Dear All:
The business connects meet is scheduled for the 30th of July 2009 at NGV Club, Koramangala (Near Asiad Games Village).
This meet will be anchored and sponsored by Mr.V.Kumar. The core idea of this meet is to create a strong platform for win-win business relationship amongst the ryzers (entrepreanurs / businessmen).
The key points to note:
1. The objective of the meet is "To help fellow Ryzers to find business partners, provide business leads, help in strategic decisions and help in getting micro finance/angel funding".
2. With this objective in mind, the theme selected is "Business Connects".
3. The meet will be held on coming Thursday, 30th July 2009, 9.00 am to 1.00 pm
4. The meet is limited to 25 Participants.
5. 11.00 and 11.15 AM will be tea break. Lunch break at 1.00 PM
6.The meet will be purely interactive with all participants getting sufficient time to put forth their case.
7.The participants will use only white board & marker to make thier presentations / proposals ( strictly no laptops, mobile phones to be switched off / put in silent mode through out the session)
8. The registration form will be mailed to all confirmed participants. The meet will end with a feedback form and intimation about the next meet.
9. The core group will follow up with the development amongst all the participants on a regular basis.
The following members have confirmed their participation. Those who wish to join please add your name to the list in the same posting. Hurry the number is strictly restricted to 25 participants only.
4. We have following registrations: 1. V.Kumar, 2. Mukesh Ghatiya, 3. Sai Tejaswin Tejas, 4. Anup Soans, 5. George Verghese, 6. Manoj Sethu, 7. Yatish Hulkunte, 8. Rajesh Pande, 9. Ravi Srinivasan, 10. Ginni Xanders, 11. Jayant Tiwari, 12. Rohit, 13. Kala
Feel free to call on below mentioned ryzers for any queries or clarifications.
Warm regards
Ravi Srinivasan
+91 9880408788
V.Kumar
+91 9845072599
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Keep the Door Open
I live in an apartment. My neighbor Bina lives just opposite to our flat. Our front doors face each other and are separated by just seven feet. If both our front doors are open, both can see each other’s drawing room. And we are friends.
Neighbor Bina has a six month old male dog. The moment we open our door, the dog used to rush into our flat, run here and there, jump on us playfully and topple everything in sight. While he stayed quiet in Bina’s house, he would go wild in our place and used to bite our chappals and shoes. After a few days I found him a nuisance and didn’t have the patience to play with him. I started chasing him away and closed the door immediately after him. But my wife was fond of the dog and she used to pet him whenever he came.
My wife went to Chennai for 10 days and I was alone at home. Few times I kept the door open inadvertently, but the dog didn’t come. I sat in front of the TV in my drawing hall and he sat in their drawing hall but he ignored me. Even when I called and offered biscuits he didn’t come.
My wife came from Chennai. The dog was all over her and didn’t leave her for the rest of the day. I mentioned to her that the dog didn’t come when I called.
She said, “Kumar, when he came, you didn’t want him. When you wanted him, he didn’t come. It seems you lost a friend.”
It struck me hard. I feel many times now that I could do with some friends. Many of us do not nurture friendship and then long for them after we lost them, especially when we retire from work. In this meaningless rat race, we keep evaluating the usefulness of a person we come across forgetting the need for companionship later. I realize now that if I don’t care for others, even a dog wouldn’t care for me. I am learning it the hard way. I need to keep the door open.
Neighbor Bina has a six month old male dog. The moment we open our door, the dog used to rush into our flat, run here and there, jump on us playfully and topple everything in sight. While he stayed quiet in Bina’s house, he would go wild in our place and used to bite our chappals and shoes. After a few days I found him a nuisance and didn’t have the patience to play with him. I started chasing him away and closed the door immediately after him. But my wife was fond of the dog and she used to pet him whenever he came.
My wife went to Chennai for 10 days and I was alone at home. Few times I kept the door open inadvertently, but the dog didn’t come. I sat in front of the TV in my drawing hall and he sat in their drawing hall but he ignored me. Even when I called and offered biscuits he didn’t come.
My wife came from Chennai. The dog was all over her and didn’t leave her for the rest of the day. I mentioned to her that the dog didn’t come when I called.
She said, “Kumar, when he came, you didn’t want him. When you wanted him, he didn’t come. It seems you lost a friend.”
It struck me hard. I feel many times now that I could do with some friends. Many of us do not nurture friendship and then long for them after we lost them, especially when we retire from work. In this meaningless rat race, we keep evaluating the usefulness of a person we come across forgetting the need for companionship later. I realize now that if I don’t care for others, even a dog wouldn’t care for me. I am learning it the hard way. I need to keep the door open.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Back to Business
Thanks to all the pujas and homams, Recession blues are nearing an end. Indian Stock market is showing an upward movement, malls get their footfalls, property advertisements adorn the newspapers and exhibition halls are well booked. No more excuses not to work.
