Unpacking Memories

 

You just don’t un-pack your backpack after a trip, you un-pack lot of memories as well. Just back from a trip with my team (yes the office team), I un-packed a lot of memories too. A trip that brought us close to each other, build an alliance and a great deal of camaraderie. I witnessed blossoming from 'Individuals' to 'US' on the trip.

With over two years of virtual interaction, first thing that manager told me when he looked at me is You look younger (Smaller) than you appear on the daily call. And first thing that flashed on mind is how he is so tall. The one who asks for updates every morning and evening seemed soft on the calls is really an intimidating (giant) figure. Had it been a physical interaction on actionable every day, I would definitely be more productive considering his physic and body language.

It was definitely a different feeling meeting people in person & shaking hands and not just greeting on your monitor. Pulling each other’s legs & pranking them and not just obeying the commands. From hesitantly asking my colleagues to fill in for me or attend some work of mine while I’m on leave, now I can command for their help.

Rarely do you realize the levels of camaraderie with your team on the first outing. It was definitely a culmination of different people with different backgrounds & varied experiences meet and play a melody in sync. The gang was just perfect in all aspects.

However what did the trip did to us.. ??

It made us a family and no more a team. Or may be a better way to put it is that we all promoted ourselves to a tag called Office Family and not just a team anymore. Most importantly, the trip gave me rights over my teammates to reach out to them for help/suggestions or anything else without hesitation.  We made vows to continue our holiday (irrespective of us being in the same team or not). Only time will tell if that ever happens

While it was fully worth travelling from casually talking about Delhi’s weather to why Kriti should quit her job and join family business. It is a journey I covered during our holiday which definitely made us better mates. I still cannot believe few things she claims to have done. One of which is polluting water cooler at her school with BP (while in 9^th grade). And how she attracts foreigners with her charm is a story for another day.

 From reminding each other of the time sheets we have to fill to yelling at Prity while she isn’t posing properly for a click is yet another testimony to the intimacy we have built during the trip. I have never seen people who would ROFL for straight 15 mins on a street side dhaba. She is an exception. And her love for roads and laying down on the pavement is fable worth listening to.

However paramount was the fact that excursion transformed me from an employee who is always politely obliging to managers words to telling him you treat me like a step son Suraj, everything I do is wrong…!! He claiming to be Ajit Doval like, proclaiming to be the best singer and mind reader, my Manager is a Master of all Trades. I have seen food bloggers, but I have met a Tea blogger for the first time. You say Suraj Tea…? Doesn’t matter if it is 3AM, 12PM, 7AM or just after a meal… You always get treated with a sizzling cup of Chai.

While these instances are just icing on the cake, there is a big chocolate cake beneath. Experiences, feelings, thoughts and everything associated with those 3-4 days were memorable. Special mentions are when the Green Tea party starts at 9AM and continues up to sunrise. Epic it is.

I have packed all my memories, filed them and saved them on those inerasable corners of my mind. Splendid trip that. Clicked moments not only through my mobile but also through my heart. Wish these trips go on (fingers crossed).

 

Sakethursforever : )

But, how do I transcibe

It is indeed a beautiful date when you spend time in peace and in the company of nature. I hear a lot of stories when we (me and the nature) look at each other hamd in hand. 

But,

How Do I Transcribe...?

"Strolling through those lush green woods,

Each of them whispering about their brotherhood,

They tell me a fable of them standing tall,

How do I transcribe all that I recall.

Watching those gentle clouds glide by,

Blending into one another while they fly,

Each one voice an yarn into my ear,

How do I transcribe all that I hear.

Running down the hills & cutting across the valley,

The voilent river waves at me while it rally,

Narrates me about all of the beautiful ramble,

How do I transcribe what I wangle.

A cool and refreshing breeze it was,

Gently brushing me as if there is a cause 

Tells me stories of all places it has been,

How do I transcribe all that it has see..."

Sakethursforever : )

Thinking it is impossible to making it possible

 Though being a sport enthusiast; love playing cricket, badminton, a small time trekker, and enjoy walking while talking to self. I have not taken fitness as a routine exercise as yet in life. And then came this opportunity (may be a challenge I should call) of walking 100 Kms in 10 days. Thanks to my work place, where people believe in fitness and gives it equal importance if not more while compared to gross profit to the organisation. I saw my colleagues signing up for the challenge, Employee engagement team mailing about event and whatsapp groups speaking about it, some neuron inside my head said; "Saketh why not". 

Then came the saga of how things went from "Thinking it is impossible to making it possible".

