The interview that just happened

(I’d leave it to the reader to imagine how authentic are the experiences described in this article).

 Interviewer questions – Tell us something about you?

What I really wanted to say – Abbey resume tere saamne rakha hua hai, padh to le…

What I ended up with – Good evening. I’m Yaju Arya, having graduated as a B.E. in Computer Science from so-and-so College, am employed with ____ for the last ____ years in ____ organization primarily working on ____ technologies.

Interviewer questions – Why would you like to work with us?

What I really wanted to say – PAISA!

What I ended up with – I've been an admirer of your organization ever since you launched ____ . My impression of your organization has always been on the positive side and it’d be a dream for me to work for someone whose consistency I personally admire. I have a close contact working in your firm and based on what he tells me I can infer that in certain positive aspects it is definitely a cut above the rest.

Interviewer questions – Tell us where you would see yourself in 5 years from now?

What I really wanted to say – Tab tak to main kahin aur switch maar chuka hounga.

What I ended up with – Being a functionally inclined individual, I see myself enhancing my skill set to the level of a consultant in ____ domain. After knowing about few success stories of people in your organization and seeing the various heights they attained, I’d take that as a prima facie inspiration for defining the base of my career in your company. I can only hope for the best (smiles).

Interviewer questions – Give us a very strong reason why we should hire you?

What I really wanted to say – Arrey lena hai to lo, nahi lena to na lo…

What I ended up with – Based on what you are looking for, maybe I fall short in some aspects. But I can assure you that whatever work is offered to me I would deliver to the best of my ability, like I have done in my previous organizations. It helps that I have heartfelt (smirks) respect for what your organization has been doing consistently for so many years and has managed to survive in some really tough times. I might not be the ideal candidate, but I would certainly be the most devoted. All I need is a chance; trust me I’d deliver to the best of whatever I can.

(Images by Arjun Suri Photography. Cool guy in shades - Siddhant Suri).

Perspective (the girl with Amazon Kindle)

Photo by Arjun Suri Photography

“Remember, you see in any situation what you expect to see.”

― David J. Schwartz

A group of 4 young men were roaming around in Sector 17, Chandigarh; when they spotted a young girl sitting alone on a bench.

The 1^st one passed a remark that was based on her being a girl.

The 2^nd one mustered something on her family referencing the Amazon Kindle in her hands.

The 3^rd one uttered comments that were targeted at her Western dress.

The 4^th one said something that had to do with the direction the world was going in.

`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`

This is what they said.

1^st – “She’s a girl which means her family did not indulge in female foeticide and raised her.”

2^nd – “She is going through stuff on her Amazon Kindle which means her family educated her and she reached certain levels of literacy.”

3^rd – “She is wearing a Western dress means like us Indian men she has the freedom to choose what she wants to.”

4^th – “While we do have apprehensions on some of the events around us, the world is definitely going in a better direction in quite a few aspects.”

 

Photo by Arjun Suri Photography

"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth."

Marcus Aurelius

Widows are being burnt around us

(The following article is a conversation between two 20 something men called Sarvam and Devam over the former sharing views on why he feels the ancient practice of Sati is still alive in modern times, though a widow isn't burnt physically she is made to undergo constant torture by the ones around her. I'd leave it to the reader to imagine if the conversation is real, fictitious, or a piece of fiction inspired by real life incidents).

Photo by Arjun Suri Photography

Devam - The other day I was reading a book on Vedic Literature and was amazed to learn how advanced India was several centuries ago.

Sarvam - That's true. Ain't for nothing we were called The Golden Sparrow!

Devam - But I wonder how come so many evils came up in our society. Sati, for instance.

Sarvam - Yup.

Devam - Thankfully Sati got eradicated where...

Sarvam (Interrupting) - What makes you feel Sati is over?

Devam (puzzled) - Raja Ram Mohan Roy worked proactively towards getting it abolished. You don't read about such incidents these days, do you?

Sarvam - Physically yes, Sati is no longer practiced  But mentally it is, society kills quite a few women in case that tragic incident occurs.

Devam (shaking head) - I need more info on this.

Sarvam - Okay let me ask you a question.

Devam - Yes please.

Sarvam - Think of a girl in her mid-twenties, the kind you studied with in college. There is a lot of jubilation in her family when she gets married with fanfare, complete with all traditional rituals.

Devam (closes eyes, then opens) - Hmm, okay.

Sarvam - Imagine her changing relationship status on Facebook, receiving greetings from all over, putting a lot of photos with her soul mate who'd be her everything and adopting his family as hers.

