Is home sweeter than "success'?

Laying no claim to be original, I firmly believe that life is all about making "your" choices and setting "your priorities"....but this one has been eluding for quite some time and I doubt if this post helps me get any closer to resolving it.

Looking back at the last four and a half years (since I moved out of Ranchi), I am a completely different person. I have pursued two years of education in a reasonably fine b-school, worked for an year in a large set-up and have spent a year and a half thereafter with a start-up. I have interacted with a world full of people and ideas during this period. I am wiser, less brash, more structured - and many such things which are supposed attributes of an educated person.

Obviously, not everything has been as nice - I have grown older, fatter (read less skinny), balder and my eye sight has been degenerating. How I wish there were a way to grow wiser without growing old! Now that may sound to you like a desire for a biochemical substance which can prevent senescence (more commonly known as ageing). But it is not, as I will elucidate later.

Now talking of those 4.5 years - the experience has been truly amazing. While I mean all respect to all my colleagues and classmates, I have reasons to believe that I have made a lot (not financially of course) during this period. Partly because I started with a very low base and partly because I have had that fire of sorts in my belly. The fire that keeps me hungry, that keeps motivating me to never stop learning, that pushes me to keep "growing". So seen from a prism of continuous self-improvement, the journey has been a tremendous one.

But the question - whether it was worth it or not - merits evaluating the "worth" of what was spent/ lost during the entire exercise. I lost 4.5 vital years that I could have spent with my parents, being by there side and having them by my side.

Assuming I work for say 15 years before going crazy,  I would have spent the 15 most productive and potential years of my life (say about 20% of my life time) working for others and staying away from my grass roots. Now that statement seems to be making an assumption that I am not happy working for others. This would always be case-specific and given the title of my post, I would presume people are in jobs they like and since they are working on something they like, they are bound to succeed.

And obviously enough, human civilization wouldn't have reached the heights of progress it has if every person were to stick to his roots instead of moving out in quest of knowledge & learning followed by periods of contributing to the society and to that body of knowledge (through academics, through research & innovation or through job-creation via entrepreneurship).

So for human progress, it's absolutely imperative that the brightest minds go to the brightest universities of the world to join/ start great organizations which shall turn out great products & services. In the process, those minds would make a lot of money, marry great minds, bear kids and have a happy life. So seen this time from the prism of the day's society, it would again mean a lot of success.

And then there is this kid - who's probably not adding as much value to the society through his high-value job, but does an okay work in his father's small scale business. And he does it not because he was not capable of pursuing quality higher education away from home. He does it because that is the choice he makes. And he could probably be very proud of that choice.

But the lives that we are all living - we are marching towards "success" - and success as they say tastes sweet.

But is it sweeter than staying home?

Or is it better to have a time-bound plan (if making and executing one were that easy) to grow, succeed and then return home to taste the other sweet?

Or is staying put in our present lives - where most of us are out there to succeed - the best thing to do?

It depends.......

And more likely than not, we will have our preference order for these 3 things 20-30 years from now. And at that time, I just hope (and pray) that ex-post, the 1st preference we discover would be the same one that each one of us have lived rather than the one that most of us has let go.

There's another way of doing it though - growing wiser before growing old - no, not to fight ageing but to know if it'll all be worth it at the end of the day!

What a year...

The year started with a precariously difficult situation. 70% of the batch was placed and I was still looking for an internship opportunity. My CGPA was still screwed up and I wasn't sure what I wanted in my life. I was still juggling between FINANCE and MARKETING as a career option, though CDG's classes in Trim II had helped undo the damage Racchappa had meted in Trim I.

Then, on a what i thought was a good day, i got through Adventity. And then I didn't want the results to be declared because I wanted to have a shot at Nomura. And then i got that too. But, after a despicable second round of interview, I knew i had missed my (easiest) chance at the 'best' job at NM. As when the wounds were still fresh, Adventity dropped a bombshell "Our client requirements have changed and we won't continue with the internship program". Till then a strong advocate of free labor market, for the first (and the last) time I was sympathizing with the Left front.

