Logical conclusion

Logical Conclusion

In the days when there are a lot of dispute situations arising between employers and employees in respect to adhering to the path of righteousness or straying from it, both parties are a harried lot. Appointment and offer letters are not being followed and more and more people are questioning the proprietary of receiving the offer or appointment letters and the containing terms and conditions as if they were just plain typewritten sentences and not the guiding star for both parties.

The reasons are many, primarily the employer’s reluctance to let go of a good resource, especially during the busy period forgoing his earning potential. In his attempt to stretch the inevitable, he tramples on the rights as offered by himself in the very contract document signed with his employee. Another reason is the tomboyish attitude of the employee, where they are not concerned with projects or work undertaken, neither are they interested in moral jitters due to work left uncompleted irrespective of knowingly acknowledging the hardship it would put his organisation and bosses to not to speak of the monetary loss the firm may suffer as a result. 

This is especially true in the modern era and prevalent in areas where the company has invested its time and machinery to identify talent, train them and make them fit for the specific purpose of the project. The employer after all this is certainly entitled to a few winks of sleep and tension free environment. But no sooner does he think his hard work is paying off when employees barge into his peaceful existence to shake him out of his placid state of mind. They are always challenging the employer with their resignations and other irritatingly conspicuous demands which carry more of nuisance value for the HR department.

Fed up and to protect his turf the employer renegades on the very contract he enforced and turns into a foul guy putting up all kinds of un serviceable demands. The employee at his stage is frustrated because he needs to find his way out. His sole aim is to prosper at his own pace and has a date with destiny for which he needs to be suitably relieved. Many of the stipulations the employer places affronting the resigned employee are actually contradictory to the contract terms and conditions, but nevertheless he forces himself on the hapless employee who is faced with a peculiar worry either of accepting the demands or tighten the girdle to take the fight to the opponents camp.

The options before an employee are numerous, he can talk sense into the employers head, make peace with him and work out a middle path that which solves problems at both ends, refuse to accept any demands that the employer may put on him, or take the employer to the courts. Most of them and the prudent ones somehow manage to pacify the temperamentally seething employer and weave their way around the stumbling blocks.

However others may contemplate taking action, reporting to the labour commissioner, hiring a lawyer, complaining to their Unions, or other such measures. However the effort needed to convert the wrongs into victorious endgames are huge. It may take years to arrive at a favourable result; there may be times when you wish you hadn’t started it at all. There are times when you sit back and count the gains and losses arising out of this action. You discover the potential hassles when you as an individual have to fight the employer which is an institution. The institution has many helping hands and finance is no restraint whereas as an individual you stake your happiness on the altar of righteousness. Then the lawyers can do a double crossing job, the results are in no way certain, compromises may be offered after wasting many years fighting wrongs and many other possibilities. Family might suffer, neighbours might start a whisper campaign, society may see you as a rebel and your reputation might get tarnished in the bargain of taking your case to its logical end. Deriving a logical conclusion is not an easy job. So should you prostrate? Put down your arms? Hold up your hands in abject surrender? Or bow down in meek submission?

Before contemplating on rectifying the perceived wrongs, the aggrieved party must always weigh the pros and cons, the load on the chest and shoulders that he can bear, the financial implications it can cause, the solicitude that it might put him into since friends, supporters and acquaintances usually fall by the wayside. The loneliness, the disturbed state of mind, the fear of losing, the anxiety of a lifetime all this must be thoroughly rehearsed weighing them consciously before finally arriving at a conclusion on whether it is worthwhile and fruitful to carry on a crusade for justice.

The gravity is not the same for everybody, everyone has a different barometer of patience, some can withstand an onslaught for long, and others may crumble at the start, so it is essential that each individual analysis the extent to which he/she can take the fight to. Every individual must lay bare on the table the effects, consequences and preparedness to take in adversity. Once that decision has been made, you can fight on resolutely with a clear mind and conscience taking things to a logical conclusion irrespective of the flip side.

Robin Varghese – robin_vargh@yahoo.com

2^nd September 2014

Commitments gone awry

Commitments gone awry

We are asking ourselves this question a number of times during the day, month and year as well as constantly in our lives. Be it our commitment within the family, within a relationship, between friends, with acquaintances, among fellow workers, between a supervisor and his subordinate, employer and employee, between tutor and student, jailor and  prisoner, citizen and country, Kings and subjects, leaders and public. Commitment is the central theme in all relationships and this commitment fluctuates with time and space and in a manner of reciprocity.

Commitment stems from levels of comfort and this comfort stems out of levels of engagement between two individuals. The more the level of engagement, the more easy communication becomes, and the easier it becomes when deciding on the length and scope of engagement. Suppose a supervisor was to allot a certain work to a subordinate, he will do it with a subordinate who is more familiar with the supervisor’s goals and aspirations and line of thinking. This was made possible because the subordinate has had more moments of engagement with the supervisor, whereby he has acquired knowledge of the supervisor’s likes and dislikes, the manner of reciprocity, the line of thought of his supervisor and would therefore be best suited to engage more soundly with the supervisor when the time comes.

Let us assume that levels of engagement are restricted to this one employee to whom the supervisor has allotted the work since he trusts him to carry out his orders as if it were his own, but additionally he must allot another worker to execute another assignment too at the same time. Since he does not have another trusted lieutenant, he feels handicapped and is not confident of being able to finish the work with the same flourish as in the first instance.  This handicap does not augur well for the organisation and the employer, therefore he has to learn the lesson of engaging more and more people in a manner that adds to finesse and quality in productivity. Similar is the case within the organisation between different levels of line managers and their subordinates, between line managers and their department heads, between department heads and general manager and between General Manger and the board. That is why the company needs to have a policy of employee engagement.

