Why The Sky Went Too Far….

I was a part of this conversation….a lot of conversations recently coupled with the equally tedious and fruitless task of pondering and came out with this..

There was this lesson in Moral Science I learnt at school. It said that once the sky was very close to the earth. It was so close, people could actually touch it. It was also said in that story, that the sky was the major source of food for the people. People used to break chunks of the sky and eat them and the sky was only pleased seeing that it satisfied these people’s hunger. But soon, people started taking the sky for granted. They said “the sky is infinitely vast, and we are too few. So how does it matter if we waste it” ; and so it began, people started taking bigger chunks of the sky. They ate when they felt like eating..otherwise they just threw it away. The sky now was starting to feel troubled, seeing people whom it fed for so long now taking it for granted.

One day, a small boy, took out a huge chunk of the sky. He just licked it on the surface and then threw the entire remaining portion on the ground. The sky became very angered at this. It thundered and roared and cursed the entire human race that it would go so far that no human could ever touch it again, let alone waste it. It then started moving upwards. Far, far away it went…and till date no human has ever touched the sky again. Needless to say, people died because of the hunger, not only those who wasted the sky but also the few that actually cared and loved the sky.

It has now become fashionable for people to criticize and waste their skies. These skies may be jobs; these may be precious natural resources like water, fuel, food grains all because they can do so. They have taken their skies for granted,

People in my company (and I’m sure, your company too) always say “yaar..is company ka to culture hi kharab hai” or “Is company me to aisa hi hota hai”  or “koi ownership hi nahi leta is company me” or “is company me mere liye kuch nahi rakha hai” or any of the other nothings that people blabber during those ‘intellectual’ discussions.

I think now, what right do you have to say this? Have you ever as an individual taken ownership of your own? Have you ever tried to change the culture of the place you worked? Have you ever, nevermind in however small a way, tried to think that this company was yours too?

I have seen many people come and leave this place during my stay here. People have always contributed, no matter how small an amount to make this a better company. But what about those people who came and they went and did nothing? What about the people who only kept chanting these lines and fleecing the organization by means of allowances or even their not so commensurate salaries?

It is these people who make all the ruckus. It is these people who make this company go farther and think lesser and lesser about its employees. It is these people who spoil the so called ‘culture’.

I remember now, that a guy at a very senior position once commented- “why take /GETs? They only leave. They do nothing all the time and one fine day, they resign”. I used to be flustered whenever I heard this comment. But now, after spending this time, I cannot help but agree. These people have been my seniors, my peers and my juniors and I am ashamed seeing them do these things all in the name of short term financial benefits.

People, if you don’t like it here, you have the freedom to leave. But as long as you’re here, do something. Be a motor, a prime-mover, the engine of however small an activity, however small a function, however ‘unimportant’ a profile. In the end, it is the motors who will rule the world.

PS- there is only one kind of guy whose life is easy, he is called the victim.

PPS- I love this company. This company has given me things, IT guys can only dream of. What I don't like is what some people have done to it today. 

PPPS- Special thanks to a guy who made me feel this way. Whatever good, I shall be from now on, a portion of it will always be attributed to him.

An Ode To My Abode....

Yeah! I have conceded/ acquiesced/ whatever to the requests and comments made by the avid readers (who by the way number less than the atomic number of beryllium) and will try and write about something which is actually good.

Its very natural for a person to get adjusted to a place when he/ she has lived there for a considerable time. It is a law of nature. If animals and plants can do it..we are humans after all. But what if you fall in love with a place the very first day you enter it and that love only keeps increasing? Its one of those satisfying relationships where you discover a new facet of your partner with each passing day and you also love each of the ones which have been bared in front of you.

This is a place which was ideal for me when I was missing my college. Lots of greenery around, well laid roads, everything within reach and most importantly the weather here is awesome. Its always cool at nights, so cool that in the month of May, I actually had to use my sheets to keep myself warm!!

There is a school nearby which was founded by the earlier management of the company where the children of the employees can study. It is undescribable, the feeling that you get when you are leaving for work and the children come dressed in colourful attire for their annual sports day, when their parents come to collect the report cards or the everyday thing of parents coming to the school to drop or pick up their kids.

There is also a small scale industry here where the wives of the employees can work and become independent. They make all kinds of stuff here…pickles, masalas, papads and even make small relay systems that are used in our products!! But the silent winner of all is the chapati centre, where women make an average of 2.5 lakh chapatis per day which go the canteens of our company as well as 15 others around here. Now that my friend is called CSR. And all of this was started before CSR became a cool word for companies to throw about.

About 20 minutes walk from here is the famed lake house. It is said that you can actually see peacocks here in this season if you are awake at around 4 am. The beauty of the lake house can be summed up in a single fact. Every year, thousands of migratory birds come here to pune and most of them settle at the lakehouse. It has been claimed that the birds haven’t left this place in the last 3 years because of the weather and the continual feeding that the horticultural department ensures (yes people, there is a horticultural department!!).

The room where I live in is a nice cozy little one on the first floor of a building which is located bang in the middle (geographically) of this place. But inspite of living here close to 2 years I cannot claim to have seen everything here. There are still nooks and crannies of this place where ive never been to..sometimes due to shear fear and most times because I was just doing my routine. Almost reminds me of the lines “What is this life full of care…no time to stand and stare….” Written by a poet whose name I cannot recall now.

But one thing which has grown over the time is my love for this place. Now, its almost like I have become this Telco Colony!!

PS- I know I should have uploaded some pics…but I guess if you want to see something badly..you are never ever satisfied by just the photographs!!