Being closely related to the captioned couple, we were invited to Udaipur for their destination wedding, along with 400 other guests. The venue was one of the most picturesque and famous resorts in Udaipur. The celebrations were spread over three days and everything was so meticulously planned and with such grandeur that after attending one function, the participants were looking forward to attending the next! From the travel arrangement ( pick up and drop from/to railway station or airport) to staying arrangement at the resort to the decoration of event venues at the resort to the dress code, to the food and drinks and music and dance, everything was perfectly organised with not even a single instance of any slippage. And it was all very creatively planned – the dress code, food menu and the contents of the event. While dancing to the catchy numbers played by DJs was a common feature at all the events, performances by the lead couple, parents, brothers/sisters and friends and two professional performances by a rock band and a qawwali group were like icing on the cake.

We generally use the term “ big fat Punjabi wedding “ in a rather derogatory sense that generally reflects of massive waste of money on crude and crass show of boisterousness bereft of any artistic or cultural finesse. But this event planned by my beloved Vaibhav and Shivika, Vaibhav’s gracious parents Mohan and Ruchika, his ever exuberant and very genial brother Lovey, Lovey’s pretty and petite wife Myra and our very own, my beautiful sister-in-law, Shallu, who was the force behind this union of two beautiful people and families, proved that big fat Punjabi wedding can be extremely tasteful, graceful, entertaining and memorable!

I carry back with me very fond memories of this event, apart from welcoming a super boy, Vaibhav into our family and making acquaintance with his family members. As per a common refrain, “ marriages are made in heaven, but solemnised on earth.” In this case, even the solemnisation of the wedding seemed to have happened with blessings from heaven and I hope this spirit will continue and the new pair will traverse the future together in a manner that’s truly blissful – in fact most heavenly!

A woman is a mother the giver of birth,

And she’s motherland too, the country of our birth! 

A woman is a sister, a relationship most loveable;

A lifelong comfort who’s always available! 

A woman is a companion in the role of a wife;

A relationship most enduring lasting our entire life! 

A woman is a daughter, a relation most affectionate;

Only those get her, who are immensely fortunate! 

A woman around you can be in any form – a friend, colleague, acquaintance or just another human; 

Whatever be her role, she’s always equal, it’s a sin discriminating her as a woman! 

Won’t put her on a high pedestal, treating as a Devi or Goddess; 

For even that’s a discrimination, unworthy of her natural prowess! 

If Ram, Krishna and Jesus are incomplete without a woman ;

How come we have this sense of superiority, we representing the ordinary man! 

So let’s celebrate presence of woman amidst us whether in one or all the above roles or none;

International women’s day then comes the each day, making our world a living heaven!

If Holi is festival of colours

Let it be colourful and not botched;

If it’s a festival of brotherhood,

Let it be so as that’s what has been taught.

If it’s a festival to forgive and forget ,

Let’s do so and move ahead,

For what’s better occasion than Holi,

To forge bonding and reconnect.

If water is indeed a precious resource,

Let’s conserve it this Holi.

That will only make the festival

More purposeful and more holy.

There are folklores galore around Holi,

And so much to learn and imbibe,

Let’s not forget the underlying values,

By indulging only in playfulnesses and gibe.

Ram played Holi in Awadh and Krishna in Mathura,

Making the occasion so pious so pure,

Let’s celebrate this festival with purity of heart in our own towns

And the happiness of this festival shall always endure!

Happy Holi!

As an Axis banker, who spent almost 28 years with the organisation, it’s a matter of great delight that Axis has completed its take over of the Citibank’s retail business in India. Notwithstanding, attrition of business and employees between the dates of announcement of the deal and the actual acquisition, which was expected, the acquisition has made substantial contribution to the Axis’s existing franchises of CASA, credit card, wealth management and SME.

A bit of an inorganic growth push was long overdue for Axis Bank. We all know how its immediate rivals widened their lead over Axis through inorganic growth. After the failed attempt to merge with Global Trust Bank and a few marginal acquisitions such as Enam and Freecharge, which added more to the Bank’s capability than to balance sheet, Axis Bank chose to tread the path of organic growth only. We, as old staff of the Bank used to pose this question to our CEOs- “ when are we going to make an acquisition that gives us immediate growth? “ – and at last this opportunity came Axis’s way when Citibank decided to hive off its retail consumer business in line with its global strategy for certain markets.

Being no longer part of the system, I don’t know what’s feeling inside the organisation, which I presume will be euphoric. Citibank was indeed a pioneer as far as credit card and wealth management businesses in India are concerned and this acquisition definitely boosts these franchises in Axis bank, where Axis already has significant presence.

Whenever two organisations merge or business of one gets acquired by another ( as is the case in Axis- Citi deal), some issues cannot be completely ruled out and may require ironing out. But given Axis’s inclusive culture, I have no doubt that incoming Citibank’s employees as well as customers will feel at home in Axisbank.

Welcome Citibank’s employees and customers to the world of Axis! May this bring the best out of both – the existing and incoming employees of Axis Bank!