What is employee engagement? Is it a formula applied to the equation between lower level subordinates and their supervisors? Or is it a sense that must prevail across the board? Is it a one to one engagement which is personal in nature or is it an engagement which encompasses aspirations and adds to the zeal of the employees? An employee coaxed on a personal level might reciprocate at certain times, till his personal needs are met, but to keep him entrenched in the values and goals of the organisation and prompting him to remain wedded to the company will need persuasion beyond personal peripherals. The longevity of service and the extent of commitment will depend on the buoyancy he imbibes as a result of employee engagement policies of the company.

There are many things which must run simultaneously in an organisation to achieve optimum levels of employee engagement. To keep an employee engaged he has to be made felt in the organisation. Many a time employees drag themselves to their workplace, this is a sure sign that employee engagement is dismal and at its lowest in the organisation. However there may be exceptions too, but here we are discussing the usual. If an employee does not feel comfortable in an organisation then productivity is loosened and the organisation suffers as a whole. What are the reasons that may make the employee drag himself to his workplace let us look at some important ones.

1.      Untidy environment - An employee can feel put off if the environment is not tidy and clean, it is therefore essential to keep the environment neat and clean. Waste water and garbage must be channelized into covered drains and bins. An added incentive would be if the surroundings are green with trees, leaves and flowers.

2.      Haphazard and unruly work environment- If working rule is flouted openly then too he can feel offended. Suppose employees are loitering around and chatting within themselves and suppose the tone is loud with individuals having to yell to be heard from distances assuming the spectre of a fish market or a stock exchange floor. Then an employee may not feel engaged alluding that the organisation is not organised in its work style.

3.      Salutations and greetings – If workers address themselves and their supervisors with courtesy and mannerism and if the conversation is low and humble it gives an impression of a place that is brimming with good natured and cultured people.

4.      Work rules & HR policies and attitudes – If the organisation has a fixed set of rules and if the work rules are obediently followed and enforced without favour the employee gets the feeling of being one with all others and is assured of fair treatment. It is important to have a tidy HR policy that which is seen as sturdy and that which is non-discriminatory. HR Department must be seen as friendly guys for the good ones and merciless to the wayward. Actions must follow a symmetrical path and must seem to be nonsensical and professional. The HR department must earn the trust of the employees prompting them to feel at home.

5.      Meeting aspirations – The organisation must be able to meet the aspirations of the employees. Fulfilling at least some of the aspirations will enable employees to stay put with an organisation for long.

6.      Organisations external relationships- Relationship with vendors, suppliers, and contractors. An employee will value the organisation also based on the firm’s commitment to supplies, payments, contractors and relationship with all stakeholders involved in the business process.

7.      In house recruitment & social commitments– It is very important to scout for talent within the boundaries of the organisation. An internal employee will always be better than an external candidate for filling up a post. Extracurricular activities must be encouraged and time permitted and encouragement forwarded for discharging social obligations.

8.      Attitude of top ups – The Top and Middle management must seem eager to meet the employees half way. Discussing them and their family and their aspirations along with that of family members will go a long way in laying trust and durability. Employee participation in business ideas and seeking advice of all employees on issues periodically will lend strength to the concept of employee engagement, and by extension loyalty and exuberance.

9.      Free exit – There must be a system of free exit in the organisation. When and if the employee feels the need to quit for whatever reasons, he must be allowed to do so adhering to the rules of the organisation. On no account should decisions smack of any revenge or back stabbing. In fact an employee must be coaxed to furnish fully the terms of exit and he must be seen off in the most pleasant manner. This will create a good will for the organisation and will spread the word in the labour market. The company stands to gain as a result of this goodwill generated, resulting in attracting the best talent available in the labour market.

These engagement efforts have been specified broadly which will help employees seek an extended stay at his place of work benefitting all the stake holders. There may still be some bad fish, but then nothing is perfectly perfect, one must make allowances for the turncoats and habitual offenders.

Lastly these efforts need to percolate to the level of an ordinary worker and been seen by them as lasting and concentrated effort by the management or its officials. Talking about officials - to implement them in an orderly manner and keep the employee engaged, is a full time job executable by experienced hands that have the will and dexterity to learn from life.

Robin Varghese – robin_vargh@yahoo.com

4^th September 2014

 

Leading 'em through the wilderness

Leading 'em through the wilderness

A friend once sent his profile for a training opportunity, what it actually meant was how he qualifies to be a trainer. I know him as someone who is a good coach, counsellor and one who can effectively channelize aspirations of his subject. He has had long years of corporate life, in Finance, Admin, HR, events, doubled up as an interviewer in radio shows, wrote articles conducted events etc. He did send his profile but they never got back, the profile it seems had vanished into a sink hole. I assume because he did not have man hours of training experience to back him up in spite of all above credentials and in spite of having done the ropes while in HR. This is the fate of many otherwise experienced new comers into the field and most of whom want to make a beginning with the business of training. This is how the training world looks at them.

What is training? Training is honing someone’s latent skills to make it effective enough for the world to use as a product off the shelf. It is a method of awakening the self to make it more productive. Training is also a reason to keep up the tempo, break the monotony and infuse much needed energy into a being and a group. Training helps infuse and transform centrally, scattered thoughts and aspirations into bursts of actionable energy that keeps the production cycle steady. Training is the process where delivery of information, helps in the transformation process of a human being and in the process be reformed. In short training is all about information, transformation and reformation. It is indeed training that helps sagging shoulders revive to a stage where the recipients are propelled into putting organisation over self, a mental state where they keep asking for more. Training helps to discover one self- hitherto dormant and unknown desires surface as a piece of floating object bobbing up and down amidst the ocean current and tide.

