The Journey! (River, clouds and the Bird!)

Exhausted with the thoughts of the day, for more, evening made the way! Sitting in my RDX (office) I penned down a few words. These words, in the form of a poem,  describe Life as a journey of the river, clouds and the bird and draw comparison to the human Life. The Journey will always have the ups and downs but the purpose of a journey is evolution, exploration, learning and bliss. Lets try and stick to it! Here it goes:

Over the pebbles and the sand

Droplets of water, progressing hand in hand

The origins forgotten, left far behind

Future hurdles awaited, of whatever kind

Making way through the terrains unforeseen

Gushing through the gorges, forever keen!

Floating, roaming around the mounts high

Colliding without fear, submitting with a sigh

Rising and falling, serving the alienated souls

Diminishing own being, forgetting own goals

Reasons, positive or the dark, destiny the same

Flowing with the process, oblivious to fame

Chirping in the mornings, waking others

When on a trip to the sky, nothing bothers

Raising the next, fighting the foes

Land and the sky, far away or close

Symbol of the free, unbound and the fanatic

Flowing, floating, flying and never static!

The beginnings and the ends, forgotten or unseen

Gliding in the present, they just have been

Greeting the smiles, and the sorrows on the way

Be it the obscure nights or the sunny day

The reasons, the blessed and the victims

Vading through the journey despite their own whims!

Entangled through needs; clouds, bird and the river

Swapping roles, of the needy and the giver

Embarked different journeys so alike

Achieving, failing, but strong as a dike

Humans are so similar, then why this divergence

Life is our Journey, Nature, our convergence!

                                               ....Saurabh (written on 23.11.11) 

(Excuse me for some errors, will need some time for refinement)

Ignorant! (The child in us)

                                                "Ignorant"

In the unreal warmth and the winter wild

Ignorant about the real, born is the child.

And beside mama, safe he is lyin',

Shining twinkling eyes, seeing her smile benign.

In this fallacious world,enters a pure blood,

Innocent,soft , unaware of upcoming flood;

Everyone is fond of him, kissing his red cheek,

As if he replies, but has no word to speak.

In this garden, born is a new flower,

Unworried like a vagabond, sitting in the bower;

For him, no upheavals, just a simple thought,

about the pleasant rains, not of the drought!

His popularity speaks, he'll be the future king,

moving his limbs here n there, he has the zing;

But on the roads of life, he might dissapear in the world crowded,

Who shall value his simple thinking amongst others' mystery shrouded.

With all betrayals and lies he'll recieve,

What will he do, will he be able to decieve?

How will he survive amidst false smiles n real tears,

How will he cope up with worries and with fears.

One day he might have to run to catch hope's last ray,

And sun might set ending the ugly day...

Giving way to a darker and fearsome night,

When all mounts will be of ungettable height.

Imagine if we're a child today,

Good all days, moments all gay;

our knowledge is the reason for the endless run,

His ignorance is much better to live under the sun.

                                                                           -Saurabh(on 23.11.2002)

Work Culture-2 (Ruthlessness and Consistent Excellence!)

Work Culture-2 (Ruthlessness and Consistent Excellence!)

The statement: "I am Ruthless…don't mess around with me!" fills our heart with some sort of fear. A fear of committing a mistake, a fear of being casual and being looked down upon by the people who matter the most in our environment. But this word can acquire different meanings, when understood in short term or a longer term. In short term, yes, it can be a tough one to handle but just imagine a long term implication of an attitude which represents Ruthlessness when it comes to the following parameters:

1. Attainment of Vision of a company

2. Abiding by the mission of the company

3. No compromise on the Quality parameters set by the founding team

4. Strive for Excellence

Sometimes, in building an environment which keeps everyone happy, we change the environment of the organization so much that it may become unrecognizable from the past image and deviated from its path to glory. Lets ask ourselves, as an individual, have we been able to keep everyone happy around us? Even if we have tried, we have deviated from our natural instincts, haven't we? The forces that work in an organization are even more complex and follow entirely different laws. Is it possible to keep everyone happy and still be on track of attainment of vision? Well, lets just keep questioning, lets see if we can boil down to an answer. 

An organization begins with a goal which should be profound and the founders should have immense belief in themselves and in the vision statement. The first phase, the duration of which can vary, depends on the founders' unfailing aggression and dedication. Then it enters the second phase, when the thoughts of scaling up get embryonic and new people, the future leaders start joining the wonderful environment. Now, there comes a huge challenge. The founders were already united by a vision, can the same be said about the people who follow? I guess, not. If the recruitments have been well executed, then the best that can be said about people who join is that they have aligned some of their goals with this organization. These goals may vary and these variations are the agents of chaos!

