There were two of them when I look out of my windows. About 50 feet tall with slender branches and sparse leaves. The drum stick trees were jutting out from the compound of the house 2 buildings away.You can't call them beauties but somewhat attractive in all their simplicity and caressing my spirit which was wounded a little bit at that time.
I used to gaze at them as they swung to the force of the afternoon sea breeze. It is customary in these parts of the country with strong sun and monsoon rains to grow drum stick trees. The drum stick is a delicious vegetable which people here relish much.
Usually the tree is pruned as it grows to keep it at a reachable height, but with these trees no body paid attention and had grown to a great height.
As I gazed at the trees I could feel that there was magic power oozing out from them and enveloping me.I felt an emotional surge as though I was a part of the nature and found myself slowly drifting in to absolute peace.
Suddenly a pair of parrots flew in and descended on one of the branches. What a sight it was! With their bright green plumage and cherry red beaks the parrots offered a heavenly sight to me with the back drop of the dark leaves of the tree and azure blue background of the tropical mid day sky.
The parrots stay on the tree lasted only a few minutes, as though they were dropping on a way side motel during their long highway journey. Once the parrots left, there were other visitors too. There were bunches of Mynas and cuckoos which used the facility to their heart content.
I was observing the trees for only a few hours as I was working on the computer. But I could surely see that the trees were serving as birds inns. The crows were also building nests in the lower branches and chasing other birds from using the trees.
As somebody had said I found to my chagrin that all good things don't last forever.
One morning as I looked at the drum stick trees I found that one of the trees had been cut by half. In the next few days it was totally cut. But still the bird population did not dwindle but made the best use of the single tree that was left unharmed.
In the following months I dropped the habit of gazing at the tree as I was busy travelling. But one day as I looked out through the window the solitary drum stick tree also had gone.No more birds visited the neighbourhood. The joy and thrill I experienced were completely shattered.
I could realise that unless most of the people of this world develop an affinity for other living beings inclusive of trees and plants,talking and writing on green themes are not going to help save the world from extinction. Man alone cannot live and enjoy. He should sacrifice and allow other living beings also to lead their life.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Indian ethos
Indian ethos are difficult to understand by foreigners.But for Indians these are the guiding principles of life. Communication and everyday transactions will become very difficult if you don't follow these. To make it clear I want to give an example.
You are planning to meet somebody and ask for a favour. Before the meeting you need to find out lot of information on the social status of the person.Based on the status you have to buy an appropriate gift to carry with you. It is very important to decide on what your dress will be and how you will travel to the persons office or house.Finally you have to decide on the need for a companion.
Based on the purpose of your visit and your own strength of acquaintance with the person the need and the profile of the accompanying person is decided.Most of Indians are shy to a certain extent. They feel lot more confident to take another person with them who knows the person they want to meet.Also they need a fall back if something goes wrong during the interview.
If the man travels by a car,he will make sure that the car is driven in to the compound of the hosts house and people there see him getting down from the car. The entire thing will be done in an unhurried fashion with enough time interval so that it will look realistic and natural.
When our person meets the VIP he will put on an air of humility and humbleness to show that surely he is below the level of the host. Greetings are delivered in a low tone with deliberate slowness. The gift is not given directly to the host but kept on a side table.The visitor continues to stand till the host asks him to take a seat.
The most important point is not to go to the subject of the visit once the conversation begins. The first 10 minutes will be in praise of the host and how the visitor came to know about the host from various noteworthy sources. If there is an accompanist it will be an excellent opportunity to elaborate and expand.
The next ten minutes will be spent on the visitors background. The narration will be normally done by the accompanist as it is thought unbecoming to praise or talk about ones own self. Usually there will be a mention of the name of a relative or colleague of the host, who will be somehow traced to the visitor as a close friend.
In the third phase there will be talk about the families of both the host and the visitor,which will be a general review of their accomplishments and their current status. The narration might also jump across to relatives who have high social status. At this juncture if the host feel that the visitor is really important coffee will be offered. Otherwise it is customary to ask if the guest would like to have something to drink? The reply expected traditionally is."No. I had coffee just before starting for your house"
If the host has enough time available the fourth phase could go over the situation prevailing currently in the country and how every one is suffering. Finally the host will put an end to the visit by indicating that he had to move on for another task and will get up from his seat. This is the juncture at which our person should casually mention the favour he wants. There will not be much deliberation on this, excepting the host may ask the visitor to come again after sometime as time is needed to study the issue. The host is supposed to never say that he could not do the job or anything in negative, even though it may be the case. The rule is that if it is a negative situation the visitor himself will wind up after 4 or 5 visits.