We are all born with skills which may pertain to many fields, an assorted array of fondness for a certain path that needs a kind of awakening to lift it from a state of dormancy to a stand attention mode and then gradually polishing it to shine luminously as a soldiers boot reflecting the persons charisma and personality. This fondness and curiosity is awakened at an early stage by our teachers, parents and mentors, the lucky ones seem to find their peace early in life, but the majority are still fiddling as would a learner with the strings of a guitar waiting for the sweet sound of success.

People have spent an entire lifetime chasing, or better still pushing jobs that have no semblance of balance with their needs and awakens little that is dormant deep within them. They are always yearning to break out like a butterfly from its cocoon. Yet they keep ploughing on for lack of better alternatives and slowly ease into the background with the satisfaction of having done their bit in life. You hear of professionals leaving their high paying jobs early on to turn to farming, there are others who have sacrificed cushy jobs to go out and teach and train people. Joining NGO’s is the latest fad amongst the literate; the buzz word is developmental management.

Training skills in any area needs to start with the basics, the need to take a natural liking for the field. You cannot take away a good teacher from his/her teaching job even if you were to offer him/her a highly remunerative job in a different field as an alternative. The reason is simple, for a teacher the satisfaction is the child being able to grasp life’s lessons and see the child grow and mature into something in this world. A teacher’s chest swells with pride when you mention that you have made it as a former student of the teacher, when you meet them in person. Your presence and a proclamation of your achievements are reflective of their score card, the examinations for which they have given a long time ago and a good teacher will never trade the moment for anything else in life.

As life progresses school and college teachers/professor are replaced with corporate trainers in specific moulds of life skills, like soft, technical, subject centric etc. The question is who is a trainer? Or more pertinently who is an effective trainer? An effective trainer will be one who has a fair grasp of the subject, knows how to deliver it painstakingly and with absolute finesse to his students or trainees. A trainer should be the Dronacharya in the classroom, and he must be able to impart skills with ease, grasp and make it register in the hearts and minds of his trainees not only for it to last long within themselves but also inculcate the lessons into their daily work life.  An effective trainer is someone who can gather together pieces of wood and twigs into a heap and light the fire to send succour to the eager ones both in direction of thought and knowledge. He can both keep out the cold and light their lives all with the lighting of the fire. Set up a Barometer within your employees to measure the impact of training as a contributory factor to organisational progress.

A trainer also must be able to develop his own content for training by gathering different bits of information to align in with his thoughts and insights. Not only does a trainer need to be able to leave his imprint on the course and the material, it should be like a boutique piece that which may have an uncanny resemblance to others but is truly unique. His, must be a pioneering effort like the icebreaker ships cutting through thick sheets of ice. Only if he can integrate the daily work life and changing patterns combined with lessons from the past, can he effectively eke out a useful lesson in training. To be a good trainer you have to be a good observer of life as it passes you by. Blurting out a few lines and combining it with a straight face and posing as a man of learning will not implant the doctrines that a trainer ought to develop in training. A man of learning may not essentially be a good trainer, but a trainer will always be a man of learning who has incorporated life skills into his teaching and whose outreach smacks of days in the sun.

You have to live life as a trainer and it must start at home from your daily life of giving out advice to your kids and others in the immediate family and turning them into success stories. That is where a trainer’s life starts, which slowly percolates into the neighbourhood, amongst friends and acquaintances, office routine, departments, training in house and the like. In short for a trainer to be effective the essential pre requisite is life’s experience, a fair call to all and sundry who are preparing to turn trainers or are looking to hire them only on the basis of man hours ploughed. On the contrary look out for that existent spark that can be fanned with time to engulf larger areas thereby spreading its contours, otherwise it will be akin to an oarsman splashing his oars with the boat tied to the bank- an exercise in futility.

Robin Varghese – robin_vargh@yahoo.com

27^th August 2014

 

Running with the Hare and hunting with the Hounds

Running with the hare and hunting with the hounds

As young men we were forcefully reminded to stick to our employers for long periods of time and to make that career move only when we had grown firm roots in the present job, growing strong wings which would enable us to fly to another branch of the tree. We were also taught to acquire skills and brush up our knowledge, put them to use through attending courses and move steadily through the rungs.  No wonder the old timers have very less to show by way of change of employment and miles to measure by way of loyalty.

However the present lot are a restless group like the cat on a hot tin roof jumping from one job to the other, without so much a glance at their records. The brave ones start looking for better jobs, even before settling into their latest commitments. They have no qualms and are not singularly guilty of offending any party. They also do not lose sleep over how they would answer the interviewer on the reasons for wanting to leave this new job. It is almost as if the entire world works in synchrony. This act of job hopping and searching jobs are almost a ritual to the new generation of job seekers, and progress seems to be measured by the number of jobs changed as advertised on your social networking site profile. Watch out also for the excuses being offered for quitting besides the usual, even holidays on account of personal trips, excursions and leave for family functions count amongst the reasons for quitting.

Why and what are the reasons for this shift in attitude? And how do prospective employers see this growing trend? The first and foremost thought that comes to mind is the fact the present generation is an over ambitious lot. They want to keep pace with changes and more often want to outrun and outperform their peers and competitors, so much so that they are constantly trying to jump over their shadow.  Materialistic yearnings keep them excited and focused on the task of being one up on their peers and competitors. It is considered a sin not to dream about the good things in life and work towards attaining them. This streak starts right from the time of acquiring a professional qualification.