Well, the organization has grown after being joint by the future stakeholders. Now, with the elements of change already being inducted into the environment there are two ways of going ahead. Lets take an example. Imagine a strong magnetic environment which was stable. Now we introduce small magnets in this environment. What will happen? If these magnets were just magnets, the environment will force the smaller magnets to align themselves to enhance the stability of the ecosystem. Now introduce the human factor to these magnets and we will observe that the alignment process will become tougher to execute. This misalignment will lead to internal strain and the stability factor will go for a toss. The first obvious step that the leaders will take is to try and align everyone to the organization's objectives and culture. The irony of the situation is, in doing so, they will initiate a possibility of change in the objectives and culture. A culture which consisted of well aligned minds suddenly transforms into these minds tying too hard to align others. But we cannot escape these trials, can we? Everyone won't be able to understand the organization on day one, they will need time. A better argument may be, how much time do the leaders think they have? If they have well defined targets then they have a well defined time as well. 

In this process of inducting the youngsters of the organization, the leaders will always be confronted with a question. Should they keep everyone happy? Ask any leader, and show me one who would say he doesn't want his people to be happy. Some people who will align themselves with the Organization will take the path to happiness and growth and one day will come to a position where they can re-define the culture if need be. But there will be others who may not take this path, refuse an alignment and transform into rebels. Being right or wrong is always relative and will depend on the environment we are a part off so these rebels being wrong is not a conclusion. 

A company is an economic ecosystem where the consistency of quality output and excellence at whatever we do will define the growth and sustenance. If the leaders start investing too much in trying to make everyone happy they might miss a trick. Let us see, how:

Possible case scenario:

1. Company is founded with well defined vision and objectives

2. A beautiful culture of hard work, aggression and happiness is woven by the founders and some close allies

3. Company grows and the phase-1 ends

4. Phase-2 begins with induction of new generation of people

5. The alignment process begins

6. There are hurdles in the process due to some people turning into rebels due to different objectives

7. Leaders start investing too much time in trying to stabilize the environment

8. Output quality and excellence at work compromised

9. Consumer satisfaction comes down

10. Company's growth affected

11. The happier lot of people also turns dissatisfied and the culture changes even further. 

Majority of people of a company will always be happy when the company grows and stabilizes economically as only then everyone will grow and some time can be invested happily in repairing small damages if any. In the above scenario small damages are leading to larger ones because the growth is being compromised in wake of spreading happiness. Lets think differently here and analyze another case scenario:

1-6: The same growth story as above.

7. Leaders invest some stipulated time in alignment process giving limited freedom to the new ones and then move back to business

8. The rebels either get aligned with time or they are requested to leave the environment

9. Output quality and excellence goes up.

10. Consumer satisfaction goes up

11. Company grows further and we have a larger company, better profits and happier people!

The leaders should define the objectives well and should ruthlessly stick to them. I am not saying happiness shouldn't be an objective, but it should be a consequence of attainment of collective targets! Any organization which will compromise excellence at work will go down someday, because thats what it should have stood for in any situation. And everything should be linked to this excellence. Be it individual growth, appraisals, benefits and thus happiness. In the process, learning shouldn't stop and should only be used to enhance the culture of excellence. When I say Ruthlessness, the perception shouldn't be of becoming uncaring and harsh to everyone, lets be ruthless when it come to the key objectives of the company. Lets care for the people who associate themselves with the philosophy and lets be good to everyone else whether they stay or leave the company. Lets also not suppress the questioning and reasoning tendency, but avid counter productiveness. So, Ruthlessness has a different meaning in this context. 

So lets define a culture for our organization wherever we are at whatever position. A culture of excellence at work and consistent innovation leading to amazing results, immense growth and everlasting happiness. An open democracy will never lead to a successful organization. Limited and well balanced democracy with pre-planned outputs abode well for a system. Once these pillars are established, lets keep them stable at any cost or else the entire structure may falter anytime. 

"A company slowly transforms into a cult, belongingness gets binary, either you do or you don't"

Lets be excellent and positively ruthless in Life and lets be a part of a happy organization forever! 

Lets be the foundation or extend respect

Lets trust, believe and not suspect

Lets propel an idea or give it a miss

Lets take our company to an everlasting bliss!

