Want to live a simpler life? Have a complex one!

How many of us realise that the term "OXYMORON" is itself an oxymoron because 'oxy' means sharp and 'moron' means dull. In the same yardstick, some of the simplest solutions of life are offered only when you are perceived to lead a complex one! Sounds quite paradoxical isn't it, but that's what I have experienced over a sustained period of time.

Let's start with the era of schooling. In 'our' times, being born in late seventies, once you reach the senior level of schooling an inadvertent wall erupts, that of good students and mediocre ones. By some divine rule, your advancement into Science stream unanimously declares you as the bright ones while the rest are existential and gets enrolled in the Commerce stream. I fought hard to be amongst the best, but the outcome was laid to rest with some tough questioning in Chemistry, Physics and Maths.  And boy, that's when the theory struck me!

The science students made up the front rows of all school committees, they had the first right to open their mouth and also to shut ours. They represented our school in events and took center stage while we filled up the chairs full of pride written all over our face. Wish someone had guided me, that e=mc2 is not only mass and energy equivalence, but life, that would also get you dignified simplicity.

The college life was no different. The commerce stream, though had now considerable numbers and principles of its own with accounts and economics proved no match for the Science and Maths stream. Hence, the discriminations continued, with the B.Com students attending most of the political sermons, participate in boycott motions, control the common room from rival groups and forced to give attendance in every class, personally taken by the principal.

A newer segmentation emerged in the post grad scenario. The engineers decided to take up Finance and IT as specialisations and us the mediocre class got further marginalised for taking Marketing and Communications. And now grades came to play, CGPA, to be precise. We huffed and puffed semester after semester through complex systems of Financial Management and Quantitative skills. But somehow, our skills towards debate, quizzing, case study contests completely went unnoticed. It all boiled down to CGPA and it was a virtual walkover for them.

My consistency in experimenting with the bourgeois class mindset continued, as I chose to join Advertising. Once a very glamorous field, but eventualy transformed itself into randomised existence, that too till late nights. Investment Banker, CFA, CA, Brand Marketing, whizzed past me like noise. Creativity, communications, frameworks never got a chance against business models, adoption curve, credit rating principles and other benchmarked terms. Add to it, the aspirations of owning a car, marrying a good girl with better alimony, honeymoon, house, a pet followed by a child, everything was dreamt of, but reality had other plans.

And just when, I had a glimmer of hope, of owning a house, it almost got de-railed because wifey and me had submitted correct papers, paid out taxes and our developer too was found to be squeaky clean. The bank had de-prioritised our 'case' because it did not involve black money, illegal papers and a litigated developer. By this time, I was absolutely certain, I was paying a big price (and now interest) for being simply simple.

Here's the icing, now closer at home. The other day, heard my son say, 'Dad doesn't seem intelligent anymore!'. My ears strained, the conversation continued, 'He does not know how to play chess', I was dumbstruck. Till about last week, we had so much fun playing Ludo and I was declared the 'Best Dad'. Damn!

The Chaos of Silence

Ride in public transports deliver many a fascinating experiences, here's one of them. One particular day, the metro rail PA system within the coach wasn't working. As a result stations came in and went by, without the mandatory mentions. The people, being regular commuters, knew the station routes very well, in addition to ample signages to glare at, as the rakes rolled in respective stations, for identification. But guess what, every station there were quite a few commuters who just did not manage to get down at their respective stations. They realized their folly, only when the coach doors slid shut or when the next station came in. They cursed at the silent PA system for their misfortune. The whole journey was amusing looking at the chaos. But it has left me pondering, are our minds too much conditioned to routine.

No wonder, my mind is conditioned to the fact, that my day will start off by haggling with a auto driver and when on blessed days I finally get one auto who just flicks his meter on, no questions asked, for a moment I do not know how to react but I regain myself and manage to continue the fight asking him, 'aapka meter sahi hain na? garbar to nahin, bharosa nahi hota etc.

Further on, in an office environment, my mind (I guess the entire ad fraternity's) is conditioned to the fact that during pitches, work has to end up last minute. No last minute drama and no late nights means 'not a pitch winning' effort. But when I actually finished a pitch work a well one day in advance, i sweated and fretted that perhaps i missed portions of the brief, or their isn't much 'juice' in the deck, what if I add a few more data and the list went on. As a result my confidence level for that particular pitch went abysmally low.

Take my support for KKR. This was the most non-violent way to get back to my colleagues and friends in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad who believed (and still does),Kolkata as a city is a decayed one. For three years the glory eluded me and decay was settling into me as a supporter. But when the team finally showed some mettle this season, the feeling went from bad to worse, what if the KKR matches are fixed, so that SRK does not quit IPL. What's the guarantee, teams that are losing to KKR are actually being paid by SRK. All ill feelings laid to rest when KKR eventually got knocked out of the tournament. All's well with IPL!

Similarly, when we hear about politicians indulging in corruption, see a crowded bus or metro during office hour, stand in a long queue to get actual delivery of the 'online' movie ticket from the counter, shake our heads in disbelief when we get our salary cheques month on month, watch 'vulgar' reality shows in much detail and interest and end up discussing the level of vulgarity in TV animatedly...in all these perhaps we are very comfortable and glad it is part of our lives.

