IPL Final

For some funny inexplicable reason IPL did not tingle my nerves so much as a world cup or one day series would. True to its philosophy it was a circus and perhaps I am no longer a child, though I would still love an actual circus.

At the end of it, I still find the setting rather impersonal and I could not find myself to be attached to any particular team…whether the sweety Zinta or the pompous Shahrukh…they did not appeal. Though I am from Kolkata, I just hated the KKRs and it was largely due to Buchannan and the team’s egoistic owner. A lot of times I wished doom on them and they were playing in to my hands every time.

In some way, I always wanted the underdogs to come up the curve and they did it in style. Deccan Chargers were the winners and thank God for the same.

The stars perhaps need to polish up their fire engines for next time with an overdose of hydrocarbons!! As far as KKR is concerned perhaps they need to change the coach or the owner. I would love it however if both goes. Just like in the liquor industry, Mallya perhaps can manage two competing brands albeit owned by the same company. But then who am I in the scheme of things!! Sphere: Related Content

Going Back Home

Irrespective of your thoughts on the issue I know for sure and strongly feel that the capitalist greed manifested through a system of debt based society is one of the major causes of this gloom in the world economy. Whether communism could have saved us from this is perhaps not a correct hypothesis but then that’s a separate debate. Here I am just talking about people like you and me that have been affected by all this.

Now as soon as we were hit the first that got affected were the support industries. The Core started looking at reducing costs and manpower is obviously the first choice. You might realize that during economic doom somehow the “goodwill” value in the balance sheet is the most non liquid asset!!

So now the corporation gets into this act of off balance sheet measure of what best human beings can do. Create complications for other fellow human beings. I am not saying here that the measures are uncalled for. It was the most logical thing to do. Get people to multitask, while ask the others to leave.

In this melee, my problem is of a different kind. Why did you plan for an organization structure that had so much excess fat? It required an economic debacle for the organization to realize their wrong planning. The irony does not stop here. On one side you had executives taking one way flights back home while his colleague was going to his local home with a bonus wired to his bank account!!

Some of the establishments have been so blatant that the grants they have received from the Government have been treated as Income in the Profit and Loss Account and they have posted a profit in the books for the the board and the limited shareholders to run away with huge dividends.

The world is a funny place and somehow we have been our worst enemies. The two big Es in our life is slowly killing us. Economy and the Environment are the two things the future need to concentrate on since we cannot do anything with the past other then blaming it. I am not even sure of the learnings the past has to offer. Finally, Nature will act on the environment, but God help us and our Economic System Sphere: Related Content

Linked to Nostalgia

Most of us are members of this professional portal named LinkedIn where like a spider’s web we are connected in the virtual world. I have been of course rather late in joining up and am still getting used to the power of the portal. But that’s not what I have in mind.

It’s about the connections I am making. Long lost connections, names are coming in and am searching for the same and hopefully getting connected. Though it’s virtual somehow I can feel the warmth and affection coming across from most of the people. There are of course some of them who are connections but I guess for the heck of it. They typically don’t reply or respond.
I got connected to some of my colleagues when I started my career way back in Hyderabad. The past years perhaps have changed us in appearance, thinking or attitude. But I was pleasantly surprised to meet up with this motley crowd who are constantly messaging each other and even meeting up.

Now that I have joined, I promised myself to keep in touch. Better late than never is the approach. Sphere: Related Content

Al Kauser, Diyafah street - Biryani, Kababs and everything else

There are Biryanis and there are Biryanis. There is a Hyderabadi version, an Awadhi version, traditional Andhra version, Kerala Style, Pakistani style and so on and so forth. Then you have Biryani that is served by restaurants without any background, class or finesse.

To be honest with you, I like my Biryani light. It should not be heavy with Spices, a lot of flavour and aroma, smooth meat cooked right and cooked on Dum. In India, I feel the best biryani is served by Karims am extremely famous eating place near Jama Masjid, Delhi. I of course like Kababs and the Kakoris and Galouti are good at the Great Kabab Factory.

In Dubai, I have been trying out a variety of Kababs and Biryanis , but then I found the best the other day when we ventured out to Diyafah Street. First let me tell you about the food.
We ordered for Verki Paratha which was served hot and along with came Kakori Kababs to die for. The Galouti was even better and they just melted in our mouth. Biiryani was served in a Earthen Vessel that was sealed with dough and believe me, it was awesome.

We enede with Phirni. Well, we packed all that we ate so that next day's lunch was taken care of. So, don't think too much. This the place for Awadhi cuisine!!!

I don’t need to go to Kabab Roll(reviewed earlier); this is the place for me. You should try and I am sure you will agree with me that The Great Kabab factory in Dubai has to learn something from these guys. The name of the restaurant is Al Kauser. I have had their food in Delhi, but the Dubai branch is excellent I am not going for Indian Non Veg anywhere else!!!

P.S.

