Mohan’s musing : Shepherding the sheep or their fate.

One was leading his flock westward, while the other towards the east

Both knew the direction to navigate their flock well, and as of the destination, they knew it as much well  

Those gentle glances of passers spoke aloud, for it was open and utterly bare for everyone to see and feel.

Indeed the sprint on their feet there, and slow labored gait here bore ample testimony to the fate awaiting each.   

For one flock was  off to the green lush meadow; while other to that dark corner slaughter house.

Meanwhile, those innocent birds above, followed the flocks flapping their wings in silence, even as the west bound dark clouds shed tears of grief.

Mohan’s musing : Life is all about and like  ' Playing outside the Off stumps '

Watching some random clippings of players ….how they  negotiated the balls pitched outside the off stump !!

It connected me to life …….. and the learning
Yes, there have been occasions when I…..
> Kept fishing and flashing and just could not connect – Survived
> Connected but it went straight to a fielder – Ineffective
> Connected ....but not in the way I wanted -  Misdirected
> Not willing to take the risk – I left it alone – Played safe
> Connected well and as I sprinted was run out – Let down by team mate
> Connected ….only to realize I was caught – Lost and Defeated
And of course many memorable occasions when….
> I made those ‘sweet spot’ perfect connections – Effective

Life is a mix bag … No matter how well I practice to  develop the requisite Attitude, Skills & Competencies……… On any given day , it’s all about the ‘unseen hand’ that shapes destiny. Some call it  ‘ Lady luck’

I have and still learning how to accept all with a smile … be it Super or Sorry ; Sweet or Sour..

.......For……..  in my rule books to cry over is ‘ just not cricket !!

Mohan’s musing : The car and those scars….who cares till………….

Why do you want to sell the car? This model of engine is no more available and it’s in perfect shape. You just need to attend to a few things … all together not costing you more than a few thousands
That settled the issue and we drove back after booking a slot for service and repair
The car is now back with us ….in good shape and as smooth.

Admittedly, more than those changes of a few parts here and there, what has really changed is my new attention to ‘My old associate’

The way I was handling my car then …….and now. This new born or may I say reborn affinity… and care for the car

Driving to office this morning….. I felt really bad and awful and more than it a sense of guilt gripped my conscience

Just not done…. If only the car had a life …I wondered how it would have responded to me

May be remained as cool….. just the same ….no change …………at least that’s what I presumed, as
I got down and for the first time took pains to count the scars all over its body.

Yes. “MY CAR” has no emotions ….. Thank God for that

 

Mohan’s musing : A rose by no other name than as a CM ……..Hahahaha… so hilarious

I have heard from my grandmother: Husband and Wife should not call each other by their names. On my seeking she did explain the root reason for this custom and I was reasonably convinced that it merited a pious weightage.

The inclusive definition “ Ardhanariswara ”. An androgynous composite form of – Shiva and Parvati- together forming an unison and holistic entity. Where , Wife  was considered as “ Ardhangini” - the other half which over period of time transformed to become  ‘ Better half ’ .

Through centuries it became a custom - Husband and Wife mostly do not call  each other by the first name, which  by such reference would tantamount to splitting a whole into parts.

Be that as it may ….and while this is also fading out…………..

However what I found quite side-splitting was the recent decision of the Speaker of TN  assembly, directing  members “ Not to call the CM by her name” and when asked for reasons all that he would say is “ That’s my order “

Well, my grandmother was far better.
       

Mohan’s musing: “Miracle of self healing occurs when the inner patient yields to the inner physician”
Yes !! …..However …..What happens when……..

He had the frequent bouts of pain on the knees…..and when nothing worked, he would sent out an SOS….

His ever ready ‘mind’ came forward and started healing the pain by giving positive suggestions and energy to that part of him, and that was quite relieving.

WoW….what a self healing miracle! Slowly the dependency increased and every time he had the pain…. His mind was his physician.

Till one day, he work up with a heaviness…That splitting headache………the unbearable acute pain… Now…The reliever needed some immediate relief and he did not know how to go about it………. The inner physician becomes an inner patient ??

