Coffee breaks

You know, we keep having this discussion about how in India (atleast in the IT industry) people tend to stay late at office every single day. I have always believed it is just because the productivity is so low during the 'official' 8 hrs that people have to stay back to catch up. And the coffee breaks are probably a big contributor to this. But it is actually good that way.

Here, in Germany, I keep finding that a bunch of we Indians are the only ones who really go sit in the coffee room, have a leisurely chat for about 15-20 min (In India, I used to do this for a min 30 min) then slowly walk back to our rooms. The others just come, pick up the coffee and go back to their computers.

I, for one, believe, these breaks are quite healthy on 2 counts. One, we dont spend all the time looking at the monitor all day long and get the blood circulating in our body...:) (that's a real lousy excuse)

The 2nd thing is in the 'team building' area. I think people are becoming much 2 impersonal with all the virtual teams and distributed locations. There is no more 'fun' at the workplace. At least in the coffee room, you will hopefully talk about the more important things in life like 'whether Will Smith's acting in Hitch was good or not...should ganguly be dropped from the team..etc'.

Gone are the days when companies used to sponsor these team bonding lunches or parties. So I believe the next best thing is to find ur buddies over a coffee in office.

So coming back to my initial statement, it is good to go get your coffee and take a long time while doing it. Now move!!!

Back to Work

Oh!! It's so boring to be back at work after a good 4 day weekend. Arent there enough jobs in the world that can pay me for not doing anything?

Today is a bloodbath too with the number of meetings I have been attending and one coming up at 7pm too.

I always have this theory that the more you grow in management hierarchy, the more pointless meetings you attend. In fact, that is probably the only thing you do.

Maybe I am becoming 'management'. Dont know if I really like it.

Berlin - A Travelogue

So finally did manage to go to Berlin for the Easter vacation. I thought a travelogue was very much for the asking.
Berlin is a bundle of contrasts and contradictions. But to be fair, Berlin is a city that has gone through a lot. 2 wars which almost ruined the city, a rule that saw organized murder in the millions and then the worst that could ever happen to a city, being divided as spoils of war to the ‘saviours’. Throughout the Cold War, the city went through the motions of existing as 2 different worlds within the city even though all that separated them was the Wall and Checkpoint Charlie (which was the US side of the border).

I don’t think I can remember any recent event that has so dominated a city as the tearing down of the wall (9/11 was one of those). There is this photograph where the US zone and the USSR zone meet in Berlin showing the tanks of both sides came to a head-on. I think that photo tells volumes of what the city went through. The wall came up as a result of this confrontation. It also tells us how the world was so very bipolar during those days.

Circa 1989 saw the fall of the Wall and along with one of the oldest governance models. By then, the West (read as Allied forces) led by the US had decided that Berlin was to be the demonstration forum for the success of the capitalist model. So today, we see West Berlin as different as East Berlin as they wanted it to be. West Berlin is full of the skyscrapers that are part of any major city all made possible through the billions of dollars pumped in whereas East Berlin has the history spots in different stages of reconstruction starving for funds and in more ways than one, a bundle of confusion.

Berlin is not a beautiful city. In fact it is an ugly one. Half-done constructions in the middle of a lot of beautiful squares are a blot on the eye. As I understand, the Government is still trying to come up with the millions of Euros required to finish all the construction. However, today, the city is still in a transition mode 16 years after the wall came down. Add to it the nearly 20% employment figures. We get an assortment of problems.

The other thing that is unsaid but present all around you is the ‘national guilt’ about the Holocaust. Everything associated with that episode in history has been so subtly maintained in Berlin. It is almost as if the German public is trying to tell the world ‘Get a life. We want to move on!!’. But of course, the millions of tourists are coming there to understand the world as it was between 1933 and 1945. There is not a single sign which says Hitler’s bunkers. It is only due to the tour guide that we came to know of it. I think it is definitely a painful experience for the German public to be reminded of this episode every day of their lives.

I believe the night life in Berlin is arguably one of the best amongst European cities. I think it is a fun place. As our guide was repeating so many times, Bavarians think of the Berliners as a decadent group. Anyway it was good to visit the capital of Germany and see for myself what the Cold War meant. I have heard this word used in so many contexts but to see in actual reality, the way it worked, was definitely an experience.


