The ‘Sea’rene Wonders

Everyone will agree with me on this. The routine, humdrum jobs for working professionals and for students, the ever-increasing-eleventh-hour heap of projects and assignments, coupled with the old monster friend called ‘Exams’, reach the saturation point and the Production concept of ‘Law of Diminishing Returns’ clearly applies to our performance in exams and at work. Hence when the stress levels reach the pinnacle of our tolerance, we take a break in the form of vacations. During the last 2-3 months, I was also a sufferer of the burgeoning stress. I was in a dire need of a holiday. As this was going to be my last official vacation before the busier 2015 began, my family and I decided to go somewhere close to the nature. And where can one experience peace of mind better than at the sea? So we went on an exploratory trip to Ganpatipule with an urge to explore the wonders of nature and to find sangfroid from all the urban ennui, in the embracing arms of nature….

Our journey began in the wee hours of cold Christmas morning. We boarded Janshatabdi Express which would take us to Ratnagiri in five hours. After getting down at Ratnagiri and after a lot of haggling with the rickshaw drivers, we reached Ganpatipule: our destined accommodation for the next four days. My joy knew no bounds when I got the panoramic view of the Arabian Sea from our room. 

The sight of the sea is always a treat for my eyes. In the evening, we headed out on the beach for a long walk to enjoy the sunset amidst the cool sea breeze. The calm moon had already started shining, as if it was ready to take charge of the sky, after the sun had set. Standing in the sea and experiencing the cold waves dashing against my feet, was a pleasant feeling. Looking at the far stretched sea, I wondered how many lives does this nature’s wonder support… Be it the marine life residing in it or the fishermen who sold the gifts of nature to earn a livelihood. We, human beings, too can learn so many things from the sea. If only we all could be forgiving, benevolent, merciful and generous like the sea! My evening turned merrier by playing carom with my family, loaded with lots of laughter. It was delighting to play carom after so many long years. 

From next day onwards, we started with our expedition. Our first stop was Jaigad Fort. Although the fort is in ruins, the outer walls still stand strong. The Bijapur-Sultanate-developed fort overlooks the bay where the Shastri River meets the Arabian Sea. This 500 year old fort had many controllers from Bijapur Sultanate, the Portuguese, Shivaji Maharaj, the Peshavas to the British. Near the Jaigad Fort is the Jaigad Lighthouse. It was used for port security and navigation in the old times. The Jaigad lighthouse is nowadays used in the night for the local people and is still functional. 

As Konkan is known for its magnificent temples, we visited temples of various deities. The first temple which we visited was Karhateshwar temple. A small stream originating from the hillside nearby is an interesting feature of this temple. The next two temples viz. Laxmi Keshav temple of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Laxmi and Jai Vinayak Mandir by JSW are beautifully built, nestled in complete solitude, devotion and oneness with God. Karneshwar Temple, built by the Pandavas in memory of their eldest brother Karna, was not only beautiful, but it also depicted interesting stories about the Pandavas and the Indian mythology from its stone carvings. This temple was located in Kasaba, the same place where Sambhaji was imprisoned, following the perfidy by his brother-in-law. Our next destination was Keshavasuta Smarak at Malgund. Krishnaji Keshav Damle was a great Marathi poet who wrote poems under the pen name ‘Keshavasuta’. He died at the young age of 39 after succumbing to plague. I had never read his poems earlier, but my parents were familiar with some of his poems, which they learnt in their school days. Some of his poems were displayed outside the library. We visited his house where he was born. It was a typical cozy Konkan house with cow-dung plastered floor and walls. We then visited the room in which this great poet was born. My admiration for Keshavasuta grew when I learnt more about his life and his contribution to the Marathi literature in his short span of life of mere 39 years. We left that place with lot of inspiration and awe for this great personality born in the rich Konkan. Later that evening we visited the Swayambhu Ganesh temple of Ganpatipule on foot, by walking along the sandy Aare Waare beach.