Biryani – Biryani in Farsi means 'fry before cooking'. To make Biryani, mutton is fried in ghee and par-cooked (Cooked half way). Separately, the Rice is fried in Ghee, and par-cooked (Cooked half way). The rice and meat were layered (cluster of rice on top of cluster of meat) in a cookware called Handi. The Handi is sealed with dough. It is Dum cooked (baked) on low heat. Sphere: Related Content

Size ém UP errrrr. DOWN

This was a comment I sent in response to a poll on downsizing in a blog I follow. Basically the writer was asking a few questions on reasons behind downsizing. I thought I should not lose what I wrote and therefore this post. If you are keen to read up the original post by the writer I have given the web address at the end of this post. Being a bong, there is this socialistic streak in me. Given that, I feel its a larger question of whether its the right economic system where absolutely everything is decided upon by the market. Most companies, when the going is good, do not ever strategize for bad times in spite of the finance manager trying to be the internal devil’s advocate. There is also this issue of most organizations not strategizing in a scientific manner regarding human resourcing. Most HR managers are not really allowed to apply their skills and thoughts in an organization, where most of then not everything is decided upon by line. If you take the IT sector, these body shopping guys(Infosys is the largest!!!) kept having huge benchstrengths where the people had no work. And then there is some catastrophe and people have to be sacked. More and more now, people should be careful about selecting organizations who they think are employee prone in thought and practice. HR cult has to flow from the operating managers. And of course the “D” of the HRD is a mostly a joke in most Indian companies. And organizations need to build a culture of truth. Most metrics that are published are not true and window dressed. The Balance Sheet is ofcourse the biggest lie of them all. An instance I want to share with you. A bank in Dubai published their 2008 figures last week where they declared a Net Profit of 500 Million AED. Would you believe that 1000 million AED was received as a grant(due to liquidity crisis) from the Emir which was shown as an Income instead of increasing the capital or reserves. They had actually made a loss of 250 million AED. In Indian companies we have over or under invoicing, there is no standard of ethics for human beings, the system is corrupt. As I mentioned earlier, the truth is only know to the top and the people below and the general public are thought to be stupid. so when senior managers talk about work ethics and the philosophy of developing their human resources, I take it with a pinch of salt. The proof after all is in the eating.

The link: www.bullzi-inc.com/polls/05052009/when-is-it-right-to-downsize/ Sphere: Related Content

Variable Captain, Kolkata Knightriders,John Buchanan, Cricket and bits of Shame!!

I somehow like Sourav Ganguly but that’s not what this is all about. A press conference was held today at Kolkata where John sort of spelled out the KnightRiders Team’s captaincy plan.
I understood that for every match there could be a different captain. Also, while the matches are on there could be more than one player directing different aspects of the play like fielding, bowling and what have you.

Let me draw up some analogies. So in a concert you would be having a multiple conductors; one managing the violins, the other perhaps percussion and depending upon the mood of the crowd that day it could be Zubin Mehta or somebody else as the main conductor. There could be more examples but I guess you get the hang of it.

This smacks of overworking minds in an ivory tower trying to take control over the game. Managing communication, keeping up the morale are going to become key issues. I am not old fashioned but stupid changes in formats just for trials is not my concept of good governance A leader is a leader; period. Let’s not undermine the leader and there can only be one.

Shame on you John and Shame on you Sharukh! Sphere: Related Content

TATA launches NANO while I cook some thoughts about Safety!!

We Indian are all so glad that finally the Nano has been launched. The first 100000 bookings have a guarantee on the promised price of 100000 INR. The TATAs have mentioned that the project is profitable. On second guess I have this funny notion that the price guarantees in other words mean that after the last car from the current lot rolls out the selling price will definitely go up.

We all know that TATA Cars to begin with have too many teething problems and I only hope that the “common man”’ consumer is not at his wits end if he has to keep visiting the workshop. So far so good!!

I also heard another piece of newsbyte that apparently there is a Nano Europa that is scheduled for a launch in the European Countries sometime in 2011. We have been informed that the new incumbent will have a more powerful engine and will adhere to European Safety and Emission standards. This leads to a nagging thought in my mind.

Why are Indians compromised whenever it comes to the question of safety? The automobile companies and the Government, both are to be blamed for this. The Government is lazy in introducing laws and the auto companies unless pressurized will never do anything on this. Of course the man on the street is also not absolved because given a chance the subcontinent habit ingrained in our genes is to break the law especially traffic or vehicular.

I remember the days when Bajaj vehemently opposed the introduction of indicator lights on their two wheelers. Unless police started taking serious actions helmets were avoided if possible. Using mobile phones while driving in Delhi is a for sure NO NO. I am not so sure about other states. Seat belts were never fitted in vehicles by the Auto Companies on their own until there was a law. Emission standards also came in to play after a lot of hue and cry. I cannot think of any single instance where the Auto Companies did something for the environment or safety on their own. Unfortunately and this trend continues.

Is it that the companies are to be blamed? We Indians are too shallow on certain crucial basic aspects of life. The Government, the business sector and anybody else in the game are after all manned by us. Where does the buck stop?

Sphere: Related Content