Ok, after a long-ish pause, i decided to put down about the males in my family, each one of them is a legend in himself, humble, intelligent and someone to look upto. I always wondered where could someone like me, who happens to be so average in mental ability, draws inspiration to lead a decent living, and then i found out, God must be in a real good mood while creating me to have made me a part of such a family. Read through each of these profiles and you'd know the legacy that i belong to and the reason why i strive so much to become better each day.
1. Shri G. L. Sharma ji (dadaji): - Retired as a Joint director of eduction, member of AICTE technical panel, this man was born in a very small village in Baran distt in rajasthan. At the age of four he lost both his parents, had no place to go or live, decided to take the life to a different level. Started funding his own eduction when he was 10 yrs by giving tutions to kids of lesser age. Kept the flame burning till 65 (yes, he worked till this age). He wears nothing other than whites, washes his own clothes (till today, he is 87 yrs), keeps his room clean, wakes up at 5am every single day, take bath and gets ready by 6am. I am yet to come across a more disciplined person than him. A legend who rose from nowhere to the heights that are still beyond our reach, all by himself. Loves eating good food, reading (his taste is John Keats!!), and remembers every single thing of his life.
2. Shri L.N. Sharma ji (nanaji): - Retired as Head of the department, sanskrit faculty, University of Jodhpur, this man again was born to a very poor family who didnt even had money to buy him chappals leave alone books. He used to walk 30 kms bare feet with cloth tied to his legs to go to school in a near by town. Started funding his eduction by winning scholorships. Ensure that not only his eduction continues, but his brothers too get the light. Had just two pair of clothes when he was married. He reached the levels which we can only dream, he stood first in 10th board exams but since his % was less than 60 (Yes, the entire set of students who wrote board exams scored less than 60, i was amused when i heard it, then was stunned when i saw his certificates), he was not given a Gold medal, instead has a certificate from Governor with a mention. With earnings as less as 12 rupees per month (when he was a prof) he raised a family with so much values that its an achievement in itself.
** my grandpa and my nanaji are childhood buddies, they continue to draw inspiration from each others achievements.
3. Shri. P. K. Sharma (Papa): - A B. E. (Civil) graduate from MBM college of Engg, Jodhpur. He is a school in himself, i had written a seperate blog on his abilities. My idol, the person that i always want to be. You can read more about him here: - http://readcoziwrote.blogspot.com/2009/03/dads-promotion.html. One thing that most people dont know about him is that he was leader of NCC in jodhpur engg college, drove a battle tank during 71 war (NCC was used to provide supplies), had hit 50/50 with his 303 during his training days.
4. Shri. N. N. Dwivedi (Fufaji): - We are truly blessed to have him with us. I mean, its rare that you come across a person with so much of influencing ability, by his mere presence he can induce so much positive energy in you that you will be ready to take on the world even if you dont have limbs. No kidding, this man is the "best man" i have ever come across. He has huge amount of knowledge on Indian classical music, Bengal literature, English literature and Indian literature. He is a school in himself when it comes to learnings about life. Often i find myself at loss of words when i talk about him. He is definitely the man behind whatever little sense i have of literature and music. Really blessed to have him as a close member of my family.
5. Shri K.G.Gupta (Mamaji): - Forget about degrees and that he was responsible to bring up one entire unit of the biggest power plant in west india, forget about what he has achieved, he is single most loving father that i have ever come across. He has redifined family values for us. No matter whats the schedule, and no matter how much work pressure he is under, he would still greet us in the most loving way. He also redifined the Sister-brother relationship (he "chose" my mom to be his sister some 40 yrs ago and has ensured that none of her blood brothers stand a chance in front of him). He not only ensured that he and mamiji become the most important part of our lives, but also ensured that we connect with his kids as if we are all one. Truly blessed to have him around during my growing years. He is so expressive in his affection, that it makes everyone love him too. By the way, he is a Civil engineer from MBM engg college, Jodhpur and was with Thermal Power plant for his entire life.