Next day, we headed towards Marleshwar, which is a two-hour drive from Ganpatipule. Marleshwar temple is a cave temple of Lord Shiva. To reach this temple, one has to first climb the steps for 30 minutes. The temple is surrounded by tall mountains, appearing like formidable guards of Lord Shiva, and the snow white waterfall originates from these gargantuan mountains. The sight was so beautiful that I simply could not stop eulogizing the virgin natural beauty around me! After taking Lord Shiva’s blessings from Marleshwar, we drove to Dervan. Dervan is known for its ‘Shiv-Srushti’ or a memorial to honour the revered deity of Maharashtra, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. There we saw splendid sculptures of various significant episodes in Shivaji’s life. Each sculpture there looked life-like and grand. 

Then our journey took a surprising turn. With our day long drive, we reached close to my mother’s native place. Years had passed since my mother had seen her home in her native place, which was so close to her heart. I have always seen that glimmer in my mother’s eyes when she remembers her home in her native place. Call it her strong will power or God’s miracle, it suddenly struck us that we could actually pay a visit to my mother’s native place. Our amiable driver agreed with our plan to visit the village, and there we were, fulfilling my dear mother’s desire to see her village. When we reached the Kuldevi’s temple, I could see the immense happiness and never fading smile on my beautiful mother’s face! After seeking the Goddess’ blessings we visited my mother’s home. There was a childlike excitement and uncontrollable contentment on my mother’s face on seeing her home after 17 long years! That day I realized that the most beautiful part of our entire trip was my mother’s beautiful smile that evening. No other place that we would visit could match with that pleasant look on my mother’s face. 

Next morning I was quite morose as we were leaving for Mumbai on that day. That meant bidding goodbye to the rejuvenating view of the sea from our room. We drove to Ratnagiri city, where our first stop was Patit Pavan Mandir and the Veer Sawarkar Memorial which was next to it. This temple is the first temple in India, that offered an unrestricted right to any member of Hindu Community to enter the temple and to worship the idols of Laxmi Narayana. What I found amazing about this temple was Goddess Laxmi’s idol. She is portrayed as a simple married woman with no ornaments except her mangalsutra, and her husband, Lord Vishnu standing proudly next to her. These two divine powers captivated my mind. A question crossed my mind as I stared at Laxmi: If the Goddess of Wealth herself is dressed like the hoi polloi, then why do we strive so much to amass heaps of wealth? Can’t we all try to be content and ingenuous like the goddess? 

Later we explored the life of a godlike human being, the courageous Veer Savarkar. As I read more about Savarkar’s early life, his education, his struggle for freedom and the atrocities which were imposed on him by the British, tears dwelled in my eyes. We also read about the other bold freedom fighters who laid down their lives for our Motherland. We simply stood there, still and frozen, saluting and bowing to each of these epitomes of bravery. Next, we visited the home of another great personality, Lokmanya Tilak. Tilak’s home is also a simple, cow-dung plastered abode, similar to that of Keshavasuta. Today his home displays various important events in Lokmanya’s life and his valuable contribution to the freedom struggle. My respect for these two immortal freedom fighters, born in the soil of Maharashtra, grew by several times, after delving and getting to know better about the lives they lived. We later visited the Ratnadurga Fort and the temple of Bhagavati Devi. Ratnadurga Fort was under Daryasarang Kanhoji Angre’s control for 45 years. Ratnadurga Fort is a horse-shoe shaped Balekillla with strong fortifications from south east to west side. 

Finally the time came to say goodbye to Ratnagiri and thus marked the end of our wonderful trip of 4 days. As our train left Ratnagiri station, my heart became heavy, not wanting to part with the magical creations of Mother Nature. My mother, being the excellent motivator as always, cheered me up and made me understand that how good things, too have to come to an end. My trip to Ganpatipule was not only a much needed break from all monotony but also an opportunity of spiritual enrichment. I learnt many lessons in life from the sea, the forts, memorials and temples that I visited. The train journey to Mumbai was great; having completed reading Sudha Murty’s yet another wonderful work, ‘Something happened on the way to heaven’. This trip was like an ablution of all stress and tensions and a realization of optimistic outlook towards life. When I got down the train, I braced myself to face all the upcoming set of tasks with lots of enthusiasm and cheer, like the wide sea and the intrepid freedom fighters!

A Roller-Coaster Ride called 2014

When people ask me what exactly do I write on my blog, my answer is the same: “Any random topic under the sun. I write about anything that touches me deeply.” In my amateurish journey as a writer, I have written mostly about certain incidents that I have read, experienced and watched and my learning from them. As I unfold another chapter of learning in my life, I realized that the year 2014 has taught me multitude of lessons. This year has been a challenging one for me. A year which has tested my aptitude for hard work and at the same time rewarded me what I deserved. There were many people with me, like my life-guards in this frenzy ride of 2014. 

