Mr Pichai,That Generation and Me -- The story of an Indian Generation !

                                             Source: https://candytech.in/rise-of-sundar-pichai-as-google-ceo-in-parent-company-alphabet/

 I encountered a question recently in one of discussions, why lot many people are proud of Sundar Pichai, the new Google CEO? Why everybody is sharing and celebrating the rise of Google CEO? I looked back at my own posts, I was also sharing and feeling happy and proud of Mr. Sundar Pichai. Sundar is usually called a boring keynote speaker by many of news stories though i differ from these news stories after listening to his conversation with Harsha. I pondered myself what is the connection between him and me, the Google was already there and i didn't play any role in letting him achieve the top position even slightly. Yes, I heard of Sundar only a year or two ago and he was not like Rahul Sharad Dravid whom i closely followed in every match and speech for past 6-7 years. But inspite of that, i was happy and got proud of his achievement more and more as i read about him and his journey. One of the connect was deeper than i thought and this post is about those musings why I am happy and relate with him so well.  Let me briefly tell the story of Sundar first.

A child later named Pichai Sundararajan was born in 1972 to two Tamilians managing just a living in the urban city of Madras, now called Chennai. The father was an electrical engineer and the mother was a stenographer and all they could manage with this was a two room home in erstwhile Madras. It is not a typical rags to riches story, it is normal living to epitome stories. The parents believed in no jewels or resources and the most enticing investment to them was Education and only Education of their children. They instilled a sense of hardwork in young boy and motivated him to compete for what is called the toughest exam -IIT entrance exam. They ensured that child get best resources and support to achieve and excel in that test. Happily, with God's grace and hardwork, Sundar excelled in that and entered into prestigious IIT Kharagpur in the metallurgical engineering branch . When the boy decided to pursue Masters and had wanted to go to US, the parents were not having a car yet which is still considered a luxury in middle indian households but they ensured that their child can pursue his dreams. The rest of story I will leave for readers to explore which is well available and cherished in western media.

If you listen to this story, and have been born in 1980s and 1990s in this country of the so called crazy third world people, many of you will be able to relate with it and could trace some parts with your parents and their generation. Yes, this story is about the second generation of our Independent India. They are immediate descendents of the generation which was young at time of Independent India. The first generation were mostly uneducated and had an important role in restoring this country together after independence. The generation born thereafter was an interesting case to look at, people born in 1960's and 1970. I will talk this story from the perspective of middle class or upper middle class of this generation to be precise.  This was a class which got the benefit of independence from previous generation sacrifices and had some important choices to make. And looking back, I will say they knowingly or unknowingly made the best of choices.

This class of Indian generation opted for mostly two or max three children policy and they went in the field of life with the sole aim of providing the best education to all of them. They also curbed the true interests of child to chose his own path but at the same time in true sense curbed their own interests first for what they think would be best for a child. A mother/father wakes up at 4 or 5 am in the home whenever his child has an exam even in class 6th or 7th to give the morning tea so that child can study attentively. The exam days become a sense of no vacation time for the whole family where they avoid any visits to and by any guests. Certain homes become non-cable zones for the whole sake that child does not get distracted from the studies.

The story does not end there, I had a personal experience recently with some such people. I went with my cousin for entrance exam to Jamia Millia Islamia. The exam was near the vilage of Najafgarh. The village is known to cricketing India as village of Virendra Sehwag. When i reached the examination centre, it was a small school . The parents and accompanies of children were told to wait outside while the child writes the exam. This is my only experience of what my father had been doing outside the examination centre for years. I saw a huge gathering of parents some educated, some uneducated , some service class , some business class but all waiting outside and sitting on the floors of small shops near the school. All of them were anxious and hopeful that their child will make the final list. The care for the child brings them so that they could provide the best homely environment to the child before he enters the examination. I seriously doubt if people have so much time for their children in western countries.

