That Night...

There was nobody at home but me. It was night and they were yet to return. I was fighting off sleep and trying to keep myself awake.

The phone rang once and by the time I picked up the landline, the line went dead.

I glanced at the clock, for it was late. Just as I glanced up, the clock struck 12'. I glanced at the clock and then at the door.

"Why on earth were they so late? Why was the mobile not reachable?"

I glanced back at the book but the silence seemed to resound too loudly. Not liking the silence around me, I decided to put on the TV.

I switched it on ,only to find a blank screen. The silence seemed to mock at time. I began to remember the horror movies   I had seen. An unexplainable fear began to assail me.

I began chanting all prayers that I knew in my head and headed for the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.

I stepped into the  kitchen and grabbed the door of the fridge. I pulled hard but the door refused to open. It seemed as though someone was pulling it from inside.

Shaken, I quickly left the fridge and made my way back.

On the way, my glance fell on the mirror and my reflection in it. I looked different and something seemed to be changing . I could feel a figure looming behind me. It seemed to slowly creep forward.

I made a dash back into the kitchen. There was a puddle of water on the floor. I slipped, fell and hit my head on the floor.

Thud.

With my hand on my head and with a groan, I groggily opened my eyes.

It was a dream. I had fallen off the sofa. Shaken by the dream, I sat back on the sofa and tried to calm my racing heart.

The phone rang and I rushed to pick it up, hoping they were on the way. But by the time I reached there, the line went dead.

I returned and just as I glanced at the clock, and  the clock struck 12'....

De'javu or was it?

HR Musings - Boss Day

"Every year, this day, the world rallies around  to recognize those in supervisory positions.

This year let's join them, as we give our bosses a pat on the back, a candid feedback and a tribute for all those hard decisions made..."

This is the mail that we sent out on the 15th of October, this year at Kancor.

A year ago, when my Boss passingly mentioned about a Day called the Boss' Day, we were too caught up with other things to spend time and think about this concept.

This year, with a team to support me, and with the fact that we could squeeze in some time to think of doing something, we tried to out our thinking caps.

Every year, every month, every day, every second and every moment, we work on different things for each of our organizations. We do things to achieve our goals, to fulfill our passions and also to bring home to the table the money required. And amidst all this, we expect that the hard work we put in, the hours we pulled off, the effort and the results of those efforts be appreciated by our bosses.

So we thought…

Why not set aside a day, to return the same to the bosses…

Why not let them know they have done a good job…

Why not let them receive a candid feedback…

Why not give them a pat on their back...

That's when we decided to send this mail informing people about bosses day. This spark arising from one mail triggered many mails from individuals to their bosses…

Is that it?

Well, that's not all….

We had some custom made gifts like trophies, plaques and posters for each boss with either the names or the photographs of their team members. We had mini huddles arranged on another day, in which each team or cascade of managers from one team got together and had a mini time together. This meeting was one were the team got together, gave a small token to the manager and anonymous slips of paper which gave feedback to the manager on things that they liked in him/her and the change that the manager could perhaps consider.

These meetings and feedbacks were not limited to a location or a grade. These meetings transcended 5 locations and started at the MD level and ended at the executive level.

Jayamohan and his Team

Shaju and his Team

Though hectic, it was a good day. The best was the feeling of oneness with the team that put in so much effort to make this possible, despite the many obstacles that we faced.

Kudos to my team of Office - Deepa, Jeevan, Kurien, Jayesh, Joseph,  Saran and the rest of the team - You guys encourage me to plough ahead with these activities.

Let's keep spreading the smile and joy!!! :)

HR Musings - Monday Musings

One of the first initiatives of the Weavers team was to kick off the Monday Musings.

This team has been relentlessly working for more than 8 weeks now, and creates a sense of having something to look forward to every Monday. This can be a perk-me up or a thoughtful quote, a motivating or a awakening video or even an interesting article that the team wishes to share.

With different things being cooked up by the team and suggestions pouring in from employees, it has been a nice experience so far.

One activity, that jumps to my mind was the one where every employee, had to take a chit of paper from near the punching machine, as they walked in to office. Now this activity was after a long weekend where I am sure many had not yet gotten over their holiday moods.

