Dil dhadakne do...

I wish I could conquer and reach the snow-capped pinnacle…

…Wish I could dance with her tunes

…Wish I could fly with her to places extreme to us…

I wish I could break free this box and reach my hands out…

…Wish I could build myself well

…Wish I could fall over floor, excitedly

I wish I could capture the nature with my machine…

…Wish I could speed up, racing along the waves striking the shore

I wish I could lean over carrier of a bicycle…

…Wish I could move backwards and refurbish myself

 I wish I could sing with the chorus…

Wish I could reach out to each of my comrades…

I wish I would be a writer someday…

…Would paint my canvass red and blue, someday

Wish I would lead so many, sometime…

I wish I would make an artist listen to my narration…

…Wish I would roam around over the concrete street in desolated territory


...Wish my silence die before I breathe last

Wish I could forget myself one day… and leave out the thinking cap flying

Sometime I wonder what is holding us from chasing our wishes. Is it our own reservations or is it the culture we are living with or uncertainties surrounding us or the fear of falling down hard…???

Happy b'day Appu da..!!

I think this would be for the first time that I am writing something for someone whom I haven’t met more than 5 minutes till date. I have spoken to him at two occasions, the first one being less than 5 minutes and second one being more than 10 minutes, but definitely less than 15. In the last 3 years, I have heard about him and his family for such a great length that my thoughts have evolved into admiration.

The first time I had met him was at the occasion where I was sitting on a decorated sofa with my wife-in-process..!! I was fed with all sorts of gifts and guests that I couldn’t remember anything at the moment, but there was this gentleman in black suit (if I remember correctly. Today, I don’t even remember my own wedding dress), extending his hand towards me and said, “Hi Vipul ji, I am Apoorva, Sarika’s brother”. There were so many words unfamiliar to me in his short speech, like-

“ji” (vow.. is this for me?)

“Apoorva” (hmm.. I have heard about him, but when, where, how?)

“Sarika” (oh yes, I remember, this is my wife’s second name)

We shook hands formally and later enthusiastically when Divya (Sarika at that moment) told me he came all the way from Netherlands to wish us. Almost felt like someone had arrived from my birth place..!!! All this conversation with excitement included lasted for mere 5 minutes.

The next time I spoke to him in December/January this year, when I was struggling to keep myself warm in Delhi’s chilly winters. I was passing through a curious phase in my career where I needed a strong professional advice. I was also amazed and little surprised to hear an IIM grad complimenting academic achievements of IIT grad..!! It was like, USA appreciating Andaman and Nicobar for their sea-life preservation.

I kept hearing about him and his small intellectual family- intellectual wife and intellectual-in-making kid, whenever we see any of their facebook update or a new blog-entry or a new series of photographs, and it would be exciting to meet them whenever destined.

The reason for which I am writing about him is to wish him happy birthday..

Stay healthy and keep rocking..

They went crashing down...

It was sometime in the evening that we were strolling in our hostel’s lobby after a hectic day at college; we heard a loud expression from crowd of people, “oh shiiiiiiiiit..!!!”. I along with my friends were very near to our common room that was filled with couple of big tattered sofas, a table tennis  section, a 32 inches television safely placed on a podium and a large floor carpet that was occupied with almost 100 future engineers. As we entered the hall, we recognized that all eyes were glued to the television and the expressions went like, “America ki to lag gayi..!!!”.

The first plane had just crashed into North block of World Trade Centre. More than the impact on economy that we could understand, we were more amused at the vulnerability of American’s security system against the terror attack. We felt like if USA couldn’t escape such attacks than better not to expect anything from Indian government. Some seniors watching the accident felt terrible due to the fact that it might affect job opportunities while the ‘Engineer-in-making’ like us were hardly puzzled by such great thought. All that we were shocked and amused about was the way America was being shattered.

The news was still flashing at the bottom of television news channel about another plane wandering around WTC and was confirmed hijacked. In a short while another plane hit the south block of WTC and we gawked at it with full-blown eyes. The mood was tense as if the planes were hitting our own college building outside. Even the canteen person was interested more about what was happening in television rather than calculating canteen bills.

Post that event millions of MMS, SMS and videos followed in the network and it had left an indelible scare in our mind. The world still shivers after seeing those horrifying clips of destruction of two biggest establishments of America. We can’t even imagine the state of any of the passengers in two planes (infact four) or the officials who were trapped inside the two towers asking for help. What kind of cruelty is this? Taking a bullet in head would be simpler than watching own death approaching close. A group of dozen people took death close to 3000, what kind of terrorism is this? Only Spielberg can illustrate such action packed stunts in his movies.

Standing on 10^th anniversary of 9/11 attacks on WTC, I pay generous tribute to those who suffered the loss of their life in this tragedy and an honorable salute to American defense system that made the country invincible since then. 

FB ruined me..

I know it’s been long since I had scribbled over my blog. More than to commit that I was busy in my job, I would say that it took me a while to adjust in my new life at Mumbai, the City of Dreams..!!! Unexpectedly, settling down in this city wasn't really tough, I don’t know why. Maybe things are more accessible here and my office is not too far from my home. But there is another reason why I kept neglecting blogs for a while, and the reason is social networking site called ‘Facebook’. However I am thankful to Mr. Mark Zuckerberg for such an innovation that has become quite popular now-a-days, not only for the youth but for the kids as well as senior citizens. It helped me connect with my long lost friends and relatives but kept me away from my thoughts. I was getting attuned to shorten my thoughts to form a statement that I can post on my wall instead of expressing them through my blogs. My patience and creativity was often compromised when I am posting over my wall.

Surfing ‘FB’ (a short name of ‘facebook’) has been a regular feature in my daily chores and I feel so tempted if I neglect the same. However my FB page is filled with people making other as their friends (of which I have no idea or interest), catchy one-liners that are 99% copied from other’s wall, amazing videos from crazy websites, ‘senti’ dialogues, ‘farmville’ requests to be someone’s neighbor or help them harvest some crop, friend’s request who share their information only to their friends etc etc…

But all this while my creativity went for a toss. I haven’t written any good piece of thought since long. And the reason for this is that I haven’t thought about any topic in detail. All I was thinking about was ‘comment’. During the last four and a half months that I had spent in Mumbai, I came across many interesting subjects to think about and write.