The familiarity of all these sights and sounds might make things very predictable in mind and we end up reacting in the exact manner the way we are meant to react. But at the same time makes us vulnerable. Like the metro commuters that day. Do we have the power of adaptability when things are not routine or the character to brace ourselves for occasions when things aren't exactly the same. Perhaps that's what set individuals apart.

I am not sure about others, but I have got some work to do on myself, missed not one, but two stations on that ill fated day. What the heck, bloody silence!

Losing Sleep over Career!

Had shared this on one of my FB updates, repeating it here as well,
Traveling in public transport (metro in my case) brings about a chance meeting with interesting sights and sounds. A T-shirt (worn by a young chap) had this on, 'Who says nothing is impossible, I have been doing nothing for years.'Amen.

I remember my school days, when my tantrums of getting out of bed early morning, was thwarted with the fact, that once I grow up (stand on my feet ) and mature out of school, then there is no stopping to my sleep (and eventually my dreams with it). I used jump up and count my days backward that moment on.

I did pass out of school, did mature, was about to nail the 'standing on your feet' part, when my folks who promised me the sleep, said that within a certain couple of weeks I need to get admitted in college through the forms for which one has to avail by standing in queue as early as 4 am. Dreams can wait, but college NO.

Form collected, duly filled but the sleep ditched yet again. Got admitted in the morning section of the college, a new journey minus the sleep and the dreams. 3 years and finally got a graduation, an Eureka moment...nah! By that time special classes on MBA started and as luck would have it, again a morning sessions.

MBA, three letters that promised to change one's world. What came in between (for me) was Quantitative Aptitude (QA). Morning sessions learnt QA and rest of the day struggld to figure out why wasn't QA an optional subject. In between the dreams did try to prod me, but couldn't find a pillow soon enough to elaborate.

Sat for the exam, got selected (no, not the IIMs), and got admitted. Folks became teary, as I was to travel out of home for the first time. Well, finally no one to disturb my sleep...but I was wrong. I may be leaving my folks behind but what I would be carrying was RESPONSIBILITY. From three letters to a whopping 14. I decided, this is it...another two years of my life and then I will sleep (and work) on my terms.

Passed out of PG college 'Responsibly' in 2003. Made some close friends, had some memorable experiences, learnt lessons on management and maintained that QA should not be part of such courses.

The moment arrived, got a job, time to break free, run riot, fulfill my unfinished dreams...guess what, landed up in advertising. A professions where you are paid to survive if you loose your sleep (and sometimes mind).

Have been in advertising since then, meeting clients, seeing brands grow, bust and go haywire. Met people with varied backgrounds and experiences, got accolades and brickbats, but never got the sleep or the dream back.

Went home town recently, reached around 10.30am. To my surprise saw my youngest sibling, who is in college still snoring away. Looked at the same very people (my folks), this is what they had to say, 'He was practicing on his drums whole night, his band has three performances in the town today, let him sleep'

The message on the T Shirt flashed in front of my eyes!

The Politics of Rajneeti

Enjoyed the movie last weekend. Or rather admitted to the context set by the movie.



What Rajneeti the movie showcased in the realism of a political set up, is perhaps what we as individuals subscribe in our everyday lives. Sometimes knowingly, sometimes unknowingly.



Politics is something which embraces us the moment we learn to register things in our mind. Otherwise how do you explain a toddler to react differently when a mom is around and when a dad is around. People will say affection, I reckon its a political mind game. Or how do you explain the reaction of a parent when their son does well in exams and earn affection and goodies and a contrast reaction when he doesn't and all hell breaks loose. Again people would say emotional outburst, I reckon it is social politics.



I remember my dad once say, that the amount he is paying for my MBA, is a kind of investment. One would squirm hearing this, but its true. He is ensuring that by investing money into my education he is anticipating a social security, for me and for himself when he grows old. Again a political stand.



In an office scenario, where we tend to spend he maximum time of our life, we end up discussing, bitching, sharing and forwarding information and conversations that suit our beliefs. Nowhere is our action independent of the political mindset, we all end up prejudiced.



We love to hear about politics, read about politics and end up discussing politics. Worse, at the end of it all we curse at politics as well.



When we look back at history, across reference points, be it mythology, civilizations, sports, war etc., all revolution and evolution was a result of a political spar.



Infact when Adam took the fruit from the Tree of Eden, was it his naiveness or it was God's political will to allow it knowing that it was as it was meant to be. Human kind might have never known what suffering and pain is (which eventually followed) and God would have never been remembered so much if Adam stayed on course.



So politics is perhaps what completes us and brings out the 'humane' factor in us. What differentiates us from another is not exactly the looks, the color, the success, but the degree of politics that we indulge in.



While we empathise with Samar of Rajneeti and sympathise with Indu of Rajneeti, subconsciously perhaps we all know that we too are an intrinsic part of Rajneeti.