Charms Of A Sweet Devil...

Sometimes, we inadvertently become the worst enemies of our close friends. And we still don’t deny our friendship. That’s because we love to live in a fictional world of illusions.

Today being the chilliest day of the winter 2010, I was trying my best to go through the online books on my laptop. I planned it well in advance that post January 15, 2010, I would re-engage myself with all my study material. After all, this would be the final level of one of the toughest exams which I would be appearing in another three four months. Blame it on the chilly temperature despite of using a blanket over a quilt (rajai), or the toughness of the study material, I was not able to build my learning insights. And then I saw a ping from Sujit. After a normal how wow discussion, he asked me if I have written a new blog, to which I replied him – no.

6:33pm Sujit

what abt ur blog?

kuuch likha aapne?

6:34pm Rishi

yes...Brijesh ki shaadi ke reception ke baare me likhaa hai...

6:34pm Sujit

ladkiyo ke barey mein?

6:34pm Rishi

ladkiyo ke baare me kuch nahi likhaa...Bramhachaari hu yaar..

he he he

6:35pm Sujit

Yeah i knw tht, uskey alawa?

epsita ke barey mein sir

uska dimag

jo chacha choudry jaisa hai

6:36pm Rishi

he he he...likh sakta hu...but abhi maine apne dimaag ke baare me sochnaa shuru kar diyaa hai...I have started preparing for the final level exam....

Epsita ka kyaa hai...wo to chali gayi

ab waise bhi nahi jhelnaa padegaa...na use hamko...aur na humko use...he he he

6:37pm Sujit

yeah

6:37pm Rishi

But seriously, she was a good girl...dimaag se paidal thi...but otherwise a very good girl…will definitely miss her around

6:38pm Sujit

yeah subsey jyada mein kyoki mein uska dimag (jo bahut kum tha) subsey jyada mein hi khata tha

he he he

6:39pm Rishi

correct....I know that...the best was when you addressed Saurabh to lift her up for his dumbles practice, to make his dolle sholle...that was hilarious...I could not stop myself from laughing the whole day...he he he

For a while, I was distracted. And the distraction continued till I was forced to go into the flashback wherein six months ago, I was quite irritated by the Gmail team which moved adjacent to my workstation in my office. At that time, it was invasion of my privacy as I normally prefer to work in a serene environment. The fact that I was not the owner of my company left me with no choice, but to work with those people whom I used to consider the most immature lot of corporate world. They are the regular customer service representatives who either have telephonic conversations or emails to respond. Read my previous blogs, and you would easily sense my hatred towards them. Reason – they are happy following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) thereby keeping themselves away from jobs that asks people to use grey matter. With this hatred in my mind, I used to curse the situation where in I had to work sitting next to these people.

Voraciously, a female voice greeted her boss…

Female – Hello Sir. How are you doing? Kyaa baat hai aajkal nazar hi nahi aate aap to. Lagtaa hai kaafi busy busy rehte ho?

Boss – Bus aise hi…yahaa tak aane ka time nahi milta...

Female – Dekha, maine kahaa naa, busy rehte ho aap!

The boss noded his head and left. The lady then whimpered with a fuss – Busy kya khaak rehtaa hai ye. Is company me TLs aur Managers kabhi kaam nahi karte…magar dikhaenge aise, jaise unse busy aur koi nahi hai…

I was like - what the hell? I peeped right to see, who this lady was, who was totally ignorant of the fact that she was sitting near to an Assistant Manager (me).

And I saw a thin kiddo like girl, who obviously represented the so called BPO crowd. As if, she was still in her teens but got a job very early and has yet to develop the so called business maturity and organizational behavior. She was half the size and weight of a normal female. Sorry! Not half, but one fourth actually…he he he…But had a voice which at times was mellifluous but mostly was sonorously loud and vibrant. She constantly blabbered while working. Chitter Chatter Chitter Chatter Chitter Chatter, my God!

I was so furious over her, that I irritatingly expressed my anguish to my neighbor who turned out to be Sujit, her team mate.

Rishi – Ye hai kaon yaar? Kisi ne isko bataaya ke ye kitnaa bolti hai? My God! Samjhao yaar ise…

Sujit – he he he…samjhaa denge sirji.

The chatter gal continued to blabber, jabber, twiddle and giggle for about a month or two and I did nothing considering she belonged to other team and her reporting was not with me. Suddenly this girl held up with a pin drop silence. I then realized that while in a casual interaction, I told her that she actually talks too much and also disturbs. Astonishingly, that casual interaction made her mute. It was that simple to stop this girl from being a work place devil who always pestered me.

I just tried to be me, straightforward. And it worked.

Won’t anyone be surprised to see a muffled tongueless person who used to constantly blabber all the time? I was. Well, that was just the beginning of charms getting radiated from this devil.

Upon asking, she revealed her name as Epsita. Normally, people would spell it “Ipshita”…but no, instead of “I”, she starts it with “E” and yes, she likes to keep the effects of “h” hidden while spelling it, but wants us to be vocal with “h” while pronouncing her name. Ahem…wasn’t she quirkily monarchy?...he he he…that’s exactly what I mean by the word “charm”…he he he…

I liked her attitude when she molded herself mute, so that she may not cause disturbance to anyone. It showed her tender benevolence. Moreover, during few casual interaction, she revealed that she also dislikes the BPO culture but has to work in a BPO job due to lack of choice. That was the time I understood that she has the right mindset and eagerness to change for betterment, and would certainly do so. It’s only that one should point/guide/poke her up for driving self improvement. And then I started interacting with her casually. I always kept our interaction with light doses of pranks and spoofs, so as to make her comfortable. I never wanted my seniority to infringe my connections with any of the Gmail team members. Hence I kept all my interactions with all the Gmail team members very casual. And may be that’s where I made a mistake. If you allow your juniors to laugh along with yourself on a joke or a prank, there are good chances that sometime, they would start laughing on you too. And then there would be a time when they would start taking you and your words lightly.

When ever I used to see Epsita and her other team members, working on KANA I used to get nostalgic about my Convergys days. Even I used to work on KANA which is an email management application. Five years ago I had the same profile as Epsita and her other team members have today. The typical call center customer service profile. But in the due course of time, I realized I was in a world less appreciated by intellectuals.

