Secret of Ramses

Tom and Maria were living their dream vacation in Egypt. After a lot of persuasion, they finally convinced their parents to plan a trip to the land of pharaohs. They were at the tomb of Ramses II, the greatest and the most powerful pharaohs in the recorded history of Egypt.

They were looking at hieroglyphics carved on stone and were having lots of fun, imagining the meaning of each one of them. 'Oh my God! Look at this Tom!' Maria screamed! Tom literally jumped, hearing his sister yelling. He rushed to her side to check what excited her so much. Maria was pointing to a specific hieroglyphic square which depicted a bedecked Egyptian figure holding what looked like a movie camera! Tom was equally surprised to see this in a tomb that was more than 3000 years old. What was even more alarming was that a few feet later he found another square where he saw an equally decorated Egyptian figure holding what looked like a mobile phone! Tom and Maria were thrilled at what they discovered. They decided to put their brains together to figure out the meaning of those unusual findings.

Meanwhile, 3000 years back, an incredible scene was unfurling at the great palace of Ramses II. Commander Neb-Re was presenting to the pharaoh, the working of 'alet el-zaman', a time machine invented by a group of supremely brilliant scientists in ancient Egypt. This was meant to be the greatest of all innovations during the reign of any Egyptian ruler ever!

The commander just returned from a trip to future where he first arrived at a unique setting which strikingly reflected a pharaoh's palace, except that the pharaoh looked quite different and even spoke a language that was alien to Neb-Re. There were certain devices placed all around the palace with large lights flooding the area. He heard someone shouting words that sounded like 'Action' and 'Cut'. In fact, one of the folks even pushed him into a scene where he was asked to accompany the pharaoh as he was heading out of the palace. He also heard someone speaking the words 'movie' and 'The Mummy Returns'.

After 'acting' in the movie, Commander Neb-Re landed in Dubai and it was the day when the new iPhone 16 was getting launched in the Apple Store in Dubai Mall. Never in his life had he seen a crowd that big, that he felt so intimidated, something he did not even experience in the battles he led as the commander of armies of great Ramses II.

After listening to all the wonderful stories from future, Ramses II asked Neb-Re about the understanding people have about ancient Egypt. Neb-Re told him about all the looting of pyramids and the famous museums where mummies of pharaohs are kept, including Ramses II.

The pharaoh looked disturbed listening to the stories of the loot. But having remembered something important, he quickly asked, 'Did they take away everything Neb-Re?'

'Not really, your Highness. They could only find gold and other things in the main burial chamber. Our special treasures and jewels are still safe. On my way back I did a quick stop to check at the Valley of the Kings and made sure that everything is still intact even after 3000 years. Those smart humans of future are yet to discover our well-kept secrets. There is nothing to worry your Highness.'

As Ramses II smiled, three levels below the palace, artisans were etching images of a movie camera and a mobile phone to the many hieroglyphic squares that were kept ready. Those and many others had a tiny opening at the rear end which when opened unveiled bright and beautiful precious gems laid inside them, each one of them valued enough to buy even a whole country, 3000 years later!

As Ramses headed to his chamber to rest after a long day, Commander Neb-Re was seen moving the 'alet el-zaman' to a secret location which only pharaoh and his most trusted commander knew, one the world will probably never know!

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction. Please do not try to find these hidden treasures when you visit Egypt.

The Dilbert Future - Book Review

'Dilbert', that name alone was more than enough for me to pick up this book by Scott Adams, the legendary cartoonist who gave life to one of the most sought after cartoons in corporate world! The concepts he discuss in this book are, as thought provoking as his usual Dilbert cartoons.

What makes it even more exciting are the predictions he made throughout the book, about 21st century way of life. When you realize that the book was first published in 1997 and many predictions turned out to be prophetic in nature, will make you admire Scott Adams even more.

One of his predictions for example was that, in future everyone will become a reporter themselves who will report on everything that goes around them. Isn't this exactly what we see today with social media? Am sure when the book was written, social media was only at its nascency and the primitive form of the social media then, was quite inferior compared to its current abilities to even attempt a prediction such as this.

Having said that there are a few predictions where Scott Adams went totally wrong. For instance, he predicted that airlines' will never change their ways of working and in fact will degrade their new aircrafts to match their older versions to give a uniform experience to the customers. Clearly he didn't anticipate the game changing strategies airlines such as Emirates executed, which completely thwarted his prediction.

