Life sans TV

Visitors to our home never fail to note one thing: the television; or to be more precise, the lack of it. They try to determine its existence in a number of places; and having failed to do so; venture to ask THE question: Don’t you have a TV?

No, we answer, knowing the effect that it would have. The visitors are at first amused, thinking we are just kidding; and then appalled, when they realize that we are in fact revealing the truth, and nothing but the truth.

We do not have a TV; and have no plans to acquire one; at least in the short term.

I have been living away from my home for more than 7 years now; first for the studies, and then for job.  There has never been a TV in any of my accommodations and frankly, nor there has been any shortage of things to be done… there are books to read; blogs to write, movies to watch. There are some good friends to spend time talking to.

One person who could have changed this would have been my wife. In fact, after getting married, I was almost prepared to buy a TV. But it came as a surprise – a pleasant one at that – when she herself vehemently opposed having the device in the house.

Not that either of us dislikes watching TV. If the mood reigns, we could easily spend days and nights watching any damn thing being broadcast. But as of now, we don’t wish to. We visit multiplexes once a month, and occasionally catch a movie on the laptop. These days, almost everything from TV is available as DVDs… and if not, it can be downloaded from the Internet!

This is not to condemn the TV. It is a powerful medium; one that can educate, entertain and inspire. But, it is also too tempting to resist for long.

However, things might change a bit. We are planning to get a wide-screen and a DVD player so as to enjoy the English titles at their best.

Till then, the visitors would have to contend with either talking with us or reading some magazines. There are quite a few of them.  

Stars shine down...

Last month, on 25th May, Infospectrum, the company I work for as a technical writer, felicitated me as Star Performer in Quality and Process Services category, at the hands of Jay Chopde, CEO of Infospectrum. Other categories, in which awards were handed out, were: Engineering, Management, Business Development and Support Services.


I would be a hypocrite to say I wasn't happy to be felicitated. However, the thought of being selected had never occurred to me, and in fact, barely minutes before the awards were declared, I was at my machine, working on an urgent deliverable that was to be submitted an hour later. So, the awards came as a pleasant surprise.

My tenure so far in this company has seen me working on almost all the major projects across diverse domains (marine logistics to satellite imaging to security software to business intelligence), on various platforms (Windows, Linux, and a bit of work on Mac), working with teams of various sizes (comprising from 5 to more than 30 people). Work has sometimes been challenging, sometimes relaxed; nevertheless, it has always been fun working with some smart people!

But, of course, there is a tinge of dissatisfaction: it could have been better. My deliverables could have been better, my work-process could have been more efficient, my interaction with the team could have been more productive. There is a huge scope for improvement and to make things better.

Perhaps, I should better sit down and start reading "Better", written by my current favourite author: Atul Gawande.

Check it out!

[This is a companion blog-post to my review of The Checklist Manifesto, which can be read at GReviewz. For a technical writer's perspective on checklist, visit ByteSpace.]

Reading The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande has been a satisfying experience. Not because the book gave me a new insight or approach. It doesn't. But it validated something that I have been following over the years: using checklists.

I must have got this trait from my father. He is a very methodical man, very painstakingly so. We have never seen him miss out on any aspect of a process or a transaction. He is always very clear about which step he is at, what needs to be done next, which documents will be needed, whom he needs to meet, and so on. He has never come back from an office because he didn't carry the necessary papers with him.

Whenever the family goes out for an outing, he is the one to close the house. This seemed easy, until we had to do it ourselves in his absence; and invariably we would miss out on something: forgetting to keep the milk in the refrigerator or forgetting to close the knob of the gas regulator.

As I watched him, it became clear that he followed some kind of checklist, albeit from the memory.

I created my first checklist as a student: an exam checklist. It listed the things needed to appear for a paper: the writing pad, the Camlin compass box with all the necessary instruments, extra pens and pencils, and so on. It proved immensely useful: never did I have to borrow anything in the exam hall.

After finishing the studies, I joined my first company. Living alone, it soon became a chore to get all the necessary accessories in place before leaving for the office. This was when I created a checklist based on a Marathi acronym: मोरूचा पापा  which meant: मो (Mobile), रूमाल (Handkerchief), चावी (Keys), पाकीट (Wallet), and पास (Gatepass). I still follow a more enhanced version of this.

A friend of mine often chided me for using these kind of checklists, saying such "simple things should be obvious". Well..... HP, if you are reading this and still feel so, do check out  The Checklist Manifesto.

There ain't no shame in usin' checklists.

Climate Change is for real

The scorching summer is here.
After a brief respite of a few days, which saw a pleasant cloudy weather, the mercury is rising again. SuryaNarayan (the Sun God) is playing with great consistency, with the last few temperatures reading 44-deg Celsius, 46-deg C, and 45-deg C. At this rate, He is bound to score a half century by the end of this month.