So we were to walk certain distance everyday, had liberty of recording the activity on any of the fitness apps and upload the screenshot EOD on the event dash board. So the first thought that came to my mind is, how do I manipulate this app? Is there somehow I can cheat the app? How can I report higher no.s while actually not walking that much. Can I stretch my hands to & fro and see if no. of steps increase. Or may be put the mobile on a cane swing (one I love sitting on during the tea time) and give it a hard push, expecting it to keep moving for 3-4 minutes at least. Also thought of asking my neighbor who goes for an early morning walk at 5 AM everyday to carry my mobile along (expecting him to do 2-3 kms). 

While one half of my mind was thinking of all these crazy ideas, a quarter of my mind thinking if this is actually possible, a small part within myself said why not just try and see what distance you move everyday under normal walks of life and then decide if this is possible. Even before the event actually flagged off, I checked on my mobile how much do I walk in a day. It was nothing more than 3 Kms. But the math for the event says a participant needs to walk 10 Kms a day to complete 100Kms in 10 days. So I needed to pick up 7 more Kms from somewhere. Task cut out.

End of day 1, my app read a 6.35 Kms. Which meant I'm 3 point something short of my daily average (excuse my quick math). Then when I layed back that night, between closing my eyes and sleeping I started to fiddle with whatsapp and the "Randstad Trailwalkers" group stricked  my bubble of confidence which was silently sleeping within in deep corners of my heart. Saw colleagues doing more than 10Kms and giving words of encouragement; this  was much necessary. Which is when I started to believe the impossible can be possible. 

Next day I have again clocked same 6 odd kilometers. Which meant my deficit went higher up. I have analysed when can I get more time to walk and increase the meter.  I chalked out my daily routine, I figured out I watch a 30 minutes stock market show every evening. I shifted from watching the show on laptop to mobile. Plugged in the earphones and started walking while listening to the markets update. The kilometers shot up by 3. Next to add to the list was the morning walk (had to alter my wake-up time). This added another 2 Kilometers. But the catch here was that I had to get back home, get ready and gear up for the morning status call with my team. The call usually takes 25-30 minutes. So I came back home from the morning walk, freshened up, plugged in the earphones and walked around the balcony attending the call. All of this made sure I clocked 8-9 Kilometers for sure. Next was to figure out how to accommodate more time. Thanks to work from home, the client interactions mostly are digital visits over phone. I have started to take them from the lawn walking around by not just sitting in front of the laptop. Holding my evening tea having a lazy walk in the evenings was a bonus. Add to all of that, one of the amazing thing I introduced myself to was Pod-Cast. Post dinner walks listening to great people speak was yet another experience.

The key was to figure out where all you can accommodate walking in your daily life. What all things I could do while I was still walking. 

Third day when I clocked 15Kms, though I slept with satisfaction, there was a niggle with my ankle. Poor one, did not know much about the challenge. A quick google search suggested putting my legs into luke warm water for 5-10 mins before the bed time which worked well. However, did not have to do from day 5. I observed my walking speed went up since day 5 and I was able to cover 20% excess distance within the same time. A friend joined me for a walk one, looked at my speed of walking and commented "such aggressive walk...hope you are not up for a protest against the government".

Speaking of positives, while walking you get a lot of time to talk to self, understand deep inside thoughts which are untold to self too. Analyse things in a better way because while walking your brain is absolutely free to think and process anything. And believe me, the processor speed with your brain goes few giga bytes higher when your legs are working. One quote from my favorite movie says "We do not recognize miracles when they happen, and there is no point in recognizing them once they are already happened". Similarly when my fitness app read 100 Kms in 8 days, it was nothing short of a miracle. I was elated and happy because this was something I thought was impossible. But as Sachin on the Adidas ad says, Impossible is nothing.! 

While leaders and colleagues on the whatsapp group boosted confidence, the quest to pour something interesting into routine life (considering how 2020 is) was one of the prime motivation. And there is nothing better than a fitness challenge which can add spice to life. I understand 100 Kms is a small thing considering people run marathons and do triathlon. But for a simple common person like me this is something to cherish. Specially that day when I clocked 18 odd kms, I was like WoW.

However, the bigger challenge now is to continue the routine and do at
least a decent amount of walk, if not 100 Kms in 10 Days. Looking forward for a fitter and a happier ME.

Sakethursforever : )

 

Resilient, Reliable and Resistant

When your wounds are deeper than the flesh,

When your destination is long ahead of the horizon,

When your thoughts race past the time and present,

When what you feel flood out of the brimming heart....

