Tid Bit from My Diary

Till this time “mishandling” and “yours truly” never featured in the same sentence. Last week an attempt has been made to tarnish the reputation built over years by representatives of Madura Fashion & Lifestyle, the company that owns the brand Allen Solly.  I have been accused of mishandling a jacket, for Christ’s sake! By this post I shall make others aware and caution others to be careful as this could happen to anyone. I could approach them as I purchased from a physical store in a high end mall, I shudder to imagine how desperate who purchases online would be. We used to buy Allen Solly products as it is an Indian brand and in the same time lending support to the Make in India initiative in our own way. A premium brand is distinguishable by its willingness to accept its deficiencies and addressing those to ensure total value to their customer. Little did we know that Allen Solly in its dealing with us will demonstrate none of these characteristics while pretended to ...

Myanmar is under the spotlight as Ann Suu Kyi is finally set to have a say on her country’s affairs. She made big sacrifices to ensure democratic rights for common people and in the process becoming an inspiration for countless young people around the world. Myanmar has been under international scanner in the past decades but this time it brought back one childhood memory. The only time we had a private tutor coming to our home was when  I was in grade 3 and my elder sibling was in the 4th . He was an old man in his sixties with balding head, thick eyebrows and a hardened face that bore marks of tough journey his life has endured. Our association lasted less than a year but I still have some memory from those early days.  His primarily role when I think back was to help with our homework and engage us in some routine activities. As a consequence we were disciplined about our afternoon study sessions, something that continued all through our student life.  For us he...

This was first published in LinkedIn I have been a proponent of checklist all through my construction management days and I usually practice what I champion. The checklists has been part and parcel of construction process and procedures for years. Other high risk industries like Aviation, or ship building too uses this as missing a step could result into expensive losses of time, money and sometimes human lives. The Hedge fund managers too have their own checklists. In our industry it is mandatory to attach a checklist while submitting “method statements” or ITP (Inspection and Testing Protocol) for consultant’s review. These are equally important while conducting a Risk Assessment before commencing a fresh construction activity at sites. It is difficult to apprehend why there should be such resistance in implementing a powerful tool like this one in their day to day work activities. It would be interesting if a research was carried out to find out if the reason behind thi...

Sometime back, I happened to buy a gadget called Apple TV, probably one of the cheapest from the apple product range. I was introduced to an amazing new world of connectivity. I could not only mirror my iPhone or iPad on the TV but I could also watch the YouTube. Although there are plenty more features in that thingy, the feature I liked most is TED (an acronym for technology, entertainment, and design) talks. The site features presentations that they consider “ideas worth spreading”. Watching the presenters got me pondering about how to improve my personal presentation skills and be a better speaker. After all our professional life encompass presentation, presentation and presentation. Our personal life is no different either. Only people with good communication skills can dream of being successful in life. I have shortlisted some of the aspects that intrigued me and thought to be useful. I would much appreciate different opinions. Design The first part obviously is to...

As the world has been taken over by the Star war mania, I too could not help but soar in that spirit. Till this time I realized that I was not doing enough of anything about anything, the Office works being the only natural exception. Without dithering any further I got working on my list of 2015 winter solstice day resolution. A ritual somewhat similar to the New Year day resolution practiced in some galaxies around the Universe. Topping that list was to awaking my blog. Construction, the place I live is a tough field and definitely not for those feeble hearted. The awful feeling about all the insanity around today’s world has now coupled with that leaving very little room for one to maneuver. It appears the dark forces are gaining foothold in our planet. But this is set to change as the force is going to be with me now. The force unleashed by the new HP Star Wars TM special edition notebook that will let the imagination run wild and allow to #AwakenYourForce . Over the...

International Day of persons with Disabilities 3 December 2015 is observed as International Day of Persons with Disabilities. I was a bit disappointed this morning when I found Google did not utilize this opportunity to raise awareness with a doodle.   The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. The aim of this observance is to promote an awareness of issues related to disability and mobilize forces in their support so that persons with disabilities can live a life of dignity and none of their rights are compromised. It also seeks to promote the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.  Our cities unfortunately, are not disable friendly and this does not need any elaboration. We do not have our public spaces such as malls, cinemas, stadiums and parks equipped with wheel chair access ramp, special toile...

Herge Sunday they say, has been derived from the Egyptian astrology as the might of the Sun was honored by associating its name with the first day of a week. After its association with the resurrection of Christ, this day evolved as the day for rest, worship and socializing.  It’s a fantastic idea to have rest on the first day of the week and then start work. Somewhere in the middle this idea went for a tailspin and Sunday ended up being the weekend. Luckily for us with more people, less work and even lesser natural resources, Saturday too joined as another day of rest... But who’s complaining! Sunday, nevertheless has brought joy in my life since time immemorial. During my early days, I remember Sunday was fun as our parents did not have to go to work and we could spend time together. Then came the school, teachers and homework. While I am yet to meet a student who doesn’t appreciate a Sunday, I was ready to trade in any thing for a extra Sunday. But not once, I was ...