A RENDEZVOUS WITH THE NATIONAL HERO

Can you guess whom the old man standing with the smart young one in the picture is? Well, neither could I have been able to do that, had I not happened to see him last Tuesday!

Parametric technologies limited (PTC) invited people from my office to attend a thought forum on aerospace and defense. Nobody was interested but when told about the venue, Le Meridian, and allurement of free dinner and cocktails, we, the lowest cadre of engineers here, were tempted to join and hence we confirmed our benign presence. Four of us from cdot and one of my colleague’s friends finally reached the Le Meridian.

The forum was scheduled to start at 7:30 pm and all of us were equally excited as we have not been to a place of the repute of Le Meridian but it was quite understandable that the 5 star dinner was not going to be absolute free of cost since we would have to go through a mental trauma worth 2 hours of abstruse and monotonous technical talks. Though we are all technocrats but every technicality is what we try to avoid after 5 in the evening. The organizers probably aware of this fact overly emphasized the cocktails in the invitation.

And finally we reached D place; right ten minutes late, but it was not something to feel embarrassed about. After all it was an Indian event, supposed to be delayed for at least 20 minutes. So it was.

As we entered the convention hall, al eyes were on us. Of course, not because they were expecting us, but because, in a baroque ambience, dressed in ordinary office-wear, we were looking as pale as a drop of mustard oil on the clean water surface. But there could be no retreat now, so we pretended to ignore the gazing eyes and sometime later, the eminent personalities present there were also not staring us. We also didn’t stay behind to enjoy a variety of juices and appetizers.

At last, a huge fat-head, wearing a business suit, indicated the beginning of the grand event with an elite panel of 5 guests, a national hero as the convener and a meager number of audience including us.

The convener retired wing commander Rakesh Sharma, when called upon the dais gave an appearance of a distinguished personality and the way he carried himself, picking words very precisely; it was quite inevitable not to catch a glimpse of his charisma. The panelists’ credentials were equally impressive too. One Mr. Sisodia retired secretary, defense procurement; one Dr Attre, ex chairman DRDO; one Mr. Maheshwari, senior in Tata motors; retired chief of navy admiral Arun Prakash and one more man who is a member of space commission of India. It was very difficult not just to remember but also even to write down the plethora of titles and achievements all those were attributed. Here I m mentioning only a miniscule portion of what was said. We were bound to look towards each other, as Wg. Cdr. Sharma carried out with the proceedings.

The talks they give were all their practical experiences in their respective domains. The bureaucrat gave all the statistics; DRDO chief gave all philosophy; Retd. Admiral was all spanking the system; space commission member telling all hi abstract stories and the Tata motors man amalgamating his personal achievements with those of his organization. Well, it might take more than a thousand words to elaborate what everybody talked about but I have more important to write about what I said.

After the panelists were over it was the turn of the audience to give their views on the foggy agenda. That was, I knew, my chance to interact directly with the people of that stature. And I talked about student participation, hiring willing researchers for PSUs like DRDO, HAL and then praising the aerospace and defense, since it was necessary to tone down while getting back into my seat. I was trembling a bit while I got in to chair, the adrenaline retreating to its source! I got response from everybody and I was sure, I was going to have a personal chat with all of them and it happened soon.

First Dr. Attre, then space commissions member and then the person whom I was desperately waiting for Wg. Cdr. Rakesh Sharma. And to my surprise, he was talking to me just like a friend helping other in distress. One might not believe, how engrossed we were in conversation! As I alluded about his maiden space flight and enquired the truth of his statement which we have been reading about in books, he was emotional enough to tell me, “ young man, it comes right from the heart!” He also enquired about my aim in life, my dilemma and suggested me his self-tested remedy too. “Whenever you are in a dilemma, follow only the first instinctive thought that comes to your mind, all thoughts after that are rationalizations!” was his solution.

I felt privileged to actually communicate with a man of honor and equally elated to get his personal email ID as well. Of course my friends didn’t let me forget our real intentions of visiting the place in emotions and I dozed off heavily a variety of drinks from scotch, vodka to red wine.

The rendezvous was an experience of the lifetime and will stay in my memory for eternity. Later next morning, while discussing the night’s proceedings with my tl, a deep thought ran my mind. “When one always interacts with similar type of middle class people as himself, he is contented in the confines of his own little world, but to feel the kick of reaching to the pinnacle of social status, meeting such people definitely makes sense.”

Emulating my bosses or the director of my organization is not what I would hate to do but if could get to the level of extra ordinary men; life would certainly be much better!