Overall, I will give this book a 5/10 rating. For me, the comic strip of Dilbert any day wins, than this form of writing by Scott Adams.

Whale Watching

മെയ് മാസത്തെ കനത്ത ചൂടിൽ ദുബായിലെ വീട്ടിലിരുന്ന് വെറുതെ ഒരു പുസ്തകം വായിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുകയായിരുന്നു ഞാൻ. വായിച്ച താളുകൾക്കിടയിൽ എവിടെയോ തിമിംഗലങ്ങളെ കുറിച്ചുള്ള ഒരു പരാമർശം വന്നപ്പോൾ പെട്ടെന്നുണ്ടായ ഒരു ചിന്തയിൽ ഞാൻ എന്റെ പ്രിയതമയോട് പറഞ്ഞു, 'നമുക്ക് എന്നെങ്കിലും യൂറോപ്പിലോ അമേരിക്കയിലോ Whale Watching trip പോണം. ഒന്നുമില്ലെങ്കിലും ലോകത്തിലെ ഏറ്റവും വലിയ ജീവിയെ നേരിട്ട് കാണാനുള്ള ഒരു ഭാഗ്യമല്ലേ ഉണ്ടാവുക?'

കേട്ടപാടെ ഉത്തരം വന്നു. 'വെയില് കാണാനാണെങ്കിൽ ആ ബാൽക്കണി ഡോർ തുറന്നു വെറുതെ ഒന്ന് പുറത്തേക്കിറങ്ങിയാൽ പോരെ? അതിനിനി യൂറോപ്പിലോ അമേരിക്കയിലോ പോകേണ്ട വല്ല കാര്യമുണ്ടോ?'

എന്താണ് പറയേണ്ടത് എന്ന് ഒരു നിമിഷനേരത്തേക്ക് ഞാൻ അന്തിച്ചു നിന്നു. പിന്നെ ഈ മരുഭൂമിയിൽ കത്തിക്കാളുന്ന വെയിലിന്റെ സ്പോൺസറായ സൂര്യഭഗവാനെ ഒന്നു വണങ്ങി, ഞാനെന്റെ വെയിൽ വാച്ചിംഗ് സ്വപ്നങ്ങൾ പൂവണിഞ്ഞതായി സ്വയം പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ച് ആത്മനിർവൃതി അടഞ്ഞു.

Sleep

After a long and tiring day, my sweetheart and I finally hit the bed. It was past midnight already. As soon as my head touched the pillow, I could feel the Angel of Sleep staring to flutter her wings that worked its charm just like a lullaby.

Somewhere in between the flutter I heard a deeply familiar voice asking me a question which was equally familiar for the frequency with which I encountered that on a daily basis. It sounded something like this, 'So, what are you doing for losing the weight? Any plans?'

Before I replied to the query, which seemed to have come from the other side of the bed, and not the Angel in the room, I must have dived deeper into my sleep. I do not recollect answering that question.

The next day morning, as I was getting my coffee ready, my significant other walked into the kitchen with an even more significant frown on her face. I was wondering what did I do? I had a sound sleep whereas my darling wife clearly did not seem to have enjoyed one.

After a few moments of cajoling, she finally spoke. Here was what really happened, apparently. As soon as the question on my plan on losing weight was asked, I responded and that ticked her off.

The conversation went like this, allegedly:

Her: 'So, what are you doing for losing the weight? Any plans?'

Me: 'I have reported it to Lost & Found section. As soon as they find it, they will return it safely.'

Moral of the story: Drinking and driving is dangerous. But there are far more life-threatening combinations like sleeping & talking! Please avoid, if possible. Else...

Leadership & Humility

It was almost twenty years back, when I got down from a bus into a lush green campus, with career dreams and aspirations as vibrant as the greenery in the campus. A board at the entrance of the campus announced that we reached ‘Global Village’. It was a brand-new campus situated off the Mysore Road which a few IT companies made their new office location. MindTree Consulting was one among them, into which I stepped in for my first ever corporate job as a fresh MBA graduate from Christ College, Bangalore.

MindTree offered a whole lot of impressive perspectives of life for me as a youngster. One among them, that stands out even today after two decades was the humility of founders of the company. There are quite a few stories to share which will put to shame some of the self-proclaimed leaders of modern world who seemed believe that humility and leadership do not travel on the same boat.

