A company in a developed country wants to make profits. The company has all its employees based out of that developed country. To make profits, they hire some more in a developing country. More work, better too, is delivered at a lesser cost. Since cost to company is less, profit soars. Since no one is fired, it’s a win-win situation.
More and more companies get onto this success formula. It is too good to be true! There is suddenly a huge demand for professionals in the developing country. So much so that the demand has exceeded the supply of college grads.
A businessman who is not really qualified to be employed by such companies of developed countries sees this gap of demand and supply and sees a business opportunity in the form of contracting employees at a brokerage. The contracting business does the talent search for the hiring company, recruits and, if needed, trains the employees for the contractor and augments the companies’ staff as an associate for a defined duration.
This relieves the hiring company to do the painful task of recruiting and training. The company pays the fees to the contractor and the contractor pays a percentage of this amount to the actual associate. So, the hiring company just has to ‘shop’ for talent with contractors for a price. True, the amount to the associate is almost a trickle now, but hey, for a fresh college grad, even a trickle quenches the thirst!
If the company in the developed country had not thought of increasing their profits and had not outsourced, then there would have been no contractors in the developing country. It is this butterfly-effect of one business venture leading onto further business ventures that stabilizes the global economy…and makes this world fascinating to me!
:-)
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
History repeats
After I returned from US, I was assigned a completely new project in a whole new module. The astonishing part was that I got the exact same cubicle and the same office telephone number I had been using from Jan 2007 to Apr 2009! Incidentally, this is the cube where I have spent the maximum time of my corporate life ever! And, for some reason, whichever office I work in, the office telephone number sticks on to me!!
:-)
:-)
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Hanuman and Honking
When I was in a temple one day many years ago, I happened to hear a religious discourse going on in the background. The theme of this discourse was on Lord Hanuman and his pious posture of having his hands clasped together in front of his chest, as if saying Namasthe which is a form of either welcome or farewell. The discourse went on to say that Lord Hanuman is also called as the Lord of Vayu (Air). Wiki answers why. Now, the reason for this posture – as given in this discourse – was pretty interesting and amusing. Note that none of the below explanation is mine.
‘Sath’ (Pronounced as ‘Fath’ in ‘Fathima’) in Kannada means ‘Vayu’. ‘Hogbidthu’ or ‘Hoithu’ in Kannada means ‘Gone’. So, ‘Sath-hoithu’ or respectfully ‘Sath-hogbitru’ means someone breathed his last and, literally, that someone’s breath has gone. It is this last breath that goes from the body that is respected by Lord Hanuman. So Namasthe used here is in the farewell form. Lord Hanuman is also supposed to graciously offer this last breath to the Almighty as a form of respecting the departed.
As and when population increased and the rate of deaths proportionately increased, Lord Hanuman was over dumped with this work of bidding Namasthe farewell and hence he got himself the posture of having his hands constantly clasped in front of his chest in the form of paying respect to the ever constant stream of the departed. Yes, pretty amusing.
Now, the correlation. From here on, its my thoughts! Weird thoughts, again!
Honking during driving, I am sure, started – and in most countries, still remains – to correct nearby drivers’ irresponsibility. If and when a driver near you makes a mistake, you honk to create a wakefulness and consciousness to that driver so that the he can correct his irresponsibility before a fatality.
Now, in India, blame it on population, over the period of last few decades, so many learnt to drive that suddenly there are so many drivers in and around you, and so many of them are making mistakes constantly, that it has become inbred in the newborn Indian drivers that honking is a must-do activity, very much hand-in-hand with accelerating, irrespective of anyone actually being around you. And even when the driver in the vehicle beside your vehicle is driving appropriately, or a person is walking peacefully on the pavement, there is this deep-seated fear and uncertainty – or is it certainty! - that he is going to do some rash thing that it is better to honk just to be safe and let the other person know you are there! Even when there is no one around, it is just safe to honk so that no one jumps suddenly onto the road! Such has become the plight. Sigh.
So, just like how Lord Hanuman’s posture has been frozen to one of constant Namasthe, so is an Indian driver’s mentality frozen to honking as soon as the ignition is turned on!
‘Sath’ (Pronounced as ‘Fath’ in ‘Fathima’) in Kannada means ‘Vayu’. ‘Hogbidthu’ or ‘Hoithu’ in Kannada means ‘Gone’. So, ‘Sath-hoithu’ or respectfully ‘Sath-hogbitru’ means someone breathed his last and, literally, that someone’s breath has gone. It is this last breath that goes from the body that is respected by Lord Hanuman. So Namasthe used here is in the farewell form. Lord Hanuman is also supposed to graciously offer this last breath to the Almighty as a form of respecting the departed.
