This article is dedicated to an exemplary master craftsman who lives by the by lanes of Yelahanka New Town. This story has been woven around 5 years back
Among us , we have a huge collection of arts(paintings).Once in a year I purchase paintings to make up my rooms.The usual transaction happens through “Fabmall.com” now called Indiaplaza.in .They have a good collection of art facts on their portal.
Some time back(5 years ago),we purchased 2 paintings ---Picasso’s”Dream” and Vincent Van Gogh’s “The mulberry tree”
The paintings were dispatched promptly within 3 days by “Fabmall”.The payment was done on the web upfront.The transaction was carried out in the most modern way you can expect .Jet age you see..
The paintings were modern prints on art paper charts of high quality.These prints had to be made up on “Art frames” with fittings so that,it can be hanged on the walls.
I approached the local kirana shop for getting the frames and fittings made in Yelahanka new town.
The owner of the kirana shop was an aged gentleman. He was from Tamil belt and he had set this shop in YNT because of an appreciative crowd.
The “Owner” was really of the old mold mentality.After choosing the best frames and fittings ,for the paintings I asked,” How much is the price of workmanship ? And what is the lead time .”
The “Owner” was dumbstruck to come to a conclusion, as he was ill prepared to gage the amount for these transactions.
He responded ,”My son is in charge of the “art facts”. I have no sense of the whole thing.
After a lot of cajoling ,we agreed on a price of Rs900/- for the 2
Paintings, as the paintings were large.
I asked,” Is their any advance payment for this transaction?”
The owner vehemently put his foot down and said,” The transaction is done on mutual trust and honesty.”
He even disagreed to give the bill for the transaction(man of words..)
I remember my folks telling this anecdote of living up to
promises you make verbally with promptness. The same
thoughts ran through my mind during that instance.
This also reminisces the vast amount of difference b/w the
Modern transactions (a collateral, payment in advance, net transactions using credit cards) versus the old generation transaction (based on mutual trust and humility)
Coming back to the story the “Owner” promised me the delivery ,the very next day evening. I was happy and closed the transaction with a big “Thanks”.
The next day morning I got a call from “the Owners Son”
He was desperate ,as the art frames we had chosen for the
paintings were not matching to his standards in the true sense.
“The Owners son” had a keen eye for details as he had made up
with thousand of paintings beforehand.
He promised me that he would choose the best frames and complete the activity.
I was apprehensive at the beginning ,but gave a go-ahead on pure gumption.
I drew the amount from the bank near my office, to make payment that evening.
The paintings were ready at the “Art shop” .I was literally
dumbstruck looking at the paintings. It was done up in the most
exhilarating way, beyond my thoughts of imagination
The workmanship was excellent to say the least. The honesty and dedication came across like whiff of fresh air.
The background was put across with a lot of thought and the painting came across live through the eyes of the “Owners son”.
The “Owners son” also apologized for the transaction amount we had agreed upon (Rs900/-),as the cost had escalated by Rs400/- more.
He told,” I have put in 6 hours for the whole design and
Development of the art frames and background work.”
My father has underpriced the whole transaction.
I was taken aback by his forthrightness and honesty.
For me ,the end result was truly rewarding. The paintings looked beautiful beyond my imagination.
Even the “Owners son” replied that all the customers who had
stepped into his shop that day,were going”ga-ga” over the marvels.
He said,” Please pay the amount of Rs900/- as this is what is agreed b/w us-as mouth of words,if you have any reservations on the changed amount.”
I would be happy to accept the agreed amount without any hard feelings.
I was mesmerized at the whole “issue” and found no words to reconcile my thoughts about modern day humility.
I promptly paid him Rs900/- on the same day,with the promise that I would pay the balance the very next day.
I called up my brother and took my paintings back home which
lined up my living and dining room.The payment was completed
the next day with promptness
For the first time “PICASSO” AND “VAN GOGH” paintings looked pale in front of the humility and honesty of workmanship from the regular kirana shops”Owners son”
Whenever I see those paintings ,I see the glowing eyes of the
“OWNERS SON” behind the paintings,on the frames and fittings
which for me is a lethal combination of beauty,marvel,honesty
and humility
Sd/-
Roohul Haq
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Maturity
This article is dedicated to some of our Best Spiritual teachers ,who have given us in depth knowledge and guidance (Osho,Swami Sukhbonanda,Sri Ravishankar,Krishnamurthi,Ekhart tolle, etc)
Maturity means the same as innocence,only with one difference;its innocence reclaimed,its innocence recaptured.
Maturity is a rebirth,a spiritual birth.You are born anew,you are a child again.With fresh eyes you start looking at existence.With love in the heart you approach life.With silence and innocence you penetrate your own innermost core.
There is a great difference between maturity and aging.People remain confused about it.People think that to age is to become mature --but aging belongs to the body.Everybody is aging, everybody will become old,but not necessarily mature.
Maturity is an inner growth
Maturity is something that you bring to life,it comes out of awareness.When a person ages with full awareness,he becomes mature.Aging + awareness ,experiencing+awareness ,is maturity.
A man of maturity never decides for the future;the maturity itself takes care.A mature person never dies,because he will learn even through death.Even death is going to be an experience...to be intensely lived,watched and allowed
Maturity has nothing to do with your life experiences.It has something to do with your inward journey,your experiences of the inner.
The more a man goes deeper into himself,the more mature he is.To me,maturity is another name for realisation;you have come to the fulfillment of your potential, it has become actual.
Maturity has a fragrance.It gives intelligence,the sharpest possible intelligence.It makes him nothing but love.Man becomes mature the moment he starts loving rather than needing. He starts overflowing,sharing,he starts giving.The emphasis is totally different.