Transition from recession is equally complex. Entrepreneurs have to get business, employees have to review their career options and pink slipped employees have to get jobs. During the last one year of recession period, many entrepreneurs and professionals would have developed a particular style of living, working and spending of time. Personal financing, skill endowment and planning for health care could have been the focus areas for many. But along with this, lethargy and unnecessary spending of time on internet would have also set in. So, what are the activities to be continued, dispensed with and initiated?
For example, should we continue to be active in all the social networking sites which we enrolled? How does one fill the gap in the resume? Post recession, what will be the new opportunities?
I for one, feel that one has to now capitalize on the work that he or she had put in for the last few months. Convert the social network to physical network and make it count. Renew the old contacts. Close the Notebooks, come out of cozy office and go to market.
Let us brain storm and help each other; either on the web or on the floor. Count me in please.
Transition from recession is equally complex. Entrepreneurs have to get business, employees have to review their career options and pink slipped employees have to get jobs. During the last one year of recession period, many entrepreneurs and professionals would have developed a particular style of living, working and spending of time. Personal financing, skill endowment and planning for health care could have been the focus areas for many. But along with this, lethargy and unnecessary spending of time on internet would have also set in. So, what are the activities to be continued, dispensed with and initiated?
For example, should we continue to be active in all the social networking sites which we enrolled? How does one fill the gap in the resume? Post recession, what will be the new opportunities?
I for one, feel that one has to now capitalize on the work that he or she had put in for the last few months. Convert the social network to physical network and make it count. Renew the old contacts. Close the Notebooks, come out of cozy office and go to market.
Let us brain storm and help each other; either on the web or on the floor. Count me in please.
Mission accomplished!
Year 1972. I joined as one of the Graduate Trainees and got posted to the Personnel Department of one of the factories of a big company. Our orientation started with the General Manager explaining about the Mission statement of the organization. Vision was not explained, perhaps because it was a Unit. As was the norm, the Mission statement was hung on the walls of Reception, Conference hall, Personnel office, Canteen, GM's office etc.
Within three months of my joining, the Chairman was visiting our plant for a day. The sleepy plant suddenly came alive. All the heads of the department were instructed to keep their sections spic and span and ensure that every staff and worker were in their work spot when the Chairman came.
The Chairman came. As luck would have it, the canteen manager bunked. The Personnel Manager sent me to the canteen to oversee the operation. The first job was to send the Tea to the factory exactly at 11.00 AM so that the workers could get back to their spot before the Chairman came there.
It was 10.30 AM and I was going around the kitchen. A canteen worker was boiling the milk of about 200 liters in a big open vessel. As we were watching, a small cockroach fell on the boiling milk. Except me and him, no one else saw the insect falling. We both tried to remove the cockroach, which was dead by then, but it was going up and down the boiling milk. We could not trace the small cockroach. The worker slightly tilted the container using a cloth so that I could find and remove the insect. I removed the insect with the ladle but the container went out of balance. The whole milk spilled down the drain.
No extra milk was available. No time to procure. No tea was sent to the factory. PM was not to be seen. Relenting to the fate, I concentrated on the preparation of lunch.
Workers at the factory waited for some time, grew impatient by 11.15 and started crowding the tea counter by 11.30 leaving their work spot. Oblivious to all this, the GM, along with some HoDs and PM, was guiding the Chairman to that specific area at that time. GM was shocked to see all the workers standing and chatting at the counter. It was not the scene or the screen play that he wrote! The Chairman came, shook hands with a couple of workers, enquired how they were doing and quietly went.
Evening 4.00 o’clock. The Chairman was seen off. The GM was in his chair, surrounded by all the HoDs with mixed reactions in their face. They had, by then, got to know the reason for the workers not in their work spot in the morning. Obviously, I had been blamed and I was summoned. I was a Trainee. GM would not talk to me! So the PM asked me for explanation.
I narrated. A small cockroach fell on the boiling milk due to the pesticide operation done in the morning and I had to throw the milk. So no tea was sent. (I don’t know why I didn’t say that we spilled the milk).
PM pounced on me. “So what, you could have removed the cockroach. It was small. It was not poisonous and no one else saw”. He went on and on. Apparently, he had to save his skin.
I was just staring at the wall. I was in a haze. It was a hard day. Fortunately, my eyes fell on the Mission statement that was adorning the wall. I quietly pointed out to the gang there, our Value statement which said “Employee Safety is the utmost concern of the organization”.
There were some mumblings, some warnings. But then, I was let off.
Who says that Mission statements are not useful?
Within three months of my joining, the Chairman was visiting our plant for a day. The sleepy plant suddenly came alive. All the heads of the department were instructed to keep their sections spic and span and ensure that every staff and worker were in their work spot when the Chairman came.
