कोई रहनुमा न था

Sharing my new poem, wrote it multiple weeks ago, and thought of posting. One of those rare times when I try to add some urdu words to my hindi flow. Knowing more than one language and not being a master on any is a blessing in it self . Will  be back soon with a more regular post


कोई रहनुमा न था 

चल तो रहे थे पर वहां रास्ता न था 

पूछने को भी तो कोई रहनुमा न था 

मंज़िल कहीं पे होगी  एक उम्मीद थी मगर 

किस ओर चले सोचने का हौसला न था 

पाँव के निशां से आबाद तो था सहरा 

मीलों तक मगर वहां कोई कारवां न था 

टूटी हुई कश्ती को भी हम कोसते मगर 

तूफ़ान में उसके सिवा कोई आशना न था 

शाम जाम कहकहे दोस्तों की महफ़िल 

बहाने थे बहलाने को, जशन का असल कोई फलसफा न था 

चल तो रहे थे पर वहां रास्ता न था 

पूछने को भी तो कोई रहनुमा न था 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Some meanings 

रहनुमा    Guide

आशना    Friend

फलसफा  Philosophy/ reason

सहरा       Desert

Note: Pictures clicked using Kodak MFT in feb 2017

3rd Serving from Back of my Notebook

I scribble things at the back of my notebook to keep me anchored during the storms encountered daily. Shared some of those in earlier few posts years ago …. Lines below, the 3rd set may speak to you for themselves as they spoke to me

~Life is usually passing outside your window in all its grace and beauty when you are looking at the ceiling to complain of its unfairness

~Work is extremely important and so is life, may be the later one a tad bit more

~Faith gives hope and losing hope shakes faith, such a close relation!

~Feeling helpless for long enough can make one hopeless; addressing the helplessness before losing hope is important

~Wish we judged people based on color of blood rather than color of skin

~Your behavior is the mold that your children’s life is shaped in

~Silence though a great virtue mostly, can sometimes becomes a crime, and that is when one MUST speak

~World is not as is, World is as One see with One's own eyes

~Cloudy skies are as beautiful as starry skies; it is not the sky; but how one sees make it beautiful or gloomy (same rule applies for many situations in life)

~Life is a batman movie with troubles playing 'the Joker', how much fun will it be to watch it if there was only batman and no villains in the movie?

~Good literature is what can propel you to a new reality

~Beware! Regularly fulfilled ‘Wants’ always learn to act and feel like ‘Needs’

~A true story teller never runs out of stories as long as a listener is there; A master story teller is that who always listens to own stories with awe

~Life offers you a blank page to write a story every day, it is up to you how original a story teller you are

~Originality can be confused as insanity, till enough people have comprehended one’s story

~Genius is the lunatic whose ideas got wider acceptance (Until I have sufficient acceptances the lunacy will continue J) 


Older from back of my Notebook....

http://nuancesofbeing.blogspot.com/2013/03/back-of-my-notebook.html

http://nuancesofbeing.blogspot.com/2014/10/morefrom-back-of-my-notebook.html

Almost a Cinderella Story

She was young and bright, probably the smartest child in her village. But misfortune doesn’t care about the strengths of one’s faculties. It may try to challenge that strength. Her’s was challenged at the young age of 14, when her father had a stroke. Her family spent all the savings they had to try and get him cured. The efforts helped him live a couple more years, but at the cost of them losing all the savings and the house they were in. When she was 15 she had to take a job as a janitor in the nearest town’s hospital that she once had dreamed of serving as a doctor.

Not only excellent at studies, she had been very committed and diligent too. She couldn’t be the doctor she wanted to be, but she sure served the patients in the hospital with nothing but complete dedication. She would spend long hours with the doctors and nurses curing the sick and the hurt. She would console the tired and concerned family members of the patients and comfort the patients with her uplifting stories and sunny demeanor. Not to mention she was the most popular person the hospital ever had in its staff.