Anyways, will try my best to keep up my motivation and patience for my interests.

A long journey to remember…the final

My last day at Infosys

As I enclosed myself within my 3 and a half walled cubicle and started drafting good-bye mails, I felt a bit low. There were many to whom I thought to get in touch with. There were many good managers and colleagues that I had interaction with and few of my friends and batch mates in the campus. But despite of them, I felt all alone. I used to accompany my friends towards food courts before, but for now I am all by myself. Most of my friends had either been transferred to another office or onsite or had left Infosys. Few guys that I interact with are no more than colleagues. Right from the start of my career with Infosys, I was deputed to projects that had smallest team (apart from Oracle Hyderabad project) that gave me less chance to hang around. There were very few with whom I could share my resonance, but they are not employed in Infosys anymore. As a professional I can say I had done my best, but on the personality front I would say I need to struggle more. I am looking forward to a good social network in Mumbai, the place where there is no space for isolation, I think so.

I have never complained about it but I always felt that my beliefs and my potential were always ahead of what I have in possession now. And that made me firm to quit a well-established job and run for a marathon. I know I would have to struggle a lot in a real metropolitan Mumbai, but that is the actual reality. This is the age to get out of comfort zone and feel the heat that will make you strong and more robust.

I would be missing the ornamental pathways, the luxurious guest house, odd architectural buildings, long queue at food court, people running desperately for spoons, table and chairs in food court, policy to spend atleast 9.15 hours in office irrespective of your work nature, bulletin board where you can sell or buy anything ranging from a needle to private aircraft or discuss any damn topic like cockroach in food or questioning the gender of a lizard, my last cubicle (4 places till now) where I could sleep whenever I wanted without being disturbed, multi-level-car-parking where I could never got a chance to park my car below 7th floor, endless mails asking for free laptop so that the guy can travel onsite, my desktop in which all networking sites are blocked along with USB/CD/DVD and sound drives, coffee machines that are 45% of the time running out of milk or steam, gym where atleast 2 people wait for their turn to arrive at each treadmill, performance appraisal in which almost 40% of the section doesn’t belong to you and even if you had filled that it doesn’t matter during actual discussion, dress code that makes you daily check the day of week, celebrity shows for which the amphitheater gets filled up much before than expected etc etc.

Sounds cynical?? Not really. If I had spelled these deficiencies in front of HR during my exit interview I would have expected the same reply every time, “Infosys is such a big company that these policies are made to control over 1 lakh employees”. I know they are right, actually helpless. Actually these issues/observations are felt by those who have good spare time that is destined to be wasted. I have never heard of these observations from a person at managerial level (except few exceptions), because he must be too busy for these petty issues. Infosys has good policies to keep the idle or new employees engaged in activities, but there is a need to pay attention to these ‘busy managers’ who form the valuable chunk of the population.

Anyways, my stay at Infosys was good. But I have to quit to explore the world outside, to become a good manager, a nice human being and a better professional. In the end I would again like to thank Infosys for providing a robust start to my career and made me think beyond my horizons. I would never forget the charm and hospitality of this organization. We’ll meet again if destiny allows…

Signing off,

Employee ID: 83965

A long journey to remember…part 2

The worst phase

Given the situation, I was made to sit on bench for sometime. But this was against my disposition. I could no longer sit idle and wait for opportunity to be bestowed on me. I retaliate and then I was offered (actually ordered) to join a big team (though, not the best team to work with) that was bound for a product development project with Oracle Hyderabad. Moving from consultancy business to product development wasn’t acceptable to me, but I couldn’t raise my voice. After all it was better than been kicked out of the company. During this 1-year project, I had a realization that I had to go and leave this company/industry. This was the first time that my realization was strong enough that made me look for opportunities outside. I had planned to shift my career to core supply chain intensive companies, but it was next-to-impossible for me to convince the employers that I could match their expectations; credit to my ‘IT consultant’ tag from Infosys. But one thing I had learned from this industry is that, you need to have good patience to survive for long time. My struggle for new employment coupled with bitter experiences at the project along with tough APICS examinations made this phase of my professional life, the worst one in my consulting career.

Domestic onsite..!!

This time I got a really good opportunity for which I am still very much thankful to my new delivery manager. The project was based out of Noida. It was a short project and I had a good share of responsibilities that I had managed efficiently. This project was a turning point in my career. It bought me fame and respect within the group. People came to recognize me for my good work. My manager had planned a long term project in Germany plus 2 months trip to USA to get my H1B visa extended. I was feeling more confident as a consultant as well as manager. But then it was written in my destiny, that…

The decision

It was sometime in November, 2010 when I had got a call from TCS regarding an opportunity with them in the domain of business/management/strategy consulting. I was bit reluctant to attend this because I was doing well at Noida project and secondly I had negative notions about TCS as an employer. Then came an invite from the unit head of TCS to have a meeting over a cup of coffee in a coffee bar. Sounds interesting..!! I thought to give it a try. I met two managers from TCS and in half an hour or 45 minutes I was totally convinced that this is where I may want to go. It goes like: TCS came up with an idea to focus on real consulting capabilities and had formed a group within that will provide the consulting services to Indian manufacturing clients. It would advice on business, management and strategic issues of clients. To begin with, I would have been the third person to join this group at the time I was interviewed.

Clash of my opinions

The final offer from TCS got materialized in late January, 2011. At that time, I had initiated my visa for Germany, plus I had started my preparations for US based project. Lot of thoughts wandered through my mind. After all it was a big big decision to be made. On one hand there was Germany project with Infosys that was an overseas opportunity plus good money saving and stable career for another 1 year. On the other hand, the profile that TCS had offered was something I had been looking after for so long. There was good amount of risk but I would term it as calculated. For the savings, we came to the conclusion that savings in case of Germany project with my wife working as dependent would be nearly equal or slightly less than the case if I join TCS in Mumbai with my wife still working as before. Finally we broke the decision that I HAVE TO QUIT INFOSYS TO JOIN TCS..!!!