                                                                                    ...Saurabh (9.11.11)

                                                                             

                                 (penned down while flying from Mumbai to Bangalore)

Work Culture-1 (Let us belong to the idea and let us be!)

"I will never go to an interview dressed up formally."

"But why…?"

"Because I don't like this system of being formal, why can't I be natural in front of these people, just express myself, if they like me, and if I like the company and the concept, we can strike a deal!"

"Dude, may be you should at least wear a tie or something."

"No. No chance, I am going in jeans and T-shirt."

That is the kind of mentality and attitude that our modern education cultivates inside us. We just want to be natural everywhere, wherever we go, whomsoever we speak with, whichever audience we address, howsoever important the occasion is. At least that was the case with me and some of my close buddies in IIT. And when after establishing my own company and working on various projects after that for almost 6 years, I re-question this temperament, I fail to find arguments against it. I love being natural and I really like people who express themselves completely at the respective work places. Yes, there might be some restrictions based on the kind of business we are in, for example, we don't expect a teacher to come in shorts in front of a 10th grade kids when they are not ready to understand the casual environment. But why at these so called "Corporate Hubs" we follow such a formal culture. People are bound to so many things. Since the time they sit for the first interview, they are made to feel that the people across the cursed table are Gods of the industry and you better watch out. And so begins a journey of pretention which really becomes hard to end. 

Why can't we just accept a person as he is and discuss the idea of working together with him? Why can't we be very frank about certain things that really do matter right from the word go? Why can't two people, whatsoever hierarchy they belong to, enjoy working on an idea together and share a very critical part of Life? Sounds idealistic in today's world of hidden treasures and pseudo cultures, isn't it? But just think about it, a team bound by an idea and no other restrictions. The people in the team spend the majority of their Lives with each other, if they can really live it, if they can breath an idea, give it words, shape and execute it on ground together, why can't they grow together? 

Why do we have to create a culture where there is a forced hierarchy? Are we afraid that the young generation will take over and we will be left crawling behind if we open up too much? If we are, then w were never good enough for the idea. If we have faith in the idea that we are working on and if we have given it profound thought, no one can disrespect us come what may, they would love to collaborate and own the idea with us and that really is the foundation of a joyful team and conducive work environment. 

Whenever I ask people in Interviews or general interaction: "What kind of work environment do you like?" The answers are like a playlist which is put on repeat and contains only one song. But a song which is good to listen to, tough to sing yourself. Youngsters of today entering professional lives are a lot different from the older generations. They give weightage to the words like freedom, flexibility, flatness, growth, ownership and transparency and when they do, they mean it. So for the people who are creating a company or those who are joining a young company, its a moral responsibility to create a environment which facilitates the application of these words. These words are close to everyone's heart. For a test, ask yourself, which of these words you hate? Whats the answer? When we talk idealistically we utter all kinds of falls promises, when it comes to the real execution we are rendered impotent due to lack of faith. 

Coming back to the core of discussion, if anyone wants to build a company where work does't feel like "work", rather its a way of Life, then we will have to break shackles and go against the established norms. Even just for the heck of it, we can do it from very basic things like dress codes, cubicles, eatables and drinkables, why not? But yes, even after doing all this, if our people get alienated from the core idea of why we are together, everything will come crashing down. It has to be an amalgamation of the two. 

For the people who are entangled in the typical corporate lives, just ask yourself these questions:

1. Do you buy the idea of working in the company?

2. Do you feel you can breath fresh air while sitting in your cubicles?

3. Do you feel like: "this is life, I want to live it?"

4. Do you feel like you own the idea and you are allowed to work freely?

5. Do you feel like you can just be and be accepted whole heartedly?

6. Do you feel like work is not work, its something I enjoy?

7. Do you try and respect other people for what they are?

8. Do you try and spread love and happiness all around?

9. Do you convey the faults of the system to people who may rectify them?

If the answers are yes mostly, Good. If No, do something my friend, life is short, at least try and live it. 

And for the people who have initiated an idea which they expect to bloom into an awesome product or service, here are a few questions:

1. Do you have profound faith in your own idea?

2. Do you feel you are able to express yourself completely through the idea?

3. Do you believe in a working environment driven by output, not hours?

4. Do you believe in giving freedom to youngsters at work place?

5. Do you try and transfer the importance of idea regularly into the young minds around you?

6. Do you feel that you belong to the idea and your people?

7. Do you trust people with work?

8. Do you motivate them to lead well balanced lives and stay happy?

9. Are you happy and at peace with yourself?

If Yes, then go on and build a beautiful company and an environment to cherish. If No, question yourself again, you need more maturity and belief! Because only an amalgamation of the above two categories who say Yes to these questions will lead to creation of beautiful concepts and worlds! And yes, don't blame anyone else, either stay satisfied in an environment, if not, try and change it, if you fail in doing so, leave the environment. 