My evolution from a customer service representative to an investment professional wasn’t an easy task. The journey was full of learning’s, mistakes, networking, internet surfing, reading and staying on top of things that affected my professional and personal life. Everything in this journey had a cost associated with it. Sometimes, the cost was directly in terms of money, where as mostly it used to be in terms of sacrifice, letting things go, control, introspections, living a lonely life and doing constant soul searching.

I always stressed on doing things which interests us rather than doing things just for the heck of it. That’s exactly the message what Three Idiots gave to the world. And I have been preaching this message to my people ever since the time I changed myself 4 to 5 years ago. Because I understand, what the pain of lack of awareness is all about. How it keeps us and our lives at inertia thereby consuming substantial duration of our youth. I always felt a need of an elder brother who could have guided me with things. Somehow, I still feel the need of a mentor. Of course my struggle is still continuing, because though I am working in a knowledge oriented profile I am still a BPO employee and not an actual Investment Banker. But when I see people at a stage where I was five years ago, I immediately rise myself up to coach them, mentor them and offer them whatever I have learnt in the due course of time.

I learnt things the hard way. I try my best to make it easy for them without charging them anything. And it’s a worldwide fact that whatever comes for free is always subjected to suspicion. Even my offerings to Epsita were preyed upon with dubiousness by her friends and colleagues. They started ribbing and teasing her with all sort of taunts that they could think of. Now what do you expect from a young girl whom people knit with a middle aged man. Obviously, she would feel conscious about the fact and would avoid direct coaching confrontations. Isn’t it? That’s very humane…One thing I noticed about her was that she was extremely comfortable interacting with me when her friends were not around. And when they were, she consciously tried to avoid exhibiting our alliance.

My intuition first and then my networking with few other members of the Gmail team, made me aware of the happenings that were going on. But I preferred not to retaliate. I seriously preferred to be neutral. Based on my experience; I have always seen people with conservative myopic vision remaining at a place where they previously were because they underestimate the power of mentorship. As expected they proved that they really belong to a genre of immature gimmicks, who would always fail to identify prospective guides who can direct themselves for a better life and a fruitful career. People with casual attitude like her friends would never be ready to learn from others mistakes and experiences. They themselves don’t have the audacity to evolve for betterment and have unknowingly been instrumental in causing loss of mentorship to someone who could have been benefited from it.

It's true, that sometimes, we inadvertently prove ourselves to be the worst enemies of our close friends. Isn’t it?

Well, two days before Epsita’s last working day in our office, she jokingly called me – Gadhaa (donkey). Had it been anybody else, I would have fired that person left, right and center. That’s what I am known for, in general. This was the first time I witnessed in my entire life that an executive addressed someone from a management cadre by calling him a donkey and that too on his face. Strangely, I felt good, instead of feeling bad. I felt her connection getting converted into a bonding. Now what would you call this – Charms Of A Sweet Devil…isn’t it? He he he

Good things come in small packs. My stint with this devil was very short, just of 6 months. "Friendship" is a word which will skew our alliance, if used in our context. Since I could not teach/preach her anything, I won’t even call myself her "mentor". She did not report to me officially, so no, she was not even a "team member". Those who are thinking that "attraction" should be the right word for our alliance, they are again seriously mistaken. People can be good to each other, without having any serious purpose, notion and relationship. In fact, there is no word that can suitably describe our short alliance. Now that she is no more working in my company, it’s obvious that we would forget each other. However, somewhere down the memory lane, I would still love to have those pranky moments cherished, which gave me a human touch and an opportunity to laugh whole heartedly, when I was living a mechanical life, which I call it – Corporate Juggernaut. It's a flavor which very few people in my office like Sumit, Puneet and Brijesh add to my life.

This blog was supposed to be on Epsita’s dumb brain…which Sujit sarcastically calls – Chacha Chaudhary jaisaa dimaag…jo ki computer se bhi tez chaltaa hai…

Well, in her context, Epsita’s brain and her understanding about worldly things is so imbecilic (foolishly different) that even computers might fail to analyze them…he he he…

Even if I try my best, I can not write about them, despite the fact that I and Sujit used to laugh on her feeble-mindedness, for hours and hours, without taking breaks. And for this, you can once again blame her CHARMS.

First Night Of 2010 - Shame On Us, Indians...

With great power comes great responsibility. You all might have known this phrase from the movie Spiderman. But what if one does not have great power? Shall he then not choose to be a responsible person? After all, responsibility, by the virtue of fact, is nothing but a choice. Isn’t it?

Since past three days, Puneet, I and Brijesh were making plans for celebrating the night of 31^st December 2009. Booz and fag, girls and music, what more do you need to make it a happening night? Brijesh was about to bring his newly wedded wife along with him. Puneet was supposed to have his girlfriend for the celebration. I as usual, was about to give them company alone as I always prefer being single. However, to add more light to the plan, we were about to pick a few female colleagues along with three or four friends of Puneet. All in all, we had a wonderful plan for a group celebration. But then, the entire world knows that we are very good planners. When it actually comes to execution, we guys tend to deviate from our so called plans. This time also, our plan changed at the last moment. All of a sudden we dropped the idea of having ladies along with us and thought to go with a stag entry (males only) in any of the nearby pubs in Gurgaon, to enjoy daaru, music and chhedofy other visiting girls just for fun sake. Must tell you I don’t drink…so keep me out of daaru thing, ok…Somehow those friends of Puneet who were about to join us also changed their plans. So we three were the only ones who stepped out of our office at about 2:00 am in the night (morning ideally) hunting for some serious “MASTI”…

I also had Om and Sujit in my mind as I gave them my cell number to call me just in case they don’t manage to get a local transport in the midnight. Both of them along with Saurabh and Himanki went for a movie – “3 Idiots” at the Metropolitan Mall for a 10:50 PM show. Since we three idiots, Puneet, me and Brijesh took Puneet’s car, I was slightly worried as to how would I drop Om and Sujit if they call me for help. Anyways, we still had Puneet’s car so it was not that big a problem. But I was still not in a mood to enjoy, as I had a hefty amount of tax cut in my salary which got credited to my bank account a few hours ago, which actually ruined all my financial plans. With this thought in my mind, we reached Sahara mall and Vipul Agora situated next to each other. However, we found a huge group of male population outside there. So we thought to check out other malls and hence moved on.

