The magic of Sun and Apollo Storm !



Miss u.....my cabin !!

I loved my office room at Pokarna. Every morning I entered my room and opened up the blinds to let in the most magnificent sun rays that lit up the cabin. I got a befitting granite counter top fit on my table called Apollo Storm. This is a unique stone that isn't found very easily, something like me ! I felt a great deal of energy when the sun rays entered the room and the Apollo Storm shone with all its brilliance.

Now I am no longer the ruler of my cabin and hope I find a nice little room where the sun rays drive up my energy levels and I get another piece of the unique master piece created by the BIG GUY Himself, named Apollo Storm !



A baby is born

After a very exciting 9 years at Pokarna Limited, I finally left on the 01st.of December, 2010. I have grown tremendously (literally as well !) over the years at Pokarna.

Early 2002, I was working with an American company owned by an Indian. I handled some of his procurement of granite from India. I vividly remember my father receiving a call from the then Managing Director, Mr.Krishna Rao asking him to come along with me to meet with him. That meeting led to my joining Pokarna Limited. Mr.Rao asked the then accounts manager, Mr.Sanjay Daga as to which was an auspicious day and time for me to join and Mr.Daga came back in a few minutes stating that it was NOW ! I started out as an "Exports Manager" on 18th.March, 2002. It was certainly auspicious for me. 

I always enjoyed working and worked with sincerity and passion with my wonderful team. I learnt immensely from so many wonderful people over the years like Mr.Gautam Jain, Mr.Krishna Rao, Mr.Ramakrishna, Mr.Vishwanath Reddy, "Computer" Vishwanath , Manish, Pragati, Joe McCabe, Pat Anderson, Mr.John Weiss, Mr.Peter Seiler, Lokesh and many others. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to interact, learn  and be inspired from everyone of these people. 9 years down the line I feel sad leaving the company, which for a very long time I felt like my own. For the last few days at my work I felt very sick in my stomach with the thought of leaving this company....it almost made me cry. However, the decision was made after a lot and lot of debate and thought. The next step was, well.....to decide the next step ! Again after tossing around several options I decided to work for myself and that's when the idea of creating Stone Plus came into being.

Stone Plus was created on 01st.of December, 2010. I will strive to earn the same love from one and all for my baby, Stone Plus !!  

Thanksgiving Day !!

I've often heard people crib about the various "Days" like Father's Day, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, etc etc. The point used to crib is always WHY is there a day required. Why cant the feelings be expressed everyday or whenever needed.

I, however, strongly disagree with the WHY. Firstly, why shud anyone have any objection ? These "Days" are not thrust upon anyone. Everyone has the right to celebrate it or not. If they feel like wishing their father, mother or girlfriend everyday, great for them. However, in today's times people living in the same house also barely get to see one another forget about spending quality time. This dedicated "Day" serves as a reminder that lets give our father, mother or girlfriend, or whoever the appreciation they so deserve. Let's wish them and thank them for their love. In Karan Johar's words....Kal ho na ho !

One such "Day" is Thanksgiving. It is largely a day celebrated in the US. Thanksgiving in the US falls on the last Thursday of November. The occasion always turns into a Thanksgiving weekend. This is wonderful as it allows families and friends to make plans to meet the near and dear from far off places which would not have been otherwise possible with only a day's break. Thanksgiving brings people together to thank one another and celebrate relationships; celebrate life.

This Thanksgiving has a very special meaning for me personally. It is the time that I enter my final week working for Pokarna Limited. I have been associated with the company for almost 9 years and have wonderful memories. I took the opportunity to thank all  my colleagues who have guided and supported me over the years.

The Lizard Attack

I am not scared of heights or depths, water or fire. However, I am shit scared of the freaky cockroaches and lizards. These are creatures that God created in a terrible mood.

Cockroaches have this unique distinction to come from nowhere and go everywhere. However, like most humans, they can be found hanging out in either the kitchen or in the toilets. Lizards on the other hand think they make a great wall hanging. The freaks tend to stand, sit or whatever it is that they do, in one place until we get tired and get the hell out of there. Lizards tend to piss us humans off big time when they make their presence felt on the walls just above the bed or above the toilet seat !! They may seem stupid but they sure know our soft spots.

