My Experiences

Sadness

2011-01-29T23:24:00.000-08:00

Sadness - The feeling caused when one doesn't get what he wants!! I am currently sad.. Expected something.. Something else happened.. Why life has to be so complicated? Maybe we think too much.. Maybe life is easy if we just went with the flow.. But then isn't it human to expect and hope.. Then why do people say that to avoid getting hurt one should not expect or hope for anything? Am confused!!

"What should a company do to keep its employees happy?"

2010-03-04T07:34:00.000-08:00

Time: 10.30 PM.....Thought: HR related.....Idea: Email junta for answers!!!

It's been a mad mad month... Appraisals...Hikes...Resignations...Recruitment's...Dissatisfied employees...Happy faces...Emotional atyaachaar... what not..what not...

Was unable to sleep... got into THINK MODE...What will bring happiness to employees? What should a company do?....Why people hate HR?....My mind was already on a journey...So finally decided to email my good friends to get some live inputs...And they have been kind enough to share some insights which I have listed below: ( Names have been removed to protect privacy :p )

"What should a company do to keep its employees happy?"

Response 1:

Pimp up the workplace ... hire a few good looking chicks .... motivation and happiness will follow..

Response 2:

1) Quantify performance parameters and link them to monetary rewards. "Career" and "Growth" are great incentives, but without money they are mere words. Money matters to everyone no matter how holier than thou they may pretend to be.

2) Make it possible for employees to learn across functions and departments e.g. marketing people getting exposure to operations, HR personnel interested in finance etc. Where potential is seen, make it possible for employees to move between functions. Qualifications on paper have rarely defined what one is good at.

3) Focus more on capabilities rather than papers (degrees and qualifications) while assessing leadership potential. This will encourage everyone to come up with their best and not be bogged down by the fact that they are not from an IIT or an IIM or a Harvard.

4) Have clear guiding principles and live by them, instead of just doing lip service. This adds credibility to an organization and normally people like working for a company that means what it says. E.g. let not "respect for each other" be a stated value in a company where bosses abuse their teams.

Response 3:

1) Recognize one's work and appreciate
2) Make the work place interesting
3) Conduct timely team outings or team building activities
4) Ensure job security
5) Provide flexible work hours
6) Pay well :)

Response 4:

If there are 1000 employees... then one must do two thousand things. Things to be done to make employees happy is twice the amount of employees that are present....

Mostly.. giving them a reason to not hate coming to work.... Flexi time, appreciation(public appreciation), and of course more money!!!!!!

Response 5:

You know, you hear people saying that money is not really important and the role, job satisfaction and other things matter more. I think all that is bullshit. "The whole thing is that ki bhaiyya , sabse bada Rupaiyya....". So, I guess that would be first thing on my list.

1. "Respectable" pay.
2. Employee friendly policies. At least those which do not screw the employee, if not friendly to him.
3. Respect for individual.
4. Recognition/appreciation for the good work done.
5. It would be great if the company let's you choose the kind of work you want to do, but I guess it is not always possible in large companies.

Response 6:

Well the first point I'd like to highlight is that the company or the team leads or managers should be very supportive. Employees who feel their problems and issues are being resolved and considered,feel more motivated and encourage them to work more efficiently and confidently. Apart from that, a little recognition and rewarding for a job well done,be it formal or informal.

Second point, No biased nature. The manager or the TL's have their favorites in the team on which they totally rely on. That should not be the nature because it is they who manage the team and they should no be partial towards one person in the team by assigning the whole work to him/her,because of which ego and other negative feelings start developing among other members of the team which may lead to unpleasant behavior with the team lead which in turn affects the teams performance.

Third point, Independence. An employee with a track record of reliability and good job performance probably does not appreciate you looking over his shoulder all the time. Employees need their own space because if we keep an eye on them,or keep pressurizing them directly or indirectly, they start getting conscious and lose their morale because the higher officials are not satisfied with the work the employee is doing.

Fourth point,Giving employees the opportunity of getting their input on issues that affect them whether directly or indirectly. It makes the employee feel that his point was valid and it even makes the employer happy because he feels that his employee is working with interest and not just working for the heck of it.