We again saw a huge male population in front of Metropolitan Mall, but somehow felt the need of checking the mall from inside. We parked the car and tried to enter the mall. The guard stopped and warned us not to go inside as there was a fighting among few drunken people in the pub, due to which the police had to close the pub. Any which ways, we thought that we might see some beautiful faces moving out of the pub. So we still entered the mall, thereby ignoring the security guard. And when we really did not see even a single Miss 2010 over there, we moved out of the mall. However, the crowd outside the mall just got tripled. Like us, everyone in the crowd was eyeing upon the females getting outside the mall. Some of them actually passed few comments too. And then, few drunken people had a fight among themselves. Reason – the same which caused Ramayana and Mahabharata. Women. That was the time when I recalled that the show for “3 idiots” might have ended and felt the probability of having Himanki, a female colleague in the mall along with Saurabh, Om and Sujit. Although Himanki is not so close to me, but still I got tensed as I knew her since past one month. Moreover, I was the one, who fetched them the tickets of such a late night show, which made me feel guiltier. Also, she told me that she would be on a bike with Saurabh which added more worries. Females on a bike, that too in midnight are open invitations to the nocturnal wolves compared to those hidden in windshield of a car. With such things happening outside the mall, I did not feel the place was safe for any female. The only problem was that I did not have the cell numbers of any of them. So I did not know how to contact them. Neither did Om & Sujit call me. Due to a tensed situation, I started dialing my office desk telephone number, just in case, if they might have reached office, they might pick it up. I don’t remember exactly, but roughly I called continuously on my desk for about 15 to 20 times nonstop. Still no one answered the call. With a blank question mark on my mind for the safety of Himanki and party, we moved on from that place. There was nothing we could do.

Our next stoppage was again Sahara Mall. Sensing more and more crowd there, Puneet did not park his car near to the mall. He futuristically figures out problems in such areas, and hence took a precautionary measure. When we reached Sahara Mall, we felt that the crowd was moving towards the entrance of the mall. The curiosity factor also moved us along with the crowd. We saw a well dressed couple stepping outside the mall, for which the crowd moved towards them. Suddenly we saw the girl falling down and screaming loudly. The crowd attacked her and her boyfriend was helpless in defending her. They were 20 to 25 people who were misbehaving with her. They even tore her clothes. However, the security guards came in for help, just in time and escorted the couple back to the mall. The entire scene happened right in front of our eyes and we were shocked to see this happening for the first time in our lives. All we could hear was the scream of that girl and the shocking effect it had in our minds. In past even I did some mischief with girls, but I never crossed the limits of decency with anyone. I do it in such a way that other party also enjoys the prank. However, this was the first time; we saw limits getting crossed by a group of few Jaats who did it just for the sake of having fun on New Year night. We along with other public present there played just the mock audiences and nothing more than that. There was nothing we could do.

Somehow, we felt the place inappropriate, so we thought we should move on. Surprisingly, we saw a PCR van just outside the mall. We were again shocked as the entire drama happened in front of the police too. And to add to our dismay, the police did nothing to control the situation.

Anyhow, we moved towards crossing the road so as to get our car. Suddenly, I remembered that I once called Om on his cell so I might have his number saved in my phone book. I was lucky to see his number and unlucky to find his cell switched off. I once again tried to call on my office desk. When no one picked up the phone, I wrote an SMS to Om. Suddenly, we heard another scream of a girl. And we rushed towards the mall to check out what happened? By the time we reached there, we did not find anything. So we could not figure out the actual happening. But we knew there was a serious problem prevailing in the vicinity of the mall. And the police was of no help. Don’t know why? Again we saw a couple, running from Sahara Mall towards Chakkarpur taking the midway lane between Sahara Mall and Vipul Agora. And then the entire crowd along with few guards also followed them. We heard a girl screaming again but this time it happened in a nearby shop which we think the girl entered to hide herself. We still don’t know what happened with her there in the shop, as we could not enter the shop. Also, we saw few policemen with guns and wooden rods coming out of the shop exclaiming – nothing happened inside and that there was no one in the shop. There was nothing we could do.

This time the crowd approached few other couples coming outside from Vipul Agora. Sensing problem, the couples rushed back to the Agora.

However, this time, Puneet & Brijesh felt – enough is enough. That was the time, they rediscovered themselves.

Brijesh – Saale kyaa ghatia harkat kar rahe hai ye log. Saalo ko peetne ki ichha ho rahi hai…

Puneet – Kutto ko sach me maarna chaahiye yaar.

I was still silent. I just don’t know why my blood was not boiling. May be the real life situation actually made me blank to such an extent that all my martial arts practice went in vane. Had there been two three people, I could have still handled the situation. But they were more than 25 and somewhere down the line, I felt that the police was also supporting them. After all, most of the policemen in Gurgaon are Jaats too. I wasn’t feeling the kick to do something, not even for cribbing. Rather, I was again very comfortable in being a mock audience. To my surprise, Puneet approached the PCR Van…

Puneet – Are bhai sahaab, ye sab kyaa ho rahaa hai? Roko naa inko…

Police Driver – Hum kyaa kar sakte hai bhai?

Puneet – Are aap log hi to kar sakte ho.

Police Driver – Har mall ke saamne aisa hi jamghat laga hua hai. Kis kis ko rokenge hum log?

Puneet – sabhi ko roko. Yehi to tumharaa kaam hai.

Police Driver – Aisaa hai, wo log itne saare hai. Aur hum log zyadaa nahi hai. Hum log kuch nahi kar sakte.

Puneet – To phone karo. Commissioner ko, DIG ko, aur force mangwaao. Agar Gurgaon ke saare malls me 500 log chaahiye to aur force mangwao. 500 police wale bulwaa lo…zaroorat hai.

Police Driver – kuch nahi hoga usse.

Brijesh – aapne phone bhi kiyaa?

Police Driver – rehne de bhai. Kuch nahi hogaa.