Lets try and change the way things are. People are like prisoners in companies, they wait for the weekends like its a break from the jail. They talk about the seniors as if they are speaking about the jailers. If this continues then I am afraid, we are heading towards hell and not heaven. Its in our hands what we create, whether we have initiated an idea or we are following one. Life is one, and work is an inherent part of it. If we are not at peace with it, we will lose whatever peace we have elsewhere. 

Lets try and build a strong and balanced working environment wherever we are. Let us belong to the idea and let us be!

[Will continue this topic with more specific experiences and thoughts]

The Identity of Absoluteness!

The Identity of Absoluteness

I was sitting in Purple Haze, young people all around, singing, joyous, sipping beer and having some mouth-watering snacks! Such is the environment of Bangalore. Its full of youngsters, lost in their lives, enjoying every moment available to them, dreaming big, starting up their own ventures and basking in the lovely environment of this happening city.

I was getting lost in the amazing songs being played, with pink floyd, metallica, cranberries, Rammsttein, doors, Nirvana, all my favorite rock numbers! Suddenly my ears caught another dominant sound. This time it was a group of youngsters who were head banging on the numbers previously, and now, they were shouting: “IIT Bombay, IIT Bombay!!” Suddenly, people looked around and the focus shifted to these young guns. Wow!! They had an identity now; they were recognized in a crowd of the unknowns and the unfamiliar. The identity was that of their alma mater which is one of the most famous Institutions in India. They were suddenly identified with some of the best in the country. And I thought, just 5 minutes back, they were no one, of no importance to people sitting around, and look at them now…I sighed and immersed myself into rock once again!

I remembered my IIT days when we used to search for an opportunity to tell people who we are, what we have achieved, be it by shouting slogans, Institution name, by wearing Insti T-shirts bearing the attitude statements etc. When I passed out, I started doing a job, of course, what else I would have done, that was the trend. After six months I realized I was losing my identity and then I embarked upon yet another journey with my friends and started up my own venture- Lakshya! Within 1 year Lakshya became a name to be identified with, be it for us, team members and for our kids. We started hearing songs that became Lakshya anthems and our students started sporting the new young brand of Lakshya. Yet another group identity!

When we are proud of our nation we identify ourselves with her name and shout: India!!! India!!! When we are proud of our team then we shout the name of the same and immerse ourselves into yet another identity. This search for identity dates back to our birth, when we were given a name and everyone identified us by the same. We went to school and identified ourselves with another name.

I wonder, is life about attaining different identities and getting recognized by them? Can’t we live without being identified? Are these identities mere tags or they come with their own burden of expectations? Because I belong to so and so family, I must behave in such and such manner. Because I went to this famous school, I must achieve something, produce a rank somewhere, win some trophies and behave in a dignified manner. Because I got a good rank, went to one of the Top 10 Grad colleges, I should start thinking different and do something, which brings honor to my College. Because I am so capable now, I should start something of my own and spread a wave of a new identity!

Is this a race of identifying ourselves with other tags and getting identified in the crowd of Mortals! Even after having so many identities, are we able to identify ourselves? Just a simple question: Who am I? A boy from a famous family, a student of a great school, a fellow of a popular University, an employee of a huge corporate, founder of a young company, who am I? Am I one of these or am I just myself?

When I sit alone and think about myself, suddenly all these tags fade away and I start wondering about an identity which resides deep inside of me, with which I can relate myself to. Has it become too overshadowed by these worldly tags? Has it lost its voice in the noise of the mob? Or she can still talk to me and tell me who am I?

I close my eyes and my thoughts move into the deep realms of my soul and passing through all the superficial my selves I reach a place where there is no external influence, where there is no expectation, no identity gifts, no one else. There is just myself. When I visualize myself from the outside, it’s a soul inside a body sitting in a sparsely lit room in an apartment of a huge city, bigger country and a much bigger planet. As my vision recedes further away into the space my planet seems so small in the Galaxy, my country even smaller, my city almost nothing and then I find a microorganism residing in a small hole and that organism is me. Now I try to identify myself and I find that I am nothing in this huge dynasty of Nature.

