"...aaj toh gaya..."

"...aaj toh gaya..."

...was my first thought. ["I am in for some trouble today"].

It was a Saturday morning and, as is the case on most Saturdays, I was on my way to the local market to run some errands. I was in the middle of a crowded lane when I saw something that froze my mind! It was a traffic cop, standing just a few feet away. Now the market is just a few hundred meters away from my home. It is usually just a 60 second bike ride. So there have been times when I skipped wearing the helmet (when I was in a rush). That particular day, I wasn't wearing my helmet either. 

My mind quickly calculated the probability of getting fined by the cop and it was pretty high. "Sir, I stay close by and was in a rush, so I am not wearing my helmet today" I rehearsed, in my mind. But I knew no justification was valid and there was no escape. So, to save myself from the fine and agony, I quickly turned around and started moving in the other direction, glad that I had averted a tragedy by spotting the cop just in time! However, about four steps... yes, "steps" later, it dawned on me that I wasn't on my bike that day! The bike was given to the mechanic the prior evening for some repair work. I had walked down to the market area that day, and obviously, wasn't wearing a helmet. I turned back again, laughing at myself for what I had just put myself through. I passed the cop, confidently looking into his eyes and smiling as I passed by him. 

Once we do something non-compliant/wrong, it creates a fear in a corner of the mind. In the future then, even if we are compliant/right, the mention/sight of a policing/governing authority triggers the fear of getting caught, sending us into disarray, looking for proof of compliance (helmet) - which wasn't probably required in the first place to begin with.

Be compliant. Save your head. Save your mind from your own mind.

"...Abey kitne gulaab jaamun khayega bey! Kaam mein dhyan de, aisa kuch toph kaam bhi nahi hai..."

"...Abey kitne gulaab jaamun khayega bey! Kaam mein dhyan de, aisa kuch toph kaam bhi nahi hai..."

...said a guy at the lunch table. Lets call him Pappu. ["How many sweets will you eat dude! Focus on your work, it's not rocket science"]

My college buddies & I were part of a trainee batch at the Infosys Mysore training center. We made some friends while we were there for 4 months. We gelled with another college group from Mumbai. Pappu was a part of it. At the end of training, we had to pass an exam - Compree (Comprehensive Exam) in order to get a posting. One of the guys didn't clear it. He had to stay back a month to give it another shot. Now this was a gem of a guy. A jolly good fellow, a hard working chap. But sh*t happens and he did not clear the Compree. Lets call him Virat.

So we all got our posting. Many of us, including Pappu got Pune (closest to Mumbai) and we were happy about it. One day at lunch, Pappu said "It is so awesome all of us are going to Pune! We will continue hanging together there too." After some more banter, he added "Virat, too bad you failed. We will miss you. But the Compree wasn't that difficult dude." All of us at the table looked at Pappu with our jaws dropped. Virat wasn't taking the Compree outcome well and Pappu was rubbing salt on his wounds. Virat continued digging into the sambar rice in his plate, without reacting.

A couple of months later, Virat cleared the Compree and got posted to Pune too. But as luck would have it, he got deployed in a project where he got a God-sent manager. He took all the blame for the good work Virat did and made sure to credit him with everything that went wrong. He had stereotyped Virat as he knew he had taken two shots at the Compree. Virat started stress eating. Daily at lunch he'd share his woes and pick up sweets from our plates to satiate the urge of stress eating. On one such occasion, Pappu said what I quoted above.

After a few months, Virat got an offer from another firm. "This firm is not as great as Infy! You are making a big mistake. You won't get good growth there!" said Pappu, when he got to know. Virat joined the other firm. He soon found out that coding/technical work wasn't his calling. He is a magician when it comes to building and maintaining relations. He soon moved into a client management role and progressed rapidly. For the past decade, he has settled abroad, and has been a star performer for the firm he is employed with. We make it a point to catch up every year when he visits Mumbai. On his last visit he asked "Do you remember Pappu?" I am not connected with him, so I said so. "Well, a couple of months back he called me asking if I could refer him to my firm. He is having a hard time there." he added. "Aisa kya toph kaam de rahe hai wahan, tune poocha nahi?" I asked, my tongue firmly lodged in my cheek, as the sound of laughter filled the room, followed by a clink of the glasses.

