Gen Z and its ways...

Read a very good article in ET today, about the upsurge of a niche group of high performing and high maintenance young corporate executives. Extremely efficient, tech-savvy, practicing work life balance, seeking appreciation and recognition constantly. Its really heartening to know, we are gradually shifting towards a more holistic work culture and environment where laid back lifestyle is giving way to healthy competition.

While the article focused on the characteristic traits of such individuals and gave essential tips for their bosses on how to handle them, I would like to take this article one notch higher by discussing the challenges faced by such executives. While the challenges are manifold, lets deliberate on the first and foremost of them.

Resistance by Gen Y (Assuming this bunch is Gen Z) : Its basic human psychology. People resist change, be it any kind, good …bad…strange, whatever! They just find it hard to believe, that a week’s task can be done in 3 hours flat, provided you are willing to stretch yourself. And where is the fun in work, if you don’t stretch yourself. Only a person who has roamed in a parched desert can truly enjoy a chilled glass of water. That almost dead feeling in your body, when you hit the sack long after midnight, after a hard day of work is the most satisfying feeling in the whole world. Simply incomparable.

And this group of Gen Y, will always find some reason or the other to criticize you, however lame is the thing. When they don’t find any aspects of your work, to pull you down, they would resort to non-work categories. And its so tangent, sometimes it gets laughable! And laughing away their barbs, is the only solution to this. Some wise man has said, in some wise book, “If people are talking about you, that means, you are doing good in life.” J

Extracting the juice out of a day by including so many diverse activities comes easily to this group. Be it work or leisure, they have taken perfection to a new level altogether. With the focus of Arjuna, they march ahead towards their goal, which is not money, btw. Its something more spiritual, something really unattainable, if you go on to thrash out the actual meaning of the word. Taking your work to a level, that creates a benchmark. That’s actually the goal, maybe.

Was not planning to write something so serious on a Sunday, but yet again, I let the fingers do the talking, turning out to be an impulsive writer, after all! J

So Chetan Bhagat’s new book is out, “What young India wants?”. Its his first book in non-fiction genre, based on this essays. Looking forward to it. Was going through another article regarding the book launch. So many critics have castigated him on his broken grammar and what not! Arey baba, That’s how we talk, everyone cannot speak perfect Shakespearean English. Will it be believable, if I write, “My dear XYZ, the intention of this epistle is to….”, while “Hi XYZ, wanted to tell you through this letter….” Sounds so REAL!

Guys! Why can’t people just let him BE. Jealousy is ok, but up to a level.

He is hugely successful and popular because, he has managed to touch the pulse of the nation, of the youth, by coming up with stories that people can identify with, characters that have real shades of people in it, it can be anybody’s  story! What is so wrong with it, if he goes on to make some millions out of it. Writing is hard work, after all! And you know what, his so called “Intellectual” critics are only upset ‘coz their books aren’t doing that well, may be. Abstract books don’t have a successful history after all, unless you are an Ayn Rand or Paulo Coelho.

Anyways that’s it for now!

Cheers! J

The Mighty Moghals demystified!

History happened to be one of my favorite subjects in school. The full credit of which goes to my adorable History teacher, Mrs. Nair. Originally from God’s own country, her personality was a great influencing factor in my life. Tall persona with mother like softness in her words, she used to create magic in the classroom by making the history characters come alive from the text books. Be it Babur, Akbar or Shahjahan, each one of them became awe inspiring figures, the way she narrated their heroics in the battlefield. When I went to Class 10^th, she left my school and went back to Kerala. And I was too timid then, to inquire about her whereabouts…though till date, I associate History with her.

Now before you start wondering, about the cause behind the sudden remembrance of Mrs. Nair and History, let me tell you upront, that today’s blog is going to be an ode to a fantastic book that I browsed recently.

“Empire of the Moghul, the tainted throne” by Alex Rutherford.

Empire of the Moghul

From the first page to the last, the book is an experience to behold, to cherish and to reminisce. Alex has described beautifully Jahangir’s rise to power and pitiful demise, followed by Shahjahan’s rise again as the ultimate Mogul of Hindustan. The proxy ruling by Jahangir’s ruthless empress Mehrunissa (Noor jahan, light of the world) and the empathetic personality of Shahjahan’s wife, Arjumand.(Mumtaz-mahal)

Mehrunissa, the empress who ruled Hindustan behind the veil and jaali of Diwaan-e-aam of Agra Fort, after making Jahangir ever-dependent on opium laced wine. She was the brain behind Jahangir. An envy of his vazeer, courtiers and British noblemen ‘coz of her proximity to Jahangir, she survived great odds to safeguard her selfish lust for power. It was love at first sight for Jahangir, when he saw her dancing in Kabul during his punishment stay there. (After the Anaarkali debacle, when he lured his father’s favorite concubine, and thus was sent to Kabul to recover from his foolhardiness)

Author: Alex Rutherford

Subsequently, Mehrunissa got married to another nobleman and had a daughter from him, couple of years later, the nobleman was murdered brutally. It was Jahangir’s strategy again, to win back his long lost love, by hiring a Supaari killer (An English gentleman). So this is how, she became the proxy empress of Hindustan. Blessed with a brain that worked faster than Chacha Chaudhury, she became the chief advisor of Jahangir. Her influence grew to such an extent that, she was bestowed with the title of Noor jahan and a seal of her own, to issue farmaans n diktats (official rulings). She was considered an ace shooter, who went on shikaars and killed tigers with one single shots. (Unheard of, during that era). At a later point in the story, when Jahangir was captured by the enemy, she led the official army sitting on elephants with muskets and grenades to free him back, and succeeded too! Calculative and shrewd, she poisoned her husband’s mind against his favorite son (from another wife), Shahjahan, which led to his exile. The end of the story shows us how Shahjahan wins back the throne from Mehrunissa.