As and when population increased and the rate of deaths proportionately increased, Lord Hanuman was over dumped with this work of bidding Namasthe farewell and hence he got himself the posture of having his hands constantly clasped in front of his chest in the form of paying respect to the ever constant stream of the departed. Yes, pretty amusing.
Now, the correlation. From here on, its my thoughts! Weird thoughts, again!
Honking during driving, I am sure, started – and in most countries, still remains – to correct nearby drivers’ irresponsibility. If and when a driver near you makes a mistake, you honk to create a wakefulness and consciousness to that driver so that the he can correct his irresponsibility before a fatality.
Now, in India, blame it on population, over the period of last few decades, so many learnt to drive that suddenly there are so many drivers in and around you, and so many of them are making mistakes constantly, that it has become inbred in the newborn Indian drivers that honking is a must-do activity, very much hand-in-hand with accelerating, irrespective of anyone actually being around you. And even when the driver in the vehicle beside your vehicle is driving appropriately, or a person is walking peacefully on the pavement, there is this deep-seated fear and uncertainty – or is it certainty! - that he is going to do some rash thing that it is better to honk just to be safe and let the other person know you are there! Even when there is no one around, it is just safe to honk so that no one jumps suddenly onto the road! Such has become the plight. Sigh.
So, just like how Lord Hanuman’s posture has been frozen to one of constant Namasthe, so is an Indian driver’s mentality frozen to honking as soon as the ignition is turned on!
Irony of the day
In order to save the environment in any small way possible,
I took to stairs while going from 2nd floor to gound floor,
Although I noticed the elevator being stationary on 2nd floor,
Almost temptingly welcoming me!
But as I started walking down,
Some one on ground floor pressed the elevator button
And the elevator almost mockingly made its way down empty
And reached before I did.
So much for saving the environment.
I took to stairs while going from 2nd floor to gound floor,
Although I noticed the elevator being stationary on 2nd floor,
Almost temptingly welcoming me!
But as I started walking down,
Some one on ground floor pressed the elevator button
And the elevator almost mockingly made its way down empty
And reached before I did.
So much for saving the environment.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Thought for the day
[21] So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh;
[22] and the rib which the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
[23] Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man."
[24] Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.
- Genesis [2], The Bible
[22] and the rib which the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
[23] Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man."
[24] Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.
- Genesis [2], The Bible
More you don’t know...
Literally speaking, higher the corporate ladder you climb, farther from the ground (realities) you are. The finer aspects of grass are lost and higher you go, the more you talk in air, making no real sense! I have noticed many senior managers speaking at length about a topic on which they actually have no real clue about but are very conversant with the choicest of words! I remember Sam giving a classic extempore of Board Members in a press conference where heavy duty adjectives and adverbs are used but the essence of the 5 minute speech is in effect null and void, which happens ever so often and is so true.
They even try to add a humorous touch and burst out laughing abruptly as if they made an intelligent remark or, if a joke is told by a junior member, they act as if they understood and guffaw but inwardly, I know that it was a laughter born out of nervousness, out of lack of knowledge. This lack of knowledge always gnaws at their consciousness.
Some truthful ones admit their weakness and learn, break their head and fill this void of knowledge. Rest go with the flow and keep the ball moving somehow, by being on the surface of the water, just able to breath and float and survive. Both are paid equally well. The former think that they are paid well to face situations where they have to talk crap without knowing anything but later break head to fill that void. The latter think that they are paid well just to face the aforesaid situations.
I might have already faced some such situations in the past and I know that I will be facing more such situations in my corporate future. I sure don’t want and don’t like that void of knowledge and I do hope I don’t get lazy and not break my head for things I don’t know. This reminds me of a previous related post.
Irrespective of breaking the head, the irony hit me:
More you don’t know, higher the pay.
:-)
They even try to add a humorous touch and burst out laughing abruptly as if they made an intelligent remark or, if a joke is told by a junior member, they act as if they understood and guffaw but inwardly, I know that it was a laughter born out of nervousness, out of lack of knowledge. This lack of knowledge always gnaws at their consciousness.
Some truthful ones admit their weakness and learn, break their head and fill this void of knowledge. Rest go with the flow and keep the ball moving somehow, by being on the surface of the water, just able to breath and float and survive. Both are paid equally well. The former think that they are paid well to face situations where they have to talk crap without knowing anything but later break head to fill that void. The latter think that they are paid well just to face the aforesaid situations.
