I have been wanting to write on so many things over the past week or so but now that I finally sit to write, I can't recollect anything at all. Hopefully, now that I have started to roll, things will come back to me as I keep on writing and deliberating and moving ahead thus. So, before the first of these topics hit me, let me place it on record here on this blog that I am not that disappointed with Mumbai. In terms of roads, green cover and infrastructure, in general, the city obviously does not show even a light to the grandeur of say, a Delhi. However, in all other respects, it is not too bad. The work culture is professional enough (not to say that it is in any way much better than Delhi), people smile here, too and at times, also have time to exchange pleasantries. Taxi drivers are a pleasant lot and generally tend not to cheat you off your last penny (though the same can not be said of the auto rickshaw drivers at all). Traffic is bad but coming from the congested NH-24 in Delhi, that does not seem too much of a bother either. Trains, of course, are bloody efficient even though they are perenially crowded, smelly and sweaty.

Speaking of smelly and sweaty, it reminds me of last Saturday, at the end of which, I was in a pretty bad shape myself, thanks to some fair bit of travel across the city during the hot and humid afternoon in open taxis and autos. Starting off the day was the memorable trip to meet a SCIENTIST which happens to be one of the things that I have been wanting to write about. The trip was based on an interview on national television done with a certain scientist who has been credited with treating some supposedly incurable diseases through his herbal medicines. My Mama had seen this interview and wanted me to see this person for my nerve problem (a fallout of the accident I had last year). So it was that Priya and I reached this scientist's place in Versova on this hot Saturday afternoon. In the last few minutes of his sitting time, the scientist heard me out, barely trying to stifle his yawn while telling me at the same time that I should start the medicine and that the medicine will cure me totally. To top it all, this was done without even glancing at a single report of a single test conducted for this problem of mine. So much for the science part! All this was still ok till the time I was told that there was only one medicine that he provides for all ailments, whether it is cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, paralysis, or a nerve disorder like mine. To assume that this one-stop-shop for treatment of ailments will turn out to be better than all the specialised treatments that I have considered and decided against because of their inefficacy, was a long call to take. But I did take this call alongwith Priya and my Mama, and for all my so called education, I can not but hope for a miracle from this exceedingly highly priced herbal medicine (15 doses for a freaking 15 grand).

The incident I described above does not conform to any of my thoughts about such things and yet, I acted in this non-conformist manner. To claim that I did this only to please my family members would be a lie to myself since at some corner of my brain, I wanted to believe in this treatment, however fantastic it seemed. Having all but lost hope from so many other 'scientific' quarters, and almost designated to lead a life with this disorder as a permanent part of my being, I reached out to this ray of hope, however bleak it may be. Doesn't it show somewhere that despite all the rational thinking that we are capable of, faith comes out the stronger in cases where logic and reason are not fast enough in their action?

On the work front, things are turning out to be quite a haze, what with me having to dip my hand in almost everything that presents itself for dipping hands into. I will try and write about all that I do in some other post but for now wish to share with my readers something of a management insight that I gleaned from one of the senior management meetings that I had the good fortune to be a part of. This meeting was called to discuss a new vertical that the company is going to launch and was aimed at kick starting the design of the operational and marketing framework for the new business. While discussing some operational aspect, a senior member remarked how and why we should not try to be perfect in all that we do. His logic was that there were imperfections in the market and the intelligent player is one who exploits these imperfections till he can and at the same time, is the first to find out when those imperfections are starting to get corrected. This is when the intelligent player makes the switch from playing to an imperfect market (and making his moolah while he does so) to initiating and setting up a perfect setup for a market that is fast on its way to removing its imperfections.