US & USSR forces meet at Checkpoint Charlie. This confrontation led to the creation of the wall


A sign of Berlin's commercialisation. Note the ad!!

Even more low-cost airlines

We haveYet Another Low Cost Airline coming up. Companies are being started in quick succession with not so much of a thought to the real business model. As on today, the market is booming & large. So it probably still has the bandwidth to accomodate many more players. I wonder how Jet is going to respond to these low-cost guys mushrooming.

Hey, make the money while the sun shines...would like to really see how many of these guys are going to be still there 5 yrs down the line.

But I guess, while the party lasts, the consumer is the winner.

Vicious or Virtuos Cycle?

The Cycle of Competition is such an interesting one especially in the Tech sector. This post is sparked off by 2 events that happened.
Y'day Yahoo bought Flickr. Today HP buys Snapfish both of them online photo sharing business.

But Yahoo & HP are not in this business and were not really true competition to each other until now. But we have got enough names to reckon with.

Kodak is already into this space. Sony has its Imagestation. Kodak is also getting into printing including photo quality paper which is HP turf. HP is going strong on digital cameras which is Sony territory which, by the way, was initially Canon/Nikon zone. Oh!! it's a coincidence Canon makes printers too which brings us back to HP....

I could go on for ever this way....I mean, is there a differentiation between markets, manufacturers, service providers too?
Everybody is trying to be everybody offering everything....It's an exciting time, I think....but I wonder who will come out on tops at the end of it all....the focused or the diversified....

To Visa or Not to Visa

Can't let him in. It seems like the ghost of Godhra will not let Modi in peace. Now in the form of the US government.
No hard feelings, apparently

It seems the world is just getting smaller everyday. There is nothing which escapes the eyes of the Big Brother.

I can remember the times when India was this 3rd world country situated somewhere in Asia (for the US)!!

A satisfying Day's work

Had the most pointless day at work. Chatted with a friend for about 2hrs in the morning. Sent about 14 emails in the space of 1 hr with another friend in the evening & not one word making sense.

Today was the day of the blues with all parties asking questions like 'What am I doing in life?', 'Is this what I want to do?'. I think this is what they call 'mid-life crisis' (albeit a trifle earlier)

Finally made up my mind to travel to Berlin for the Easter weekend and did the bookings. So something to look forward to for this week.

Y'day did manage to watch couple of movies Citizen Kane (probably one of the movies that has been on every 'Greatest Movies of All Time' List) and Nuovo Cinema Paradiso.

Citizen Kane came out in 1941. I am still grappling with it and trying to figure out what made this movie so iconic. Maybe as they say in this comment, it will grow on me.

Cinema Paradiso (ranked only 107th in IMDB)...I have no words for this movie. To me, this is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Brilliant peformances, great music...excellent screenplay. After 'Life is Beautiful', this is the second Italian movie I have seen.

Technology - Too much at times

As I read this post on Camera phones from Kaps another thought comes to my mind.

Can there be something called 'too much technology'?

I mean, today if we are going on a field trip or vacation, we could possibly have a mobile-PDA-media player, laptop, memory sticks, digital cameras, camcorders, gadgets to make all of these talk to each other. It's such a maze. Sometimes I think, why cant life be a little simpler and mind you, I am not a complete techno-ignoramus (for want of a better word)

I am wondering if at some point people will just say 'I have had enough of this'. I am going on a technology-free vacation. Kind of brings to a point I raised some time ago with my colleagues.

Is there a market for resorts which go with the tagline 'We keep you away from technology?' and charge a bomb for these resorts?
I have a feeling that in 5-10 yrs (or maybe sooner), we probably will have such an audience.

Yet another lunch discussion

Today we had this discussion about whether managers should expect their team members to provide their personal mobile numbers and how it is related to the work ethics in India. I, for one, believe, is a matter of principle that your manager does not call you on a Saturday or after office hours unless it is of earth-shaking importance.

Of course there is always that amount of subjectivity involved in deciding what is a Priority 1 issue. I believe, in India, people quickly make the choice and call up out of office hours. So I think it is important to put the message across at a very early stage that you are not available at the beck and call of the company.

BUT it is VERY important that you do your work well while in office.