A few days after our induction, I was walking down to the food court in the campus from the primary office where I was working. MindTree was established by ten professionals from different companies, each of them, being stars themselves. Subroto Bagchi, was one among the founders, who possessed a charismatic personality that you could not help but be at awe at his sheer presence! The reputation of the man preceded him. Most of us who joined from various Business Schools across the country, already knew him as an astute businessman, a fantastic writer, and a good human being. We were all waiting for a chance to meet him in person.

As I strolled down the path, I was quite excited to see him walking towards my direction. I saw many of my colleagues walking ahead of me greeting him with an equal amount of awe and to some extend even a fan fare which was akin to celebrities. I felt my heart giving competition to some of the best-known drum beats I had heard before. With every step I took forward, I was getting closer to the man, already known as a legend at MindTree.

Two more steps, and I found myself facing the very man who was one of the reasons for thousands to be drawn to the inspirational story of MindTree. He looked at me, smiled and then did something which I never imagined a C-level executive would do. At least, that was what I was thinking till that day as someone with no prior work experience.

Subroto stopped, bent down, and picked up something from the ground. It was a piece of scrap paper that was lying there, all the while the rest of us failed to notice and passed by. He then promptly disposed the paper in a bin and continued to head to his office, as though nothing ever happened.

As I write this experience, twenty years later, I want to tell the world one thing. Mr Bagchi may not remember this incident, but what he did not realize is the fact that, a simple action he performed that day left a permanent positive mark on me. Subroto, you taught me a lesson for life, without even uttering a word!

Leadership is not always about speeches. Many times, it is about actions that speak louder than words, which will hold the audience in a magical trance. We need leaders like this to inspire and make the world a much better place to be.

Thank you Subroto.

പ്രതീക്ഷ

നിണമുതിരും കൺപീലികൾക്കിടയിലൂടെ അവൻ എന്നെ നോക്കി,

കൈകാലുകൾ തറച്ചീടിലും ആ കണ്ണുകളിൽ ഞാൻ ദയ കണ്ടു.

ക്രൂര പീഡനം എന്ന് കരുതി ഞാൻ ശാപവചസ്സുകൾ ഓർക്കവേ

ആ കണ്ണുകൾ ഇന്ന് എന്നെ നോക്കി ഒരു ചോദ്യം ആവർത്തിച്ചു.

തെറ്റൊന്നു പോലും ചെയ്യാത്ത ഈ ദൈവപുത്രനെ അവർ കുരിശിൽ തറച്ചെങ്കിൽ,

മനുഷ്യപുത്രാ നിന്റെ നിഷ്കളങ്കതയ്ക്ക് മരണം അനിവാരൃമല്ലേ? 

ആകാശത്തിനും ഭൂമിക്കും മധ്യേ, ഉഗ്രമരണ വേദനയിൽ ഞാൻ പുളഞ്ഞപ്പോഴും 

എന്റെ ശത്രുക്കൾക്ക് വേണ്ടി പ്രാർത്ഥിക്കുകയും അവരോട് ക്ഷമിക്കുകയും ചെയ്തത് ഞാൻ കാട്ടിയില്ലേ?

എന്നെ പീഡിപ്പിച്ചവർ അത് കരുതിക്കൂട്ടി ചെയ്തതാണെന്നറിഞ്ഞിട്ടും ഞാൻ ക്ഷമിച്ചെങ്കിൽ, 

നിനക്ക് വേദന സമ്മാനിച്ച പ്രിയപ്പെട്ടവരോട് നിനക്കും കാട്ടാം ക്ഷമ.

ആണികൾ തറഞ്ഞു കയറുമ്പോഴും ഞാൻ സ്വയം പഠിപ്പിച്ച പ്രാർത്ഥന ഇതാ നിനക്കും തരുന്നു. 

ഏതൊരു കുരിശു മരണത്തിനും ഒടുവിൽ ഉത്ഥാനത്തിന്റെ പ്രതീക്ഷ എന്നുമുണ്ടാകും.

മകനെ നിനക്ക് ഞാൻ മംഗളങ്ങൾ നേരുന്നു.

Heaven on Earth!

Shah Jahan, the Mughal Emperor while visiting Kashmir once said, ‘If there is heaven on earth, then it is here.’ Unfortunately, I had not been able to set my foot in Kashmir till date. I am not sure if I ever will get to see the beauty of those mountains and valleys that enticed Shah Jahan.

I can confirm one thing for sure though. Whatever made Shah Jahan utter that famous statement, was exactly what made me think the same, the moment we drove into one of the most famous valleys in the world.

Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland!