Pappu ka toh pata nahi, par Virat life mein pass ho gaya.

".....aap hamesha bas itne hi kele bechane nikalte ho...?"

".....aap hamesha bas itne hi kele bechane nikalte ho...?"

...I asked, a bit curiously. ["Do you always try to sell these many bananas daily?"]

I was out on my usual evening walk yesterday and had been instructed to buy some bananas on the way back. "Elaichi, not the normal ones!" were clear instructions. I, like everyone (who doesnt use swiggy) have my favorite sabji and fruit wala bhaiyyas in the market, but my evening walk route is in the other direction. I remembered often spotting an old man selling bananas in one of the lanes and decided to buy the bananas from him. 

So on the last lap, I made a pit stop at the kelawala, who was engaged in an animated conversation with the sabji wala sitting next to him. He was an old gentleman, probably in his 70s (or maybe younger, but that is what I guessed from his appearance). This kelawala always sat on the footpath with just 2 small baskets of bananas. Maybe he had a way of replenishing them, but it seemed he only tried to sell what was on display daily. 

After buying a dozen of elaichi kela, I hesitantly enquired if he only sold those many bananas daily. The question instantly cracked up a smile on the old wrinkled face, exposing the lone incisor holding fort behind the upper lip. "My kids earn enough to run the house. I used to sell fruit all day in earlier days, but now, due to age, I only try to sell some daily in the evening. If I stay home all day, I will annoy the ladies in the house, so I step out to sell them. Besides, I make a little money from this which goes into my savings. It will be useful when hard times come." he said, as he whacked his gamcha (little piece of cloth) at some bees trying to find an exposed banana to feast on.

I had just spent 45 min of my walk worrying about my asset allocation not having adequate equity exposure. This man probably wasnt even aware of the concept of equity, but seemed to have raised a family fairly well with his income and savings. Nearly every family might have elders who have pushed themselves every day in their heydays, saved every penny (be it an earning member or a home maker) and still do. While surviving from month to month, they probably inculcated the habit of saving. Some then perhaps managed to invest those savings (business/real estate/govt schemes or the much chided bank FDs). However, no matter what one invests in: Equity, Crypto, Debt - the core to sustainability & wealth creation is probably "savings''. Without savings, there is no investment to build on.

As I turned to leave, I asked "aapka naam toh batao chacha..." (tell me your name, uncle). All my incisors got exposed this time when I heard  - Raja. Every individual is a king/queen in their own right if they can successfully rule over their urge to splurge and take good care of their faithful subjects - their savings.

"...I am not sure. Shall I take the offer & then decide....?"

"...I am not sure. Shall I take the offer & then decide....?"

...asked the guy at the other end of the call.

He had an interview call. The dilemma was whether or not to take the new assignment if the role and compensation offered were suitable. He wasnt sure if he wanted to move from his current firm. The options he had:

1. Decline the interview & continue with his current employer (till such time something triggered the need for a change or if something really amazing came his way).

2. Appear for a round of interview & then decide.

3. Go through all interviews, take the offer if selected & then decide.

The advantages of 3 above:

1. Use the offer to get a better offer from his current employer (if he feels he is underpaid).

2. Use the offer to negotiate other offers that could come his way.

3. Join the new employer. 

Option 3 is lucrative. However, I feel it is not really the best.

First, I think one should give an interview only if one is fairly sure about the need for a change. Not for "let me see my market worth'', "let me see if I still have it in me'', "𝘥𝘦 𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘩 𝘥𝘦𝘬𝘩𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘪 [let me see how it goes]" etc - this not only wastes time of the HR, hiring manager & consultants but also plants seeds of confusion in one's own mind.