The year of 2014 began with the last industrial visit of my graduation life. We went to Jaipur, one of my favourite cities, which is full of resplendence, regality and Epicureanism. Visiting the mesmerizing palaces of Jaipur and enjoying the pure vegetarian delectable cuisine, was an exhilarating experience. It was my last and the best industrial visit with my fellow classmates. After the rejuvenating break, time came to focus on the entrance and University exams. The month of February was a disheartening for me as my beloved maternal grandmother left for heavenly abode. I miss her presence a lot, but I also know that her blessings are with all of us, always. She was a principled woman with immense courage, patience, discipline and had lived her life to the fullest. As it is said, “The show must go on”, life had to regain normalcy. It is important in life to cross the dark tunnels coming in our way and welcome the brightness in life with open arms. The months of March and April proved to be the determinants of my career ahead and the time to bid farewell to my college for 5 years, Mulund College of Commerce, along with my beloved friends Gauri, Mitali and Snehal. These three are some of the nicest persons I met in my Graduation years.

The month of May was a special one for me as my writing got a broader coverage by means of my blog, which was earlier limited to the newsletters of my college. With writing, I began looking at things with a different perspective and channelized my thought process in an unprecedented way. Needless to say, I consider it as a medium to boost my creativity. 

The months of June and July were full of anticipation, with stress levels and pessimism on the peak. The outcome of so many anticipations was a positive one, when I got admission into a good B-school on the basis of efforts I had invested in. The tedious travelling by local trains was something which came as an appendage with my new Post-Graduation life. Local trains, well, are inevitable in every Mumbaikar’s life. Thus, began my unique journey into grooming for corporate world. 

The month of August was a starting point where I had to adapt to my new surroundings. What exactly is social learning, I realized after entering CRKIMR. Here I met people from different cities, diverse educational backgrounds and most importantly, of different mindsets and distinctive ideas about life. Fortunately I met some like-minded people with whom I struck chords of bonding immediately. My first friend in MBA was Priyam. We share not only common educational backgrounds but also have similar sense of humour. I can always speak my mind to her. She is my confidant and stands by me in all good and bad times.  My next friend which I made here is Lokesh. Besides being my travel companion, he is a great motivator, a good listener, a teacher, my source of laughter and my staunch supporter. I also met a few 'philosopher' friends in this institute. Interaction with them is equivalent to learning something new every time, not just from their philosophies but also from their experiences. It was nice meeting a few like-minded people who share my penchant for writing. It is an exciting experience to read their ‘work’ and gauge their areas of interest which in turn means, getting acquainted to their styles of writing. I never imagined that I could be a source of inspiration for someone, when my good friend Nitesh, too thought of giving writing a serious thought, after reading my blog! I tried something new, like participating as an anchor of my college event or facing an interview for being the Class Representative. The appreciation which I received in these two instances, gave me an impulse to face similar events in corporate life.

It is rightly said ‘Every human being is different’. I am convinced of this postulate after getting to know my classmates better each time, by interacting with them on various occasions. With such exchange of ideas, I noticed my personality transmogrify from an introvert to an extrovert. I learn something new every day not only from my teachers and subjects, but also from people around me. It is fun to get to know 60 different psychologies! Interactions with various people, be it the staff of my college, my classmates or teachers, they hone my interpersonal skills, one of the pre-requisites for a successful manager. I am sure that in the next year and a half that I am here, I will be taking with me a treasure full of knowledge. Valuable knowledge about my core area of specialization and from my helpful companions in college…. I hope to have similar colleagues in my future corporate life. I get a taste of corporate life every time we have to work as a team, follow deadlines to submit projects or to stay back after college to finish the given heap of presentations. At the same time, I mentally prepare myself to face harsher conditions than this, when I am actually in the battlefield of the large conglomerates. Gone are the serene, peaceful days of Graduation life, when, right from travelling to studies, everything seemed a cakewalk. But isn’t that we call Life, where, as I mentioned in my previous article, nothing is constant but change? 

