Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Vaastu - embrace it or thrash it?

Is Vaastu good for us? Well, we may say that we no longer believe in old traditional ways. Many of us might be worshippers of the modern technology. But before generalizing, it is better we take a closer look at what vaastu really is.

Vaastu is a science which makes us feel better in our environment. It does not guarantee that it will get rid of all the problems in our life, but what it can do is that it can reduce the stress levels of an individual. Naturally, if the stress levels are lowered, people feel better and there is a sense of well-being in the neighbourhood.

Everyone is a part of the environment that surrounds them. All the elements have varied influence on a person, though the level of influence varies. Elements like air, water, sunlight and other living beings can have a positive or a negative impact on a person. It's a time-tested method and a valuable gift from our ancestors. Unfortunately, many people do not understand its importance. It is more relevant in the modern life as many people are highly stressed. At a given location, vaastu explains would would be the best combination of all the elements that would make you feel more comfortable.

Why are East facing sites more expensive?
It is said that in South India, it is advisable to have more doors and windows of a house facing East. The advantages are that in the morning, the sunlight brightens up the interiors and keeps our pupils wide open so that we are fully awake. The sunlight also kills germs and bacteria that may have built colonies overnight. Winds blow in the east-west direction in South India. Hence if more doors and windows are in the east west direction, there will be easy and natural circulation of air in the house. Foul odour would not stagnate and thus, we would have a
fresh day.

Vaastu is similar to the Chinese Feng-Shui. Every culture has its own version of Vaastu that suits their needs. Also, it may not be appropriate to apply the same principles of vaastu at all locations. Environmental conditions vary from place to place. For example, Red-Indians always built their huts facing south. This is because in North America, it is unlikely that warm winds would blow from the north.

Vaastu is much more than this. It details the exact placement of cookware, water storage, the rooms, etc. It may not be pragmatic to follow all the aspects of vaastu, but we can definitely follow it in the broader sense.

Friday, May 2, 2008

What's in a name?

A name is not just a serial number or primary key associated with any product or person. The first name signifies the characteristics or behaviorof a person. Imagine that you are going to meet a person but you have never seen him/her before. You just have the name of that person. Wouldn't you create a vague picture of him/her in your mind before you meet? Exactly!

Unfortunately we don't get to choose our name at birth. Its our parents who name us years before we know what we are. Someone with the name "Harishchandra" might be a habitual liar, "Anamika" is still a name, "Vivek" may be pretty dumb, "Prashanth" may be ill-tempered! Ultimately, our name reflects our parents' imagination of what they wanted us to grow up to be. All the names I have heard so far are positive names, i.e., they signify one or more good qualities of a person. You have heard of the name Sajjan, but have you heard Durjan in real life? (Don't think about Ambrish Puri in Karan Arjun!) Many names are synonyms to Gods, mythological characters and historical legends, who have only good qualities. Such names too fall under the positive names category. Fortunately all parents name their children with the positive names and many people are happy with their names.

We all realize what we really are after teenage. Everyone should get a chance to express what they are through their name. It would be great if we have a system where we have an option to change our name at around the age of 18-22 when we get our Driver's License and the process should not be as tedious as it is now - get an affidavit, swear in front of a notery, publish public notices in 2 leading newspapers, etc. One should be known by a "minor" name during childhood and teenage, and a "Major" name for the rest of the lifetime.

If Chanakya did not fair well in studies and turned out to be an outstanding archer by the time he was 18, he may wish to rename himself as Arjun instead. Well, no comments for names like Dolly, Tom, Cody, Koti, etc.

Frankly, I wouldn't change my name even if I had an option! Would you?

Thursday, March 6, 2008

99 tips for IT People Managers

With every action IT People Managers accumulate some merits and demerits in the eyes of his/her employees. The following list would help increase the credit history... err..."Merit History". People management is a tightrope walk and one should remember to avoid even the slightest mistake.

What I have listed below is nothing new. You can find it in thousands of Management books and its just plain simple "common sense". Listed here are 99 guidelines:

1. Never set Mission Impossible kinda' deadlines - "A war that is lost even before it begins"
2. Never ridicule any of your employee in front of the team - "What you give is what you get"
3. Never micro manage - "Wasting everybody's time"
4. Never leave any question unanswered - "Your employees are not Sherlock Holmes"
5. Never discriminate employees - "Mangal Pandey - The rising"
6. Never point fingers at the so called "low performers" - "Wounding the wounded tiger"
7. Never let personal problems reflect at your work - "Bringing home to work"
8. Never plan about some task that you are unaware of - "Walking in the dark"
9. Never ignore employee needs at work - "Every drop goes in the making of an ocean"

...
[I'm bored of never, lemme try always]
...

