From Being INSPIRED to Being INSPIRING

Its been quite a while since I put up a blog post. Many did ask me if the writer in me had slept off. I could only smile in response. Today, after a slumber, the writer in me is up. Thanks to the CGI World Tour… I haven’t written for quite a while, not because there was a dearth of topics on which to write, but because there was just too much happening around me. The last few months have been incredible for me and the world tour simply took me on a ride that I would never forget in my life. And I had to write this post, if I didn’t, I would be lost!

I was on a month long vacation during October and I stepped into office only on November 1. And the day I came back Rajeswari Narayanan, a senior colleague i respect loads, called me. She is one person I would always be indebted to. For, she made one of my long term dreams come true – An article of mine in a newspaper!! She also made me a member of the editorial board of YELLOW the official newsletter of my organization. So when she called me and asked me to lead the Music band and give a performance during the World Tour I just couldn’t say NO. Even though I realized we had only 5 days to form a team, decide on a piece to perform and practice it enough to make it a memorable one. Yes, I was doubtful of my capacity to lead the team. Yes, I wasn’t sure if I could get a team together and make them think on the same lines. Yes, I was scared and YES I thought this was going to turn out messy. 

But Raji thought this could be done and I wasn’t going to doubt her :) within the first day I was able to get together a team of 8 wonderful performers. 4 were already on board and they were immensely supportive when I joined. I suggested a few songs that we could string into one piece as a medley, 6 agreed to the idea I suggested. 1 disliked it and walked out of the team and another couldn’t practice much with us because of work. So by the end of the second day, 6 of us remained; 6 like-minded, driven and passionate instrumentalist. We put in a lot of time, effort and passion. I was surprised to see the commitment each member had. They backed the idea of ‘Tribute” (the name I had given for our piece) to the hilt. Every member was strong and focused and it gave me immense strength and confidence.

 

But the real turn around came on the third day (November 3). MTV telecast its first episode of the 2nd Season of “Unplugged” a music show. A.R.Rahman performed with an exquisite band and the show floored me. EVERY day I kept listening to the performance of the BEST MUSIC DIRECTOR (imho) in the world and it inspired me greatly. In fact when I shared it with my team we were all immersed in the magic of the Mozart of Madras and we were all inspired by the show. This show gave us the much needed impetus to dream big. We bonded better and told ourselves we could do well. By the 5th day we had practiced well and we believed we could pull this off. 

 

The D-Day came. The entire day from 8am till 8pm is a complete blur in my memory. We practiced, encouraged each other enjoyed the other performances and we went on stage and performed together as a team. There were almost a 1000 people in front of us and I was thoroughly intimidated. But when we started playing we forgot everything else. The audience clapped and cheered whenever they heard a familiar tune and that immediately sent a wave of energy to us all. Our piece lasted a little over 6 minutes and they were the best 6 minutes of our lives. When we finished playing we were happy. We knew we had done well. The applause was amazing and all of us felt a gushing happiness.

The Team from Left to Right - Sasidharan, Vijai, ME, Arvind, Suganthan & Giftson

Once our performance was over we came back and sat among the audience. And from then on till now, we have been receiving an enormous amount of love and positive feedback from all of you. But one particular response has disoriented me. Two of my friends came to me, separately, and told me “I am completely ‘INSPIRED’ by your team’s performance today. I play violin too but I’ve lost touch, but after seeing you guys perform I really wish to be a part of the team. I am inspired! Please let me in on the team”!!

I am still in a trance. We were a team of musicians who were inspired by ARR, but when I realized our performance had inspired a few others… I just am at a loss for words. The team that performed that day had extraordinary confidence. At no point did anybody ever even whisper about pulling out. The 5 people I had around me INSPIRED me to a great extent and I bow to each of them for their supreme confidence. Thanks guys. 

We cannot forget one other person - Pazhaniammal – the cultural coordinator who gave us complete freedom and egged us on to give our best. And finally, thanks once again Raji J Thanks for your belief in us! And thank you all, for your tremendous support and love!