What i feel is when workers feel their employer is concerned about their well-being (both in and outside of work), it boosts their morale, job satisfaction and increases their commitment to the organization

Response 7:

Just keep on increasing the salary every quarter by 5% (Not asking for more,quite reasonable)

Response 8:

1) Treat Man as Man and not as a machine , the work allotted to an employee should be judgemental .

2) The positive brand image for the organisation should be created among the employees, so that they have a feel good environment in office.

3) The seniors should evaluate the performance of juniors , in the same way they will judge their own for appraisal.

4) A platform for employee redressal should be created , which should be accessible to all , irrespective of the cadre or designation. Where the employee can contact the HR or concerned senior for their problems.

5) We all spend about 50-60% of our life at office or for office , hence we give more time to it then we give to our family , hence the HR should workout on some plans for the reviving or de-stressing the employee , some get togethers etc. And this will be an investment for sure and not at a cost to the company. I hope anything from above will make your employees happy , if not give them a paid leave once a week , and they will be happiest for sure .

Life...Break-ups...Sadness...A New Journey...

2009-08-05T08:07:00.000-07:00

Its been so long since a blog post!! And finally here I am writing about Love...Life...Break-ups... I don't know..Its a strange feeling these days...I see so many people...So much materialism...so much selfishness..whatever happened to good people GOD!! One of my close friends is crying everyday because the looser she loved for the last 4 years is now suddenly behaving wierd asking her to get married to someone else as his parents disaaprove of their relationship...What's happening to people?? I am unable to understand.. Do u ask ur parents before falling in love? No right.. Then why do people start acting like cowards once the time for commitment comes!!

It irritates me...annoys me...to the core... trying to figure out love..true love...I have always yearned for it...and i wish to see it like i saw in my grandparents...like i see in my parents...always ready to fight for the ones they love...stand by each other like rock...as if nothing on earth could come between them...Its such a delight!! a feeling that can only be felt and experienced! Love is so beautiful...Makes u smile even when ur alone just thinking about the wonderful moments u've spent together... Jus praying that I see more couples getting married to the ones they love.. One life..Live it on your terms..Thats the way to go!! The way of the heart is the right way!!! Always!!

A Day @ The Orphanage!!

2009-02-27T02:44:00.000-08:00

26th February 2009

It was her 25th birthday and she decided to spend the day with these kids. I too got a chance to accompany her.

The time is 1 pm. The sun is blazing hot and temperature in Hyderabad is 39 degrees. I and my friend Aparna reach "SIRIA" - a residential school for orphans. I am cribbing about the heat already and telling Aparna how cool Bangalore is!!! My complaining and cribbing seems to be never ending due to the heat. We enter the place to meet the care taker! He wasn't there..

As we are seated in his small office with an asbestos roof, three girls come and greet us. A wonderful conversation followed which made me think of all the good things I have and count my blessings.

They shared their lifestyle with us. The classrooms that they were studying in turned into their living rooms once the school was over!! Just one tin box for each kid to store all their worldly possessions! The place was so small...yet they were so contented... It was scorching hot and they were studying with so much dedication... They were truly God's children...

One amazing thing I noticed was their flair for education and knowledge... All of them spoke such good english... Each one had nothing that they could call theirs except "Hope". How much we crib about life?? Instead of counting our blessings, we crib about small things that we dont have or dont get in life! One thing I learnt and will always remember is: "When u compete for something, compare with the best!! When u compare your lifestlyle, compare with the people who dont have anything"... We will realise that we are highly favoured and blessed to have such a wonderful life!!!

Luck By Chance!!

2009-02-02T06:40:00.001-08:00

"Burning Ambition" - Two words that sum up Luck By Chance!! Amazing performance by Farhaan and Konkana. This is one movie every single bollywood aspirant should watch or rather every soul who has ambition should watch! The intensity with which Farhaan peforms is simply mind blowing.. Some of the best dialogues in the movie:

"Sona, Yeh kismath kya hai?? Yeh word un logon kay liye hai jinme apni zindagi khud bananay ki himmat nahi hothi"

" Maukay milthay nahi Sona...Banaye Jaathay hain!!"

"Kaamyaabi hum tak nahi aathi...humein kaamyabi tak jaana hotha hai!!"