Puneet – Aise kaise nahi hoga yaar. Goli maaro saalo ke pairo me. Sab theek ho jayegaa…

Police Driver – Goli maarne kaa order nahi hai na humko. Warna hum goli nahi marte kya?

Me – Sab saale chootiye bhare hai is desh me. Bhenchod. Kuch nahi ho saktaa is desh kaa jahaa saale aise chondru log rahenge.

Readers; please don’t feel offended by the bad words (gaaliya) that I am using in this blog. I am just trying my best to incorporate the detailing of the incident as real as possible. And in reality, we certainly used such words.

I was furious. Surprisingly, even I was furious over the police driver. However, I was still just cribbing. I was not doing anything more than that. Whereas, Puneet & Brijesh were in full action. Puneet called one of his friends, who is in media and works for a popular newspaper as a journalist. The journalist friend advised him to take some pictures of the situation. Puneet informed him that we don’t have a camera handy. Disconnecting the call, first things first, Puneet asked us if we can arrange a camera or a video cam immediately, for which our answer was – no. He suddenly ran towards his car to get another cell phone which belonged to his elder brother. It had a very poor camera. Since he had no other option, he thought to use it. His journalist friend was instructing him from time to time. And I was still persistent in calling on my office desk trying some luck.

Brijesh – Bhenchodo ko marunga mai ab. Bus ab kuch kiyaa naa inhone, saalo ko zaroor marunga. Ab khoon khaul raha hai mera.

I was still thinking, ke apne bhai log thoda jaldi emotional ho jaate hai. Both, Puneet and Brijesh were ready to take control of the situation – more or less in a Rang-De-Basanti way.

And then the entire attention of the public went on to the entrance of Vipul Agora. Two couples, totally unaware of the situation outside, stepped out of Agora.

Brijesh – Puneet wo dekh saamne. Fir koi scene hone wala hai lagtaa. Chal unki help karte hai.

Puneet – Ek minute ek minute. Let me get the cellphone ready for snaps & videos. Wo dekh bhenchod saale lag gaye unke peeche. Chal…jaldi chal warna wo ladki ko chhodenge nahi...apne ko use bhi bachana hai...

I kind of, accompanied Puneet and Brijesh. Out of the two couples, one understood the situation that they were getting approached by a mob. So they walked faster towards their car. By the time the second couple would have gotten the entire picture, they were surrounded by the mob. Both, the guy and the girl were Chinkeys, the ones who belong to north eastern part of India. I don't know why, but people in India look upon Chinkeys as "Easy Preys" for satisfying their chauvinistic needs...Sensing problem, they started to run towards the City Center Mall…

We three too, rushed towards the scene along with other mock audiences who wanted to enjoy the show. This time, there wasn’t any security guard, nor were there any policemen as they were near to Sahara mall and the couple had already reached the midway to City Center Mall. Finally they were attacked by the mob.

Brijesh ran to sideline few of the mobsters so that the couple can get a way to run. He was like an Irritated Bull...

Meanwhile, Puneet was trying to get an angle to shoot. Everything was happening so fast that he was confused about the angle from where to shoot.

I was again shocked to see few of the mobsters pulling the girl in such a way that she fell on the ground and started screaming. I literally saw 2 – 3 people pulling off her top. She was retaliating and screaming like hell. Her boyfriend got sidelined by the mob. After all he was alone and was a thin guy who got scared with this sudden situation. They got her top halfly removed till her neck and started playing with her body parts.

I don’t know what happened to me at that time…I rushed towards the girl lying in front of me. I shouted like hell…

Me - (shouting in full volume) Bhosadchoooodooooo…Gaaaaaaaanduoooo…ek ek ki bund maarungaa aaj mai…Maderchoodooo kisi ko nahi chhodungaa mai…

Three mobsters were trying to get on her upper body. One after the other, I pulled each of them and threw them in three different directions. I don’t know how I managed to do so, but this time, I was feeling utterly powerful and felt as if I would kill anyone and everyone who would try to move towards the girl. I really don’t know if the mob was planning for a rape or just molestation, but I was truly in a killing mode. I pulled the chinkey boyfriend too and threw him on the girl so as to cover her body. But he could not balance himself. I was at the peak point of profanity yelling bad words (Gaaliaa) in Shudh hindi…Seeing this unexpectedly, few mobsters were slightly taken a back. That was the time, when I pulled the girl and made her sit. She was still retaliating, as she could not make out who was helping and who was misbehaving. She also hit me hard on my shoulder. By that time, I pulled her top (more of a T-shirt) from her neck, down to cover her upper body. May be that was the time when she realized that I was a helper. And she broke in tears…Till that time, I was constantly yelling all sorts of Hindi Gaaliyaa in full volume…I don’t have any logic for that. It just happened…Moreover, I kind of lost Puneet and Brijesh in the entire incident.

Chinkey boyfriend – Sneha, Sneha utho, Sneha…

This is how I came to know her name. Gradually she was getting unconscious and she again fell on the ground. I lifted her shoulders up and asked her boyfriend to lift her too…She was heavy but we both managed to slide her away from the mob. Meanwhile, I asked him his name, to which he replied - Sunny…

I saw Brijesh who was still bare handedly dealing with few of the mobsters. Puneet was still unknown. Sneha, the girl, was still half unconscious. I saw an Omni Van passing by, which stopped after seeing the scene. I requested the driver to take the girl in the Van. But the driver was apprehensive. He was then requested by other people to let her in. Finally he understood that the girl was in the problem and needs help. So he allowed us to get in his van. Sunny got inside the Van and tried to pull her where as I was pushing her from the ground itself. Suddenly she regained her consciousness and felt as if she was getting kidnapped in a Van. She again used her legs to hit, which finally worked. Her heels hit me hard on my upper chest. But soon I used her name…

Me - Sneha, Sneha, control yourself. Please control yourself…We are trying to help you.

She again recognized me and regained her calmness. But she was totally broken into tears. I asked her boyfriend to lock them up from inside and I immediately slide the doors.

That moment I felt as if my cell phone was vibrating. I checked and it turned out to be Puneet’s call. He called me at a distance and informed me that he could not take any of the pictures or videos as few of the mobsters forcibly threw handful of sand on his face due to which his spectacles fell and he suffered a poor vision in the darkness. He tried to search it but could not find it. So he ran towards his car, to get his spare ones…That was the best action for him considering the gravity of the situation. And that’s why he was missing from the scene for a short while. After all, this sadistic world believes in PROOFs, which we had to collect simultaneously saving the girl.