91. Always shield your employees from direct criticism - "Invest in Mutual Funds: You give trees CO2, they give you O2 "
92. Always praise or thank your employee for going that extra mile - "Sow a seed, reap the fruit"
93. Always keep your team morale high - "Soldiers win the war, not Generals"
94. Always give your employees that occasional break - "Boiling point is inversely proportional to pressure"
95. Always set an example - "Employees use the Monkey design pattern"
96. Always match employee's work and aspirations - "And you thought, only marriages are made in heaven"
97. Always give awards and certificates for good work - "Boost is the secret of my energy"
98. Always maintain a cordial relation with ex-employees - "Someday, when you visit Washing'ton, that donkey can be of great use"
99. Always make few promises and keep all of them - "You are in the spotlight"


And you thought I could count till 99 :)

Disclaimer: The above comments have no resemblance to any Manager that I have known or worked with. Any resemblance is purely coincidental.

Monday, February 11, 2008

The making of a Super Software Engineer


The Software industry is young, but not young enough to be called a baby. It has seen both upswings and downturns. During its evolution IT companies have experimented with lot of different roles for its people. People in a Software Product company would be familiar with most of them. Some of them are:
  • Software Engineer
  • Technical Lead
  • Technical Architect
  • Customer Support Engineer
  • Test Engineer
  • Documentation Engineer
  • Build and Packaging Engineer
Now imagine if all these roles are packed into a "Super Software Engineer"! If you are in the IT industry, you would be fear struck if you had to take up such a position. But soon such a position would be a reality. I believe it already is!

During the boom time of late 90's and 04-07, companies had to pamper their employees in order to retain them. Hence the work pressure would be kept to the minimal and the perks galore. There were proper boundary lines on who would do what work. Hence the above listed roles made sense.

With IT heading into yet another recession, there is lot of budgetary pressure on the management. The companies want more work done per employee. Some have even started to merge multiple roles into one and the boundary between the roles is fading. This amalgamation would lead to what I call a Super Software Engineer.

In order to survive in the IT industry, engineers would have to take up more roles and become more efficient then ever before. There will be unnerving deadlines and fewer and fewer perks as time passes. The survivors will adapt to the changing situation. The others will move on to other industries. There will be some smart lucky souls who will cling to their jobs!

The number of roles that you have played in your previous organization weighs heavily in your next job interview. Hence its time to buckle up. The IT boom is over!!!


(Just a passing thought while preparing rotis :)

Monday, October 29, 2007

Men Love Their Bikes - Its true!

DEDICATED TO MY TRUE AND LOYAL FRIEND KA-01-V-759 (TVS VICTOR)

A couple of years ago, I burst into laughter when I read articles on how much men loved their bikes and the level of emotional attachment men had with them. I did have a bike, but I never thought I would do what I am doing right now...............!

I am supposed to be fast asleep, or even dreaming, but I've just written my 1st poem at this unheavenly hour. (that too in Hindi, donno why! I haven't touched any Hindi literature for the past 8+ yrs) I am sure people who know me, won't believe that I can write poems. Neither did I. Until now! Started the poem at 23:55hrs on Oktober the 28th, 2007 (IST).


"Chaar saal pehle mulakaat ho gayi..................."

Chaar saal pehle mulakaat ho gayi
jabse usko dekha meri neend kho gayi...

Tabhi maine khai, use paane ki kasam
raha nahin gaya hamse, ooo mere sanam...

Keh diya zamane ko, mujhe nahin parwah
bahut tyag kar chukaa hoon main, aur mat karwah...

Kar sako jo kar lo, main nahin rukoonga
teri doli aane ka, main intazaar karoonga...

Woh din aa hee gaya, jab tum aa gaye
jeevan bhar ke saare sapane, ab poore ho gaye...

Bees saaloon ki meri chahat, rang dikhla gaye
pachees december, rangeeli shyaam, dil mil gaye...

Kha liye hamne kasme vaade, naa judaa hoonge hum
taqdeer mein jo likha hai, badal daalenge hum...

Nayi naveli dulhaan ki tarah woh sharama gaye
hamne bhi naa haar maani, peeche hii pad gaye...

Saaloon saath chalte rahe, kayee jagah dekhe
havaoon se baatein ki, parvat bhi naa rokey...

Beech sadak, andhaer gali mein woh humse roothi
gussa aaya, par hamari bhi himmat nahin tooti...

Phir chal padi woh nagar nagar, jeevan ki yeh gaadi
rooki nahin woh dagar dagar, meri raj dulari...

Kismat ne kya khel khela, jaana pada mujhe doooor
judai ki ghadi aa gayee hai, main hoon bilkul majboor...

Pata nahin judai ka gam sah paoonga ya nahin
aagar mein vapis aa gaya to miloonga tumse yahin...

Choad ke jaa raha hoon mein, tumko bebas besahara
yeh accha nahin, par iske siva na aur hai koi chara...

Bewafa ka naam na do tum, mein nahin hoon aisa
kiya sab tere liye hee, maine jo hai waisa...

Alvida keh raha hoon tumko, dukh ka samandar bharke
khush raho tum jahan bhi raho, rehna haste haste!!!


Reason: I sold my 4+yr old bike on Saturday, Oktober the 27th. It was unplanned. I got a call in the morning and woosh! the bike's gone by evening. And now I am feeling terribly sad and insomniac. I am even contemplating about asking the new owner of "my" bike to give it to me once a month!