Ashamed, broken and shattered, I decided not to forget all of this that i had gone through, for the fear of it's recurrence would keep me going . And internship at IIFCL was just the beginning of what was set to be a huge transformation - of confidence, of image and of self. CFA preparations were intertwined with Internship work & Family obligations. But by the time all of it ended, there was no debris left. It was only hope, backed by self-determination, to carve out a future for myself - amongst the best of GPAs (henceforth, of course), amongst the best of jobs (at NMiMS) & amongst the best finance guys!

IIFCL and CFA were 2 of what i used to call 'the 3 best things that happened to me in 2009'. The third: SFM. I would never be able to thank my SFM Professor (for reposing his faith in me), my SFM group-mate (for pestering me to make one presentation after another) and Anshu (for putting me in a group where there was only one other person from my division) enough, because all of them played a role, which on a hindsight looked indispensable if things were to progress the way they did. The self-confidence that I got from being able to present original and independent ideas to Prof. Sircar, and to be able to argue it out and defend it in front of the finance maestro, was, to say the least, tremendous. Thank you folks!

Then there was this li'l elder sis of mine, who without my realizing, grew up so much so that she was getting wedded. It was an all-MBAs marriage! It's part of a larger upcoming culture - Intra-profession marriages (Doctors marrying Doctors, Software Engineers marrying SEs, etc.)... Well, I am not at all inclined to break the culture either!

SFM was undoubtedly the best course, until Trim 4. Then came the unnerving Dr. Rastogi to teach us nuances...no, to teach us to smell....to smell MONEY! After SFM, I&PF was another groundbreaking experience. The time spent over cases, and over case discussions went a long way in clarifying various concepts of project finance. Another expression of gratitude is to 'This is Ramji', our old-looking young prof who taught the subject most dear to my hear - Fixed Income & Debt Markets. Thank you sirs!

Placement season started, and I was given just 10 hours... yes 10 hours.. to prepare myself for the company which i had been awaiting for 7.5 months. The company, the desire to get into which, kept me propelling to work harder, smarter and faster. But 10 hours proved to be too less, and I didn't make it, as i didn't make it to through 4 other companies that were to follow. With 3 I-Banks slapping a rejection stamp on my face, the so-far forgotten feeling of Summers began to haunt, albeit mildly. Finally, i got through Irevna and was successful in getting a profile of Equity Research.

Trim 5 went along nicely as well. The Evertrust presentation made at M&A class will be remembered, at least by myself, for a long long time. And as they say, good things don't come in isolation...they come in batches. While I was enjoying my vacations in chilling winters of Ranchi, I results of Trim 4, for which i had gone to the examination department upmteen times, were declared. I knew i would do well and I had kept several application-related decisions on holdd, waiting for those results. I secured a GPA of 3.75, next only to the Great Cuckdoo Koo!

It was the second last day of the year, an year which had been, by far, the most eventful, memorable, value-additive yet happening year of my life.

What an year....

Thank you lord...thank you NMiMS..thank you folks!

P.S: Some special friends are conspicuous by their absence in my list of gratification. Well, they deserve much more than that :)

What's on regulators mind?

The half-yearly monetary policy is out and the intent is clear...days of excess liquidity are nearing their end. India becomes the second G-20 economy (after Australia) to begin re-tightening the monetary position.

Sensex and Nifty nosedived and will (perhaps) rebound sooner rather than later but that doesn't tell a thing about the policy.

Chief postulates:

Measure: SLR lower limit restored to 25%

Impact: In isolation, not much because banks are in any case being forced to subscribe to more and more of never-ending G-Sec issuances. Besides, SLR holdings of most banks are way above the limit. However, the increase signaled intention to improve the demand for the balance 25% of annual government market borrowings and consequently, the bond yields fell and prices rallied to 2-3 months highs.

Measure: Hike in provisioning charges for standard assets

Impact: Norms pertaining to IRACP (Income Recognition, Asset Classification & Provisioning) are only going to be strengthened from here on. Though temporarily, in the wake of deteriorating global economic situation, they were relaxed, but the regulator has just got it right in tightening the screws when the financial machinery seemed to be moving a bit too fast. Real estate loans will be dearer for developers) and that will prevent any rebuilding of asset bubbles that was being observed over past few months.