Unexpectedly, we saw Sneha stepping out of the Van. She was crossing the road to move towards the JMD Mall as she saw a few policemen there. We tried to stop her and requested her to get back in the Van. But she reacted furiously.

Sneha – (pointing her fingers towards us, she yelled) Ayeeee…Tum log beech me mat aao…

Me – Listen Sneha, I am the one who helped you. Just listen to me. Don’t go over there…it’s not good for you.

Sneha – I know you helped me. And for that I am very thankful to you. But please, let me handle this now. Stay away…please.

She then approached to the policemen and had an argument with them. Obviously the Jaat policemen were not ready even to support her. Bloody Chootiye Saale. And when she argumentatively addressed one of them by touching him, they got furious. Believe me, the policemen started slapping her and one of his friends stating – policewale pe haath kaise uthaaya…? Now the case was really deteriorated and again we could do nothing. Both the girl (Sneha) and her troop boarded their car and left the place. This was the time, when we three felt really helpless.

While the police was slapping them, one of the mobster identified me and said – Tune hi bachayaa thaa na usko? Jaa nikaal us ladki ko ab wahaa se.

Puneet again sensed problem and instructed me and Brijesh to leave the place as the mob identified me as a helper and hence may attack.

We left the place realizing – is chootiye Hindustan kaa kuch nahi ho saktaa kyuki yahaa ke log sudharnaa nahi chaahte. Of the entire public (close to 150, including policemen), only we three tried to take the situation under control…and we did it successfully by saving Sneha from getting molested/gang-raped. But on a larger picture, we still failed as there was not even a single arrest post the incident by those Jaat policemen.

We are still shocked by the entire incident, yet a sense of contentment prevails just for one reason – we won’t find ourselves guilty of being a mock admirer. As we lost faith in the civil defense mechanism in Gurgaon, we decided to take control of the situation. We boarded our car and literally did patrolling on the entire MG road, till 4:30 in the morning. We informed several couples and girls coming out of malls, and pubs about the incident and the probable danger, escorted them too, till their cars and caretakers and were thanked by them instantly. We realized our responsibility, accepted it and executed it till everything was cleared up. Few females co-operated with us. Few, got more frightened where as others just thought it to be an innovative style of getting along with girls.

There were these two girls outside the City Center Mall whom we requested to leave the place as soon as possible citing them the danger of walking alone on the streets.

One of them said, we don’t have to worry, coz my Dad is in Army.

To which I replied – The only problem is that your Army Officer Dad is not here, so please co-operate.

Soon they realized their mistake and asked for help, and we escorted them too, towards one of the girl’s boyfriend waiting in a car on the opposite side of the road, who again considered us pranksters.

We tried to help a newly married couple for about half an hour but failed to do so as the lady had a quarrel with her husband and she was settling it on the road. She shouted on us too…Oh God! Kaise kaise namoone milte hai raato me, help karne jaao, aur ultaa galiyaa khao. Ultimately, they lost themselves in the narrow lanes of DLF phase 1 and we left for our office.

The moment I reached office, I found one of the team members from the GBG team, who gave me Saurabh’s contact number. After learning from Saurabh, that none of them faced any problems after the 3 Idiot show, I was quite relieved.

We are still shocked to such an extent that we could not sleep properly. It’s been 11 continuous hours that I am blogging this incident. And in the morning when we went to the same place around 7:00 am, to search Puneet’s fallen spectacles, everything seemed to be so perfect as if nothing happened there during night.

The very first night of 2010 taught us many things that definitely affected our personal lives. We have witnessed one of the most heinous things that can happen to a woman. We would definitely be haunted by this incident, if at all we see any kind of mischief happening around any female.

Secondly – it's our humble request to all of you that "don’t just rely on the civil defense mechanism of the country. It is BAKWAAS…So start taking control of situations on your own by coming forward to help"…

Thirdly, just grab a chance and leave this chootiya country along with your ladies, as soon as possible. You never know, one day these mobs might start attacking homes too.

And that’s not the last one…

This is for all the females (girls/working women/elderly)…

PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE DON’T GO OUT FOR PUBS, DISC’S AND LATE NIGHT SHOWS AFTER 9:00 PM IN GURGAON ATLEAST.

EVEN IF YOU ARE WITH YOUR PARTNERS OR PRESIDENT / PRIME MINISTER / ARMY OFFICER DAD’S, YOU ARE NOT SAFE, AS THEY COME IN A MOB…

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, BELIEVE SERIOUSLY & COOPERATE, IF SOMEONE IS GENUINELY TRYING TO HELP…

Heading Towards My True North...

May be I really needed a break.  Everything was just too much for me, with no scope to begin new ventures.  And those things which I left in the past were just left-over.  All that I had in my life was just office, office and office during weekdays and some time during weekends which used to just swift away within no time.  

The fact that I took a twelve day leave from my work (eight weekdays actually) really bothered me initially.  But after having spent three of those, I now feel that I am good on it.  Just imagine, switching off my cell phone was never so wonderful earlier as it is now.  I am totally out of touch with those who want to contact me for N number of reasons.  And I am still within reach for those whom I would love to be in contact with.  Isn’t that simply amazing?  He he he…

Now that’s what you can expect from a person like me…I will give 100% of my dedication when I am at work but will not give anyone even a single chance to contact me when I am not working.  He he he…

Three days have gone by and I still did not feel the pressure of my exam.  Although, I have used the first day just to relax and watch a movie at PVR.  Second day was actually used by me to complete a chapter on Ethical Practices in Investment analysis.  I am glad I finished it completely. 

While browsing internet, I saw few videos on Youtube.  One such video turned me upside down.  It was a lecture given by Professor Shankar at ISB Hyderabad on the topic – finding your true north.  I never attended even a single class during my college days…and see I am so anxious to attend them today even on Youtube…he he he.  The lecture took two of my hours and I am happy that I was completely engrossed in it right from the beginning till it ended. 