6. Pankaj Khandelwal (Bhaiya): - IIT kanpur, IIM calcutta (Gold Medalist), Mckinsey... this man has achieved what every techie would like to achieve. Decided to leave his plush high paying job at Mck and started his own consulting company. Works in the agri sector and uses his brain for the good of farmers. I heard about his first speech to the farmers when he decided to take over the management of Desai fruits and vegetables, the speech left people in tears. He is one techie who has got his feet planted on the ground and achieves every single thing that he sets his eye on. A loving father, a patient brother, and a dedicate family man. Someone who continues to make us proud and show the path for last 20 yrs. If born again, if given a choice i would like to be born as him. :)
7. Piyush Khandelwal (Bhaiya): - He is one fellow who is the real"dude" despite being from a small town, Kota. He takes the bull by the horn and grooms it into his pet. Awesome attitude, sometime arrogant, but ready to rule the world all the time. I remember, even as a child he was always ambitious, and needless to mention that he is on a spree of achievements. IIT K happened first, next was Sapient, then INSEAD (Swiss) sealed it all. He is currently working as CTO of a tech company and with only sky as limit, this man has a long way to go. I wish i could have attitude like him. :)
8. Navendu Dwivedi: - It was not long ago when the world wrote him off, stating that even if this man could earn a decent living it would be God's grace. Little did they knew that in that small body and even smaller eyes, there was a fire to achieve the best. We have seen him stand whole night and run that machine by hand which was printing one paper at a time for an assignment of 3000 copies. Then the Laserprints happened for him, with his dedication, focus and efforts, he transformed Laserprints to what its today. He not only is making a good living for himself but also for his family. It will not be an exaggeration if i would mention that Laserprints, prints more than any other printing press in the entire 4 districts that surround my hometown. With the next level already in sight, he is all set to go higher in life. Someone who has redefined dedication, he is one of the strongest personalities that i have seen.
9. Rakesh Pachauri (Jiyaji): - Average life, made big, lost it all, got down with health, written off not once but atleast 4-5 times, this man is a real living "phoenix" who has the ability to rise even when the closest to him write him off. Undoubtedly the strongest personalities in all respect that i have ever seen. Everytime, world pushes him to the wall, he emerges stronger, wiser, humble, and rich. He is known his close quarters as someone who talks "hard", parties "harder", works "Hardest". Best thing about him, he is always same, whether he is struggling to meet the ends or whether he is having enough in life to even throw it on the road, he is just the same. He has been on my side for as far as i can remember. Whether its about sharing a dream or a drink, he is a person i always look upto. Rakesh jiyaji, loving di was one part, loving pupul was still ok.. but just a few days back i wrote to pupul that i want to come to delhi not for either of the two, but to spend sometime with you. That's how i place you in life.
10. The write up will not be complete without mentioning a few names which have strong influence on my life, Shri Sharad Dixit (kanwar sahib), Shri Dinesh Kaushik (Father in law), Ankit, Prasoon (munnu - there is a seperate blog on him too), Vaibhav Sharma, Ankur Suri. I have spent quality time with each one of the mentioned people. They have played a strong role in helping me making a personality that i am today.
Life's good, i am lucky and with so many people as path breakers and so much already achieved, its just normal for me to keep pushing my limits all the time. In order to stand amongst the "league of Gentlemen" mentioned above, i guess an average head like me needs to keep working hard. So much to learn, so many things to do and even more to achieve, the world is just a playground, and i know i got to be a good player to keep inheriting the knowledge that's available.
Feels great to be lucky enough to have been bron in a clan like this.
Self Appraisal and maturity to do so
This might sound right out of the horse's mouth and full of sattire, but i believe this is single most important thing in current scenario. To know, your strength as they are and to be wise enough to list out your shortcomings will ensure that you remain successful in your entire duration of work life. Talking of appraisal's can leave a taste in mouth (bitter/sour/good is situational). Appraisal's are talk of the town around march-april time frames and every company does it in two ways. Self Appraisal - done by employee and then feedback - given by reporting authorities. This piece is more focussed towards the self appraisal part of it.
Increasingly Appraisal's are being seen as "weapons of career destruction" then its actual role. Appraisal's i believe are a very good way of assessing the year as it went by. Finding out what you wanted to achieve, how much did you achieve, and what should be done so that in the coming year, you end up achieving more than the previous year. The world is competitive and so its absolutely important for you to be on a continuous improvement drive.
Some individuals are wise enough to sit, understand and chalk out a plan for themselves, others (majority) are the ones who often feel disheartened, disgruntled, deffensive, depressed and disgusted after their appraisal. I often wonder, where is the gap and decided to write down my view on it.
1. Know yourself: - IT is one place which can easily be listed down as an area which employs largest group of "Average" minded people. There is nothing wrong in being average, and by no means i want to sound derogatory. But, no matter how much we argue, IT is the only place that couldve accomodated people like me with all the shortcomings that i have.
Hence, it becomes imperative for me to know myself. First of all, to understand that i am average, with lot of shortcomings. No, i dont have to be depressed with this thought, rather, it will be begining of a journey of self realisation and setting up proper expectations from myself. I believe, all of us average people need to know these three things: -
a) Whats my aim in life? (What i want to be?)
b) Whats the time frame that i have? (deadlines are extremly important?)
c) What it takes to be the person/role that i want to become? (personality traits)
Write answers to these three questions in black and white. Offcourse you can come back and make changes, but its important to write it down. Once you have done so, be honest and write down what you currently have in your personality. Once this gap analysis is done, open up your last two appraisals and see if you have missed anything. If everything is in order then it would mean that you have defined your boundaries and the target is set.
