My Teachers

When I say Teacher, everyone would think about some respected figure or father figure in their minds and try to recall their experiences with them. When I think of teachers, there are many waves which come to my mind, one after another, flashing my holiest course with them, the things I learnt from them, things which they make me learn. Remember the beautiful relationship you shared with your favorite teachers, they showed us the direction, and they gave us the potential of being ourselves. There are many teachers which I came across, I don’t remember their names but yes, I could recognize them by their style of teaching and by face probably! I want to thank them from bottom of my heart because of whom I am the way I am , those teachings made me the person I am today, the person who somehow knows how to deal with outer world and the person who can make others think.

I have seen different kinds of teachers who by their own way helped me. During my Initial stage of schooling those teachers built up the basic morals which I have with me till date and will be there with me always forever. Then a bunch of teachers came into my life those helped changing me radically. The person inside me started thinking when I came across those set of people. I don’t know where they are today, I want to meet them and thank them what I have got from them as a gift and they made the rock inside me, hardcore me was built then. Then I came across a Gita teacher, who made me read Gita more than 2-3times. Though I read that by myself, whatever I could understand then was because of him. After my course, I have started keeping a Gita with me, which was a hidden source of energy for me. When I was away from home then, I use to read Gita when I feel depressed. I would say whoever is reading this, should keep a Gita, I can say from my experience it helps a lot, by reading one sloka would help a lot, spreads positive vibes in your body, you start feeling better about yourself, your surroundings.
During my engineering I met one teacher, who was an expert during that time, we studied in Bhubaneswar which was a small town then, it was hard to find a good teacher for your subject. Luckily we got hold of the teacher, who made us inclined to our stream.

Now after a 5-6years of job in software industry, I have got a chance to study in a world-class college, where I am coming across amazingly different set of teachers who are not only experts of what they teach but somewhat beyond that. When you are expert of something, there is nothing to fear, they can take the class to a different level, I was thriving for these kinds of teaching experiences ;may be this was my latent need, which I didn’t know before.

I am so overwhelmed by their gracious teachings; I thank them all and expect their blessings for me. I wish, someday I would become a teacher and would be able to radiate the same energy that my teachers given me.

I know, I am bit late for this post, which I would have done earlier but it’s never too late for thanking your teachers!

Happy Diwali...:-)

The inspiring rags-to-riches tale of Sarathbabu...

I got to know about this amazing piece from one of the blogger's post.

I have copied the story from below link:

http://www.rediff.com/money/2006/aug/31spec.htm

I just want to store it as a post in my blog, in case this link doesn't work.Please read the story and get a feel of it(For our generation, it's highly recommended!).

Story begins.....

