Today while writing a cheque for Rs67000 odd in favour of my housing cooperative society towards the quarterly maintenance dues, I couldn’t help but reflect upon my first rented house as a professional in late 1980s. I paid a royal amount of Rs700 per month for an independent 3 bedroom house that included Rs50 towards monthly electricity bill. And my employer was happy because I was below my entitlement of Rs750.

Today, in the society where I live, independent houses exist only in dreams and three bedroom apartments that would be half the size of my first rented house, would entail a monthly rental in excess of Rs2 lakh! 

The only relief in all the above is that notwithstanding the obscene state of affairs in the matter of realty prices – ownership as well as rental basis –  people are affording all this, which evidences economic upliftment, especially of middle classes. The theory – if you can you might as well – is eminently applicable in this case. 

I regularly observe on LinkedIn, people of various hues and colours- youngsters, middle aged, seniors, retired, bankers, financial professionals, technically qualified et al – declaring themselves to be “ Open to work.” And many of these seeking work are already employed and are actually seeking a change.

The above thought struck me when I read that worldwide, increasing number of people are working and working till ripe age ( late 70s and early 80s – unlike here where we hang shoes at 58 and 60) and this class of people are given a new name or sobriquet – “ unretiring.”

But we all know that ground reality is different in India where a young breed of qualified professionals is available and is actually, actively seeking jobs. Under the circumstances, the concept of “unretiring” is not quite relevant in Indian context and many experienced professionals, including yours truly, are in good health and mind, raring to contribute their mite to the fledgling sectors around us, but are actually sitting idle, doing nothing worthwhile. 

The above arises because irrespective of our experience, exposure , knowledge and age, we essentially lack in entrepreneurial spirit and at all junctures of our lives, we seek opportunities rather than creating! 

Luckily, the number of successful start ups and youth brimming with innovative ideas, bear testimony to the fact that we may be on the brink of developing this “unretiring “ generation! 

Deaths of Asrani, Piyush Pandey and Satish Shah quickly on the heels of each other plunged all their fans and admirers into the state of deep sorrow. The media, including the social media, mourned the loss of the aforementioned three stalwarts.

Asrani was remembered for his portrayal of “ Angrezon ke zamaane ke jailer” in the cult classic Sholay, Satish Shah for his memorable small screen appearances in Sarabhai vs Sarabhai and Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi and Piyush Pande for his iconic Mile sur mere tumhara that touched a chord in the heart of all of us!

While remembrance generally hovers around the most popular or the best loved work, the fact was that while Asrani and Satish Shah were versatile artists who left a deep imprint on Hindi cinema, Piyush’s contribution to the world of advertising made him a doyen of his field. We are all aware of the memorable campaigns created by him that made advertising so much more acceptable.

The legacy left behind by all three of them will ensure that their memory never fades from the hearts of movie goers and advertising world.

I am coming across lots of posts across various social media sites by the HR Heads and other senior functionaries of various organisations that talk about various feel good things – up skilling and learning new skills, team spirit, camaraderie, accepting challenges, voluntarily accepting higher/ extra responsibilities, career planning et al. To my mind, this onrush in posting such articles could be to counter the negative employee sentiments arising out of work pressure, toxic work culture and a general apathy of the employees in light of “ none too friendly” HR policies. 

However, whether the employees truly believe what their HR Heads and other senior managers are conveying through these posts and is aligned to the actual work culture obtaining at these organisations is a matter that could be put to doubt.

The above hit my sensibilities strongly when I came across a beautiful short poem by William Shakespeare that reads:

You say you love rain,

But you open umbrella.

You say you love the Sun,

But you find a shadow spot.

You say you love wind,

But you close your windows.

This is why I am afraid,

When you say you love me.

Nothing more needs to be said as the poem conveys everything with unusual subtlety. 

While bathing today, I realised my wife had put an age old iconic brand, “Hamam” in the soap tray. Immediately, my memories went back to times when a major brand in the portfolio of TOMCO, the brand along with others, was sold by Tatas to HLL, as HUL then known as and the general folklore then was that that how odd, it would sound that “ Tata ka Hamam” had become “ Hindustan Lever ka Hamam. 

I am not privy to what could be the strategy of Levers to deal with the acquired brands, but as a commoner, it’s clear that the way they push their old brands – Lux, Rexona, Pears and relatively newer brands like Dove, the same push is not given to Hamam. 