A long journey to remember…part 1

4th June, 2007

As I entered a big conference hall I saw a tall man with fair complexion standing over the podium and speaking with utmost enthusiasm. There were around 60 odd people spread across the entire room listening to this man with curiosity. The man was Mr. Narsimha Rao profoundly called as ‘Narry’, and he was present in the hall for welcoming us and introducing us to our new employment. Can’t imagine I have completed almost 4 wonderful years in Infosys. I would be leaving Infosys on 15th April, 2011 to join my new employer in Mumbai. These 4 years have been full of opportunities-fair and unfair, and I had my share of memories with this organization. Although the four years that I had spent with Infosys are not comparable with two years that I had spent with Chambal Fertilizers or two years in IIT, but still four years is a big time to gather the moments to be penned down one fine day.

Infosys hangover

I must say to be a part of Infosys family wasn’t easy enough. In the winters of 2006, during our placement sessions in IIT, it took me great pains to convince the Infosys panel that I had all the capabilities that they are looking for in this campus. After grilling and rejecting 4 candidates, the panel finally selected me and 3 more candidates. I being from manufacturing and supply chain background had this hangover of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) that finally took me to the ERP consultancy in Infosys. Right from the initial I had my priorities set and wanted to get associated with Supply Chain ERP modules, and so I got it. It was rare but perfect to get your priorities meet accomplishment at an early stage.

Examinations never end..!!

Even after clearing toughest of toughest semester exams in IIT, I found it tough to cope up with Infosys internal certifications. I couldn’t even believe that an organization could have a separate big institution within itself and we are required to pass through that with good CGPA..!!! Come on, how can your employment depend upon your consolidated CGPA that you score in internal examinations. Infact, it was announced that the project allocations might get dependent on these scores..!!! And on top of it, I failed the very first certification with valor. Anyways, at the end of 2 months training at Infosys, I secured the lowest position in my group as per my CGPA. Still I couldn’t digest the fact that CGPA means a lot for your professional career, and then, my thinking was proved right. I was the first person to get on-board a project out of my entire batch. Got my lesson there: These internal certifications are meant for enhancement of your knowledge, but not your career progression. These might be scary but I never took them seriously.

My first manager

My first project was with a European client that dealt with manufacturing of pneumatic valves. I haven’t heard about this company before. I was introduced to this guy, a short, agile and a true Bengali. He was my offshore project manager. He was too quick, active and sharp in his actions. He always speaks to-the-point and because of that I couldn’t dare to speak a word during my appraisal interviews. I had always felt that I got a wrong manager at first, but in 2008 he was the only guy who gave me an opportunity to travel onsite. My perception towards him got changed since then. Infact he was a good organizer and too knowledgeable. Now-a-days he is considered to be most valuable employee in the group.

My first onsite travel

Forget about Europe, I had never stepped out of Indian soil, not even Nepal..!!! The decision about sending me to onsite came as a shock rather than a surprise. I was required to travel to Netherlands in two weeks time during which I had to arrange for my visa documents, travel to Bangalore for some training and more importantly, travel to Jaipur to meet a girl (she is known as my wife now). Holland was an extraordinary place and it took my breath away at first sight. However my interaction with the client was gruesome. I felt like an inexpert in front of them. My brain was split between the beauty of Holland and torment at client’s space. But again, there was my second project manager who saved me every time I shook a bit. He has all the qualities that are adorable.

New inspirations

By this time I had completed almost 2 years with this organization. My onsite assignment infused a sense of confidence in me. I had realized that I had the potential to do much more than what I had been doing. Consulting is a vast industry and Infosys being most populous of them all. The big problem with this company or industry is that there are many employees like you to fill up your position. In order to stand ahead of them, you need to shout and fight, not literally though. I had started pursuing APICS certification that brought me to the realization that I was not exactly pursuing supply chain as I had planned to do. I took many trainings and internal certifications to make myself compatible with any kind of onsite projects. Unfortunately that was the time when the company was going low. The period was in recession. There weren’t many clients and the projects. The onsite employees were either asked to leave or return to India. The situation was scary and I preferred to keep my mouth shut for sometime.

Mera Neta Chor Hai..!!!

I would recommend reading the following article before I can say anything:-http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/what-is-the-jan-lokpal-bill-why-its-important-96600?cp

“He looks like Gandhi”, the first thought that came to my mind when I saw this man wearing a white khadi cap. I am not a good historian, but still, looking at Anna Hazare reminded me of the beliefs he shares with Mahatma. Apart from the looks that he shares with Gandhi ji, he has roped in the same philosophy that Mahatma had thought when he went through similar fast-unto-death agitation. Wearing a traditional white kurta and topi, smiling at the audience, he is the man who has stood up for a cause that we all had suffered for long… Corruption.

We all do suffer from corruption and wants to get rid of it. At the moment, we can’t even think of a state or any small government office that is free of corruption. If I spend a day in government office without bribing anyone, I would feel ecstatic. I always control myself against offering bribes, but certainly there is a limit and now-a-days the limit seems more fragile. But hey, I am not the only one..!!!

I might get criticized for not supporting this, but see the features about Jan-Lokpal bill that Anna is recommending. Is he contemplating another supreme court in India???? Some of the points look theoretical and idealistic. For example, “No minister or bureaucrat will be able to influence their investigations”, “Investigations in any case will have to be completed in one year”, “The entire functioning of Lokpal/ Lokayukta will be completely transparent”. I am sure any governing body in India had been established keeping these points in their declaration, like courts, police services etc. Unfortunately despite of all these declarations, we still face our common enemy.

The success of such theoretical Lokpal will depend upon the intentions and the profile of officials who will constitute the committee. Now, keeping this in mind, I felt virtuous when I saw Anna’s basic intention of going the Gandhian way. He feels that by introducing Lokpal bill in the parliament and going fast-unto-death would help unite the people for a common cause. Not only the politicians and bureaucrats are corrupt, the shades of corruption lie within us. If we wish to see a Corrupt-free-India, the major responsibility first belongs to us. Success of Lokpal bill will signify the realization of corruption within self by every citizen vouching for it. Now recall the intentions of Mahatma behind his fast-unto-death in 1948 (Quick reading on Mahatma:http://www.ceeby.com/people/mahatmagandhi.cfm). He wasn’t proposing any separate Telangana state or hike in his salary. He had just wished for peace and harmony among different communities. And I feel so glad to know that in this age of modern society, we do have a person like Anna who thinking is so pure.