I might have already faced some such situations in the past and I know that I will be facing more such situations in my corporate future. I sure don’t want and don’t like that void of knowledge and I do hope I don’t get lazy and not break my head for things I don’t know. This reminds me of a previous related post.
Irrespective of breaking the head, the irony hit me:
More you don’t know, higher the pay.
:-)
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Thought for the day
I some times wonder if I use
USA as a means of escaping from India and
India as a means of escaping from USA.
USA as a means of escaping from India and
India as a means of escaping from USA.
Qs of the day
Quote of the day:
"When my mother resisted my decision to start working as an assistant in Bollywood at age 16, I told her I wasn't stopping my education. I was just beginning it. I was always very clear about what I wanted."
- Aamir Khan to a Times of India reporter
Question of the day:
How is it that some people are always very clear on what they want, and some are not?!
"When my mother resisted my decision to start working as an assistant in Bollywood at age 16, I told her I wasn't stopping my education. I was just beginning it. I was always very clear about what I wanted."
- Aamir Khan to a Times of India reporter
Question of the day:
How is it that some people are always very clear on what they want, and some are not?!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Quote of the day
To get something you never had,
You have to do something you never did.
- Seen on a cubicle board
You have to do something you never did.
- Seen on a cubicle board
Friday, January 08, 2010
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Heavenly
Heads leaning on one another...
Arms locked in one another...
On a bench in a park under the cool night air...
Under a canopy of side-by-side arching branches...
Greenery, shrubs and trees all around...
Orion filling the small visible sky...
Not a thought in the world...
Not a worry in the world...
Heavenly!
Arms locked in one another...
On a bench in a park under the cool night air...
Under a canopy of side-by-side arching branches...
Greenery, shrubs and trees all around...
Orion filling the small visible sky...
Not a thought in the world...
Not a worry in the world...
Heavenly!
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Happy New Year 2010!
For the first time since I can recollect,
I slept on the New Year’s Eve…
A sleep year ahead?!
Happy New Year!!
I slept on the New Year’s Eve…
A sleep year ahead?!
Happy New Year!!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Vishnuvardhan is no more...
Everyone informed that he was one of the finest human beings on Earth and a wonderful, wonderful man. What a great honor to be said thus as eulogy...it just makes his whole life worthy.
But there was a peculiarity in this natural death: Just a few years ago, actress Soundarya died before the release of Apthamithra film in which Vishnu had acted. This was a film based on paranormal theme. Vishnu died before the release of Aptharakshaka film in which he was taking part when he died. This was supposed to be his 200th film, and a sequel to Apthamithra. This film also was based on a paranormal theme. It was also said that there were 'peculiar' incidents happening to the film crew during the shooting of Aptharakshaka. Like the actress of this film feeling someone was sleeping in her hotel room, seeing shadows, etc. Whats with this 'Aptha..' and 'Paranormal' theme thats haunting the Kannada film industry?
Whatever be the case, Vishnuvardhan is no more with us. There were many films of his that I liked. I especially remember Rayaru Bandaru Maavana Manege. May his soul rest in peace...
Sigh.
But there was a peculiarity in this natural death: Just a few years ago, actress Soundarya died before the release of Apthamithra film in which Vishnu had acted. This was a film based on paranormal theme. Vishnu died before the release of Aptharakshaka film in which he was taking part when he died. This was supposed to be his 200th film, and a sequel to Apthamithra. This film also was based on a paranormal theme. It was also said that there were 'peculiar' incidents happening to the film crew during the shooting of Aptharakshaka. Like the actress of this film feeling someone was sleeping in her hotel room, seeing shadows, etc. Whats with this 'Aptha..' and 'Paranormal' theme thats haunting the Kannada film industry?
Whatever be the case, Vishnuvardhan is no more with us. There were many films of his that I liked. I especially remember Rayaru Bandaru Maavana Manege. May his soul rest in peace...
Sigh.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
The 'Treasure-Hunt' feeling!
I vividly remember one Friday in September when I left office at 4.30 pm to get AAA maps of New York City [AAA closes at 5 pm]. If you have noticed a AAA map, it is HUGE! It spans across almost a 3*3 table top and the street names are tiny. As I was driving home (and thence on to NY with wife), I had this strange sense of excitement and anxiety within me and I could not understand why.
It struck me a while later that it was because of those AAA maps! Apart from the mapquest printout from and to my sole destination point in NY city [I did not have a GPS], I had not taken any further mapquest printouts and I was totally relying on the AAA map. This feeling of finding out driving directions from a paper map was alien to me and feeling was almost akin to a treasure hunt! Hence the excitement! I was totally looking forward to it! Just goes to show how a device like GPS can kill or mute an innate human feeling of excitement.
