Bring a smile!!!

 Its been a week since when the world felt different. It all started when I open the balcony door on Marine Drive and the sea took over!

The GPTW awards were unreal, the excitement in office gang reassured me that the efforts were worth it, the morning walk filled my lungs, the singer on marine drive filled my heart with hope, the darshan at Siddhivinayak gave me faith, ferry to elephanta gave me some sleep (trust me I had given up on sleep), the weekend with friends not only got me out of self-doubt but also gave me incredible feeling of lightness and completeness (yes, im a oxymoron), the morning walks with wifey helped strengthening the connect, the conversations with friends gave genuine laughter and the evening chats with kiddo filled me with love and hope 😍

I couldn't have asked for a better week specially when the previous few months have been tough. I feel so humbled by the experience and thought I should show my gratitude by writing about it. And writing helps make it more concrete. So hoping for many more such weeks and the strength to face the ones which are not so good. Afterall life is what happens between those beautiful pics we take!!!

So here it goes, thank you to all who made this week incredible and especially to whoever is watching out for me (Im sure there is someone up there who is doing it, not sure what I did to deserve it 😉) and getting me out of difficult situations with such awesome days!!!

This has bought a genuine smile to my face and I hope it did the same to those who were around!!! Cheers!

End of an Era!!!

Today is a end of an era of a great leader at my workplace. I first met PM 3.5 yrs ago when I was sent to have a quick discussion with my mentor/leader from my previous company. After a 1.5 hr long interview, I was convinced that I wanted to work with PM. There was something in the way he spoke, it was precise and had care and an instant connection. I kept joking that it was probably the surnames that sound/spells ridiculously similar. The next time we met was Mar 2019 just after the takeover in a restaurant in UB city. The conversation was great and I was offered a job the next day.

By the time I joined in June, I had met the team a couple of times. I felt completely at home from day 1 as I knew most of the leaders and I was on the job. Within a couple of weeks, I traveled to meet the global leadership team in UK and Ireland. PM was there to guide me to meet the right people and have a consistent message.  I managed to grab a few drinks with him on the famous Dublin pub street. He was very unlike Irish, to start with he did not have more than 2 beers and he spoke a lot about his family and his journey through the decades of working. 

It was so good to listen to those stories. One of them was about how small the world is. He traveled to Australia and was sitting in a dinner after meeting a client when he got to talk to a guy who was 20 yrs younger. While they were chatting, he realized the boy was the son of his first manager in Ireland. What a small world!

Once I was back in India, I had to get involved into one of the worst projects of my life. Not because it was complex, but because the India team was blamed for the disaster. I was sent to UK for damage control and within a week I had realised the project was in very bad shape with nothing completed and we were in UAT. PM visited us at the client and asked me how it was going. After hesitating I told him it was not good and our team have no clue about it. PM calls the Program Head and says 'Gavin, Ravi here thinks your BB project will not work. We do not understand the client requirements. I want to close the project if that is the case. What do you say?'. I was so uncomfortable in that situation and you later told me how it was intentional to make me have difficult conversations. I have come a long way since then and able to have honest conversations with people even if it puts me on a spot or makes me vulnerable. Im getting real good at it and PM is one of the main reasons for this improvement 😆

PMs attention to detail was incredible. He would read every word of the presentation and ask me 100s of questions. He would get frustrated if it did not make sense or add up. Anything other than perfect was not acceptable. In a way he made me read everything and ensure I understood it properly. It was the training I went through to understand numbers, people, projects, etc. I am able to tell all the projects, people, and work that we do without even flinching now!!!

He is a people person all throughout and knew every employee's name. I was stunned and asked him how does he do it. He said he would take time to write down who he will meet the next day and remember the names, and soon it would become a natural habit. It was not some genius memory but hard work at play.  

He pushed us to look at the detail, helped us to navigate the new world and had our back if we failed. He was our biggest ambassador and critique. There are so many episodes I can talk about where he made me a better leader. When I got to know that he is leaving, I did not know how to process it as he was our bridge to V1. Then i realised he wanted something new after 11 yrs of grueling work which is fair enough. He has built a legacy for us to carry on. The GPTW rank 1 was a testimony of his hard work and belief in us. He always said we are the best team and we worked hard to prove him right.