Second, if one must, then it is better to make a firm decision at the offer negotiation stage. Make sure you are happy with the company, role, management & compensation offered and will join them. If things don't work out & you reject the offer, well & good [𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲]. But if you think "𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘬𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 [let me take the offer letter then decide]" then that's not the right practice in my opinion. 

Once an offer is accepted formally, the HR stops sourcing for the position. The hiring manager stops worrying about it too & plans work ahead basis the candidate's committed joining date. Now if the candidate decides to not join [𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽], not only does it create a lot of rework (restarting the sourcing cycle besides the lost time value) for the other firm, the candidate ends up being possibly blacklisted by the hiring consultant & the company. Yes, there are thousands of companies out there, so possibly one may not care if they are blacklisted, but it is a small world & if it is a small industry, there is a small chance of a candidate encountering the hiring manager or HR down the line. Besides, it is also about integrity and ethics. While seeking an offer break up [and not the offer letter] in the negotiation stage & using it to shop around (after declining the offer) is still a grey area, I think accepting the offer letter and then dropping out later surely isn't very professional.

If one absolutely must, for genuine reasons, then it is best done within a few days of offer acceptance and not on or closer to the date of joining. Value the other firm's time and resources, don't be a _ _ _ _ [the word rhymes with twerk].

"...kabhi kabhi aurat hi aurat ki dushman hoti hai..."

"...kabhi kabhi aurat hi aurat ki dushman hoti hai..."

...the lady said, fuming. ["At times, women are women's worst enemy]

It was around 2010. The firm I was working with was on a huge hiring spree, so they'd often organize walk-in interviews. Although I was never into recruitment, on one such occasion I was told to accompany the gang to a hotel where the walk-ins were scheduled. My job was to facilitate the operations of the drive.

For most part of the day, I was seated a few feet away from one lady (she was a senior manager) from our business side. Her department had won a mandate and she needed to hire 12 people to kick start the operations in the coming month. She and her colleague had come there hoping to close some of those open positions. After about an hour, a lady came in for the interview. She introduced herself and shared that she was staying close by with her husband. After some general questioning, the following happened :

"Any plans of having kids?" 

"Yes ma'm"

"In the near future?"

"Maybe, let's see"

"But it has been 4 years since you were married, surely you and your family might want one now?"

There was a moment of awkward silence. With some visible discomfort and in a low voice, the candidate replied "We have been trying for a long time ma'm, now it all depends on the Almighty"

This was followed up by some more discussion and after the lady walked out, the interviewer dropped her resume in the "Rejected" bucket. "Too much uncertainty around her family plans,'' she told her colleague.

Later in the day, another lady walked in. She sounded experienced and confident. 

"So how will you manage work with 2 little kids?"

"I will manage ma'm. My husband works the night shift. My mother also stays close by, so we will take her help as well."

"Won't you need a full-time nanny or a creche if you start working?"

"That's too expensive, so we will figure out a way once I get a job .''

Her resume also met the same dreaded bucket. "I know how difficult it is to work full time with 2 kids. She will not be able to manage" she declared, as the next candidate was called in. 

After about 15 min, I was a bit hungry. It had nothing to do with the fact that I had spotted beautiful curvy samosas stocked up at a farsan shop near the hotel. Having no intention of offending the samosas, I walked down to the shop, ordered a plate and sat down at one of the tables. That's when I heard a familiar voice say what I quoted above. When I turned to look, it was the same lady (mother of 2), talking on her phone. Pouring out her interview experience to someone at the other end, just as she poured a load of ketchup over the unsuspecting samosa on her plate.

Be it family/friends or interviewers/bosses/colleagues, unfortunately, such biases and stereotyping still linger around.

"...50?? Your dad always took 20 for these jobs! You are too expensive...."

 "...50?? Your dad always took 20 for these jobs! You are too expensive...."

...said the other customer, while I was waiting for my turn.

