on eve of martyr's day

30th January and 23rd January are two days - which i observe. Former the date when a bullet of assasin found it's mark - Mahatma's heart; and the latter is the date when our lost hero- Netaji was born.

I have taken lots of inspiration from both of this 'maha purush'. Symbolic it may be- but whatever happens- i say a little prayer to myself when it is 5 15 pm on 30th January. on 23rd jan - everyyear- i write a piece on netaji and post it somewhere to someone- so that it inspires people.

30th is birthday of my elder cousin brother Buju dada- a fallen hero of mine. He was idiolised by me- still i do- but he did got wraped up in some mysterious circumstances and is lost to us. Buju dada- i miss you. I will like to meet you and will like to know- what went wrong .

New age beast

I was having some time back a lively discussion with some of my friends. They all have varied experience, and mentality -- so a right mix of minds- i dare say.
We were very disturbed with the recent incident of Jawns pushing out women and children out of a moving train- newspaper reports were not adequate and we were thinking that how it would have happened.

The ususal postmortem of all kinds of W and H happened?Then we all came to a startling conclusion--- (mind it we all were guys there)

We the men are kind of beast. We are new age beast- always out to harm who are weaker than us and always worship those-who are stronger than us.

Long live our republic---- Mother India- long live

Some thoughts before the tanks roll out on our rajpath; school kids start dancing on the streets and our right honourable president takes the salutes of people in uniforms and some out of them..

So what we have got? what we have done?[ reference year 1950]

We have increased- manyfolds over in population; gone down many rungs down in world corruption index; gone up quite a few rungs in being world's best IT coolies[ strong and sturdy ones]; have become more filthy in our language; and etc etc...

and what we could have done??

Ohh so much... have each of us done our mite- i for one has not.

So freinds...let us do better... need to do it.


Happy republic day.... long live the republic.

Pledge of honor--- another of my favourite

On my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty to God.

On my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty to my country.

I reaffirm my allegiance to the promises/ethics of an engineer and an Indian.

I thoughtfully recognize and take upon myselfthe obligations

and responsibilities of a citizen of India.
On my honor, I will do my best to make my training an example,and make my rank and influence strongly countfor better citizenship,

in my workplace, in my community, and in my contact with other people,

regardless of race, color, or creed.

To this, I pledge my sacred honor.
-Adapted from Eagle-Scout’s pledge

Customer- i agree with Mahatma Gandhi

“A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us; we are dependent on him.
He is not an interruption in our work; he is the purpose of it.
He is not an outsider in our business; he is part of it.
We are not doing him a favor by serving him; he is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.”
-Mahatma Gandhi

IF--- one of my all time favourite poem

If you can keep your head when all about youAre losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt youBut make allowance for their doubting too,

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,

If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and DisasterAnd treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spokenTwisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winningsAnd risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginningsAnd never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinewTo serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in youExcept the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much,

If you can fill the unforgiving minuteWith sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

Negotiation - an art

I always feel negotiation is an art- which you have got to do - whatever you are or whoever you are. My profession has given me lots of chance to do that and i always feel my performance is below par everytime- but better than the last time. Due to my profesion and job profile- i do negotiate with- scientists, science adminstrators, various indian business luminaries. I cannot tell names and all over here- but here is the sample of one that was a small deal and happened recently [ When i put it on writing- it appears- so silly]

I have already sold the customer- some products and services worth nearly $390 K; but I am trying to sell him an addon service whose proposed value is nearly Rs 5,00,000 ( small change!!!). there is a tax component of 10.8% added to that.
Customer (C)- Sambit, this is unfair, and unrealistic....
Myself-(S)- You are right C, so many things in this weird world are..
C- (laughs....heartily).. comee onnn boy give me a break this component service should come free to me.
s- No C, cannot do that. I need 5 + taxes.
C- no discounts.
s- ummmm... sorry no.... cannot -- you know- it is as bad as loosing my face and job.
C- it is always ur job which is under fire... i need to save mine too.
s- I understand........ sighh... (deep sighhh follows)
C- give some discounts..
s- ok what you want (resigned to fate kind of voice)
c- what is your offer.
s- it is useless to tell you- you tell me what you want
c- I donot know---- can you absorb the taxes..
s- If i say yes- when i can expect this to materialise.
c- by 8 am tommorow.
S- done...but i want it by 8pm tonight. can you do it.
C- done- will do that..

I feel he went home happy... and i am always happy...

rush of old memories!!!

sambit saar!! a private letter.....

Thus spake the house keeping staff in morning..handing over an odd looking white envelope.I never get personal letter in office (that's separate issue neither at home adress-- goes on showing what cut off from world u become when u are immersed in technology ). As yesterday, i was busy throughout in field work- i did not receive it yesterday..

It was marriage invitation of one old freind.Though I was knowing , it was on cards-- suddenly i felt something strange--- so many things came rushing to mind. The marriage will be in Delhi and it is on 1st Feb.
As usual , trying to convince myself- must go, must attend[ have attended only 3 marriage functions till date-- kind of hate relationship with that function and it is against my communist ethos] ... then thought -- NO cannot go-too much work to do- and going and coming back- will eat up money.
Rush of memories- those days of college-- how will he feel- my freind after getting the same letter. Will he go through the same emotions- that i went through on that October night. It was kind of same right- the envelope may have been bigger and better though.
I remember that day and the actual day- when i became much more than a man.I walked over that garware bridge- over mutha river in Pune. Feeling pain- unexplained..... then i remmebr those tear drops i shed on that wintery night of november- feeling of lost.... Actually i remmeber losing a deal- those hard words of manager. That feeling of failure which gnaws in ur stomach and so much frustration.

Then that sudden steely resolve--- Will do more hard work- will show the world- that i can do better and that I AM THE BEST.... and may be time heals everything. after 4 yrs... yes i see the path- i am reaching there- it may still be far when i am the best--- but i am already a better person..

A technical sales person's crib

I am a sales man..... A proud one at that... I like sales- I love selling solutions. I love telling people- why my solutions are best- why they are valuable. I sell EDA tools- Electronics design tools- the softwares which help people in designing Chips (i made it simple- so that all can understand---- i could have put lots of nerdy terms and that would have been bonkers!!!)

But now the problem- I sell it to Government agencies. Over past 4 years- i have been credited with numerous orders from govt./psu/ organisations for solutions. And man!!! do i enjoy it.... i do.....You got to fight it out at every step. A 13 K indian ruppes order is as difficult to materialise as- 13 crore project order....And you have to be sane even after that.

In a typical day-
My work starts at 8 am-- as my customers are there at the palce by 830. need to visit them then find out the painpoints. and adress them or talk to them.. sounds easy ehhhh???? but not so...
When will our defence organisations and PSU will be more efficient?? i wonder