Well, each slip of paper contained a quote and a question. The question was a though provoking one where the question in each slip required us to think of our fellow employees and consider who would fit the bill for the attribute mentioned in the quote/question.  We then had to hand over this slip to them.

I found myself getting a slip with a quote on Friendliness and a question that required me to handover the slip to the friendliest person at work. It was not a very easy decision to make and did require me to think deeply on this.

On the other hand, I received 3 slips from three different people and it made my day and surprised me as well.

We had around 80 different quotes and 7 different attributes  floating around.  So people were on the look-out for Friendliest People, Well Dressed People, Energetic People and so on.

This activity spanned 5 locations across Kancor and would not have been possible without the people who were determined to make it happen.

With the hope and the belief that this activity might have made a impact on at least one person or brought a smile to at least one person, I sign off…

Before I take bow, just wanted to use this also as a forum to raise my hats off to the team that makes this and other things possible every Monday.  Guys, you know yourselves, but even then, take a bow for the world to see -  Joseph, Elma, Leeba, Ramesh, Sooraj

You guys are a rock for sparing time every week for coming up with something new, for pushing on regardless of who is there or who is not. It's great to know and see the difference we make. Let's make many more Happy Monday's… :)

I should also probably give my Thanks to 'Anita' from SunTec , who introduced me to the phrase  - 'Happy Mondays'.

HR Musings - Celebrating Work Life

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   

But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep"

Sometimes my work at office reminds me of these words. There are so many things that can be done, there are so many ways we can make an impact. But with only two hands and limited time, not every idea conceived can be put in place and nor can you come up with good ideas after a point in time.

It was one of those days, where I came across the book "Celebrate" by ScottFriedman. Both Sebastian (Head HR Kancor Ingredients) and I read this book from cover to cover.

One of the sentences that struck me and remained in my mind was

“When people live in a Spirit of Celebration, they look for reasons to happy dance, even if only silently. It becomes a way of being, and (then) a habit”

The fact is that we spend so many of our waking hours either in office or in work related activities every day. So we thought, why not infuse and inject this Spirit of celebration all across. After all, as long as we are going to be at work it makes sense for each of us to have the best day ever and celebrate each moment.

With this thought in mind, we pulled in people from across teams and across functions to form a cross function team. This team (of which even I am a part) named itself the "Weavers" - to begin with we were going to weave in different activities to the thread of office life.

Two books that have really contributed to our thinking process here are "Celebrate" and "FISH".

                               

 

So now with Weavers in place, we are many and have many ideas and many hands that help implement these ideas. Though there are still miles to go, many miles have been crossed.

So signing off, as we Weavers weave the path forward...

HR Musings - Kancor Brazuca

The football fever was on and I could see everyone in a frenzy discussing one match over the other. The air of excitement was so palpable while these discussions were on.

I wanted to make use of this period for some game or activity which could be related to, by everybody. But I was out of ideas…

As this point of time, I received a mail from a employee who suggested that we go ahead with at least prediction game on who's going to win the matches and take the glory. With this suggestion in mind, the team set out to define a quiz program, that could span a period of 10 days and be a combination of both predictions as well as knowledge on the teams that qualified the Round of 16.

The air now seemed to thicken with excitement each afternoon as people  rushed to be the first to answer the questions. With predictions on one side, questions on another, the actual matches on the third side and the discussions on the fourth, each day seemed to revolve around FIFA.

(This turned out to be a chore for me since I was really unaware of the nitty-gritties of Football and FIFA and also an eye opener in terms of the knowledge that I could garner about the countries that qualified for the round of 16).

As we were coming to the close of this contest, another bright soul (Joseph) came up and suggested the idea of having a penalty shoot-out at one of our branches. Now with limited time on hand, Joseph, I and a few others conceptualized this. Luckily, and as generally happens, we got the approval and the funds to roll this out.

Joseph the Goal Keeper

So one day, we sent out a mail, moved a few vehicles and during lunch we had the first ever Kancor Brazuca Shoot-Outs.

With each floor being divided into a team, we had two teams competing with one another. It was a quick fun and exciting exercise that just charged us up and spread smiles across.

The Winning Floor

So with the FIFA coming to a close, we had the questions session done with and a penalty shoot-out as the icing on the cake. The only thing pending was distribution of the gifts to the winners of the quiz.