2014 has indeed been an exciting ride, where I faced many ups and downs. This year taught me the lessons of gratitude, optimism and hard work. Every negative experience taught me to do better and every good experience encouraged me to keep up with my good work. Of course, the journey would not have been fun without the loving bunch of people around me, be it my family or friends. As I bid goodbye to 2014, I cherish all the happy and sad moments felt and move on with life with full exuberance and confidence. So here I am all set to welcome 2015 with new set of challenges and hardships, with a big smile!

Novelty Unlimited!

 

It was yet another day when I was caught ‘red-handed’ by my parents and sister while I was busy chatting on WhatsApp. My parents fear that I am turning into a ‘WhatsApp Addict’, which according to them, is as pernicious as an addiction to cigarettes and drugs! I have a hard time explaining to them that, at times, WhatsApp is a medium of academic exchanges as well, besides being the channel of grapevine communication. And sometimes these academic discussions and exchanges take a while. Though my family has a hard time resonating with my defense, it is the only way I know to placate them. When my sister reminisces her MBA days, she realizes how fortunate she was, that WhatsApp was not ubiquitous, like it is today. I remember my sister’s MBA days, when she used to have interactions with her friends on Google group or on Gmail chats, when not in college. When I think of those days, which were only 4 years back, I am astonished to realize the huge transition that took place in these 4 years!

I believe that the continuous strides in technologies today, totally give justice to the adage “Nothing is constant in life but change”. In my life as a student, I have witnessed these strides in various ways. When I read about Nokia’s acquisition by Microsoft for $7.2 billion, I remembered my junior college days when I owned my first cell-phone, a Nokia device and the days when Nokia shone as the leader in the Indian cellphone market. In 2009, having a mobile with mp3 player, FM radio and a 2 megapixel camera was considered a matter of opulence. During my sister’s junior college days, 4 years prior to mine, she had bought a Philips FM radio device, as her first cell-phone was devoid of all the ‘extra’ features like camera and MP3. During those days owning an iPod was a matter of pride for many youngsters. As I reached my Graduation years, the horizons to have a cell-phone with latest features broadened. It’s funny that how in 2013, the exact definition of demand to buy a new cell-phone worked. My ‘need’ to have a new cell-phone was backed by my parents’ ‘ability’ and ‘willingness’ to buy one for me. Thus in this way, I owned my first Android Gingerbread phone. Over the years, we see perfect example of monopolistic competition in the cell-phone market. Samsung faces tough competition from other brands like Micromax, Gionee, HTC, which are slowly capturing the market. But what tops all these brands are Apple phones, the epitome of snob goods. Excitement of novelty is highly experienced among iPhone patrons, I believe. The launch of iPhone 6, “Bigger than bigger” received a grand welcome like any of its predecessor iPhones.

Recently in one of my classes, we had a discussion about the e-commerce websites. I could relate to those discussions as I had, over the last two years, purchased a number of items online, including my laptop. When I think of the past years of my shopping pattern, especially of electronic devices, I remember my father’s cautious approach and an eye for the minutest specification. The trust which the online shopping websites have created in the Indian minds makes it immaterial for the consumers to touch, see and feel the products before buying them. My sister astounds at the fact that I could get a light-in-weight, latest laptop online with a best deal, something which was not very common when she bought her laptop 4 years ago.

Why just the changes in technology around the world, so many technological changes we all must have noticed at our homes itself. CRT television and computer replaced by LCD ones, low energy consuming appliances replacing the traditional ones, digital and other high performance cameras replacing the traditional ‘negatives producing’ cameras, the defunctness of cassettes and floppy disks, which were then replaced by CDs, who in turn were replaced by USBs and so much more novelty! These days I notice that in various Bollywood songs that I listen to, a particular singer's voice is modified to some extent by using the magic of various softwares. A time will come when a singer with blood and flesh may not even be required to sing a song. Here too, technology can do the job of cost cutting! When it comes to food, we constantly wish that we should always have something new to taste and so we end up experimenting with our taste buds in a number of restaurants. Hence we find that famous restaurant chains like McDonalds, Domino’s etc. resorting to product diversification to hold the consumer base strong. The advent of Burger King in India is one such recent addition for the epicureans.