Measure: Hike in PCR (Provisioning Coverage Ratio)

Impact: Banks had long known that they'll have to hike their PCR. In fact, RBI had raised apprehension about very low levels of PCR at State Bank of India in it's previous policy statement in July 2009. While the deadline of its implementation (Sep 2010) may have caught ill-provisioned banks like ICICI Bank, SBI, etc. by surprise, the measure holds well for strengthening the banks' balance sheets and eliminating any possibility of built-up of toxic assets.

Measure: Closure of refinance windows for NBFCs, Mutual Funds, Sector specific exporters, etc.

Impact: This too was just a reversal to a pre-lehman status. While most of these windows were not being used by banks, etc., they had served their purpose of preventing a liquidity crunch (during September 08 to March 09 when it looked like everything around the globe might just collapse).

Did stock indices over-react?

Not really...markets were over-heated and were in any case trading at P/E multiples in the range of 20-22 and the real economic situation did not merit that kind of valuations. DOW is back at sub-10,000 levels and is unexpected to stay above 5 figures, any time soon. Today, US saw 19 bank closures in one single day clearly indicating that there's more of toxic assets, all around, and that things aren't as good as news reporters, in their misplaced over-excitement, tend to make others believe.

Why US growing by 3.5% in Q3 (FY09) is not a reason enough to be ecstatic?

The growth was largely due to the federal government's stimulus packages like: Tax rebates on resale of houses (because that is included in US GDP, unlike Indian system of National Accounting); Cash-for-clunkers scheme which saw all automobile manufacturers lightening their inventories so that the manufacturing cycle starts again. Unemployment numbers too, continue to surge above 10%. The growth is more of government induced one and its effect will start waning sooner rather than later. While US state governments continue to issue billions worth of "Build America" bonds every month, re-building what was one of the most ill-regulated and leveraged economy, is a tall task.

Conclusion:

Till August 2009, RBI was trying to curb inflation. Come crisis and rejuvenating economy became the primary concern. Now, after the situation world over looks to be improving, it was very important for RBI to pre-ride the curve and preempt building up of demand side inflation (Although, given the systemic nature of Indian economy, supply side constraints continue to create inflationary pressures). Inflation, I expect, will surpass 7% by March '10, well above RBI's target of 4-5% as expressed in the Annual Policy in April '09. Still, kudos to RBI for what looks to be a great job done, in spite of new founded intervention of finance ministry in RBI's monetary policy management.

P.S: This was the first time, that a finance secretary expressed his views on a RBI policy within hours of its release. While the government continues to intervene in RBI's matters (right from appointing IAS officers as governors in place of prolific policy makers to influencing RBI officials by repetitive none-of-thy-business briefings), it will be interesting to see how independent RBI can function in days to come!

Grown enough?

Resolutions, as i used to call them, of not having 'indulgences'. Yeah, i am talking about the couplet of drinking and smoking.

The evolution of ideologies:

1987: The bugger called Rishu was just born and knew nothing about anything

Early 1990s:

Saw Dad and his friends having 'something' during their get-together in a room where we were told, in no uncertain terms, that our entry is prohibited. While Dad rarely, if ever, smoked, packs of 'Panama' brand cigarettes was a common sight in Grandpa' closet. At that time, things were so placed, that i wanted to have them just to have the feeling of grown-up. (It was a similar reason why i wanted to ride dad's scooter and drive his car too, 'some day' of course, for the sheer desire of somebody considering me into the elite category of 'grown-ups'.

Mid 90s:

Realized, by plain observation, that one loses consciousness when he drinks too much. Primarily, my uncle (Dad's elder brother) 'led' me to believe this. As for smoking, it was something that causes a cough, severe irreversible coughing at that. No intentions to have indulgences. Of course, the above-mentioned desire continued to exist.