When the grief is heavier than the memories that lead your past,

When the gloom around engulfs all the space around you,

When what you mean is deeper then the words you spell,

When your thoughts are paced, swifter than your actions....

When you realize the music playing within has changed the tune,

When you realize the course of your thoughts have changed their flow,

When you realize every face is a mask of infinite experiences,

When you realize every melting second is a fighting distance travelled….

When you want to fight with the unknown within,

When you want to play the role of a stranger hiding within,

When you want to curse the existing soul within,

When you walk the path which is not guided from within... 

When you forgive your past for having you on its journey,

When you overlook how the next second would embrace you,

When you pamper your ability to fight a little longer,

When you urge your virtues to ignore the world around you....

You feel someone bringing in new warmth,

You are illuminated with the brightness, that someone brings in,

You rise above your limits,

You glide through the misery,

You fight all the odds,

You wait for nothing and...

You see someone else on the mirror. Far more Resilient, Reliable and Resistant.....

Sakethursforever : )

But for my Team.!

Mondays are usually busy days at corporate."Pull up your socks", "Go all guns blazing", "Such is life you have to face it", "Smart work will makes us stand apart", "We need to turn the tide", "The pipeline looks bleak"....and many more motivational words pump our fuel tanks to fullest for a impact full week ahead. This Monday could have been nothing but similar.

Reviews, Sales forecast, Pipeline discussion, Client management, Client Queries, Prospective Clients, Industry mapping; and the list goes on and on.

But for my team. 

Today was definitely an experience that I would remember for long long time to come.The routine Monday review call has took off some 5 minutes ago. I in front of my team, reporting manager, Department head, business head and others. I just lost myself. Generally we prepare what we speak. But today I was little more than carried away by how the call started. It was not until my business head called out my name and said "Satya looks confused, he thinks what is happening in the sales review call". I quickly gathered my thoughts back on my pretty bleak performance. But those impact-full conversation stayed with me a littler longer.  And these are thoughts that would occupy my mind between the time I going to bed and the time I fall asleep. 

As I logged into the call, there were jargons definitely playing out loud, but they were on a different turf all together. People were discussing philosophy with tinge of spirituality. My department head started to speak of how he was questioning few inner quests of his. How reading few books enlightened him. How it has changed his life and finally e spoke about the famous phase"Me in me, talking to me in you....". Then the business head swiftly took over the conversation and spoke about 7 years he spent in an educational institute curving towards spirituality. It has to do with what inner engineering is. Both the heads spoke about "How a certain knowledge changed them and what they have learnt out of it". My mind, then quickly recollected what my reporting manager, who once told me about Yoga and it's benefits.

I already said, I was blown away with the thoughts, flown away in their words and gained my senses only after the business head called out my name.

One amazing thing my fiance taught me is to introspect the day. Specially those incidents with touch your heart and stay there for some time. And her philosophical mind and talks are something that I fall for. So are few close friends of mine.

So since the call got over, I started introspecting. Searching deep within. Where does my opinion lay on similar grounds. The late stroll after dinner helped me discover the same. Ramayana, the amazing epic is a great story. Nothing to do with religion, saffron, belief and godism. Ramayana is a great lesson of ethics. The whole story told me, at least that "There is always one and one way of doing certain things. The Ethical Way. Nothing else." Truth may vary from person to person, circumstances to circumstances and time to time. But Ethical way is the only one way which always maintains it's sanctity. 

To put things into perspective, if I had to tell (on that Call) what I have learnt from stories I heard, Epics I read and thought process I have; I would follow ethics. Always. Different times call for different laws, Different religions call for different cultures, Different circumstances call for different versions of truth. But Ethical way performing your duty is the ultimate.

I would say; "when in doubt don't follow your heart, mind or soul; ask if you are a Ethical Human. This place turns out to be one of the best places to live in.

PS: When you are of a certain mindset, I generally have people and teams of similar mindset around you.

Sakethursforever : )

That one Phone Call

A forest with thick plantation, which filtered almost all the sunlight before it hit me. As the light started to dip at a quick pace, a cover of moist wind swept the field, giving me enough chills down my spine. Unknown to me was the way forward. Each stride I take could either bring me closer to my objective or would push me into the abyss. I was wondering, if I really chose to play this game? Even before I could answer if I was, yet another question popped up, am I equipped with required ammunition to fire all my cylinders. It was a situation where I'm expected to fight unknown and unseen foe. Mostly those which were not under my control. Rule of any game is to let the ball (thrown at you) cross a particular line in given time on the ground. Here I only had the ground where I was fighting . Neither did I have the ball nor could I see the line. It is one of those times where everything around you is mystical and perplexing. I had to figure out who's throwing the ball and from where. And then to decide for myself where the line is. 