Got a forward which is related to this in some sense:
"FW: Just a piece of advice

It's half past 8 in the office but the lights are still on..PCs
still runnning, coffee machines still buzzing..and whose at work..Most of them?? Take a closer look.. All or most specimens are 20-something male species of the human race..look closer..again all or most of them are bachelors..and why are they sitting late? Working hard? No way!! Any guesses?? lets ask one of them..Here's what he says.."Arey yaar, whatz there 2 do after goin home..idhar to net hein, AC hein, phone hein, khaana hein, coffee hein.. to jam ke khaao, jam ke piyo(burps), jam se chatting/phone karo aur thak jaane par ghar jaao...aur boss bhi kush that i am working late...(burps) aur khaane ka paisa bhi bachtaa hein."

This is the scene in most software companies and other off-shore offices. Bachelors "time-passing" during late hours in the office just bcoz they say they've nothing else to do..Now what r the consequences.. read on..."working"(for the record only) late hours soon becomes part of the company culture. With bosses more than eager to provide support to those "working" late in the form of taxi vouchers, food vouchers and of course good feedback,(oh, he's a hardworker..goes home only to change..!!) they arent helping things too..To hell with bosses who dont understand the difference between "sitting" late and "working" late!! Very soon, the managers start expecting all employees to put in extra working hours. My dear Bachelor bhaais let me tell you, life changes when u get married and start having a family..office is no longer a prioroty, family is..and thats when the problem starts.bcoz u start having commitments at home too. For your boss, the earlier "hardworking" guy suddenly seems to become a "early leaver" even if u leave an hour after regular time..after doing the same amount of work, People leaving on time after doing ther taks for the day are labelled as work-shirkers..Girls who thankfully always leave on time are labelled as "not up to it". All the while, the bachelors pat their own backs and carry on "working" not realising that they r spoiling the work culture at their own place and never realise that they wuld have to regret at one point of time.

So bhaai log, what's the moral of the story.?? Very clear, LEAVE ON TIME!! Never put in extra time unless really needed. Dont stay back un-necessarily and spoil your company work culture which will in turn cause inconvenience to you and your colleagues. There are hundred other things to do in the evening.. Learn music..Learn a foreign language..Try go-karting... Get a girl friend, take her around town. And for heaven's sake net cafe rates have dropped to an all-time low(plus, no fire-walls) and try cooking for a change.

Take a tip from the Smirnoff ad: "Life's calling, where are you??" Please pass on this message to all those colleagues whom you know stay back in office for everything other than work. And please do it before leaving time, dont stay back till midnight to forward this!! "

So what do people think? Are managers justified in asking for personal mobile numbers of their employees?

Bangalore vs Rest Of India

Today at our lunch table, I had an interesting conversation (rather argument) with a couple of the 'born, bread and buttered' in Bangalore folks. It is always interesting to talk to such people who feel that the 'immigrants' population is increasing at such a pace that the old Bangalore (..with nostalgic eyes) is being lost. One of them actually went on as much to say that the 'outsiders' should be charged a premium so that they dont come in such large hordes. The other mentioned that the Govt. should be happy the 'Wipros' & Infys are going on to other cities

Me, being the eternal capitalist, did not agree completely. I believe that the Govt has absolutely nothing to do in this. If the Govt does not do their job well, the world will just find a better alternative whether they like it or not. That is how the 'market' works. Today, Bangalore has become such an expensive city to live in. At a point, when companies find it too costly to set up shop here, they will just find other alternatives. Now that the other cities (Chennai, Pune, Kolkata etc) are bucking up, I think the trend has begun. A Rediff article on the Real Estate prices in other locations

Well, my Bangalore friends think that the city is so far ahead of time that it will take a long time for a viable alternative. It is almost similar to the way in which the whole Indian IT industry refuses to look at China as a formidable competitor. To me, it seems the other states are getting their acts together and coupled with the problems in Blore, we might really see some momentum outside of Hosur Road, Blore 560100.

There have been quite a number of articles on being 'Bangalored'...but the question is how long before realization dawns?

But on a side note...what is this obsession with 'my' city, my way thing?
Any comments, anybody?

Cribs@Work

I just discovered that I have yet to crib about work. It seems like I am failing my blog. Maybe my next post will be a good crib.

You know what! I have nothing to really crib about. It's not as if I am doing the most exciting job in the world. I guess I just have become too cynical to really care. I read somewhere that a lot of people in the quest for finding the perfect job just forget to enjoy the 'present' trying to carve out a better 'future'. I have gone through that phase when I used to spend a lot of time wondering what was happening. Now I dont really think that much about this.
Am just trying to have a good time...