This is the only reason I support Anna and his noble cause, and urge others too. .

Few interesting articles for reading:http://www.chetanbhagat.com/2011/04/mera-neta-chor-hai/ and http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Young-activists-keep-a-distance-from-Kavita/articleshow/7906916.cms

Meaning-less songs

Ok, so let me know your expressions when you hear this out, “oonche se ooncha banda, potty pe baithe nanga..”

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The first time I heard this song, I made a ‘thizz face’ and felt the video was totally filthy. Now-a-days, movies don’t need a good lyricist. Just sing what you want in your way, and you’ll get a hit pep song. Some people danced at the ‘badnaami’ of ‘Munni’, while others celebrated the ‘jawani’ of ‘Sheela’…!! Gone are the days when ‘Gabbar’ used to get excited hearing ‘Mehbooba O Mehbooba’ while Helen danced to the tunes of R.D. Burman. Just the facial expressions of Helen coupled with exotic moves were enough for the whistle blowers in the cinema halls. Often, people even appreciated the lyrics of the song, which was actually supposed to entertain differently.

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In the recent times, Indian cinema had provided a good dictionary of names that you can use frequently. You can choose among, ‘Munni’ or ‘Sheela’ or ‘Razia’ or the recent one ‘Tinku’..!!! I rolled over my floor laughing when I heard these lyrics. It goes like, “Pal pal na maane tinku jiya, haan tinku jiya…Ishak ka manjan ghisey hai piya”. The director must have spent lakhs to find a girl with extra shining teeth to give an extra edge to the lyrics. And at the top of it, Dharmendra and Bobby Deol were seen pranking with this un-sexy under-age girl. The situation went grim when my wife started humming this song...

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Try to compare these lyrics with the likes of Gulzar. We would often need a Hindi dictionary while listening to his songs, my personal favorite being “omkara” from movie ‘Omkara’. There is so much of depth and meaning to his songs. He often describes the nature and the situation’s background in simple, yet rhetoric words. .

Hey, tu phir dekh raha hai..

Aaj aankh sek raha hai, kal haath sekega....

Aaj deel chod raha hai, kal khudi rokega...

Aaj mere liye chair kheech raha hai, kal meri skirt kheechega....

kheechega ke nahin hun .

Actually this is the current success mantra in the industry to drag the audience to the multiplex if you feel the story of the film lack substance. You can try like this: Hire a celebrity dancer with a fantastic body.. Appoint a music director who can play the beats or maybe form a new remix.. Rent out an exotic location and start shooting for a song. You don’t actually a need a good dress designer, the waste ones can be picked and lady can get dressed automatically. And I forgot to mention, the lyrics can follow anytime. You must be a fool if you are thinking about the theme of the song. Let audience decide on their own..!!! Remember the song might get legendary and win awards inspite of the film being a complete crap (refer ‘Tees Maar Khan’).

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God save this industry..!!!

Halla bol

Seriously this sport is crazy. I could fathom the wild side of admiration for Cricket in India through idol worship, hair implants, face coloring etc etc. But speaking about India-Pakistan match in a world cup a day before is a absolute delight. Not being a good statistician, I don’t remember how many times these two countries have played against each other in world cup tournaments, but this one is getting pretty uglier than before. The honorable Prime Minister’s meet at the stadium adds to the exhilaration. The stadium at Mohali has turned out to be fortress rather than a playing ground. Thousands of police and army forces have been deployed, the stadium has been declared as no-fly zone, fighter planes have been geared up for any emergency… it all looks as if the two teams are going to play with an bomb. Consider this, if Afridi miss Sachin’s catch at square drive and Gul makes a strong gesture to the Sachin, then maybe fighter jets would be called upon to signal a warning..!! Or maybe Yuvraj pushing out a live ticking bomb towards the boundary and the fielder may not be lucky enough to receive his final catch..!!!

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Anyways this game was never too exciting and scary before. My association with Cricket was not strong enough as with other people. I used to call myself a good batsman, but couldn’t play the ball higher than my waist level. Then I started practicing bowling. Not being good in shape (not even now); I had resorted to spin rather than fast bowling. I still remember batsman used to stroke my 5 deliveries to boundary and finally get out casually in the last…!!! I felt happy but my captain used to thank his God. Like invention of fire brought revolution in the world, the same goes with ‘rubber ball’ for me. I could actually turn the ball in any direction over any kind of pitch.

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In those days, the ball that was meant to be used in cricket was often used by us for ‘maara-pitti’. The game is so un-recognized that there isn’t any English translation in the dictionary. In short, one guy has to hit the other in a team with a plastic ball to knock him out. The one who survive till last wins the game. The game was often not famous in front of girls, and it was natural (how difficult was to refrain ourselves from showing our pain, actually red bumps, in front of school girls). Apart from these I had also played many significant games like ‘kho-kho’, ‘kabbadi’ and badminton. Badminton is the only game that gave me fame (atleast in my resume and interviews), for which I stood runner’s up in district level championship in junior category, around 17 years back.

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When I was in college, table-tennis excited me a lot. Of course I couldn’t play cricket with my high-profile background. Table tennis involved just two players, so less of humiliation. But I must admit, it was difficult to track the ball when the game picks up. Being poor on eye-sight, I had learned to animate my hand’s movement when the game gets fast. But I was always good in TT.

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Anyways, with this background I must admit that everyone should be associated with sports right from the beginning till the end. It builds up your stamina and teaches team work. For now, let’s wait for the big war tomorrow; Indo-Pak cricket match was never less than a field battle..!!!

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(By the way, I forgot to mention, I was good at being goalkeeper in football matches too..!!! I thought not to exaggerate myself at the moment)

Last Few Months..

“These roads are dark as always. But you may find some rays ahead”, the stranger replied me, smirking with his dry face. I had no choice to think and so I chose to move ahead. I was wearing a well-polished suit with fine ornaments. The roads ahead were sprinkled with clear water that offered a perfect mirage to the travellers. Few steps ahead I stopped again to see if my stranger is still holding his stick for support. He was there, smiling at my ignorance. I could never see his face after that conversation. I couldn’t even feel his presence though. I decided to continue my journey towards the path as directed by my ‘well-wisher’, the stranger.