The heat is affecting the daily life in some remarkable ways.
Clothes get dry in a matter of 30 minutes. Chapattis turn brittle like papad if left out for more than a few hours. A significant number of people are suffering from sunstrokes and sunburns. Earlier, my understanding of these two maladies was that they could be cured in a matter of hours with sufficient rehydration. However, it seems their effects can last for more than a week, with the patient suffering from repeated vomiting and headache. In fact, some major hospitals have created chambers in which the victims are kept in a specially created environment for days  to get them back to normal.


And this is true not only of Nagpur, where people are habitual to 40-deg+ temperatures (and discuss it with some pride!). The coastal regions such as Konkan and Goa too are experiencing a never-seen-before heat-wave. In Goa, the temperature usually hovers in the range of 28-deg C to 34-deg C; but these days it has regularly been touching 38-deg C mark.

The first and foremost thing that we can do..
...in our little capacity as individuals, is water conservation and water recycling. No faulty and leaking taps, no mindless overturning of buckets. It is infuriating to see people washing their cars (and even porches) on a daily basis with pure drinking water. One must pause and think before spilling each and every drop of this precious liquid.

(Photo Courtsey: Manjusha)

We need to take utmost care of our little ones and senior citizens, as they are most susceptible to heat strokes. It is better to avoid exposing them to any outdoor activity during the day time; but if it cannot be avoided (due to marriage season and such), they need to be well-covered all the time.


Animals too suffer a lot during this harsh weather. We can place a bowl of water on our terraces (for birds), or a container out in the compound (for cats and dogs).

Around five years ago,
I had read a novel named "State of Fear". In it, the author Michael Crichton had argued that the hue and cry over environment change was mostly a propaganda promoted by some vested interests to create a 'state of fear' in the public mind, with little hard evidence to support it.

Well, looking around at the scenario today, Mother Earth seems to have proved Mr. Crichton completely wrong. To believe that environment has not been remarkably -- and perhaps even irreversibly -- affected would be to live in a state of denial.

Climate change is indeed for real, and it is here to stay.

Pride and Prestige

He had a good voice. He sang for the college band as the lead singer, and won many competitions.

Then one fine day, he was unceremoniously dropped in favour of a new kid, who necessarily didn’t have a better voice than him, but had better connections. After all, that was what really mattered.

However, it didn’t work out. The new entrant was booed by the audience, and was lucky enough to be only showered with catcalls. (Rotten tomatoes weren’t allowed into the auditorium.)

He (the original singer) didn’t have any idea of this; he had chosen to stay away from the whole thing.

Two days later, the professor heading the cultural committee and the band leader came to see him.

“Son,” said the professor, “You need to come back to the band.”

He shook his head, “I am sorry, I won’t.”

“But you must!” burst out the band leader. “We have inter-collegiate band competition coming up next month, and as the defending champions, if we don’t put up a good show, we would lose face!”

“You heard me.” He said flatly.

“Surely for the pride of college-“

“Don’t give me that nonsense” he snapped. “College as an institution is emotionless. It has neither a sense of pride nor prestige. It is your collective pride that’s at stake; you are worried that you would lose face.

When you chose that chap over me, you obviously didn’t give a damn about my pride. Now, I have decided to put my pride and self-esteem above that of yours, or that of the college, any way you choose to see it.”

Sach is Life!

Sachin Tendulkar played an amazing innings of 200 not out in the 2nd ODI against South Africa at Gwalior. In the process he broke the long-standing record of highest runs in an ODI innings (194) earlier held by Saeed Anwar against India. More significantly, Sachin also became the only player in ODI history to score a double century in a single innings. 


Poor MS Dhoni.. He too played an blistering innings of 68 not out in just 35 balls, but with the every six and four he hit, 30,000 spectators in the stadium (lucky them!) and millions watching around the world groaned and cursed, and urged him to give the strike to the Little Master.


Kudos to Sachin for making India proud, not just once but time and again. As much as the records, what is equally appealing - and more inspiring - is the silent determination and the calm resolve with which he faces every challenge. In a world full of pompous airbags, here is a giant who remains humble inspite of scaling the pinnacle of success in every possible way.

विक्रमांचा महामेरू

भारतीय क्रिकेटचा आधारू

मास्टर ब्लास्टर

या धरतीवरी
फलंदाज ऐसा नाही
क्रिकेटमध्ये आनंद राही
तुम्हाकारणे

कित्येक गोलंदाज संहारीला
कित्येकांसी घाम फोडीला
नवीन लोकांसी प्रेरणा जाहला
सचिन रमेश तेंडुलकर

It has been famously said that "when Sachin plays, even God watches from the heaven."
That's wrong.

When Sachin plays, God isn't watching from the heaven. He is out there on the crease, wielding the bat.

Salaam.. Dr Kalam!