The Chairman came. As luck would have it, the canteen manager bunked. The Personnel Manager sent me to the canteen to oversee the operation. The first job was to send the Tea to the factory exactly at 11.00 AM so that the workers could get back to their spot before the Chairman came there.
It was 10.30 AM and I was going around the kitchen. A canteen worker was boiling the milk of about 200 liters in a big open vessel. As we were watching, a small cockroach fell on the boiling milk. Except me and him, no one else saw the insect falling. We both tried to remove the cockroach, which was dead by then, but it was going up and down the boiling milk. We could not trace the small cockroach. The worker slightly tilted the container using a cloth so that I could find and remove the insect. I removed the insect with the ladle but the container went out of balance. The whole milk spilled down the drain.
No extra milk was available. No time to procure. No tea was sent to the factory. PM was not to be seen. Relenting to the fate, I concentrated on the preparation of lunch.
Workers at the factory waited for some time, grew impatient by 11.15 and started crowding the tea counter by 11.30 leaving their work spot. Oblivious to all this, the GM, along with some HoDs and PM, was guiding the Chairman to that specific area at that time. GM was shocked to see all the workers standing and chatting at the counter. It was not the scene or the screen play that he wrote! The Chairman came, shook hands with a couple of workers, enquired how they were doing and quietly went.
Evening 4.00 o’clock. The Chairman was seen off. The GM was in his chair, surrounded by all the HoDs with mixed reactions in their face. They had, by then, got to know the reason for the workers not in their work spot in the morning. Obviously, I had been blamed and I was summoned. I was a Trainee. GM would not talk to me! So the PM asked me for explanation.
I narrated. A small cockroach fell on the boiling milk due to the pesticide operation done in the morning and I had to throw the milk. So no tea was sent. (I don’t know why I didn’t say that we spilled the milk).
PM pounced on me. “So what, you could have removed the cockroach. It was small. It was not poisonous and no one else saw”. He went on and on. Apparently, he had to save his skin.
I was just staring at the wall. I was in a haze. It was a hard day. Fortunately, my eyes fell on the Mission statement that was adorning the wall. I quietly pointed out to the gang there, our Value statement which said “Employee Safety is the utmost concern of the organization”.
There were some mumblings, some warnings. But then, I was let off.
Who says that Mission statements are not useful?
Shiva's day out!
“Sir, I have got a great idea to improve our business” declared my Office boy Shiva Kumar (Shiva). Off late, it has become a habit for anybody walking across my office to offer advice on how to improve my business. Shivakumar is with us for the past four years and he has every right to offer his suggestion.
“First you tell me your idea then I will tell you whether it is great or not”, I said keeping the news paper aside, satisfied that I had finished the paper end to end.
“Sir, we should perform Sudarshana Homam and Satyanarayan Puja in our office. If we do that, our business will multiply five times, pakka, 101%” said Shiva, showing his finger to the ceiling.
“Our business is zero. If it multiplies five times, it will still be zero”.
“No Sir, honestly sir, we did that homam and puja in my last company and the business went up five fold” he strongly recommended.
“Puja, guja not necessary, you go and do your work”.
Mumbling that there is no work in the office to do, he went straight to our receptionist, Delores Blake. She is a cute, bouncy, sweet little thing. And she melts in phone. Precisely for that reason she is in our office.
‘Fivefold increase’ I started thinking. “Shiva” I called and he came running. He gets special josh to get pujas performed. “How much will it cost to do homam and puja?”
“Nothing much, sir, we have to pay “dakshina” to the priests, they will bring all the material and we have to spend extra for the pooja prasad. We don’t need to do anything”.
A phone call interrupted me. By the time I finished the calls from an UPS sales man, an invite for campus interview, and an Insurance agent, Shiva had already disappeared.“Shiva” I called out.
Delores came in and said “Sir, he has gone to Banashanakari to arrange Swamijis for Satyanasa Puja”.
“It is Satyanarayan Puja and they are not swamijis but are priests” I corrected her.
“And he has taken Rs 2000 to pay advance to them. He said that you had agreed. Sir, we also performed that puja in my earlier office and the business shot up”. It is difficult to get angry with this bouncy, sweet, little thing.
My wife rang up. “Shiva tells me that we are performing Sudarshana Homam and Satyanarayan Puja. Atlast, something useful happening in the office. Our neighbor Chitra tells me that the Puja was performed in her husband’s office too. She, Latha and my mother will be coming. Your sister can also come (a concession!). Will I get a new saree?” The call ended. And it seems all the companies are performing pujas only now.
Shiva came back in the afternoon. “Shiva, what is going on? You didn’t get my approval for anything and you are confirming everything to everybody. What do you think of yourself?” I pounced on him.