It was almost eight years ago, I got to experience this ethereal beauty of mother nature, when we did our first ever family trip to Europe. The mountains, the valleys, the houses, the church, the river and even the cemetery there, were all epitomes of beauty! It indeed felt Heaven on Earth for me.

If you ever get an opportunity to visit Switzerland, I strongly urge you to include this in your itinerary.

I really want you all to experience how it is being in Heaven :)

Bon voyage!

വേദന

തലേന്ന് രാത്രി ഒന്നും രണ്ടും പറഞ്ഞ് ചെറിയൊരു സൗന്ദര്യ പിണക്കവുമായി പ്രിയതമയെ കെട്ടിപ്പിടിക്കാതെ കിടന്നുറങ്ങി. ഉറങ്ങാൻ കിടക്കുന്നത് വരെ ഒരു കുഴപ്പവും ഇല്ലായിരുന്നു. രാവിലെ എഴുന്നേറ്റപ്പോൾ മുതൽ, വലതുവശത്തെ കഴുത്ത് അനക്കാൻ വയ്യാത്ത വേദന. ഓഫീസിൽ പോകേണ്ട സാഹചര്യം ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നതുകൊണ്ട് മാത്രം, കുറച്ചു വിഷമിച്ച് ആണെങ്കിലും പോയി.

പിറ്റേന്ന് വേദന കലശലായി. ചില മരുന്നുകളും പൊടിക്കൈകളും പ്രയോഗിച്ചു നോക്കി. ചെറിയ മാറ്റം ഉണ്ടായെങ്കിലും വേദന തുടർന്നുകൊണ്ടേയിരുന്നു. അങ്ങനെയിരിക്കുമ്പോൾ വൈകുന്നേരത്തെ ചായ കുടിക്കുന്നതിന്റെ ഇടയ്ക്ക് സ്നേഹനിധിയായ എന്റെ മറുപാതി വന്ന് നല്ല ചൂടുള്ള ഉപ്പ് വെള്ളത്തിൽ തുണി മുക്കി ചൂട് പിടിച്ചുതന്നു. നല്ല വേദനയ്ക്കിടയ്ക്കും ഞാൻ ചോദിച്ചു അവിടെ എന്തെങ്കിലും പാടോ ചുവപ്പോ വല്ലതും കാണാനുണ്ടോ എന്ന്? അവൾ നോക്കിയിട്ട് പാട് ഒന്നുമില്ല എന്നു പറഞ്ഞു. ഉള്ളിൽ എവിടെയോ കലശലായ എന്തോ നീർക്കെട്ട് ആവാം എന്ന് ഞാനും മറുപടി പറഞ്ഞു. അപ്പോഴാണ് തൊട്ടപ്പുറത്തെ മുറിയിലെ ടിവിയിൽ നിന്ന് ഒരു മലയാള സിനിമയുടെ ഡയലോഗ് ഒഴുകി വന്നത്, "പുറമേ പാടൊന്നുമില്ലാതെ, ഉള്ള് ചതച്ചെടുക്കുന്ന വിദ്യ ഈ പോലീസുകാരന് മാത്രമേ അറിയുള്ളൂ".

ഞാനൊന്നു നടുങ്ങി! തിളച്ച വെള്ളത്തിൽ മുങ്ങി പൊങ്ങുന്ന തുണിയുടെ ശബ്ദം ആ മുറിയിൽ എങ്ങും അലയടിച്ചു കൊണ്ടേയിരുന്നു. ഞാനെന്റെ പ്രാണനാഥയുടെ മുഖത്തേക്ക് ഒന്ന് നോക്കി അവിടെ ഒരു ചെറിയ പുഞ്ചിരി കണ്ടോ എന്നൊരു സംശയം. വേദന കടിച്ചമർത്തി എന്റെ കഴുത്ത് അവളുടെ കൈകളിൽ ഞാൻ സമർപ്പിച്ചു.

ശുഭം.

Steam Inhalation & Staff Motivation

As summer started setting in, the Middle Eastern sun shifted gears to work overtime. With the change in weather, we had some visitors at home, in the form of cold and cough. One by one we started showing signs of being under the weather. As always, we reached out to an aluminium pot, our first resort during weather driven issues. This was the vessel in which we filled water and boiled it. Once ready, we dropped into the steaming water, a few leaves of holy basil and Indian borage, a brilliant combination when inhaled, worked wonders to our respiratory system!