Devam (keeps eyes closed for a while) - Right.

Sarvam - She is all settled in her new home and her family is considered a "happy family", with some of her female colleagues using the word "lucky" for her on specific occasions such as receiving an anniversary gift.

Devam - Bingo.

Sarvam - Now, close your eyes, feel her happiness and celebrate her existence  Slowly, slowly. Yes. And now... (pauses for a minute)

Devam - What?

Sarvam - She loses her husband in a very sad incident.

Devam - (becomes motionless and does not utter anything).

Sarvam (after a minute) - Now tell me honestly. What would be the reaction of people around her, especially those from older generations?

Devam (in a low voice) - They would say that it is fault of the girl. She must have done some bad karma for which her husband suffered.

Sarvam - Exactly. At her husband's funeral there'd be a lot of people, mostly her contemporaries, deriving sadistic pleasure out of her misery without showing any real empathy.

Devam - (nods head).

Sarvam - Forward to a week after the incident, with the girl still coming to terms with what happened. Now, what clothes should she wear?

Devam (after few seconds) - Society would expect her to wear white..

Sarvam (cuts him) - Exactly. Society. Please continue.

Devam - But she should wear what she wants to. It is her life.

Sarvam - In all probability she wouldn't remain dressed like all the time or do acts in order to evoke sympathy. She would get up and do what she feels is best for her and find out a will to live. She may even imagine that her husband's soul is still alive somewhere and do the kind of things that used to make him happy, like dressing up the way he loved to. She would make herself as strong as possible and find out reasons to survive in this world.

Devam - Yes, that's true. Most people around me would want to lead a good life despite what happened while trying to re-discover the purpose of their lives.

Sarvam - Precisely. Now imagine her in a decent attire, wearing a newly stitched pair of clothes with accessories that compliment her well. There's a grace on her face and it is inspiring to those looking to seek inspiration towards battling the hardships of life.

Devam - Salute to what she's doing.

Sarvam - This is what you feel. Don't you think that there'd be nasty people judging her at every moment and saying stuff like "her husband passed away and she is dressing up in this manner?". Am sure you can think of people around you who have such a thought process, and many are from well-educated families.

Devam - Sadly this is indeed the case. They won't be having the guts to say it on her face, but she might be able to make out such people by the power of intuition.

Sarvam - Right. Long before she got married, she used to dress up well and work towards leading a good life. She's being who she really is. We don't expect a man to roam around in Kurta-Pyjamas all his life if he was in such a situation, do we?

Devam - No, we don't.

Sarvam - And then who should take care of the girl? Her parents 'donated' her during marriage, so it is responsibility of in-laws as she's their daughter now. Aren't there families who'd rather send her back to her parent's home asking them to take care of her, projecting as if it was due to her that their son got killed?

Devam (pauses for a while) - Ideally it is the responsibility of in-laws and not parents for they are her new family members. She left behind everything to get adjusted in their home, and they are priority for her.

Sarvam - Parents are willing to sacrifice themselves for their son. It could involve selling off their ancestral land so as to invest towards son's education or business. How many would do so for their widowed daughter-in-law?

Devam - I.. believe, very few.

Sarvam - And before I go further, let me remind you of our topic of discussion. I feel that Sati is still prevalent in today's times, even though physical body of widowed wife isn't burnt along with her husband. And before I conclude my viewpoints I'd leave you with a set of questions that I'd let you ponder over.
What if her in-laws did take out their hard earned savings towards setting up career of their daughter-in-law?
If they did, how many of them would be openly appreciated by society for setting example within people?
And even after all this, what if the girl met another man in her life and felt the need to get married? She got married in the first place to complete few elements that were missing in her life. Wouldn't it be appropriate if she was given another chance to re-live them?
Wouldn't it be duty of her in-laws to "donate" her to new family as parents? This is what every parent does towards their child by not expecting anything in return irrespective of the gender, isn't it?
And lastly how many people from the society would care to observe that despite the presence of a new man in her life, she hasn't forgotten her first husband and still holds their limited memories in a good stead?

Photo by Arjun Suri Photography

The Great Indian Cobbler

(The following post is a fictitious story).

Photo by Arjun Suri Photography

Once upon a time, in a mildly populated city, lied a narrow lane where 24 Cobblers ran their shops. It was a place that had to be seen to be believed, the moment a passerby went they’d start shouting requesting him to avail their services that included shoe polish, repair, basic cleansing, and sole replacement. All of them were quite proficient in their job skills and they mingled quite well with each other without any professional envy.