“Sir you are lucky" he said unperturbed. "Priests are available for Friday, the day after tomorrow. They are totally seven. Everything will be over within Rs 20000”.
“20000? Seven priests? And day after tomorrow?” I brought the ceiling down.
“It is very cheap sir. They gave a concession due to the market condition. Considering that the business will go up five times, we should not mind this”. Folding his fingers one by one, he said, ‘They will do Ganesh Puja, Navagraha Puja, Mandala Puja, Sudarshana Homam and Satyanarayan Puja. And Friday is Poornima day. Business will improve, pakka, 101%”. “Yes sir” Delores also joined.
“Delores, what do you know about pujas, you keep quiet”.
She gave a lecture on management. “Sir it is all team work and we should involve everyone. It is good for the company, after all. If the company prospers, we all prosper." She went on, exercising her charm by leaning to the front, "I know all about this puja. I only arranged for prasad from Anand Sweets in my last company. I will take care of sweets and decoration and Shiva will take care of the rest. We should do this Puja with lot of shrada. When you perform the puja, you have to take off your shirt, you know”.
Shiva and Delores always fight. It is fun to watch these two fight and that is the only past itme for me. ‘How is it that these two are supporting each other now’ I wondered.
IT WAS FRIDAY. “Om Shantaya Namaha, Om Sarva-beeshta-pradaeine namaha, Om Sharanyaya namaha…” The mantras were reverberating on the walls and glasses of our office. It was resonating all across the street and the seven saffron clad purohits were doing their job. They were muscular, shining and there was thejus in their face. My wife was happy with her new saree and with her friends around her. The “sweet little thing’ was also very happy, wearing a saree unusually, that too for a Friday and she too had her friends invited. All her friends, with short tops, low jeans and heady perfume, looked like Revolver Ritas and were distracting the priests. Shiva was very busy taking care of priests and was muttering something in the ears of the chief priest looking at his watch frequently.
The puja got over at 3.00 pm. The priests were liberal in sprinkling theerth (holy water) with mango leaves on me and my cabin. They wished me good luck, distributed prasad to everybody, took the money given by Shiva and left.
I saw Delores again distributing sweets to everybody and they were all wishing her for something. She came to my room offering Kaju kathli. “Why are you giving sweets again? Prasad was already distributed!” I asked.
“Sir today is my birthday and that’s why I am wearing a new saree, didn’t you notice?” I noticed. She looked a blue angel with blue saree, blue blouse, blue jewelry, blue tikka, except that she was blushing pink.
“But I thought you are wearing the saree especially for the puja. And, you should buy sweets for your birthday on your money rather than giving puja sweets!”
“Sir, there is nothing like mine and yours. It is all ours. And it is team work” She lectured and went on, “Sir please meet my friends; Tina, Jessy, Jerena, Flomina, Jasmine, Rosy and Bina. We are leaving now as I am having my birthday party. After all, we cannot work after the puja”.
“That is for Ayuda puja.” I corrected her. I didn’t want to be a villain in front of those Revolver Ritas. “Anyway, you can go. But please send Shiva in”
“Sir, Shiva has gone to his house with Swamijis. They are performing puja there.”
“Puja in his house?”
“Sir, Shiva had moved into a new house recently and since then he wanted to perform these homam and puja in his house. Upon checking his horoscope last week, the swamiji fixed today’s date for him to do the puja. By combining the puja at the office today, Shiva got the puja deal free at his house!”
By combining her birthday and his puja with office puja, both had made me a bakra, 101%!
“First you tell me your idea then I will tell you whether it is great or not”, I said keeping the news paper aside, satisfied that I had finished the paper end to end.
“Sir, we should perform Sudarshana Homam and Satyanarayan Puja in our office. If we do that, our business will multiply five times, pakka, 101%” said Shiva, showing his finger to the ceiling.
“Our business is zero. If it multiplies five times, it will still be zero”.
“No Sir, honestly sir, we did that homam and puja in my last company and the business went up five fold” he strongly recommended.
“Puja, guja not necessary, you go and do your work”.
Mumbling that there is no work in the office to do, he went straight to our receptionist, Delores Blake. She is a cute, bouncy, sweet little thing. And she melts in phone. Precisely for that reason she is in our office.
‘Fivefold increase’ I started thinking. “Shiva” I called and he came running. He gets special josh to get pujas performed. “How much will it cost to do homam and puja?”
“Nothing much, sir, we have to pay “dakshina” to the priests, they will bring all the material and we have to spend extra for the pooja prasad. We don’t need to do anything”.
A phone call interrupted me. By the time I finished the calls from an UPS sales man, an invite for campus interview, and an Insurance agent, Shiva had already disappeared.“Shiva” I called out.
Delores came in and said “Sir, he has gone to Banashanakari to arrange Swamijis for Satyanasa Puja”.