PS - If you are eager to watch the video of this program, check this link  :)

Carrot, Egg & Coffee beans

Over the last 5 days it has been depressing to open the newspaper every morning and sift through the news in it. Day after day there is one report or the other of suicides by young students in colleges and schools. Having completed college just a couple of years back i can safely say the environment in colleges haven't changed too much since i completed UG myself. It is so disheartening to read of these news and to think of how this could be allowed to happen time and again is even more disturbing. While for obvious reasons fingers would be pointed at the institutions that teach and house students in their hostel, one should look deeper into this scenario.

I do accept the education system in India is not perfect. It does put excess pressure on the students. I agree to the fact that other systems and their practical implementation in India should be explored, for, the base of all the problems we face today is the pressure every student faces to score marks in exams. But all said and done, we should also consider the brought up at home for children these days? In return for good marks too much pampering goes around to the child and so even the smallest of losses seems too huge to the child and makes him/her incapable of handling life and its challenges.

If we think of problems we face as a bowl of boiling water, there are 3 generic ways in which we can face them. We could either be a Carrot, an egg or as coffee beans (crushed and powdered). A carrot is hard on the outside and seems stronger than the water, but reality cannot be much different.

Once the carrot falls into the boiling water it comes out soft, boiled and defeated. If we disrespect our problems and think we are stronger than anything else in this world and leap in, we are bound to get hurt. The egg is soft on the inside and is prone to get hurt all it has is its outer layer to protect it. In short it is unprepared. The heat in the water hardens the inside and takes the life out of the yoke. If we faced problems with a soft heart, with an unclear mindset and with fear and only our beliefs to save us, once again we will be beaten.

Take the coffee beans now. When they are crushed into coffee powder and dropped into the water instead of succumbing to the heat of the water they transform water into some really delicious coffee. The coffee bean by getting powdered has actually defeated the system, has conquered the problem here. by becoming the powder it was prepared and as a result instead of ending up in pain it actually ends up being an anecdote to relieve headaches!! When coffee beans can defeat the system, so can we. All we have to do is be prepared, face life wisely. Sometimes getting crushed and powdered is not really bad. Our mental strength and knowledge directed wisely can help us win many battles.

After all, the ceramic cup could never have become the beautiful thing it is if it did not undergo severe heat during its moulding. Problems can beat us only if we let it. I really wish the young folks who end their lives use their wisdom more wisely. I wrote exams and i failed in them too, but since when has failure ever deterred humans from achieving more? The trend off late is worrying, hopefully things will turn around quick :)

How (proudly) Indian are we really??

A couple of days ago I received a new VOIP headset from our I.T department and the device looked rich and superior in design. When I showed it to my team, the first response was “hey, made in china huh??”; The promptness of the statement stumped me for a moment; Slick and stylish gadgets are usually those imported from abroad and we are used to that aren’t we? But surprisingly, this VoIP headset turned out to be manufactured in India and more specifically in Chennai!! We were all pleasantly surprised. The headset sleeps in my desk now but it has stirred my thought process; How proud are we to be Indians these days?? How happy are we with our identity? How fascinated are we really with Indian products and Indian designs?

I have met many fresh engineers at Logica Chennai and interacting with them has been lovely. They hail from different backgrounds and cultures, but there is a strong common thread that unites them. 75% of these grads want projects in Chennai (except those who don’t live here); they are open to any competency, any shift timing, any team, and practically any atmosphere, but they are quite firm that the project should function from Chennai! Such affinity to their hometown/adopted city though admirable, throws up so many thoughts to ponder on. To most of us, the connect with our hometown is too great, too strong and our love towards the city we grew up in is unmatched. But the same love and affinity is not extended to the country of which the city is a part of!! We hardly hear people saying “I am open to any job, any salary, any competency but it should be in India only!”