Manhattan, with its streets and avenues and traffic jams, is a pain to drive as it is but with no clear sense of direction, it is even more difficult. But I was able to manage it with ease and learnt a lot more about Manhattan than I would have if I had used GPS [A related post]. Not just that, it was plain fun to find roads by myself through paper maps and navigate through the NYC traffic.
PS: I finally fell to the charm and versatility of the GPS and bought one last month.
It struck me a while later that it was because of those AAA maps! Apart from the mapquest printout from and to my sole destination point in NY city [I did not have a GPS], I had not taken any further mapquest printouts and I was totally relying on the AAA map. This feeling of finding out driving directions from a paper map was alien to me and feeling was almost akin to a treasure hunt! Hence the excitement! I was totally looking forward to it! Just goes to show how a device like GPS can kill or mute an innate human feeling of excitement.
Manhattan, with its streets and avenues and traffic jams, is a pain to drive as it is but with no clear sense of direction, it is even more difficult. But I was able to manage it with ease and learnt a lot more about Manhattan than I would have if I had used GPS [A related post]. Not just that, it was plain fun to find roads by myself through paper maps and navigate through the NYC traffic.
PS: I finally fell to the charm and versatility of the GPS and bought one last month.
Quote of the Day
Wealth is relative to the amount of time one has to enjoy it.
~Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Identity
People and Work
There are some people
Wanting to do the same work
At the same office
Day in and day out
For years together
And yet be very content.
And then there are some people
Wanting to do different work
In different offices
Because they get bored and discontent
With a particular stream of work and location
Within a short span of time.
Why that passivity?
Why this restlessness?
Wanting to do the same work
At the same office
Day in and day out
For years together
And yet be very content.
And then there are some people
Wanting to do different work
In different offices
Because they get bored and discontent
With a particular stream of work and location
Within a short span of time.
Why that passivity?
Why this restlessness?
Lingua Franca
It will be reasonable to say that Man came on Earth a very long time ago. Based on Continental Drift hypothesis, it is also reasonable to say that a very long time ago, Earth was just one land mass. Might not exactly be correct to deduce (as cited in the website) but as per Transitive Property of Equality, it is possible that when Man came on Earth very long time ago, Earth was just one land mass.
Continuing thereon, Man would have led to Men (due respect to Woman!) and Men to Community and Communities. Supposing that we had Communities of Men on Earth when Earth was still one land mass, it is possible that the Native Man started some form of communication to communicate with one another. This would have led to the creation of alphabet and sentences and grammar and what not. Its all hypothesis because no one can really say how it all really evolved over period of time.
Now my thought is this: when Earth was just one land mass and Men lived in one community or neighbouring communities, then how did so many languages evolve on this planet? Should not there have been just one language in this whole Earth?!
Since there are more than one languages, it implies that when Man came on this Earth, the Earth was not just one land mass. But then this means that Men came on Earth simultaneously in different parts of the continent at the same time and Continental Communities created their own languages. Of course, this discredits Adam because we are now saying that Men came simultaneously at different parts of Earth. Of course, another explanation is that this implies that Men got separated by continental drift before a form of communication was developed and this resulted in different languages across continents and regions. Possible.
But its surprising and fascinating that there are so many languages on this planet. Its understandable if a huge land area talks one language (like countries having their own languages) but its unthinkable to have neighbouring people (like states within a country) talk different languages. Its almost as if there was a time when people hated one another so much that they thought they should have a language of their own so that they can converse secretly without being understood!
In this one planet, we have 6909 languages and in India alone, there are 452 listed languages! I mean, why take all the pain to create alphabet, create grammar, create sentences, meanings, synonyms, antonyms, etc to create a new language when someone has already created a language? Was the hatred so much that the pain of creation of a new language was absolutely worth it?!!
Or was creating a new language the order of the day for regions, just like how states and countries got created and are being created? Like, as if its an achievement to have a state of one’s own with national language and national flag and national animal and national bird! Did it not strike then that the wheel was being reinvented, so to speak?
One reasoning is that perhaps there was one main language, but it got broken down over the ages to something simpler and easier. For example, if you consider Sanskrit as a parent language, Hindi came out as a child language. The script is the same but content was simplified. Again, its all my hypothesis.
