Pieces from my Mind!! All my own, of course!!

Indeed 11^th April 2008 at Chennai was an unusual evening on our way to the airport. With the departure time beyond 8:00 PM we, Siby and I thought it would be a normal evening with just a few busy signal crossings on our way to the airport. But not willing to take a chance, the over cautious approach that I take when it comes to traveling, we left early by Chennai standards at 7:15 PM. Karthikeyan wanted me on a call with Ranga and that took us a minute beyond 7:15 PM. While we were on the call, I sent Siby an SMS to get ready and head towards the car.

To our dismay, the car driver had chosen to take a small detour of the surroundings as we had not informed him that we would be leaving at 7:15 PM. By the time we located him and he was able to get the car to the front gate of our office, precious minutes were just gone. The traffic was unusually dense that evening with no apparent reason. We tried asking the driver in our broken Tamil whether we would reach in 45 minutes….he readily said yes. As if it were a statement coming from God himself, we believed him and got into some serious conversation about the Humana visit and what else we could do for the client to earn further support for our expansion plans. When the cab was standing still for a good 5 minutes at a signal crossing, I began to panic. It was the same clammy feeing one gets when watching a horror film when you do not know what to expect next!! Flashes of doubt whether I would be able to reach the counter 30 minutes before the flight take-off kept appearing on my mind.

Siby, as usual, kept assuring me that it would be absolutely okay and we would reach in time. Since it was an Air Deccan flight, I thought maybe Siby was right. Seldom does an Air Deccan flight take-off on time!! Prabhakar in the meantime had reached the airport with our distinguished Humana guests from a trip to Pondicherry. He called in to confirm whether Siby was on the way to airport. We asked him to check at the Air Deccan counter whether the Chennai to Bangalore flight was departing on time? Surprise! Surprise! – it was indeed scheduled to fly on the dot at 9:00 PM. Fate was perhaps being cruel to me...this was another stray thought that crossed my bewildered mind, now fraught with pessimism.

After a long and a seemingly endless drive we finally reached the airport with 25 minutes left for the flight's departure. Would I make it…God it seems, enjoys once in a while playing a cruel game with his followers and believers. Between the flight and I, there was this devil at the counter who said, 'Impossible, the counter is closed.' We lost precious minutes explaining that the roads were congested and we were held up in traffic snarls. Aha!! Remarked the guy at the counter, 'pray, tell me how did the others traveling in the same flight manage?' Although it wasn't the time to give a lecture on time management, much less listen to an unknown Indian teaching the basics of keeping time from Air Deccan guy at the counter, well I had to. He was unrelenting and so were we, as stubborn as we could be.

This went on for a good 15 minutes until Siby asked him why he was being so adamant. His reply was "go and see the 'Q' at the security check". There were at least 150 people waiting for their chance to get through security clearance. Not wanting to be browbeaten by a nondescript guy at the counter, we ventured by telling him that we would manage the crowd and sail through the gate and that responsibility was just ours, not his. He spoke to his counterpart inside the plane which was in its final phase of preparations for take-off. Imagine our relief when the guy at the plane said. 'Send him in.' Our friend, was still unrelenting, he was getting some kind of a sadistic pleasure through this denial process: two guys wallowing in front of him requesting that one of them be accommodated. Tables apparently, had turned for Air Deccan I guess. It was time to tell people that Air Deccan meant business and that it was ready to shed its earlier image of a laidback airline meant only for holiday makers where time was not a premium.

We gave in and told him to hand over the boarding pass only after I got through the cordon of people at the security. While I was running, Siby had already reached at the head of the 'Q' and had made an earnest appeal to people at large to accommodate a colleague of his and allow him to pass through, ahead of the bunch. Couple of folks at the head of the 'Q' decided to play good Samaritans and allowed me to slip in. Only then did our friend hand over the boarding pass.