I gave him the elephants and the wooden frame behind as a parting gift. He was gracious enough to find a place for them in his house. The frame had the words 'Thank you for being the matriarch and teaching us to find new waterholes, identifying danger, being together to fight the enemy. You will always be our mother elephant!!' Yes, that is what he was for me, a mother who gave us a difficult time to learn, nurtured us when we were hurt and let us fly in the open skies and saw us soar with success.

It is an end of an era in V1, a great leader is moving on and we wish him the best of the future. He deserves a good break to rejuvenate, do what he likes and pick up something new.

Thank you Mr Meany for everything and more!!!

PS: it is not the end of my conversations with PM, he was excited to accept my request to mentor me and guide me with his vast experience. Looking forward to the non-V1 perspective of PM!!! 

The below were my words to PM in his year book:

Hi Paddy,

 I am a bit emotional writing this note as it took me a while to digest you will not be around in Version1. I still remember the conversations I had with you before joining Version 1 and your passion for work. I don’t know if it was the matching surnames, I had a instant connect with you which has remained till date and will be there forever. I felt at home when I joined as I already knew you and Sri well.

 You were the bridge between India and rest of Version 1 which made us become a part of the culture very fast. We live and breathe Version 1 core values as we followed you though our journey. You have been a father figure since then showing us path to navigate the new system and guided us like a spiritual guru to achieve 200+ employees. You have made me thing multiple times about the structure, roadmap, hiring, etc to help me understand what could be a better approach.

 The conversation you had with BB project managers is something that will remain with me forever -'Gavin, Ravi here thinks your BB project will not work. We do not understand the client requirements. I want to close the project if that is the case. What do you say?'. I was so uncomfortable in that situation and you later told me how it was intentional to make me have difficult conversations. I have come a long way since then, SO much so that I could be the new Meany :D

You have had high expectations from me and pushed me to achieve my true potential (I have disappointed at time and have loads more to learn and with your guidance and Sri around, I am sure ill get close to it).

 I will always look up to you as a mentor, prepare for conversations(I was so impressed when you knew every person’s name in the room and asked your trade secret), learnt how to give attention to detail , set expectations, provide clarity and to have a connect with people. I can go on for pages but will keep it for our 1:1 sessions after you move out. As discussed, I will pick your brains now and again which will help me grow further. Im sure you will miss us, I still cant imagine how you will manage without talking to Sri and Jane (you have spent more time with them than your family in the recent past I guess). We are just a call away if you need to have a chat :D

 I do understand you might want a new gig, and I am sure you will be great at it. Your questions make people think about smaller points that could have an impact and help get them right. I wish you the very best for the future, hope you enjoy this well-deserved break and get to spend time with your loved ones.

 You will always be the Godfather of Version 1 India and a father figure to me!!!

 Regards,

Commitment!

 Ok, ill start with a commitment for next time. 

I am making a promise to myself to learn a musical instrument and will be able to play a song (I know the exact song that ill play 😍). No matter how long it takes and how horrible it sounds, as long as I enjoy it, it is worth it. And I'm sure, if I enjoy it everyone around will enjoy it too, I am that kinda character 😈

Thank You!!!

 I will write in detail about it soon, but just want to say it now. Thank You for everything 👐, especially yesterday. It has been the best weekend this year!!! 🙏

So, whoever is looking out for me up there, good job, keep it going 😆

Mumbai meri jaan!!!

I have heard so much about Mumbai for decades now and never got a chance to visit. Tushar & Manisha (our best friends from UK) must have called me 100 times to visit when they moved back to Mumbai for a couple of yrs but it never happened. I had also created a preconceived view of a very busy city that is dirty, has no place for anyone, and is hot and super humid which makes you sweat like a pig.

Finally, this week after 40 yrs of my existence I happened to visit Mumbai and boy did it change my views. 

We had to visit for Great Places to Work India Mid-Size company awards in Taj Santacruz. I was very particular to stay in the heart of the city area and explore local things. There is no point staying near an airport which looks the same almost everywhere and nothing to see. Luckily we had a local typical Mumbaikar with us who suggested staying on the Marine drive near VT station. I just trusted her and booked the hotel she suggested.

