A welcome change in the catering service @office

I dare say that the anti-reservation issue may not have had a direct impact on the lives of the people as yet but its side-effects are showing.

The caterer in our office cafetaria had almost made a mockery of the whole system. When they started catering about a year back, the initial stuffs that they dished out was pretty palatable. But as time passed, they started changing colours. The food quality went from bad to worse while the coupon rates had either remained same or even increased. During their initial days, they started off with Rs.15 coupons. But the quantity of the food was very in-adequate. With the employees raising their voice, they found a convinient option out by changing the coupon rate from Rs.15 to Rs.20 in return for an increased quantity. People still did not have much of a problem with that but as days passed by, things really started going out of hand. The food quality had deteriorated like anything and any amount of complaints with the Admin people would fall on deaf ears.

At times, people found to their dismay that the food was half cooked, while at other occassions, even insects were found to make an appearance. The quality of service was also bad. A lot had been written about it on Junk and a link for feedback towards the cafetaria services were also provided. But nothing could change the status quo.

Fed up with all other means, one of the employees proposed boycott of the cafetaria services and the boycott date was fixed to be the 22nd of june (Thursday). People responded positively in large numbers and the Admin was forced to come up with an immediate action plan to change the caterer. While the Admin had earlier stated that the caterers would be changed by the 30th of June, but the success of the boycott seemed to have hastened the things and finally we had a new caterer in place from today itself.

All I can say is "Kudos to this sense of belief that one should always stand up for their rights". May good sense prevail!!!

"....The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind...."

How stock market behaves - 1 pic that says it all:-)

Click on the picture above to get the full view

Found it to be very humourous as well as appropriate:)

"....The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind...."

Its "Samba" time...

This month, its the football fever that has gripped almost everybody. With the top 32 teams vying for the world cup, the tournament has been a big draw as it always has been in the past. I have been closely watching the World Cup since 1990.

1986 saw the brilliamce of Maradona help the Argentines win the WC. Visuals of that individual brilliance captured my imagination and since then I grew to be an ardent Argentine fan. In the 90's, the Argentines play some decent soccer. However, the level of their game was nothing compared to the brilliance that they displayed in 1986. Maradona was a shadow of himself in the 90 WC. Burruchaga and Claudio Cannigia had a pretty good WC. But their real hero was thier goalkeeper (forgot his name) who used to see the Argentines through in every match that were decided through penalty shoot-outs. However, irony of ironies, the Argentines lost to Germany in the final courtsey of a single penalty that was awarded to the Germans. The Argentines were finally left high and dry and had to be satisfied having come second best in the competition.

1994 saw the infamous exit of Maradona when he failed the doping test. His departure gave a big mental blow to the Argentines who never seemed to recover from it, since then. Their prospects finally came to an end when the Romanians beat them 3-2 in the second-round qualifiers. The world cup in '94, as such, was not too exciting. The teams displayed a very defensive approach and even the Finals between Brazil and Italy did not produce the fire expected in a WC final.

1998 witnessed much better performance from the Argentinian side with Gabriel Batistuta being a star performer in the league matches. Their second round match saw them taking on the Englishmen. The Michael Owen goal is still etched in my memory. However, David Beckham got marching orders for an un-necessary act of aggression. And a clever set-piece, converted by Zanetti saw the Argentinians conquer the Englishmen. However, a Dennis Bergkamp master-piece in the quarter finals spelled the exit of the Argentinians from the WC. The '98 WC marked the first time a host nation, France in this case, had lifted the world cup. The finals saw an un-remarkably poor performance by the Brazilians (with an unfit Ronaldo). Zinedine Zidane headers marked the final nails in the Brazilian coffin.

The 2002 world cup is probably one which the Argentine fans would like to forget at the earliest. Pitted in the "group of death" involving Nigeria, England and Sweden, the Argentines had a real hard time. After having somehow snatched a victory against Nigeria, the Argentines lost to the Englishmen and were subsequently held by Swedes. They finally could not make it to the next round and faced an ignominious exit. Another team to bite the dust were the defending champions France who too could not clear the group stage. The same tournament also saw the Brazilians go from strength to strength before they finally went on to win the World Cup. And who can perhaps forget the stellar performance by Ronaldhino in the tournament!!!