Rest is history. On hindsight, it was pretty comical…could we have avoided? I don't think so. I came to know from the other passengers in the flight that Friday evenings are a nightmare. Chennai has a huge floating population, thanks to the economic awakening that India is going through in the last 3 to 4 years. This floating population heads home during weekends. Coupled with a plethora of low cost carriers now crowding the Indian skies, all roads lead to Chennai airport every Friday. I am not going to Thank God anymore, if it's a Friday!!

Did I have an alternative? I am sure, there was. I could have traveled the next day by the same airline or could have bought myself another ticket in one of the three remaining flights to Bangalore the same evening. The 'Joy of Flying' (pun intended!!) in the same Air Deccan flight (now christened Kingfisher Deccan) which appeared seemingly impossible, was sweeter than tamely buying another ticket and building a plausible story to get the bosses approval for wastefully spending another Rs. 4,000.

Cheers!!

IC 609 - Weekend Humor!!

I wonder how many of you may recall the history of the Airbus Industry manufactured A320 aircrafts in India. This airplane was conceptualized in the year 1984 and the first maiden flight was on 22^nd Feb’87. Indian Airlines placed an order for 43 such aero planes for its then growing network. On 19^th Feb’90, one of the planes while approaching the Bangalore airport, descended 800 meters short of the runway and veered into the Karnataka Golf course killing 92 people out of the 146 people in the aircraft.

This is not meant to be a disaster story being re-told; it was just a small introduction to the start of A320 aircrafts flying in Indian air space. Honestly, these aircrafts brought a great deal of comfort, space, legroom etc. during those days and it was a welcome change from the then cramped and overused Boeing 737-200, called the workhorse during the pre-A320 days.

After a fairly long gap, I had this chance of traveling in an A320 Indian Airlines flight IC-609 from Mumbai to Bangalore on Friday, 20^th June 2008. Saumya, who was also traveling with me was sitting in a row behind me and was banking on my luck to be brought home in one piece and with little or no delays. Both of us reached Mumbai domestic airport well ahead of the departure time, expecting inordinate delays. It was hence a pleasant surprise when we heard over the PA system that the flight was on time and they expected all passengers to check-in, go through the security check and await the final departure call.

15 to 20 minutes delay should not raise any eyebrows these days. When invited to board the aircraft we were already behind time. From the hot and humid departure lounge of the common terminal 1A used by Indian Airlines and Kingfisher, it was a comfortable drive in an air conditioned bus from the terminal to the parked aircraft. When we got out of the bus, something appeared different and odd and it took me a few moments to realize that we were asked to board from the service entrance door to the left of the aircraft. Was this over-aged airplane facing a jammed door on the right side? We have no way of knowing the truth, for the Govt. run operator does not share much information any which way. Those grouchy cabin crew, with a glum, constipated look on their face, feel that it is an insult to smile. They go about doing their job by not uttering a single word. This brought back nostalgic memories of my yesteryears – unfriendly airport terminals across the country, delayed departure and arrivals and the ‘special’ breed of not so friendly Indian Airlines cabin crew. It also reminded me of the poker faced entertainment staff who usher in people into a closed chamber for an experience of the spooky world – “Ghost Rides” as they are called in Madame Tussauds gallery of the ghosts in London!! Not knowing what to expect, every passenger wears a surprised look on their face when they walk into the aircraft. There was only one difference however. In these world famous and much talked about museums, the authorities take elaborate pains to make a new equipment look like a vintage to bring in some semblance of the bygone era. Well! It isn’t a struggle for Indian Airlines at all…these are true vintage class aircrafts in an “as is” and hopefully flying condition!! No wonder the two recently married couples sitting on either side of my row were behaving as if there was no tomorrow. On-screen escapades of Kajol and King Khan would perhaps pale in comparison.