When she was 20 and training to be a nurse while still doing her other staff duties, her life had to see yet another turn. The night was dark and cold and it was snowing very heavy. She was working in night shift. That night emergency was short of staff as some doctors and nurses couldn’t make it to the hospital due to the roads being blocked by snow. Around 1 AM she heard some commotion in the waiting area. It was a patient in his late twenties. He came to the  town for a dinner, and met with an accident while returning; the staff nurse told her. He had received bad wounds, especially the one on the forehead, which continued to bleed. He was losing consciousness while waiting for his turn to be taken in. We should take him in, she whispered. But the two doctors are attending other emergencies, so what can we do? The nurse responded. He may bleed to death, and I cannot let this happen, she replied.

Next minute she was pushing the guy on a wheel chair towards the triage room, along with a very reluctant nurse. A few minutes later, the guy was given some first aid, which helped stop the bleeding. The vitals were taken and things looked better. The doctor when returned, applauded her courage and mentioned that the wound was not too dangerous, but the loss of blood and the cold temperature could have been fatal if she had not shown presence of mind and taken initiative. Her nurse training was fast tracked and a 2 months later she was a proud nurse in the hospital.

Around the same time she received a note from the guy. He was son of a millionaire industrialist. Also his father’s run charity had a chain of hospitals for the underprivileged and he was the managing director of that charity. For her courage and zeal, he had offered her a job in one of his hospital. And in a few months he was so fond of her mannerism, her personality, her attitude and her knowledge that he proposed to marry her. A proposal she could not say no to.

A true Cinderella story. She held on to her courage when the fate showed her no mercy and the same courage made her the heiress of a big empire. Everyone was happy for her and the story of her courage and attitude was told in the small town she had lived as a child.

I knew her well as we had both gone to same school as kids. And I had witnessed her life changes very closely.

Few days ago I was travelling through the same small town and I stopped by the small coffee shop near the town square to meet an old coworker, and there she was, sitting on a corner table and sipping her coffee. How are you madam? I greeted. She looked at me and the polite smile turned into a wide grin at seeing a child hood friend. After the pleasantries were exchanged and pastries ordered, I asked her, “What are you doing these days?” I am studying medicine, soon to be a doctor she proudly said. Also I am back at my old job as a nurse in the same hospital. The last line surprised me, studying medicine was fine, but the heiress working as a nurse? I left him, she said reading on my face the question that was raising in my heart. What? Why? I asked, voice raised out of disbelief.

No don’t take me wrong, he is really a great guy. He did love me; but all the time we were together he never seem to remember what he married me for. But also he never forgot what my social and financial status was when we first met and neither did he let me forget it. I thought I married the guy who loved what I did and appreciated what I could become in future but in fact he married the hospital janitor who showed courage beyond compare. I like him a lot but it felt very odd as a janitor living in a palace wearing queen’s robes. So I decided to be what I always wanted to be, and to work to be that. And here I am, honestly no regrets.

No regrets, I could see that clear on her face. She was confident as ever. She was the true Cinderella, not the one that the prince would marry just because the shoe fits, but the one prince would see as his equal if not more.

For the prince, he is the one who lost in this story, he lost the one who had saved his life and the one who could save many more.

For me, I learnt a big lesson; in life whoever you meet or deal with, your family, your spouse, your friends, your coworkers, your children etc. Make sure that you always respect what they are capable of.

Epilogue: A few minutes after when I was seeing her off the coffee shop my friend and ex-coworker showed up. He was obviously late for our meeting, and his face gave signals of apology under the tired eyes. Who is she? He asked out of curiosity, and I told him the whole story. Oh, I see, Thanks. He said, to a surprised me, why thanks? Then he cleared, you see our software vendor was having trouble with his employees last year. We found that they were underpaid and unappreciated, however a high employee churn lead to him folding the business and we ended up directly hiring his entire team of coders. Higher salary and good benefits made those guys work wonders in first few months, but after one quarter performances started declining and now we are fearing even worse churn that our vendor had faced with this team. I was always wondering what went wrong, and came here to seek your counsel, but your Cinderella showed me the way. Now I know what went wrong and I think I can fix the problem. So Thanks, he chuckled. We both smiled. We both have learnt that Cinderella stories can teach good business too. 