The Runners-up

Luckily for us and to add a cherry to the cake, we had out MD down on the day we wished to distribute the gifts. We closed the entire event with a quick round of Football Trivia quiz and ended with the distribution of prizes to the winners.

It was a fantabulous experience and truly a Kancor Brazuca moment.

It left me waiting for the next FIFA series, and not because I like Football (I am not fond of it), but to await the FIFA fun and excitement at Kancor...

Brazuca

There still a bit of hope...

Two days after he returned, we sat at home talking and talking. There was a bit of office work that needed to be wrapped up that day itself and whilst that was being done, we discussed and re-discussed on rushing for a movie about which a few people had raved about.

The last moment, 20 minutes prior to the movie was to begin, we decided to rush and make it for the movie. Luckily, since the theater was close by, we reached right at the time the movie was to start. We got the tickets and were in by the time the advertisements were over.

With our minds being diverted by the mindless story and being relaxed, we drove back chattering away...

Just as we neared home, a commotion in middle of the road distracted us. I saw a few people bending a lifting what seemed like a leg.

It was late night and it was an accident...The roads were empty save for a few...

"Are we to stop and check?', we asked ourselves as we slowed down. 

"Should we check if anybody needs to be taken to a hospital?", we pondered.

"It will create a problem later", we thought out loud. 

"But what of somebody really needs our help and is benefited by our gesture or loses something because there is none to make such a gesture." This was the last thought in our minds as we parked the vehicle.

These questions, counter questions and our exchange took place in the heartbeat. I found myself waiting in the car whilst Gowtham went to check what and how we could help.

Around 10-15 minutes later he returned, it was a man and he had crashed onto a pole. Apparently, the guy seemed to have lost control when a stray dog jumped into the middle of the road, a few bystanders said.

The guy was wearing a half-helmet and it seemed as though he had hit his head. A few people had rushed him to the hospital.

We do not know what happened to him, nor do we know how he fared. Though one feels bad for the guy and his misfortune, one thought lifts up my mind. There is hope for us. 

Why hope I say? There is hope, since people are willing to stop and help out, instead of just watching or hurrying elsewhere to avoid 'problems and issues'.

So I repeat, there is still hope for us...

The Day She Had - Passing it on

The day was hot and sweltering and with the cleaning, the shopping and the tight schedule was driving things crazy for her and for him. 

With a pile of clothes piled on the bed, with a list of things still pending to be done, both of them were running helter-skelter. The morning was passing by and through laziness the list was becoming shorter and shorter.

They set out to meet a whim of hers. She wanted to study but she didn't know what to study. They went to this place where they gave a book that threw her into more confusion with regard to what she needed to study.

"What do I do now? Do you think I should go with my initial plan or should I look at alternatives? Do you also want to join me in doing some course", she asked her husband.

Busy driving, he just nodded his head as he drove to their next destination.

With one thing and an other being crossed from the list, they reached the final destination to do some shopping. 

She picked one and he picked another, they selected one and they discarded another. With finally a few clothes selected, he went out to try them, while she waited outside.

She saw another women waiting, just like her, for her husband. The man came out trying one t-shirt after the other. It's when she saw the man give a loving and excited smile to his wife, that she really observed the women and her beautiful dress.

She thought back to the day when a stranger told her she looked gorgeous. She remembered the thrill and the happiness, the unexpected recognition gave her. She steeled herself to give a compliment to the lady on her dress, to give a unexpected but hopefully a lift to the other lady's spirits and to spread some happiness around.

She steeled herself and rehearsed what she should say,

"That dress is really beautiful..." No.... "Your dress is really nice...." 

"Hmm....Well..That covered the dress but not her. Will she appreciate it?", she wondered.

"That dress is really beautiful and it suits you nicely...", "I think that should do it", she thought to herself.

The lady's husband came out in another outfit, she waited a heartbeat for the husband to return to the changing room. After all, it was too embarrassing to say it in front of somebody else.

The man didn't go, instead they stood talking.

"Should I just say it now, or should I wait for him to go", she wondered.

Just as she put her foot forward and gave a smile, they turned and walked away talking.

The time had passed, she didn't pass on her message, she didn't pass on the feeling she received from a stranger. She shook her head at her own silliness and vowed to herself that she next time she wouldn't hesitate so much.

