அம்பி, நம்பி, தும்பி, தம்பி!

(1) ஆரம்பித்தான் அம்பி..

பிறப்பு முதல் இறப்பு வரை,
குழவி முதல் கிழவி வரை,
நாடு முதல் காடு வரை,
சாலை முதல் சோலை வரை,
அரசன் முதல் ஆண்டி வரை,
அனைத்தும் தேடல் தான்!
தேடி, ஓடி, நாடி, வாடி
முயன்றான்! முடியவில்லை!
முடிந்ததில் மகிழ்ச்சி இல்லை!
பிறப்பு முதல் இறப்பு வரை தேடல் தான்!

(2) நடுவில் நுழைந்தான் நம்பி..

குழந்தைக்கு பொம்மை மீது
குமரனுக்கு பெண்மை மீது

வண்டுக்கு மலர்ச்செண்டு மீது
நண்டுக்கு மாமிசத்துண்டு மீது

நதிக்கு கடல் மீது
பதிக்கு ஊடல் / கூடல் மீது

கலைஞனுக்கு கதை மீது
கவிஞனுக்கு கவிதை மீது

குயிலுக்கு பாடல் மீது
மயிலுக்கு ஆடல் மீது

பிறந்தவனுக்கு பொருள் மீது
துறந்தவனுக்கு அருள் மீது
இறந்தவனுக்கு இருள் மீது

அனைத்தும் காதல் தான்..

அன்பு, ஆசை
நோக்கம், ஏக்கம்
மோகம், தாகம்
பல பரிமாணங்கள்
ஆககல் முதல் அழிதல் வரை
அனைத்திற்கும் அஸ்திவாரம் காதல்!

(3) தூங்கி விழித்தான் தும்பி..

கருவறை நுழைய.. செய்தேன்
எண்ணிலடங்கா விந்துக்களோடு!

அன்னை கவனம் பெற.. செய்தேன்
அன்பு சகோதரனோடு!

விளையாட்டில் வெற்றிபெற.. செய்தேன்
அடுத்த வீட்டு பையனோடு!

தேர்வில் முதல் வர..
தோழமையில் பிடிப்பு வர..

காதலியை கை பிடிக்க
கயவர்களின் கை ஒடுக்க

மக்களை பாதுகாக்க
மாக்களை சாதுவாக்க

தன்னை உயர்த்த
பெண்ணை ஈர்க்க

மண்ணை வெல்ல
விண்ணை வீழ்த்த

செய்தேன் நாளும் பொழுதும்!
மோதல்!

வாழ்க்கை என்பது மோதல்!
மேதை டார்வின் சொன்ன மோதல்!

(4) தடுமாற்றம் இன்றி தலையசைத்தான் தம்பி..

தேடல்
காதல்
மோதல்
சாதல்

இது மட்டுமல்ல வாழ்க்கை..

இவை அனைத்தையும் உட்கொண்டது!

மேலும்..

உத்தமமானது, உயர்வானது!
இயற்கையானது, இனிமையானது!
சொல்ல போனால், எளிதானது!

வாழ்க்கை என்பது "வாழ்தல்"
உனக்காகவும், ஊருக்காகவும்!
உண்மையாக, உயிரோட்டமாக!
விழிப்பாக!
நிகழ்காலத்தில்!

Your ideas for new jobs?

From Lower Parel, my friend S and I asked the taxi-wala to take us to Kamathipura (Near Mumbai Central) - He gave a shocked look but drove us there without speaking much, but he refused to get inside the lane after reaching the entrance. We finally ended up walking through the slums to reach the 13th lane where the Chandramani Municipal school is located. Seems like the 15th lane is one of the most well known red-light areas in Mumbai. Chandramani school houses many social initiatives for the underprivileged children and youth from the near-by areas.

One such initiative is Smile foundation's STeP program (http://smilefoundationindia.org/e_learning.htm ), which is "an effort towards creating a pool of employable youth from the underprivileged section" Through the organization, we met a group of ~20 youth - Many of them were a bit shy and maybe low on confidence, but full of determination in their eyes to learn and get ahead in life. We decided to help in whatever small way possible.  As many of them were in the age group of 18-22 and were doing / have done HSC / Bachelors, their major concern was "How can I get a decent job?"