Any transaction in India if you want to finish in one go is impossible as it requires minimum 3 to 4 visits to progress.Discussions and deliberations are continuous and never within a time frame. The Indian ethos is based on the eternal nature of time.
You are planning to meet somebody and ask for a favour. Before the meeting you need to find out lot of information on the social status of the person.Based on the status you have to buy an appropriate gift to carry with you. It is very important to decide on what your dress will be and how you will travel to the persons office or house.Finally you have to decide on the need for a companion.
Based on the purpose of your visit and your own strength of acquaintance with the person the need and the profile of the accompanying person is decided.Most of Indians are shy to a certain extent. They feel lot more confident to take another person with them who knows the person they want to meet.Also they need a fall back if something goes wrong during the interview.
If the man travels by a car,he will make sure that the car is driven in to the compound of the hosts house and people there see him getting down from the car. The entire thing will be done in an unhurried fashion with enough time interval so that it will look realistic and natural.
When our person meets the VIP he will put on an air of humility and humbleness to show that surely he is below the level of the host. Greetings are delivered in a low tone with deliberate slowness. The gift is not given directly to the host but kept on a side table.The visitor continues to stand till the host asks him to take a seat.
The most important point is not to go to the subject of the visit once the conversation begins. The first 10 minutes will be in praise of the host and how the visitor came to know about the host from various noteworthy sources. If there is an accompanist it will be an excellent opportunity to elaborate and expand.
The next ten minutes will be spent on the visitors background. The narration will be normally done by the accompanist as it is thought unbecoming to praise or talk about ones own self. Usually there will be a mention of the name of a relative or colleague of the host, who will be somehow traced to the visitor as a close friend.
In the third phase there will be talk about the families of both the host and the visitor,which will be a general review of their accomplishments and their current status. The narration might also jump across to relatives who have high social status. At this juncture if the host feel that the visitor is really important coffee will be offered. Otherwise it is customary to ask if the guest would like to have something to drink? The reply expected traditionally is."No. I had coffee just before starting for your house"
If the host has enough time available the fourth phase could go over the situation prevailing currently in the country and how every one is suffering. Finally the host will put an end to the visit by indicating that he had to move on for another task and will get up from his seat. This is the juncture at which our person should casually mention the favour he wants. There will not be much deliberation on this, excepting the host may ask the visitor to come again after sometime as time is needed to study the issue. The host is supposed to never say that he could not do the job or anything in negative, even though it may be the case. The rule is that if it is a negative situation the visitor himself will wind up after 4 or 5 visits.
Any transaction in India if you want to finish in one go is impossible as it requires minimum 3 to 4 visits to progress.Discussions and deliberations are continuous and never within a time frame. The Indian ethos is based on the eternal nature of time.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Indian rhythm !
India has its own rhythm.You have to take nothing as granted. If you want to live in India and maintain peace this is the only way.No work is done explicitly. Even routine works fall in to this category. Every work on every day has to be freshly seen, freshly understood and discussed elaborately with people around. Actions may be the same as previous or entirely new. There is absolutely no care on time.
I went to a bank nearby to withdraw cash as the credit card is yet be fully understood by the local traders.Dot at 8.30 in the morning I was at the bank premises and was very happy to see that I got a token number 4. After about 10 minutes one payment counter got opened and token number 1 was promptly called.I was on my toes when number 3 was called. This is when providence chose to play its decisive role. Suddenly counter number 2 where an elderly lady officer was sitting for 10 minutes and rummaging the PC with a counter foil she was holding, chose to press the call button for token number 4. I was left with no option but go to the counter with less than a buoyant spirit.
The lady slowly shifted her glance from the counter foil she to me. She politely advised "You have to wait! I have not yet been issued with cash". After consoling me she went back to work on the stub. While I was idling, I chose to listen to surrounding voices which are part and parcel of the Indian environement. To my chagrin I found that counter number 1 was already calling token number 8, while I was on a tryst with destiny.
Suddenly I heard voices from the back of the counter.Both were lady voices and the subject of discussion was something on their family. The conversation went on and on and suddenly by some quirk of fate, one of the voices reminded my payment officer to receive the cash for the day.The elderly lady with lot of reluctance got up from her chair, as she was still working on the stub and walked a few paces backwards to retrieve the cash for the day.
Time does not stop even for the emperor and almost 15 minutes have passed since I made the appearance at the counter. After counting and arranging the cash in its assigned place,the lady officer looked at me benevolently and asked what change I required. I did not want to put in more hurdles and quietly accepted whatever she could give.By the time I left the premises it was 9'O clock, a good half an hour of precious time.