In my teens:

One fine day i was gossiping with a schooltime pal of mine, Reeshav. The discussion somehow came to this subject. I opined that i will definitely chew tobacco, smoke cigarettes and consume alcohol some day after i grow up, rationale for this being that it is an unsaid law that one is supposed to follow once he's big enough! My friend differed. Not that he said that he'll never do any of it. He said that he'll never chew tobacco. To my opinion, he reacted "It's all about one's resolution and one's self-control".

Why then, can't one take a resolution, not to do any of the evil 'trinity'? This question, though never asked, remained unanswered. That was the beginning of mental conflict. The end of it is still to come.

During HSC

(Akin to the time when one is considered to be maturing enough) I had almost decided that i'll never do any of it. Besides, our finances too didn't permit any indulgence. I'd stay happy and satisfied with chutki and thums-up, and forever. Not to mention that i despised young guys who got into any or all of this, i was firmly resolved to stick to it and never, never ever, have any of it.

Graduation:

August '06: I was in Malaysia, my first abroad trip after multiple visits to Nepal, on a Bajaj Auto sponsored distributor reward program. Me, my business partner, and distributors from across the countries formed a group of 40 odd 'Bajaj Group' (as our Singaporean tour guide used to call us). 60% of the group was in late 20s or 30s, few were in 40s, while my partner-cum-room-mate and one Mr. Rao were in their 50s. I was 18, due to turn 19 in less than 2 months, so used to say (if and when some-one asked) that 'I am 19'. I was the second youngest member of the contingent, the youngest being 2 year old 'Pratham, son of a wonderful Lucknow based couple, and in no time everyone used to call me "Mr. 19". On one visit to a Genting casino, i was prevented from sneaking in because it was meant for '21 and above' and so was asked to take care of Pratham, while his parents, and everyone else, have fun in what was Malaysia's largest casino at that time. Can't imagine how much that fumed me! In another way, that was when my 'desire' to be considered big enough was at its peak. Well, that desire cost me, and cost me dearly. I forced myself to go to Crazy Horse, a topless show, because every other grown-up person was going (Naresh Uncle, Of course, promised that he won't leak it to my Dad!) All those couples who used to take a shot at my young age was going and it was my chance to prove to them that i wasn't a kid anymore. Price: 2500 Indian bucks (85 SGD). THe price included a drink of choice. 2 oldies ordered juice and the 'grown-ups' ordered whisky. While i was thinking, in came the nasty remark "Oye Mr. 19...tere ko juice peena ho to hum baahar chal ke 2 glass peela denge, yahaan pe tu juice le ke paise waste mat kariyo...we'll get whisky in place of that." "Mild Beer for me", i ordered immediately. I don't know what purpose it served (or did the perception about me, for which i care a little too much, change after that or not) but that was the first instance of an indulgence for me. The feeling however was good. Beer was ok types but my source of pleasure was the fact that i was actually drinking beer. And about the 100-minute show? Well, comments reserved!

Thereafter, i was resolute enough not to do any of it again. Because, i was convinced that i won't do any of it. A substantial source of strength of that 'internal locus of control' was my Singapore based cousin. During the same visit, i found that out. Bhaiya parties, he socializes, all of it in a circle wherein everyone smokes and drinks, and still, he doesn't do any of it. My admiration of him has only grown ever since. There was however a marked change in another belief of mine. I started realizing that while the trinity is 'bad' the guys who drink/ smoke aren't 'bad' necessarily and that belief was the foundation of something that was to follow.

For 2 years (until July '08) that was my first and last indulgence. Then came Goa (GIM) . almost half of my batch-mates were firmly resolved against the trinity. Eventually, the other half had the better of me! As for smoking, i was firmly committed to non-smoking.

Over last 15 months, i had beer (only beer) - some 5-6 times - only on occasions like freshers' party and farewell, and every time it was complimentary. Till date i have only purchased it once - a bottle of Kingfisher in Daman. Largely, i was committed (until almost a month ago), to not consuming alcohol and tobacco, not even non-vegetarian food.

A review:

August '06: My first beer (and C.H. too)

September '08: My first (and second last) Hukka (which i still don't know how to do properly)

September '09: My first and last cigarette (just took it twice in my mouth after which it was snatched and thrown away!)