Earlier today there was this Lizard that announced its presence in our bedroom. The whole family panicked. I felt shivers down my spine.We all got into a huddle and decided that we're going to fight the intruder. We then chased it all around the room but the bugger refused to give up without a fight. We removed one painting from the wall behind which it had taken refuge for a bit; we moved the entire cupboard where it thought it was absolutely safe and finally we prevailed. The intruder was chucked out of the room and we celebrated victory. Victory of good over evil.

Let this be a lesson to the entire freaky community. Dont mess with us !!

The Economist

Thanks to the quantum of my travel during my current job, I was honoured by Star Alliance with the Senator status. This gave me the luxury of using their lounges at various airports. During one such visit to one of their lounges I had a very long time to spend. As I normally did, I hit the bar.....for a diet coke (no kidding) and some snack. I watched TV for a while. After sometime when the news kept on repeating on TV I was forced to look for alternate sources of entertainment. That’s when I lay my hands on The Economist magazine.

The Economist, to me, until that point, was a boring magazine which I couldn’t read for more than a few minutes. However, I was completely hooked on to the mag from page 1. I simply loved the information and data provided. It made me feel so much more confident as a person to know what the heck is going on across the world. I then made it a habit to grab the copy of The Economist at every lounge I visited and even bought several copies.

A few months back The Economist was launched in India. There was a nice offer for subscription for a year which I obviously went for. I have been receiving my copy delivered to my door diligently every Monday. I simply enjoy reading it and try my best to read as much as I can. However, I realised soon that I am unable to devote much time to catch everything in the weekly before the next edition comes in. I have been struggling to keep up pace and have ended up with a back log of 4 weeks !! This back log refuses to go. I feel bad to see a copy come on a Monday when I have 4 weeks of reading stacked up. While I do hope to catch up every month, I strongly feel I will be on track before we hit 2011 !

Negative feedback

After a hiatus of over a month I went back to www.kamaldshah.com. I have always learnt immensely from Kamal, my elder brother. His blogs are addictive. Unfortunately, for a very long time I didn't follow the blog. However, just when I started I came across a very interesting subject on negative feedback posted on this link - http://www.kamaldshah.com/2010/11/on-giving-negative-feedback.html#links

The post inspired me to make a post of my own on this touchy topic. People associated with me in my company would realize why it is "touchy". Anyways, I have been on the receiving end as well as the giving end of negative feedback several times. I always seek feedback and give negative feedback my full attention. I have learnt more from negative feedback than I have from positive. However, there have been instances, many such lately, which I disagreed with. Unfortunately, in these instances there wasn't any scope for a debate as the verdict was given without any hearing whatsoever. This is where I cannot accept a negative feedback. 

I have also given feedback, good and bad to my team several times. Some have taken it very well while some haven't. However, one thing no one can dispute is the fact that I don't listen. Any decision of mine is through deliberation. I firmly believe that a company and its team has to be on the same wave length. There could be disagreements on a few issues which need to be discussed. Everyone has to have a say and everyone has to listen. After all the deliberation the company / team should arrive at a consensus with regard to the direction to proceed on. I believe everyone has his/her own ability. Everyone has something to offer. Negative feedback shouldn't ever be given without an intent of a positive outcome. 

My father's words come to my mind - "Be careful with criticism, liberal with praise." 

My trip to Verona, Italy

My recent trip to Verona, in Italy was my 11th trip in as m any years. Unfortunately, all the trips have been work related. After all these years of travel to this city also I encountered many 'firsts'. It was surely the company I was with that made me explore the beauty of the city.

They say, a pic speaks a thousand words, so here are a few thousand for u....enjoy -

The beautiful Lake Garda -



The City Centre "Arena".

Then there was also the common sight of free flow of emotions giving a damn to the "mahila mandals" of Italy. Wonder if they have these wonderful mandals in Italy ?? (without them our "sanskriti" would have become totally nasht ;) )



The last one surely spoke many a thousand words. On that cozy note, until next time....Ciao (pronounced as chaao) meaning bye !!!!

Lets cut it short...pls

We are in the world of instant gratification. We don't have the time these days. We just cannot wait.

I remember the 'bad old days of TV' when the only 2 programs we used to watch were 'Chitrahar' and 'News'. Just before the news was a very long and tastelessly created jingle with the Door Darshan logo gradually forming. I bet if something like that has to be seen today there may be cases of TV sets being smashed.