As she looked at the couple walking away and turned with a smile, she saw her husband coming to meet her. Meeting the smile in his eyes, she smiled in return and as peace settled in her mind, they both walked away.

(Thanks to Jay - who inspired me to come back to my blog after a break.)

The Day She Had...

She was in a hurry. There was so much to do and so little time to do it all in. She was in the middle of a major cleaning activity which she needed to complete before the afternoon and then she was going to be travelling with her husband.

She finished one portion of the cleaning and was to begin the next round when she heard the loud shrill of the phone, cutting through the silence in the house. As she picked up her mobile, she saw that it was from the workplace.

Within minutes, she changed. She needed to go out and get something done related to her work.

"It's as well that this came up," she thought. There were other things that needed to be done outside more important than the cleaning.

She stepped out into the bright and sunny morning. Disoriented with the brightness of the sun, she took a minute before she caught an auto to the place where she needed to go.

She reached the gallery and viewed the beautiful paintings. Confusion set in as there were too many to choose from. She called a friend to ask for help. They decided to not to go ahead with the initial plan and that being done she was free to carry out her personal work.

She walked across the road and waited for a bus. Many buses passed her way but none that would take her to the destination she needed to go. She waited and waited and at last she saw her bus coming from far. She closed her bag, kept the phone inside and groped for the umbrella. That's when she realized, she had left it behind in the gallery.

She trudged back to the gallery, and then back again to the bus stop to begin the long wait.

But she didn't have to wait for long. A bus came soon and she left for the next destination.

She reached her stop soon and stepped into the large market place. She moved from one shop into the other , the personal work now being taken over by the shopaholic in her.  As shops passed and interesting things caught her eye, she forgot the time and set to bargain in earnest.

Another sharp ring of the phone, amidst the loud throng of the market jostled her out of the shopping frenzy she was in.  It’s when she grabbed the phone she realized that much time had passed. She needed to rush back, buy things to cook in a jiffy and then rush home to pack for the travel.

She hurried back and into another shop, this time closer to home. She looked and poked at fruits and vegetables before she settled on a few.  She moved outside lugging all that luggage to check out on the other fruits that shop had. As she struggled with her packages, he opened the door for her and smiled at her. She thanked and moved forward to finish the shopping and move home soon. He was forgotten and done with in her memory.

She finished paying and stepped out with another few packages in her hand. The bags were heavy and she was in a hurry. She moved forward when she heard a voice from behind. She turned and saw it was him.

"Don’t mind my saying one thing to you," he said.

He waited while she nodded.

"You are looking gorgeous", he said.

Shocked she could only stutter "Thank You".

He turned with a smile and walked away into the milling crowd.

Who is he, she doesn't know…

All she knows is that her bags feel lighter, her heart seems fuller and smile graces her face. She walks home with a spring in the step wondering, "Who was he….?"

Cooking Extravaganza

For those of you who have read my earlier post on "My experiments with cooking" will be surprised to hear that I have been making inroads with my cooking.

For the past almost three months I have actually been cooking or at least experimenting with cooking. I don't do too much other than make lunch for Gowtham and me to take to office. Of course the occasional laziness does set in and we scrape by.

My cooking skills were put to test just two weeks ago when his parents had other agendas and left the house to just the two of us. Within no time, we made plans and that too huge plans. Without another thought in mind, we made a few calls and were set… We were having dinner at home and had invited a few friends over.

One Monday evening, we sat and decided on the menu and went out to buy the required ingredients. As Tuesday evening  came forth, I began to panic, "What had I gotten myself into!!!" My panic spread and within no time both of us were taking turns in panicking and comforting and reassuring the other not to panic. After a bout of panic, we sat down and listed whatever needed to be done and sat down to cut the vegetables required for the 'big event'.

On Wednesday morning, instead of cooking for office, I made the preparations for the evening and decided to give cooking for lunch a skip.

We rushed home that day and were in by 4.45 pm. By 5.00 I began the marathon with Gowtham cheering me from the sides and also stepping in between to relieve me of my duties or to give me a break. So focused were we on finishing it all in time that we were done, ready and all set for everything in less than two hours.