The professor did mention about finding our true north and then living it.  According to him, awareness, attention, action and reflection are the four factors that take us to our true north.  It was a lecture that urged me to do some soul searching.  The third day of my leave was completely used in asking me few questions and seeking answers to them.  You can call it rediscovering self.  I somehow discovered a huge guilt within myself for consciously being away from many things that I used to do during childhood.  Bird-watching, Painting, Martial Arts, Meditation, Trekking and listening to Music were few of my passions when I used to be in school.  Also, aero-modeling and swimming were those things which I liked but never had enough money to indulge myself with them. 

In past six years, I used to think that only watching movies at PVR can relax me.  I failed to understand that there were many things that I could have done to rejuvenate myself from hectic work pressure and heinous office politics.  I was simply not satisfied with the gifts that work life gave me in the form of body pain, a cartoon like disfigured body and severe mental tension.  After that soul searching exercise, I really felt that I should rebuild life on those long lost passion that I possessed during childhood. 

Subsequently, the pursuit of happiness led me to finalize few things that I would like to do this year apart from working…

Regular study for a good educational credential

Regular Martial Arts practice

Listening music

Bird-watching,

Trekking &

Visiting new places during weekends

Since, I am already learning new concepts of investment research and risk management; I am already pursuing my educational aspirations.  The need is to bring rigor into it.  I don’t know how I will do it, but then, I will do it.  

Yesterday I did some browsing on Martial Arts Coaching Centers operating in Gurgaon.  I finally ended up speaking to Gunjan Sharma, who is a Jeet Kuni Do instructor.  My Jeet Kuni Do training will begin from tomorrow and today I have plans for purchasing a sport shoe and new track suite.  He he he…

Yesterday, I purchased a new audio CD of Dev.D and uploaded the songs in my laptop.  I really enjoyed the creative compilations of Amit Trivedi, the music director of the album.  I would shop some more of music for my iPod. 

I also got a new collection titled – The book of Indian Birds by Salim Ali.  It is a book that I intended to purchase when I was in school but never had enough money to do so.  I am glad the book is in my shelf now and I have also started browsing internet for a pair of good binoculars.  Also, I now have three new people on my networking list who have already started interacting with me on topics related to bird-watching. 

During my school days, I was associated with World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature India.  I would be visiting its Delhi office today to seek its regular membership.  I am sure, apart from working for a good cause to preserve nature; it would definitely offer some trekking and natural sight seeing camps in the coming future.  By the way, a month ago, I already visited Bareilly & Nainital along with Sumit.  It was an unplanned trip which offered me great insights about touring places.  Now it’s time for me to explore other parts of North India till I am in Delhi.  I really need to live by the phrase – the world is not enough…he he he

While gifting an Arrow Shirt to Brijesh (DAMM team member) on his birthday, today I was content enough to have friends like him along with Puneet and Manoj.  Initially, I had certain inhibitions about them as I never liked BPO employees.  However, gradually I realized that being from BPO background does not necessarily mean they are evil.  If I work in a BPO, I should not remain aloof from the fact that there are other good people also who are making their livelihood from the same industry.  Well, they are very few in numbers, but then the point is…They are.  Being with them, I sometimes become nostalgic as they do remind me of my friends during my college days.  I need to teach them seriousness and in turn seek an opportunity from them to spend some casual moments even in work life. 

Above all, I talked, talked and talked on numerous topics with my Mom and just felt life.  My work timings are such that I hardly get time to interact with her.  Taking a break from work now has given me enough time to be with her.  I took her out and watched a movie – Firaaq along with her.  It is something that I rarely did in past few years. 

I don’t know if I am actually heading towards my true north.  But I would really feel good if I pursue things close to my heart.  Quality Management is all about reducing variations and defects and I learnt & practiced it in my work life.  It’s time for me to implement it to my personal life as well so as to live an overall Quality Life. 

Of course, work would still be my priority.  But it will not be the only one, anymore.  He he he...

Be Humane - Respond Timely

Once upon a dream, there was a call that somehow got rejected / unanswered. Do you know what that call did? That night it created havoc in the life of the person who ignored / rejected it. It forced him to wake up in his life thereby respecting every situation wherein others might try to reach him even when he is at the peak point of his busy schedule.

Now that’s still a dreamy situation where in anything and everything can happen because you might consider it hypothetical. So now its time for you to taste a bit of reality…taste it with a pinch of salt…

Back in 1998, I used to visit SFS College even though I was not a student then. Those days, I got myself involved in every fight that happened for the silliest possible reasons. Those were the days when people used to call me Datch Bhai…and I used to resolve their disputes by arranging settlements between two parties. If not, then I used to take decisions in bashing up the party which did not get ready for the so called agreement…now that’s what made me a Bhai…those days. People used to call me at a nearby restaurant in Seminary Hills which belonged to one of my friends. That was my contact point if someone wanted to call me over the phone.

One such day, I was involved in two college fights. I was in the middle of settling the first one, when Birju, who used to work in the restaurant, came and informed me that someone called from my home and wanted to speak to me. Now those who are close to us are always ignored by us when we think we are busy. Even I ignored the message and continued with the settlement. And while dealing the second one, I somehow got involved too much in the fight forgetting Birju’s message.

When everything got over, I went home as usual to have lunch. The moment I reached home, I was informed by my aunt that my father was admitted to Apollo hospital as he broke his leg. My Mom tried to call me twice but since I did not take the call, I could not get the message. I rushed to the Apollo Hospital where in I learnt from the doctor that my father may or may not be able to walk normally again. The doctors gave my Mom two options for the treatment and she was confused as to which one was to be selected. During that point of time, she missed me a lot as only family members can take such decisions. In my absence, she had to rely on the doctor’s choice of treatment. My father was already operated when I reached the hospital. I was highly embarrassed by the very thought that when my family needed me the most, I was settling scores for others thereby ignoring their call. I realized that messages are only to be taken and not to be ignored.

After few months, I saw my father walking normally again. May be that was the reason I forgot what I did the day he broke his leg and hence moved on to a normal life.