The question that floats in discussion forums is what is the ROI (Return on Investment)? Even an admission to enhance your knowledge is weighed in terms of the monetary input into the course and the returns are calculated in banking terms. Not only is the return calculated in monetary terms but the question that follows is, in how much time? It does not take a wise man to understand that you have a lifespan to reap dividends. No wonder once you get that qualification, you start setting a price tag on your output. Some are successful and end up with placements that pay them according to their desires. A lot many adding up to a majority end up with pay scales much below their expectations. So in an effort to match aspirations to actual output they keep jumping jobs to reach the target, akin to a new hand at golf trying to put the ball in the hole with multiple putts.

In this mad rat race they lose sight of their long term goals, skip otherwise good offerings for monetary considerations, runoff (milder word for absconding) from their employers without giving a damn about the consequences of their actions, and then when their past comes to haunt them they cut a sorry figure and try every trick in the book to wriggle out of difficult situations. They skip count the rungs in the ladder of progress and success. Their eyes are constantly fixed at the top, the very apex they struggle to reach remains out of bounds and the individual is left panting and with multiple falls and injuries to self and self-esteem. They play the snake and ladder game without realising that snakes dwell alongside the ladder and the fall is steeper than the rise.

On the employers’ side, with the advent of the IT revolution, there are many employers willing to take on people due to compulsions of project deadlines which force them to skip normal trade ins putting up a welcome sign. The HR department is flooded with queries and disputes, which are irritate able and that can be done without. These irritants also contribute to slowdown in productivity. Normal recruitment rules and laws are given a go by in order to meet deadlines and be one up on competitors.  Knowingly and unknowingly rules are broken and new ones framed without reason, flinch and without consequence to their effects on the law.

All this has put a lot of stress on the HR department of firms where policies and rules are tweaked to make allowance for the project efficient and make way for the discards. In the bargain recruits suffer because of anomaly of rules and its applications. What previously was considered apt is not now, e.g. in the old days a probationer could tender his resignation and be relieved in 24 hrs.’ time, now the employer would want to drag the days and squeeze every ounce from him before he can be relieved and as a bargaining chip his relieving letter and final settlement is withheld. Even if the law forces his hand he will seek his pound of flesh during the verification drive. He also knows that scramble for the law is a long drawn process which normally an employee would not opt for.

No use blaming either party because it is the combined greed and a mad rush to run up the stairs skipping steps, coupled with the maddeningly competitive environment that has contributed to the lowering of safety standards (in terms of following the rule book) in organisations, where utter chaos prevails with the outcome being wasted labour which could otherwise have been put to more sensible use for the good of the organisation.

When will it change and how?, I guess there is already an undercurrent of feeling within the hierarchy of the top ups that doing away with the ageing work force for the young ones was probably a mistake, a step taken in haste and the difference in perception, was a serious case of overlook which will need to be rebalanced in the coming days. The oldies in organisations add a balance to work life, work morals and organisational functioning and can show the way acting as a deterrent to the jumpstarts of today. They can therefore take cheer, for good days should reappear for them sooner or later.

Robin Varghese – robin_vargh@yahoo.com

27^th August 2014

The booze trap

The booze trap

Kerala, a small state at the southern tip of India, lean as it may be seen on the map is bountiful in nature and overflowing with booze. Keralities have the dubious distinction of being frenzied tipplers, social or regularly hard drinkers, so much so that districts in Kerala compete with one another to break records and breast the tape ahead of each other on the occasion of Onam.

However all this is going to change, the Keralite will turn sober, the land will no more be flowing with booze, rivers and streams will mingle with the glistening rays of the sun in perfect harmony to send good wishes on the occasion of Onam. Keralities will be the harbinger of change in the country, nay the world. It is only the astute sacrosanct who can promise deliverance. But is that so? Can folks who were tipsy till the evening before turn sober because the government proposes to pass a law to ban bars in the state? Will they turn preachers because they are now shorn off their inciting devil hood? Have the housewives celebrated too early? I am reminded of the state of Gujarat; the land of the Mahatma where liquor has been banned for decades, yet revellers never feel handicapped, it is available at the place of your choosing. So is banning the answer? Can you rehabilitate a child by withdrawing his toys, or is gentle nudging required? Do measures have to be balanced? The answer will be known in due time.

Conflict has always revolved around the question whether harsh measures aided in subjugation or were measures laced with love that finally triumph, or was it a bit of both the harsh and the coax. There are schools of thought who think that withdrawing the object of desire would end the turmoil. Others think that withdrawing the object would only aggravate desire and would end up doubling ones thirst. The third school of thought has always advocated a fine blend of the two, making it difficult to acquire and educating people about the ills while helping them to tide over times of restlessness.

A packet of cigarette is dear to a smoker irrespective of the price increase or addition of taxes and levies to make acquisition costlier. Smokers will always find alternatives to drive their desire for a satisfying pull. Consider the case of gambling, no amount of enforcement by the law makers or enforcers can curtail the desire to play a winning hand, on the contrary strict enforcement will add to the thrill of dealing a hand by a deft manipulation of the law enforcers and the system. To curtail the consumption of life threatening habits, it would be wise to gently coax a regular and habitual offender into driving home the ill effects of his actions and the wanton destruction that this can have on his loved ones and society. Alternatively he has to be shown enough incentives to throw the habit and there has to be enough reasons for him to kick them.