 This is the common denominator between Sundar and me or better to say Sundar's parents generation or my own parents.  I have not known Sundar personally or followed his achievements closely over the years but what makes me proud for Sundar is an example of triumph of that Indian generation.

Also, I should clarify this blog should not act as a burden for the current generation that they are in debt of previous generation but it is just a feeling of gratitude for the unasked sacrifices these people did which are not made in many parts of world.

Also, i envision the next generation as not limited to education alone rather it will break the shackles of discrimination of caste, religion and sex and also would also provide an environment to let people choose Music, Sports, Arts and other fields as professional careers.

P.S : This blog was started when Sundar became CEO but was completed at the time of publishing.

From NZM to SBC - A new beginning !

Every journey has a story to tell, every experience is worth savouring if tasted with right taste bud and every new opportunity presents a new horizon to explore. After the awesome Yuva Dhara Nehru Youth Internship, it seems nothing can either batter this or can be a better experience than this. But destiny has something in store for me.

The voyage to IISc , Bangalore started with a train journey on 25th July, 2011 from Delhi but I was already overwhelmed  with the great hospitality gesture of receiving new students at railway station and airport which is an age old tradition of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. As I am writing this, I am always forced to ponder whether to use Bangalore or Bengaluru but I would stick to what is in use with the institute’s name.

From  NZM to SBC

I voyaged from Hazrat Nizammuddin (NZM) to Bangalore City (SBC) through train no. 12430, a 17 year old Bangalore Rajdhani Express. True to its name, these trains connect India‘s National Capital with other state capitals. Also, there is another speciality of this train; it is called as Airtel Rajdhani because it is one of a few trains where railway has realized its full potential and have advertisements of airtel on the whole train. It also has another brand which is not advertised much but plays a crucial role in daily newspaper, N.S.E- national Stock exchange which gives another picture where by many stock traders are seen as potential travellers of this prestigious train. :)

The train started and passed through many a states crossing the Haryana, U.P, M.P, Maharashtra ,A.P and finally Karnataka.  As we were traversing through the length of the land of Aryavartas, I was flipping though the pages of Rail Bandhu, a new initiative of railways where by they have launched a new exciting magazine for rajdhani and shatabdi travellers. The magazine caught my spirit from the preface where by the Chairman gives an exciting picture of relationship between reading and train travelling.  True to Chairman, many a novel that is not moving beyond preface are savored and enjoyed during the rail journeys. But Sir I assure you that Rail Bandhu is a wonderful initiative and a good literary effort.

Rail Bandhu  takes you from Ladakh Travelogue on bike to the history of Pondicherry. Be the history of Ratlam or Dabhoi junction or a visit to Orcha near Jhansi, everything was mesmerizing to read and makes this journey a literary experience for everyone. But along side this, I was crossing a few greatest of great cities. As you cross Vidharbha Cricket Association Stadium , you are reminded that you are passing through the area most prone to farmer suicide. You are made to think that on the one hand there is a country which spends so lavishly on a game that we have included a monthly festival in our yearly calendar i.e IPL and on the other hand , there are people who fight day and night to have a single meal of day and are living hand to mouth where hand never goes to mouth but it is always in front of someone to get something to survive. The train then passes through the state of Nizams , the land of Biryani , the land of pearls and minarets. Hyderabad reminds me of great heritage we have inherited but I was filled with melancholy to see the present crisis in the state, everybody yearns for a separate state for him/ her .
After crossing the Secunderabad junction, the train enters Karnataka, The land of Kolar Gold Mines, the Kannada speaking and the land which has made India proud on the world’s map by carving another valley in India’s diverse topography, The Silicon valley. Software industry has given a new boost not only to India’s GDP but it has made a great impact on more than India’s 50% population, the middle class. I don’t know whether it is a positive or a negative trend but definitely it has done a lot to change the Indian culture and taking the common man of India from small towns across the world.

( The post was written 4 years ago in 2011)

RSD's way of life!