Everything else fades away and suddenly I find myself happy. I smile and my spirit feels rejuvenated and alive. Everything that I am, feels free from the clutches of relativism and I start residing in one real truth: Absoluteness! Every other truth becomes virtual and fades away in the dungeons of the Relative world. My happiness is absolute, no one can take away things that are absolute, and no one can snatch this identity from me. An identity of a blissful spirit in this serene nature!

Life is not a race of identities, it’s a beautiful journey which begins with nothing and ends up at nothing. In between there should be happiness in one self, in whatever we do. Lets stop searching for our identity in others’ eyes and start living a Life of Absoluteness from today.

                                               

                                                                                                                                 ....Saurabh (18 Sept '11)

Another Insatiable Moment...

Just remembered an old creation. Its in continuation of an other poem of mine: Insatiable Moment. I love the first one more than this, but this is worth a read, just a representation of the mindset I might have been in that phase of my Life. 

...another insatiable moment!

Moments still transit, swift is the motion

Life manipulates thee against thy notion

Achievements so many, success so much....

Mind wonders why, insatiability remains as such!!

People come and pass, present becomes past

Relations form, but not many last...

Future beckons, inevitable is the change

Run fast, or see yourself move out of range!!

As a bottle of wine goes dry on my table

I keep wondering whether this is life or a fable

Time manifests itself, there goes another instant

Nothing else, only insatiability remains constant!

Then I try and change the way I think

And recent past flashes with every blink

Things have been good, so have been the people I met...

Then why do I feel, unfulfilled are the expectations I set?

The music still plays in my ears, the country and the rock

The GnR s and the Denvers, on the doors of heaven they still knock

Different meanings the songs seem to convey

And unconventional rhythms life seems to play

Near canal waters on the country side, with my friend

The conversations go on and on, never seem to end

Things we talk have changed or so it seems

But there is some commonness, it is our dreams!

The road that I ride on, seems familiar still

But sometimes the car pretends to have its own will

Things look normal at an instant, disturbing at the other

Though I try to settle, the insatiability rises further

Sitting alone on the terrace, dark is the night

Trying to free my heart, from sadness and fright

Volatile thoughts keep fuming away

As I wait for another routine day...

Then I tell myself, keep moving on against the tide

Like the lonely ship across the horizon with pride...

Keep following the sun until it is gone...

Then the moon, the stars...keep going on and on!!!

                                                                                                                        ...Saurabh (written in 2009)

The journey...deep within!!!

Well, its been such a long time. But the urge has never disappeared. The urge needs support of a strong will and a peaceful mind. So here I am...


While working with so many of my wonderful team members and so many other people I have realised that everyone is caught in a cobweb which forces them to search for happiness outside, in small things, in people, in appreciation, in growth, in worldly pleasures and what they forget is that a look within will give them the answers to all pertinent queries of their mind. The atmosphere is so communicable that it has often trapped me and I have committed a similar folly. But spending time with oneself and just ignoring what the world has to offer, lets ask ourselves, what can we offer to our own being? What do we deserve? Lets aim for the absolute and forget the demons of the relative and competitive thoughts. 


I have just penned down a few words for each one of us. Here it goes...


A Journey...Deep within!!


Deep within the prayers you say...

Right across the clouds that surround,

Will end your search for the way...

That so many mortals haven't found!!

Amidst numerous thoughts infinitesimal

The idea of an infinite specific carks

A path to perdition or to bliss

Towards Sun or into the darks!!

Engulfed by the tyranny of expectations..

And deterred by the selfless thought;

Headed to an end of propitious selfishness...

Seems the duels that you have fought!

A troubled mind caught in God's play,

Conquered by ripples of lust and greed;

Looking around for the fame and praises,

A little look inside is what you need.

A surrendered hope, a deceiving will...

Results from the thoughtless living

A pure one will salvage life;

Through the act of love and of giving!

The dynamic cobwebs of the joy relative...

Giving birth to the mortal gains.

The knowledge of the independent and the absolute..

Will make you rise, and devoid of pains!

In the quest of knowledge and growth,

Moving backwards, amongst the ignorants...

Forgetting the songs of beautiful life,

Amidst the misleading worldly chants!

But hope resides in the house of its own,

Look outside and you will find none;

Close your eyes, go deep inside...

And from flying, you shall never shun!

Far off seems the destination of dreams,

The unknowns shield the truth behind.

The souls like thee, destined for the roads...

Peace in the journey, is what you will find!

                                              ....Saurabh (20.07.2011, Patiala)