Moments of Creativity ....

Today was pretty exhausting..with meetings after meetings. Nowadays the frequency of meetings have gone up in the office. Some of them are non productive and some of them are very useful. In a day of 8 hours works schedule, when most of the time is eaten by meetings, where is the time to work.? At times, no one can help it..that’s the way the corporates are functioning.

What happens when involuntarily one has to sit in a meeting or a lecture which is non productive for him ( of course it would be productive for the speaker or the meeting organizer)? Some brave people dare to sleep openly or walk out. Some poor guys have to fight hard the seducing sleep goddess and pretend to be awake. And there is a third category of people, who are creative enough to make use of the otherwise non productive time. I will share few instances..

When I was studying in Roorkke for M.Tech, one of our professor was a world renowned guy. But unfortunately his classes were like heavy doses of sleeping pills. ( He personified the fact that very knowledgeable person need not be a good teacher and vice versa) . I usually used to sit in the front bench and try to grasp the maximum possible from what that renowned person utters. Some of my friends (second category) would pretend to be attentive and would sometimes utter curse on the torture they have to go through. When I scan through the class I would see even some of the regular back benchers, very actively taking notes of the lecture and being attentive.

After few months of the lecture I discovered the truth. Few of my good friends, who are regular back benchers in that particular teacher’s class, were actually not writing lecture notes. They were busy writing letters to their friends, families (no e-mails at that time ). Since they couldn’t find much time to finish all the assignments from other teachers (for them…after boozing, gossiping, watching movies, and bird watching, time seemed to be in sufficient) , it was very convenient to do all those assignment work in this teacher’s class. Poor professor..he looked happy on seeing even back benchers being “very attentive in his class “ and sincerely taking the notes.

When I got job and I was sent to Dubai on an induction training, there was a week long training on safety. As the training deviated from my core area of interest (technical/geology), I started feeling boring and sleepy after few days. The instructor will randomly chose a person from the students and would ask questions in the middle of the course. ( his way of ensuring that students are awake always). It was a struggle. Sleep will crawl through the eye lids. Then I will have to rub my eyes hard to awake. I would see multiple images of my instructor, indicating a need for falling flat on a bed. Then I used my creativity a bit. Next day I came to class with a small plastic bottle with water (small enough to be kept in my pocket). The lid has a small hole. When I feel sleepy, I would spray water into my eyes from it. I will get a temporary relief.

While working in Mumbai, I had the luxury of attending exciting technical meetings as well as sales marketing meetings, which used to freeze my blood to absolute zero. I had to attend one such teleconference inside my boss’s room. Already it was 5'O clock in the evening. My other colleagues were also inside the room. We were having an teleconference with our top boss (who sits in Delhi). After few minutes of pretended attentiveness , our interests started fading. My boss had no option but to listen and communicate with his boss . We all had to be mute spectators.

Then I started using my creativity. I have a taste for sketching. When creativity blesses me, I can draw anything on anything. All I could grab there was some paper cups kept on my boss’s table. I started drawing his cartoon. My junior colleague who had a luxurious mobile phone with camera ( remember its in 2004 ..) wonderfully captured all those moments . My boss was not aware of that. Till not I have not shown that to him . ( now he is not my boss anymore..but he remains a good senior and friend). May be he will see this if he happens to read this blog. Those pictures and videos I have it in my computers. They serve as a souvenir for the beautiful office family I had in Mumbai and the funny moments like this.(We often used to call such moments as TTP moments - Total Time Pass Moments)

Since then, whenever I sit on boring meeting, I feel that itching sensation to draw the caricature of the speaker who is serving me with sleeping pills. But then I control.( The environment is not same as I had before. Why to take a risk? )

Jose

Bangalore

14-April-2010

A farewll to remember

Last Friday, I attended a farewell party from office. My ex-boss cum geology discipline lead- Marc Anne Alberts, was departing to Houston for his next assignment. He was one of the very few people who worked relentlessly to see on organization growing from its infant stage to a reputable asset within its global family. Marc only recruited me when I decided to shift my base from Mumbai to Bangalore. We are definitely going to miss Marc. He is leaving behind a legacy which would be difficult for anyone to match.

Usually I avoid big parties. It is always boring function for me. The same usual office stuff…with drinks..cocktails..beer..in high end restaurants. Often, in such parties, I feel that I am out of place. But that day I wanted to go. It was a farewell party..that too, of a person whom I respect a lot- Marc.

The atmosphere in the party hall was as usual, filled with loud noises. People greeting everyone, chef cooking hot stuff in the open air, waiters moving in a hurry to serve their guests..and we all gathered in small groups to gossip about the same office environment. Then there was the farewell speech. Everyone praised Marc a lot..which we all know that he deserves more than what is said. Then Marc also made his speech, with all tones of professionalism. For a moment, I felt emotional. While listening to all those, I was taken back through few years, into a restaurant in Mumbai, where I got a farewell.