Somewhere, this situation and the dilemma connected me to the song from :Amar Prem.

Majhadaar mei Naiyaa Doobe… If a boat starts to rock midstream
To maajhi par lagaaye…….The boatman can lead it to shore
Maajhi jo naaw Dooboye, use kaun bachaaye?........... But if the boatman drowns the boat, who can save it?

Mohan’s musing: When silence speaks ….. the message is always loud and clear!  

Monsoon is the season and that was the reason….. At the wayside cart … I decided to pick and choose……..

It was Tender – Fresh – Symmetrical …. My perfect choice !!
It then went through the process …….”The Baptism by fire” !!
Now, as I held the hot delicacy ……I could not help but adore it , especially the way the seasoning and the lime had added to its grace and gloss……..
………and then this happened….Even before I could have my first bite…...

I thought I heard…….Perhaps my illusion?? … No....actually I did hear..….…
It was my “Butta” singing in a soft melancholic  tone…
“ Main Kya Karoon Raam Mujhe Budda Mil Gaya”

Somewhere I could not brush the song aside …. It had a message for me…. “ Mutuality of feelings ”  
Yes. The Silent “Buttas” of the real world do have feelings !

Maybe….next time  …. I need to be more sensitive.

I will certainly remember this metaphor for seasons to come !!  

Mohan’s musing : “ Maa Bete ki Sarkar” … an overdone Made in India Omelet ??

Sharing & shedding some light….on the vain bloodshed about blood relations
United States -  the longest success story and most matured democracy …. (??).

Their Presidents…..All in the family……
 Father and Son - Bushes recently & Adams earlier on
 Grandfather and Grandson – Harrisons
 Close Cousins – Madison and Taylor
 And then the grand family of Roosevelts – 11 of them !! :  5 by blood & 6 by marriage !!
 And now …look how they are going gaga over a Spouse offer  – The Clintons

Its different story that they proudly claim their party as ‘ Mockingly Democratic & Privately held Republicans

Well, the oldest democracy  & the “ Thick blood of family” as presidents in their long history – both in splits and sequence .

And here , at our backyards , we make a big song and dance about – the dominance by a few families . We seem to be more at home with leaders like – Modi – Maya – Jaya - Didi……..

The good news is that the US unlike us,  do not seem to have /be making this a key election and/or political issue

Something to learn and move on …

PS : Waiting for Miraya and Raihan Vadras to come of age and stake their claims for the august ‘ Chair”

Mohan’s musing : That delicate balance between ‘ Holding on and letting go ‘

This participant at our Leadership program was deep into it: No onion-No garlic. Introducing self as a ‘ Savtvik’.
She would make it a ritual to check with the kitchen staff and at the table too , scrutinizing the preparations and even validating them, sniffing and smelling .

By the third day, she had become the butt of the rest of the group members, who found her obsession; intrusive, invasive and meddling .

Felt bad and even sorry …………..same time, it raised a larger poser in my mind

How sometimes we become so unconsciously possessed and obsessed about what we have consciously decided to let go AND how this self imposed abstinence almost creates by default an attachment to be detached.

I have no real answer…..

However what has started worrying me is that these ‘ Satvik ‘like life style syndromes, when taken to the edge, can make one highly susceptible and even send acute symptomatic mixed signals in society    

Mohan’s musing: Reverse logistics…..in situation and at times it makes logical sense

He was busy interviewing a candidate with utmost intensity and interest and I had to wait for more than an hour.

“This must be some interview for a senior or key position” I inquired breaking ice.

His response stumped me and I stayed stuck with his statement. “Actually we don’t have a slot for him; he was keen to explore an option with us and came over on his own. I found his profile very interesting. I need to speak to my MD to see how we can sculpt the structure and try getting him on board”   

Being in HR I was curious to know further and his philosophy on talent Acquisition caught my imagination and has stayed entrenched deep within.

Long time back, I came across a quote like statement” Don’t find customers for your product find product for your customers” Since then I have been laterally applying this philosophy in my job.