एक सवाल, नेताओं से

I was in India a few days back and all the TV channels were heated with the state election talks. Some old and some new faces of the "leaders" were spewing promises non stop and so I thought of a humble question. Hope you like it and may even ask if you get a chance.

एक सवाल, नेताओं से  

हमारी खाल से बाल खींच के 

हम को ही ओढ़ाते हो 

ऐसे टेड़े आईडिया, नेता जी 

कहो कहाँ से लाते हो?

काले सफ़ेद का भेद बता कर 

हमें चक्कर में उलझाते हो 

हरे को  गुलाबी कर के भी 

घर अपने ही भर जाते हो 

ऐसे टेड़े आईडिया, नेता जी 

कहो कहाँ से लाते हो?

बांधे राखी ये ईद मिले हम 

यह आप को कब भाया है?

जात, प्रांत का, रंग, धर्म का 

भेद हमें समझने को 

नहरें , नदियां रुकवा देते हो 

बस्तियां , घर जलवाते हो 

ऐसे टेड़े आईडिया, नेता जी 

कहो कहाँ से लाते हो?

NEW DAWN is all Yours

“Raat ke baad naye din ki Seher aayegi; Din nahi badlega tareekh Badal jayegi”

The famous line from the poet “Nida Fazli” just started repeating itself in my mind a few minutes ago. Among the wishes for a “happy new year” that is going to start in a few hours, these lines were telling a story that the day, the week, the month and even the year turning will not change anything, the days will remain the same; the date certainly will change.

For a few minutes I was sad, and getting angry at the sorting mechanism in my brain to pull out such lines from the tresses of the grey matter on a day when I want to not only be positive, but also spread positivity around me. Why while searching for a positive message to share I was handed these lines by my brain? And then I realized it is indeed a great message for me, for you and for everyone.

Raat ke baad naye din ki seher aayegi – After the night will come the dawn of a new day

Din nahi badlega; Tareekh badal jayegi – The Day may not change though the date will certainly change.

The promise is of a New Dawn. The reality is change of date. But the day may remain same. As the day will not be changed by those who make calendar (date changers) or the big guy in sky who made the New Dawn. The day is our personal gift, our own responsibility. Day is our canvas, our easel, our page to write our own story. That is the core of the concept of Free will which most religions talk about. The Big Guy in sky’s ultimate promise, “you make your own days.”

Without stretching it more all I will say is that the new day is a new page, write the story that you enjoy. Write the story that you can be proud of when you visit it at a later date. The new day is a blank canvas and if you look inside you, you have all the colors in all their hues. Paint the masterpiece that you can proudly display on the walls of memory for all eternity. The New Year starting in a few hours will be a book full of blank pages, a box full of blank canvas. Be your own legend and write your own stories, weave them in the stories of the people around you. Create the masterpieces and display with proud.

The promise is that “Raat ke bad Naye din ki seher aayegi” – There will be a new dawn after the night and that is a given.

And the date will change that is a given too. The day changes or not is based on how you play your own part on the stage.

So I will wish you a new year where you get all the strength and vision and opportunity to play your part in a way that it shapes your next day (and all the days ahead) as you want. A New year to create more personal legends and more stories to proudly remember and share. A new year to enjoy and love and be loved.

I wish that you make yourself an Awesomely Blessed New Year!!!!!

Light Bulb - A lesson in customer service

“Would you mind changing my room?” I asked. Though I think I was very polite in asking given the circumstances, but I knew my frustration was still showing through the politeness of my request. Well of course Sir, I will send someone with the new room keys and details, and sincere apologies for your trouble, he responded.