...
As I moved further with my excited limbs, the surrounding air suddenly got changed to a fiery storm. It was dry and full of warm mud. I couldn’t see my path anymore, but kept moving, gradually, straight. I could comprehend that odds were against my favor. The nearest help that I could estimate was several miles far. In the storm, I could get a glance of some non-strangers around me. I would term them as ‘Savior’. They already knew me, or some were made to be heard from me. Kneading their eyes with one hand, they hold me with the other and pulled me out of the storm. We moved forward, straight.
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I was still unaware of my destination. I was not sure whether I would succeed or fail. I was not sure where I would land up in this horizon. I was blindfolded but could sense the direction. Or maybe I was instructed to be so. It happened for 2 months. Then, one day, while I was progressing on my obscured path, I saw something. There was no one nearby. The ground along the path was all deserted. Then my right eye caught a glimpse of rays emanating from a mountain on a side. The ‘White rays’. The rays were as pure as heaven. It was warm and full of radiant energy. I smiled for the first time.
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I turned back to see if my stranger is still standing behind. I could see his figure in haze. He was still smirking at me. “No”, I thought. “This can’t be true”, I replied myself. With strong determination I couldn’t believe the rays. “These rays are not meant for me. Maybe they have forgotten their own path. Maybe I am not good enough for its pleasure”. With my head lowered down, I started crawling straight, on my path towards the search of ‘actual’ rays. During my journey ahead, my right eye couldn’t escape the warmth of the white rays. After another few months, my eyes caught another glimpse of bright streaks of light. It was dark, strong and coming from my path. With quivering eyes, I tried to look beyond the light, but couldn’t figure out the source. I turned back to see my stranger and for the first time, I found him happy and cheering for me. He clapped for few moments and then raised his right palm to direct me towards the source of this ‘Golden light’. As I stepped forward, the white rays could no longer keep my eyes warm. As I reached halfway towards the source of golden light, I could sense the presence of giant bottle of treasure behind the light. It was gold and was very rich.
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It was certainly a treasure, but was it made for me? I wondered if I really needed that. Was my path correct at the first place? Is this my correct destination? I kept on thinking till I turned back to see my path. It was full of mud and garbage. It seems there was no turning back. I had reached the extreme. “No”, I said. “I should not have been here”. I was suffocated with the thought that I had chosen a long lost path and reached a treasure that would give me fame and comfort, but it is short-lived. There was no turning back if I had possessed that treasure. It was good, but not as compared to the warmth of white rays. It was flashy, but not as challenging as following the white rays.
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I raised my head above the ground and against the treasure. I searched for the mountain that was emanating the white rays. The environment was still filled with scary mud and the stranger now looked as defeated and helpless. I smiled at him and progressed towards the mountain emanating the ‘White Rays’…

Salute to us..

The first one..

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And that bring me back to write a blog for a very old questions. Today I had various interesting discussion points with two different kinds of people while I was struggling preparing my persuasive speech for the client. One of them asked me how to get rid of production job and get into software industry..!!! The first thought that came into my mind was, boss..Infosys is not just Software Company that makes computer machines; second, I am not a software engineer..!! It’s crazy that, still, after 6 years, people perceive me as a software employee. Anyways, in return to his question, I just smiled back. Smile full of sarcasm, as if I have reached a stage that is way beyond answering such insignificant questions. Obviously I was able to hide my snuffles behind that smile. Only I in this damn world can understand where at all I had started and where am I now..!!!
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The second one..
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But apart from this, what made me scratch my skin to reveal the ruins was the second more interesting question; I would say ‘questions’. The discussion started with.. “Till what age you want to continue this work?” It was casual. I said the legal age to end your employment in India is 60, but she wasn’t expecting this explanation. “Do you have any other activity that you want to pursue”. Aah ..!! I got it. She is asking me about my hobbies. Oh…I have many, most of them I don’t really pursue anymore. With the heat of excitement I told her many reasons why it is difficult to pursue your passion in India. Later I returned to my hotel room, sat over the pot and murmured to myself various (actual) replies that I could have given to her. Remember “bhai..susu genious hai”..??
What if you want to follow your passion as your employment??? Be a writer, singer, actor, painter or anything else you want to become. Does it happen in a country like India? I would say, quite often than less. Forget about starting your business, even if you want to become a singer you would have 100 checkpoints to pass through before you start singing in your bathroom. How would I sing, what will people (specially relatives) think about my singing, how will I earn for my living, how will I support my wife, my parents, my future kids, my kid’s marriage.. and the list is endless. Your song becomes misery before even being composed, if any of the checkpoints is not cleared. That’s how we are cultured to live in this country. We own the responsibility of our creators and creations till we last our strength. Our sole motivation to earn big bucks is not for self, but for spouse and finally for our kids. As an illustration, after our marriage, how frequently do we shop for self? Or after having a kid, how often do we dine to celebrate Valentine’s Day? Wondered how many of us haven’t thought of owning a car and subsequently a house within 3 years of getting married? How many of us have invested in overseas vacation instead of life insurance policies to save tax? It’s quite rare to find ‘Yes’ for all these FAQs and I am not surprised as this is imbibed to us as our culture.
But I thank God for creating some people who gave ‘Yes’ as answer to the FAQs mentioned above because of which we are living in age of innovation. Thank God, Einstein was mad, pyscho unmarried guy and hence we got electric bulb. Thank God for bestowing us with Mahatma Gandhi, APJ Kalam and Kiran Bedi because of which we still feel privileged.
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The next one..

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What job I want to pursue? IBM, Accenture, Deloitte..or a hi-flier consulting or a core production job, or the most paying golden collared profile. Aagh..!! I have so many adjective to choose from, but I would stick to my original, RESPECTABLE job. So what, am I working in for a disgraced profile? No, certainly not. But is it quite memorable for long time? Can I expect my client to remember me after 10 years? And even if he remembers me, what would I be remembered for? ‘The guy who charged us a hefty sum for helping us understand the supply chain fundamentals. I don’t even care if he still exists’. Can I count upon any value I was able to add to my job? I don’t know.
Can we imagine the joy the doctor feels when he saves a life through crucial operation? Can we recognize the innovation of a scientist who made our life simpler and comfortable? Can we realize the pride the teacher feels when his feet are touched upon by his students asking for his blessings?
This is my idea of respectable job..!!!