“It is Satyanarayan Puja and they are not swamijis but are priests” I corrected her.
“And he has taken Rs 2000 to pay advance to them. He said that you had agreed. Sir, we also performed that puja in my earlier office and the business shot up”. It is difficult to get angry with this bouncy, sweet, little thing.
My wife rang up. “Shiva tells me that we are performing Sudarshana Homam and Satyanarayan Puja. Atlast, something useful happening in the office. Our neighbor Chitra tells me that the Puja was performed in her husband’s office too. She, Latha and my mother will be coming. Your sister can also come (a concession!). Will I get a new saree?” The call ended. And it seems all the companies are performing pujas only now.
Shiva came back in the afternoon. “Shiva, what is going on? You didn’t get my approval for anything and you are confirming everything to everybody. What do you think of yourself?” I pounced on him.
“Sir you are lucky" he said unperturbed. "Priests are available for Friday, the day after tomorrow. They are totally seven. Everything will be over within Rs 20000”.
“20000? Seven priests? And day after tomorrow?” I brought the ceiling down.
“It is very cheap sir. They gave a concession due to the market condition. Considering that the business will go up five times, we should not mind this”. Folding his fingers one by one, he said, ‘They will do Ganesh Puja, Navagraha Puja, Mandala Puja, Sudarshana Homam and Satyanarayan Puja. And Friday is Poornima day. Business will improve, pakka, 101%”. “Yes sir” Delores also joined.
“Delores, what do you know about pujas, you keep quiet”.
She gave a lecture on management. “Sir it is all team work and we should involve everyone. It is good for the company, after all. If the company prospers, we all prosper." She went on, exercising her charm by leaning to the front, "I know all about this puja. I only arranged for prasad from Anand Sweets in my last company. I will take care of sweets and decoration and Shiva will take care of the rest. We should do this Puja with lot of shrada. When you perform the puja, you have to take off your shirt, you know”.
Shiva and Delores always fight. It is fun to watch these two fight and that is the only past itme for me. ‘How is it that these two are supporting each other now’ I wondered.
IT WAS FRIDAY. “Om Shantaya Namaha, Om Sarva-beeshta-pradaeine namaha, Om Sharanyaya namaha…” The mantras were reverberating on the walls and glasses of our office. It was resonating all across the street and the seven saffron clad purohits were doing their job. They were muscular, shining and there was thejus in their face. My wife was happy with her new saree and with her friends around her. The “sweet little thing’ was also very happy, wearing a saree unusually, that too for a Friday and she too had her friends invited. All her friends, with short tops, low jeans and heady perfume, looked like Revolver Ritas and were distracting the priests. Shiva was very busy taking care of priests and was muttering something in the ears of the chief priest looking at his watch frequently.
The puja got over at 3.00 pm. The priests were liberal in sprinkling theerth (holy water) with mango leaves on me and my cabin. They wished me good luck, distributed prasad to everybody, took the money given by Shiva and left.
I saw Delores again distributing sweets to everybody and they were all wishing her for something. She came to my room offering Kaju kathli. “Why are you giving sweets again? Prasad was already distributed!” I asked.
“Sir today is my birthday and that’s why I am wearing a new saree, didn’t you notice?” I noticed. She looked a blue angel with blue saree, blue blouse, blue jewelry, blue tikka, except that she was blushing pink.
“But I thought you are wearing the saree especially for the puja. And, you should buy sweets for your birthday on your money rather than giving puja sweets!”
“Sir, there is nothing like mine and yours. It is all ours. And it is team work” She lectured and went on, “Sir please meet my friends; Tina, Jessy, Jerena, Flomina, Jasmine, Rosy and Bina. We are leaving now as I am having my birthday party. After all, we cannot work after the puja”.
“That is for Ayuda puja.” I corrected her. I didn’t want to be a villain in front of those Revolver Ritas. “Anyway, you can go. But please send Shiva in”
“Sir, Shiva has gone to his house with Swamijis. They are performing puja there.”
“Puja in his house?”
“Sir, Shiva had moved into a new house recently and since then he wanted to perform these homam and puja in his house. Upon checking his horoscope last week, the swamiji fixed today’s date for him to do the puja. By combining the puja at the office today, Shiva got the puja deal free at his house!”
By combining her birthday and his puja with office puja, both had made me a bakra, 101%!
Seizing the moment!
3rd July 09, 6.30 pm, Friday. I was clearing my desk to leave. It was a hard week of idling with another idle week lurking ahead. And the Wimbledon men’s semifinal was to commence in thirty minutes. What could be the better way to drown your sorrow and at the same time lift your spirits than having a drink with your friend!
Then the phone rang. “Kumar, please buy a cricket bat for the boy next door. It is his birthday today. Join us for the dinner there. Buy also a toilet broom. Your toilet is stinking”. My wife was screaming over backround noise.