One fine day a new Cobbler came and decided to set his shop there. He was cheerfully included in their clan. But as it turned out his skills weren't as proficient as his contemporaries, and the customers he’d make were either those that were new to that ally or were attracted towards his face that had elements of physical attractiveness plus a lyrical tone in his voice.

On an average when his fellow Cobblers would get to work with 30 Customers in a day, he had to settle for 10. Thus it wasn't easy for him to make ends meet, and despite his best efforts he was not able to pump up his skills to precision.

The remaining Cobblers were friendly with him, and looked up to him as their junior who had a long way to go before posing a serious threat. Persistent competition meant he’d have to do something special in order to survive, and would have to bring in the “X factor”.

He hadn't saved a lot of money, so one day he went to his most trusted friend, borrowed whatever amount he could procure, and went to the Stationery Shop near his home. He purchased a cardboard and some pastel colors. While at the shop he noticed a book with attractive cover bearing the name “The Shining Ruby”.  He borrowed a small piece of blank paper from the shopkeeper and scribbled the word “Shining” on it, along with few more words.

Next up he went to a Garage Sale and brought himself a cushion, a pair of old slippers with attractive design, and an old shoe brush tracing its origins to the British Era. On the way home he passed by a book shop, from where he purchased few unsold magazines at throwaway prices and also a fancy looking notebook with Glitter pen.

The Cobbler still had some money left; using most of it he brought few Chocolates and reached home. He gave them to his adolescent neighbor on pretext that she’d write “Shining Shoe Shop” on the cardboard using pastel colors in a way that it’d get noticed by anyone looking at it. She took the Chocolates and did what was told to her.

Next morning the Cobbler put up the board at his place. His fellow contemporaries had a glance at it and wondered what he was up to. Their expressions of amusement were prominently visible. But what amused them further was when the Cobbler started shouting in his characteristic tone announcing the rates which were thrice of what others were offering. They took jibes at his business model, for he was not proficient enough to set such a high price for his services.

Three hours went past and not even a single human stopped at his shop.

Then one finely dressed gentleman came, probably thinking of trying out the USP of that Cobbler. He offered him cushion to sit on, and as he removed his shoes for repair he bought forward the pair of fancy slippers which though worn-out were definitely easy on the eye. The Cobbler showed his unique Shoe Brush to the customer citing it had its roots in the era of Indian freedom movement. He offered whatever magazines he had for his customer to read while he was doing his job.

As the Cobbler was done with his job and client ready to leave, he showed him the Notebook and requested an entry describing his experience at the shop. By now the customer was so impressed at the experience that he chose to overlook the quality of work done by the Cobbler. He thought that since he had charged more money than the remaining ones there must be something special about him. So he wrote a lovely entry in the Notebook citing the experience as “the one for the classes”.

As he left, the Cobbler’s colleagues gave a glaring stare thinking what a fool that man was to have spent his money on something that he could have got for one-third the price, that too of better quality. And incidentally the Cobbler did not make any other deal that day, thus he incurred a loss. But his calm composure indicated he had confidence over what to do next.

The next morning, as he was setting up his shop, some of his contemporaries tried to discourage him and offered their knowledgeable services for improving his skills in the craft. But he simply responded with a mild smile. And as people passed by, he started his newly developed chant, but with an added suffix referring the Notebook entry. It did seem to have helped, for within the first hour of business he got his first customer. He treated him the same way as he did yesterday – cushion, slippers, old shoe brush and magazines. Naturally he made him write in the Notebook as well, which of course turned out to be a positive entry. The Cobbler made two more customers that day on similar basis, and thus his daily income was nearly equal to what was till a week back.

Fifteen days went past, and by now the Cobbler had started breaking even. The average daily count of customers was less than what used to be once, but his revenue had increased. What had decreased was the amount of physical labor he used to do in a day.

He decided to procure some more visually attractive stuff. So he went to the market and purchased the kind of material that would better the “experience” his customers had at the shop. He also purchased an additional Notebook with appealing hardbound cover.

By the time a month was over, profits had started pouring in. That too with average number of daily customers less than what was a month ago. This implied that the income was more and his physical efforts were less.