Heart pounding with unknown rush of emotions and it was little over 15 minutes that I closed my eyes to witness the dense forest that I was thrown into.  I opened my eyes to  a shady evening when I sat alone on the solitary bench with birds chipping on the tree that umbrellaed the bench. I realized a young couple next me having fun time and boys playing some tireless soccer right in front of me. Some one jogging past me and few oldies walking along the path intense with some discussion. I felt if they too were experiencing a raging war inside them, just like the one I did. I was wondering if they too were lost inside a dense forest just like me not knowing which stride to take. Wondered if they too could experience the unknown power weighing them down on their shoulders. I felt weak from within. Not because I was treated with intense pain, but because I had no control on anything that was happening. All I could do is to wait and watch the game. I also started to realize the hopelessness of not having enough power to know my enemy. The basic definition of a fight is to tackle and win over something which is known to you. But, here I'm just pulling the string, clutching the bow and firing the arrow in all 360 degrees. 

Rather than finding a way out, I was probably looking for someone to bail me out. Probably for someone to hold my hand and hover me into comfort. May be for someone who would look into the future and tell me when I would face this faceless enemy. The most cruel one ever. 

Just then came that one ring on my mobile. A brief 5 minute talk which soothed every hot nerve inside me. By no means it was that sort of a help which I expected. No, the person has not guided me out of the space I'm stuck. Neither did she help me try harder. Nor did the person on the other side  of the phone call fight on my behalf. Only thing I was told is that this is a phase everyone passed through, a battle everyone face and a struggle which only makes everyone tougher. Only thing you have to do is to sit back, relax and enjoy the show. Yes that show where you are the protagonist. I realized, sometimes all you need is someone saying," I have gone through all this, I came out successfully and it is just a phase ".  It tells you that you are not the first one, neither would you be the last fighting such unorthodox battle within. "If someone could do it why not you..?" is the medicine for the day. Oldies walking past me already went through and those soccer played would definitely go through. 

When a power you cant see and circumstances you can't control weigh you down, just remember it happens. Patience is a virtue that you need to bring out of your armory, not anxiety.

The ball would be thrown at you and you would strike it past the line. Just be patient. 

So thank you. And I'm indebted to you.

Sakethursforever  

A Generation In Between or May be more

It was when I boarded the train back home (Mumbai to Hyderabad) after a decent gap. Generally, the graph of the crescendo at the railway station decreases as you board the train into an AC coach. On contrary this time, the crescendo kept increasing as I made my way into the coach, and a gentle push on the cabin door treated me with a blast of laughs, loud talks and a “Lunchtime Class Room” kind of atmosphere. Only moments later did I discover a bunch of students with a jersey representing their school and a tracksuit. Some with a headset on, few having a munch of something that is packed from the boxes, few trying to climb up on to the berth. I made my way to my seat allotted and as it turned out I was seated right next to a batch of young boys. 11 PM train it was and there was nothing other than planning to hibernate for the day. However, the bunch of kids was excited with their journey and the intensity of their voice is the best indicator of the same.

Then came the first shocker of my journey.

I settled into my berth and started to read something that I carried. It was about 15 minutes before departure. One of those kids, Avik his name was came to me. “You are reading Keepers of Kalachakra by Ashwin Sanghi, nice book it is. I read it a couple of months earlier”. He turned away from me and began to tell his mate “areee….I told you remember, Ashwin Sanghi who writes books like that of Dan Brown”. I was surprised to say the last and hailed the scale of knowledge about books that little one had. However, little did I know, this was just the start of what I call a “spree of staggering surprises” those school planned to treat me with. Shortly then one kid told the other, “I shall buy a cool drink when the train stops at the next station”. “Dude, this is Duronto, which wouldn’t stop anywhere until it reaches its destination. This is a superfast train and look at the coaches, they are not ICF coaches, they are LBH coaches. The germen technology highly suitable for high speed”. I’m not exaggerating, I was stunned with the information about the rail coach the kid had. “Oh, yes I did not recognise, all the high speed trains including Rajdhani and Shatabdi have LBH coaches” said the other kid this time. The one silently staring into his mobile sprang up and added his bit of knowledge to the conversation “You know what we get food on this train, for free” stressed on the latter half of his statement. “And clean bedding too. Both food and bedding are outsourced to the contractors who make a lot of money from those contracts”. I told myself, these kids have more information than what I had at their age. Just imagine 13-14 year kids talking about what they just did. With more topics of this sort I did not, I started to believe these kids challenged my expectations. If talking about Dan Brown, LBH Coaches and Food contract was not enough, Rithvik- a stout chubby kid with geek looks explained his mates about the Railwire WIFI and how google helped to power 500 odd railway stations in India with free wifi.