For any  job, 3 things are needed: Preparation, Provision and Presentation. How can we help those youth in these 3 areas? In our first interaction, we chose the "Presentation" esp. Interview and communications skills - We did a decent job with mock interviews, Dos and Don'ts of interviews etc. (Back at IIMs, when we had insane iterations of writing resumes, we used to crib "what a waste of time" - It's not a waste anymore: we hope that experience helps us develop resumes to make a difference to these youth)

Through future interactions, we are planning to join hands with Smile foundation to help the youth "prepare" for the job and "provide" them with relevant opportunities. These two depend a lot on the kind of job they are keen on taking up. When we asked "what kind of job do you want?", many of them were clueless, while few of them said "Retail management". One of the guys confidently said that he would like to work for the city center mall, which was just a km away from the school. I wasn't sure whether he is exposed to all kind of opportunities.

Just to repeat: the youth under consideration are are 18-22 years old with very basic English / computer skills. Many of them had studied commerce in their HSC. There are more women than men. Our challenge for the next interaction is to figure out the potential list of jobs / careers that these youth can aim for. Some of the ideas that popped up during our return journey were Retail, Restaurants, Malls, Accounting, Automobiles, Textiles etc. But traditional way of thinking is not be good enough! We need simple but smart new ideas.

You got an interesting one? Please share with me.

Reviving Virudhunagar

<<Post delayed due to my mini-vacation at home>>

For people who don't know: I hail from a place called Virudhunagar (VNR), a remote town with less than a lakh population and about 50 KM south of Madurai in Tamil Nadu. Recently visited my home town after a long time - Was wondering how the town has changed over the last 10-20 years.

Let me start with the education in VNR.  A large number of people in the town spent insane amount of time and money to build free schools offering quality education. No wonder the Ex-TN CM Mr. Kamaraj was born here. Do you believe that such a small town had once produced many IIT students and NTSE scholars, all through free local coaching?  While JEE coaching is no longer available in the town for the last 15 years, the town continues to get reasonable success with NTSE.

Today, my school is glimmering with lots of new buildings, new tie and lots of young staff . Also, it's now the proud host of the annual, month-long-exhibition during summers. The pink color half-sarees have vanished from our main rival school. I am sure the rivalry between the 2 schools would continue as long as the human race continues to have men and women. Ok, to put it differently, I feel the town is yet to see a good co-ed school.

Today, the town also has a technology / engineering college.  You may ask which town doesn't have one today! Still, this one is special as it's not  promoted by a cine-actor or a wealthy business man. Am very delighted to know that  the college has established a name for itself within years of commencement.

While it feels nice to bask on the good things of the town, there are areas where it is significantly laid back - conspicuous among them are Infrastructure and Economy.

You see excellent highways till the point you reach the town. Just when you think things have improved, you are in for a rude shock. Be it roads, water, drainage or power, I see least difference from the town 20 years back and now. I know it's not just the bane of my town, but for many towns in India. Nevertheless, I am very disappointed with the mountainous corruption and the lousy job carried out by the politicians and the officials.

It's quite unfortunate that even with a good bunch of smart people, the town hasn't made much economic progress - the real economic growth has been pretty stagnant over the decade or so. The town once had the advantage of being the manufacturing center of edible oil and a trading hub of almost anything tradable. While it still has some dominance over oil production (thanks to companies like Idayam group), the trading business is dwindling at a phenomenal rate. Yes, thanks to the trend of  disintermediation in today's businesses.

Added to the woes are the emerging demographic profile of the people - As one of my old teachers said, "Today's youngsters with decent education no longer prefer to stay in the town."  Decreasing percentage of working population could have following implications:

• On demand side: Consumption shifts predominantly towards essential commodities and healthcare (sounds like the economies of Italy / Japan?). This leaves the town with significantly limited business opportunities (as Government plays a significant role in both of those sectors.)
• On supply side: The town as a whole could become more risk averse - could lead to slowing of innovation, entrepreneurship, pursing new business opportunities and ultimately very low capital investment

These two implications are not independent and once they get into a cycle, they could produce disastrous results.

Oh, enough of cribbing about the problems. Are there ways to get out of this cycle and revive the town. Of course, where there is a will, there will be a way!  Here are some quick ideas which can be explored..