To start with, the weather was a mild 22 degrees when we landed in Mumbai at 10am and slight humidity. I was ready for a sweaty day but was shocked at how good it was as this year has been the worst summer in most parts of India (Bangalore was the only exception I guess). We came straight to the hotel and the drive on the sealink was real good, not much traffic and the gloomy sky added to it. The hotel looked like a dated building with some fresh paint to hide the age. We had a quick lunch break with local panipuri, dabeli, sandwiches, and ice cream. The panipuri was yum which made the meal complete. After 2 hrs of wait finally got my room which was supposed to be sea-facing. I was not expecting a lot but when i moved the curtains, I was gobsmacked with the view in front. It felt like I was living on the beach. So much so that even the toilet pot had the view if you keep the doors open 😅 Just working from the sofa with this beautiful view made it so beautiful. 

Evening we all got ready (i love suiting up for events 😝) and reached the awards event on time thanks to the sealink road. 

The awards night was unreal as none of us expected the results to be great. This was the first time we had applied in India and we were competing with many mid-size (100-500 employees) companies.  They started the announcement in reverse from 75 to 1st rank. We knew we were in the top 50 and were relaxed for the first half. Once they started from 50, every time some other name was called, the excitement increased. We went from top 50 to 40 to 30 to 20. I was so happy with a top 20 and would have accepted any day. It then went on to be Top 10 which was unreal. It was a live event and many of my work family were watching it virtually. Our global CPO was constantly pinging me as the number reduced. They got a red carpet set up for the top 10 with 10+ photographers like paparazzi. It went to the top 5 and then top 3. I was numb as I dint know how to react. After 14 yrs of application in Ireland, we had managed 2nd rank this yr. And then the big moment happened when someone else was ranked 2, which meant we were No 1, the best in class. We just couldn't believe it and thought our name was missed out before. 

When we were announced as Rank 1, it was surreal and I didn't know how to react. Managed to compose to collect the awards and respond to the congratulations that were coming our way. My head was just not working, I immediately called Sri and gave him the news, even though he couldn't believe it. My entire company went bonkers on Whatsapp, local chat, Linkedin, etc. Almost everyone in India had a status message of the victory which shows how closely knit and proud we are about Version 1. I have never seen my HR S so happy, she said it felt like she passed CA exams, her lifetime dream (says a lot about how important it was for us). Just reinforced our belief in our culture and the extra mile we go for each other.

I was so excited I couldn't eat or drink. Quickly had a celebratory Mojito and the rest of them with me had some juice. 

Probably had 2 spoons of rice and wound up with dessert. After a few pics, we took a taxi back to the hotel. The excitement was so high that we went for a walk on the marine drive at midnight ignoring the slight drizzle. It was blissful with the sea breeze and drizzle.

I hardly managed to speel when R knocked on the door at 2.30 scared of sleeping alone. Luckily we had split beds and she managed to goto sleep in my room with the noisy AC. I ended up with no sleep which is a norm nowadays. 

Early 6am we all got ready (i had to push a couple of them out of bed) for the morning walk. Marine Drive is one of the best places for a morning walk with an energetic crowd around and pleasant weather. The pics looked awesome too. 

We just decided to take the day off and explore mumbai and eclebrate. We went straight to Gateway of India and ended up taking loads of pics (the local photographer made sure the ladies were occupied with different pose/angles and I could explore the area).

Once done, the actual exploring happened with street shopping. There are hundreds of shops and the prices vary based on your bargaining skills. Tired and hungry I found Leopold Cafe which looked awesome from the outside with a period feel. This was the infamous cafe that was attached on 26/11 and they have strict security to enter. The food was yummy and I had a celebratory glass of Sangria which kinda suited my digestive system, I might hold on to this one for some time. 

We went on to Fashion street for more shopping and my bargaining skills were hailed by everyone. Tired we walked to the famous CST station. I was not very impressed with the Vadapav there as I have had some really good homemade ones cooked by my Mumbaikar friend. 

The evening on the marine drive was good again. The hustle and bustle of thousands with the skyline backdrop was a spectacle. We walked all the way to Chowpatty which was not a great idea given there is construction going on for more than 3/4th of the distance. Food at chowpatty was ok and mainly was a tick in the box.