Under the circumstances it remains to be seen how such a highhanded, heavy and forceful decision of the government to impose a one sided decision of banning bars in the state will dither the regular tippler and the tipsy hearted. Can taking away the object of affection take away the drive and the yearning? Or will it pave the way for making it available on the sly?  It is important to simultaneously plug away at reducing the availability, increase the price, and educate the people on the ills effects of continuing with these habits. What can be done with reason cannot be done by force.

The steps taken by the law makers are commendable because to close the door on your biggest revenue collection ticket is not an easy decision. It certainly needs guts and courage to come up with such a forceful decision politically or even otherwise irrespective of the compulsions, but it has to be interspaced with other measures on the ground like educating the public on the ills and effects of continuing with their losing ways, and public awareness drive to keep them rooted to the winning ones. While there may be no more mixings with drinking, you certainly must mix up measures to deliver the knock out punch.

Robin Varghese- robin_vargh@yahoo.com

23^rd August 2014

Go back to school - Get back your fees

Go back to school- Get back your fees

When we were young and growing up after having passed High school, the common refrain amongst friends in college for anyone who had forgotten his manners and basic courtesy would be “hey go back to school and get back your fees”, which implied that the faulting party hadn’t learnt the lessons expected of him while in school and therefore should lay claim for a refund of his fees.

Today, as I and my daughter stood in line to board the shuttle bus which would take us to the venue hall of ‘The Delhi  Book fair 2014’ at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, I restrained myself from shouting out this advice to a few youngsters and their parents, who had no qualms about breaking the queue. In the humid heat we were standing to wait our turn to board the shuttle bus and were at the top of the queue. As the bus arrived, it stopped somewhere at the rear of the queue. Immediately the youngsters and their parents broke the queue and made a dash for the doors to board the vehicle without concern for people who stood before them and who by the same yard stick of courtesy and mannerisms should have been allowed to board on first come first served basis. Their parents did not also restrict the youngsters from breaking the unwritten rules of human engagement.  

My daughter reminded me of the difference when we had recently gone to Hong Kong and found people patiently queuing up to board the metro and the buses. In metro stations lines are drawn indicating the way and the direction the queues should be formed which is practically followed by all young or old, strong or weak. Not a single soul stood outside the drawn lines and everyone boarded without commotion and in uniformity. Contrast this to any Indian city and see the difference for yourself. Why does this happen, should we all go back to school and claim our fees? Haven’t we been taught in school basic courtesy and manners or are we overlooking society’s needs in the quest for me-ism?

In India the basic refrain is ‘chalta hai’ (it’s OK). Be it at traffic intersections, queues in bus stops, metros, buying tickets or even for school admissions, might is right. The stronger ones push the weaker and meeker ones out of the queue and get their work done. We try to find an excuse to break the queue. Women are also offenders when they expect to be treated differently even where no such courtesy is extended as a rule of law. So many times at railway stations queues, you will find perfectly dressed and presentable young ones barging their way forward with utter disregard to others in the queue. If they are reprimanded they look apologetic, nevertheless hanging on to their positions. Some people take the stand that “who cares for reprimands, when you are not expected to meet the same people again. What do you lose even if someone reprimands you as long as you can push your way through and succeed with your uncourteous attempts”.

At traffic intersections, you will notice motorists ignoring the stop line warnings on the road. Even if someone is the first to brake when the light turns orange, he will slowly wriggle up to a position that leaves the zebra crossing and the stop line behind him. Others follow suit with utter disregard to the law and the painted warnings which glare back at them. It all boils down to selfishness, and lack of courtesy and manners taught at home. Even though we are taught the basics in school, we need to practice them every day lest we forget them. It is widely known that practice makes us perfect. We live in a highly materialistic world, where everything is defined by our self-edifying nature, where we are measured in terms of quantity and not quality, where we cater to our cravings irrespective of the failings around us.

We chase dreams with the single focus on me and mine. Everything that we aspire for and seek to achieve in any form is always centred on this premise. Though we all live for ourselves primarily, we need to respect fellow beings in our society and it is only courteous that we allow our fellow human beings the luxury of affordability where they deserve them. The luxury of them before us, where they are the first movers, also teaching our young ones the same so that we allow fellow human beings their rights without trampling upon them; extending basic courtesy, displaying mannerism and clinging to lessons learnt in school. To fail in our endeavour would mean demeaning our school, education, teachers and parents, their values and efforts imparted over the years.

Robin Varghese – robin_vargh@yahoo.com

30^th August 2014

Seeking Solace

Seeking Solace

I am on a train to Cochin, it’s a long journey and mild banter amongst fellow passengers is the norm. On the topic of aerated drinks the lady sitting next to me, confessed that she had stopped taking a particular brand of aerated drinks after seeing a television programme of a famous guru who had advised his viewers on the ills of consuming these soft drinks. One male passenger sitting in our section of the coach opined that all these so called gurus and god men are fakes and it is the people who are foolish to fall prey to them though he agrees to the aerated drinks warning.

Listening intently to them, I am reminded of a recent newspaper story where a certain Baba Bamdev from Jharkhand who had a sprawling business in placing tribal girls as domestic helps in the entire North Indian region had been arrested. Headquartered in New Delhi he had spread his tentacles well beyond the region. His bountiful wealth had been acquired from providing girls belonging to impoverished hamlets to wealthy clients in the cities and urban settings to work as housemaids. More often than not, these girls were sexually exploited some as young as 12 to 13 years old. This man used to have believers around him, believers who trusted the man to produce a magic wand and make their woes disappear. In anticipation they contributed their might in keeping him going even as he dished out conclusively sweet nothings to them.

