Cricket and the Corporate World!

I always went out searching for some motivation to write blogs and went out in space to think or let my mind blank to observe things! Today strangely my mind kept analyzing and repeating things which I do while working in office, when I was watching India –Pakistan cricket match and triggered me to write the blog.



1st March 2003

When all students were preparing for their 10th board exams, we were glued to TV to watch India- Pakistan match. My mom feared if India would lose, we would waste a day which we should be studying. She kept switching off the TV initially for few minutes and asked us to go study, but then she realized, we any way wouldn’t concentrateand let us watch. Those days we didn’t have mobile phones and internet connections to get the scores even without TV. Luckily India won and we ran out to buy ice creams to celebrate the winning!



30th March 2011

Wipro office seemed more like match ground than office. All cafeterias’ jam packed with people with big projectors screen with loud noise. The cafeteria hall was full even before the match began! I was in the third row with my team which was an all women's team. As the match started, we screamed and howled and soon it was 7 when all my team mates had gone. I wondered what to do. I didn’t have TV at home. Another colleague who was with his team mates waved and asked me to join them. I did and now I was standing on the table, jumping at the last overs and they watched as if I come from an alien world. One of the team mate asked widening his eyes “You follow match?” I rolled my eyes with a smile “only if it an India-Pakistan match.”




28th December 2012

People keep posting their FB updates and unlike 10 years back, we now had mobile phones, which could be used to check the scores and I had no board exams to worry about. I kept eating and every time, I felt India would lose, I ate .I kept checking the FB status and updates in every break and commentaries posted were liked at every interval!



I found things very similar to the how things work in the corporate world. I wondered every ball that a batsman had to face was new. Every challenge one faced in office was also new .As the batsman changed his strategies according to every ball; we did the same on daily basis. We changed strategies to meet the new challenges.



Two batsmen stand in minority in front the team bowling, yet there are times when they win while batting. One needs to understand that there are thousands out there in audience supporting, as against few whom they are facing in the field. We face similar situations in corporate world where the performer may be in minority in terms of number of people, staring at you to know how you can perform better. All one has to remind themselves is, ‘I have thousands of people working as my support system, though they may not be in field with me’.

There may be times when we play in home ground and the confidence could be better because of the motivation from the audience that one may get and vice versa. For the team which is not in home ground, they need to take the silence of the audience as motivation and go on! Well the same concept applies in corporate world in absence of support system. If others are quiet, understand that you are on the right path and keep going.

When the first team plays without the target, it is much easier for them to play without stress. But the goal always is there to play for twenty overs and give the best shot within that time limit or over limits! Then team which plays with the target score is at a stress. I feel the same is very much applicable in corporate world. Those who work under stress can never apply strategies properly. Set the mission and let them play without the targets is the best way. However that differs from roles and is subjective to talk about in terms of the corporate world.

Team work is something that we talk in both sports as well in corporate world. One thing which is common in both team works is, we first need to do our role the best, rather than just trying to see what others are doing.Every individual need to perform well to be a good performer in the team.

If one team wins, it’s definite for other to lose. All that we can say is “Shit happens” sorry I mean “It happens”. Winning or losing is a part and parcel of the game. And there is always a next time and we would do it better. Same thing happens in corporate world, if someone wins, there is someone who loses. And when someone loses, all they have to do is “Move on” as there would definitely be a next chance.

We shouldn’t feel proud when we win whether it is cricket or the corporate world, as you never know what could be the outcome in the next match. Whether we are in corporate world or in playground, confidence leads to success and over confidence leads to failure, because if success transfer can happen, so can the failure transfer happen.

As I was about to complete the blog , Rind Posh Maal started playing in my mobile and the lyrics “dosti ka saath chedo, dusmani ko bhool jao”,sets well with this context of cricket and corporate world and these matches have achieved it’ s goal –Entertainment! Entertainment and Entertainment!

O kabulliwala! O Chaiwalla Bhaiya!

After a tiring and dull day, I returned back to hostel and almost slept off. My mom called me and asked “what are you doing?” I sleepily replied “Ma I slept”. She said “Get up, go and have your ginger tea, if you sleep now you wouldn’t be able to sleep at night”. It was 7.30 pm in evening.


I got up and asked my roommate if she would accompany me to have to ginger tea? Usually someone from hostel would come along with me although they don’t like tea as I do. When no one would come, I jog or walk alone to go and have my evening tea, however late I come back from office.