The next day was probably the best start (you can read it in my blog on songs). After which we traveled to Elephanta caves. The boat ride got me to sleep for 30 mins which was a bliss (getting any sleep feels like a boon offlate). The greenery of the island and the weather make us comfortable. I liked the local guide Dev who explained the history and the carvings in detail. 

After returning, we ended up in Manish market which is probably the most crowded I have ever seen. There was hardly any space to walk. I managed to find a panipuri shop which was the best I had in Mumbai with the right level of spicy. Tired of shopping we went to metro cafe for kheema pav which was sold out and I ended up having mutton samosa. A quick ride to the hotel to pick up our stuff and then dropped to the airport completely exhausted. 

Overall it was exciting, tiring, refreshing and spiritual for me. I did not expect Mumbai to give me all this in 3 days and I was so humbled by the experience. No wonder many find their dreams come true in the city. It offers something to all classes of people and gives them hope. One pic that summarises Mumbai for me is this, the skyline and a rag picker, it has a place for all.

I have hardly seen Mumbai and of what I have seen (which I have been told is the best areas), I am in love with it. I like the energy of the city which keeps you occupied which is important for overthinkers like me. Im sure I will visit again and continue exploring this great city.

World with songs!!!

Saturday, 25th June 5.30 am I open the window and see a guy with a guitar on marine drive. Curiosity got the better of me and I had a quick bath (had plans to visit temples) and went down for a walk. 

I just sent and sat next to the guitarist pretending of meditating with my eyes closed. The waves crashing on the rocks has their own tune. I don't how but he ended up picking some of my favorite songs. Almost every song was on my download Playlist. He added his own spin but tried a different tempo and Antara of the song.

The first one was 'Allah ke bande' which is probably one the most iconic song shot on the Bombay Sea shore, it make me humm with him. 

Then he went on to 'Phil le aaya dil' and started at the exact paragraph I love 😇

Karte hain hum aaj qabool kya keeje

Ho gayi thi jo humse bhool kya keeje

Dil keh raha use mayassar kar bhi aao

Wo jo dabi si aas baaki hai

Wo jo dabi si aanch baaki hai

Wo jo dabi si aanch baaki hai

Wo jo dabi si... aanch baaki hai 

The same happend with the next one, 'tum etna jo muskura rahi ho'

Aankhon Mein Nami, Hansi Labon Par

Kya Haal Hai Kya Dikha Rahe Ho

Ban Jayenge Zehar Peete Peete

Yeh Ashq Jo Piye Ja Rahe Ho

Jin Zakhmon Ko Waqt Bhar Chala Hai

Tum Kyon Unhe Chhedhe Ja Rahe Ho

Rekhaon Ka Khel Hai Muqaddar

Rekhaon Se Maat Kha Rahe Ho

Tum Itna Jo...

Then below, I was awestruck by his choice.

Aaj Phir Dil Mein, Ik Tammanna Ki

Aaj Phir Dil Mein, Ik Tammanna Ki

Aaj Phir Dil Ko Humne Samjhaaya

Aaj Phir Dil Humne Samjhaaya

Zindagi Dhoop, Tum Ghana Saaya

Tumko Dekha To Yeh Khayal Aaya

Tum Chale Jaaoge To Sochenge

Tum Chale Jaaoge To Sochenge

Humne Kya Khoya, Humne Kya Paaya

Humne Kya Khoya, Humne Kya Paaya

Zindagi Dhoop, Tum Ghana Saaya

Tumko Dekha To Yeh Khayal Aaya

Hum Jisse Gungunaa Nahi Sakte

Hum Jisse Gungunaa Nahi Sakte

Waqt Ne Aisa Geet Kyun Gaaya

Waqt Ne Aisa Geet Kyun Gaaya

Zindagi Dhoop, Tum Ghana Saaya

Tumko Dekha To Yeh Khayal Aaya

Tumko Dekha To Yeh Khayal Aaya

He then went on to some recent ones and when I was just about to leave, he sang 'Kahin door jab din dhal jaaye', the best song from the best movie in Hindi cinema. I just knew it is going to be a great day. Little did I know that the weekend would be the best I have had for quite some time now 😍

It felt unreal, like the world had conspired to make my morning brilliant. I felt light after a long time and was lost in the songs and the waves crashing on the rocks.  Probably I have been very lucky, whenever I have felt beaten up, something like this happens to lift me up and keep me going. 