Quite often, I come across posts by employees of various companies, celebrating their respective organisation to be a Great place to work. I am not quite sure of the process of certification by Greatplacetowork.in and what all goes into it, but stray interactions with a few of the people working in some of these certified organisations, reveal a gap between the certification and the actual working conditions prevalent in these companies. It’s true that corporate world is not a democratic world and no organisation on the earth can really boast of 100% satisfied staff and customers. But without getting into numbers, I am sure the certification must be ensuring a meaningful sample size; otherwise outcome may not be representative of the actual state of affairs.

My belief is that it takes more than an excellent product or state of the art service for a company to become a great place to work. Even if the product or service offering is unmatchable, the trust and confidence, of internal ( employees) and external (clientele) customers can get built up only after the company has traversed the path for sufficiently long period of time with consistency. It’s not an overnight or quick phenomenon. In fact, a few companies achieve such an iconic status that even if their products are subsequently found to have some flaws, they are unaffected. A case in point is Coca Cola. Though its sweetened carbonated flavoured drink is found to have health hazards, the company continues to have huge fan following and attract new customers into its fold by tweaking its product portfolio. I read somewhere that Coke and Pepsi also contribute their bit to conservation and they help in recharging ground water to the extent of water drawn out by them for their production, something that needs validation. Of the new lot, I have heard great things about Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Apple as employers. All these companies must be certified great places to work, but they really need no certificate as their satisfied employees and customers bear testimony to this fact. On the contrary, greatplacetowork.in may need these iconic names in its list to be a relevant and reliable functional site.

Let organisations first strive to achieve greatness internally – and who knows better than an organisation itself regarding its internal state of affairs- certifications are important but these should come naturally as an outcome rather than striven to be obtained.

It was a pleasure listening to Javed Akhtar’s views expressed by him at various platforms during his recent visit to Pakistan, where he had gone in response to invitation extended to him to participate in Faiz festival 2023.

Whether it was recital of his poetry at the festival or his candidly expressed views during various interactions and interviews, it was a sheer delight to witness his grace and persona. How he grew up in a family comprising communists and congress supporters, but all puffed up with the pride of Indianness, fighting for its freedom, his rebellion and his initial days of struggle in Mumbai, his life is inspirational to say the least. And here it’s futile to talk about his talent as a story teller and a poet, fields in which he has touched an acme in excellence.

His interpretation of why secularism is the basis of democracy is something that’s extremely noteworthy and deserves to be adopted as the right definition of democracy. According to him, a party in majority forms government and then brings acts and bills to implement its policies. These bills get passed by a majority vote. However, this majority and minority get redefined every 5 years and is not perpetual. This, according to him, is the right definition of minority and majority as it’s redefined every 5 years. On the contrary religious based majority and minority are non changing and hence not secular.

As he ends one of his interviews with his own couplet:

Kabhi to insaan karega zindagi ki izzat

Yeh ek ummeed aaj bhi dil main pal rahi hai!

Hats off to you Javed Sahab! Please do continue to spread this hope, optimism and happiness.

One of the wishes in my bucket list got completed now – to visit Odisha and seek blessings of Lord Jagannath. And when your visit is not only facilitated, but fully organised and accompanied by a native, my friend Manoj and his very affectionate and petite wife Mousumi, the experience is simply ethereal. That’s how I sum up my week long visit to this beautiful state rich in heritage, culture, cuisine, art and above all that houses one of the char dhams – Puri!

From the time we landed at Bhubaneswar airport to the time we were dropped there exactly one week later – we neither needed to know the itinerary nor worry about logistics. Our friend and his wife had planned everything meticulously to the last mile.

Starting with well planned and smart city of Bhubaneswar, Odisha’s capital, we were simply mesmerised by its fine roads, disciplined traffic and hospitality in general. The incomparable Mayfair provided the perfect stay and mouth watering seafood and meat dishes were simply incredible. Nandan Kanan, about which I had read in my NCERT text book, had seen better days, but still provided a great experience. The high point our Bhubaneswar stay was delicious bamboo mutton, where soft mutton pieces, marinated and boiled are filled inside a bamboo and then left to cook slowly inside a tandoor or oven. It’s one of the finest and most delicious dishes eaten by me. Apart from certain temples and a quick visit to the commercial city of Cuttack, Bhubaneswar left a lasting impression on the mind.

It was time for visit to Lake Chilika, the massive brackish water lagoon spread over an area of 1100 square kilometer. It’s the second largest lake of India after Vembanad. It was surreal and the food at the resort most sumptuous. In fact, I would stop making any mention of food herein after as across wherever and whatever we are – vegetarian or non vegetarian, eating food was a great gastronomic experience. After a night’s stay at Chilika, it was the time for most awaited visited to Konark and Puri. Once again we were booked in a resort right on the confluence where river Chandrabhaga seamlessly merged into the mighty Bay of Bengal. Konark’s ruins bear testimony to its architectural excellence and one needs hours to fully appreciate the thought that went behind its construction. And as aforesaid, then came the high point of our trip – visit of Lord Jagannath’s Dham – a surreal and spiritual experience. The visit also included consumption of Mahaprasad within the precincts of Jagannath temple and this was one of the most delicious meals. Next day happened to be our 35th wedding anniversary too and this couple friend ordered traditional odiya food, specially customised for us, served on a specially decorated table. What else could one ask for to celebrate one’s anniversary? The heady mix of great place, great food, great company and above all blessings of Lord Jagannath provided everything!