Every field has a person , who inspite of not being in prime limelight influences the result and the future direction of that field.
I would say what Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was to Indian freedom struggle, Bhishma Pitamah to Mahabharta , A.P.J Abdul Kalam to science and Technology, Rahul Dravid is to Indian Cricket and sports. All of these are not the main character in their respective plays but ones to whom you would respect long after they are gone not only for their skills but for their attitude in handling the tasks at hand.  

I remember my Professor at Indian Institute of Science comparing Database subject with Rahul Dravid innings . Truly, it seems boring to trespassers but an example of concrete building foundation without which no institution/team can stand. When Cricket was changing its gears from its bastion Mumbai to all corners of the country, these guys emerged in 90's who worked day and night and proved that success is 99% perspiration , nothing else. From his Ranji days to his epitome in International Cricket, this guy stick to ethics and putting his head down. Above all, his attitude to concentrate on his game and working for the team be it wicket keeping, fielding or any position to bat on, he kept team above himself in all situations. I remember him being dropped from ODI team, instead of making any hue and cry in media for the same, this guy kept himself with cricket playing in domestic matches. Every body knows Rahul's cricketing heroics and how he has earned the  sobriquets of WALL, Sankat Mochan or Mr. Dependable in team but he is the one who is admired not only for his cricketing skills but how he has build and sustained all that.

A small peep into his personal life came from the article from his wife Vijeeta soon after his retirement. It was not a word of praise but a look from the eyes of soulmate. Be it separating his field affairs from his family life, or his discipline in meditating (which is essential in today's distracting world), he is a paragon of perfection in professionalism and an example to look at, for the corporate world. C.L.R James once mentioned " What do they know of cricket, who only cricket knows". Truly, this St. Joseph commerce graduate is the one who is known beyond cricketing circles for his speech and ethics.  I sometimes wonder, would Rahul have earned  same accolades if he had chosen some other field , but i believe the answer to that lies in great teacher S.Radhakrishnan' saying ," Light is good in whatever lamp it may burn , even as a rose is beautiful in whatever garden it may bloom".

If life gives you lemons, make a lemonade !

 
I wonder if I am going to write this as a motivational post  This brings me to the first point how much a motivational post or speech or chat help anybody.  I have given and taken many a motivational talks and chats with family and friends , but they seem to have a small hangover of a beer bottle for a time being which rather than pulling you out of ditch gives you a feeling of temporary happiness. Hence, I certainly don't want to make it a motivational blog post . I don't know it is an easy task or not but will certainly try for that aim. The other reason I want to write this is , so that I can read it myself again and again.

Hence, coming to main topic of Lemons and Lemonade. Lets ask ourselves a simple question, if you have got lemons what you would do ? Yes, this could be a perfect question for judging a thought process/ creativity of an MBA interviewee where they ask what are the five uses of a pen cap or something. But what you would do, if you got Lemons . Yes, if I get to my tenth class science exhibition, it tells you , you can produce electricity from lemons but that is is only for exhibition or unless you are a Volta and that is not you won't end up using lemons for.  The idea is simple , you will make a lemonade like something where what you have got (lemons) , you would be using it as chief ingredients. 

The same is true of Life , we don't mix up things what we have got and we end up using our present life as salads for the yet to be arrived main course. We contemplate about how all these things or persons around us are better or not better than our past or future , than taking a full advantage of things at hand. When we go to restaurant, we may come back after some beverage/coffee which feels like a complete visit but if we end up having only salads in restaurant , does it makes sense?  Ask yourselves twice. 

It is as simple as that , if you can think of something very simple in this case why not make life simple instead of thinking about too many ifs and buts ! This may seem strange to a lot of people who know me and they can directly point out - Look who is talking ? but yes i want to make it for me as the first reader.
And one more thing to remember is no motivational blog or post can change these things for you, you are the creator of your fate, and the permanent change can only be through you, nobody else.

So what I am and you are waiting for , Enjoy the lemonade now forgetting everything !