“Most of our leadership and key resources have not been recruited because we needed to fill the slot, more because they reached out to us and we accommodated them in our structure.

WoW…. Take a Bow! 

Mohan’s musing: What is sauce for goose is not sauce for gander….life is so full of complexities – contradictions and challenges.
This poor IG in Kochi was caught copying at the class…..Bad news definitely 
But the same act of copying at the Corporate is conveniently coined ‘bench marking the best practices’ 
What sin has he committed by bench-marking his answer with the best in the class 
May be what’s right for an institution is not right for an individual 
May be what’s not right at the class is right at the corporate
Why?? for that matter even computers have the feature of ‘copy paste ‘
As parents our situation is not enviable

Mohan’s musing: When our High court kept awake for people at high places 
Justice in India at times and with certain people looks like some Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)
Lethargic slow speed when it comes to concluding the charges – for 13 years 
Lightening speed when it comes to granting bail – in less than 3 hours 
This Bail system has repeatedly failed to deliver the well intended justice…..
However, the bigger question is – “what Khan can, can a common man too can??”
The sentence had a good beginning but a questionable end.

Mohan’s musing: Do we need those Harvard and Stanford case studies? This was a real wake up call for me. 
I was reading about this small and yet significant incident in Mahabharata that occurred just before the Great War……
Duryodhana wanted a good date to commence the war and he knew there was none better than Sahadeva in the mastery over Astrology. 
Apparently he did not hesitate to seek the counsel from Sahadeva (who was on the other side of the battle lines- competitor) and with utmost respect and reverence approached him.
Sahadeva too responded with equal respect and shared the necessary information with all the requisite confidentiality that such seeking demand and deserves.
Set me thinking: Why do our ‘management gurus’ not dwell into such incidents in elaboration; exploring its high import and impact and so also the transformation effect in corporate life.
Somewhere we seem to be missing the wood for the trees. I feel.

Mohan’s musing: Be the change you want to see ‘oh! That’s fine…. but being in the chain?? ….. Not funny 
Don’t worry, this fellow is huge but will not bite.
For once I could not take my friends assurance on face value. 
“I am terribly scared of dogs” I confessed and pleaded. 
Sensing this he called out his Man Friday who appeared with a long chain much to my relief 
But that was short lived…. I felt that the guy came walking mechanically as if towards me instead of…?!
Impatience or precaution, I let a loud silly protest. “Not me… the Dog”
My friend was quite amused at the sight and we had a good laugh.
Thank GOD, I almost would have got the reverse treatment meant for the DOG.
PS: Next time when I see a dog chained….this experience will make me ‘be more empathetic’.

Mohan’s musing: Where reasons have found a new way into changing certain habits of over indulgence. 
Wanted to try out the ‘ Hyderabadi chai’ at this new outlet.
More than the tea, the conversation between the techies (Ts) in the next table was quite tasteful and refreshing.
T1: I have decided that every Tuesday I will not be on Whatsapp
T2: Oh! Me on Thursdays, no Facebook
T3: Well, in my case it’s no Tweeting on Fridays
T4: Yah! Once a week it’s nice to keep off or else it gets too much into our system.
Paying for the tea at the counter, I got connected with our time and how the time has changed
There was a time (many practice even today) when during specific day(s) in a week devotees practice total and partial fasting – a sort of self imposed abstinence for a greater cause.
Well, while the import of the philosophy and the larger purpose for practicing remain the same, however the paradigm of ‘Cause’ has changed.