As I write this article, I remember the days when I used a pen to write my articles on a piece of paper, in my immaculate cursive handwriting. Though I save resources like paper and ink by avoiding the innumerable cancellations while editing, at the same time I fear that I will forget the beauty of my handwriting. Probably I will have to go back to my school days when I used to improve the handwriting using the ‘Cursive Handwriting Workbook’! 

Novelty is very much required in our lives. Without it, life will be dull and monotonous. In today’s world, novelty is a necessity. It is rightly said in Economics, ‘man’s needs are unlimited and resources are limited’. Businesses today use this principle to attract the consumers and maximize their profits in that process. In this era, where the environment around us is continuously changing, it is necessary that we remain firm with our ethics and values and not compromise them for worldly possessions. Innovation is something which helps us bring about changes in our lifestyles, thought processes and personality over the years. What we should not forget are our core values which we lead to live a secured life full of happiness. We should always welcome the changes in our life as opportunities to be better individuals. C’est la vie!

The Big Billion Days…

It gives me great pleasure to type my new article, on my new laptop after a long hiatus. Yes! My brand new laptop… the story of this new laptop is an interesting one, a yet another learning experience for me... It goes something like this…

October 6, 2014: 8 am. I woke up from my bed with a big smile on my face as it was a long awaited public holiday and the thoughts of a lazy day that lay ahead, brought in a sense of immense relaxation. Like my daily morning ritual, I held the newspaper to know how the previous day had been for India and the world. The moment I held the newspaper, its first page did not fail to hold my attention. The entire first page was filled with a big advertisement from a popular e-commerce giant of India. There were generous discounts being offered on various consumer durables, available, quite strategically, only for a day. My sister, like any other curious Indian consumer, immediately rushed to the PC to log on to the site. And there it was…a plethora of items available on sale, with lucrative discounts and offers. Coincidentally, since I had purchasing of a laptop on my mind, I started browsing through the innumerable models offered by several brands. It was like wading through a sea of tempting offers. The moment I hit BUY NOW, there were several technical glitches and my transaction could not be completed successfully. I gave up after a series of unsuccessful attempts. Later during the day there were several complaints on various social networking sites pertaining to the online seller. However, at the same time I learnt that the company had made business worth billions. The next day I bought the same laptop on another e-commerce retailer’s site at the same price.

The news regarding business of billions made by the retailer company made me think if really we can still call India a ‘developing’ economy. Days like Diwali, Dussehra and such big sale days defy the proposition put forth by many dignified economists. Online shopping and easy credit terms (Reckless use of credit cards reminds me so much of ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’!) have made average working Indian’s life so much better. The most important aspect to be really proud of is that some of the leading e-commerce websites are the brainchildren of our fellow Indians, who pocket rewarding profits for the expertise which they invest in the business. This expertise, in turn, helps our economy in generating the valuable revenue needed for further investing prospects. In other words, e-commerce websites are hugely contributing to keep this whirlpool of money creation going. Being a monopolistic market, the tussle is huge among these players, but the ultimate beneficiaries in this competition are the consumers, rulers of the market. Understanding clearly that in a monopolistic market, consumers buy by choice and not by chance, we have seen revolutionary trends in the field of online shopping also, wherein only one website exclusively launches a particular book or a mobile phone of X brand. When I read of such enthralling business strategies, I truly believe in the fact that innovation is another name of business. Businesses cease to exist in the absence of innovation and risks. Another inspiring thing that I find in this entire competitive environment is that these websites are exemplars for so many budding entrepreneurs, which means giving a boost to the innate talents. Many logistics companies, too, reap handsome benefits, when we talk about shopping online. Hence, it is a chain of overall development in form of additional employment opportunities and promising salaries.

When I am not in a management-student-thinking-mode, I think about the way I used to buy things as a child. Personally visiting a shop, seeing, touching and feeling a product and then making a wise decision of buying the best item… Life seemed so simple! It may be contradictory to the statement ‘Technology has made human lives simpler’, yet we hear cases of unhappy buyers of online purchasing, in spite the companies’ best efforts to provide quality products. Also the cases of credit card frauds, hacking and money laundering make online payments a risky venture. But as it is said, “Nothing, but change is constant”, we too have to walk with the changing environment and scenarios with its concomitant cons, be it in business or in life. To quote in Economics parlance, maximum utility in life can be achieved only when something satisfies our needs and fulfills our wants at the cost of our deserved hard-earned money!