I went and stood there and as ever gave him twenty rupees with the smile on my face as I knew Chaiwala bhaiya would ask for change. He looked up and smiled at me and managed to give me some change with few toffees. I was the only girl, with tall guys standing before me. Bhaiya got the tea cups in big tray, distributed to everyone, last four cups were left and they were all in glasses than plastic cups. I picked one looking at bhaiya, making a face, which a small child would make to the parents when they would deny her of her favorite chocolate or teddy bear.Chaiwala bhaiya quickly took the glass with tea from me, brought a plastic cup, put tea in that, handed me the plastic cup. I smiled and took the cup and sat at stairs nearby when my thoughts went to the kabuliwalla story I had studied as a child.



I wondered how many such people had come in my life. My thoughts went to shunty bhaiya’s shop, which was right next to my home, where he loved to see me and my sister fight to decide on which chips or chocolate we both were to buy that day. We were in 2nd stardard then.



The Chankya “Bikarnerwala” was 15 minutes away from our home where we used to go every alternate weekend regularly for almost 8 years and have our dinner or drive down late night just to eat a piece of Gulab Jamun there! Last year after I got transferred back from Chennai to Delhi , me, my sister and parents had been to Bikarnerwala and when the bhaiya allotted seat , asked me “aap log bohot saal baad aayen hain?”(Went there after 2 years), I smiled back at him and said “humne do saal dusre sheher me te bhaiya, ab laut aaye hain”.



There are some people who become integral parts of our life for some time, yet we don’t have any relation to them. I wondered what is it that drives me to walk all the way from my hostel to Disney Bakery just to have a ginger tea.


I don’t think it’s was the business customer relation management skills of the shopkeeper but the genuineness in the face of the tea shop owner that makes me feel go there every day. Yesterday after a tiring outing, I took my friends to have my favorite ginger tea. One of them who had come there said “chai me aisa kya khas laga, isse better meri biwi bana leti hai”, to which other friend who also goes there every day like me replied “yun samajh le yahan log waise aate hain , jaise roz Mandir maatha tekne jaate hain”. Although we all laughed for that minute, but I realized it was true.



I wondered I go there may be because chaiwala bhaiya could understand my choice in one small thing which was never told directly .We belong to a generation where children don’t understand the feeling of their parents, an era where a husband may not know what his wife likes and would hand over the menu to order the dishes what she would like to have. Thousands of young people come there and he remembers what they all like and he offers them what they like and not what he wants to sell. Well may be that’s the hidden marketing strategy, but that just can’t make everyone run to the tea shop every day.



Well I am not the only one, but hundreds of migrants from north go there. May to feel at home with people from their own place, to get the empathy feeling is why we all go there every day. But then why only to Disney Bakery? Why can’t we go to some other sweet shop or any other shop for that matter!



And last but not the least, people from north call everyone “Bhaiya” and “Didi”, by default getting into a relationship with whosoever they talk to. Recently I and a friend were searching way in mobile navigator standing at NO PARKING. Friend had commented “I like the way you call everyone ‘Bhaiya’ even if you have to ask direction”. I snapped back “huh! What do you call then?” He said “boss! Excuse me! Hello! Or just ask them what you want to ask them”. We saw a traffic police coming towards us to shout for standing at NO PARKING when I sweetly asked “Bhaiya where is this place?” he politely showed the direction and we escaped paying the fine!:-)



I had forgotten the kabuliwalla story and googled it right then to read the story. After reading the story, I wondered what is the real life story of the Chaiwala Bhaiya!We never come to know about them!

Barometers of our emotions!

As I was getting ready, my roommate insisted me to put the lipstick I got and till the time I was getting ready, she looked at me and I kept asking her “Is it ohk?”, and she would give her honest expressions of “Good” or “Not Good”.


I missed my mom at that point of time. Had I been at home, “NO” my mom wouldn’t have told me in actual if what I am wearing is looking right for the occasion or my earring and chappals looks ohk with my dress, rather I used to understand just by looking at her.

I just finished reading a book of Cecelia ahern, which says “your parents are the barometers of your emotions”. I understood that’s right. I loved a friend or hated one, depending on the expression of my parents. I wouldn’t know if the marks I have got in a test good or bad, unless I told it my parents and saw their expressions on their faces, which would determine if I should be happy or sad.

I still remember how my parents distributed sweets and announced in their office and school about sis and me getting first and second ranks in our 10th board exams with 90 percent marks. We both felt embarrassed and asked them not to do, but they still did. As we grew older, we never gave them such opportunity for which they could distribute sweets, no not that we scored low, but we did what they didn’t want us to do. We took up different careers for our life into management and journalism which they didn’t like or they did I still don’t know.