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(NOM: I had to end this ever long topic for now, as I really want to concentrate on 'Sheela ki jawani' song/visual currently being aired on music channel)... We are like this. All salute to us..!!!

Corporate Ethics

As I was writing this blog I was wondering, I could sound a bit theoretical while sharing this experience. However every person I had reached to, is follower of ‘love your job, not the employer’, and I have seen some very true spirited guys religiously following this. Infact skill of defining your job periphery yourself is what I am amazed at.

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I must admit, we consultants have very tough life. No matters we are often made the topic of laughter by many. But seriously if you consider the circumstances we guys have to go through, it’s worth paying us monthly salary. We are supposed to know everything, almost everything, atleast the one for which we are paid and hired for. Even if you have slightest doubt in your mind regarding your competency or other, it can backfire you in future. If you are true in your doubt, you are saved, else you are screwed.

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As I am accompanied by a fellow consultant in this project, it reminded me of the days that I had spent in Holland. Those days were really struggling and gruesome for me. I was new, first international trip, first direct interaction with the client and moreover had only 50% idea of what I was expected to deliver there. Gosh.!!! Those were the days, when every day I felt embarrassed in front of the client. It was tough to consult about something that even you had lesser idea. On top of that, it’s worst to have client more educated than you..!!! But I was saved by my manager in Holland. He kept holding my hands and directed me to the safest shore. He stood like a wall and shielded me from all negatives.

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Anyways, reminding those days is really encouraging for me. Now I am accompanied by a fellow Infoscion who is as new as I was 2 years ago. He has the experience but may not have enough aptitude to stand in front of client’s expectations. My project is going well, touchwood. So what should I do now? Should I just leave him to client’s and Infosys manager’s mercy and let him drown? Or should I hold his hands and help him rise slowly and gradually?
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If I go by the saying that I had mentioned above, I should have chosen the first path. Infact this would have relieved me of any additional duties and moreover I could concentrate on my own project. Hmm..that sound very simple, logical and practical. But I cannot forget the days that I had spent in Holland. If my manager had thought of it like the one mentioned as first path, I would have been thrown out of consulting. So I followed the second path. It was tough to help others keeping your responsibilities on fire, but I had to do it. I call this as ‘corporate ethics’. While helping this guy, I faced some dents from client regarding his project and my project as well. But now we are a team. There is no ‘his project’ or ‘my project’, its customer project that is handled by Infosys as a whole. I took the brickbats from the client even though I was remotely associated with it. But I hold the responsibility of our future commitments rather than past mistakes. That’s how we work in consulting.

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Now put my case in industry other than consulting, be it manufacturing or marketing or any other, and see how people usually behave. These thoughts make my decision to join consulting stronger.

A Certified Professional..!!!

And here it is… on one hand India is celebrating the successfully closing of Commonwealth Games in Delhi, and here, on other hand I am holding my spirit high on clearing the final module of CPIM certification. CPIM is the certification offered by APICS, an apex American society for Operations Management and supply chain management.

Aahh.. !!! its been a long journey, almost around 2.5 years. It was in January 2008 when I had started my preparation for the first module. Since then I have never been sitting pointless at any moment. I can still remember the day when I had paid the fee for first module the amount of which was more than my monthly saving. Every exam had been special in some way or the other. Never had I felt that the exam was easy in any form. Sometime it was my marriage, other times it was project work. Struggle for any exam was never painless for me. I had sacrificed many moments, many free moments I would say, for this target, for which I am really thankful for my wife, Divya. I could have gone to vacations, or could have relaxed a bit instead of burning my head over solving supply chain theories.

I don’t know how much I know about supply chain, but one thing is sure, I have a proof that could reflect my dedication towards this area. I agree that I may not have enough number of years of experience in this field, but if we talk about commitment, yes, here is the proof..!!! This was single point of motivation for me when I had started this journey. Every time I waited for the results, I had to cross my fingers out. There was a confidence but the qualifying criterion always scared me. But today, as I hold a can of beer in my hand (this had been a tradition since first time I cleared the test..!!!), all I can say is “Thank God”, thanks for believing in me. I don’t know what benefits should I expect from this achievement, but attaining a benchmark is more than enough for me.

I had excelled in what I had dreamt; this is more heartening than any feeling..!!!

Ciao

Vipul (CPIM)

A memorable return..

The buildings haven’t changed much. The roads are all the same, even better. The traffic has increased a lot. Now there are more Bullets and ‘Sardars’ than before..!! The girls have gone more casual, I mean I was told that girls here now-a-days don’t mind wearing shorts in public.
After around 7 years I came back to this place, my place…Chandigarh, the ‘city beautiful’..!!
Saturday morning, I took my camera and straight went to the place where I had spent 4 significant years of my life. DCET, Panjab University. Now the name has been changed to UICTE (I came to know about this when I was making changes to my resume..!!). I had reached there while the sun was almost about to set, so the college lanes wore a deserted look. I couldn’t find any visible changes in the college. It seems the same as we left this place 7 years back. The classrooms looked the same, the result boards were still filled with student’s fate, the galleries were vacant as if “mass bunk” was recently announced, could find some students standing at front entrance discussing everything except chemicals. The only change I could figure out was the plastic tags fixed over toilets that clearly mentioned which one is ladies toilet..!!! For all Fluid Mechanics fans, Rattan sir currently holds the title of Chairperson.
My next destination was student’s center casually called as “StudC”. This place has really grown up. Within the small perimeter, lots of brands have flourished. Lots of love birds roam around here and there- the boys stuffed with muscles, head high and possessed with a Bullet- the girls, much happening, wearing exotic dresses, and giggling at the attention paid by the boys. I could sense the presence of lot of sardars than before, maybe the reservations had increased…!!! The Gandhi Bhawan looked deserted as always, just that now the water in the pond had also dried up.
My next preferred destination was Bhatnagar Hall, boy’s hostel number 3. This looked more occupied and shabby as compared to our stay. As I entered the main lobby, I could see the hostel engulfed with years old war with an army of monkeys. As per our trusted and verified strategy to tackle this situation, I left the place ASAP, caring a damn about visiting the canteen and my room- 3/57. While coming back to my home (Local Guardian ‘LGs’ house), I paid a visit to Xerox shop at university market, owned by two oval shaped brothers, Johar. These guys are still the same just that their shop is now more clustered and filled with ball pens hanging from every corner. Then I went to hair salon that was owned by Amar since ages. Even he faintly recognized me once I reached there…what a memory he has got. While on the way, I passed through the 15 market that used to be one-place for all shopping. The shops are now branded and more sophisticated. Even 2-3 liquor shops are there amidst a group of department stores…!!! The “pahalwaan-da-dhaba” is still occupied with hungry souls..!!!
Well in the evening I got the chance to roam around the whole city and saw Infosys campus, Sukhna lake, ‘gaidi route’, sector 17 market, City Heart, Aroma, Kiran cinema hall etc etc. This place still holds the heritage and order for which it is known worldwide. Even all vehicles obey the traffic lights at 12 midnight. Here I could see people following yellow light before it gets green..!!! The side lanes are there and a waiting of more than 10 seconds in traffic is considered as jam..!!!