The 2006 WC started with a bang with the Germans winning the match with a 4-2 margin over the Costa-Ricans. Never has the first match of a World Cup witnessed so many goals. And that has probably set the tempo for the entire tournament. We have witnessed some exciting soccer from the Germans, the Englishmen, the Spaniards, the Brazilians and off course, not too forget the effervescent Argentines (thier 6-Nil thrasing of the Serbs was pure magic). The African nations have not disgraced themselves. Although its only Ghana which has made ot to the 2nd round, Ivory Coast too did play some excellent soccer. The Asians have failed to make a mark this time unlike the 2002 WC where the Koreans went up to the Semi-Final stage.

All eyes are now on the 2nd round matches. The Germans have already routed the Swedes with a double strike in the first 12 minutes while the Argentines have moved on to the Quarter Final stage after beating a rather reusrgent Mexican side. However, the decisive Argentine goal against Mexico by Maxi Rodriguez was a sure winner.

Its now time to wait and watch what the WC unfolds in the remaining few matches. Its exhilarating stuff and I will sign off now to catch up with the England-Ecuador match.
So long till then!!!

"....The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind...."

"Ajeeb Dastan Hai Ye"

Life is full of surprises, isn't it!!!
Some sweet, some sour but everything in hindsight is so exciting nevertheless. Here I share a recent experience which will be etched in my memory for a long, long time.

My home-town is Kolkata and I work in Gurgaon - more than a thousand kilometers apart. I often fret for my home and wish I could be with my family. However, I consider myself real lucky that right now, I am in the company of friends which makes me forget about my home at times. Thats one of the plusses of staying put in the same company for some time. You make lots of friends.

Right from my joining in Flextronics(then Hughes), I had a steady friend circle comprising of my colleagues and a few bongs. With a vibrant "Goodmorning" and a firm shake of the hands, everyday used to mark a new begining. The day would normally end with the snacks in the cafetaria and some gossip for around an hour or so. But, in March 2006, I was shifted out of my previous premises (in Plot 7) and re-located to the Presidency building, which was almost totally cut-off from the main office. Initial few days were really bad. Being located far-off from the main campus, I did not have the luxury of meeting my friends even occassionally. With new people around, it takes some time to build a rapport as well. So things were not really looking up for me.

But soon things changed with the anti-reservation issue coming to the fore. The whole SS7 team at Presidency seemed to be the epicenter of the corporate employee's battle agaist the reservation issue. Help poured in from several un-known quarters as well. And before I could realise, I had made lots of friends out there. This continued for almost 3 weeks until the corporate rally was forced to be aborted last monday. Things have gone quiet since then.

But as I look back, I realise that I have learnt a whole lot of things from this experience - dealt with people from all walks of life -medicos, engineering students, students from DU and not to forget my tryst with the journalists; the night out at the AIIMS lawn, the collection of money for the YFE, attending the rallies, organising buses to take people to attend the rallies, motivating people every now-and-then, meeting people with vested interests of their own, trying to organise a rally on our own and also basking in some fame. Foooo!!! thats some experience in 3 weeks time.

And, in the midst of all this hectic activities came a surprise package. I really can't state it down in my post right now but it had something to do with a sweet little phone-call arnd 9:00pm on the 3rd of June (saturday before last). Does this mark another new begining? Only time will tell. But if it does, i'll let everybody know about its connection with my lucky 13 again.

"....The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind...."

Article in "The Tribune" ...

Corporates to join anti-quota stir
Smriti Kak Ramachandran
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 23
After the medicos it is the corporates who have joined the anti-quota juggernaut. Faced with the possibility of having to provide reservation, corporates have begun hectic parleys to draw up their blueprint for protest.