But as I read the book “Where Rainbows End”, I realized that parents live their life once again with their kids, as they grow and they fulfill all their dreams which they couldn’t achieve in their own lives. They are scared that their kids shouldn’t commit the same mistakes that they did in their life. But one thing they don’t understand is that we have leant from their mistakes, so we would never make the same mistakes. However we would definitely have our set of mistakes to be committed, which they cannot imagine, neither can we.

I wanted to call my mom and cry saying I am missing you, but then I realized what her reaction would be “Why the hell do you read such books and cry! Stop reading that!” (Last book I read was ‘I too had a love story’, she shouted the same, after she saw me cry so bad). So her to be expression became the barometer of my emotion and I choose not to call her.

But then why do they want me to get married and go away when their expressions are the barometers of my emotions? Looking at their happiness on the wedding day could make me feel happy for some time. But I wondered if it is going to be one more opportunity for them to distribute sweets in their offices and colleagues and amongst their friends. Then it is equally embarrassing as I felt after scoring well in my 10th standard, and they distributed sweets, as I still don’t understand the happiness they get by doing that.

I wondered, today living away from my parents, I don’t get to see them, so what is the barometer of my emotions? But was it an unconscious act by my subconscious mind to move away from Delhi, because I knew they were unhappy with me which mind understood by looking at their expressions? Wondering Wondering!

Am i Empowered?

It was a Friday morning. I walked off towards the bus stop to catch my bus to office. I saw a woman running behind her daughter, packing her school bags and lunch boxes. After the kid got into her school bus, few minutes later, similar scene was seen when she packed the lunch and ran behind her husband. Once he got into car she waved her hands, and I believe her husband hardly noticed that. She has dedicated her life for her family, although the decision making and dignity of the running the family still goes to the husband, who is called the bread winner of the family.


Soon I settled in the bus which then crossed a college, where all young girls were happily chirping around with the gang of guys, enjoying their life. They do not know what lies ahead for them, but all they know now is to enjoy their life. At times when I see these young girls enjoying their lives, I envy them. I wonder if I missed the fun which I should have done at that age of my life. Was I wrong to have spent my life, working hard to achieve some goals in my life. I never had time for unwanted diversions, and life ran with a focus, a focus about future, a focus to achieve something in life.


As I entered office, I saw in a conference room where all women along with few men, who all seemed to be a part of the senior management were attending a meeting. They don’t come just to work but are the decisions makers of the organizations.


After completing my work, when I took back the bus, there sat a woman and a man right before me. The man was shouting at his wife in Tamil, thinking others there wouldn’t understand. He was scolding the lady’s family members. She didn’t say anything but was quietly listening. My anger was shooting up the way he shouted at her and more at the way she sat quiet listening to him. I choose to get down at the next bus stop and take another bus as I was all alone at this place and to get into their personal arguments could have been a risky thing for me.


As the day ended, I was confused with the varied roles that women play today. There are those who are being suppressed by men even today. And then there are those who rub shoulders with men and run organizations. There are those who do not realize what their responsibilities are and then those who have dedicated their life for their families.


During the weekend, I attended a film festival. The Movies were about the problem that women today are facing and empowering such women. Soon when then film maker stood up for a discussion , I wondered is the way she described about the women the real scenario, or is she the way women today are, who are supporting by the families to work for the noble cause!


The confidence she had, the authenticity she had, the power she had, the dignity she had, the knowledge she had, the courage she had was all what the women in her documentary didn’t have to fight the world.


I wonder which role of women I am playing in my life. How empowered I am in my life as woman!

21st Century!

As I was in the cab on my way to airport, I looked up at sky, stars twinkling and the moon shining bright. I missed home where I would stand my balcony and admire the star studded sky.



As I reached airport I looked to my left and right wondering which way to go. This was my first ever departure from Bangalore airport. Had it been Delhi probably I would have walked across without noticing anything or anyone. But everything has a first time, once we learn we don’t do the same next time and so was this my first time to learn.


I had reached early due to my bad habit. Well yes according to the definition of this 21st century generation reaching early is a bad. After asking people here and there, where I had to check in, I realized I had to wait for some time for the counter to open. So I looked at other people waiting and saw two gentlemen sitting in two corners of a row with 5 seats vacant in between them. I choose to take the seat right at the center where the two men were sitting.


One who seemed in his early twenties who was dressed in shabby jeans and sweatshirt (Mr.21st century), with his headphone was watching an English movie in his laptop. The person on the other corner who was in his formal dress and blazers (Mr. Gen Old) vigorously was working on his laptop, probably for some presentation and looked completely serious and stressed.