It was nice refreshing break for me after a long time. Anyways I wasn’t expecting radical changes in the city but yes, it has grown well to become upcoming destination for companies. I hope Chandigarh is able to hold on to its heritage, culture and beauty in the future as well..
Ciao.

My visit to Assemly line

I kept smiling at my excitement while I was wearing a white lab coat and changing our shoes with slippers. Within few minutes I was standing in front of a gate that opened up to assembly line of India’s leading wrist watch maker. There were 100s of ladies wearing lab coats and white caps sitting quietly in a line and working over the components that were just passing over moving conveyor belt. We saw the complete manufacturing of precious watches step by step. This was quite interesting. This wasn’t the first time I was watching an assembly line, but the best of all that I have seen in past. The manufacturing started with a small needle and ended up in complex looking wrist watch.

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The factory is located over the beautiful hills of Baddi, a place in Himachal Pradesh. The whole area was so scenic that it gave us impression that who will work here with concentration. We had lunch that comprised of simple ‘rajma chawal’, ‘dal chawal’ etc. Despite after travelling such a distance and getting straight to business, we weren’t feeling a bit lethargic. This might be the effect of environment or the pressure of winding up the things in 2 days but it was fun. In the night I travelled back to Chandigarh on a very disturbed road, but next day, I could appreciate the beauty of the valley accompanying our way to Baddi.

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Anyways, after spending some good moments in Baddi, now I am back to old shit place, Noida. The same old routine is going to start from Monday.
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Ciao.

Official bachelorhood starts..

19-Sep-10, this day reminded me of the time when I used to be struggling for getting a shelter in various places in Hyderabad. Today I was standing again in front of house broker and shelling out big bucks out of my pocket just to get a room for myself. Time repeats itself and reveals scars every time.

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Today morning I got up with an agenda in mind: I had to find a nice, comfortable 1-bedroom house for my stay at Noida for 4 months. I stuffed my tummy with heavy breakfast and got ready to explore the options. My cousin accompanied me in this journey of finding shelter. Yes, my company doesn’t allow me to live in a hotel for 4 months; otherwise it might get bankrupt because of me..!!! Anyways we were waiting for the broker near a metro station while it was raining all the time. All of a sudden a mid-aged guy wearing old helmet, chewing tobacco and riding on historic LML scooter halted in front of us. He introduced himself as a broker and ensured us that he’ll prove to be a god for us. Suddenly he was surprised and realized that we were three and the vehicle was one. The basic equation went wrong in our first meeting. But hey, haven’t you seen ‘Flop Show’, or more recently ‘Swades’??? I hope now you realized what I am talking about..!!! I was smiling continuously for 5 minutes without embarrassment as there was no side mirrors in the scooter. Forget about mirrors, there wasn’t any headlight in this creature..!! With respect to ‘Flop Show’, I was playing ‘Jaspal Bhatti’..!! (or Shah Rukh in case of Swades)

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Somehow we managed to reach one house where there was an independent room over the terrace. The owner looked so sophisticated that I couldn’t see a smile over his face, even while discussing the rent. Later I came to know that he was doctor, and then I felt pity for his patients. We passed on couple of hours while looking at various kinds of houses. Basically it’s very difficult to find a 1-BHK house and that too in a good locality and manageable price. We also saw a PG that was filled with different kinds of people and stuffed with smell of books, laundry and what else. Then I realized that time has passed and I am no longer fit for adjusting in PG. We also saw one house the size of which was much less than my hostel at IIT or Chandigarh. The owner was asking me `4000 for providing me a cot that was 75% of my length, a table that was barely standing, and area that was slightly more than me as it’s diagonal. This was crazy. If Divya would have visited this room, she would have killed me..!!! Anyways I saved my ass out of this place and specifically told our to-be God that this would not go with me. With heavy heart we went to see one room that belongs to a typical Punjabi family. There was one room- independent, with attached bathroom and a separate entrance. The looks weren’t really impressive but I could sense that it could fit my budget and I can spend some months in this one. I had no really a choice but to finalize this house, and here we go…big bucks out of my small pocket..!!! Since then we have been running, to check out from hotel, find a auto, reach my new room etc etc. As I came back to this room and lay over the bed, I could sense that struggle for house never depletes over time. The sad part is that I am married and we have large big house in Hyderabad..

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Anyways, this is part of life.