The left side strip of my right foot sandal had come off. So after a few days of procrastination I finally landed up at a cobbler near my home. The cobbler was a young chap, looked like a guy in his late 30s. Since I had seen the cobbler's little corner often while I passed by it, I had always seen an older man (perhaps in his 50s) working there.

While I was waiting for my turn, I was observing him mending the footwear of another customer who was waiting when I reached. The cobbler was about to finish the job and was pushing the awl needle through the footwear for the last time before cutting the stitching thread. When the customer enquired about the cost of mending, the cobbler quoted fifty bucks. That was when the customer said what I quoted above.

On hearing this, the cobbler gave a wide smile and said "Sir, my father always held his craft in low regards and hence charged very less for decades. Had he asked for a fair price, our family could have faced lesser hardships. Maybe I wouldn't be here today (and could have been better off) if he charged his customers a fair price. I do not want my son to be sitting here doing this job after another 15 years Sir..." The customer just chuckled in response, as he dug into his wallet to fetch 50 bucks.

We often spend thousands without a second thought when we shop for clothes and footwear, but when it comes to spending a fraction of that cost on mending something that is broken, we often start thinking about the price to be paid.

Coming to pay parity, this probably applies to whats happening in some job markets. Many people are now asking for fair compensation and employers feel the price quoted is too high. Barring a few exceptions (where the asking pay is indeed very high due to demand/supply mismatch of quality talent), perhaps the asking pay isn't expensive when compared to what it brings to the table. Perhaps the talent of the past was inexpensive and underpaid and fair pay is getting discovered as market dynamics change. 

Next time you go to that cobbler, tailor, vegetable vendor, plumber, carpenter, evaluate the asking price they quote against the quality of service offered & utility served. Add to it the opportunity costs you would incur if you were to not use their service/offerings.

Also, consider mending that footwear/dress/furniture/gadget before you take the easy way out of replacing it. A good repair job will not only save you a lot of money in the longer run, it will also support small businesses to thrive alongside the larger ones.

The To-Do List Massacre

...and just like that, within minutes, I was able to 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝟰𝟬% of the items on my long To-Do List...

The "𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱" list is something I started over a decade back. It started with 3-4 items (and hence the name was 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗼-𝗗𝗼). Over the years, the number of items started going up, threatening to break into three-digit figures. Some of the "weekend to-do" items added 6-7 years back still linger around on the list.

So this weekend, I put in a focused effort to complete as many as I could - a lot of them were low hanging fruits. But even after all the effort, all I could knock off was just 10% of the items on the long list. 

Yesterday, late evening, I opened the list again. I examined each and every item and started classifying them into 2 buckets. 

𝟭) 𝗘𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹/𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹/𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼

𝟮) 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼/𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁

   𝟮𝗮) 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝟲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀

   𝟮𝗯) 𝗢𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝟲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀

The next step was fun. I started hitting backspace one line after another, deleting all the 𝟮𝗯) items, while all the 𝟮𝗮) items witnessed the "𝘛𝘰-𝘋𝘰 𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘦" in horror, probably fretting at the possibility of getting eliminated too. All the 𝟭)s probably felt relieved, to get some much earned breathing space and importance on the pricey "To-Do" real estate.

By the close of the weekend, while I had closed 10% of the tasks listed, I had simply deleted 30% that fell under 𝟮𝗮). That resulted in an overall reduction of nearly 40% in the list. The next target is to keep chipping away at the remaining 60% - via closure or elimination.

The items that got deleted were unlikely to get done if they werent critical and open for a long time. The experience was quite liberating. They say one should keep one's house/desk/surroundings uncluttered to aid clarity and productivity and help reduce stress levels. The same principle probably applies to our "To-Do" lists. Long ones can be overwhelming and one might just keep procrastinating clearing the items on it due to the sheer number and variety of items listed therein. 

When was the last time you cleaned up your To-Do list (be it around personal tasks or office/work related tasks)? A Monday is probably a good day to give it ( #SafaiAbhiyaan ) a shot. Trust me, it is indeed liberating.