When 27-year old Sarathbabu graduated from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad,he created quite a stir by refusing a job that offered him a huge salary. He preferred to start his own enterprise -- Foodking Catering Service -- in Ahmedabad.
He was inspired by his mother who once sold idlis on the pavements of Chennai, to educate him and his siblings. It was a dream come true, when Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy lit the traditional lamp and inaugurated Sarathbabu's enterprise.
Sarathbabu was in Chennai, his hometown, a few days ago, to explore the possibility of starting a Foodking unit in the city and also to distribute the Ullas Trust Scholarships instituted by the IT firm to 2,000 poor students in corporation schools.
In this interview with rediff.com, Sarathbabu describes his rise from a Chennai slum to his journey to the nation's premier management institute to becoming a successful entrepreneur. This is his story, in his own words.
Childhood in a slum
I was born and brought up in a slum in Madipakkam in Chennai. I have two elder sisters and two younger brothers and my mother was the sole breadwinner of the family. It was really tough for her to bring up five kids on her meagre salary.
As she had studied till the tenth standard, she got a job under the mid-day meal scheme of the Tamil Nadu government in a school at a salary of Rs 30 a month. She made just one rupee a day for six people.
So, she sold idlis in the mornings. She would then work for the mid-day meal at the school during daytime. In the evenings, she taught at the adult education programme of the Indian government.
She, thus, did three different jobs to bring us up and educate us. Although she didn't say explicitly that we should study well, we knew she was struggling hard to send us to school. I was determined that her hard work should not go in vain.
I was a topper throughout my school days. In the mornings, we went out to sell idlis because people in slums did not come out of their homes to buy idlis. For kids living in a slum, idlis for breakfast is something very special.
My mother was not aware of institutions like the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, or the Indian Institutes of Technology. She only wanted to educate us so that we got a good job. I didn't know what I wanted to do at that time because in my friend-circle, nobody talked about higher education or preparing for the IIT-JEE.
When you constantly worry about the next square meal, you do not dream of becoming a doctor or an engineer. The only thing that was on my mind was to get a good job because my mother was struggling a lot.
I got very good marks in the 10th standard exam. It was the most critical moment of my life. Till the 10th, there was no special fee but for the 11th and the 12th, the fees were Rs 2,000-3,000.
I did book-binding work during the summer vacation and accumulated money for my school fees. When I got plenty of work, I employed 20 other children and all of us did the work together. That was my first real job as an entrepreneur. Once I saw the opportunity, I continued with the work.
Life at BITS, Pilani
A classmate of mine told me about BITS, Pilani. He was confident that I would get admission, as I was the topper. He also told me that on completion (of studies at Pilani), I will definitely get a job.
When I got the admission, I had mixed feelings. On one hand I was excited that for the first time I was going out of Chennai, but there was also a sense of uncertainty.
The fees alone were around Rs 28,000, and I had to get around Rs 42,000. It was huge, huge money for us. And there was no one to help us. Just my mother and sisters. One of my sisters -- they were all married by then -- pawned her jewellery and that's how I paid for the first semester.
My mother then found out about an Indian government scholarship scheme. She sent me the application forms, I applied for the scholarship, and I was successful. So, after the first semester, it was the scholarship that helped me through.
It also helped me to pay my debt (to the sister who had pawned her jewellery). I then borrowed money from my other sister and repaid her when the next scholarship came.
The scholarship, however, covered only the tuition fees. What about the hostel fees and food? Even small things like a washing soap or a toothbrush or a tube of toothpaste was a burden. So, I borrowed more at high rates of interest. The debt grew to a substantial amount by the time I reached the fourth year.
First year at BITS, Pilani
To put it mildly, I was absolutely shocked. Till then, I had moved only with students from poor families. At Pilani, all the students were from the upper class or upper middle class families. Their lifestyle was totally different from mine. The topics they discussed were alien to me. They would talk about the good times they had in school.
On the other hand, my school years were a big struggle. There was this communication problem also as I was not conversant in English then.
I just kept quiet and observed them. I concentrated only on my studies because back home so many people had sacrificed for me. And, it took a really long time -- till the end of the first year -- to make friends.
The second year
I became a little more confident and started opening up. I had worked really hard for the engineering exhibition during the first year. I did a lot of labour-intensive work like welding and cutting, though my subject was chemical engineering. My seniors appreciated me.
In my second year also, I worked really hard for the engineering exhibition. This time, my juniors appreciated me, and they became my close friends, so close that they would be at my beck and call.
In the third year, when there was an election for the post of the co-ordinator for the exhibition, my juniors wanted me to contest. Thanks to their efforts I was unanimously elected. That was my first experience of being in the limelight. It was also quite an experience to handle around 100 students.
Seeing my work, slowly my batch mates also came to the fold. All of them said I lead the team very well.
They also told me that I could be a good manager and asked me to do MBA. That was the first time I heard about something called MBA. I asked them about the best institution in India. They said, the Indian Institutes of Management. Then, I decided if I was going to study MBA, it should be at one of the IIMs, and nowhere else.