Time lets you forget everything. Back in 2004, when I worked for Convergys, I had a colleague called Vikram. Since both of us gelled with each other due to a common team and female interest we gradually became friends. Those days, we had to meet our work targets that our team leader used to give us everyday. Since I was not very comfortable working on a keyboard, I had to concentrate a lot while executing my job. Gradually I developed the habit of rejecting calls which I used to receive during my work hours. That unfortunate day, I rejected two of Vikram’s calls as I was busy in meeting my daily target. Later in the evening, I was informed by Monika that Vikram passed away as he met with an accident.

I still remain perplexed as to why he called me? The time I rejected his call was very close to the time he met with the accident, which took away his life. May be he called me for help…as the accident happened in the vicinity close to my place of residence. It was a Déjà vu for me as I created a similar situation earlier also when I chose to ignore the message of my Mom who wanted me around. This time, it wasn’t family but a close friend whom I can not see again. Indeed I met my work target that day by rejecting those calls, but I lost someone whom I used to consider the only friend those days.

We humans tend to learn our lessons only when we loose things close to us. That’s the hard fact of life. And the above incident made me learn one thing – we should atleast value the fact that someone who tried to reach us through a call or a message should not be ignored, even when we are busy. We should respect the caller by accepting his / her call…be it for the shortest possible duration, so that two-way information flows between the caller and the receiver about their next moves. It eases situations rather than worsening it. Moreover, I don’t think that we are Prime Ministers or Presidents to be that very busy to reject or ignore calls and still don’t have time to respond back to the caller. By doing so, we exhibit an extremely rude and a highly non-responsible behavior.

Prashant from Xchanging would tell you how badly he was abused by me when he repeatedly ignored my calls while he was in office.

I was sitting in a saloon when Swati called me to enquire on his behalf.

I shouted on her, “Ask that bastard to call me right now or else I will be there in the office to tear him apart”.

That was just the trailer…he he he…and when he called, the actual movie lasted for about twenty minutes where in all the customers and the barbers went out of the saloon fearing me as I was just yelling at him in a Dolby digital sound for exhibiting such a non-responsible behavior. Just within 20 minutes after that call, Prashant was at my place leaving everything behind to apologize for what he did that day. If he would have received my call to inform me about his busy schedule, I wouldn’t have fulminate him…because even I understand that people, at times are busy. But what on earth makes them ignore / reject calls with out sending a timely response and later on expect decency from the caller?

Sumit, a close colleague who is often considered a younger brother to me understood my point when he happened to ignore one my calls. Fortunately, he never repeated his mistake since then.

For males, I can still use abusive language that too in the purest form of Hindi to convince them about my point of view. But what if, the person who rejects / ignores your call turns out to be a female? And if she is your friend cum colleague, how would you treat her? Well, for me the answer is quite simple. I generally don’t support female reservations or concessions. That's the most authentic form of gender equality according to me. So the treatment that I have for the male members is applicable to the female ones too…Doesn’t mean that I would use abusive language for a female. But yes, the person, (male or a female), who ignores / rejects my call without conveying a timely message will certainly be ignored / rejected by me.

Definitely, I don’t hesitate to de-list such people from my professional or personal circle of influence. Till date, three of my best friends which includes, two females as well, are the victim of my philosophy. They were warned about it thrice but then they took me or my philosophy for granted. Today, I don't even have talking terms with those three, who used to be one of my best friends once. And I don’t have just reasons for doing so, but a proper conceptual philosophy. At times, even I remain busy, to such an extent that I have to work for close to 15-18 hours a day. Most of the times, even I have to be in meetings or 1x1 sessions or conference calls with clients. But still, I manage to send at least a short information to the caller thereby facilitating information exchange so that the caller does not have to wait for me. The only exception to this rule is - when I am not in my senses.

A simple message to all my existing / future friends / people in my network – Lack of timely response to my phone calls, emails & messages is a sin, which will not be tolerated. I will still understand when the other party would either be sleeping, driving or in a medical state where in he / she can not respond. But NOT otherwise.

Needless to mention, that I learnt my lesson the hard way. Its better that you all learn it from my experience, or else be ready to loose me as a friend and then learn your lesson…it will either be a hard way for you too, or else…ki fark paindaa hai ji? Rishi jaise to kitne log aate jaate rainde hai…he he he

After all, why should I be the only one to loose friends (like Vikram) just because of rejected calls or ignored messages? Isn’t it?

Thanks Navneet...

Who would have ever thought that becoming an Assistant Manager in my organization would be so very tough for me. Atleast not me, nor my fellow colleagues who are Management Trainees (M.T.) in the same organization. Although, I have had completed 90 percent of my trainings by July 25, I was very sure of the completion of my entire MT roadmap by the time I would have graduated as an A.M. as more than half a month was left for the D day...which was scheduled on 20th August.

But wait ! Before transitioning myself from M.T. to an A.M., life wanted to me learn few things, like time management, target management and success management. Life wanted me to understand personally what that powerfull emotion called MOTIVATION was all about. It wanted me to learn a word called ENDURANCE, not through a dictionary but through practical experiences.

I still remember the 26th day of June this year, when I got an email with a user id and a password for my CIPM course, which was a part of my MT roadmap. I thought it was just like another course/training that I had to complete on the web, so as to graduate as an A.M. Never did I think that the course is very very (and one more times) very lengthy to be completed in a period of a month. We M.T.'s had already written several e-mails to the training department about it and never got satisfactory responses earlier...also, we witnessed few M.T.'s graduating as A.M.'s without it's completion. So we also developed a casual attitude towards it. But no...just when there was about a month left for my graduation, I received this email and thought that I would attempt this training after the completion of our monthly Investment Performance Measurement exercise called DAP.

So on July 26, when it was a Satuday, I thought to complete my remaining roadmap...when I logged into the training website, I was shocked to see the course content which was never ending...I immediately called Puja, another M.T. and informed her that we had been fooled...the training is very long and time taking...plus the way it was designed, it was almost impossible for us to complete it in a months time. And on the top of it, I already promised my team members to coach them for Six Sigma Green Belt program. Not only this, another email that I received from the training department revealed that we have to complete this training pior to 30th of the month, so as to be eligible for the actual CIPM exam in the following month...Oooooooooooooooh...what is this? How will I manage both the herculian tasks simultaneously...I was literally shivering...as for me, the target was to complete this training in just five days...Oh God! isn't that impossible...I mean if it would just have been click click and click, then I could have done it in just a single day...but no...learning was the only aim of that training so that one can clear the CIPM exam after it's completion.

