Work in vain

Working in the software industry has taught me one thing very clearly: Nothing remains same. The code or the product on which you're working so diligently might be obsolete next month. All your linked software apps would go obsolete with it. All the third party vendors serving your software product would also lose their contract.

In some other part of the world, there'll be celebration events held to celebrate the success of a new deal. Some people will be celebrating the success of promotions or attractive bonuses, while some would be staring hard at the lines of the obsolete code figuring out what went wrong. But this is the cycle of Software product. All your past years of working on this product, your pending fixes, your upcoming meetings and newer release versions; everything would go down one day.

So then why waste your present on a product which has no future? Why waste your nights and weekends on a product, which may not see the light of next day?

When i joined my company almost six years ago, i thought this product would stay here for decades to come. Nothing will change, this business will run as it is running now for years to come. After all i had seen people retiring in my team working on this product for last 35-40 years. My idea wasn't wrong, but my approach was. The product will stay in market for how so ever long you want it to be, only if..

Only if it keeps transforming itself with the demands of new world. Everyday you've to work your way up, a step ahead of your competitors. Everyday you've to unlearn thousand old lines of code and learn a new thousand lines; and again unlearn these newly learned lines by next year. This is the only way the product might survive in this ever-changing market. 

Out of cocoon

Finally out of cocoon after a 7 month long hibernation. Life is still moving at a sweet little pace; at a pace where one can enjoy the journey and can't get bored by the dullness of slow pace. Few months of hard work again ignites your hopes of achieving what you couldn't do so far in life.

And i can see myself standing on the verge of the door of opportunity - raising my hand to knock on its door. Only God knows if it will open or will remain shut just like the door of so many dreams which i wanted to pursue but couldn't. 

Tata's cheapest car

Many visionaries have put forward their opinion that India will outperform US in 2030 as the next democratic Superpower (China ignored). I've read a few out of these and I am sure many of those reading this post are also aware of US losing its sheen in financial meltdown of its economy. Just like any other Indian citizen, I was also proud of the fact to see my country a superpower ignoring the grey shade that still more than half the population of this fast developing country resides in rural areas with no access to basic amenities of living, yet reading those articles in top-notch journals made me believe that our country would become a super power in two decades.  Some of those articles which i could briefly mention in this post-

" India is an emerging geek superpower - Angela Saini, Guardian "

" With more than half of Indian entrepreneur and managers believe that India will become superpower by 2030, and every four out of five support the fact that India is going in right direction " quoted another article in an online forum. The idea of this post is not to compare the stark resemblance or ambiguity in thoughts and reality and I am no-one to judge the criteria which highly complex and deceptive in nature. Since I have spent this little time in US, i came to know a little about the economy of this country. What I've sensed here is quite amusing, and is far away from what is depicted in the articles back home. This country is known as "The land of Abundance" and yes, it is indeed. It's not a tough task to determine the attitude of common citizens of this country, and it's pretty similar to any other human being across this land on earth. All one needs is a home, a secure future for one's child and some money to enjoy the life and fulfill the timely needs. I've tried to understand how the citizens here think about their country and economy, and to be disgust, they are not much bothered unless they are getting paid well to enjoy a vacation in Miami or Florida in summers. To my utter surprise, last week i read an article that this summers only half of the population have enough money to enjoy a vacation abroad, rest staging a protest against the economy for low salaries. How many in India do have this privilege of spending summers abroad without worrying about work? Unless people don't have sufficient balance in their bank accounts, they don't bother at all about the ruined economy or war against Afghanistan. This little insight into the minds of local citizens must have given you a fair idea about fun-loving and lavish life-style of people here. With no intentions of criticizing the locals, all i want to express is my independent opinion about this country which had once tamed the world economy with its technological and managerial advancements. Till now I've been to few places here and it fascinates me to see the long-term planning and vision for future so vivid in terms of infrastructure. The planned highways, inter-state US highways, parking lots, postal system are few of the examples, where US led firms are far ahead.

A major chunk of US budget goes in medical insurance of each and every citizen of US. The first and foremost right of every human being is to get the basic medical facility. Before a home to live, a meal to eat and imparting education to judge what's good or bad, one's health is of utmost importance. If you remove this one point from US annual budget, it is still roaring high with a GDP rate of over fifteen percent. But i agree in terms of economy, the GDP is always gross taking into account all the budget deficits and surplus to calculate the GDP growth. Among over hundred countries surveyed for the annual budget deficit for the year 2010, US ranked lowest with India at third lowest. It clearly describes the correlation between these two gigantic economies of world. India surely is trying to buffer its economic system from the tight constraints from outer world and have succeeded to quite an extent too. A country still known for its poverty rather than growth, known for its caste and reservation system rather than meritocracy in technology; my professor asked me expecting me to answer his question,

"Do everybody in India now owns a car since Tata's have launched their cheapest family car only for two thousand dollars?"