That was when I worked for Schlumberger. Initially I worked in Delhi. When I got transferred to Mumbai, I thought there will be a farewell. (How I can I ask any one to give me a farewell..all I can do is to expect it from others). But unfortunately nobody even thought of it. Then I flew to Mumbai and settled in the southern suburbs there. In Mumbai division of Schlumberger , I had a family.. a small group of colleagues in the division I worked for. Hardly ten people were there in that group. My boss was my senior from Roorkee. Among others also, there were many seniors and juniors from Roorkke.

Though there were always work pressures mounting on our shoulders , at no point in time I felt that my office environment is causing stress on me. How can I feel so, if the people around me are like family. Yes..it was a small family. Frequently we used to go for movies in the nearby movie halls. We would experiment with all kinds of restaurants serving exotic dishes. We had a nice memorable Xmas party in a beach side shack in 2005. We knew each other's family very well.

I still remember the brief after- lunch walk we used to have, inside our office compound. We would move as a team, cracking jokes and laughing aloud. I knew people envied us. They used to comment on the togetherness within our team and used to wonder why it is not there with their teams. May be somebody wished for something bad to happen within our team? I do not know. But slowly our team started dwindling in number. One after another , people went for other career options. Whenever people left, we all bestowed them with well wishes. We never forgot to give them farewells.

Farewell dinners are always memorable. But it is painful for sometime too. If I now that the person who was with me all these days, is not going to be with me from next day, it will cause heart ache for some time.

I felt that first time, when we gave farewell to a colleague in a restaurant called “Goa Portuguese” . Something nostalgic about that place is the 'one man band' in that hotel. There would be a singer, in his forties may be.. singing in his un- attractive voice, strumming his guitar. But when he sings the old Hindi song…”chalthe chalthe” ..the nostalgia would reach its peak....I don’t know how to say…I would feel so sad..instantly feel the emotional aspect of the farewell..full throttle.

Second time, another colleague decided to leave our team and join another company . I was her mentor in the organization. When we had to decide on the farewell place..I voted for Goa Portuguese. The same place…I wanted to feel the sadness of giving farewell one more time…along with the strumming of that guitar. Only few people could attend the farewell at that time. I knew she was leaving for something good in her career. I was the adviser for her behind that career move. But still.. on that day of the farewell…I felt very bad. For a moment I wished that she may join our team back.

Then it was my turn after many months. I felt that something is not happening right with me in the company I work for. I decided to uproot myself and explore a different territory in the silicon valley of India-Bangalore. There were huge pressure from senior management to re consider my decision. But I didn’t give in. Once a decision is taken, I do not like to back out. Then, it was time for me to leave the company I loved (as it was my first job. It was difficult to arrive at that decision). My beloved friends made a plan to give a farewell. When asked about the choice of the venue, I said…I want that in Goa Portuguese.

We all were in the office till five O'clock in the evening. We cracked jokes…laughed a lot…took pictures in the office premises..everyone was in a happy mood. Then we traveled to Goa Portuguese for the farewell dinner.

Everything went well. We had food and drinks. But slowly some kind of heaviness started creeping in. Knowing that it is a farewell party, the lone singer came and played “Chalthe Chalthe”. For few moments, I could see eyes getting wet and faces taking a serious looks. Me and my best friend Umesh, could not control ourselves. Though we knew that we will be friends for ever..we will be meeting again

somewhere..sometime.., the temporary departure was hurting. Then my boss gave me a gift from the team. Along with that , there was a greeting card where everybody had signed.

Though I tried to control myself, I had to give in to the exodus of emotions. I hugged Umesh and we cried for few moments.

No wonder…farewells always make me sad. Even if the farewell is of a person whom I hardly know..when he or she makes the farewell speech, I get emotional ( crazy me !! )

Do not know how many more farewells I would see and I would get. How many times more I will feel emotional impact of a temporary departure ? No idea.

And..then I will have a last farewell. No clues when it would be... I recall the title of a famous spiritual book by Robin Sharma

“Who will cry when you will die?”

Jose
Bangalore
11-April-2010

To sir..with love..

Today, I wore the cap of a teacher one more time...do not remember how many times I have done this..but I am sure of one thing....I love this job...of a teacher..it is one of the best professions in the world.

Well..I didn't become a professor or lecturer in any university. I was just taking some classes to the young graduates in the company I work for. I was teaching them techniques in Reservoir Modeling...a domain of my expertise. While teaching them, I remembered few incidents in my career, when I took the role of a teacher...nice memories.

Since college days, I liked teaching. Making someone understand a subject, was an exciting task for me. The joy I get on realizing that the person with me, understood the things I explained...is immense. That's why like the job of a teacher.

Well.. I could have been a faculty in some university, teaching students, Geology. But, to get into a good university, I needed to do PhD also. I was thinking of doing PhD. But, when I completed post graduation, I had a lucrative job at hand. Then I had to choose between job and PhD. Looking at my messy financial state at that time, I took a decision to go for a job rather than pursuing PhD.

While working with Schlumberger in Delhi and Mumbai, I got plenty of opportunities to take classes to colleagues, and customers. My expertise was on certain software applications, used widely in the Oil and gas Industry. I was happy then. Though not in universities, I could teach...and I enjoyed teaching. After 7 years with Schlumberger, I joined Shell Technology India in the silicon valley of India, Bangalore. Here also I continue teaching colleagues and young graduates on certain things, which are my forte.