"Apne raasthay par chalthay raho...chalthay raho...dheere dheere saari duniya tumhare raasthay aajaayegii"

An awesome movie by all standards...Please go and watch it!!!!

Celebrating My 25th Birthday

2008-12-12T08:24:00.001-08:00

8.30 am: Its my 25th birthday. Was waiting for my little brother to arrive in Bangalore. 8.40 am..he arrives... I am all happy seeing him..Poor guy had come all the way from Hyderabad just for a day to spend with me... We chat for some time and then he hands over a shiny, neatly packed box to me..I was wondering what it was...Opened it a little and there I could see the "Apple Logo"...Whoa...I was speechless... It was the Apple iPhone...I mean the ICONIC APPLE IPHONE...my very own APPLE IPHONE...What an amazing feeling it was!!

The 9th of December 2008 will probably remain long etched in my mind, for this very day I got the best gift in 25 years: The Apple iPhone. Mom, Dad and Bro had just given me the most amazing gadget I had ever used...The next two hours went away in decrypting this awesome piece of intelligent electronics!! Got ready and headed off to temple with bro.. Then reached brigade road, pizza hut for my birthday treat...Had a great time with close friends..Got Nandan Nilekani's "Imagining India: Ideas for the new century" as a birthday gift.

In the evening we went to my mama's house. Uncle and Aunty left no stone unturned to make it a great memorable evening for me.. They got a chocolate cake for me... Dinner treat was given by uncle at Mainland China... Ah..What a perfect day it was!!

Who controls our life??

2008-11-22T08:22:00.000-08:00

Something's wrong with me these days!! Have been thinking a lot about many things.. Why the heck do I have to compromise on everything?? I always used to think life is under my control....but alas!! As days pass by...Life seems to be getting gloomier, boring, pathetic... Why cant i do things that i want to do?? There are always some riders attached to everything these days... Met two of my old friends who were in love deeply since college, after a long time..And what did they have to tell me... that she got engaged to another guy!! I mean WTF??? How can this happen?? and the most important thing that i could not digest was that both of them seemed to have accepted this fact and have decided to part!! What's happening??? Can't u run away and get married to the girl u love?? F&^K the World!! God knows what is happening!! I am sad that no one gets true love these days!! All bloody compromises!! We are living lives that are not meant to be ours.. When will the day come when true love wins... Falling in love, geting to marry the girl u love..is the greatest blessing of life!!

Terrorism knows no Religion

2008-09-12T07:21:00.001-07:00

India….Mera Bharat Mahan!!! Vande Mataram!!

These phrases hold very little value these days! It’s very unfortunate that these have become mere words described in history chapters and no longer have any use! There was a time when these words used to incite passion and patriotism in the minds of people. What about now? The “Now” we live in has become very different my friends! We no longer judge people by the strength of their character, but by the religion he belongs to. Unfortunate….Very unfortunate!!

My religion is the strongest says a fanatic! Which religion are you fighting for is what I ask? Does poverty know any religion? Does violence know any religion? No No…. A big NO…. So many people die every year due to hunger…. Does death ask if you are from a particular religion?? Never…. Then who are we to fight over religion. The tragedy of religion is that when it has to bring harmony, Live and let live policy, peace and wisdom, has unfortunately degenerated into a heartless avenue determined to destroy mankind. We are fighting in the name of religion, which is such a shame!! Why can’t we fight poverty, injustice, illiteracy instead??

We must never loose sight of the fact that as each day passes we confront a newer version of violence and terrorism which goes on adding to the already existing problems, tensions and worries. To end this we must herald an unending source of self determination, righteousness, courage, sacrifice and qualitative life. We must set a strong and a deep foundation for the ultimate triumph of peace to last all our lives.

“We must make our lives a perpetual triumph of love over hatred, peace over war, of virtue over wickedness, or sacrifice over greed”

Rock On!! - Live Ur Dream

2008-09-07T08:11:00.000-07:00

What an awesome movie!! Enjoyed it thoroughly.. What amazing passion for music! The best thing about the movie was that each one of us can connect to the movie in the sense that: "it's about the one thing every one of us wanna do in life!"