I wish I could have an answer..or at least own the same car  to answer myself on this front..

Identity crisis

Human identity is the most fragile thing that we have,and it's often only found in moments of truth - Alan Rudolph

~~~~~~~~~

This definition has kept changing throughout my life. Since my childhood days, I've been trying to keep my identity unique. Everybody wants to be different, wants to look different, to think different, to speak different, even to the extent of being completely different from the own surroundings.

The more you run from your values and culture, more they'll haunt you. And once you embrace your values close to your heart, all looks so serene and peaceful.

I am no different from others in this respect. When i used to go to school, I had some values which marked me different from others while some values resembles too. Born and brought up in a village, it became a matter of continuous struggle for me to prove others wrong that villagers were not illiterate.  First thought that may come to your mind at this stage or may not, but it used to be the stereotypical expression of the most that I would quit the school soon after my fifth grade. At least that was how my friends had thought about me and put me in a position to always defend my identity as a school-going kid; not a dropout working in a paddy field. Circumstances changed and brought a change to my thinking too when i left that school after tenth grade to take non medical stream for higher education. Some looked upon me with sympathy for coming to tutions from so far in chilled january mornings and some were just amused to see a kid from a village. I am right now and have been pretty sure during all these years that i look no different from other boys in my surroundings. I used to wear the same clothes as other boys, same colors like others did with some subtle differences in my accent of dialogues.

My introduction to others also keep changing with every step ahead in my life. When i joined college for my bachelors, it changed to the city Amritsar. Now i was not a big-headed fool from a village anymore. Except a very few friends, for the most I was guy just like others from Amritsar, with a little accent in their Punjabi and fond of kulchas. Those four years were different because some looked upon me with envy because of so many coaching centers in our city, which according to them helped me secured a seat in electrical stream. Yet I was just another guy from a good city for the most of the flock. It all changed again when it came to introduce myself again in New Delhi. A good part of my team was constituted by the southerners, so Punjab was enough to distinguish me from the group. Time went well for me and i made a good reputation in my small group. That reputation built up the perception for others from my state or city to be good in work too. Lived few years with reputed perception and moved on for more.

Becoming a mask for a country with more than a billion population wasn't very exciting. The identity of my village, the city and the state were long and far gone, it became a matter of country. The luck was favoring me this time, the once called big-headed fool from a village was paid all the attention being an international student from a country, known for her dominance in producing the most sharp brains and geeks in world. I enjoyed every bit of attention, but sometimes it's too heavy to keep it on your shoulders all the time. Some moments spent shrugging off this burden were memorable, doing the things not so methodically as were expected from you had given me some joyous moments. Now since I have left my previous identities far behind, sometimes i miss them. A simple student in college from yet another city, a simple kid in school trying to fight for an identity crisis which had never existed anyway and so much more of nostalgia is attached to these souvenirs from the past.

Yet it had been a good journey always being in a majority with very few moments facing the wrath of isolation. Everyone has to climb up this arduous path to bring glory to yourself and to your identity. Your identity never meant being an individual, it means a lot more than you. An identity is a mask of whole community and your actions are perceived as the cultural values of your community. Those who are wise enough never fell into this trap created by the society, rather they look for wisdom in their own thoughts to mock an individual or the whole society for one's actions.

Social media; a fad or revolution?

Social media has expanded its network in no-time and has outreached the capacity of any imaginative thinking. It started almost a decade ago with few networking sites launching their platforms on internet for ordinary people to interact in a more casual manner than e-mails. Among those few remained a hit while others were wiped out in this giant wave of social networking. In terms of real success, Orkut was the first networking site though it took sometime to mark its presence in the new roaring age of internet. Personally too, it was my first experience of being in this new lime-light of social media, where you can reach far out to the outer world. I made the most of it by opening account on it, later shifting to the blogger to give a vent to my feelings into the outer world. I still remember refreshing my homepage again and again to see some new update on my scrapbook, roaming on to the scrapbooks of others; some were clapping with happiness while others fuming with disappointment. It looked as if everyone had got in a relationship with the social media, a personal space of your anonymity expressing your thoughts in your very own way, giving a very little importance to what others would think of you. It became a voice for voiceless, a source of power for the weak and backbone for the spineless human.