And yet like another iconic brand, Thums Up that not only continued to be numero uno, but actually topped Coke’s sale, brand Hamam has withstood the test of time and survived in spite of crowding of bathing soap segment! 

What makes a brand stand so tall that it’s ownership becomes immaterial is a topic that market researchers should investigate, but to my mind consumer’s trust is the single most important factor that leads to the longevity of the brand for several decades! Hamam has acquired a cult and iconic status where its ownership doesn’t matter! 

This is a learning for all those players who want to be long term players, enjoying trust of their patrons for many many years! It definitely works better than a short term name, fame, profit and share price motive! 

In treta yug we had Raavan and came Kansa in Dwapar yug. If those yugs were not bereft of demons, how can we expect kalyug to be free of them. Only yugs have changed , but demons have not only remained but become more vicious. This Dussehra let’s hope Lord Ram and Ma Durga slay the demons of today – terrorist, separatist, hate monger, rapist, communalist,  corrupt and others of their ilk. 

Happy Dussehra and Shubho Bijoya! 

While casually surfing social media, I came across this message from an inspirational speaker ( couldn’t catch his name) and became deeply impressed by it and therefore, decided to share it. 

After I superannuated , I avoided overindulgence – in binge eating, sleeping, net surfing, watching TV, travelling- and have generally lived a controlled and disciplined life. Sleeping and waking up early, eating moderately and doing regular physical activity, including yoga are a few of the good practices I meticulously follow. I also pursue my passion of reading and writing. 

However, as per the message that I came across, as aforesaid, all the above is alright, but it’s “ inward looking” and self-centric! What is society, community, country or the world getting out of it? The need is to have a larger purpose or a dream and work towards attainment of it. Rest is a good routine, but only a routine! My search for this objective and its attainment continues. 

All my life – childhood, student days, professional stint – I have been an audience, listening to parents, elders, teachers, seniors and specialists speakers. I have always been on the other side of the dais , facing speakers. There have been occasions when I have chaired a meeting, but those have been official and the audience comprised team members. That, strictly speaking, didn’t qualify me for being termed as a presenter or a keynote speaker.

This changed the other day when a former colleague, who now stands elevated to the rank of a CEO, invited me to address his team members in an informal session. Having always posed questions to the speakers, it was a pleasant experience when, for a change, the audience posed questions to me and I responded with utmost candour and honesty. The climax of the event came when several youngsters, having bought books authored by me, wanted me to autograph their copies. 

It validated my conviction that years of efforts that we put in and experience that we gain, may not always earn us ready recognition, but would definitely provide some occasion to showcase the same. We need to be patient and do our bit selflessly. 

There are two days in a year when those who have affection for you by virtue of being associated with you remember you. These two occasions are Guru Purnima and Teacher’s Day. To my mind, teacher is more relevant in the context of school and college where several disciplines are taught. Guru is one who shows you the righteous path.

I am neither a subject matter expert nor spiritually evolved to show anyone the right direction. However, number of messages I receive on the aforesaid two occasions endorse the fact that more than lecturing, teaching and mentoring, respectful treatment of your associates is ever more important and one’s consistency in this regard has the power of earning one the accolades of Teacher and Guru. I am humbled by the love and affection bestowed upon me this teachers day.

It’s not unusual for the CEOs to bring in people of their choice in key positions, as a dependable team is an essential prerequisite for achieving the intended objectives. It happens all the time and while the existing senior position holders suffer – they either have to accept less meaty and more subordinated roles or quit altogether, if there’s no role- ultimately, if the organisation benefits, such sacrifices should be acceptable as part of the larger corporate upheaval! 

It’s also true that it’s unfair to expect  the new team to start firing all their cylinders immediately in pursuit of the stated objectives. However, what happens when after passage of sufficient time and availability  of all the required enablers, the team falters and the organisation falls well short of the desired outcomes! 

External factors also play an important role in guiding the direction that an organisation has to take and the impact a few of these factors – regulatory, geopolitical, natural disasters etc  – could neutralise the advantage of having assembled a top cracker of a team! 

To my mind, performance of any organisation is contingent upon several factors – internal as well as external- and instead of placing such a huge reliance on individuals, it could be much more advantageous to keep up the morale of the existing staff complement, simultaneously on boarding talent laterally wherever the internal skills could be lacking ! A cohesive, enthusiastic and charged up team will always deliver and the key man risks are substantially mitigated.

Let me also put in a caveat here that this post is not directed at any specific organisation as the above happens all across at all points of time.