“Toilet broom and bat, from where?” I asked. “From Big Bazaar, Koramangala” she screamed. How do these women sense what we men are up to! They can never let a man have a beer in peace. “But I am having my dinner out and ..…”. She had already disconnected and gone.
My office is just five minutes drive from Big Bazaar. ‘If only I can grab the material, hand it over to my wife fast, then I can still make it to my friend’s place’ I thought. I decided not to park the car at the basement but at one of the side roads so that I can go in and come out soon. But it was dark, there was hardly any parking space and I went up and down in the one way street risking traffic violation. I saw someone taking the car out in a side road and I parked my car in a jiffy. I took my IBM lap top from the rear seat and secured it nicely under my seat in the front. Laptop is my sole occupation in the office.
I ran to Big Bazzar, grabbed a wooden cricket bat of medium size and a plastic broom in five minutes but it took 20 minutes to pay the bill. When I came out, it started drizzling. ‘The toilet broom doesn’t need a carry-bag” I decided. Removed the broom from the bag, tied the carry-bag to my head in order not to get wet, held the bat and broom in each hand and ran to the car in the drizzle.
As I ran to the side road I saw a guy standing near my car with the front door open and having my lap top in his shoulder. It was dark and I couldn’t see his face clearly. I shouted and ran swinging my bat and broom towards him. He got couple of nice hits both from my bat and the broom. I snatched the laptop bag and with couple of more hits he started running. My carry bag had now fully fallen over my face.
“Idiot, you thief”, I screamed and was panting. ‘A close shave’, I thought holding my laptop tightly. I deposited the materials in the passenger seat next to me and tried to start the car. The ignition key didn’t turn and it didn’t start. Cursing, I turned back and I saw a few grocery bags in the rear seat which were not mine. I came out of the car and realized that it was also a Baleno but not my car! I could see my car parked a few meters away and it was the only car parked facing the opposite direction.
I realized that I made a fool of myself. I took my belongings from his car, locked his car with power buttons, drove my car and came to the Koramangala police station. I saw the “thief” sitting in front of the police inspector narrating the incident in agitated tone. The guy couldn’t recognize me without the broom and bat in hand and the bag in my head.
I almost fell on his feet, apologized and explained to the inspector. I told the guy that his car and his stuff were safe and offered to take him there. But he was very angry. His shoulder was hurting. Thanks to the broom, there were few scratches on his face.
“You are a witch, a mad and stupid guy. You don’t have any manners. You looked a robber and terrorist combined, what sort of a man are you?” He went on and on. “I am not mad or a witch” I protested. “It was a mistaken identity”.
In the meantime, the guy picked up the lathi that was lying there and wanted to demonstrate how I beat him. Thankfully the inspector snatched it back.
As we were trading charges, the inspector intervened and told me the consequences of my action including imprisonment. I got scared. “No sir, it was not intentional sir, dark sir, raining sir, and my car was facing the other side sir”. I had never put so many sirs even to my Chairman.
My last words landed me in another problem. “Tell me, how did you enter the street? It was one way!” The inspector, in the midst of getting frequent phone calls asked.
“Na na na, tha tha, ba ba ba” I was blabbering some swarams.
Inspector was getting impatient with calls and my alabana. “See, you had hit him. So it was alright that he called you a witchu, a monsteru, an idiotu, a terroristu, a robberu, a mad and a stupid guy. Instead of fighting, why don’t you two guys go out and have a beer?”
This made our guy laugh hearing more adjectives. Seizing the moment, I put my hand on his shoulder apologetically, offered to drop him near his car and took him in my car. I explained to him how his car and his IBM laptop bag were similar to mine and that caused confusion. We were laughing. I promised a treat. We went to Srikrishna Café and had coffee. I came to know that he recently became a RYZE BBN member when I said that I would be posting this incident!
Then I told him jokingly that it was all the more fun hitting a fellow Ryzer.
He said politely, “Kumar, finish your coffee quickly and go home. You have got a toilet to clean!
Then the phone rang. “Kumar, please buy a cricket bat for the boy next door. It is his birthday today. Join us for the dinner there. Buy also a toilet broom. Your toilet is stinking”. My wife was screaming over backround noise.
“Toilet broom and bat, from where?” I asked. “From Big Bazaar, Koramangala” she screamed. How do these women sense what we men are up to! They can never let a man have a beer in peace. “But I am having my dinner out and ..…”. She had already disconnected and gone.
My office is just five minutes drive from Big Bazaar. ‘If only I can grab the material, hand it over to my wife fast, then I can still make it to my friend’s place’ I thought. I decided not to park the car at the basement but at one of the side roads so that I can go in and come out soon. But it was dark, there was hardly any parking space and I went up and down in the one way street risking traffic violation. I saw someone taking the car out in a side road and I parked my car in a jiffy. I took my IBM lap top from the rear seat and secured it nicely under my seat in the front. Laptop is my sole occupation in the office.