 

Neither do we hear people standing up for the nation strongly despite all the flaws we have as a country. Somewhere along the line globalization has made us all look to the western countries more; the fact that for the same money or slightly more, we get goods/gadgets twice or even thrice as good as the Indian made ones has diluted our patriotism. When we are ready to compromise our necessities and be a little flexible if it helps us stay connected to our family or hometown we are ready for it, but why is the same not extended to the country that we grew up in? The bigger the magnitude the bigger seems our indifference.

In most of our homes, from the small brush we use to the big cars we drive are non-Indian. Not many of us say even if the quality is a little less, it is after all OURS? Our country’s, our product. Even if we compromise a little on quality it is still OUR OWN! We do love and prefer the food that our mom cooks even though we may get better food from hotels right? We do love our city though there might be more sophisticated ones in the world! And to be even more relevant we all love PCs that are allocated to us even though the next bay might have better config right??? So why is it that we do not extend the same courtesy to the country and its products as a whole????

I am not arguing on whether our mindsets are right or wrong, but I am simply wondering out aloud.. Why is it that we seem to be inconsistent in our attitudes? Why is it that our priorities fade out when the subject is enlarged? Why is it that we are surprised when we find out that the VOIP headset was made in Chennai?! The answer to these questions is hanging around us; but none seem acceptable :)

Being a Toastmaster...

For all those new to the word “Toastmaster” before you start assuming anything by figuring out the literal meaning of the word let me tell you what it actually is. “Toastmasters” is an internationally renowned club that helps you improve your general communication (English) and leadership skills. Toastmasters is a unique club and members of the club world over, take great pride in proclaiming the fact that it is not just a normal club but a real stage where one can make mistakes and learn from it and become better with the wisdom gained. 

I have been involved with the Toastmasters through a designated club at my office. The club at Logica has moulded me, taught me and improved me at various levels through the last 15+ months. Sometimes you learn more without your knowledge and that wisdom goes deep inside you. I have felt the change. The way I stand in front of an audience, the way I speak with my body, the way I communicate professionally, the way I look at people and judge them have all vastly improved. Many a times a failure on stage, in front of many people hurts you. It de-motivates you and sends you into a shell. That is precisely what you learn to deal with positively at the TM club.

One may eventually ask is there anything on offer to the already proficient speakers of English and the answer to that question is a big YES. It does not matter how proficient one is in communicating with the world, there always is something to learn at the TM. Some experiences are best experienced than told. Being a toastmaster is one such. From a personal standpoint I have lost count of the number of lessons I have learnt over the past year and a half. At the TM club you can speak on topics of your choosing, anything under the sun to use the term. But the difference here is that there is a structure, a syllabus (yes you heard it right) we call it projects.

The meetings happen once a week and in each meeting you learn to mould your thoughts and structure them on a preset pattern and deliver them in the best way possible. With experience the difficulty levels increase. Every speaker would understand the beauty of this concept; increasing standards and challenges always leave your mouth watering. The very smell of challenge can be tempting. 

The best part of TM though is the way one is judged and evaluated. We do not judge the speakers through new people or highly expert judges but the evaluation is by friends, colleagues and fellow Toastmasters. Effectively it means that you are judged by people who know what it is to be standing where you are as a speaker and delivering. Life at the TM clubs is so wonderful. You get respect, applause, encouragement and at the same time you learn so many valuable lessons on how to be a better all rounder.  We know the world today revolves around leaders and in equipping yourself to face the world the TM will play a HUGE role.

At Logica the TM club has reached a landmark occasion. Tomorrow will be the 75^th meeting of the club and somewhere deep inside me there is a tremendous feeling. I attended the Logica TM club first when the club was into its 2^nd meeting and now today I am so glad we have made it to 75. To all of us who are associated with the club this 75 is more than just a number, it means 75 weeks of our journey towards excellence. To all the Logica TM members, all the best and Kudos. Take a bow folks. You deserve it!

To all the others who are not yet into TM, peek out guys. Check out at your offices, your divisions, Google for the TM club near you. Become a Toastmaster and trust me you will change into someone you have always dreamt of becoming…