Soon we all checked in and ironically they were both in same flight in which I was. Since it was early morning flight everyone walked towards cafeteria and so did I although I wasn’t that hungry. I grabbed coffee and try to get a seat somewhere in between so that I continue to observe Mr 21st century and Mr Gen old.


Mr 21st century hogged on a combo plate and Mr Gen old preferred some light food and continued to work. As we all got in the bus, the 21st century, was still with his headphone now was listening to song when the Gen old was over the phone talking to someone about some mails.


As I reached Pune, Mr 21st century stood near the conveyor belt besides me booking his cab on the phone and Mr Gen old, walked off his luggage which he already was carrying with himself.


Everyone went their way and I reached office for some fest which was going to take place. To my surprise or was it ironical or what I should call it I don’t know, I saw Mr 21st century in his formals, neatly dressed standing right there and so was Me Gen old there. I initially thought I was hallucinating because I was too tired; I pinched myself to realize I wasn’t dreaming. The fest began and I wondered the way they both reached which was for the same purpose.


Mr 21st century came to me and shook hand and asked “were you the one in spice jet in the morning”. I smiled and said “yes and I believe you were the one watching movie at the airport”. He grinned “didn’t know someone who is going to be here, was watching me”


I attended all the presentations and when everyone was free ,went and spoke to Mr Gen Old asking “Sir were you there in Spice jet in the morning today” to which I got a serious answer “hhhmmm”,which was more of a question than answer which seemed like “so what ?” . I just smiled and walked off. I thought to myself it was a wrong decision to go and talk to Mr Gen Old. Never mind everything has a first time, once we learn we don’t do the same next time and so was this my first time to learn.


As we all boarded our flights back to Bangalore, Mr Gen Old was seated in the middle where as Mr 21st century was seated in the last seat on the right corner window seat. I settled myself in the left corner window seat and we looked at each other and he asked “tired?” I said “Naaahhh, this is my first time when I am flying at night”. He smiled at me “Enjoy”. The flight took off and for the first time I saw from the sky, at the stars in twinkling on the earth below. I again missed home and wished if this flight goes and lands at Delhi airport!

Note: This blog is completely imaginative and has no relevance to any person in real.

City of Angels

I just stared reading the book Single in the city, in which the author described about how her life was in Delhi. Well as all the books I read, usually makes me write a blog, this worked too. It triggered me to switch my system on and start writing as I realized that my experiences in Bangalore were far more exciting than what author experienced in Delhi.



To begin with, I always travelled in my own car in Delhi; Rs. 500 in my wallet was enough, as I knew the petrol or gas worth Rs 500 would let me travel from any corner of Delhi to my home. My mom had given me strict instructions to hire a prepaid taxi once I land at Bangalore airport. Well the point to be noted here is, mom has never been to Bangalore but she knew that prepaid taxi here would be cheap and safe. I always followed her instructions and as soon I collected my luggage, a guy, smartly dressed, came and asked “Mam, prepaid taxi?” I nodded and he led me to a counter where I had to book the cab. He asked me the destination and I said “Electronic City”. The female at the counter started typing it hurriedly and took a slip out and smiled “Rs 2000 please”. I coughed and asked “I am sorry, how much?” she repeated coldly “Rs 2000”. I looked into my wallet, confident of the fact that I would not have more than Rs 500 cash and looked up and asked “do you accept cards?”, praying to god to save me, to which she replied “yes we do”. I sighed at it, wondering if my office would reimburse this amount or not. Nevertheless for the moment I was saved because they accepted the card. I was sure that my bank account had that much money as it was just the 4th day of the month.

Lesson #1: Carrying just Rs 500 in my wallet is not going to let me reach home, because I don’t use my car anymore, I am dependent on public transport in this city of angels!



Back at home, I knew all the roads and ways, so I never asked anyone for the same. The thought that comes to my mind is Delhi men hate when a female drives a car, and I don’t mind proving them right! Smiles smiles! The next step was to search a house or PG or hostel. I had been following it up people through advertisements in the intranet about the accommodation. Some of the places were near my office, so I dialed in those numbers to ask if I can come and see the place. Well to be honest the way I was directed the place, I couldn’t even locate them. I have heard jokes about Delhites that they can never tell “easiest way” to reach the place. People here couldn’t suggest me “any way” by which I could reach the place. Nevermind!I realized it may be because the people living in these PG/hostels also didn’t belong to Bangalore , hence were not able to help me out in reaching the right place.

