Billy the Kid

All characters in this write-up are real; any resemblance to any person living or dead is 100% intentional. “ Marriage is an institution ” people say – so is an Asylum . I happened to study mathematics and loved the congruence theorem! Need I say more? Spending time with your wife, you have so many opportunities to share and listen. Typically the wife shares and you the poor husband get to listen - all the time! I t was good that Columbus was not married – else he would never have discovered America…every time he would make plans for travel, the wife would start “Where are you going? When will you come back? What will you bring for me? And so on… in fact he would have never ventured out of his house. Worst, he set out to discover India and discovered America… Imagine all the questions his wife would have asked him on reaching home! Most of the men have been taken care of and pampered by Mothers, would suddenly find themselves surfing unknown territories after ...

Alexander - the great 336 BC a young Macedonian Prince slept with a dagger under his pillow, constantly in fear of assassins. 334 BC leading his men aboard boats, as he neared Asian shore, seized a javelin hurled it onto the beach and jumped out, the first on land. Alexander the Great at the young age of 22 undertook a journey... that created HISTORY and almost conquered the whole world, only because he believed in himself. Overcoming fears and fighting for what he truly believed in, he redefined norms. Each one of us would have, at least once in our life arrived at a crossroad and chosen something which made the difference . It was mid January 1999 and I was all geared to take on the challenge of being the first elected President of a local Rotaract Club, an organisation for youth. I had quit my monotonous job as it lacked challenge. I was clueless where I was heading, shouldering the responsibilities of my family, my new post and my quest for a new career. Those days I loved...

I love speaking as much as I love listening to speeches and learning from other speakers. This interest of mine has triggered a never ending thirst for seeking new knowledge . As a direct result of the habit, I end up buying a lot of books (it’s a different story – I don’t get to complete most of them). The recent one that I laid my hands on “ Speak like Churchill, Stand like Lincoln ” seems to be the black book for mastering Public Speaking. It's the title that enticed me to buy this book from flipkart.com – at an impressive 21% discount . After reading the initial introductions, forewords, afterwards, etc… the first chapter began! Hold your breath; it speaks about the importance and relevance of PAUSES . Drawing inspirations from Napoleon, Hitler, Churchill and many more – the chapter shares the relevance of the pause before beginning a speech! This ensures that the audience is all ears and you get to relax! It also has a mention of a great leader who had to pause for one fu...

After Eric's workshop, I have been reading a lot about Street Photography. Some very interesting and thought provoking articles made me sit back and think! The fun, I realised is in capturing the candid moments and creating magic with light J I have been in Mumbai for a very long time, but never realised what it had in store… the chance encounter with Street Photography and I look forward to visiting many such places of interest. The workshop brought back the curiosity in me to know more about life in Mumbai.  har fikr ko dhuein mein udata chala gaya  The streets of Mumbai, rather India is not like that you find in most cities. As I moved around the streets waiting for the “ keeper ” shots, I encountered stark realities of Mumbai. People coming to in search of jobs, sleeping on the cold, frozen streets are the facts that we choose to ignore consciously. I guess most of us would have seen them day and in and day out! But we have never given a second thought! On a cold Sunda...

Life is all about colours! At least this was what I thought till November 12, 2011. A life changing experience made me realise that many things are good, better in fact the “ Best ” in Black and White! The men who helped me change this perspective KP and Eric, the marvellous Streettogs ! Though I was initially reluctant to jump into the bandwagon, I braved all odds! Being a novice made me feel out of place few times. The drawings made from light, displayed awesome creativity and the eye for catching something that we would miss routinely! Honestly before the workshop I did not bother looking up for the drawings of these two gentlemen… I had been gifted a Nikon D3000 last year and I was in love with it! I used it occasionally to capture memories. I loved shooting nature, sunrises, sunsets, green, blue, red, yellow… this was about to change! Rules, rules and some more rules! We all love to hate rules! I love to know the rules, so that I know when I break it ;) Eric made it clear that we...

“Mumbai is the meanest place, where you survive if you got the pace. Chota Chota Lafda bane Police case, bada bada lafda gul without trace” when I first heard the song I realised it is true! People without face, but with pace, running around each morning, noon or night! Truly the CITY never sleeps; no I am not endorsing any bank or its product. Now there are more reasons to be sleepless! Beware we are sinking, and stinking bad! A city that was considered to be safest place not so long ago, is now the most dreaded place. Mumbai is moving towards becoming the “Crime Capital” of the world. The recent attack on a group of youngsters, two young lives gone for the want of civility! Phew, I think we are losing it! A small incident of eve-teasing that turned gruesome. Standing up for what was correct, cost them their lives. The accused have surrendered. Does it make a difference even if they are given life sentence? Lives are lost, so have hope and faith in humanity. We all pity the con...

Future of the workplace: During a full day seminar last Saturday at Pune, a wide range of discussions and workshops revolved around the “ Future of the Workplace ”. Reproduced below are some learning’s and insights from the workshop. It is required for us as HR professionals to be proactive in managing these changes at the workplace. The current demographics of the workforce is dynamic and 4 generations co-exist . It is projected that over the next decade the workplace would undergo a massive change. While the routine activities may continue as it is there is a possibility that the workplace definition may undergo a drastic change. Virtual teams, borderless offices, 24X7 accesses are some of the aspects that most organisations would move to. Outsourcing and contracting may gain popularity. The concept of a long term job would be replaced by “ Project / Task / Activity ” based hiring. The “Appointment letter” would give way for a “ Commitment Letter ” – this would bind the employee to...