Recently we heard about the famous Asaram Bapu, who has since been exposed as a woman hopper and land grabber, making his vast wealth through dubious means. Even his son dutifully and truthfully followed the father till the politicians were forced to squeak on him and has since been confined to his rightful meditating space. Then there is the famous Baba with clear political leanings, who had wreaked havoc on the political system through his brand of yoga. Another ‘Art of living’ guru, with a few prefixes to his name has urged followers to exercise their franchisee in a particular manner. There are many more that have been exposed in the past and many more that need to be exposed. All these so called Gurus and Babas have manipulated ordinary folks to attain their political and personal needs. This act of conning does not flow in a particular religion but is prevalent in all. The only common link being, the ordinary people-who irrespective of their leanings, learned or illiterate, rich or poor, by their acts of sheer foolishness fall prey to such conmen and follow their bidding.

The question that naturally arises is why do we not learn? Why are we enticed like a moth to fire? Why are we willingly destroying ourselves getting conned over and over again? Why do we continuously trip and fall? Why are we being overtly and covertly foolish? What keeps us from realising the truth? Why do we go back to them over and over again through generations? The answer is simple- Insecurity.

We are all insecure from within no matter how daunting we look, how well we are placed, how pretty or ugly we look, how settled we are in our lives, how learned or illiterate we seem to be. This insecurity stems from the uncertainty about the future. We are so engrossed in decoding the future that the present seems lost on us. We seem to cement our present more realistically only once we are aware of the future and this future is beyond comprehension to ordinary mortals which is when the God men and Babas fill in with their brand of wares and entice us on our path of discovery. They seem so astonishingly placid and calm in their sooth saying skills, so sublime in their version of the truth, that we curse ourselves for not having joined their bandwagon earlier and rue our earlier wasted existence as ‘doubting Thomas’s’. The present though unchanged seems more meaningful, worth the future, when all one should do is sit back ponder on how to do things differently and believe in your own abilities over prescriptions written by these fake leaders of men.

This is our failing, when we should be trusting in our own abilities, our sense of reasoning is sent on a vacation, and we laid more faith on our saviours, mere mortals who can never change our destiny since one’s destiny is always linked to one’s action. I am reminded of another Baba who seems so convincing when he answers his followers desperate queries. All queries are dismissed with the wave of the hand and a simple prescription which makes you wonder why you yourself did not think of it in the first place. Ah! If you had the ability to think alike you could also have been a Baba.

Someone has rightly said “the past is history and the future is mystery” what actually matters is the present and it is through the present that you can deal with your future. For this you do not need Baba’s and Gurus, at best simple motivational speakers, for times when the chips seem to be down, and the going gets tough. Our teachers and motivational leaders are sufficient unless you are not willing to accept the present and work towards the future, unless you willingly enlist your details for the conmen to realise their potential.

Will we learn to trust our judgement, our skills, our being, our sense of direction, our intuition, our conscience and our own abilities, or do we still run to these comforters when the clouds turn dark? Next time when you are down and seemingly out, when the world seems overburdened and stifling, when barriers seem to be insurmountable and you seem to be sliding down a deep unending hole, just sit back and relax, contemplate on the past, on why you have become the torchbearer of bad times, introspect, forge ahead anew, choose to do things a little different, learn from the past, believe in yourself and the moment will pass you by. Then you can merrily skip towards your goal, your future, and your tomorrow even while winking and whistling slyly at your detractors.

Robin Varghese- robin_vargh@yahoo.com

21^st August 2014

From the earths belly

From the Earth’s Belly

“Hurry up boys”, I called out to my sons as they got ready to go to college. I was a little exited because today I was going to meet my Husband who wanted me to be with him as he entered the last leg of his stay as an expatriate in Beijing. My husband has been in China for the last two years and he was serving the last month of his contract before coming back to India. He was therefore particular that I should be with him for the last time in China visiting places and packing up stuff for the relocation at the end of the month. I had to hurry with stuffing the refrigerator with food for my two boys who would be staying alone with their grandparents while I was gone. Since they were grown up boys and the extended family was around I did not worry too much.

That afternoon after kissing my boys goodbye I boarded a flight to Beijing via Kuala Lumpur. We arrived in Kuala Lumpur around 22.00 hours local time and had another Ninety minutes before the connecting flight to my destination. I stayed up trying hard not to doze off due to the jet lag as I was eager to see my husband after a long year of separation. The flight readied for take-off and we had all settled down to a smooth journey when around thirty minutes into the flight and while the crew were serving drinks, I noticed an unusual smell floating in the air. Looking around I did not see any bother on my co passenger’s faces or their body language, everyone seemed to be settling comfortably for the next few hours. Since I am not a frequent flyer I was somewhat allergic to this smell which grew stronger, even while I noticed frantic efforts between the Captain and some crew members.

All off a sudden the lights snapped and an envelope of pungent smell along with thin layers of smoke akin to cold vapour seemed to fill the atmosphere. This made us all very irritable and slowly it seemed as if everything had stilled inside the aircraft, there seemed to be no activity. I too felt as if I was being lifted into space to join the stars outside my aircraft window. The mind felt lighter, emotions went blank, and it was almost as if I were peeping from the corner of my eyes with my eyes closed. I tried hard to recover my balance, grapple with my mind and senses to get myself in order. The more I tried the deeper I sank into a state of helplessness. I so much wanted to move my limbs more as if to reassure myself that I was still alive and a passenger on Flight MH 317 bound for Beijing. I remember slipping deeper and deeper into unconsciousness though somewhere my mind refused to give up and I felt as a corpse with eyes open seemingly aware of people mourning around me but assuredly without the inner connect to establish this link.  