Today was one such day...when I could forget other things around me...and passionately teach my "students" what I know.

Except few uncomfortable situations, most of the times these teaching sessions gave me great satisfaction. Two of those memorable events I would share here.

Must be in 2002 or 2003...don't remember exactly...I was asked by my boss to coordinate a training program for the officers of ONGC (National Oil Company) Chennai. I had to fly to Chennai , to their office and conduct the month long training program . Of the month long training program, I was the teacher for few weeks. Other weeks were covered by teachers of other subjects.

When I entered the class room , I was bit nervous. About 15 pairs of eyes were staring at me. Average age of the student group there, was about 45. Most of them having seniority more than my age. I was just a new kid in the block.

“who the hell is this kid to tech us” . Definitely the guys in the room must have thought like that. Their looks explained that.

After the starting trouble for the initial few minutes, I indulged myself completely in teaching. All those seniors in front of me, transformed into just “students”. I knew that in my subject, I had a command over them. With regained confidence, I continued teaching. So the teaching sessions went well. After a month, when all the sessions were over, I was preparing to wind up the engagement and go back to my office in Delhi. Then, one of my "students" from ONGC office, mentioned to me about a small close-out function, where the chief person would be their boss. I was asked to be present at the function. Having finished all the assignments, I was more than happy to be there. I agreed.

When the function started, I realized that, it was meant for me..a small felicitation function for the training I imparted.
The senior most student of my class, an officer with nearly 30 years of experience, came forward to speak few words. He said

"In the beginning of the training, when we saw a college boy as our trainer, I am sure that many of us had apprehensions about the quality of the training and the knowledge of the trainer. But today, I am sure none of us have that apprehension. Jose has proved that. We want to give him a small memento from our side"

He then handed over to me a marble memento...first gift I received from customers, for teaching them...I didn't know what to say. More than the memento, the words of appreciation from the officers whose experience is mostly more than my age..that was the biggest reward.

During my tenor with Schlumberger, I gave trainings to many people all over India. I travelled to all parts of India…Chennai, baroda, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Duliajan (Assam) . I made good network of professional friends through these training sessions. The role played by those assignments in shaping my career is really great.

In Shell, I conducted many coaching sessions for the young graduates, who were newly inducted into the company. It was fun too. Once a teaching session is over, a good rapport is made between me and all my students. One day, all those graduates invited me and Leena for a party. Initially I thought that it is just like any other party. But later, I realized that it was made to "honor" their teacher .. wah.. It was a good feeling.

We had a get- together in a hotel near by. They presented me a gift..a show case piece made of crystal . I was proud that I could touch a chord with those young guys.

I remembered the picture title..."to sir with love" . It is really a great experience to be honored by one’s own students.

I am sure, I will teach many more (if the almighty keep me alive for long). But the dream I cherish still remains...to be a professor in any university...be a full time teacher. Help many more students to mold their career..

I do not know whether I would be able to fulfill that dream or not.. Time will tell.

He caught me finally..

Hypertension and Diabetes.....some people proudly announce that they have all these...strange people.:-)

But if you ask a doctor ..they will say ..these are silent killers ..

My father had both..and may be that only resulted in cardiac arrest..which took his life. at the age of 65.

All my family members, friends and even the doctors who looked at my medical records recently told me..

'Jose...you have a strong chance of getting any of these. Its in your genes. if not today..may be tomorrow"

Perhaps..the sedentary life style I lead...prompted them to say that to me..

I escaped from their clutches so far . I believed that I won't be caught by these silent killers.

But..finally , on this Monday.. I was stamped ...Hypertensive

Of late, my systolic pressure was above 130 mm Hg. ..sometimes shooting above 150mm Hg. I thought it may be due to the stressful journey I am currently going through.

But the digital monitor I bought for my wife, continuously showed my BP above normal. Then the doctor's verdict came..

'Jose..you are hypertensive"

No regrets... if it would kill me someday..silently...without suffering...why should I be sad.. :-). But I am not going to let him finish me so easily.

But what makes me sad is that... I am unfit to be a renal donor for my wife. Now the real search for the matching donor starts. Till I find a match, she will have to face the ordeal of dialysis ..weekly thrice.

My companions..

My thoughts...my companions in my solitude ..

Good..bad...secret...hilarious ..painful...they are of many varieties...

I have not kept a diary so far...

well..I have experimented with diaries and failed miserably. Then I found the daily archiving of the activities a bit boring.

But ..one fine day I realized...why shouldn't I capture those memories, which might fade away with time...memories which make me laugh or cry . Then the idea of a blog came in. So...here it is.

They are scattered all over....some of them are engraved in my brain, clearly forever. I would recall them without loosing any detail perhaps till my last breath. But some others are already getting vague. names..places..faces..incidents ...all of them .

Even today..when I am lonely..and need comfort...these memories rush to help me..they sooth my mind..help me to relax.

So..definitely they would be my companions in my old age too.( if I survive till then ). Even if the old age wipes them out from my brain..slowly and slowly..I can still live in them through this ...Don't know how successful I would be..

Still worth trying.