Now, why did I like the book so much? Great story telling on a topic that is very close to my heart. When I was a kid, I got many opportunities to visit Agra Fort, Red Fort, Itmad-ud-daulah (Tomb), Fatehpur Sikri. On each of my visits, I used tp pray, to be transported to that world and get a fleeting glimpse of the magnificence of Mughal era. The history books also gave a very brief and clinical description of events. Now here arrives a book, that tells me the minute and intricate details of the everyday lives of the Mughals, starting from the battles, court affairs, marriages, food, clothes, palaces, leisure activities etc. Most importantly, the softer aspects, how they thought, what they thought, how they felt, the strategies they devised to win wars, to win their love, to win the throne etc etc. I could actually imagine myself in that era, in their world for some moments of blissful magnificence. 90% of the book is fact and rest 10% is embroidered story to link events and characters.

The most winsome aspect of the book is the way Alex has breathed life into the card board Moghal characters and brought them alive and kicking in complete 3D avatar. You can actually visualize the blood and gore in the battlefield, the sword fighting and the riches of the Moghals. The shower of gold, diamonds and pearls when they used to return to Agra after winning battles, the glory of the peacock throne, the dazzling tiaras and the food! Murgs stuffed with gemstones along with dry fruits! J (That sure made me salivate :P)

The book has only one drawback though. No pictures L

After I finished it, I googled for the pictures of Mehrunissa and Peacock throne J And I was not disappointed at all!

Alex has written 3 more books on the same theme. And this one happens to be that last of the series. My goal now, is to get my hands on the other 3! J

My suggestion to you all, if you want a piece of heaven to drive away the monotony of your lives, this is the book to read. J

Cheers!

Cya next Saturday! 

Those were the days...

Family time is the most cherished time for every individual. Listening to the tales which our parents narrate so lovingly, reminiscing the good old days of their childhood, the simplicity and authenticity of the people, the purity of things available, and a beautiful world which was yet undiluted by the monster named Television.

My mom was brought up in Kolkata and Cuttack. Kolkata as such, doesn’t need any introduction. Cuttack has earned its share of fame by being termed as the poorer cousin of Kolkata. Many call it a mini Kolkata! Same crowd, narrow gullies/bylanes, a place which still boasts of Cycle rickshaws… in short a city which still retains its old world charm.

When the term “neighbour” meant much more than the entities who share just your compound wall. BTW, the concept of compound wall didn’t exist then at all. Houses were stacked close to each other, and the tradition of visiting each other’s house through the main front door was unheard of, where terraces were common and back-door entries were always welcomed J. And yes, daily curry/subzi exchange was a sacred ritual, never to be broken.

When a family used to subscribe all kinds of newspapers just for the benefit of its neighbours, knowing well enough that nobody in their own home could read or write. When the beneficiaries would visit the family, they would be kind enough to read aloud the events of the day, and explain the nitty gritties of the world to even old grannies J Such honesty, large-heartedness and selfless attitude in today’s world, is like searching for dew drops in a parched desert.

Every house had a large courtyard, which would be multifunctional. It would be the drawing room/dining hall/gup shup area and the kitchen as well. People used to go into the rooms only to sleep at night, that also in winters only. Petty thefts were common and that too for inane stuff like chappals, bucket, utensils etc.

One funny incident that my mom loves to narrate all the time. One fine evening, a thief climbed up a guava tree which was at the centre of the courtyard at her neighbours place, with the intention of climbing down and doing his act when the family would retire for the day. He waited till midnight, hunched up quietly at his precarious perch, hoping and expecting to climb down once the household became still. But alas! The family went on tinkering and tottering around the courtyard till the wee hours of the morning, to the chagrin of the thief who was losing patience with each passing moment. Finally, he lost his cool, jumped down from the tree, and landed with a thud, shocking the family members who were caught unawares. He marched forward and said, “You guys are too much! Have been waiting since evening to rob this house, and you’ll are Ulloos (Owl), jo sone ka naam hi nahi lete!” (He said the entire thing in vernacular language of course!). Then he marched forward, slapped a few members and ran off in lightning speed! J Bad day at work, for the thief! Lolz!

This particular household used to be the hub/database of all the gossip in that area. So many folks visiting their home to browse through the newspapers, obviously had its share of benefits! J My mom has very fond memories associated with this particular family. Those were the days, when you could not imagine of escaping a neighbour’s place, without being force-fed a meal or two! And the most fav of all the snacks used to be “Semai”. Tea used to rule the roost, and coffee was still an alien concept. Breakfast used to be paratha with a dollop of ghee and a generous amount of sugar on the ghee! Can you believe it, guys!  Every time, my mom tells me this, I vow to have the same for breakfast at least once every month. Haven’t succeeded yet. J

Ladies used to go out in cycle rickshaws, with a saree tied around the rickshaw, which acted like a “Purdah” to take care of the privacy and protect them from the evil eyes of men. My mom was the first lady to go to school, college, university and subsequently to work, (She worked as lecturer in S.B College, Cuttack) in her entire extended family, hence faced lot of resistance. She is my role model in life and I believe the best mom in the whole wide world. Well, I suppose, everyone feels the same about their respective moms. J That reminds me, at Infy BBSR, last year we launched a path-breaking initiative, called “Mother’s Day Out”, on the occasion of Mothers day. Moms of the employees were invited to the campus and we had organized a plethora of activities in honor of them. Received so much appreciation for this initiative, it also enabled us (HRD Employee Relations) to win couple of awards! J

Oops! Time to catch up on my reading now!

Cya, next Sat! Love you all!

Stay spunky, and cheers! J