• First and foremost: For anybody in the who town wants to do something good: please forget all your politics, ego and constant complaints and join hands with each other to do something constructive. It's high time you work for the people than your name and fame. [I know there are still many people doing excellent job with good intentions - but a better coordination and a swift action at war pace is required to achieve anything significant!]
• Next, create a master plan for the growth / revival of the town with clear milestones. It needs to take the inputs of, and have plans / benefits for all stakeholders - politicians, public servants, business entities, women, students and children. Everyone cooperates, contributes and benefits.
• Please be ready to develop new skills than preparing & eating "poricha" parotas (i.e. fried Indian Bread) We need to have more skill development programs for students and adults. Create crucibles for generating ideas and businesses. The program should develop real confidence and capabilities for the participants.

And a last one...

With economy being the backbone of the entire issue - Once it's revived, there is a good chance of the overall revival. I feel VNR needs to choose and specialize in a new industry. And it can't rely on its internal consumption to grow further. It needs to get synonymous with an industry - the likes of Tiruppur and Sivakasi or Kanchipuram or Naamakkal. It should use the existing capabilities and resources in the best way possible to create a not-so-easy to replicate idea / industry. It needs to create a niche for itself. Let's explore options..

• Primary sectors? With unfavorable weather, land and poor supply of weather, pure play agriculture would be a distant dream. Nor do we have oil or forest. However agribusiness and food processing (can be categorized as Manufacturing  as well) seem like potential candidates. India with its humongous population and very poor food processing capabilities, it's seen as one of the sunrise sector. The town's history of trading in agricultural products should help in its favor.
• Tertiary sectors?
  • Trading? Retail or Wholesale? Yeah, it had been our bread and butter in the past. But with the changing structure of industries, having a centralized trading hub seems impractical. With the advancement of technology, there is less opportunity which is aligned with existing people's capabilities. So, for now, it is ruled out.
  • Services? How about IT, Hospitality, Finance, Entertainment or Healthcare etc? Sounds interesting and new - But do we have enough skilled labor pool? I doubt it.  Yes, we can create yet another Rural BPO, but creating the likes of Bangalore or Gurgaon for IT doesn't seem feasible. I didn't mean we should shun any opportunities in services. Just that it being a differentiator for VNR in the short to medium term is questionable. Also, the development won't be inclusive of the entire population.
• Secondary sectors?
  • Manufacturing? I think it's good way to go. Its proximity to 3 ports in South India and the well laid out rail and road network should benefit geographically. The existing cost of land and labor are very low as well. I think manufacturing industries such as food / dairy processing, mass electronic / semiconductor products, cement / concrete products (there are some 3-5 cement factories near by), Health / personal care products, Furniture / durables etc are good candidates.

We just need few historians, technological experts, economists and business minds to sit together, brainstorm and identify THE industry. If the right industry is clearly identified and properly planned and executed, it could the revival, the people in the town have been looking for!

The Nomad in a Saree shop

There could be hardly anyone who is not mesmerized by the Tamil song 'Kangal Irandal' from the movie 'Subramaniya Puram'. My friend J said the movie is rocking in Kerela these days. We decided to catch up the movie 'Naadodigal' (Means "Nomad"), starring Sasikumar, who was the director of 'Subramaniya puram'. What an environment! Have never seen such a crowd in Mumbai enjoying the movie to the fullest - It's a different experience to watch it with a crowd that whistles, shouts, claps and creaks for a significant portion of the movie. Beautiful interweaving of comedy, friendship and love - the necessary ingredients of Tamil cinema - but doesn't feel unnatural like the usual masala movies. The movie made me think for a while.. about the friendship as portrayed in the movie. I am sure it would definitely bring back the memories of some good old friends to anyone. It's is a must-watch for its wonderful first half.. second half is overly emotional and doesn't hurt one giving it a miss!

Oh, ok.. Let me come to title of the post. Mom told me over phone "Need to buy sarees for your sisters da. I am bored of the sarees in Tamil Nadu (Truth is that she would exhausted all the categories in TN!) Why can't you get some designer sarees from Bombay? They look very beautiful with Priyanka and Aishwarya." I felt "you didn't get anyone else to get sarees huh?" But decided to get it as my mom rarely asks me to do anything.  Of course, I needed guidance - I asked her "which colour? what type? Give me all spec" Her reply, "Can't decide based on colour da. You look and decide. It should be designer saree. Different from what you are seeing in TN".  I soon realized that either she won't give me the exact spec or her way of giving it won't help me choose. I said "Ok, ok. I will get 2". I thought for a moment whether I should take any of my female colleagues / friends to help me pick the saree. Decided against it as I would end up spending more time in shopping than doing it myself.