The aircraft toasted and tested its way through the clouds while my subconscious mind grappled with the inevitable. What about my boys, who would look after them scold them, cook their dinner, massage them when ill and hug and cuddle them to grow as good human beings. I could see my husband tossing and turning in bed, in excitement looking forward to the morrow when the sun would rise and bring an exciting day for him, the excitement of meeting his wife of twenty years who he has sorely missed during the last one year. The eagerness and fulfilment of desires gave way to the initial irritating news that the flight was delayed. The delay seemed to extend into infinity with no news of the incoming flight. While the information board clattered with the changing information of flights arrived, Flight MH 317 seemed to be held up somewhere in the unknown.

The unknown space was where we were travelling at a uniform speed for a period of time which seemed like eternity. Finally the flight lost its steam and floated like a bird that had stopped flapping its wing and was gliding in the sky. It felt like a kite in the sky that had snapped its string, like a parachute jumper who was enjoying a float in the sky before he pressed the button on his parachute. The glide finally ended with a splash in the waters, and then the sinking happened the aircraft turned on its side and swallowed water in small quantities, I started sinking, and the waters enveloped us as if we were being pulled by some unknown force from beneath. The light started going out of my eyes, I closed them and waited for divine redemption. I prayed that God would pull me out of this painful existence, an existence that could neither conform my past nor my present.

Whatever the state, I am still stuck underneath with around 300 of my fellow beings, trying to release ourselves from this miserable existence, where we were neither counted in the living nor the dead. I hear they brushed up their algorithms and mathematics piercing it with modern technology to pinpoint our abode in the earth’s belly, even though they keep contradicting themselves all eager to be the first in locating us, while we wait for a final redemption, that which would place us in the history books as those that perished in air accidents and got buried at sea en tail. We don’t want to be known as people who were lost, for that would be hard on my loved ones who would hope against hope and pray that a miracle would happen. How did it happen who is at fault, can be left for another day. I simply want to get out of this trapped situation. I so much want to shout but the waters above me still my voice, what else can I do till someone finds me, comfortably tucked with my seat belt fastened waiting for the final redemption.

Now, I lie in the deep expanse of the ocean wondering why the creator had to provide the earth with more than 70% water compared to around 30% land mass. Why did he cut short my life, I can see my troubled husband and kids in a huddle, trying to make sense of my disappearance.  Would I be allowed one chance to escape this place to bid them goodbye, I don’t know, How I wish I could, to rearrange my love affair with my husband, so that I could drive some more earthly sense into my kids, My! Do they miss their mummy, would this be a psychological blow for them, or would they be able to shake this tragedy and move on? I can see condolence meets being organised for me, the various actors some in genuine grief, some putting up an outwardly appearance. Gosh! How it takes death to decipher your friends, people who really love you, people who cannot do without you, how it takes death to bring out the truth in relationships. For a brief while I felt happy that the salvage party hadn’t still found us, because I can sit amidst this vast expanse and peep from behind the curtains, reflect on truth and hype, and separate truth from illusion.

Probably I am getting a bit grumpy; sitting overtime in one place for more than six months, certainly takes its toll on drifters, who are making their transit from the living to the dead. Can we ask you  all to join hands, speed up, get your act together and come and fetch us?, so that we can be released albeit as clipped and caged pigeons to meet our creator and travel into the infinity from whence there shall be no turning back, no coming back in either thought or deed.

(This article is inspired from the sad story of MH317 and should be seen only as a piece of writer’s imagination having nothing to do with actual events as they are or as they may unfold)

Robin Varghese – robin_vargh@yahoo.com

20^th August 2014

Pun Intended

Pun Intended

The death of Robin Williams the great comic artist is sad for us earthly beings but God and his chums must be having a great day up there rubbing their hands in glee at their new arrival. In heaven the days will probably turn longer and the nights shorter because this one man will be sure to upset the biological clock of the residents in heaven what with his comic act.

I chanced upon this comic actor more for the similarity in names (we share the same first names) than for his comic representations. But slowly I was drawn to this man after viewing Mrs Doubtfire. The world pays tribute to Robin for his kindness and his ability to keep the laughter going. Everyone seems to be contemplating on what went wrong, or how comic people feel so lonely. In the case of Robin he was a declared inpatient at rehabilitation centres. He himself admitted to bouts of depression and insecurity during his fame days. It is generally agreed that the latest episode happened during one of his worst internal strife.

I am reminded of those dwarf clowns in the circuses, who prance their way into the hearts of the little ones and the elders alike. Day in and day out in spite of retributions from life they appear at the gong and get the act going. Sadness in them is illusionary to the audience, we cannot see them as anything but the entertainers that they are. They wipe away their tears and sadness to provide laughter in their audience, laughter that erases the pain and tears of life. 

In that context, Robin was an entertainer, in spite of the internal hardships, pain, illusions, suffering, loneliness, failures and other such emotions, he came out wiping the tears off his face to put a smile on our faces, only to go back once the show ended to drown his sorrows in drugs and other destructive alternatives. Is there a way of repaying such people, nay; I am not talking about the tributes and niceties that spring up after he is no more but can something be done to stop the slide in people like him. We may have lost one Robin, but is there a way the world can exercise its might to put a stop to such stupid deeds by men who are the least prone (according to us). I don’t know- I leave it to my readers to ponder on a way out. Is there anything we can do? Is there anything society can do? Is there anything governments can do? Is there anything all of us together can do?