The Right propaganda

Right propaganda

I recently came across a half page advertisement from Delhi police against the menace of eve- teasing. There have been innumerous campaigns for curbing the problem but this one; unlike all the previous ones had a very different tone.

It was a desperate call to manhood of all those who turn their faces off any event of eve teasing. The typical Delhi culture of trying to be aloof of anyone else’s agony, was highlighted as well as challenged in that particular campaign. I feel that this is the need of the hour when people instead of wailing about the government nuclear policy, rise above being mute spectators, understand their social responsibility, and be pro-active citizens to save any woman of the harassment and embarrassment she faces on the hands of eve- teasers. What is the point in writing gigantic editorials, huge essays with a plethora of abstruse words on everything from global warming, US politics to presidential elections when our own social structure is craving for a radical change? I sometimes wonder, are we really mature to have a woman president while we cant help a lady on a bus stop?

The advertisement reminded me of a friend, who was trying to help a lady in a public bus but was admonished by his father, “This is not a movie where you help a girl, beat the goons and are acclaimed a hero!” and he was gently pushed back in his seat. This is exactly the way most of us think and that need to be rationalized. May be the fact need to be forged in his father’s mind that his daughter sometimes travels alone too.

I hereby would like to congratulate Delhi police for coming out with such a propaganda, which would definitely lift the morals of not just generation X but also people aged my friend’s father!

yeh jo des hai mera, swades hai mera.....

Monday July 2 2007

Last night, I had a strange kind of experience when I suddenly got the same feeling, which Shahrukh got in ‘Swades’. I met elder brother of a good friend and my flat mate Pavan who is also a colleague of mine. His brother had come on the purpose of visiting German embassy to get his visa to Munich for his masters in Geomatics. I was quite impressed by the way he carried himself and his physical fitness. Obviously I was enthralled by his success that he was going to Germany for research.

He shares the same degree with me and has been working in DRDO for the last 4 years. It was kind of a big delay in pursuing a masters since he is aged 27 this date. A typical Indian company provides ample vroom for further studies but when I asked him why he got delayed his answer took me by surprise. He told me that he couldn’t make it in 2004 before he had a chance of visiting Antarctica with the annual Indian expedition to maitri, our research center over there. He said it was a lifetime chance and it was worth this delay in his PG course. He showed me hundreds of his photographs from Antarctica to Capetown to Goa all shot during the expedition.

I was certainly captivated by the beauty of the virgin ice, the abysmal glaciers, gigantic icebergs and what not. He showed pics of a ceremony, which is observed, when anyone enters the Antarctic Circle, the sign boards there displaying huge distances of Indian mainland from maitri.

Then as an obvious inquisitive me, asked about the budget of an expedition of which even he was not sure what DRDO would gain out from. He was too proud to say that government spends an average of Rs.70 lacs per expedition per person. Such an exorbitant amount! I don’t know why I couldn’t restraint myself and said, “And still you are leaving them to study outside with intentions of settling abroad?” May be he could not assimilate that too well and later said, “ After visiting a place like that just going to the moon is what is left, but of course one shouldn’t be too sentimental, the way you are getting. You go there, you enjoy and you come back, there is no scope for being emotional, life moves on…aaj yahan kal kahin aur.”

An engineer becomes worth research only after hands on experience for about 2-3 years. I was traumatized as to how he used the govt infrastructure, govt money to fulfill his own fantasy and after actually gaining an experience of 4 years, when it is actually his time to pay back the nation, he is leaving to serve someone else. His plans themselves boast of his intentions to just earn more even if it means kissing foreign asses. I don’t know why the PSUs don’t take a HR interview in their selection process to recruit only those who have the zeal for research for the nation!

The PSUs have over a period of time contributed much but of lately, are reduced to a state where they are considered as hubs where one can prepare for his future in addition to a handsome salary. In my organization I meet people preparing for civil services, CAT and GRE, even I might someday prepare for a high earning future. Most of the people argue about the rampant availability of free time as a consequence of which this phenomenon is emerging but I feel its all a vicious circle, there is free time because people don’t work and people don’t work that is why there is time!

I admit even I would want to be a man with money I cant count, power that I have always cherished but all on my own soil where my strength holds some meaning for my nation, where every rupee spend on my pleasure and leisure stays in our economy, boosts our nation’s growth, not of the people who considers us the labor.

I some times think about the plight of labor from eastern UP and Bihar in the towns of northern or western India, they way the word ‘bihari’ is used as an abuse and then I think about the people serving the westerners.

What would they call that DRDO scientist in Germany?