I just thanked the Gods and left for the temple at 6.30. Siddhivinayak has a unique feel with the diety in a very open view in a room with 3 big open doors. I could just sit there without being pushed around. Felt blessed for the beautiful Darshan and the same was true with the Mahalakshmi temple. 

On the way back, got down at the start of Marine drive and walked by the sea to soak it all in. Overall such a blissful start to the morning. 

I just wish everyone gets such moments that make you feel lucky and fill you with hope. Life does push us around and during such times, there are few beautiful days that make it worth fighting for, it is up to us to grab hold of it and enjoy the day. Wishing for many such gorgeous days for everyone 👐

Nostalgic!!!

Today I woke up thinking about the past and how I miss some of those incredible days. Whether it was playing on the streets, tours with family, hrs of chit-chat in beagles, UVCE canteen katte, cousins' bike trips, Oracle night outs, Inatech food gala,  UK travels, insane chats with Stella friends, ...there was a flash of sadness that most of those days are over. 

 Wouldn’t we gladly trade some of our tomorrows for those yesterdays?

But the memories are engraved forever in my conscious to remind me that there are loads more such days to live.

Great things happen to good people!!!

I'm so happy to see good people being reciprocated with goodness and even getting the recognition they deserve.

Many believe 'olleavarige kaala ella' kinds where being good is of no use. What people do not realize is Karma is a thing!!! Unlike previous beliefs that the previous life's karma haunts you in this life, the world has changed and the gratification is instant. Karma repays you in this life itself, whether it is good or bad.

Incidents from this week where people who have added meaning to others' lives are getting the deserving gratitude back is such a relief and restore faith in humanity. 

Watching Rahul Dravid yesterday in the Indian team dugout makes me feel so good. He has been one of the most hardworking and nicest cricketers the world had ever seen. He did almost everything he could for the team without thinking twice. He has played at every position, opened batting with wicket keeping, captained without any support, and the list goes on. But he never got the recognition he deserved back then. Forget recognition, he was dropped a million times, criticized for slow batting, not being aggressive on the pitch, etc. He was always the second fiddle for people like Sachin, Ganguly, etc.

Things changed when he was leaving. He was adored for his consistency and discipline which was rare. He has helped so many cricketers and almost everyone who has interacted with him has great regard for him. Read about what Kevin Pieterson has written about Dravid in his biography. He always took the difficult non-recognized jobs like the under 19 coach, A team manager, and cricket academy which no other famous cricketer thought about. And what a difference it made!!! We won a Test series in Australia with almost a B team that Dravid had prepared. The Under 19 talent in India is just incredible and we won almost all games in the world cups and the kids came out shining in IPL. He helped people when they needed it without any expectation in return. But look at him now. No one will think twice if he is nominated as the best ambassador for cricket. His ways of working with youngsters, his speeches, and his hard work have been an inspiration for millions. So much so that Dravid is much more adored than Sachin now. He has added meaning to so many lives and I am so glad that he received the gratitude back by millions!

As I said, great things happen to good people. Gone are the days of bad boys, good is the new 'in thing' 😇 Continue being good, continue helping, and continue adding meaning to life. It gives a feeling of fullness and you will get the returns in this life (even if you do not expect any) 🙏  Karma is a good bitch! 😂😁

Alcohol Intolerant!!!

 have had a couple of drinks in the last few weeks and I am just not able to enjoy it. Like yesterday the 1 G&T I had was just not suiting me. Bombay Sapphire wasn't a bad drink and I used to enjoy it before but something was wrong yesterday. Felt like my body was trying to reject it. 

I have never felt pukish, heartburn, or headache after 1 drink. Probably I am alcohol intolerant. TBH, I was never a big drinker and used to pretend of having continuously while on many occasions I was filling the same glass with ice and diluting it 😂 I did have a few sessions where I had more (for my standards and very less for others) and I normally ended up screwing my sleep. Unlike others, alcohol makes me wide awake in a weird trance, awake and many times a horny state 😁 

I might be heading towards tea tottler (and I dont drink tea or coffee often😆, water is my poison) like I was 12 yrs ago. I'm sure my friends will thup at me by saying "when did you start in the first place, you fucking moron". And I have been told that I do not need a drink to be crazy, dance for hrs at a party without a single drop of alcohol. Im drunk on life and i look drunk with sleep eyes.