There were days when 5 day test matches were actually watched. Honest....I remember. Gradually people used to just keep a track of test matches and 1 day matches were the only craze. During a one day match everything in India was standstill. The streets were deserted, the shops were closed, the whatever...u get the point. Now its T20. 3 and a 1/2 hours. THAT'S IT ! Come back from work, catch a breezy T20 match (or some hot cheerleaders) and go to bed. With T20 tests have been limited only to a scorecard on the news paper (except when India makes it to the headline for becoming # 1 in tests). One days are now just tracked rather than being watched and by the way roads are jammed in this country no matter what comes on TV ! 

Employers cant wait to fire, employees cant wait to screw the employer and jump jobs at the drop of the hat, doctors cant wait for a normal delivery and go right for the 'c' section, gymming is replaced by surgeries to cut flab, blogs are replaced (not mine) by tweets, movie titles by initials, the list goes on. The only thing that keeps getting longer are the WORKING HOURS !!

If it has already not, let me ensure that my post doesn't get any longer. Until next time....cheers !

Food, shelter, clothing...games, space can come later

India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and has been since the last few years. With a growth rate hovering around the 8%+ mark over the last 3-4 years India has been a bright spot in all the global gloom and doom. All major investors are pouring money in our economy in search of higher returns.

The congress led coalition has come into power yet again on the platform of the "aam aadmi". The common man in Indian doesn't see and feel what global investors see. They don't see the bright spot that the world see from the outside. They simply go through their lives with the hope that things will change....one day things will change.

With all the money coming in and the kind of money apparently being spent by our government on development a walk on the streets of most places in our country makes you feel where is all the money going. The basic necessities of a human being are food, shelter and clothing. For all its hype, India is where 25% of the world's hungry poor live. 43% of children in India are mal-nourished. These are government figures.

When we are incapable to even feed our own how can we go on a spending spree on space programs and even events like the common wealth games. We simply cannot afford to. We must realize these obvious facts and set our priorities right. All we need first is food, shelter and clothing for all.....games and space can come later !

It happens only in India....

Govinda danced to one catchy dance number a few years back titled "It happens only in India". There are so many things, apart from what he thought happens, that actually happens only in India. One such grand event is playing out presently.

The common wealth games has turned into a HUGE scam with the media tearing up the behind of Suresh Kalmadi and company. Its wonderful to see the constant attention to this by the media. I've been following Times Now and absolutely love the wonderful journalism of Arnab Goswami http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=42194368307#!/group.php?gid=42194368307&v=info

Its such a shame that the government that came into power on the platform of the "aam aadmi" isn't resorting to any drastic step in investigating the scam and making heads roll. 

The kind of money being spent in is mind boggling, running into thousands of crores. Can India afford to spend such sums on an event which has absolutely no significance. Why host such an event when we are totally not ready to and need to go on a spending spree in order to be a host ? The motives now seem to becoming clear. Its obviously nothing got to do with the supposed pride to being a host of such an irrelevant sporting event and more to do with making "common wealth" into "personal wealth" !! 

The pain in the arse

There are people and then there are people ! Every company has its share of stars and then its share of people who are nothing but a pain in the arse. The sad part of it all is that while the stars know it the pain is never aware of their "status".  I find that strange coz such people should find it to be obvious. Its god damn written on their freakin face - "I AM THE PAIN THE THE ARSE GUY !"

Many of you know might not know but I screwed my career by not doing an MBA and opting for a role of a marketing executive in a small time granite company in Chennai (out of all places) for a paltry sum. There was no "marketing" though. It was basically a clerical job. The company that hired me could never have got such a talent for such a job at such a price. Hats off to their "marketing" abilities. Anyway, since the very beginning of my working career, spanning more than a decade now, (Phew....makes me sound old) there have always been that pain in every company. The pain's work is to spoil other's work and worse he/she gets away doing so.

In my current company as well there is this person who is getting on my nerves and deserves to be "stoned" to death, literally ! The person feels he is the natural "heir" to the throne and throws his weight around. His sheer attitude, language and mannerisms makes me want to rip him to pieces. This guy is the silent trouble-maker who is going to bring this company down, if left un-checked. I have heard from a few others as well about his attitude and have heard him talk bad behind the backs of many of things that are even un-related to the business.

If only the people at the wheel realize and throw out this pain in the arse. IF....the BIG IF !

Its people that make the decisive difference !

I've been working with this company since almost a decade. I've seen it through some glorious years as well as the tough last few. As we come out of the lull and head into a phase of strong growth our company is poised very well to get into the next league.