Since my sweetheart had a bad cough, I invited her to inhale steam first. When she was done, I asked our darling daughter to inhale the less hot steam. After both were done, I was not sure if any steam was left. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a shot. Though the first few moments proved my thought, I realized that I could still get a considerable amount of steam if I breathed into the pot. Since the effect of the herbal medicines had lessened by then, I added a couple of additional leaves. As magical as it was, the steam from the pot felt as good as a fresh one made ready for inhalation! I happily consumed the steam and continued with my work, energized, and refreshed!

I could not help but reflect this experience on the motivation levels of staff in an organization over a period. A new joiner may display elevated levels of energy. This may slowly diminish over time, resulting in a reduced verve. If you are one who manage a team, you may find this pattern among your team members. This is where you could apply the learning I mentioned above. Put on your motivational hat which acts as those additional leaves of herbs in my story. On top of that, slightly nudge your team members who need some push, by giving them some challenging yet practical tasks. In most cases this will work well, akin to the breathing into the pot to generate more steam.

While the above is just a metaphor and the actions mentioned are mere examples, there could be many more motivational tactics one could apply. Try them out if you observe your team could make use of some support from you. You will be in for a surprise to see the outcome of these tiny changes resulting in bigger impact!

May the power of steam be with you… 

An Uplifting Story

It was a normal day as any other. Like some days, I picked up breakfast from our office cafe on the ground floor and headed back to the lift lobby. There were three elevators and my desk was on the fourth floor. 

As I swiped through the gunnebo gates to get to the lifts, I could see four people getting into the first lift that arrived. Two of them were my teammates. They offered to hold the lift for me. Since the lift was a bit crowded and I was holding my breakfast with a cup of tea as well, I requested them to go ahead without me. I did not want anything to spill on anyone in a crowded lift. I waited for the next lift while their lift door closed and they went up.

Soon, the next elevator came. I reached the fourth floor and got out of the lift. The lift which my teammates took was still on its way. I decided to wait for them and as soon as they stepped out, I told them the first thing that came to my mind. 

'Sometimes life makes you wait, but you may be surprised that you scale heights faster than the rest who started earlier than you'!

Good day folks...

PS: This is not always true in corporate world 😉

Murder in Sansville

A loud cry cut through the calm night of Sansville! Someone shouted, ‘Murder’! They found a dead body floating in the river which was the ultimate heart of peace in the small town of Sansville. The body was found at the same spot where during the daytime, scores of families with young children gathered to play. It was a town where nothing bad ever happened and was a picture-perfect place which boasted of peaceful days that you could scoop happiness out of the air.

The news spread like wildfire. The police swiftly arrived at the crime scene. Considering the seriousness of the situation the mayor was woken up in the middle of his sleep and was informed of the tragedy. He rushed to the place where the body still was floating on the river. Strange was the sight that it was hugging a clumsy bunch of other plants that were supporting the corpse.

This was the first ever such incident in the long history of Sansville. The mayor did not lose another moment and called for a meeting of his town committee. They were instructed to get into the depth of the matter and figure out the details. Questions were galore. Who died? Was that a man or a woman? Was it indeed a murder? If so, who was the murderer?

Even in the frosty night of November, people who gathered around started sweating. The palpitation among the team was quite evident. Some of them could not even manage the pressure and fainted! The mayor started losing his patience started thinking of calling the Home Guard or even military if required. Such was the frenzy in that tiny town which had never ever seen anything like this in the past.

All these were happening upstream the river and at the townhall. While the heads of the town where frantically jumping up and down, the town folks managed to get a few men to go down the river and figure out more about the dead body so that they can report back to the mayor. These were the brave souls of the town who dared to wade the freezing waters of the river and reached the corpse which was mangled with other plants and their branches.

The men tried to figure out the body among the contorted mix of things in the river. Since they were unable to do that, the whole bunch was brought to the river shore. With the help of others, they tried to untangle the mess and as they progressed reality hit them!

There was no dead body! It was just someone’s shirt which must have freed itself from a clothesline and ended up in the river. The shirt then got stuck in a branch of a small tree and ended up looking like a dead man floating on the river hugging a tree!

So much of noise, for nothing! The mayor was soon back at his bed. The townhall was locked till the time someone else finds another body. And the people of the town went back to their peaceful lives as usual.

But just when they were heading back, they noticed that someone made a slight correction to the name of their town. It now read, Sans-brain-ville!

Disclaimer: If the story reminded you of the meaningless escalations you see in your office, it must be merely incidental.