A perfect example was ICICI Bank, India's largest private sector bank, which chose to play along with other credit card companies in charging annual and joining fees for credit cards till the game was there and available in the market. However, as soon as the bank realized that this was a temporary phenomenon that was about to go and that the customers were very soon going to be very demanding, they decided to act as destroyers in the market and pioneered the concept of Free-for-life credit cards. They had the last laugh since not only did they lap up the revenues till they were there for the taking, but once they realized things were changing, they were proactive enough to build a large market share by removing the market imperfections faster than the market itself would have been able to manage.

Needless to say, I was quite impressed by this line of thinking and though this does not reflect too well on the Indian markets and the players involved, it still is a very practical strategy. It still leaves the question, however, that if everyone tries to exploit the imperfections, doesn't it tantamount to the market and the customer always remaining imperfect, with no body breaking the shackles? In reality, however, this does not happen and the efficient market hypothesis takes over at some stage or the other and the trick is to be able to predict this point of inversion.

I first caught this show 'Are you smarter than a fifth grader' on television as I was aimlessly surfing through the channels on a lazy sunday. I thought it to be a nice format and then forgot all about it till Shahrukh Khan and Synergy Adlabs happened to it. And thus was launched 'Kya aap paanchvi pass se tez hain'. Though I missed the first episode (got a bit confused as to the dates), I did catch the other two and I must say that Mr. Basu impresses once again. Right from the TATA Steel Quiz all those years ago in Patna to Quiz Time, KBC, and now this show, I have always been a fan of Siddharth Basu, not as much for his quizzing talent (which, in itself, is remarkable) but more so for his ability to execute, without a fault. Consider the sets of KBC and the questions that stumped you just enough to feel that you can win, and just enough to make sure that you actually don't. Consider Quiz Time and the first ever popular quiz show on the Indian television, much before the current breed of reality shows had hit the boob tube.

Coming back to this particular show, the technical stuff is very much in place and very similar to the original, thanks to Mr. Basu and team. More than that, Basu's getting the hang of getting the right people for the job is pretty evident as well. I mean, who else but King Khan to pit kids against young and not-so-young adults, who else but King Khan to host a show that is supposed to be bubbly, energetic, and to a certain extent, kiddish, who else but King Khan to make a complete mockery (and yet be considerate enough to be polite all the way) of the contestants when they are not smarter than a fifth grader?

Fortunately or unfortunately, the people who have actually come on this show so far have not really been geniuses and the questions haven't helped either (well, some cases like the Is-Is-Istanbul and Karanchi-Lahore or revolutions around the SRK-sun were plain dumb). More than this, and definitely unfortunately, SRK has not been in his elements so far to be actually able to take the show to another level with his infectious energy. Whether it is thanks to his commitments to IPL, or unveiling of yet another wax statue of his, or his receiving yet another award in yet another award function organized by yet another magazine/TV channel, is open for debate.

Speaking of the IPL, things are going on pretty smoothly for the league now and just as the interest was about to be weaned away from the affairs on field, some things happened off it that brought the limelight right back. The 'Slapgate' and 'Cheeromania' were enough for even Dadas and Dadis who had not been clued in to the game's latest avataar to start talking about it. From news channels focusing only on the opulence of the game so far, and partly on the game, as well, this gave enough fodder to bring in other aspects of the drama to the public, and finally, it is the BCCI and the IPL franchise owners who are silently but surely, laughing all the way to the bank.

Work, on the other hand, is fast becoming a multi headed monster with too many things occupying my attention at the moment. Some of these are down right mundane and I do not wish to spend any more time on them but then there are others as well which are absolutely exciting and I can't wait to get going. However, as long as I am involved in these tasks, I shall be held responsible for their failure (if not the success, being just another cog in the wheel) and thus, have to give my whole and be on my juggling best as I go through late nights at work and at the same time, boring inerludes of sleep-inducing stuff during the day.