I guess it is too vast a topic to write about and I know too little about evolution of Man and languages. All I know is that when I travel 6 hours from my place, I cannot talk nor read nor understand what people are talking, and I will be left wondering – again – why was there a need to come up with so many languages in this world!!!
:-)
Continuing thereon, Man would have led to Men (due respect to Woman!) and Men to Community and Communities. Supposing that we had Communities of Men on Earth when Earth was still one land mass, it is possible that the Native Man started some form of communication to communicate with one another. This would have led to the creation of alphabet and sentences and grammar and what not. Its all hypothesis because no one can really say how it all really evolved over period of time.
Now my thought is this: when Earth was just one land mass and Men lived in one community or neighbouring communities, then how did so many languages evolve on this planet? Should not there have been just one language in this whole Earth?!
Since there are more than one languages, it implies that when Man came on this Earth, the Earth was not just one land mass. But then this means that Men came on Earth simultaneously in different parts of the continent at the same time and Continental Communities created their own languages. Of course, this discredits Adam because we are now saying that Men came simultaneously at different parts of Earth. Of course, another explanation is that this implies that Men got separated by continental drift before a form of communication was developed and this resulted in different languages across continents and regions. Possible.
But its surprising and fascinating that there are so many languages on this planet. Its understandable if a huge land area talks one language (like countries having their own languages) but its unthinkable to have neighbouring people (like states within a country) talk different languages. Its almost as if there was a time when people hated one another so much that they thought they should have a language of their own so that they can converse secretly without being understood!
In this one planet, we have 6909 languages and in India alone, there are 452 listed languages! I mean, why take all the pain to create alphabet, create grammar, create sentences, meanings, synonyms, antonyms, etc to create a new language when someone has already created a language? Was the hatred so much that the pain of creation of a new language was absolutely worth it?!!
Or was creating a new language the order of the day for regions, just like how states and countries got created and are being created? Like, as if its an achievement to have a state of one’s own with national language and national flag and national animal and national bird! Did it not strike then that the wheel was being reinvented, so to speak?
One reasoning is that perhaps there was one main language, but it got broken down over the ages to something simpler and easier. For example, if you consider Sanskrit as a parent language, Hindi came out as a child language. The script is the same but content was simplified. Again, its all my hypothesis.
I guess it is too vast a topic to write about and I know too little about evolution of Man and languages. All I know is that when I travel 6 hours from my place, I cannot talk nor read nor understand what people are talking, and I will be left wondering – again – why was there a need to come up with so many languages in this world!!!
:-)
Monday, December 28, 2009
Thought for the day
Sometimes change is all what we crave for...
Sometimes constancy is all what we crave for...
Sometimes constancy is all what we crave for...
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Sick Leaves
In my organization, employees at onsite are entitled for 10 sick leaves per year. If they are not taken, they get lapsed at the end of the calendar year. I had not taken a sick leave as long as I was in onsite just for the sake of utilizing the sick leaves. But one day I really fell ill and I took the sick leave.
At the back of mind, there was a sense of satisfaction that I was utilizing the sick leave. I was staying at home, taking rest, being leisurely on a working day. Completely away from work and tension. And yet, I got to keep my earned leave balance the same. Happy-happy!
Then I realized that, due to me not going to office, the client would not be billed for my 8 hours of work by my organization that day. So, my organization would not receive pay for the 8 hours that I was supposed to work that day. In effect, the overall profit would have got hit however infinitesimal this hit might be. But if the organization is over 100,000 people strong and if a considerable number of this population are in onsite and take sick leaves during that quarter, then it is no longer an infinitesimal hit. When the profit hit is significant, then it gets reflected in my own pay slip because my variable pay reduces. So, the sick leave I had taken was essentially back firing me monetarily. Not so happy-happy now!!
Another classic case for Improper Initial Perception.
At the back of mind, there was a sense of satisfaction that I was utilizing the sick leave. I was staying at home, taking rest, being leisurely on a working day. Completely away from work and tension. And yet, I got to keep my earned leave balance the same. Happy-happy!
Then I realized that, due to me not going to office, the client would not be billed for my 8 hours of work by my organization that day. So, my organization would not receive pay for the 8 hours that I was supposed to work that day. In effect, the overall profit would have got hit however infinitesimal this hit might be. But if the organization is over 100,000 people strong and if a considerable number of this population are in onsite and take sick leaves during that quarter, then it is no longer an infinitesimal hit. When the profit hit is significant, then it gets reflected in my own pay slip because my variable pay reduces. So, the sick leave I had taken was essentially back firing me monetarily. Not so happy-happy now!!
Another classic case for Improper Initial Perception.
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