Poor maintenance of these lovely flying machines was quite glaring to say the least. The floor was completely worn out; the side walls/panels wore a jaundiced look. The once upon a time fresh white side panels have given way to old, musty yellow panels, something similar to the way you would find on your over used and over aged kitchen appliances at home. Even the seat covers looked as if they could do with a wash, even if it were an annual ritual. The food and snacks tray do not correctly fit into the slot in the front seat and it was pretty comical to see some passengers juggle and struggle with it. The lighting had an eerie effect; as if you were walking in the corridor of a Govt. run hospital. Toilets at the rear reminded me of the general toilet in KSRTC’s Kempe Gowda Bus Terminus and hence the less said the better. Yet another thing to be spoken about is the food. Agreed that one cannot satiate the different palate of the wide cross section of the India Diaspora, but aged food? Aged and ailing aircraft…I can understand, but food that is old and revived through constant re-heating!! Yes, that was the case of the food given on the aircraft. Rice had dried to reach its former stage of being raw and the onion pieces sprinkled over the so called fried rice was emaciated, burnt and had reached a crispy stage. Even the hostel food in my college tasted better. At least, it was fresh.

What I did like about the flight is something that some of the other airlines must learn to emulate. The announcements in “Hindi” were truly a refreshing experience. It was in chaste Hindi and as spoken in the Hindi heartland. The pronunciation and choice of words were perfect. Not that this would matter in a state of emergency but nonetheless it was pleasant on the ears. It was a welcome change from the Americanized Hindi spoken by the red brigades of Kingfisher. Thankfully they only speak of the ‘Joy of Flying’ and not listening!!

Saumya had told me something about his previous travel in an Indian Airlines flight and that had set my mind racing. Having a bent of an engineer’s mind in fact, came to my rescue and I could pass the comment of Saumya as a figment of extreme imagination. He had mentioned about sitting next to a leaky emergency door and the cold pencil thin stream of air coming from a hypothetical gap!! This is an impossible possibility, to say the least. For those of you who may be interested to know the finer points, as we ascend, the air gets thinner and the air pressure and temperature falls. For the comfort of passengers and crew, the cabin is pressurized to near normal atmospheric pressure by way of a mechanical devise, also called a ‘pump’ and the air conditioned to be at 22 degrees centigrade. Further, the doors of the aircraft are designed like the lid of the Hawkins pressure cooker. It can close in one direction only and once the pressure inside is higher than outside, it gets completely sealed. The pencil thin stream of air as told by Saumya could have been from a leaky air conditioning duct and nothing else, as air flow in the other direction would defy the laws of physics!!

The flight was otherwise uneventful excepting for the one-legged landing and the nose coming down with a big thud!! Our now famous cabin crew were successful in yanking the correct door open and we got down to a waiting Volvo and from there to the terminal’s arrival gate. In all we were just 45 minutes behind schedule and Saumya attributes this luck to me.

Cheers for Safe Flights and Happy Landings!!

Chetan Bhagat's address to BBA Freshers forwarded by Pat

Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates - there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time. Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party – several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.

I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save the spark? Imagine the spark to be a lamp's flame. The first aspect is nurturing - to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn't any external measure - a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.

Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement. But it isn't the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won't be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday? They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.

Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature's design. Are you? Goals will help you do that. I must add, don't just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order. There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

You must have read some quotes - Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school. Where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One last thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said - don't be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It's ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.

I've told you three things - reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose. Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don't go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades – how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you.

But it's life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember - if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that's where you want to be. Disappointment’s cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don't know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to a release. Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at least I was learning how to write scripts , having a side plan – I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life - friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.

Unfairness - this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you. In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty darn lucky by Indian standards. Let's be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don't. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don't get literary praise. It's ok. I don't look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It's ok. Don't let unfairness kill your spark.

Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others.

There you go. I've told you the four thunderstorms - disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, you eyes will shine the same way as they do today. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying - I come from the land of a billion sparks.

Thank You.

Message from Marie Manual - The Real World

Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with this! Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2 : The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were... So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer.. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds.. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

If you agree, pass it on.
If you can read this - Thank a teacher!