26th October '09: My first whiskey!

That answers the titled question, i guess :)

Do Drinking and Dancing only go together?

Don’t mix drinking with driving! Walk when you talk! But don’t talk when you drive. Making its mark amongst all these pairs is that of ‘Drinking & Dancing’. While it’s a democracy and people have the right to differ, I think they make a great ‘couple’.

Dancing – so tiring, yet so refreshing. One can of beer was just the fuel that was needed. I dare say that I never enjoyed dancing like this, ever before. While the body energy levels had subsided considerably, my EQ (Enthusiasm Quotient; a self-patented acronym) was right up there. And I was dancing for as long as I could. I just didn’t want to stop. (Screw u CR!) And for a change, I wasn’t giving a damn as to what would ‘some people’ think about my steps. I wasn’t over-conscious, nor did a FOSTER’S can manage to make me ‘un-conscious’. The overall feeling was just amazing. Yeah, the atmosphere was electric. Guys were cool and the gals were hot! DJ too didn’t ‘suck’. Though I enjoyed it thoroughly, I believe there should be a digital display of lyrics somewhere (celing/wall/wherever) so that musical nerds like me can sing… ok hum along while dancing. The pleasure increases manifold when one knows what one is dancing to!! Most notably, I didn’t repeat the blunder of ‘sporting’ an open footwear to a disco. A never ending photo session followed. Although I was very ecstatic, I had a low strike rate as far as smiling in pics was concerned. Ironical, I know.

Sutra was way better than JW Marriott or Rockbottom. ACs seemed to be working, floor had space to dance, and the cozy feeling was also not missing. Yes, few more complimentary cans would have been great! However, I must say “Well done Students’ Council”. For all the thrashing and bashing you people receive, you guys deserve this compliment.

Reached home the last amongst my roomies and continue to live up to the title of ‘rent payer only’ in my flat J

Changing priorities....changing person

It was August 2008 and the CFA fever was catching fast in our college. I thought about it but the fees (1000 USD) was too prohibitive for something that i myself wasn't convinced about. Besides, after torturous experience at the hands of Dr. Rachhappa in Trim 1, i was no longer sure if I'll be able to handle finance. So i decided not to join the (rat) race. December came and I saw all (well, almost all) CFA guys studying during the nights in the college quad. I realized i was only getting behind in the race. Still i knew that at NMIMS, I'll get a good job even without a CFA degree. January and February brought in lot of turbulence. Placement scene was getting worse and the demon of Lehman Brothers (literally) was haunting B-Schools across the globe. Also, 15 out of 20 odd guys who took L1 from NM made it.

I decided to reason with myself, and reason at length:

Why CFA ?

A: Increases employability (given that i am a Zoology graduate, a CFA would at least bring something concretely 'financial' on my CV); Makes me more competitive amongst batch-mates; Everyone else was doing it! (i m not sure if the last reason has the potential to be the first reason)

Why not CFA?

A: INR 50,000 (a l'il too much)

What if i don't clear it?

It's an unnecessary feeling of insecurity that i must not succumb to.

My mentor-cousin suggested me to focus on academics instead of add-ons like CFA, etc.

Peer-pressure won; every other reasoning went down the drain. In came money from home-sweet-home and on Feb 17 i had joined the rat race. This time around, there were more rats than ever. Almost 50+ people from my batch were taking L1. And i was one of them. Different reasons, one road - L1!

Because i had just witnessed a 'huge' cash outflow, studying (at least immediately) was imperative. So i picked Schweser's notes and started. One week gone, and I was still in the first session. Gradually, the feeling of having undertaken a financial risk abated. Mid-terms, assignments were throwing their heads up and an End-term exam was also waiting. Given that i had promised my cousin to un-screw my already screwed up CGPA, L1 took a backseat. Summer placement? Still no where in sight...