My behaviour at the bank was one of experimentation as I have decided to lower my spirit and live with the world as it wants me to be. I usually protest and push people to hasten up. But the experience gave me an invaluable reward at the end. A taste of complete peace with the environment.
Multitude of people living in this part of the globe undergo thousands of similar experience at airports, railway stations, hospitals, and shops.Indians consider patience to be a virtue and these experiences allow them to practice and hone up the its quality daily. They are still a contended lot as they seem to like the reward of peace, like what I realised at the end.
All glory to the Indian public!
I went to a bank nearby to withdraw cash as the credit card is yet be fully understood by the local traders.Dot at 8.30 in the morning I was at the bank premises and was very happy to see that I got a token number 4. After about 10 minutes one payment counter got opened and token number 1 was promptly called.I was on my toes when number 3 was called. This is when providence chose to play its decisive role. Suddenly counter number 2 where an elderly lady officer was sitting for 10 minutes and rummaging the PC with a counter foil she was holding, chose to press the call button for token number 4. I was left with no option but go to the counter with less than a buoyant spirit.
The lady slowly shifted her glance from the counter foil she to me. She politely advised "You have to wait! I have not yet been issued with cash". After consoling me she went back to work on the stub. While I was idling, I chose to listen to surrounding voices which are part and parcel of the Indian environement. To my chagrin I found that counter number 1 was already calling token number 8, while I was on a tryst with destiny.
Suddenly I heard voices from the back of the counter.Both were lady voices and the subject of discussion was something on their family. The conversation went on and on and suddenly by some quirk of fate, one of the voices reminded my payment officer to receive the cash for the day.The elderly lady with lot of reluctance got up from her chair, as she was still working on the stub and walked a few paces backwards to retrieve the cash for the day.
Time does not stop even for the emperor and almost 15 minutes have passed since I made the appearance at the counter. After counting and arranging the cash in its assigned place,the lady officer looked at me benevolently and asked what change I required. I did not want to put in more hurdles and quietly accepted whatever she could give.By the time I left the premises it was 9'O clock, a good half an hour of precious time.
My behaviour at the bank was one of experimentation as I have decided to lower my spirit and live with the world as it wants me to be. I usually protest and push people to hasten up. But the experience gave me an invaluable reward at the end. A taste of complete peace with the environment.
Multitude of people living in this part of the globe undergo thousands of similar experience at airports, railway stations, hospitals, and shops.Indians consider patience to be a virtue and these experiences allow them to practice and hone up the its quality daily. They are still a contended lot as they seem to like the reward of peace, like what I realised at the end.
All glory to the Indian public!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
When the washing machine broke down!
The clothes had piled up for wash. I set the machine and started. But suddenly during the wash cycle water was gushing out through the door and only thing I could do was to switch off power.After much struggle I could find the contact number of the Electrolux call centre through the web . They were courteous and promised to send an engineer within 24 hours.
Within an hour I got a call from a local firm who are the service agents for the manufacturer and they repeated the same questions asked earlier by Electrolux. The dealer promised action in the next 2 days, with the information that I should pay Rs.500($10) as visiting fee.
It took another 2 days for the engineer to visit. He was a nice guy and could locate the problem fast.A rubber sensing hose had to be replaced.He promised to return within next 2 days. I was a bit alarmed as Diwali was fast approaching and these chaps go on leave for not less than a week. But the youngster was confident that he will visit on Friday a day prior to Diwali.
I was surprised to get a call on Friday morning from the dealer who repeated all the details of my complaint and finally said that I need to keep Rs.575 ready for parts and service. When I asked if the engineer would surely visit, pat came the reply that he would visit in the afternoon.Afternoon passed and evening came without any hurdle, but the engineer was nowhere to be seen.On checking up with the operator, I learnt that the engineer was somewhere in the vicinity and would surely visit before 6'O clock.
I was waiting in the house throughout day and night but the man didn't bother to turn up. Instead of getting upset I entered in to a battle field type of frame of mind. On Monday morning, I called the dealer and asked her politely but with lot of embedded venom what was happening.She immediately replied that Friday was not possible as there was a vehicle breakdown. I knew was from a standard set of excuses. Finally she promised that the engineer would surely call on Tuesday.
I was happy that he could visit the next day as these chaps normally would return to work only after a week.Tuesday dawned and I was promised that the visit would be between 2 and 3 in the afternoon. I was not hopeful on the time element, but kept my temper down for a final plunge if one was needed.The chap finally arrived around 4'O clock. It took him just 10 minutes to do the job. The process had lasted for a week with lot of heart burn and time wastage for me.