He developed a set of loyal customers, who were unique in the sense that they’d look down upon those who were availing services from the remaining Cobblers. The loyal ones cited themselves to be humans of class tastes and proudly proclaimed being ardent fans of The Great Indian Cobbler; the one who was a cut above the rest and therefore his high fees was justified. It was a matter of time that word spread about his prowess on various mediums such as Print Media and Social Networks, with no one daring to criticize him since it would have implied they were humans of sub-par standards. Interestingly no one questioned the opinions of other Cobblers who were experts in the field and certainly knew much more than the self-professed critics.

And a day finally came when the Cobbler crossed his ex-monthly average of 10 daily customers. As the numbers kept increasing, the Cobbler thought of a way to manage his ever expanding business. He started search for a largely out-of-work Cobbler and was fruitful in that. He taught him tricks of the trade and helped set up another “Shining Shoe Shop” labeling it as his franchise and put a condition that he’d get a fixed set of revenues from each order. This worked in favor of both the Cobbler and his resource.

To ensure that he’d earn as much amount of money from the franchise as he was earning from his own establishment the Cobbler increased rates of his shops, citing his was a premium service and they had to be charged. While some of his customers didn't take the additional change in a favorable manner, most did and thus not only revenues of his shop increased but so did that of his franchise, thus his resource started earning more money than before.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Today The Great Indian Cobbler has a business empire. He has hired people to take care of the same and doing even less work than before; enjoying the premium churning out from the franchises he’s provided. He has got few competitors now, who also operate by offering premium services, but it’s not his responsibility to tackle them, rather it belongs to the executives working under him, who have put their personal life at stake working day & night so that their bank balance would keep on increasing. It helps that the younger generation considers it acceptable to spend so much on the services being offered by The Great Indian Cobbler, as they aren't aware of how things were back in the days of their ancestors.

His once-rival cobblers have either passed away in poverty or faded into oblivion taking up other jobs. Even today they do not hold a high opinion on the quality of services being offered by the main protagonist of this story. And then they say that we Indians have not been able to preserve the art that was once unique to the nation.

At the same time no one really hates The Great Indian Cobbler. For they desire that whatever happened to him, happens to them as well.

(The above piece is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to someone living or dead would be an interesting co-incidence.)

Photo by Arjun Suri Photography

Special Memories of working in IT Sector

(The following short poem was composed on the occasion of my present firm IBM India Pvt. Ltd. completing 5 years of its association with Idea Cellular Limited. I penned down my experiences of working with my team Crest Nulls with whom I have been associated since March 2012. )

Photo courtesy Arjun Suri Photography

With a dash of comfort and shine of magnificence

Crest Nulls came in my life and effected exuberance

Via their professional ways and code of conduct

Laid an eventful roadmap of positive construct

Serving the customer with a mesmerizing smile

Awe-inspiring approach for making goods worthwhile

Drafting a fine balance between sincerity and joy

Working truly hard is what they really enjoy

Setting standards for the account towards quality deliverables

Minimal escalations, timely deliveries, and peer appreciation's

A rare combination of fabulous talent plus awesomeness

Endowed with admirable traits of dedication and gentleness

A gift from the heavens, to be a part of this elite group

God bless our administrators, for assembling this prized troupe

An open letter to Punjab Police

Photo by Arjun Suri Photography

Respected legal law enforcers,

Jai Hind! Satyamev... er, please excuse.

I have a heartfelt request. Kindly contemplate fulfilling it.

My request is to -->> Start conducting classes for general public, over how to deal with Punjab Police.
That is
1. How to secretly slip money in their pockets.
2. How much amount to be given for what all occasions.
3. Which tone to be used for conversing with Policemen that makes one sound "assertive" yet "co-operative".
4. Convincing the target audience that how this act is actually more beneficial for them rather than taking the normal legal route.

Let me illustrate that using few anecdotes.

Recently my friends were hanging around in a car, and after some time the driver removed his seat belt for fleeting few seconds, but that was enough for him to get caught by the police. He is so naive that while conversing with the policeman he did not understand my friend's signals of "under the hood" and "documents at home". So he was given a Challan, and had to visit courts on multiple occasions to get his Driving License and RC back. Standing in heat, waiting for several hours, only to hear that his date was postponed. It took several weeks for the matter to get resolved. But then it is not Punjab Police's fault that our system is like this, is it? Rather they offer a more efficient way over which such hassles are prevented and the money one spends is much less than the overall time. Time equals money, ain't it?

In another instance a male colleague hailing from another state paid Rs. 10 to the policeman for not wearing a helmet while driving a two-wheeler. This offended the policeman as he felt he was being paid peanuts. My seemingly innocent friend didn't know that this is Punjab where people have the habit of making it large. Be it farmhouses, Butter & Cream laden items, private tuition fees, fertilizers, or few recent events involving hard drugs.