Never give up your ambitions for anything in life. Life changes us so much over a period of time that we forget to live. The life we all wanted is no longer there but instead we have turned into something else and living someone else's life... But what about us...what about our dreams...what about our passions... I think this movie addresses that question: How much are we willing to sacrifice to live our dream? And what a beautiful way to depict it on celluliod.... Rock on will definitely touch you. An awesome watch!!

2008-08-30T05:35:00.000-07:00

Megastar's Mega party was launched this week!! What a launch it was!! 7 lakh people from all over Andhra Pradesh! What adulation for a man of the masses! It was a treat to the eyes to see Chiranjeevi taking the political plunge. Much has been debated over whether he will be a good politician or not.... But I feel he is much much better than the current crap of politicians we have! What a name for a party: "PRAJA RAJYAM". I hope Chiranjeevi will definitely bring in a sea of change in the lives of the common man. India needs people who will work passionately for the upliftment of the poor. Its very unfortunate that the poor get poorer while the rich get richer! Chiranjeevi will bring the change that Andhra politics has been waiting for...Lets wait and watch!!

నేను సైతం ప్రపంచానికి సమిధనొక్కటి ఆహుతిచ్చాను
నేను సైతం విశ్వ వృష్టికి అశ్రువొక్కటి ధారవోసాను
నేను సైతం భువన ఘోషకు వెర్రి గొంతుక పిచ్చి మొసానూ

అగ్నినేత్ర ఉగ్ర జ్వాలా దాచినా ఓ రుద్రుడా
అగ్ని సిఖలను గుండెలోన అనచినా ఓ సూర్యుడా
పరస్వధమును చేతబూనిన పరశురాముని అమ్సవా
హింసననచగా ధ్వంస రచనలు చేసిన ఆచార్యుడా
మన్నఎం వీరుడు రామరాజు ధనుష్టం కారాసివా
భగత్ సింగ్ కదా సారి పలికిన ఇంక్విలాబ్ సబ్దానివా

అక్రమాలను కాలరాసిన ఉక్కు పాదం నీదిరా
లంచగొండుల గుండెలో నిదురించు సింహం నీవురా
ధర్మదేవత నీడలో పయనించు యాతర్ఎ నీదిరా
చమురు కప్పిన న్యాయదేవత కంటి చూపైనావురా
సత్యమేవ జగతికి నిలువెత్తు సాక్ష్యం నీవురా
లక్షలాది ప్రజల ఆస జ్యోతివై నిలిచావురా

జై ప్రజా రాజ్యం

My Convocation

2008-07-03T01:02:00.000-07:00

The HAPPENING!!!

Yeah…. the day had finally come. The day I had been waiting for two years now… Mom, Dad and Vinay were with me at this wonderful occasion… I didn’t know if it was mere coincidence or God’s work that the date of my convocation was 28th June।

Two years were flashing in front of my eyes… Happiness, sadness, pain, disgust, excitement, frustration, jubilation…। It was a roller coaster of emotions playing on me. The joy I felt can’t be expressed in words. Securing the second rank in HR was like a God sent gift to me… Actually had no expectations whatsoever… But then they say happiness comes at the most unexpected of times…and this time it did come to me.

I even got the honor of speaking at the Convocation. My speech was very well appreciated by one and all. It was an emotional day for my family and me because only they and I knew what all I had to go through in the last two years, to get that certificate! Finally it was HAPPENING! The convocation, I dreamed of, was coming true… Never saw so much joy in my Dad and Mom’s eyes… Felt blessed to have such a wonderful family and friends around to support me and share my happiest day…

Shayari Shayari!!!

2008-05-02T02:11:00.000-07:00

हमने खुदा से दुआ मांगी,
दुआ में अपनी मौत मांगी,
खुदा ने कहा मौत तो मैं तुझे दे सकता हूँ मगर,
उसका क्या करूं जिसने दुआ में तेरी लम्बी उमर मांगी !!

An Amazing day!!!

2008-05-01T20:37:00.000-07:00

Whao!! It was a reunion of Chubbies!!! That's what we call our group: Me, Sue and Rick. We had so much fun at Forum.. It's been so long since we sat together and had a meal. So many things to bitch about.. so many things to share...whooooo!! good fun..

Jalsaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

2008-04-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

Pavan Kalyan...Devi Sri Prasad... Allu Arvind... Trivikram... What a combination! I switched on the morning news and was amazed to see the frenzy this movie JALSA had created amongst Pavan Kalyan fans... A telugu film releasing worldwide in 1000 theatres simultaneously speaks volumes about the marketing initiative taken up by the film's producers... Mad mad crowds... Fans screaming.... Dancing in theatres across Andhra Pradesh... Man!!! What an opening JALSA has got.. Even national news channels covered it in their prime time news!

With rumors galore indicating the Megastar Chiranjeevi's entry into politics soon, the MLA's from other political parties are taking all pains to be in good books of Chiranjeevi to get a ticket for themselves... That's the political side of things... Coming back to Jalsa... What's the main USP of the movie and why has it caused such a huge hungama amongst telugu cinema lovers... I think its the songs.. Brilliant music by Devi Sri Prasad had once again brought back the memories of "KHUSHI" back.. The songs are very nice and specially the title track with Baba Sehgal crooning "Karo Karo Jalsa". This movie is all set to create box office history according to the market indications.. I will be watching it soon......till then "KARO KARO JALSA" ;-)

Hyderabad International Airport!!

2008-03-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

Wow!! That was the expression on my face as the car drove towards the new swanky Hyderabad International Airport. I rubbed my eyes in amazement seeing the mammoth structure. What an airport GMR had built. Fabulous and Fantastic were the words. The airport is built mostly with glass and has around 130 check in counters. There were people all around. Most of them had come to see the new airport that was making the paper headlines everyday. I wondered how companies like GMR made such beautiful structures. It was a barren piece of land two years ago and now a beautiful mega structure. I went to see off my uncle who was going to Bangalore. After he left I headed straight to the Cafe Coffee Day outlet at the airport. I and my cousin decided to have a Chocolate Walnut Brownie. It took us 25 minutes to get a sandwich and brownie. I was so annoyed. It was a big outlet of Cafe Coffee Day but the service sucked!! The fellows at the counter were not even bothered to listen to us.

Then we decided to leave after clicking a few snaps and guess who I see coming out from the arrival section: మన సూపర్ హీరో "మహేష్ బాబు. I was jumping with joy on seeing Mahesh Babu as he is my favourite hero. He guess he had come from Bangalore. I managed to click a snap of his :) . Felt very happy seeing the Hyderabad International Airport. It is truly upto international standards. There might be few glitches initially but then all systems are perfected with time!

Holi Haiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-03-22T05:17:00.000-07:00

Yipppeeeeeeeee!!!! What an amazing day it was.. Had so much fun after so long.. Actually I stay away from Holi each year. It used to be a ritualistic celebration at my house every year, but then as the years passed by people got busy and their interest in the festival of color waned. But this year it was such a delight. Thanks to my cousin Cuckoo who took the initiative and got all cousins together! The feeling was awesome. Playing with colors can be so much fun. Thats the speciality of Hyderabad.. People here enjoy every festival with so much enthusiasm. Unlike Bangalore where everyones always busy busy busy.. The festive spirit is a testimony for the fact that people around you are alive and still human. The times have changed a lot and when all one can see is people working like machines in offices, festivals like Holi bring some fun, laughter, bonding and relaxation to everyone. I had a blast this Holi and am sure it was one of my most memorable days!!!

The end of College life!!!

2008-03-18T05:03:00.001-07:00

Ha...College life got over on 15th March, Saturday..felt like the most happiest and sadest day of my life.. Leaving friends and bidding them adeiu was very painful but then its always a part of life.. One has to move on making new friends and pursuing higher goals. Am happy that a good life awaits me in the corporate world and it will be one roller coaster of a ride. Two years at SJCBA were the most enriching learning experiences. Learnt many useful things personally and professionally in two years. Met all kinds of people at college.. People who were always there to help me and people who were always there to use me. Unfortunately the latter kind was more..
The question i asked myself for two years was: Who are my true friends and who are not? My part of world had so many people, people with cute faces but very sad hearts! People with external plastic smiles on their face but full of malice in their hearts! Everyday and every relationship was a learning experience. Good or Bad, I dealt them with equal enthusiasm. Everyone at college wrote in my slam book that I am a very "enthu" guy.. I have always believed that nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. My journey has just started.. waiting for many more adventures! ;-)