I ran to Big Bazzar, grabbed a wooden cricket bat of medium size and a plastic broom in five minutes but it took 20 minutes to pay the bill. When I came out, it started drizzling. ‘The toilet broom doesn’t need a carry-bag” I decided. Removed the broom from the bag, tied the carry-bag to my head in order not to get wet, held the bat and broom in each hand and ran to the car in the drizzle.
As I ran to the side road I saw a guy standing near my car with the front door open and having my lap top in his shoulder. It was dark and I couldn’t see his face clearly. I shouted and ran swinging my bat and broom towards him. He got couple of nice hits both from my bat and the broom. I snatched the laptop bag and with couple of more hits he started running. My carry bag had now fully fallen over my face.
“Idiot, you thief”, I screamed and was panting. ‘A close shave’, I thought holding my laptop tightly. I deposited the materials in the passenger seat next to me and tried to start the car. The ignition key didn’t turn and it didn’t start. Cursing, I turned back and I saw a few grocery bags in the rear seat which were not mine. I came out of the car and realized that it was also a Baleno but not my car! I could see my car parked a few meters away and it was the only car parked facing the opposite direction.
I realized that I made a fool of myself. I took my belongings from his car, locked his car with power buttons, drove my car and came to the Koramangala police station. I saw the “thief” sitting in front of the police inspector narrating the incident in agitated tone. The guy couldn’t recognize me without the broom and bat in hand and the bag in my head.
I almost fell on his feet, apologized and explained to the inspector. I told the guy that his car and his stuff were safe and offered to take him there. But he was very angry. His shoulder was hurting. Thanks to the broom, there were few scratches on his face.
“You are a witch, a mad and stupid guy. You don’t have any manners. You looked a robber and terrorist combined, what sort of a man are you?” He went on and on. “I am not mad or a witch” I protested. “It was a mistaken identity”.
In the meantime, the guy picked up the lathi that was lying there and wanted to demonstrate how I beat him. Thankfully the inspector snatched it back.
As we were trading charges, the inspector intervened and told me the consequences of my action including imprisonment. I got scared. “No sir, it was not intentional sir, dark sir, raining sir, and my car was facing the other side sir”. I had never put so many sirs even to my Chairman.
My last words landed me in another problem. “Tell me, how did you enter the street? It was one way!” The inspector, in the midst of getting frequent phone calls asked.
“Na na na, tha tha, ba ba ba” I was blabbering some swarams.
Inspector was getting impatient with calls and my alabana. “See, you had hit him. So it was alright that he called you a witchu, a monsteru, an idiotu, a terroristu, a robberu, a mad and a stupid guy. Instead of fighting, why don’t you two guys go out and have a beer?”
This made our guy laugh hearing more adjectives. Seizing the moment, I put my hand on his shoulder apologetically, offered to drop him near his car and took him in my car. I explained to him how his car and his IBM laptop bag were similar to mine and that caused confusion. We were laughing. I promised a treat. We went to Srikrishna Café and had coffee. I came to know that he recently became a RYZE BBN member when I said that I would be posting this incident!
Then I told him jokingly that it was all the more fun hitting a fellow Ryzer.
He said politely, “Kumar, finish your coffee quickly and go home. You have got a toilet to clean!
Egg on the face!
After successfully negotiating and bringing down the price of a cup of tea from Rs 4 to Rs 3.75 with my teawalla, (explaining economic recession, cost control, value proposition etc), I thought it was time for a few game of FreeCell.
In came two guys in their mid thirties, smartly dressed and looking surprised to see me sitting alone in a big office in Koramangala. They were just looking around my office, the computer systems and the décor and nodding their heads in approval. I thought they are my prospective clients who had come to see my place in response to my advertisement “office space to share”.
“Yes, how can I help you?” I looked up and asked.
“Sir, can we have a few minutes of your time please?”
“I am a little busy (playing FreeCell), but still, I can spare a few minutes. Please, sit down.”
“Sir, we saw your posting in RYZE offering office space and also counseling/advisory service for start ups. We are starting a new business and we want some help from you. We heard that you are a successful entrepreneur yourself and you had helped many start ups”.
(Stupid! If I were successful, why am I sitting here alone like this?). “Oh sure, sure, you know I am a serial entrepreneur (failed in many businesses). Helped many start ups (to wind up). It is a long story any way. But tell me, what business are you guys thinking of? And what’s your background? And, how can I help you?” I asked with an air of authority.
They explained. Both of them were engineers, each with about 10 years of experience in IT companies. One was working on Mobile Application Development and another was on Business Analytics and Design. Both got retrenched very recently from big companies and are not getting any jobs. They have a saving of about Rs 50 lakhs individually apart from investment on properties. Both were well travelled, well connected and well oiled.