Inspiration to be an entrepreneur
It was while preparing for the Common Admission Test that I read in the papers that 30 per cent of India's population does not get two meals a day. I know how it feels to be hungry. What should be done to help them, I wondered.
I also read about Infosys and Narayana Murthy, Reliance [ Get Quote ] and Ambani. Reliance employed 20,000-25,000 people at that time, and Infosys, around 15,000. When a single entrepreneur like Ambani employed 25,000 people, he was supporting the family, of four or five, of each employee. So he was taking care of 100,000 people indirectly. I felt I, too, should become an entrepreneur.
But, my mother was waiting for her engineer son to get a job, pay all the debts, build a pucca house and take care of her. And here I was dreaming about starting my own enterprise. I decided to go for a campus interview, and got a job with Polaris. I also sat for CAT but I failed to clear it in my first attempt.
I worked for 30 months at Polaris. By then, I could pay off all the debts but I hadn't built a proper house for my mother. But I decided to pursue my dream. When I took CAT for the third time, I cleared it and got calls from all the six IIMs. I got admission at IIM, Ahmedabad.
Life at IIM, Ahmedabad
My college helped me get a scholarship for the two years that I was at IIM. Unlike in BITS, I was more confident and life at IIM was fantastic. I took up a lot of responsibilities in the college. I was in the mess committee in the first year and in the second year; I was elected the mess secretary.
Becoming an entrepreneur
By the end of the second year, there were many lucrative job offers coming our way, but in my mind I was determined to start something on my own. But back home, I didn't have a house. It was a difficult decision to say 'no' to offers that gave you Rs 800,000 a year. But I was clear in my mind even while I knew the hard realities back home.
Yes, my mother had been an entrepreneur, and subconsciously, she must have inspired me. My inspirations were also (Dhirubhai) Ambani and Narayana Murthy. I knew I was not aiming at something unachievable. I got the courage from them to start my own enterprise.
Nobody at my institute discouraged me. In fact, at least 30-40 students at the IIM wanted to be entrepreneurs. And we used to discuss about ideas all the time. My last option was to take up a job.
Foodking Catering Services Pvt Ltd
My mother is my first inspiration to start a food business. Remember I started my life selling idlis in my slum. Then of course, my experience as the mess secretary at IIM-A was the second inspiration. I must have handled at least a thousand complaints and a thousand suggestions at that time. Every time I solved a problem, they thanked me.
I also felt there is a good opportunity in the food business. If you notice, a lot of people who work in the food business come from the weaker sections of the society.
My friends helped me with registering the company with a capital of Rs 100,000. Because of the IIM brand and also because of the media attention, I could take a loan from the bank without any problem.
I set up an office and employed three persons. The first order was from a software company in Ahmedabad. They wanted us to supply tea, coffee and snacks. We transported the items in an auto.
When I got the order from IIM, Ahmedabad, I took a loan of Rs 11 lakhs (Rs 1.1 million) and started a kitchen. So, my initial capital was Rs 11.75 lakhs (Rs 1.17 million).
Three months have passed, and now we have forty employees and four clients -- IIM Ahmedabad, Darpana Academy, Gujarat Energy Research Management Institute and System Plus.
In the first month of our operation, we earned around Rs 35,000. Now, the turnover is around Rs 250,000. The Chennai operations will start in another three months' time.
Ambition
I want to employ as many people as I can, and improve their quality of life. In the first year, I want to employ around 200-500 people. In the next five years, I hope to increase it by 15,000. I am sure it is possible.
I want to cover all the major cities in India, and later, I want to go around the world too.
I have seen people from all walks of life -- from the slums to the elite in the country. That is why luxuries like a car or a bungalow do not matter to me. Even money doesn't matter to me. I feel bad if I have to have food in a five star hotel. I feel guilty.
Personally, I have no ambition but I want to give a house and a car to my mother.
Appreciation
I did not expect this kind of exposure by the media for my venture or appreciation from people like my director at the IIM or Narayana Murthy. I was just doing what I wanted to do. But the exposure really helped me get orders, finance, everything.
The best compliments I received were from Narayana Murthy and my director at IIM, Ahmedabad. When I told him (IIM-A director) about my decision to start a company, he hugged me and wished me luck. They have seen life, they have seen thousands and thousands of students and if they say it is a good decision, I am sure it is a good decision.
Reservation
Reservation should be a mix of all criteria. If you take a caste that comes under reservation, 80 per cent of the people will be poor and 20 per cent rich, the creamy layer. For the general category, it will be the other way around.
I feel equal weightage should be given for the economic background. A study has to be done on what is the purpose of reservation and what it has done to the needy. It should be more effective and efficient. In my case, I would not have demanded for reservation. I accepted it because the society felt I belonged to the deprived class and needed a helping hand.
Today, the opportunities are grabbed by a few. They should be ashamed of their ability if they avail reservation even after becoming an IAS officer or something like that. They are putting a burden on the society and denying a chance to the really needy.
I feel reservation is enough for one generation. For example, if the child's father is educated, he will be able to guide the child properly.
Take my case, I didn't have any system that would make me aware of the IITs and the IIMs. But I will be able to guide my children properly because I am well educated. I got the benefits of reservation but I will never avail of it for my children. I cannot even think of demanding reservation for the next generation.