While the corporates had come out in support of the agitating doctors, they have now resolved to “take on” the issue of reservation in a more “organised way”.

Opposed to “any kind of reservation”, the corporates have criticised the government for contemplating “a legislation to bring in reservation”.

Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Meira Kumar yesterday warned the private sector that the Centre would be forced to bring in a legislation if they fail to provide voluntary reservation.

Reacting to the statement, Saikat who works for a multinational company said, ‘we have supported the medicos, but now we are in the process of streamlining our protest. We have begun meetings to draw up plans for what our future course of action will be”.

An employee of another private concern, Sandipan, pointed out that if reservations are forced on the private sector, “it will have an adverse affect on the prospects of the candidates from the reserved categories. Companies will discriminate against them because they may not have the required merit”.

Cautioning that if the government does not alter its stance on reservation in the academic as well as private sectors, the corporates said they “ will take to the streets in far greater numbers than the medicos”.

Indicating that they too might take the resort to hunger strike, the corporates said they are mobilising support from their counterparts across the country.

Meanwhile, having refused to call off their stir despite the Prime Minister’s repeated assurances, medical students’ who continue their hunger strike, accept they have reached “a deadlock”, but are quick to add that this has not “demoralised” them.

On hunger strike for the last 10 days, protesting medicos acknowledge that their demand for a review of the existing reservation policy is not “an easy one”, they are, however, insistent that the review “is overdue and that reservation of up to 50 percent is unacceptable”.

“We have sought a review of the policy and neither the government nor the political parties have extended their support to us. But we remain committed to our struggle,” said Dr Vinod of the Youth for Equality.

While support from seniors in the profession and their faculty has been trickling in, the medicos are now banking heavily on the support from corporates and other professionals, who are also facing the possibility of having to provide reservation.

"....The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind...."

The country is going to the Dogs...

The country is embroiled in one of the hottest debates on the issue of caste-based reservation. SC has now sent out an order stating any protests, statements or agitation as contempt of court since PILs have already been filed in court and the matter is now sub-judicial.
To go back shortly in time, the Maha-Rally on 27th May, 2006 was a grand success. Things were looking up with rallies being taken out in Mumbai and Bangalore as well, on the 28th May, 2006. With all these rallies witnessing participation of substatially large numbers of public, even the political parties like BJP were showing signs of aligning themselves with the general public by demanding a white paper on the outcome of reservation that has been in place for the last 55 years. On the 29th of May, 2006, in response to a PIL, the SC asked the governement to spell out the basis for the 27% reservation for the OBCs. Just when things looked rosy, SC fired off a statement on 30th of May, 2006 declaring all forms of agitation against reservation as tantamounting to contempt of court. The medicos were the first to be targeted and they were directed to get back to work or face court proceedings. The medicos finally wilted on the 31st of May, 2006 when they called off their strike and returned back to medical services. Since then, the reservation issue has not found a place on the front page of the newspapers.
We, the corporates have also joined the movement and were a part of the rally on the 27th of May, 2006. We thought about carrying the movement forward by taking out a rally in Gurgaon organised by the "Pukar" (A Corporate Initiative...). The rally is scheduled for the 5th of June, 2006 and the logistics are still not completely in place. It remains to be seen whether we can make it a success or we falter at the hurdle.
The groups like "Youth For Equality" have also toned down their demands. Probably, the 27% reservation is now a destiny and a scar that we will have to live with. It troubles us now and will continue to trouble us in future as well till the reins are in the hands of such un-scrupulous politicans.
The caste based has not helped the deprived and the down-trodden. It has always been hijacked by the "creamy layer" amongst the backward classes. While they have already cornered the benefits of reservation, they do not want the benefits to be diluted.
The question that comes to my mind right now is where is the end to this caste-based system? will an independent country, considered to be a knowledge powerhouse, with a booming economy, ultimately go to the dogs!!!
With the current reports coming in, the government is considering further tightening of screws on this issue. They want to have a say in the fee structure, number of seats, examination.. What next? Prescribe books and class schedules?

"....The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind...."