Somehow, I decided to get started...and yo...I was on...but hey...the course structure is just the same as that of PMP...How casual was I in my thoughts, when I picked up a book on Project Management Professionals (PMP), two years ago from The Om Book Shop, located at The Metropoliton Mall, out of sheer curiosity. Those days, I thought project management was one of the sought after domains, that professionals strived for. So it was not good for me to remain unaware about it. Atleast, I should have a basic idea about what it is all about so that people don't call me a geek. That book gave me an information that Project Management Institute gives six months to it's students to complete this course...and see the saga of life, that an equivalent course called CIPM is giving me just few days to complete it...Notheless, did I think while purchasing that book...that this domain would literally give me tight goosebumps in my later life...he he he...

I toiled days and nights, flipping close to four thousand slides, thereby ignoring my parent's arrival from Nagpur. And when it was Monday morning, I realized that Saturday and Sunday already passed away and I was studying for this course non-stop for about thirty five hours...woooooooooo...I did that earlier with Six Sigma too...but this was relatively a longer one...I went home, slept for about five hours and then was back to office, as I was tensed regarding the completion of the course...Less time for a lengthy course...thereby recalling and memorizing everything present in those four thousand slides which included several theories, formulae, calculations, diagramming and so on and so froth...and clearing five tests apart from the final Mock test after which the training department would line me up for the paper based CIPM exam...wwwwoooooooo, along with five other trainings remaining in my roadmap...he he he...what a joke...felt like crying...?

It would not have been so very difficult, if I would have had 'TIME' in my bucket...but that was the entire crux...I had to manage everything in just few days...wasn't that challenging enough...? Lakshmi from Training department adviced me to complete the training till 8th August so as to complete the roadmap and be eligible for the paper based test...thanks to her for understanding my problem...and extending the deadline...which still looked quite unacheivable...

Hooooooooooohhhh...days got stretched up from 24 hours, to 35 hours apart from 4 to 5 hours of sleep in between. Guards in my office were bored of seeing my face whenever they used to come to check my presence...as they had to switch off the lights...Barista guys were fed up with preparing coffee and sandwiches for me atleast five times a day...Vending machine serving Lays and Bites got choked up by my frequent usage...and above all...I got a a new name, VOLINI SPRAY...he he he...given by the nurses lined up at the medical room in my office...who used to witness my paining neck and backbone...thereby spraying the pain killing Volini (a healing medication) after every five to six hours...

From Parametric Modeling to Delphi Techniques...from Precedence Diagramming to calculation of floats & duration...from Monte Carlo Simulation to Investment Appraisals...from Crashing to PERT'ing...from designing Critical Paths to estimating costs and doing Economic Monetary Valuation analysis...my life was completely berserkkkkkkkkkk...I learnt only one thing...that studying project management itself became a project for me...gradually I cleared all the tests except the Mock one...

It was 6th day of August, when I was about to appear for the Mock Test...for the first time after learning that I have completed reading 60% of my course...but it was just reading, and not full preparation...Plus I just wanted to get rid of it as I was quite bored...and when I clicked an option for the last Mock Test question on my computer, I was completely shattered to see...that I could not clear the Mock Test...To my dismay, I was broken...I just went home and slept for about 4 hours...when I returned to office, I spoke to several M.T.'s and then thought of raising an exception for this course as I somehow realized that it is nearly impossible for completing it in the next two days...Raising exception was another coward option...used by several M.T.'s...yet I decided to speak to Navneet, my manager...

After listening to my story, Navneet said, "Rishi, you still have two days left...and with the amount of input you had given to this course, I am pretty sure that you would be able to finish it within time...just give it a shot again...if it doesn't work out, then I would speak to the HR and Training department for raising an exception...but till then atleast try your second (out of three) attempt..."

With those positive expectations from Navneet and her filtered & chosen words falling on my ears, I was sure that even if I don't complete this training, my graduation would not be affected...atleast my manager is with me...somehow, I got charged up with positive moral...and decided to re-do the entire material once again...

I don't really remember how hours passed away...and when Navneet was back the very next day, she asked me why was my cell phone out of reach?...I told her that my cell was being used by my Mom with another simcard...she then informed me, that she called because she wanted to know about the status of my training and test...

Now I felt - I am being cared...whatever she spoke to me a day earlier, were not just normal words of a manager...now I realized that it had a personal touch too...

And when Shailly casually asked Navneet, "Ye kyaa haal karwaa diyaa aapne Rishi kaa?", Navneet replied,"Karne do...hone do uskaa aisaa haal...tabhi to efficiency pataa chalti hai"...hhhhhooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo....WHAT IS THIS? The situation was...if things go fine...everything would be normal for me...but if they go wrong...then I would be perceived as inefficient...he he he...AMAZING...WONDERFUL...MARVELOUS...STUPENDOUS...I don't know, from where Navneet learnt this technique of boosting moral and then giving a challenge...

THAT WAS THE POINT WHEN I GOT FOCUSSED WITH A ZERO MIND...This was the real life situation which made me feel as if I am Mr Bond...thereby considering Navneet as Madam "M"...he he he...I somehow recollected myself and geared up for the MISSION CIPM...

I don't really know how I invested another 18 hours with extreme determination, focus, and perseverance...at about 12.00 PM on August 8, I saw a Congratulations message popping up on my screen after hitting the last question of the Mock Test...

KUDOS...to whom?...to me? No...not to me...but to Navneet...? If still you guys ask me the reasons for it...then just stop reading my blogs from now on...

NOW I REALLY KNOW WHAT TRIUMPH IS ALL ABOUT...it would help me in clearing my educational, professional and personal goals in my later life...

Now I can say, that I have learnt my lessons prior to becoming an A.M...

Leadership is all about creating positive examples...and in this journey, it is all about experiencing and setting stretch targets...Not just setting them...but also acheiving them too...after all setting impossible target separates you from masses...but acheiving them, enable you to create your own classes...

MISSION CIPM PHASE 1...ACCOMPLISHED...

Bond