Monday, September 16, 2013

Gujjus

Back in 2005, I rented a cab from Veraval (Somnath) to Diu. The cab driver was a typical talkative Gujarati. He confided to me in the first few minutes of our premature companionship, on why he took a cab on loan and how much he is earning. The returns were modest and he was happy. He told me how the government is helping minorities like himself by providing discounted loans. He was a Muslim.

The last bit was more remarkable back then after Godhra and all but now that I think about it, the recollection should get a  tag of 'Gujjus'. He was a Gujju by heart and had his numbers, nafaa, nuksaan all sorted out. It is the Gujju way of life and much is to be learned from it.

Gujjus do not believe in showoffs since they do not see nafaa (profit) in it. They do not buy big cars for the same reason. They prioritize almost everything except family. Almost everything apart from family is weighed on the basis of how much return it will give and at what risk. Life is simple and beautiful. I sense it is this simplicity that engines the industrious nature of Gujarat. Modi has simply added to this approache and has thrived.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

I want ...

A compulsive wanderer turned obsessive workaholic turned decrepit philistine - life has brought so many colours from within me in last few years. I lost hard gained friends on the way and gained hard forged wisdom or two. The cycle seems spiralling up unless someone stops winding. It is not in me. I have a choice though.

I want to walk barefoot on the dewy grass. I want to dance in the rain. I want to see the sun drowning in the sea. I want to read a book in one go. I want ...

Autobiography: Entry 6

The two years in Colwell & Salmon had characters and twists that could make a masala movie. There was ruthless ambition, misgivings, travel to exotic locations, confusion, blankness, flexing of moralities, indecency and of course an out and out engaging fun.

In my second week in the firm, I was flown to a small town near Sheffield with a bunch of bright domain experts who became like family in the one month of stay there. It was there that I realized how strong a factor of binding it can be to stick together in a foreign land with nothing but each other to fall to.

We used to have a couple hour session at the end of each day where we would share jokes and make fun of people around. It was our only stress buster there. Often the confusion there made us quote the famous lines of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron - ' Ye sab kya ho rahaa hai beta Duryodhan?'

Once the project ended and we settled back in India, the time of the grapevine ripened. The next one year was an exodus of near and dear colleagues of mine. I took pledge not to switch into a job that did not give me good company at office. I was that alone.