Fairness..

Who says life is fair? Life is always unfair. If you want, you can make it fair.

....anonymous

Just finished reading 'wise and otherwise' by Sudha Murty...I don't want to praise it or advertise for the same to read, so please don’t mistaken by this post. This book contains small sections describing the number of nice experiences which she had. The whole book I read in two days, stories were so touchy that I couldn't move my eyes from it...some stories left my eyes full of tears. There were many stories where I could relate to myself. Those were about common human beings with uncommon ideas and learning from them.
There was a story about her friend who was not satisfied and finds negativity in every single thing. I could relate the same with one of my friend who says the similar way, as she mentioned about her friend. Apart from her, everyone else is happy and enjoying life, she is the one who is facing challenges and going thru all difficulties. If rest of the world (including me!) achieves anything, that is because of our good luck. I was good at studies all the time, and if my score is higher, it was my luck ...ok...and if she scores lower than me, that is her bad luck. As far as I know her, she was never ever studied hard, hence the marks were. Even today, I have seen her copying many things, be it clothes, be it thoughts including lifestyle. In job, if something happens, that also she relates to my luck and how lucky I am, some kind of criticism comes along with whatever I do. She always has some complains about the work all the time, it’s not about one day or one person, it’s about the entire mass except her. She speaks lies to me too...I get shock many times, the way she speaks, I know it correctly every single time, but I never say it at her face, it’s the friendship between us which binds us together apart from all these. So I prefer to keep myself away from her for some time.
Many of us blame our luck when we are sad, but we find our own way to come out of it, we don't blame others for it, at least I don't do it. We all know how much we do to survive in workplace, in society. Those were all our personal matters, and we know how to handle it, if not we seek for someone's help. We will never find a solution by complaining about others, by telling others are not working or doing anything but they are happy and earning more...that sometimes includes me according to my friend. It could be jealousy or some other reasons people behave in this way...no idea. But people like this do exist and they bug your head at times, when they are close to you.
If anyone of this kind reading this, please don't blame others for your incompetence. It’s not only you who faces challenges in life, everyone in this earth has to face challenges according to their capabilities, and no one is ended up with a great problem which he/she can't solve. If you think that your problem is bigger, then proud of yourself that you have higher capability than others, and be humble what you have.

Great Thoughts....a must read!

We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves.If what we are now has been the result of our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in future can be produced by our present actions;so we have to know how to act.
-Swami Vivekananda

Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's when you've had everything to do, and you've done it.
-Margaret Thatcher

Apply yourself. Get all the education you can, but then, by God, do something. Don't just stand there, make it happen.
-Lee Lacocca

Do it !

Whenever you want to do something good, do it immediately. Don’t wait for something better to happen, don’t make it conditional …be it anything; just believe in doing it asap. If you shift your action to sometime later, then your destiny will shift the same to faraway from your reach. Next time when you try to do the same, constraints will be so much that you will have to discard the idea of doing the same.

From my experience I am telling this to you, I have done many things as soon as it comes to my mind, and I feel good after doing the same, a sense of satisfaction comes. Same way I have postponed many things to future or added some beneficial constraints to the same, later when I try doing the same, then I realize ,I have already forgone that opportunity . Things become so difficult later(After all dynamic earth! things move so fast) you can never even imagine doing the same.

So don’t think so much, just do it…!

gr8..

This is what i learnt from my sketch tutorial, want to share with you:

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."
-- Mark Twain

Roses @ourhome

Only in men's imagination, does every truth find an effective and undeniable existence. Imagination, not invention, is the supreme master of art as of life.

-Joseph Conrad

Special you..

It’s been a year since we are together, yes one year of our togetherness has many incidents, which we remember and laugh about. It’s a year with lots of memories to treasure, lots of things unfolded, lots of things we shared. Many more wishes made, many plans made, so on and so forth.
It looks like a day before we married, looks like just now I got your first phone call…I got the first bunch of roses from you… down the memory many more things with you… for which I love to live them again and again.
Apart from many good things…. we did practical of Einstein’s theory of relativity:-)
It plays important role when we both are apart.