Mohan’s musing: When elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers –an old African proverb 
This driver sounded very upset and he had reasons to be. Today he is jobless 
It was couple of months back…. He had an alternative job offer from another resident in the complex and when he approached his current employer, both the husband and wife got very upset and just to teach the poacher a lesson, they marginally increased the salary of their driver and net result. He stayed back,
However what really pissed him off was that in the next couple of weeks, they called him and in a routine manner signed him off giving their transfer as the reason. One could not be more empathetic to his current situation especially with a family of four dependent on him for their daily bread.
I was wondering how different this incident is from the plight and fate of over 2,600 workers in Bengal whose future hangs in the balance as Ambassador Production has stopped with the irrevocable decision of the management to close shop and move on
If we roll a few years back, Ratan Tata wanted to set up the Nano factory in the same state which could have been the ‘right time’ lateral opportunity for all these seasoned and well trained skilled workers and technicians. Most of them could have hopped on to something new, better and more reassuring of future
However like the couple who held back the driver; the current CM, then the leader of Opposition was the greatest antagonist and tumbling block to the idea; to the extreme extent that one fine day TATAs decided out of disgust and frustration to bid TATA to Bengal ……the rest is history
The coin had been dropped…. leaving the poor victims to fate and state of frustration and fury. Here was an opportunity missed all for the vain sake to score a brownie political point.

Mohan’s musing: Why a different trial for those juveniles who commit rape?? ……this oxymoron is just not on.
Give a hard rap on the ape for committing the monkey business of ‘rape’.
Less than 18 summers is no excuse from the law to take its course and serve a severe sanction for such savagery conduct.
Well, in my books they must be tried as seriously and swiftly so that the message is clear that they have no escape route.
Yes, age can be a matter of consideration for concession; when you commit an act which is unlawful, but carried out in a state of and in a fit of anger, manifesting itself in spontaneity AND also where there is no sufficient warnings before and while committing the act.

Mohan’s musing: You don’t become a world leader just by thinking a world of yourself 
Breaking news : Malaysian airlines plane shot down by Anti-aircraft missile in Ukranine – leaving 295 dead 
Well, how does it matter to which geography genetics and gender the 295 belong??
But the self-proclaimed world leader thinks otherwise 
“Obama in his first reaction: I have asked my team to determine whether there are any Americans on board. This is our first priority” (sic)
Leaders are made of different stuff. 
Of course, it’s different matter that such of their kind seldom understand this difference.

Mohan’s musing: Euthanasia - Mercy killing: Can there be a better example of an oxymoron in the society.
Well, to kill or not to kill is not the question, even as ‘mercy’ hangs as an ironic prefix begging for consideration before the cruel four letter word.
In this socio – cultural - medico dilemma between the chances of ‘survival and revival ‘ , the moot point is not legality; rather it’s about how do we legally foul safe this act to ensure that in the process India does not become a haven for “suicide tourism”.
Here lies the challenge of the slippery slope in the society and knowing the notorious credibility of the medical profession especially in certain sectors and its systemic high vulnerability, legalizing may become a safe zone for merciless encounter killing in the name of mercy and assisted death.
But then we cannot miss the wood for the trees.
The state needs to examine this with a positive framework and a caring construct that the sufferer does not suffer due to the suffering of the system.
It’s worth an empathetic outlook and examination; before it gets the consent to the operation table

Mohan’s musing: Have tasted different types of Rotis……but not this kind of stuff ….
Here are some food for thought .
Never knew that Roti can be prepared with communal flour and flavor 
But then who cares; as long as it’s a perfect recipe for perennially hungry TRP 
While the conduct simply cannot be approved, what’s appalling is the amplified communal color and complications created across by all channels.
Whom are they serving this “Roti?” 
The answer is begging the question

Mohan’s musing: Rose by any other name ….. here is a twist to the tale

I had to send a letter urgently which brought me to the nearby courier company ( local sorting office ) and before handing over the cover , wanted to know the cost and time for the delivery service ; HYD to BGLR….

Here I was quite shocked to hear this sales pitch (sic)

“ If you want a guaranteed deliver in 24 hours with a promise to return the charges if not delivered ……it will cost you Rs. 150 “

I inquired, what will be the time taken and the charge for normal courier delivery?

“It will be Rs. 50 and it will take about 3 days

Shocked to see me shocked the counter sales guy shot back

“It’s raining sir”

I did not want my BP to shoot up and decided to silently scoot the place and just for curiosity turned back to see if I have come to a truly professional courier company office

 “The Professional Couriers” the name board blared and I almost tripped.

Yes the converse is also true!

An un-professional by any other name does not become a professional ….Now who can argue