Im sure there will be rare occasions where I want to let loose but social drinking for the sake of it might go. Our body is a temple and we need to take care of it 😇

update - 

24/06 Leopold cafe has a brill vibe and I wanted to celebrate the GPTW win. I went for Sangria and after a long time, I did not get heartburn or other issues. Looks like that is my poison.

26/06 the atmosphere was great and Sangria was just awesome. Having a few glasses with my best friends added to the fun. Loved it.

17/07 went out with cousins and ended up drinking for Wifey's bday. The LITs gave me a proper high as I was talking fun crap and also head was spinning. Unfortunately, it made me wake up by midnight and screwed up my entire sleep. Need to watch out.

Gratitude goes a long way!!!

 I just now received a very heartfelt note from my team member about completing a year and thanking me for being there during the tough situations. I just made my day so much brighter. 

"I tremendously adore the way you make the hardest of a situation into lighter one. I am trying to adopt the same, but doubt will never reach your heights😇😇

 You are the one I look up to, when in dilemma. Thanks a million for being there.

 Cheers to the year passed by!!! Cheers to the years ahead!!!"

I was just doing my job and hardly did anything special for the person. TBH, she was hired for a smaller role but has taken up a massive role change to replace her manager. She completed long pending things and worked really hard to put in stricter processes.

It just says a lot about the person showing gratitude than me. Such things make me proud of hiring the right person and investing time in them. There is no better feeling as a people leader than making a difference in careers.

All I could reply was 'You make me proud!!!'

Small gratitude makes a big difference to people and goes a long way. Hope we take time out for it 👐

Satisfied!

 As I am finishing my Pune trip, I feel satisfied for various reasons. Yes, the food was awesome, the weather was great, and the office work I came for went on smoothly but the biggest highlight was meeting a super girl!!

To start with food, I tried almost all authentic Puneri food and it was awesome. The vada pav was simply super, my hate for Misal Pav has now turned into love thanks to a street vendor's magical misal 😆 The kheema fry in the good luck cafe was incredible, something I will visit again and again (it is a must-visit place whenever I am in Pune) and the homemade style nonveg thali in 'recipe' restaurant was grt. 

I was dreading the weather of 43 degrees but it looked like I got Bangalore cloudy weather with me. 2 days were pleasant and the last day was slightly hotter, definitely manageable. I enjoyed the auto rides and the paying by the meter was such a change when compared to other cities 👌

Office work could not have gone better with 1200 pages of documentation. My finance manager (who is also a good friend and like a younger sister) was in her element and managed the entire documents with the CS who was very helpful. Signing 1200 pages were monotonous and also gave me a feel of a celebrity 💃

But the highlight was meeting a supergirl Neelam, wifey's cousin. She is a 30 yrs old kid who is fighting one of the worst kinds of cancer I have heard of. She is the only kid who lost her father to cancer at the age of 14 and is the only bread earner of the family. She was diagnosed with cancer almost a year back and has been fighting it like a champion. After 3 chemo sessions, 14 radiotherapies, and 3 surgeries, recently she went through a major brain surgery as there was a huge cancerous lump on her forehead. It was so complex that doctors had warned about permanent disability/coma/loss of eyesight/death/etc. Her entire scalp has been removed for the surgery and then stitched on her forehead and the back of her head has been patched with skin from another area. It looks weird but not for long as her shining eyes and beautiful smile took over. Not once I felt weird as she was chatty like before and full of life. I have not seen anyone fighting for life is so positive and strong. Not once did I see her sad or worried and her mom was equally positive. I managed to take time out all 3 days to meet her even if it was for 30 mins kind. Just wanted to show I am around and also draw some inspiration from her. While I was cribbing about uncertainties in work and boring life, she is fighting with a nice smile on her face. I also realized how blessed we are to be healthy, rest all can be managed. I just wish she continues to fight and wins over. People like her deserve to live and share their success with the rest of us. So much to learn from it, So inspiring 🙏 

I wish everyone great health which they can enjoy to the fullest. And for everyone going through health issues, my prayers and wishes are to recover soon 👐 Life is worth fighting for and living.