The personal life is not really kicking with work taking more of my time than I would ideally want but then I had anticipated this when I agreed to come to Mumbai in this role. Having been put into a position where I need to cultivate new friendships, and not having the ease of picking up a conversation with any and every one in the vicinity, is getting to be a pain, as well. I had assumed that life in Mumbai would be more social what with the IIMK people presumably hitting it big time in Mumbai, but I couldn't have been more mistaken. Distances play the spoilsport here in Mumbai, as well. Perhaps more so, since the distances are not just composed of the actual miles but even include the time constraints that many of us face in this fast and busy city.

The Indian Premier League is currently enjoying a very enviable top of mind recall, and perhaps deservedly so. Even though a lot of people had anticipated the IPL to be one rocking extravaganza, the "Manoranjan ka Baap" (do catch the ad if you haven't already) was a pleasant addition. With perhaps the most potent combination of cricket and movies that is possible in this country, the IPL is fast on its way to become a path breaker and a trendsetter. Comparing it to its poorer cousin, ICL seems such a shame now, given the remarkably comprehensive way in which IPL has emerged victorious, be it in terms of star power, money, facilities involved to things as simple as graphics, advertisements, side shows (remember the Akshay Kumar stunts in Delhi?). 

Apart from IPL, the other thing that has been keeping me occupied is my 'gareebkhana'. Thanks to Priya, the place is looking so much better and livable now. We have got the bean bags, an artificial fountain, a whole lot of kitchenware, and of course with the maid having started coming in, the overall appearance of the place is so very neat and clean. In fact, on Sunday, as the last few hours of the three day vacation were coming to pass, I had this inexplicable feeling of contentment at having finally managed to stay in a kind of place and in a kind of style that I always wanted to. Of course, it would have been great if I could have managed it in Delhi, but even if the new salary here in Bombay allows me this lifestyle, I shall be grateful.

At work, it is productivity that we have been talking about. In fact, it is a very interesting and debatable issue as to what is a good metric for productivity. If and once you are able to decide on this metric, do you have the systems required to measure that metric, or before that, to even record accurately the inputs required to measure that metric. For me, it has been a little difficult and yet extremely interesting to come to terms with this search for this metric, with the system lacking any substance at all, and the metric's visibility being almost non-existent. I also look at this entire exercise with a lot of interest because I have been at the other side of things so far, responsible for breaking all the rules and being, more or less, part of the reason why this metric is being considered in the first place.

In fact, this has led me to a difficult situation with my friends and colleagues working in the position I used to work for. I am, now, on the other side of the table, doing things that they would hate, imposing restriction, rules, and unreasonable-sounding requests that I would have as vociferously opposed as idiosyncrasies of the management. This, however, is part of what I have chosen for myself so I guess I will have to live with it. It will not be easy, of course, because with time, what is right now just good natured banter and teasing might take the form of talking behind my back or open criticism.

There has been a lot happening around me that I should have written about but I guess I have been just plain lazy. It is difficult to put pen to paper, or finger to key when you are engrossed with so much else that is going on in your life.

For starters, it has been nearly two weeks since I have permanently moved to Mumbai. As if that was not an event enough, I decided to follow it up with changing my role from that of a Relationship Manager for High Net Worth Clients, who I used to advise on their investments. Going forward, I shall not be doing anything of the sort. Instead, I am supposedly going to be working with the business head of he wealth management unit of my company.

The work that I need to do, however, is not really very well-defined. Even though I am supposedly going to be involved in the overall strategy of the firm, as per the job description doled out to me, I always believed that I will be required to work as a floater. Having come here and spent more than just a couple of late nights in office, I think I can say with fair bit of certainty that my job details are pretty uncertain.

Right from trying to improve productivity in a tough year, to working towards some new businesses that the firm is launching, to some very mundane stuff like preparing excel formats for various purposes, there is quite a bit of variety in life. The good thing about this variety is that it keeps me on my toes almost all the time and that I do not get those pangs of boredom that I was so susceptible to, in my previous role which offered me the luxury to relax and not do anything, every now and then.