It was April end and i was 10% through with my preparation. One month to go, five books to decode and a summer internship to undertake. Welcome sleepless nights. (whoever said they were gone forever!) I had to make every decision of mine subservient to L1. Taking up an accommodation in CP (Connuaght Place) at more than double the price. Sleeping less. Eating fast. Not wasting time on washing clothes (in fact i ended up wearing a pair of trouser 12 days!) But the internship couldn't be compromised with. So L1 was yet to become the 'bird's eye' for my eyes.

3rd week of May and i got the news that i had to show up at Mumbai for my 'interviewing' my prospective jijaji! Hell broke loose on me. Dad wasn't going to go to Mumbai without me and 'sentiments' outweighed rationale and i was asked to 'squeeze out' one day from my CFA prep days. Priorities had changed, and CFA still wasn't up at the top. I realized that I'll have to take a week's leave from my internship. Fortunately, my mentor was planning a trip in the same week and i was saved the trouble of having to answer the difficult questions at IIFCL. So, i got a 10-day leave and left for Mumbai. If only i would have known what i was in for. Receiving people from airport, 'interviewing' di's prospective groom, helping di for the 'interview', making arrangements, attending birthday parties, attending engagement and then seeing everybody off. It all ended on May 31st night. While my happiness knew no bounds at my sis having got engaged in Mumbai, i also realized i had made a terrible shit out of preparations. What was thought to be a one-day commitment turned to take 3 vital days out of my CFA preps.

6 days between me and 'CFA Sunday', and i had only completed first reading of 3 out of 5 books while my roommate had completed 3 revisions and most of those rats were into their 2nd revision. With 6 days to go, CFA was the only thought, It was the fuel, it was the fire. I had read IITians, etc. telling in their interviews to local newspapers in Ranchi how they used to put 16-20 hours daily, for months. I only used to quip "These guys have got to be crazy!" But I did what i had never imagined in my life: 16-18 hours of studies per day for a week. Nights in the college library and quad, 5-10 (am) sleep, etc.. Life was hell. Though i must admit, with all modesty, that the preparation was not boring. In fact, it was enjoyable and kept my 'enthu' going. June 7, CFA came and gone. I had, what i thought, a reasonable set of exams (L1 had two exam seatings). I had done whatever i could. Well, almost. Now was the time to reshuffle my priorities. While most of my batch-mates were headed to their homes to spend a vacation, i had to go back to complete my internship, which i very responsibly did. Fortunately, i had a great internship and the learning was immense to say the least, Three months of CFA-internship-etc. juggle had changed something in me. Managed to get a week's vacation at Ranchi most of which, ironically enough, went in Public Sector Banks' offices.

Was back at NM after a long time. Fresh faces were seen all around, and i realized that i was now a 'senior'. It took me a month to settle with the 'senior' feeling in my final year of graduation. Somehow, i feel there have to people senior to me! Here, the setting-in of the 'senior' feeling didn't take time. College results were declared and i got a GPA of 3.50 (15th in the batch of 250+). Suddenly, i was doing better in my classes. I was doing assignments on time and people were asking my inputs (it had been the other way round in whole of the first year). SFM (Strategic Financial Management) classes were bringing the best out of me. Everything had changed. July 28, the D-day had come. 6:30 pm it was, and rushed to the library. While the Internet was loading, i was reciting my patented "Trayam vakam, yajamhe.....". As the dots (of Internet) were increasing, everything that had been made sub-servient to CFA L1 (and everything that made CFA L1 sub-servient to it) was flashing before my eyes. Life had come to standstill. The page opened and my eyes caught the glimpse of 'PASS'.

Yuhhhhhuuuuuuuuu! CFA L1, finally!

Call Dad, Call Mom, Call Sisters, Call friends, Call Call Call. The burden of expectations was too huge to handle. I just didn't know what to do. So i 'discharged' my cell balance, to talk. I knew, life for me would never be the same hereafter. Something had changed over the course of past three months. Something had changed forever...

Thank you God, thank you!

Socially responsible ??