2. Talk/read about your aim: - One might aim for anything in the world, but its often important to check the possibility of achieving it. Doing a critical analysis of the aim is as important as choosing the aim itself. Now, who do you want to be your critic also is very important. You go to your friends and they pump you up with most amazing and "wasteful" energy and anything that Amitabh Bacchan can do on screen, you would dream to achieve. You go to your boss, and if in not in his senses, he might take you to the verge of suicide. Hence, selection of a mentor is so important in life. He/she can be anyone, from any field, but is best critic of you. The person should be irrational towards you, and someone who sees you from a distance and catches your ability. Now, i know its difficult to find someone like that, but trust me its most important.
You need to inteact with your mentor who does a critical analysis of your ability whenever you get time. It can be a discussion over tea, walk, breakfast table, or any where. The other most important thing is that you should be open in your discussion with the mentor and tell him/her everything that is in your mind.
3. Draw a chart: - Put up the three questions mentioned in point number 1, and post them at a place where you can see it regularly. It can by your handheld, laptop, desktop, anything. Important is to visit these on the pre-decided time frame.
The most important critic of you, is inside your head. The problem is most often its biased. The wise man are able to remove that bias from their head and hence they are able be on a continuous improvement cycle. It will be extremly important to be a wise man in life.
The other important thing is, the difference between a Asset and a liability. Its extremly important to understand the fundamental difference between these and needless to mention that be an Asset to the company. A liability does not hold a chance to negotiate for anything. Its ok if you are a liability for a short duration, but its extremly important to keep the duration short to avoid any unpleasant circumstances.
Will write more on this asset vs liability in my next write up.
Increasingly Appraisal's are being seen as "weapons of career destruction" then its actual role. Appraisal's i believe are a very good way of assessing the year as it went by. Finding out what you wanted to achieve, how much did you achieve, and what should be done so that in the coming year, you end up achieving more than the previous year. The world is competitive and so its absolutely important for you to be on a continuous improvement drive.
Some individuals are wise enough to sit, understand and chalk out a plan for themselves, others (majority) are the ones who often feel disheartened, disgruntled, deffensive, depressed and disgusted after their appraisal. I often wonder, where is the gap and decided to write down my view on it.
1. Know yourself: - IT is one place which can easily be listed down as an area which employs largest group of "Average" minded people. There is nothing wrong in being average, and by no means i want to sound derogatory. But, no matter how much we argue, IT is the only place that couldve accomodated people like me with all the shortcomings that i have.
Hence, it becomes imperative for me to know myself. First of all, to understand that i am average, with lot of shortcomings. No, i dont have to be depressed with this thought, rather, it will be begining of a journey of self realisation and setting up proper expectations from myself. I believe, all of us average people need to know these three things: -
a) Whats my aim in life? (What i want to be?)
b) Whats the time frame that i have? (deadlines are extremly important?)
c) What it takes to be the person/role that i want to become? (personality traits)
Write answers to these three questions in black and white. Offcourse you can come back and make changes, but its important to write it down. Once you have done so, be honest and write down what you currently have in your personality. Once this gap analysis is done, open up your last two appraisals and see if you have missed anything. If everything is in order then it would mean that you have defined your boundaries and the target is set.
2. Talk/read about your aim: - One might aim for anything in the world, but its often important to check the possibility of achieving it. Doing a critical analysis of the aim is as important as choosing the aim itself. Now, who do you want to be your critic also is very important. You go to your friends and they pump you up with most amazing and "wasteful" energy and anything that Amitabh Bacchan can do on screen, you would dream to achieve. You go to your boss, and if in not in his senses, he might take you to the verge of suicide. Hence, selection of a mentor is so important in life. He/she can be anyone, from any field, but is best critic of you. The person should be irrational towards you, and someone who sees you from a distance and catches your ability. Now, i know its difficult to find someone like that, but trust me its most important.
You need to inteact with your mentor who does a critical analysis of your ability whenever you get time. It can be a discussion over tea, walk, breakfast table, or any where. The other most important thing is that you should be open in your discussion with the mentor and tell him/her everything that is in your mind.
3. Draw a chart: - Put up the three questions mentioned in point number 1, and post them at a place where you can see it regularly. It can by your handheld, laptop, desktop, anything. Important is to visit these on the pre-decided time frame.
The most important critic of you, is inside your head. The problem is most often its biased. The wise man are able to remove that bias from their head and hence they are able be on a continuous improvement cycle. It will be extremly important to be a wise man in life.
The other important thing is, the difference between a Asset and a liability. Its extremly important to understand the fundamental difference between these and needless to mention that be an Asset to the company. A liability does not hold a chance to negotiate for anything. Its ok if you are a liability for a short duration, but its extremly important to keep the duration short to avoid any unpleasant circumstances.
Will write more on this asset vs liability in my next write up.
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