The bad thing about this job, however, is that it takes me far away from much of human contact. Since this is more of a brains rather than mouth kind of a job, I do not get to interact too much with people, either internal or external, which is something I had not anticipated or factored in and therefore, terribly miss. The change of location has not helped, either, since it is now a new set of people at work with whom I can't even have cordial, meaningless, unrelated-to-work banter without some amount of effort.

Since it has always been difficult for me to put in that effort, I , more often than not, remain at my desk, at times doing something I am engrossed in and at others, just plainly gazing across the window towards the sea, whose view my seat so graciously provides.

It has been just a few days here, and there are so many things that one still needs to understand about the job and people here that it is quite unnerving at times. But herein lies the opportunity, and I am sure of it, to shape a career. It will be left, however, completely to my own resourcefulness and ingenuity to identify and capitalize on the opportunities before they get out of my grasp.

Amongst other stuff, I visited Singapore with my family (parents and sister) on my first offshore trip paid by my own money. The experience was very nice, and doubly so because I had the good fortune of being able to enjoy the company of my family on this vacation. Following it up was this felicitation in Goa organized by the company for some top performers in a certain category. I took Papa along but had not really anticipated how much he will like it and neither did I anticipate the positive feedback that I received from peers and colleagues who liked the novelty behind the idea of taking your parent along to a place like Goa. Novelty? Coming from a culture as rooted to the family concept as India's, that did come in as a surprise factor.

Well, I have finally moved in to a well built and well provided for place that I can call home for the time being. This place is in Santa Cruz, a 2 BHK, furnished house where I have moved in with Priya, my sister. It is still early days and even my stuff has not reached me from Delhi but first impressions seem quite favorable as the house is fast on its way to being called home.

Things had been pretty topsy-turvy over the last few months, what with the accident, recovery, joining work after such a big sabbatical, and many other things associated with the same. However, once things started getting back on track, there has been a sort of calm and dull cover enveloping the daily proceedings. In a nutshell, life goes by, currently, at an even pace without much to force the ripple, so to say, in the still waters.

I have been watching a lot of movies again, after a long hiatus caused, initially by the accident and later due to sheer intertia. The inertia was broken by Harry Potter's latest (a fitting movie to break the fast, I think) and though the frequency of at least a movie a week did not return till much later, I am happy that I do not need to think twice any more for something as mundane (as far as the decision making goes, at least).

As for the aftermath of the injury, things have begun to get back on track and my collar-bone, hip-bone, and the hip-joint seem to be functioning properly. The only thing that had me on my tenterhooks even earlier and which is still causing much irritation, even a bit of anguish is my sciatic nerve. For the technically challenged, let it suffice for me to mention that my right foot no longer acknowledges or follows my brain's commands. If it still went over your head, let me submit that I can't operate my right ankle as well as I can my left one.

Though the problem may not seem to be that big an issue, given what I have come out of, but the enormity of the problem is in its being so small and apparently inconsequential. Since I can't operate the ankle, my right foot drops when I walk which prevents me from being sure of my step, ever. Added to it, there is always this feeling of discomfort running right from my toes to my ankle that never allows me to concentrate on anything totally, reminding me time and again that I am not normal, may not be normal for quite some time, perhaps never.

I know that I am cribbing a lot but deep within me, I know that I have been lucky that God has given me an option to stand on my feet again, live my life with respect for my own self. At least, I am not physically, mentally or financially dependent on anyone. Even if I am never going to be absolutely fine and even if that is going to create and leave long lasting scars in my personal life, at least I will have a life.

As for other stuff, I have been living my life at my own terms and have become all the more mature for recent events that I have been associated with. People have been leaving the company in droves and even though the emoluments they shall be receiving sound immensely attractive, it still doesn't make me ponder too much. I was able to meet my friends in Bombay at the closing of last year and realized that it is so very difficult to be doing what you really like to, not to say that I am even close to the same.

Well, till the next time, I think that the above shall have to be it. So see you again pretty soon...ciao!