JLT

Edit Delete The start of the day was like a horror story with cold war declared between the newly weds. The tigress occupied one end of the bed while poor me grappled with the deathly silence, anger at the other end of the bed. Tossing and turning we awaited the alarm to call out loudly at 3 a.m. Finally the moment arrived , the couple dressed up and were up and about with the bags and of course 10 bottles of smirnoff to raise spirits. The motley group consisted of the not married , newly married to the married long time ago kinds. Four cars" nana prakar ki caren as princ said" were there in the convoy which started of for Ranthambore to see the majestic Rajah sahib of the Jungle. The departure was as s cheduled at 5.30 a.m, merely a hour and half later than the scheduled time but that was okay... IST . The pace was set we touched the pink city at around 8 a.m . The weather Gods had decided to be kind to us. Sun God played hide and seek in the clouds and there was a ...

The visit to the Kapital of Bong land is always a memorable experience. It is elevating and misleading because everyone manages to convince oneself that he/ she is doing a great job. Calcutta is the pitts-the weather sucks and you soak the 42 degrees of heat and 95% humidity levels to sweat like a pig. It is also a consistent city - Every question is met with the same response of “ Haube Naa”. The start of the conversation is like the splutter in the Ambassador taxi’s which come slowly to life.. Everyone wants to offer advise on any goddam subject. Some memories from 1993 are refreshed . It was early in the morning , around 5 a.m. Saket and me were trying to board the steel city express for Jampot to reach XL. We wanted help with our luggage and therefore approached a couple of porters sitting on the platform. They not even shooed us away but commented on how we disturbed their conversation about world politics ( Gorbachov and Regan) ..... There are managers in the branch office of my ...

Where there is a will there is a way - April 2006 A perk seen by other functions is one of the most painful events for a marketing team i.e organizing a sales conference. The have not’s envy the foreign jaunts and trips on official expense. The priviliged crib about the night out, last minute tension and not getting adequate time to explore the yonder lands on such trips. I guess having been in the profession for some time this is one of the classic coffee- toffee arguments which will sustain. One such event was a conference to be held in Hong Kong in 2006. We had been desperately trying to ensure that we seal up all the dealing well in time to deliver the experience which the sales team remember for some time. Unfortunately that was not what was destined and we had to evaluate to towns Macau or Schenjen. Both between 45- 60 minutes ferry ride from Hong Kong. Macau – The gambling haven of the East it was. 28 odd Sq Km with a population of 500,000 people and infrastructure whi...

Change is always a tough phase in anyone's life. Intially it takes time to reconcile to the inevitability and then re allign and accept the transition. Here is something which helps me keep going in such a situation'If' If you can keep your head when all about youAre losing theirs and blaming it on you,If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,But make allowance for their doubting too;If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,Or being hated, don't give way to hating,And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;If you can meet with Triumph and DisasterAnd treat those two impostors just the same;If you can bear to hear the truth you've spokenTwisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap ...

Change like I mentioned in my last piece requires one to confront and acknowledge reality pretty fast. Especially if you start getting a feeling of not being in control. Many a times I have myself been a victim of falling in this trap and indulging myself in some cynicism. However one digs deep into one reserves and slaps oneself back into reality to prevent one from lapsing into such a mode.Today I recommit to all I hold dear To let the world know, through these pages of words That there are great people, from near and far Who know it's better to be motivated and positive and swing from stars Than to be negative, hopeless and trapped behind self-imposed bars I know there is negativity spewing throughout the land And sometimes it's hard to be positive To tell your mind to believe, as you originally planned But I have seen goodness and kindness, the impossible attained It has to do with self-belief, commitment and action Never giving up and trying again and again I feel this po...

People who count Ever wondered why powerful people often wear sunglasses- the spotlight blinds then to reality . They suffer from a delusion that power means something (it does not). They suffer from the misconception that titles make a difference (they don’t). They are under the impression that the earthly authority will make a heavenly difference it won’t). Well to prove this ..take a test . Name 10 pulitzer prize winners ? Name 10 wealthiest people in the country ? Name last ten Arjuna awards winner ? With the exception of you trivia hounds I am sure like me none or rather most of us find it difficult to remember the headliners of yesteryears. Suprising especially considering that these are no second rate achievements and the best in the fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners. Here’s another quiz , - Think of three people you enjoy spending time with , Name ten people who have taught you some...

( Notes from a marketing teams off-site) 24th June, 2005. After a late night of perfecting our business skills, communication (sign language) and display of talent it was a onerous task to wake up in the morning (dawn) to experience nature’s benevolence on Coorg. Wake up calls to all rooms ensured that 6 out of the 25 of us turned up for the “forest trek” The detour around the lake and into the plantation started with some education of coffee plants. Rustica- Strength , Arabica- Flavour, how chicory has huge doses of caffeine. The great hill rongo, long tail,pie hornbill and other birds were introduced by the orinthoologist in the naturalist ( our guide- Ganesh). He quoted liberally from Dr Salim Ali’s work. The names were difficult to remember in the intense 1.5 hours familiarization of nature. We also discovered the names of our RMA’s as they resembled the jungle blabberer ( seven sisters). There was a huge excitement around the “naked lady of the forest” and curious peopl...

(2005 - names have been changed - true incident) It was a lazy Sunday evening. The thought of another week starting off was itself dreadful and sending the shivers. Around 8.30 p.m in the night I got a call on my mobile. “ Hello , Gaurav here” , Stranger : Is this Gaurav Gaurav : Yes Stranger : Is this Gaurav Suri working for MetLife ? Gaurav : Yes , but who is this. Stranger : I am Shafi , Shareef’s brother in law. Gaurav : Okay Stranger : Shareef is no more. Are you his Agent ? I was grappling with the name and trying to figure out what could be the context. Obviously there was a bereavement in the family and therefore I checked on the details . The person mentioned worked for one of the radio channels and had a massive cardiac arrest at the age of 29. He had left a mother aged 65 behind him. Shareef’ sister had recently got married and was in the gulf when the event happened. Later it was found out that the person had taken a 15 lacs term policy and the same was processed for the fa...

How I wish that our growing up is regressed to the age when we did not have any fears and our reality was defined by our view of the world. The world was merely a reflection of our image. Only recently one realized that as you start growing up your realization of the reality starts creating a barrier which is within you. My daughter loves indulging in this hide and seek where she simply choses to vanish/ banish me from the scene by closing her eyes. She puts her hands on the eyes and calls out “ Vaanya ko dhoondho” “ Find Vaanya” . The glee in the assumption that she has hidden from the world is so pure and unbridled that you are forced to partake in this play and enjoy the childlike innocence. It is really a big de stressing situation for any parent and disarms you of all your trappings and awareness about the real world. The " Secret"really talks about the joyous process of doing this but cognitively we are victim of our fears and really remain trapped in the realiti...

Standing Outside The Fire Written by: - Jenny Yates - Garth Brooks We call them cool Those hearts that have no scars to show The ones that never do let go And risk the tables being turned We call them fools Who have to dance within the flame Who chance the sorrow and the shame That always comes with getting burned But you've got to be tough when consumed by desire 'Cause it's not enough just to stand outside the fire We call them strong Those who can face this world alone Who seem to get by on their own Those who will never take the fall We call them weak Who are unable to resist The slightest chance love might exist And for that forsake it all They're so hell-bent on giving ,walking a wire Convinced it's not living if you stand outside the fire Standing outside the fire Standing outside the fire Life is not tried, it is merely survived If you're standing outside the fire There's this love that is burning Deep in my soul Constantly yearning to get out of con...