At the end of the episode, I was still happy rather than sad, as I found my experience better than others as I learnt from the net.
In India you should have pots of luck to get things done!
Within an hour I got a call from a local firm who are the service agents for the manufacturer and they repeated the same questions asked earlier by Electrolux. The dealer promised action in the next 2 days, with the information that I should pay Rs.500($10) as visiting fee.
It took another 2 days for the engineer to visit. He was a nice guy and could locate the problem fast.A rubber sensing hose had to be replaced.He promised to return within next 2 days. I was a bit alarmed as Diwali was fast approaching and these chaps go on leave for not less than a week. But the youngster was confident that he will visit on Friday a day prior to Diwali.
I was surprised to get a call on Friday morning from the dealer who repeated all the details of my complaint and finally said that I need to keep Rs.575 ready for parts and service. When I asked if the engineer would surely visit, pat came the reply that he would visit in the afternoon.Afternoon passed and evening came without any hurdle, but the engineer was nowhere to be seen.On checking up with the operator, I learnt that the engineer was somewhere in the vicinity and would surely visit before 6'O clock.
I was waiting in the house throughout day and night but the man didn't bother to turn up. Instead of getting upset I entered in to a battle field type of frame of mind. On Monday morning, I called the dealer and asked her politely but with lot of embedded venom what was happening.She immediately replied that Friday was not possible as there was a vehicle breakdown. I knew was from a standard set of excuses. Finally she promised that the engineer would surely call on Tuesday.
I was happy that he could visit the next day as these chaps normally would return to work only after a week.Tuesday dawned and I was promised that the visit would be between 2 and 3 in the afternoon. I was not hopeful on the time element, but kept my temper down for a final plunge if one was needed.The chap finally arrived around 4'O clock. It took him just 10 minutes to do the job. The process had lasted for a week with lot of heart burn and time wastage for me.
At the end of the episode, I was still happy rather than sad, as I found my experience better than others as I learnt from the net.
In India you should have pots of luck to get things done!
Back from US
Lot of my friends and relatives sent their sons and daughters to study in the US universities. With the recent economic melt down these people are forced to return to India. Most of the students have gone with loans secured from banks,or relatives and they are in a jam now.
While getting jobs in US is impossible for Indians, getting jobs in India is also proving to be difficult. The salary levels are much lower and the Indian employers make liberal use of the fact that they could hire brilliant Phds,MBAs,and MS by the dozen for far less salaries at the current juncture.
The added problem is that the students were used to a liberal environment in US and were hoping to learn the best practices in industries, but now they are forced to work in a "Do this; Do that" atmosphere with very little freedom. There is also large gap of around 20 years in technology,operation and practices.
These youngsters are receiving very little attention from media and of course the government. As far as media is concerned there is nothing sensational and it is not going to affect the common man. As for Government is concerned, the problem is concerned more about the middle and well to do class.There is absolutely no commitment for the Government towards these classes of society, even though the tax revenue is mostly collected from these groups.
Meeting some of these displaced people is a sad experience. With their thousands of dreams shattered, they are running pillar to post, to get a decent job. there is lot of pressure on them to pay back the loans as the interest charges are mounting by thousands every day. They are also carrying the burden of looking after their aged parents.
I feel that the students from US should form an association and take up their case directly to media,industries and Chambers of commerce for the right solution.
While getting jobs in US is impossible for Indians, getting jobs in India is also proving to be difficult. The salary levels are much lower and the Indian employers make liberal use of the fact that they could hire brilliant Phds,MBAs,and MS by the dozen for far less salaries at the current juncture.
The added problem is that the students were used to a liberal environment in US and were hoping to learn the best practices in industries, but now they are forced to work in a "Do this; Do that" atmosphere with very little freedom. There is also large gap of around 20 years in technology,operation and practices.
These youngsters are receiving very little attention from media and of course the government. As far as media is concerned there is nothing sensational and it is not going to affect the common man. As for Government is concerned, the problem is concerned more about the middle and well to do class.There is absolutely no commitment for the Government towards these classes of society, even though the tax revenue is mostly collected from these groups.
Meeting some of these displaced people is a sad experience. With their thousands of dreams shattered, they are running pillar to post, to get a decent job. there is lot of pressure on them to pay back the loans as the interest charges are mounting by thousands every day. They are also carrying the burden of looking after their aged parents.
I feel that the students from US should form an association and take up their case directly to media,industries and Chambers of commerce for the right solution.
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