When some thought it might be the end for this new fad of social media, networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn gave it a new meaning. It explored a new dimension of people, a new media to interact for all levels of communication, It suited every age-group; from a teenager looking for his/her crush to older ones trying to reunite with their batch-mates and family spread across the world. With six months,the number of Facebook users surpassed the population of majority of nations. It became a new tool for the industries to market their product and giving the real insight to the reviews of same product for the consumer market as well. A brand become a synonym to one's lifestyle and showing off your new gadget could set you apart from the bunch of ordinary men and women. With the expansion of this era, more companies started pouring in this new business with a wide set of ideas and culture values. Invention of new applications converged all sources of information to just few websites. Surfing on these websites for few hours will make you feel like visiting some community fair, discussing and exchanging your ideas with people from entirely different backgrounds. To listen to some song, i prefer surfing Facebook rather than YouTube. Companies who couldn't afford a separate chain for marketing their products got a new media much more efficient and powerful than its outdated counter-part. Some firms made millions of dollar using it wisely by reaching out to its customers while others were dusted from the market for not giving due attention to its customer-care chain.

The author has put it so lucidly to define its importance in present marketing world : From Social Media to Social Strategy.

Baba: the black sheep?

Swami Ramdev has taken over the command from Anna Hazare to continue the protest againt corruption. The Indian economy has been reeling under this monstrous corruption since british left it in 1947 following the financial losses incurred by UK in second world war. Everybody had a dream to live, to breathe, to rejoice in a fresh air free from all the impurities. Before we realized, this monster had taken charge over the minds of many, that very few were left to fight against this corruption. Many generations came and went unnoticed, some tried to wipe it out but before they could contribute a little to their sacred land, it was time to leave.

Anna hazare got the limelight when he started his fast till death to pass Jan lokpal bill in Indian constitution. People got an opportunity to raise their voice in an unequivocal manner against corruption, and it succeeded to some extent as well. A swami famous for his yoga teachings cured many of his followers from ailing and chronic diseases. People worshiped him for saving their lives all across the land. In a corner, he was also watching all this drama getting unfold and thought why not contribute his part to this crusading protest against corruption. People unaware of his little political understanding started following him without giving any real thought to its aftermath. The problem arose due to the complications in a democratic world where the laws are meant to be passed through the cabinet, but not through blackmail-ism by some ordinary men. He thought of taking undue advantage of his iconic stature to address some real issues in a deplorable manner.  Nevertheless his fan following rose to higher levels with each passing moment. At the same time, he was also criticized for his uncanny and arrogant manners towards his disciples. Foul-mouthed swami asked for banning 500-1000 rupee notes, proposing the education model should be in regional language taking away the only reason (English language) of unity among all citizens. With some more hatred speeches against government, he asked for making a militia of armed men.

Is it really justified for a yoga teacher to talk about militia of armed men? Even he felt helpless so he went against his own words very next day. A school drop-out (8th grade, to be exact) is asking the countrymen to follow him for passing the political laws to save the country from corruption. The governments over the past few decades has left no chance for ordinary and uneducated icons of our country, but to rise against this evil practice. The cause is genuine, very honest and purposeful but the means are as impure as this practice of corruption. Please think about it before joining this mass protest, whether your voice against the government is putting the individual freedom and democratic rights in a jeopardy or not?

The race of the wisest species

The life has certainly taken a leap forward, from those muddy roads to clean paved paths, a place where every second counts and punctuality is the new motto of life. From a place of saints and humans, to the new world of machines. Machines are directed to behave politely, neither they ever cheat nor they are corrupted.

Life is smooth, as smooth as the melting butter over a hot non-sticky pan. The day i came here and now, looking past in these five months fills me with little optimism but more of regression. During all these different years, i had learnt one thing. That phase when you tried with the best of your will, with the grit, that phase which was most gruesome yet you never said no to your efforts, that phase when hope was replaced with despair and light was taken its place with darkness of failure yet you were hopeful for the sunny days, that was the finest hour of my life. The reason i believe in it is because those efforts in unyielding circumstances brings the best out of you. The glorious moments are the result of many painful and struggling nights. This one motto kept me alive during all those long nights, that one day the sun would be brighter than my little success and my friends and family would bask in the sun of happiness. This part of my glory is called happiness, not few pennies of money nor a lavish golf course. A company of few closed ones and an excuse to be happy. It may not last so long before the next task, but such excuses keeps you moving in this long and everlasting run. Last five months, as i expected them to be the most enduring, the months when i would have tried real hard yet they were none. The life is smooth and as smooth as it was five months ago.