Next day I talked to a landlord lady, who was very much from this place, but couldn’t again tell me “Any way” leave apart the “easiest way” to reach the place. Finally I struggled to plot a PG using the navigator in my mobile to search the place. The search was for an hour, which actually was just five minutes away from my original location, had I used the navigator before.

Lesson # 2: I need to learn to use the navigators in mobile to locate a place, than relying on the suggestions of people. Technology works better here in this city of angels!


After I managed to search the PG, my roomies and friends whom I made just now in the adjacent room were shocked to hear the fact that I had been with Wipro for more than two years, as they calculated my age with that and all of them started calling me “Didi”.’uuhhh’ Next day when I was in office, a gang of guys giggling came and told me upfront “we got to hear that you have joined from Wipro Delhi and have been working since last two years”. I politely smiled “yes” knowing who the source could be. The question immediately after that was “what have you studied?” I replied politely again “I have completed my MBA”, to which one more person asked “correspondence?”, now I was frustrated with the series of question and replied with a question mark in my tone, wondering why they want to know “regular”. Suddenly one of them blurted out “didi hain, chalo yaar”. I was left amused and all I could do was smile wondering they could have directly asked my age! Huh! Since that day, almost all my team mates have been introducing me as “This is Sharanya di, who has recently joined our team”.

Lesson #3: Age is a comparative factor. If you are among the young crowd, then you are old and vice versa. According to comparative factor, I feel I have grown old in this city of angels!



I preferred to stay in a place which is full of north Indians. I often wondered on my identity crisis issues, if I should call myself a south Indian being an Iyer or call myself a north Indian for having born and brought up in Delhi. When it came to choosing a place to live, I preferred to stay where all the people from north lived because of few reasons- I preferred north Indian food over south Indian, I loved Shahrukh khan movies, so wanted a roommate who would watch the Hindi channels in TV. Last but not the least people from south might go back to their homes which is close by during weekends and I really didn’t want to spend the weekends getting bored by sharing room with south Indian girls. However when I was at work, there were so many south Indians that I had to reveal that I am a Tamilian in order to make them all my friends. As long as changing my identity between a north Indian and south Indian is doing good to me, I don’t mind doing that. On a Sunday evening a friend of mine took me to a famous tea Shop called “Ginger” and since that day I am a regular customer there. Friend’s friends are all your friends in this unknown world. My friend’s roomies asked me “where are you from?”……now I struggled ‘Aaarrr…what do I say? ’I am at a tea shop, although my love for filter coffee is no less than the tea and I finally replied “I am from Delhi”

Lesson # 4: Be a roman in Rome! :-) !Be an angel in this city of Angels! lol

More lessons to come! Would keep updating my blogs!

A place of angels!

All these years in corporate life if I have learnt anything, then that were to control my thoughts, not to shout back at wrong things. I had learnt to think ten times before I say anything and read hundred times before I write anything. I have unlearnt the wrong lessons.


After a month of running, I got the tickets in my hand when fear suddenly hit me. A realization of what I have done. I wondered why I took this decision and was wondering if the decision was right or wrong. But I was too late and I knew there was no going back. But finally I was sure of something, I was sure that I was going away from a place which I call my home.

As I waited for the flight I recollected the reasons why I decided to relocate. Since my management days I strongly believed that change is the only constant. I was implementing it practically in my life. Well that reminds me of my physics and chemistry practical exams in school and graduation days where I always looked forward to my twin or my best friend to get me passed in the exams as I really feared practical exams.

I reached the place of angels- Bangalore. I had no one, I had no expectation and I had nothing to look forward to. I just had one thing in mind, I am going to learn something new, and would learn to face some new challenges in life. Had lot of difficulties, but at every difficult moment an angel or few angels came into my life, making those moments easier.

I smiled at everyone and greeted whoever came my way. I talked to all strangers, but never ever I feared. I enjoyed the hustle and bustle, the running around and I was lost in the run.

At last I sit absorbing the emptiness around. I am tired. I saw emptiness around.

The world sees the person in me, who I am not. I succeeded in what I wanted to do. I created an identity of mine, which I am not. I don’t bother of what impression others are making about me, I just want to be happy, so am I. All I say today is “bhawnao ko control mat karo, behne do!kaho jo kehna hai” smiling at my own self “look who’s talking this”.

The world sees me happy, so am I .I don’t think anymore, than to live just another day which I have been given by the god. This place angels of made me realize if god is going to give a problem, and if I had the courage to face it, god would send the angels to make me face the difficulties also.

So here I am waiting for the biggest problem of my life without any fear, to get the best angel from god :-)