We were done with the movie and walking back home. It was a reasonably big shop in Matunga in Mumbai - with its two floors and glass windows, one can clearly see the flashy display of dozen sarees - For a moment, I had a doubt - was it really a saree shop or could it be a curtains shop? I double checked - Yes, it was a saree shop. The word "sarees" was mentioned in the board and I saw the dolls inside the shop wearing sarees. I entered the shop. The sales men were a bit surprised. With a doubtful look, one of them asked "Yes Sir" (To me, he sounded like "No, we don't need any management consulting. We are better today without them!"). I told myself "Act like a customer, man!" - I replied "Yes, I am looking for 'designer' sarees". The term "designer" was the highest technical term I know of in sarees. With his next question, he bumped me off really - "What material sir? zsdfsdfs.. or asdfsdfds.. or asdd.."  All sounded Greek and Latin to me. Didn't want to show him my ignorance. Replied "Well, good to know that you have all these categories! I am pretty flexible - Show me all of them. I will decide."

My reply made the shop keeper a bit doubtful. He continued, "What is your budget?" Again, I didn't want to sound silly by telling arbitrary numbers. Told him, "I am flexible with budget as well. If I like something, I will pick."  My broken hindi with a liberal mix of English words should have revealed my identity to the next sales man. He asked "Sir, Tamil ah neega?" (Are you a Tamil?) I asked "Will the reply get me additional discount?" Nitin (the boy's name) replied "No sir but I can help you select". Thus began our saree selection process.

Within a minute, the first saree was chosen. It matched all the criteria - (a) Yes, it has lots of "designs" - "designer" saree criteria matched (b) Have never noticed that kind of sarees in Tamil Nadu - "it should be different" criteria matched (c) For a couple of seconds, I imagined whether it would look good with my sis - "Yes" was the intuition. Deal was done.  Nitin was pleasantly surprised - he didn't have to put any effort to sell the saree to me. I told Nitin, "I really like this saree. If you manage to get me any other one as good as this, I will pick that as well"

Nitin tried showing a couple of other sarees. I soon realized it won't help. I told him - "Wait, I will have a look at them from the shelf itself." A quick glance - Nothing matched the first saree. I said, "let's pack". He said, "Sir, I will take you to another shop of ours."

The other shop. Packed with ladies. (Before a new sales man was allotted to me, I overhead the chaotic discussions and innumerable requests of ladies like open this, fold this, show it up, show it down, show under white light, show under yellow light, show without lights, show with that border, show with this combination, that design, more sober etc. Man, women are really artistic and selective.) Again, I picked up a new saree in a couple of minutes. This time I wanted to act a little more artistic - I asked him "Can you open it up and show" - He opened and showed. With a surprise, I asked "What is this? You try to cheat huh? Half of the saree doesn't have any designs. It's plain simple inside!" He, with a bit of giggle and an inch of smug, said "no sir, this comes inside like how it was inside when folded". I tried to make up saying "yeah, I know that. But this one seems to have less designs than its peers". He was like "No sir, nothing like that. Do you want to measure it?" I promptly replied, "I trust you, man. Please pack both the sarees!"

The sales owner was stuck in awe. He had a reasonably good sales with least effort - neither his shop's space was occupied nor his sales men were pained. I thought I should add atleast some value  - I told the shop keeper,  "Dude, do you know how much of your operational expenses been saved due to this sales? You should give me some better discount." Owner with his wide smile said, "Sir, we already have the best price. Have given you 20% discount already. Can't reduce further" - I continued, "Hmm.. You should encourage valuable customers like me. If you give me better price, there is a good chance that I would come again."  With a wide grin, he said, "Sure, sir.Please. Definitely come again" Sarees were packed and I was about to move out - the fellow customers in the shop still couldn't believe someone picking up 2 sarees in no matter of time. The owner handed over a voucher worth 1000 bucks. I knew he won't do it but I still asked, "Can I redeem it against the current bill." To which, he promptly replied, "No sir, this is for your next purchase"  I smiled and said "Thanks!" I was telling myself, "Will I come again or not. It all depends on how well the saree is being received!" ;)