CSR was close to being the most abused acronym, until the recent financial turmoil left most corporate philanthropists struggling to fulfill their primary responsibility – to churn profits for their shareholders! No, this isn’t another of those articles which delves into causes of the crisis or into ‘Why CSR’. This is about social responsibility. Not CSR, albeit PSR (Personal Social Responsibility- a term I first heard at a matrimonial interview last month)

Some wise man had said “All human beings are inherently good”. Somewhere down in our hearts all of us have that burning desire (though the flame is often close to getting extinguished) – To do something for our society, our place, our country and the human fraternity in general. I was no different. I was always a witness to elders in my family helping the unprivileged, partly due to PSR (gosh, then the term mustn’t have been existing) and partly because the Holy Scriptures asked them to do so. Whatever be the driving motto, the output was indisputably benevolent. Then was my exposure to Social Responsibility at two places, though the driving motto again wasn’t CSR/PSR. One was via my elder sister on her rural field visits. Here, while I was her kiddo brother dropping and picking her up, she was there for a course requirement, which she herself doesn’t know (probably even today) why she took up at the first place. My participation, under the banner of “Vandeep” at St. Xavier’s College, in various Plantation drives, was my extracurricular activity which was meant to be inflated and presented to my interviewers for MBA entrances. Whoever said Social Responsibility is a one-way flow of goods & services!

Of late, however, I have noticed a marked…..okay, a reasonable amount of change. This time I don’t see any explicit motto of self-benefit driving my actions. On at least four occasions, I have counseled a LIG family to focus on education and family planning. At one such instance, I went overboard and over did that counseling! I have been asking rick (what others call an auto rickshaw) drivers to work harder to educate their kids. I asked a Puchkawala in Mumbai to manage his work himself, and send his son to the govt. school. I have pacified fights in Delhi Metro twice, once when a lady who jumped the queue was taken to task by a male traveler, and the other one had the reverse flow of ‘words’ when a male refused to vacate a seat marked ‘only for ladies’, and a Punjabi lady ripped him apart. I have been talking politely to almost every Grade IV/ LIG employee from watchmen and liftmen to vegetable vendors and barbers in saloons. While this has lead to a marked change in my HQ (happiness quotient, which increased at my satisfaction of having “meaningfully contributed”), I am sure it would have made those otherwise ‘trifle’ people feel important and, I dare say, resolute.

I had no idea whatsoever that I would pull myself one day into mediating peace between a couple. This incident dates back to first week of May in Delhi. I was walking to the Rajiv Chowk metro station in CP after office when a gentleman stops me. “Sir, this lady has lost ******** (even I missed the word, honestly), can you please help her”. I turned my eyes to find lady in early 30s, red-faced and ready-to-cry. She was holding her daughter, and the poor kid was crying aloud with one hand being held hard and the other hand holding an ice-cream which was diminishing in size without being consumed. I stopped. The mother-daughter duo looked lost in the busy streets of CP. Not sure of what I heard, I offered the lady my help or if she needed a cell phone to call some acquaintance. The lady was awestruck. I insisted on offering help. The man replied “Don’t worry. She’s my wife and she lost the contact number of her cousin whom we were going to visit. Now she’s gone mad and is shouting at me. You please don’t worry”. I had hardly made any sense of that when the lady pounced, “You Rascal.” I couldn’t believe what was happening. Was that for me, no why would anyone (even an insane looking lady for that matter) slang a passerby who only committed the crime of offering genuine help? No, it was for her husband who was trying to make joker out of his wife. I stood speechless for few seconds. The lady drove her daughter’s hand and started walking towards CP (towards the direction where I was coming from). The man stood where he was. I tried following the lady to a few steps yelling something. Perhaps, I wanted to say ”Mam I am sorry for him”. Thank God I didn’t (mouth those words). The man waved at me and followed his wife, munching the groundnuts he was carrying. Enough of it, I thought, and moved briskly towards my station. I stopped, thinking that maybe I should have done something to sort things out. Whoa! I continued my walk leaving the couple to their destiny and mutual understanding. What else was I, a lad of 21 who’s yet to have a successful relationship (okay, yet to have his first girlfriend), supposed to do to help a couple who had been married for at least 6-7 years.

Fortunately or unfortunately, that was my last major ‘encounter’ and the PSR thing has been put on hold since then. Till I get a new motto to continue…