While I wait for the ‘someone’, I will tell you the chain of events in last 5 minutes that ended with the call. I was on a business travel, had a long day when I reached the hotel at 10PM. The check in process was quick and friendly and I dragged myself to the room, with a plan of taking a shower, having some green tea and then some critical email responses before I sleep. Stepping in the room I was so longing to start as planned. Then I switched a lamp, it didn’t come on, bad bulb, I guessed and moved to the 2^nd lamp in row and switched that. And the room was still dark. My plan obviously was shattered, I had decided that it was an issue bigger than a bad bulb, may be the wiring in the room or trip switches.  Not having time or patience to troubleshoot, I stumbled to the phone and called front desk.

“Hi I just checked in and my room lamps are not working, can you give me a different room?” I demanded. “Sir, let me send the electrician with a few spare bulbs and see what is wrong, it might be a bad bulb.” The gentleman at the front desk said in a cheerful voice. “I tried multiple lamps, so I think it is more than just a bad bulb, what is the possibility of multiple bad bulbs at the same time.” I said, concealing my frustration and added without waiting, “Would you mind changing my room?” “Well Of Course Sir” he said and 2 minutes later instead of anyone else he was standing outside my room with a new room key and he helped move my stuff. All well in the new room and I ended executing on my plan.

Why am I telling this story? Because it continued on the next day.

I left the hotel early in the morning and after a long day I reached back my hotel, around 9 PM. I was greeted by the same smiling face as night before. How was your day Sir? He asked. Tiring still better than last night’s situation, I winked with a smile, obviously teasing. He laughed, and said, guess what, the room had two bad bulbs and that is it, just the two that you tried. That is really a bad coincidence, I supported with sympathy.  Not at all Sir, it was a lesson for us. I had a meeting with the house keeping staff and have made sure that they will add 'checking each switch, each bulb and each appliance' in the room as a part of their room readiness checklist. We don’t want any guests to go through the situation like you did last night. It should take almost no extra time to check this. Starting today this is the new norm. His enthusiasm was obvious and somewhat infectious.

Next day I checked out and that experience stayed with me. A week later I received a thank you note from the hotel for helping them improve their processes. I am sure whenever I or any one in my organization visits the same city, that is my recommended hotel, because they listened.

I work for service industry, on the technology side and this experience helped me (re) learn a few things. The Light bulb came ON for me!

A)  More than one  inaccuracies of similar type can be perceived by client as a deeper issue needing major action (in my case I changed room, but a client may replace vendor)

B)  Trying to underplay the issue, playing coincidence card or forcing a solution to client against their plan may escalate damage

C)  Accepting the client suggestion with genuine interest in solving the issue (however tough the stakes are) always pays

D)  Informing the client on how you plan to safe guard against similar situations in future can further strengthen your commitment for future

E)  Thanking the client after the fact for raising the issue and helping improve the solution is a must as the most difficult client is one who is not happy but will not complaint

F)  Empathic service is always best sales strategy for service industry.

कुछ चीज़ें बेशकीमती होती हैं - बस एक रात

एक और याद, जो शायद 1987 से 1995 के बीच ही हुआ, इस लिए कुछ नयी पीढ़ी वाले दोस्त, भाई, बहिन शायद इस का उतना लुत्फ न ले पाए.... और इस बार सिर्फ ४ पंक्तिया क्यों कि अगर आपको यह याद वहां ले गयी जहा से यह आयी है तो आप कई किस्से सोच के  खुद ही मुस्कुरायेंगे.

तो चलिए फिर  मिलिए उस एक रात से और सोचिये। ..... 

कुछ चीज़ें बेशकीमती होती हैं 

जैसे बस वो एक रात...... 

दोस्त , यार , मोहल्लेदार 

एक दिन में प्लानिंग 

दो दिन का लंबा इंतज़ार 

एक नयी , एक पुरानी 

एक अंग्रेजी और एक डरावनी 

रात बस एक और फिल्में चार 

और एक किराये का वी सी आर (VCR)

कुछ चीज़ें बेशकीमती होती हैं 

कुछ चीज़ें बेशकीमती होती हैं 

जैसे.......