In 2000, I read “Wings of Fire”. The next year, I read “Ignited Minds”, and a year later, “India: Vision 2020”.

The common thing among these immensely inspiring titles was its author: Dr APJ Abdul Kalam… one of the most famous scientists of India, and the most popular President of the country.

Until yesterday, it seemed a rather impossible dream to see and listen to Dr Kalam. But it was realized rather suddenly, when he came to inaugurate “Technovision” festival of SRKNEC. Ms Kirti Deo, my sister-in-law who studies there, managed to get a VIP pass, and we had an 11th-row view of the whole function.

The motorcade arrived at 10:15 AM. Even among the sea of people, it was easy to spot Dr Kalam, with his trademark silver locks and the grey Safari suit. On his arrival, the audience gave him a standing ovation, and all eyes were fixed on his every move.

In his speech, Dr Kalam spoke of empowering the nation through technology. He talked of his vision of making India a developed nation by the year 2020, and gave a 10-point strategy to achieve it. He detailed the PURA (Provision of Urban amenities to Rural Areas) mission, a recent initiative launched by Govt of India. He advised the students to have a systems approach (systems design, systems integration and systems management), suggested the faculty members to focus on the technologies of the future (such as nanotechnology and intelligent biotechnology).

Getting briefly into his favourite role of a teacher, he asked the audience questions about inventors and their inventions, and when the crowd gave right answers every time, chuckled, “Amazing students”.

He talked about success and failure, and administered an oath to “work with integrity and succeed with integrity.”

For a person of 80 years of age, Dr Kalam exhibited a physical fitness and mental sharpness that was quite amazing. He walked briskly; spoke firmly and even admonished a lensman who was insolent enough to be talking in a high voice. His speech was interspersed with light humour. When the students promised him they will live up to the oath, he said, "Your parents will be watching you!"

The function ended with national anthem, and it felt great to be singing it alone with this great son of this soil.

“Wings of Fire” only details his life-span up to 1991. Dr Kalam went on to become Chief Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minster and oversaw the Buddha Smiling Again at Pokhran in May 1998. In 2002, he became the eleventh President of India. I hope he comes out with another volume of his auto-biography in which he shares his experiences in these high-profile positions.

Dr Kalam, Dr R A Mashelkar, Dr Anil Kakodkar… These people are epitome of excellence in their fields, be it missile technology, polymer chemistry, or nuclear science. Listening to them is always an intellectually enriching experience, one that pulls us out from our dreary routine and makes us have some faith in human resilience to beat all odds.

Turning 30...

Last week, I was chatting with a friend, and she vexed eloquent about Ishaan, her cousin. He is all of five  three years old (thankfully) and yet seems to be really sharp for his age. I said something to the effect about the next generation already beating us in smartness. And she said, "Next generation? Oh yes, you are now an old man!"

I was rather confused for a moment... And then it hit me.

Last month, I turned 30.

“So what?” the younger lot among you might say.

“We understand... Join the club” the elderly among you will say.

One doesn’t take much notice when one completes the teenage years and turns 20. We are all too fascinated with ourselves, and eager to set the world in proper shape. We pride ourselves on our ideas, blissfully unaware that most of them have already been tried, tested and either implemented or failed. We just can’t wait to enter the twenties and take charge of our lives.

Stepping across to the thirties is a sobering experience. The mist lifts from the eyes, and reality kicks in. One by one, you begin to discover what you are capable of, and equally importantly, what you aren’t as capable of as you once thought.

Moreover, a significant large among us are married by 29-30 years. And quite frankly, the spouses have a special way of getting us on the ground level, turning us more humane from our demi-god image (mostly in our own mind).

And the funny thing is... You sense the change yourselves. You no longer enjoy doing things you once used to.

Some doors close for you, be it IITs or civil service. And it is said that, as a mathematician, if you don’t come up your best work by early twenties, you are finished. For someone whose dream (okay, okay... one of the dreams) was to be a mathematician/physicist, it is quite heart-wrenching.

If the teenage years are about enjoyment, and the twenties are about education, the thirties are about endurance; we supposed to be more mature, more responsible, and more serious towards life.

It’s not that we are not supposed to make mistakes, but we are expected to learn from them.

The past decade has been quite a roller-coaster ride, a sine wave. There are a few things that I did right, and some things I could have done better. And there are a lot many things I should have done, but didn’t manage to.

And...ah, yes... There are things I shouldn’t have done, but did them anyway... Mostly out of ignorance or immaturity. I have my share of regrets.

A couple of weeks ago, we visited the Ramkrishna Math in the city. Standing before the huge statue of Swami Vivekananda, I could only think of a line from this great Warrior Monk:

“God, give me the courage to change the things I can,

Strength to bear the things I cannot;

... and wisdom to be able to distinguish between the two.”

Laus Deo.