How did he die? News reports say he hanged himself with a belt. Now I find it hard to fathom how a man of his built would hang with a belt (though I am not suggesting any foul play or the like). They even noticed a few slashes on his wrist again testimony to the fact that there was a raging storm within, the culmination of which led him to this stupid deed. I say stupid because being the comic artist that he was, he must have tried to find humour in the way someone could have died by hanging, trying a noose for a belt. Only this time it got a little too serious enough to snuff out his life. He didn’t get a chance to rectify this trick or coin a few words in jest justifying his deeds. I am sure he must be up there telling everyone who cares to listen that, that was the stupidest thing he had every done which made people cry instead of laugh.

But it is all right Robin, we will forgive you this act of indiscretion, because we know you are getting ready to play the sequel of your life, in heaven with God and the angels for company, after all whether your last trick was stupid or foolish or plain desperation, your creator leased you out for a wonderful 63 years (for us) and was authorised to pull up the strings to make you disappear.  Rest in peace and let the act continue wherever you are for the show must go on.

 Robin Varghese

Robin_vargh@yahoo.com
14^th August 2014

Hong Kong Occupy protest- putting it mildly

Hong Kong Occupy Protest- putting it mildly

A week in Hong Kong and what one carried away were pitiful memories of those pro-democracy activist having a last fling at their heavy handed counterparts from the mainland who are trying to ensure that the region merges in to the mainland as is envisaged in the transfer doctrine drafted during the handover of these territories by the British to the Chinese. One feels a little sad for these unfettered fun loving guys being reined in by the heavy duty machinery of the Chinese.

To the many visitors, Hong Kong may be an island that is free from the strappings of political overdrive, a place to be enjoyably ravaged till you drop dead with exhaustion, even expecting a decent and maybe an overdrive of hospitality in its people and its officials. It was therefore expected by me that the people would be courteous to visitors especially of my kind who would be contributing to the national economy, during a few days stay in the island. On the contrary what I experienced was a place which smelled of selfish dignity, a kind of inhospitable attitude that sent a stern message to the visitor reminding him he had made a wrong choice. The taxi drivers are a mean lot who in their eagerness or seemingly eagerness to be in a hurry, do not permit the basic decency of letting the fare get down lock stock and barrel even while collecting the meter fare. He is so damned preoccupied with driving away as quickly as possible that any delay beyond the realms of his pre-planned itinerary is taken to be a waste of his productivity and thereby the Gross Domestic Product of his country. His attitude of speeding away or being in a terrible hurry seemed to me as if he was forced to ferry me even while his kids were shouting their lungs out in the crèche. The attitude seemed like a rebuke, a kind of penance for having let me and my kind in at the first place. One would expect courtesy from a taxi driver as he is the first local contact in any city and offers a first-hand glimpse of the city and its people.

The officials at the immigration counters also lack the basic welcoming, what with a dead pan face you almost wished you weren’t there or you are forced to dislike the city even before you set foot on it. I can understand the immigration officials being tough guys since they have to weed out the unscrupulous elements and thereby pre-empt guises of unwanted guests who are not too bound by rules and have a tendency to jump the law, but it is different to be tough from the inside but sweet and welcoming from outside. You can be very pleasant not allowing to be exacted, without it being shown in your mannerisms. After all their people too travel abroad, I am sure and they wouldn’t want their own to suffer the contempt experienced by visitors to their own country.

The young and middle aged citizens are all focussed on their own business without seeming to be aware of your existence. In any country, a tourist needs to be appreciated by the locals with a nod of the head, or even a distant smile that can radiant a welcome sign, at least a glance of recognition to a fellow human being. The people of Hong Kong did not seem bothered and seemed not wanting to be disturbed out of their sweet slumber of self-consciousness. They were all so engrossed in their own little self-drawn circle of contentment that one could see in their faces a dislike to peep outside their self-drawn boundaries and experience the warmth of human interaction, a feeling of oneness with the human race, a reminder that we were of the same species.

The counter guy sitting in a lone currency exchange cubicle seemed to be keener on protecting himself from the virus in the air than entertaining visitors at his counter. He almost seemed apologetic of the fact that he was made to sit there amidst species that would hurt his self-esteem and health. He wore a half face mask a reminder that he was eager to keep away virus brought in by travellers from different countries along with customers. He seemed to be living under the false notion that it was the customer who needed his services while he and the organisation he represents would survive even if no one called. I wondered aloud whether the guys in half masks should not stay at home or places of no public interaction rather than work in places teeming with public and having to interact within the scope of public service.

Against this background wanting to protect their own bastions even after 17 years of merging into the mainland, not wanting to let go of their self-professed qualities of living, radiating a different hue from the rest of mankind and even of their own brethren from the mainland, reeked of pure arrogance born out of qualities than stem from the proverbial frog living in the well. The Occupy protest exemplified the character of the local Hong Kong resident who is not willing to let go of the present even after the boundaries were redrawn almost two decades ago under the watch of the international community. Refusing to believe that something good can happen with change, letting in a newer viewpoint through the keyhole, jumping out of the well to discover a whole new world can be adventurous too. I did see a contrary viewpoint echoing in some people through their mannerism and action, though it constitutes only a minority as is the case with all arguments, and may be seen only as exception to the rules.

Robin Varghese- robin_vargh@yahoo.com

25^th June 2014