“So, you want to start a business on Mobile Communication” I said with confidence, connecting both their expertise.
“No sir, we want to start a bakery business and we want your help” said the BAD guy (Business Analytics and Design guy).
“Bakery business?” I thundered. My words echoed seven times in the empty hall. “What is the synergy”?
“Sir, I like biscuits and chocolates. His brother-in-law has got a bakery in Ernagulam. My “ungle” is in Saudi. So, we want to make Biscuits, cakes, bread, burger base and pizza base and sell them to big hotels and also to small bakeries” said the MAD guy (Mobile Application Development guy).
“And I know how to route and distribute them through different channels. I have analyzed the business and there is big scope for growth” said the BAD guy.
“You know, McDonald has already agreed to take 500 kgs of buns and cakes from us every day”….the MAD guy.
“We have also taken on lease an 18500 sq ft factory space at Hennur. We are arranging 50hp uninterrupted power supply. Factory will work two shifts initially, going to 3 shifts in six months”. We have already lined up for 20 tempos on hire for transportation”. …BAD
“Twenty tempos? What will you do with them?” I asked.
Sir, we have to get 5000 fresh eggs every day. They can’t be sourced from a single point. We have to collect them from different nodal points and bring them to one centralized point. Tempos are required for this purpose.
“Ok, very good. You guys seem to have already done lot of ground work. I am sure you would have drafted a business plan too. What do you want me to look at and how do you want me to help?” I asked.
“Sir, we came to know through RYZE that you have this place to let out in Koramangala. It is a central place with good parking space. If only you remove those computer systems and the cabins, we would like to take it on rent. It will be an ideal central place for us to collect the eggs, store them here and transport them to Hennur”!!
You have to see egg on my face, to believe!
In came two guys in their mid thirties, smartly dressed and looking surprised to see me sitting alone in a big office in Koramangala. They were just looking around my office, the computer systems and the décor and nodding their heads in approval. I thought they are my prospective clients who had come to see my place in response to my advertisement “office space to share”.
“Yes, how can I help you?” I looked up and asked.
“Sir, can we have a few minutes of your time please?”
“I am a little busy (playing FreeCell), but still, I can spare a few minutes. Please, sit down.”
“Sir, we saw your posting in RYZE offering office space and also counseling/advisory service for start ups. We are starting a new business and we want some help from you. We heard that you are a successful entrepreneur yourself and you had helped many start ups”.
(Stupid! If I were successful, why am I sitting here alone like this?). “Oh sure, sure, you know I am a serial entrepreneur (failed in many businesses). Helped many start ups (to wind up). It is a long story any way. But tell me, what business are you guys thinking of? And what’s your background? And, how can I help you?” I asked with an air of authority.
They explained. Both of them were engineers, each with about 10 years of experience in IT companies. One was working on Mobile Application Development and another was on Business Analytics and Design. Both got retrenched very recently from big companies and are not getting any jobs. They have a saving of about Rs 50 lakhs individually apart from investment on properties. Both were well travelled, well connected and well oiled.
“So, you want to start a business on Mobile Communication” I said with confidence, connecting both their expertise.
“No sir, we want to start a bakery business and we want your help” said the BAD guy (Business Analytics and Design guy).
“Bakery business?” I thundered. My words echoed seven times in the empty hall. “What is the synergy”?
“Sir, I like biscuits and chocolates. His brother-in-law has got a bakery in Ernagulam. My “ungle” is in Saudi. So, we want to make Biscuits, cakes, bread, burger base and pizza base and sell them to big hotels and also to small bakeries” said the MAD guy (Mobile Application Development guy).
“And I know how to route and distribute them through different channels. I have analyzed the business and there is big scope for growth” said the BAD guy.
“You know, McDonald has already agreed to take 500 kgs of buns and cakes from us every day”….the MAD guy.
“We have also taken on lease an 18500 sq ft factory space at Hennur. We are arranging 50hp uninterrupted power supply. Factory will work two shifts initially, going to 3 shifts in six months”. We have already lined up for 20 tempos on hire for transportation”. …BAD
“Twenty tempos? What will you do with them?” I asked.
Sir, we have to get 5000 fresh eggs every day. They can’t be sourced from a single point. We have to collect them from different nodal points and bring them to one centralized point. Tempos are required for this purpose.
“Ok, very good. You guys seem to have already done lot of ground work. I am sure you would have drafted a business plan too. What do you want me to look at and how do you want me to help?” I asked.
“Sir, we came to know through RYZE that you have this place to let out in Koramangala. It is a central place with good parking space. If only you remove those computer systems and the cabins, we would like to take it on rent. It will be an ideal central place for us to collect the eggs, store them here and transport them to Hennur”!!
You have to see egg on my face, to believe!
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