In our corporate presentation we have a film that states after all the info about quality, machines, etc etc. that "in the final analysis, its people that make the decisive difference". This was just another talk in thin air until very recently when the management finally decided that we actually need the "people" to make the decisive difference ! We struggled but eventually did hire several highly motivated people over the last several months.

With ever increasing workload its been very challenging for me and my team to take on the task on hand and come out tops. I am happy to see the spark in many. Its a pleasure to be a part of a hard working intelligent team. I am pleased to see our company on the right track gearing up for the growth that lies ahead.

Marketing guys have no hours

Work's never been as busy. Working hours have gone berserk.

I was never a person that complained that there was too much work. I have always been one to drill it in the head of my fellow colleagues that the work MUST be completed by the end of the day no matter how late it is. I do agree that being in marketing there is a lot more responsibilities riding on one's shoulders and therefore one has to put in a lot more time and efficiency. I enjoy being busy and get mentally and physically sick when there is nothing to do. I enjoy working late. Leaving the office late in the evening when almost everything is closed gives me a kick. A kick out of life and well.....a kick literally at home from my wife ;)

I realized a funny thing last week which I wanted to share. For a very long time I used to come back home from work at around 7 or 7-30 in the evening. My wife always kept telling me to come early. From the past few weeks I started coming back around 8 or 8-30. My wife was very angry and told me to come at least by 7 or 7-30. The whole of last week I came back at around 11 or 11-30. My wife was furious and told me that I should come early by 9 at least ! The definition of early went from coming before 7 to coming by 9 ! I know though that I cannot take this theory any further as I would surely be thrown out of the house !

Hire but wait before you fire

You're Fired. Donald Trump loved to say it and made a fortune saying it. However, these are two most feared words for an employee. I have fortunately never had to face such a situation but was unfortunate to be in Trump's shoes and putting across the same thought to a few employees, although much more mildly. 

I work in a mid sized company and love my work. I have been associated with this company since 8 years now. I have seen the business cycle thru the peaks and troughs. I have seen our company go thru uncertain times when all of a sudden the top management left as a bunch. I have seen our company come out un-scracthed thru that as well and come out blazing. I have seen the old horses make way for young blood. I have been associated in the hiring process all thru in my area of operation. I am very passionate about my work and expect my colleagues to be so as well. I push my team mates to achieve more and get on their nerves many a time. However, I share a great rapport with each one of them. They know I am more of a friend than a boss.

I sometimes disagree with the people we hire but accept that opinions do differ and we've got to make the most of the people we have. I put in a lot of efforts and time to try to make an individual an asset to our company. I feel very dissappointed when one isn't able to perfom on expected lines and is asked to leave. I urge our management to excercise restraint and give everyone a longer period to try and change. There are people wo have shown dramatic change after a year at work. Unfortunately, a few have also improved by leaps and bounds and then quit for greener pastures. That truly pisses me off. However, thats another fact that we have to accept. Off late we have been on a hiring spree. However, I dont see the kind of spark in the new guys. I hope for the sake of our company that they do pull up their socks and make amends. I am excited at the prospects of our organisation going forward and in turn the future of the new guys as well.

I hate to have to say the two dreaded words yet again. 

SRK is back....and how !

His name is Khan and he is certainly not a terrorist....he just happens to be the BIGGEST SUPERSTAR OF INDIAN CINEMA. He is the BADSHAH of Bollywood. He is Shahrukh Khan.

No review can ever do justice to the magic called My Name Is Khan. It is 180 minutes of superb wholesome entertainment. From the first frame till the last, the movie captivates the audience. The beautiful romance between the magical on-screen pair of SRK and Kajol is wonderfully captured and presented. The strong emotional moments have been brilliantly portrayed. The story effortlessly flows through various phases in the life of Rizwan Khan. Several scenes leave a smile on one's face and yet several leave a choke in the throat. Through all these little and big moments is Shahrukh Khan. He comes out tops with his portrayal of Rizwan Khan. He makes the audience smile, he makes them cry, he makes them believe in love, he makes them believe in the good. This is a career defining performance....a league of its own. Giving him company with yet another stellar performance is Kajol. Impaccable direction by Karan Johar makes this movie India's best shot till date at the ultimate award in cinema in the globe - the Oscar.

