on email : madanus@gmail.com
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