So there we were, with two big bowls of Tomato Rice, Raita, some Munchy Friames, and a casserole of White Sauce Pasta. We then decided to order a plate of chicken gravy to satisfy those of carnivorous appetites.

The meal went well and the food, even though, it is only me putting it down here, was liked by everyone. The fault being only that in my haste to ensure that the food lasts for everyone, I ended up making double of what was actually required and we ended up eating the same things two day in a row.

All's well that ends well...until my next major attempt at cooking!!!

OMAK

A few months ago I needed a small write up  for a magazine.  That's when I hunted and hunted...and stumbled upon a weird  acronym - OMAK - It meant 'Observe Merit and Appreciate Kindness'

Now this concept of OMAK basically tries to highlight that different people have different qualities which could be considered as merits or shortcoming. And it talks about our natural tendency to focus on faults in things, people and everything around us. It cautions us  not to do so, but to "Observe Merit" in people and "Appreciate Kindness" in what they do.

As I began to read a few articles from the internet on this, I began to shake my head in negation,  "Of course not! We aren't that negative….It depends and varies from person to person and on the person's outlook"

As I finished reading and pondered a bit on this, I began to see that may be I had to change my stance.  Recalling a few instances made me realize that at many instances many people including me have been negative. I read a bit and tried to understand the concept and for a few days even tried practicing the concept of OMAK.

Now I had read an article, tried practicing the concept for a few days and that was it… Gradually, things returned to the way they were...

So caught up in life and the daily grind, going through the motions day in and day out, the smile that was plastered on my face was getting tinier and tinier. Was it because I was finding faults with everything or was it because I was in a situation to be considered as a fault?

I am unsure….

As I sit and ponder I realize that 'fault finding' and 'whining' have become a integral part of human lives. In fact we do not just limit it to these two. We have now also specialized in the area of 'sarcasm'.

You may shake your head and say no...But just think for a few moments and you realize that a lot of interactions that take place in our lives may have either of these things

What has changed so much in the world that these things  - fault finding, whining and sarcasm have become a part of our life?

I am really unsure and saddened by this. But something forced to revisit the article I read on OMAK earlier and I am directly quoting a few lines from the last paragraph here….

"It’s hard tochange the world; it’s certainly easier to change how we see the world. The keyto happiness has always been in our own hands. "

It put the smile back on my face and hope in my heart. Let's see what tomorrow brings!!!

Valentine's Day Special

This year Valentine's Day was like no other!!!

On the one hand, it was my first Valentine's day after marriage and as such the day was special enough with both of us trying to do little things and trying not to go overboard…

Me and my Roses... :)

 On the other hand, it was my first "Official" Valentines Day Celebration.

At Kancor, this year, we celebrated Valentine's Day in a small manner. I am unsure if in India generally such celebrations are seen. But it was a good experience with a lot of feel good and smiles across everyone's faces.

The anticipation was sparked off a day earlier with a mailer that talked about Valentine's Day providing the opportunity to celebrate and express appreciation in the workplace. This with a joinder to celebrate the day with a splash of "Red, Pink and White" ensured that the day was in hues of these shades.

We had heart shaped balloons and bowls filled with heart shaped candy to welcome as soon as one stepped inside the office. The day started of with something sweet as people moved to and fro and picked up candy from the bowl.

To accompany this, we went around giving each employee a red rose and wishing them on Valentine's Day. It was a pleasure to see the smiles on everyone's faces as they received these flowers.

Joseph and Me

To top up this good feeling was a gift from a few guests. We had a few auditors down at our office and as they saw the smiles and the good cheer, they went out of their way to contribute to the candy bowl with packets and packets of Gems.

Colourful Gems!!!

It was a sweet day with flowers and candy and smiles on many faces. Waiting to see how the next Valentine's day pans out!!!

A Pleasant Interlude

A few days ago, there was a message on one of the Facebook groups about a reunion at our college (Amrita). It was just a one-liner saying that we had a alumni meet (not so much a reunion) at so and so date and such and such time.

I was in two minds whether to go or not. It was during a weekend, on a Saturday to be precise. Residing in Cochin, this meant that I needed to leave Cochin either on Friday evening after office hours or early on Saturday. I had already been caught up the last weekend and also had to travel back to Trivandrum on Saturday night.