Of Saravana Bhavans

Now in CNN, there is this whole saga of Lebanon-Syria thing going on with the US or rather Bush making the right noises about how the Middle East is going through this 'reform process' and trudging towards democracy which is the only accepted form of governance in the world today (according to the White House). Of course, the US (& its allies..Bush's words) are determined to push the agenda of democracy. But today I wanted to make a note on a different perspective.

America bashers, by itself, would probably form the largest population in the world given the manner in which Bush is pissing off people all around. But I am wondering on a different line...Why do so many people hate the US? It could be for the simple reason that they are successful and have come up with a system which kills the inefficient and allows the efficient to prosper. The rest of the world is coming with grips with how to manage the growth....and how to ensure that they create a healthy system within their environment. It may have nothing to do with the form of government or even oil.

My fear is that it is not the military power or the economic power of the US that the rest of the world should be paranoid about. I think it is the cultural eclipsing that is happening all around the globe. I mean..think of it...probably more than half the world is eating a Big Mac and the other half is hoping to eat one soon. Of course, the Big Mac is the same everywhere. What is happening is that, you go anywhere in the world, you accost the same Big Mac and Burger King, drive the same Fords or Chevrolets rented from Hertz or Avis, stay at the same Hyatt or Marriott hotels...Oh, I could go on...After a few years, we will probably not even remember what was truly Indian and what was an import.

I was reading this book by Thomas Freidman (NYT journalist) called 'The Lexus and the Olive Tree' where he mentions an anecdote. A Chinese kid goes to the US along with his parents. He see a McD and remarks to his mom 'Hey Mom, they have a McD here also in the US'. That is exactly what is happening. Our next generation will grow seeing the McDs and figure these are so much a part of the Indian culture. That is, I think, the true danger from the US (I am putting them as proxy for globalization which is not completely unfair since the US companies are the ones which are benefiting the most).

So coming back to where I started, I think part of the America bashing comes out of this feeling of helplessness that is being felt in different societies. Each of the societies react differently. We have the Left parties in India crying hoarse, some elements in the Middle East trying out violent means etc. It may have nothing political or economic about it..(although I have a suspicion that the US does try a little too hard for oil).

So then what is the way for us in the 'rest of the world'? I think it is stupid to think that we can stop this phenomenon from happening. So the only way to keep this in check is to believe in the strength of your traditions and culture and try all that is possible to keep it going. And this does not mean, not allowing McD to set up shop. It just means that have the idlis and dosas twice a week if you are going to McD for the rest of the week. Of course ensure our children also get to eat the dosas and the idlis regularly.

That is why I think our generation has an important role to play at least in the case of India since we are the ones spearheading this transformation.

Long live Saravana Bhavan!!!

Movies & Popcorns

So I am trying to figure out new ways of amusing myself in Munich. So the latest is this English Video library. The movie freak that I am, I have missed out watching English movies here. So now I joined this video library. My first 2 movies have been great.

'The Remains of the Day', a Merchant-Ivory production that won Oscars for Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson is the story of an English butler who believes in the dignity of the position of the butler in a traditional English castle. I thought it was brilliant. The movie is based on the book by the same name written by Kazuo Ishiguro, a Booker prize winner. The complexity of the character was brilliant. He is the person who feels attracted to this Emma Thompson character who joins the household as the housekeeper but just cant get himself to really make the next step of conveying it. He seeks protection in the guise of his butler position and retain the 'dignity' of the position. Brilliant acting!!!

The other movie, yet another Oscar winner was 'The Piano' which earned the Best Actress award for Holly Hunter. Somewhere earlier I had mentioned this movie as one of my favorite soundtracks. It truly is. The music is so haunting. The character of Holly, Ada is this dumb lady whose only connection to the world is the piano. I thought this movie was brilliantly directed using the power of silence. I believe it is so much easier to tell a tale through words or visuals. But when you have no words and only the power of expression to tell the tale, that is so powerful and obviously you need a powerful performer to deliver the goods. This movie, I had viewed years ago. But even back then, I felt that this movie was brilliant.

Sometimes, a good movie really makes your day!! But a good movie is as rare as......(well I didn't get a good analogy to go with it...but I guess you get the drift...)