There are numerous examples of how the common human needs to avail services of Police. Registering FIR over "petty thefts", protection from "local goons", staying out of involvement in "controversial court cases", etc. A normal human like me cannot imagine all such aspects, but a Policeman knows them in detail, and it'd definitely help if they provided an exhaustive case study to the general public.

To avoid a Deja-vu of what happened between Doctors and THAT episode of Satyamev Jayate, let me utter the following.
I have genuine respect for the Police force. Controlling crime isn't easy and some even risk their lives. Standing in heat all day and keeping a check on what's going around, is something everyone cannot do. People of Punjab owe a lot to Policemen for removing the terror situation of 80's and early 90's thereby restoring normalcy. There are several honest cops out there whose image takes a beating due to the dishonest ones.
As I type this I am not shedding any tears. Thus preventing another controversy of them getting branded as "fake".

Amen. May peace prevail.

Lets wish that Punjab Police does hold these informative sessions for general public. It would benefit all parties involved. I have more hope over these sessions getting conducted, rather than the system undergoing makeover.

Mahaul Theek Hai!

P.S. - 1. The above article was a work of fiction, inspired by real incidents.
2. Lets see how many readers reply back saying "Arrey Punjab ka hi nahi, sab jagah ki Police ka yahi haal hai...".

Photo by Arjun Suri Photography

Aahatein

(The following post is a Hindi poem. First up is the poem typed in Devanagari script, and then the same is presented in English alphabet).

Photo courtesy Arjun Suri Photography

बैठे  हैं  नदिया  किनारे , सांझ  होने  को  है 

बढ़  रही  हैं  आहटें , आज  कुछ  होने  को  है 

ख्वाब  जो  कभी  देखे  थे , थोड़े  तो  पूरे  हो  गए 

कुछ  पूरे  होने  को  हैं , बाकी  कहीं  खो  गए 

तसव्वुर  भी  हमसे  पूछता  है , यह  क्या  हो  रहा  है 

दूसरों  को  उत्साह  देने  वाला , आज  खुद  लड़खड़ा  रहा  है 

बरसातें  तो  कई  आई  थी , आंधीयों  का  आना  हुआ 

लेकिन  उन्हें  झेलने  के  बाद  ही , सावन  भी  आया  था 

इससे  पहले  सावन  का  पूरा  आनंद  लेते , वह  चला  गया 

फिर  से  बरसातें  आई , संग  चली  आई  आंधीयां 

यही  तो  जीवन  का  सत्य  है , ओ  प्रिय  बंधु

बदलता  रहे  संसार , पर  ना बदले  तू

सारी  खुशियाँ  तेरी  हैं , लेकिन  ग़म  नहीं 

यह  ज़िन्दगी  तेरी  अमानत  है , किसी  और  की  नहीं 

जो  होगा  सो  होगा , ना  वक़्त  से  पहले  ना  वक़्त  के  बाद 

अब  मुस्कुरा , कर  अपने  व्यवहार  से  खुशियों  को  आबाद 

बैठे  हैं  नदिया  किनारे , सांझ  होने  को  है 

बढ़  रही  हैं  आहटें , आज  कुछ  होने  को  है 

Photo courtesy Arjun Suri Photography

baithe hain nadiya kinaare, saanjh hone ko hai

badh rahi hain aahatein, aaj kuch hone ko hai

khwaab jo kabhi dekhe the, thode to poore ho gaye

kuch poore hone ko hain, baki kahin kho gaye

tasavvur bhi humse poochta hai, yeh kya ho raha hai

duusro ko utsah dene waala, aaj khud ladkhada raha hai

barsaatein to kai aayi thi, aandhiyon ka aana hua

lekin unhe jhelne ke baad hi, saawan bhi aaya tha

isse pehle saawan ka poora anand lete, veh chala gaya

phir se barsaatein aayi, sang chali aayi aandhiyaan

yahi to jeevan ka satya hai, o priye bandhu

badalta rahe sansaar, par na badle tu

saari khushiyaan teri hain, lekin gham nahi

yeh zindagi teri amaanat hai, kisi aur ki nahi

jo hoga so hoga, na waqt se pehle na waqt ke baad

ab muskura, kar apne vyavhaar se khushiyon ko abaad

baithe hain nadiya kinaare, saanjh hone ko hai

badh rahi hain aahatein, aaj kuch hone ko hai

Photo courtesy Arjun Suri Photography