I dragged myself out of the amazement I was stormed with and believe me it was a tedious task to pull out of the topics these kids were talking. As I began to immerse into the fiction and flipping pages, train started to attain high speeds that those LBH coaches are designed for. Their faculty came up to them shortly after. After giving the necessary instructions and asking the kids to behave themselves, the teacher said, ”Go through your respective ‘case sheets’ and history of the case as well…we shall have a demo round in the morning”. Now being an MBA graduate I know what a case is supposed to be. I couldn’t place my perception about the case into the present context taking into consideration the age of those kids. So, in an un-resistible quest to quench my thirst of confusion, I began to inquire the teachers about my stint with these highly innovatively talented people for last one hour. She said the kids were attending a conference in Hyderabad where each one is giving a speech about the present day's issues which the world is facing. The memories of my school days came crashing back into my system and topics like overpopulation, pollution, poverty, untouchability etc ran through my mind. I then spoke to those teachers for some time and quietly got back to my book, then slowly into the eternal world of dreams.

Barely 7 O’ Clock, read my wristwatch, the first glance I had was of those kids, one with a paper in hand trying hard to remember the content, one with his iPad frantically scrolling through, the other kid scribbling something in a notepad and others doing similar things. I got up, looked at the commitment those kids showed and gradually went about to complete my morning duty. As, I washed my face, looked into the mirror and I found myself very fresh. Maybe I was getting ready and fresh for something that shook me a little while later. As I came back to my seat, my blast of shock was ready. Hot and Spicy.

I admit to the fact that I was feeling nostalgic and wanted to hear what those kids spoke and how they did. Those teachers were facing the kids and the first kid began his speech looking deep into his iPad.  “Crypto Currency is a digital currency came into existence in………” after hearing to those few lines, I was flabbergasted (tell me if there is a better word). Even before I could come out of the shock wave that I graciously accepted, the kid started speaking about blockchain association and its negative impact on the economy. He completed his speech, then a lean stick like kid with a comparatively huge iPad raised his head while everyone around was staring at him. He gently said “4 minutes 28 seconds”. I was still in the la-la land, virtually feeling awkward when the teacher gave a broad smile and said, “Why don’t you cover up next 30 seconds with Indian Government and it’s plans of launching our own cryptocurrency”. I remember last night the teacher telling me, these kids are from 8^th and 9^th standards. And going by what was happening around me, it was little hard to believe their standard was just that. “Miss, there is not much interesting information about Lakshmi the Indian cryptocurrency, However, I found JIO COINS more interesting,” he said. It is exactly then that I realized, it isn’t just when a beautiful girl smiles at you or when you get placed that you pinch yourself to make sure it is not a dream. There are also these kinds of instances where you wish to believe, this isn’t a dream.

If the first kid gave me a shock wave, a high tide of the same was yet to follow. The chubby kid was next in line and started to speak about the USA and it’s stand on trade regulations with developing countries like India, Turkey etc. His was followed by a lecture on LGBT rights. I was wondering if kids of this age were even allowed to talk about issues like the one I’m listening to. The speeches or rather the lecturers those kids gave varied from Cross-Border Infiltration to UN intelligence agencies. I particularly loved one kid who spoke about digital laws and cybercrimes. I liked him may be because, out of all the topics that were spoken by them, this was one I had little information about.

After about 45 minutes of me being in awe, I found myself googling about the topics those kids were speaking about and silently listening to them in detail. These were speeches on issues no doubt, but those which are not expected to be delivered by school kids. I was always interested in debates and elocution competitions. However, I never spoke anything more than Poverty, Population, and Pollution. Believe me, it was a pleasing sight to see those bright kids and it was a verbal beauty to listen to them speak about the various things with clarity and impact. They really made my day.

Pursuing a Masters in Business Administration and aspiring to become a manager shortly, I wonder if I have that spark in me which I saw in those kids. At that particular point of time I felt those kids were not just a few generations away, they were light years ahead.

Sakethursforever : )