Time to leave for Bhubaneswar airport for return back home was filled with déjà vu, but armed with Odiya delicacies – Chhena Podh and Rasgullas, we reconciled our heart with the age old wisdom- “ All good things come to an end.” But our joy is endless, memories lifelong and gratitude deep to this couple for revealing India’s best kept secret, Odisha tourism’s tagline, to us in the most incredible manner.

Another close Odiya friend, Raman Mahapatra, who was guiding and following our Odisha sojourn closely also added a bit of mysticism to the entire scenario. Unknowingly, I completed visit to the third Shakti Peeth after Kolkata and Guwahati two years ago ! As per Raman ( Quote)

“The great mythological texts including the Shiva Purana and the Kalika Purana (the Asthashakti) recognize the four major Shakti Peethas. Like

1. (Bimala, Pada Khanda) inside the Jagannath Temple, Puri, Orissa,
2. (Tara Tarini) Sthana Khanda (Breasts), near Berhampur, Orissa,
3. (Kamakshi, Yoni khanda) near Guwahati, Assam and
4. (Dakhina Kalika, Mukha khanda) in Kolkata, West Bengal originated from the limbs of the Corpse of Mata Sati. In a hymn, the Kalika Purana (Asthashakti) clearly says:
   “Vimala Pada khandancha,
   Stana khandancha Tarini (Tara Tarini),
   Kamakhya Yoni khandancha,
   Mukha khandancha 7Kalika (Kali)
   Anga pratyanga sangena Vishnu Chakra Kshate nacha……..”

In the peak of my youth,

I lived life with joy and abandon gay;

All the festivals were occasions to rejoice,

But alas! There was no Valentine’s Day!

But where was the time for such passion,

Between the degree and job life was tight;

Hardly had I tasted independence,

I was already married and had a wife.

With time, Valentine’s Day acquired importance,

And the youth brigade made it a great occasion;

I was already middle aged and a father,

Bereft of such vivacious joy and passion.

Why was I born a few decades too soon?

Is my pet peeve;

That gets all the more aggravated,

On Valentine’s Day eve!

But if age is indeed a number,

And expressing love knows no bounds;

Who’s better Valentine than one’s life companion,

To celebrate love why this day but all year round!

Happy Valentine’s Day

Employee attrition in all forms- natural or forced, opportunistic or circumstantial, employee initiated or employer driven – has been a topic under my special focus and the posts by me covering this aspect have evoked passionate response. However, when we see marquee names like Google, Amazon, Twitter etc laying of thousands of people at a very short or no notice and that too at foreign locations where a few sources don’t even have a shelter of their own, the problem back home here in India seems rather insignificant. I have seen parents taking a lot of pride in announcing hiring of their wards by Google, FB. Twitter and Amazon, but the recent spate of layoffs by these gains is extremely worrisome.

If laying off employees is solely due to company not doing well financially and it’s product line becoming obsolete, something that’s beyond the purview or control of employees, it’s understandable, though any good corporate would try its best to make such performance/financial linked severance to be sweet and smooth to the extent possible. When companies do well and assume marquee status, laying off employees for the reasons such as improving productivity, reducing operating cost, automation of processes etc could be myopic. Companies, who treat their staff and employees as an important resource, an important input, value their contribution and take care of them by re or upskilling them to prepare them to deliver the desired benefits. It takes a corporate number of years and some serious investment through training and financial outlay to prepare it’s ready to deliver manpower and laying it off under the slightest of the pretexts could be myopic, as aforesaid.

Meanwhile, I understand that Indians laid off by large companies in US are exploring alternative opportunities and many of them are getting rehired too. For the rest, I am sure their skills will stand them in good stead here in India. I dread the prospects of people getting laid off at an age when they should be delivering peak performance and securing themselves socially and financially.

My limited take on the historic budget based on the seven principles of Amrit Kaal and ticking all the boxes are as under:

(1) I am leading a comparatively comfortable retired life thanks to the forced investment in life insurance due to tax incentives. There’s no incentive now to save and a person will have more money in hand to indulge in higher spending.

(2) As my job is not pensionable, I was thinking of moving part of my retrial benefit into HV insurance product to get a fixed monthly interest free pension after initial lock in. This opportunity is now gone.

(3) I would celebrate happy occasions by sending small gift remittances to my daughter who’s abroad. Amount remitted up to Rs7 lakhs in a FY attracted no TCS. The new provisions will attract a TCS of 20% on such remittances. 

(4) As I preferred forced saving, during my work life, I opted for old tax regime, which I proposed to continue post retirement. The Government is determined to push everyone to new tax regime. 

To be honest, while I am reading lots of analysis and hearing panel discussions, on the personal front, I am not feeling too enthused🥲.