My Journey-new, tough and interesting

It’s been close to 24 hours that I have been into this room for a while before I realized that it’s evening outside, again.
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Last one week was full of experiences and happenings that were quite new and expected. Here I am in Noida for some time for project related work and working for a luxurious watch maker (my hopes of getting some consolation gifts were put on hold on 2nd day itself..!!). Noida no longer is isolated land that used to be in our times. Our times ‘bole to’ 10 years back. Now you can find the traffic jam right as you enter Noida. In fact it seems that you pay toll tax to enter into a jam..!!. But I can’t resist smiling at the work done by Mayawati to decorate the entire place with elephants, pillars and idols of ‘maaniniye sri Kanshi Ram ji’. Great, actually I can figure out that I have entered the state of ‘mahamaya’.
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Working in north Indian state is altogether different. You are no longer faced with language barriers and especially in terms of food and accommodation. In fact I was quite amused looking at guys ordering south Indian dishes with excitement. They don’t know actually they have ordered something that has been in abundance somewhere in south. The place has changed a lot. I can sense that girls are feeling much safe and secured while working in these places. This is with assumption that amount of clothes girls wear is inversely proportional to the security they feel. The moment I had landed at Delhi airport, I felt that something is wrong with the location, maybe I had landed at Mumbai rather than Delhi. But yes culture shock really shocked me well.
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It may not be the politics or the politicians but Delhi Metro had definitely changed the face of Delhi. And after looking at the way passengers travel in these trains with composure, with i-pods stuffed in ears, wearing 'haulter-necks' and ascending the metro without hassles, I can definitely appreciate Mr. Shreedharan for his invaluable contribution. But on the other hand what makes me feel down to the earth is the same old story of 'auto rickshaw walas'. They haven’t changed a bit. In fact they look more animated and interesting than before. All of them are legally devoid of meters and so the rates are totally upto them. Anytime their mouth is stuffed with ‘paan’, and so you need to be extra conscious while listening to their theories.
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Delhi being the most populous city of this country used to host many of our relatives, but somehow I feel lonely sometimes. I know the reason as well. It’s been more than 3.5 years that I had stayed in Hyderabad and more than a year, in Hyderabad with my wife, that now I feel a sense of inertia while leaving for a different place for such a long time. I know 4 months is certainly not a very long time, considering that I am still in India and I can anytime fly down to my place. But the limitations are there intact. Maybe the inertia now is more on emotional side rather than being tactical.
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Anyways let’s hope for better..

Relentless pursuit of 'Motivation'

Ok, now that is something we all need in our life.

‘Motivation’

..Motivation to do something you like the most or something that you know will help you in building your future in a dynamic way. This is something that can strengthen your potential to cross the propelling hostile winds and make you capable to smirk at its defeat. This is one driving force that enables you to think beyond your outer sphere and make you dream with eyes wide open. Energies automatically flow in, that invigorate your inner senses. There you get the opportunity to meet the positive attitude that helps by making you a visionary and more importantly a leader in your life.

There are different kinds of motivations. Motivation to excel in your business, motivation to make your career the most productive one, motivation to steal hell lot of money from a bank or motivation to kill someone for benefit. Sorry to mention the last two examples, but the truth is that, every action or reaction per se is impinged by a motivation. This is called motivation to succeed or achieve supremacy. There is no harm in that, just that conflicting motivation often create turbulences. Anyways, my point in raising this subject is that every individual is drifted towards achievements by one of the factors called ‘Motivation’.

What if you don’t have the motivation to get your paths set for success? What if your motivation drifts you towards a different objective? What if your motivations to dream takes a different turn altogether? And what if your motivation is all killed? This is the stage when you feel like being stabbed from behind. “Everyone is motivated to do something of their choice, than why not me? What I have done wrong? Isn’t that I have equal right to dream, a dream bigger than my capabilities?” Consequences are obvious and encouragements become futile. What happens to your ambitions? Are they still the same, same as solid? It feels like perception of life is all changed. “Now you are no longer motivated towards achievements in your life. Infact you are, but your subject is now changed. Now it’s your choice, chase the reality or escape from it, whatever you feel is less painful.” But do remember that motivation isn’t preceded with just hard work and a sheer dream. Luck plays an important character in these relentless efforts. With swarm of people enfolded with innumerable ambitions in their eyes, it becomes important that luck dances your way. But again, it’s not in your prospective.

So what should we do? How can we keep our eyes open and not let a drop tickle over them? How can we avoid seeing a river made into following a different path? How to please the utmost characters in our life that make you dance every time commotion hits you from behind?

In relentless pursuit of answers to these…

That's our machine..

So finally we are in possession of something really great. Our new car, Hyundai i20..!! We had booked this car a month ago, but because of its huge demand, we got it delivered a bit late. It took us with disappointment, but the whole idea of buying something that is in good demand, made me happy. We had tried number of cars as suggested by Divya (after her careful research) but as we stepped into this car, our decision was almost instantaneous. Next, we compared every car with i20 and found our choice the best.

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Now-a-days the cars are getting hi-tech and exuberant. We can find all sorts of auxiliaries encompassed in small cars that you don’t have to struggle a bit. Some of them that I found exciting in i20 were: cigarette lighter (which I don’t use obviously), USB port (my little mp3 player was happy to see this), interior defogger (no more swiping the wind shields with cloth during rains or winters), music controls on the steering (that makes the driver THE KING), electronic adjustable OVRMs (side mirrors that are operated from inside, so no more adjusting the mirrors during rains), outside temperature indicator and control in AC (and the AC is really chilling) and aesthetic dashboard (that was our point of decision) to name a few..!!! It had good power and smooth ride that makes your journey very comfortable. For more technical details, you need to contact my analyst wife. 75% of our decision to buy this car is attributed to her.

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It was late evening that we had reached the KUN Limited where our vehicle was ready for being driven. After completing all the formalities (basically all the payments), we were shown our dream in front of us, the shiny, sparkling, brand new i20, beautifully decorated with ribbons..!!! I had good time with an instructor explaining me the operations of the car. I was almost half bothered about the instructions at that moment (and I realized its importance the very next day..!!!). The beautiful keys of the car were then handed over to us coupled with a box of chocolates, a file folder and a bash of firework. We had clicked some of our pics with the car, but those expressions were half the volume that we were feeling within.

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It’s been quite some time that we were looking forward to buy a car but this time we actually made it. First it was our marriage anniversary, than summers and finally it went till monsoons. Good that we made it before heavy monsoon..!! It’s such a big car that we almost feel like moving in a castle, secured from outside world. Now when we drive our car back from work amid heavy rains, we did realize what angel we possess..!!

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Thank GOD for giving us the strength to buy a car before we grow old..!!!