The beautiful theme of the movie about religious tolerance is a wonderful lesson that needs to be learned the world over. People are defined not by their religion but only by whether they are good or bad. In the Indian context it is very very sad that some Mumbaikars have chosen to disrupt screening of this masterpiece. This movie is ironically meant for such elements. If only they would go and watch the movie they would come out and repent at their intolerant behaviour. Things need to change in the world, in India. We all need to find ways to spread peace, find ways to live and let live. Go watch this movie TODAY. Go out there and relish every moment of the journey of Khan.


Goes without saying this one more than deserves 10/10 !!

Running and Spinning again.....and loving it !

Come 01st.of January and resolutions is what comes to my mind. For the last two years the resolutions have been to go for regular work outs at the gym. While I don't expect to convert the family pack to a six pack, I certainly expect to look at my feet without any obstacle !

Sadly, after a very successful two month work out last year I had to quit gymming on the advise of the physiotherapist. Why physio, you might ask. Even if you don't u've got to read it anyways. I developed a bad ache on my lower back and the left leg due to my travel and had to undergo physiotherapy. After the course I was asked to avoid gymming for a while. That break resulted in total discontinuity until the end of the year.

However, I'm back at the gym with a vengeance breaking all my previous records at the treadmill and the spinner. The sheer joy of sweat pouring out after a good workout is terrific. Using a very 'un-healthy' brand's tag for a very healthy cause - I'm loving it !

Go to the farm....in Hyderabad !!

On a lazy Sunday afternoon we were contemplating how to kill time and a small little leaflet caught our attention. It was a leaflet that was handed out at my daughter's kindergarten school a few days back. It was a place called Hobby Hub. It boasted of pets, plants, etc...not exactly a very exciting prospect for us. Nevertheless, we thought we'd take a nice little drive and spend 15-20 mins at the place showing our children a few animals that might excite them.

The leaflet had a well laid out direction to get to their place. It made it very easy to get to the venue in Nacharam, just outside the main city area in Hyderabad. We took about 20 mins to drive there. The entrance to the place was very small, almost like a hut. It gave the impression of being a very small place. We entered to the sight of a few children hanging around....some around a small little rabbit, some around a plant, some playing on a swing. We were welcomed by the owner, a simple smiling gentleman. He asked one of his helpers to lead us and show us the place.

We started off seeing the different kinds of

aquariums with the unique fish. We then were introduced to the different species of birds and rabbits and then entered the world of plants. This sight left us spellbound. We were introduced to a plant expert who walked us thru the various types of plants and trees they had grown in the vast area. With childlike enthusiasm we kept exclaiming at the wonderful plants. Seeing an green pepper plant in front of us was quite something. We saw banana plants, brocolli plants, papaya plants, tomato plants, coriander, brinjal, lettuce, red pepper. We also saw various varieties of plants with medicinal value. It was a terrific experience.

We also spent a good amount of time getting our hands dirty while taking a shot at the art or pottery....and did end up making 5 small pots for ourselves. This is a MUST DO at Hobby Hub. What started out as a 15-20 min plan ended up in an enriching 3 hour experience ! In the midst of all the pollution around the city this is a surely a hidden treasure.

2010 !!

I'm happy to be back on this page. Its been a while. To the millions of my wonderful fans I would like to apologize for this (unintentional) break.

What a year 2009 was ! Actually, that goes for every year. Every year comes n goes n yet we exclaim 'What a year' ! There were several highs in the year in different fields. It was a year when India gave a decisive mandate to 'Good Governance'. A year when the equity markets gave investors one of the best returns ever aggregating about 80%. A year when India became # 1 in the 'Real' (Test) cricket. Indian television scored over the box office. Reality TV trumped everything. IPL2 was a super hit, especially since the Deccan Charger delivered a class act from # 8 in the first season to # 1. Unfortunately, with highs come some lows as well. Andhra Pradesh lost a great leader in YSR. The state is bitterly split and on the verge of a collapse. Sex scandals involving high ranking police officials and even old time politicians came out in the open and shamed the entire nation.

For me it was a year of change though. A year when I was able to convince my bosses that I couldn't live out of a suitcase anymore. A year where my weight was directly proportionate to the sensex - went down the first few months and then no sign of reversal of the upmove !! The year ended on a high (literally). I realized what a great dancer I was....or was it the Vodka ;) I contemplated participating in Dance India Dance show but later backed out as the organizers refused consumption of alcohol on the show !

Twenty 10 - hope the year is as spunky as the way its pronounced !