I came here filled with some sense of responsibility towards my family, for some promises i made leaving the land where i had my most cherished memories. A new land where every face speaks a unique tongue, every eye sparkles with a unique glitter and midst all of them was me. That starting of year was also unique, sitting in the plane looking through the aisle window for those unreachable stars. The time will remain same, just like after every night the credibility of shining sun. I convinced my heart that either that motto will come handy for the coming next two years or it will be the result of enduring efforts i put in during some finest past years. I was never sure of the upcoming surprises in this new year, but this coming year had already taken from me some of the most precious moments of my life. It had already taken back those eventful journeys back to my home for which i had always looked with utmost anxiousness. It had already taken back those beautiful mornings spend going to the office in metro and looking at all those so-familiar faces everytime. It had already taken back so much from me that one day i would complain you the lord about all my grief, unless my dreams would be fulfilled. Those dreams which sure would be more eventful than those journeys, the dreams more beautiful than those rush-hour morning. The truth of the moment lies in the fact that neither those eventful journeys nor the beautiful mornings will ever come, time once gone will never come back. Nobody has ever got hold over this mischievous running time. When the eventful journeys and mornings were there, I always asked the lord for more. I asked for the change, or in true words i craved for the change yet always enjoyed my life to the fullest; when gifted with the change i always asked for, it filled me with uncertainty. I was reluctant to take this one more step into the new world and bring one more reason to smile for me and my loved ones.

Either god has made this wisest species of human beings so foolish or is it just me?

Happy Independence day

Sixty three years of independence has brought so many changes in our system, marked are so many winning occasions tailed with few forgettable moments too. Surpassing one billion mark on its population front, India is still facing major issues like energy, power and infrastructure.

Being a Socialist country, first comes the welfare of society before an individual's. This very logic of putting society's welfare before individuals is causing most of the trouble in its path for a developed nation. A very few readers are accustomed to read such posts of mine, but every word shall be free from the dirt of politics. I defy politics because it ruins the individuality of a person, the one who puts his heart to take this system to a higher level has to pass through the dirty lane of politics, and none has ever come out of it clean.

Taj Mahal is famous all across the globe. People all across the world comes to visit and if you ever have a chance, you must have noticed the disparity in the entry fees for a foreign guy and a local lad. A traveler ends up paying more than one thousand rupees to see the fascinating beauty and an Indian enters its premises for a bare minimum attempting to pluck two or three flowers from a prohibited park. Why is this disparity? Some may agree with the notion that it could help to earn more revenues which can be utilized for the development of our country. Charging an entry fees hundred times more from a foreigner is considered as an act of welfare for our country.

And if cab driver charges twice the actual amount, he is declared a rogue.. These are double standards prevailing all over the India. For the name of society, even the theft of money from a foreigner is justified.

The global market

A dungeon cell confined in the webs of spider. Packed sweets piled upon in layers spread over the front row of table. Bees could be seen humming through the transparent glass beneath the shelf, catching the aroma of sweet dishes kept in the glass shelf.

I laid an eye over the sweet shop round the corner while returning from my office. Walking through the straight road, it had become an act of deliberate ignorance to notice this hub of bees. An elderly woman in her mid-fifties could be seen, trying to wipe out the undesirable flock from her freshly made sweets. No passerby had ever shown a bit of interest in her products, still she pulled up the shutters at sharp 7th hour of clock in the morning. A child, laid in his racked clothes, clinging to the rotten walls of shop whose future seems confined to these four murky corners. Fan circulating the hot humid air across every direction showing no signs of respite under this scorching heat. Least bothered about the customers, mind bogged down shouldering the responsibilities of young minds and dreaming in leisure one day her child would get placed in Boston Consulting group (BCG). The road bore a deserted look as the sun was shedding under the thick clouds hovering over the west, walls stood numb hearing peacefully the echos played upon by the chirping of birds. In the meantime, she could hear the footsteps stepping over the cemented pathway the lucky ones were rushing to home after a long day at office. Miles to cover, hours to work before she could call it a day. As soon as the rays of sun ceased to reach her shop, coloured light filled up the entire room with light burning in yellow tinge gazing through the asymmetric steps of street.

Mapping my steps over the trodden pathway, I glanced over the shop with little interest. Sweets packets were still untouched, wrapped in red glitter paper with a hanging price tag Rs 60/Kg. The mystery of this global market was still unwary of the gullible world..