I am happy about everything we have and everything we don’t. Happy for everything I got with you as package;-)
I want to live my life forever with you…not because I have no other ways;-)
I want to talk a lot when u want to sleep…not b’coz no one there with me that time;-)
I want to take away all your bheja fry things from your mind by literally frying them;-)
I want to share my untrue unimaginable ideas and thoughts with you and to make you listen even if you don’t want.
I want you to talk to me a lot…. and I will listen though I feel bore ;-)
I know I bug you a lot in many different ways…for which you always patiently handle me (handle with care types;-))…
[Aap log bhi sochte honge kitna aankh marti he;-)]

I love my life because you are with me now. Not that I hated it before, just that I want to live it to the fullest and for 100 years more.

Sometimes I feel I am the luckiest and happiest in this world when I am with you:-) May this feeling remains with me forever! Amen

Waiting...

Nothing I have to do …I can’t walk properly, I can’t jump even I am happy…I can’t help my partner doing many things…what had happened to me, am I became lazy… No :( I had an accident which while going office, its not that I never had any. But this is the most serious one I ever had, serious to me; not meant to be taken so serious by you all;-)
I had a ligament tear near my ankle joint, am ok…but for which doctor has put one plaster, which I didn’t like. It has to be kept for 3weeks.Never had this kind of experience before. I didn’t take leave as I have an option of working from home, which I am doing. I have only two places in my entire home, I sit on my bed and sit on sofa that’s it, my whole day is getting over by only two sittings: D Feeling bore sometimes, didn’t go out since last week not even till our gate. I am just waiting to get this week over, then I can probably go to doctor and open this plaster, then I think I will be one of the happiest people of the coming week:)
Now I am feeling how important my leg is! You need a hassle free life ?Love your legs and take good care ;-)

My new year day...

Happy New Year to all of you :)
I know I’m little late to wish.
First day of this New Year was different, actually first half was too good and memorable. After a long time one of my wish has come true. I wanted to visit and associate with one orphanage since I was in college, but never got a chance. On 31st I was working from home so I found time to search, got address and phone number of few of nearest ones from my home. I called on first number, they say its not an orphanage, it’s a training center but in yellow pages they were listed under orphanages, I asked them to rectify that.
Then my 2nd call to one of the listed ones, one guy picked up, I asked them about the trust and they say its not a orphanage, it’s a home! Yes that was a home for all homeless girls.
I got the details from him, there are 22 girls aged between 6-15yrs, all school going. I was happy to hear that. I got as many things as possible for them. Next day morning, that’s on 1st jan, we both went to that place. Before leaving for that place, I was hoping at least the place should be good else I wouldn’t have been in a position to celebrate my new year, how selfish I am!

We started at 7:45AM as we both have office on 1st jan. With the given address we managed to reach our destination. Little girls were ready for school after finishing their breakfast and some are yet to finish. Those who were not having school that day; they were all seated for their preparation for children’s festival starting from next day onwards. I saw entire facility by enquiring each and everything that was coming to my mind to ensure that girls are being taken care properly. I didn’t want to waste my money by giving them cash, they may misuse, so I got all useful things for them and chocolates. But that was not the case; the person who was managing that was a product of the same orphanage. By talking to him and listening to their organizing plans I was assured that they are making proper use of donations. I distributed whatever I took for them, then few left for schools and few said good-bye to me with New Year wishes. They were all happy with the things they got on New Year morning. I too was very happy :)

When I came home, I was thinking of my childhood, those were the days when I never stayed far from my parents. I was with them always and I want them to be with me. But these girls; few of them were street children, few are orphans, few are from single parents and few of them were left in hospitals from where trust people have got them to this home. With no parental support few of them were managed to study well, I enquired 2-3girls made top in their classes, that’s amazing! I am thinking if I would have in this situation I would not have made it what they are now. They were smiling at me after getting gifts and saying thanks, same time I was saying thanks to them for showing me this part of world, which exists without bothering anyone of us. Certain moments force you to realize the value of a home, relatives and being blessed with parents with you.

In case any of you reading this, please find sometime from your daily schedule and share some moments with these children. To get the details of these places are not so difficult, you can get the same from Internet or by local people. Verify the place by calling and visiting first, find the genuineness and then go there and share some remarkable experiences with them who don’t need you but you may!
You spend thousand bugs for a T-shirt but you can bring smile to 200 children by giving them Rs5/- chocolate or by giving them other necessary things. Just think which one is a better deal!