Though I was a state of mind to go, the constant travel and the fact that my entire weekend would be eaten up was a sore point for me. I had made up my mind, I was not to go. Anyway, it wasn't as if many had said they would turn up...So it really didn't matter…

But a push from an unexpected direction. My husband gently prodded me to go. After all I did want to go, and after we were to travel to Trivandrum, so what difference did it make if I left a bit early and fulfilled this wish?

My mind was in a state of flux, to go or not to go…

I booked my tickets for the journey. I was to travel on Saturday morning. I kept telling people that I hadn't decided whether to leave or not. "Go" or "Stay back and relax" were the alternating mantras in my mind. It was Friday night and I still hadn't decided what I was to do…

Come Friday night, and I decided I was leaving. I didn't care if I went for the alumnus meet but I wanted to go to the Ashram. The Ashram, which during my three years of college, was both my prison and my refuge. I shuddered at the memories of the hostel which washed over me but I longed to go to the Kali Temple and seek peace like I used to.

A View of the Ashram from Vallikav (Picture Courtesy Google)

A few hours into Saturday morning, I found myself standing at the Ashram. Drinking in all the sights, I could scare keep myself from gaping. So much had changed, it seemed. Many things seemed displaced but the Kali Temple I sought remained the same. I slowly walked up the stairs and went inside the peaceful abode.

A view of the Kali Temple from Outside (Picture Courtesy Google)

 The Kali Temple was a place of refuge for me. Many a times, when I was troubled during my college years, I would seek out a corner in this peaceful dwelling. It was a long hall where many could be seated. Towards the front was a elevated area where the Kali Temple and the beautiful Kali idol was placed. Over the three years that I had spent there, many a times had I come seeking for a place where I could pour out all that troubled me. It was a place where I could open myself up and pour all my sorrows and find the peace that I lusted for.

Inside the Kali Temple (Picture Courtesy Google)

I sat here for a long time and then went around the rest of the Ashram soaking in all the changes. As I wandered about, I overheard someone mentioning about a Darshan. I wasn't sure if I had heard right, after all I thought Amma wasn't in India. I went ahead to check things and I realized that Amma was very much in India and giving Darshans the very same day.

I went ahead to take a token for Darshan uncaring that I may miss the Alumnus meet that I had actually come for. The hours passed by and it was past time that I left for college to the alumnus meet. But I found that I wasn't too keen on going to college if it meant missing the darshan. But since I had enough time on my hands I went to college anyway.

A view of the college with all it's changes (Picture Courtesy Google)

Once the program was finished, we returned to the Ashram and waited patiently for our time to come. It had been close to four years since I had had a Darshan  with Amma. It was a time to contemplate, a time to ponder on life and a time to sit ..at peace with myself.  I left the same evening for Kollam where I was to wait for Gowtham, Rohith and Ashwin to pick me up for us to complete the remainder of our journey.

It was a unexpected turn to the day, a pleasant surprise, a long wait and a brief visit with Amma. The icing on the cake, were the moments that I had for myself, my thoughts and prayers.

Looking forward to the next visit to Amrita with the family...

Randomness

I gazed across the room in despair,  I wanted something that I could never get...The feeling of being closed in was becoming something I couldn't shake off…

My frustration grew as waves of despair rolled through me...I didn't know what to do, where to turn and what would be…I was helpless and bound…bound not by ropes but by words and trust...

I heard footsteps echoing down the corridor...the voice grew closer… I had to control...and compose myself...and not let the tears that threaten to flow , escape…

Moments passed and I struggled to think of something pleasant...I closed my eyes and fixed a smile on my face as I  walked across to greet that voice...I hoped that my face did not betray my thoughts as I struggled to keep my voice steady and hands from wavering.

I had to present  a cheerful facade. He was not to suspect that I was upset. I had to get him away from here where even the walls would hear what I had to say to him. I had to tell him, of what I had learnt, of what I suspected, the treachery…

I tried to move toward him naturally and waved toward him as if nothing were amiss. He seemed flustered and was running toward me. I strained to make out what he was saying but now I could hear footsteps behind me as well.

I felt a sudden jolt and something heavy hit me...I tried to turn but the hold I had on myself was slipping… The blackness seemed welcoming and I let myself sink into oblivion...