With the first,the emphasis is how to get more.With the second,the emphasis is on how to give,how to give moreand how to give unconditionally.
This is growth,maturity coming to you
A mature person gives.Only a mature person can give,because only a mature person has it.
It takes time to grow up, to mature,to come to such a maturity,where you can say "Yes" and yet remain "free",where you can say "yes"and yet remain "unique",where you can say "yes"and yet not become a "slave".
Maturity is yet another spiritual phenomena...
Chow
Roohul Haq
Maturity means the same as innocence,only with one difference;its innocence reclaimed,its innocence recaptured.
Maturity is a rebirth,a spiritual birth.You are born anew,you are a child again.With fresh eyes you start looking at existence.With love in the heart you approach life.With silence and innocence you penetrate your own innermost core.
There is a great difference between maturity and aging.People remain confused about it.People think that to age is to become mature --but aging belongs to the body.Everybody is aging, everybody will become old,but not necessarily mature.
Maturity is an inner growth
Maturity is something that you bring to life,it comes out of awareness.When a person ages with full awareness,he becomes mature.Aging + awareness ,experiencing+awareness ,is maturity.
A man of maturity never decides for the future;the maturity itself takes care.A mature person never dies,because he will learn even through death.Even death is going to be an experience...to be intensely lived,watched and allowed
Maturity has nothing to do with your life experiences.It has something to do with your inward journey,your experiences of the inner.
The more a man goes deeper into himself,the more mature he is.To me,maturity is another name for realisation;you have come to the fulfillment of your potential, it has become actual.
Maturity has a fragrance.It gives intelligence,the sharpest possible intelligence.It makes him nothing but love.Man becomes mature the moment he starts loving rather than needing. He starts overflowing,sharing,he starts giving.The emphasis is totally different.
With the first,the emphasis is how to get more.With the second,the emphasis is on how to give,how to give moreand how to give unconditionally.
This is growth,maturity coming to you
A mature person gives.Only a mature person can give,because only a mature person has it.
It takes time to grow up, to mature,to come to such a maturity,where you can say "Yes" and yet remain "free",where you can say "yes"and yet remain "unique",where you can say "yes"and yet not become a "slave".
Maturity is yet another spiritual phenomena...
Chow
Roohul Haq
Outbound Learning at Pegasus Institute,Bangalore
This is a chapter of two days of exhilarating experience at “Pegasus”, on an Outbound Training programme, away from the daily travails of monotonous work.
Every single detail of travel and stay was meticulously planned. Two cabs were hired from “Pegasus”, to ferry us to the destination. The journey started with the members playing games in the cab. Slowly, the hustle and bustle of the city traffic gave way to potholed roads on the village outskirts. Lush greenery stared innocently at our faces.
We reached Pegasus at 8:00pm,. The place was calm, quiet and pleasing to the eyes. A lot of planning had been done with reference to the “Learning environment” just like an “Army base” training platform.
We were then introduced to the “Facilitator”, of the programme, Colonel Nagarajan. He made us aware of the institute, do’s and don’ts, history behind the “Learning environment”- all this in a ten point. He put us all at ease and showed us the tents which were essentially our home for the next two days.
The arrangements were excellent, discipline- immaculate, the staff- ever humble, and hospitality – definitely the best! The staff members were employed from nearby 4 villages across the institute.
On 21st July 06, we assembled at “Central Peragola”, where we were introduced to the other facilitator, Mr. Alok Dubey, who played an important role in the two days of our Outbound Learning. The briefing on the morning session went on for an hour or so, with the learning graph exceeding our expectation.
The 13 step formula required to actively participate on the two day programme was successfully spelt out with 3 points standing out.
• Challenge your inhibitions.
• Grapple your fears and learn to manage them.
• Have a lot of fun along the way of learning.
The team members introduced themselves by briefly speaking about their hobbies and passions.
Mr. Alok, kept the whole group entertained with some skits and ten minutes fun sessions in between the regular group exercises and the learning sessions. We did some wonderful skits on social causes like “NO SMOKING” and other mono-acts by the members in between.
The first activity was in the form of group exercise. The name of the game was Dynamic Delivery. In this, the teams had to cross a particular barricade of milestones without the feet or any material touching the ground. The assignment was challenging. The ideas generated during the exercise were stupendous. The team kept on getting innovative inputs at every stage. Few members emerged to be the very enterprising as they were gutsy enough to reach the halfway of the target.
This event helped us unwind, fight our mental blocks and challenge our inhibitions and fears. The team pulled off every idea in the book to surpass the huge responsibility. Although both the teams could not finish the assignment, the learnings were mind boggling. The briefing sessions of 2 hours with both the teams that followed, made us aware of the nitty- gritties of business acumen and values/behaviours to execute it.
The facilitator was pin pointing the micro – details of the event and giving the analogy with reference to the “Tyco 4 Values and 9 Behaviours”. Special appreciation was given to those who made things happen even under adversity. The feelings/emotions of the event was raveled by the discussion that followed. We then had sumptuous lunch. The atmosphere was awesome and hospitality enthralling.
In the post lunch session, we had an exercise which comprised of one Project Manager and 3 teams who had 6 members with them. The new assignment was to build an assortment of “Design of wooden blocks”, to be built and practiced for an execution time of 110 minutes. The whole design had to be built with a cycle time of 120 seconds (2 minutes) by all the 3 teams put together.
The customer (Hypothetical) was very particular about the quality of the product as well as about the delivery time. No leeway, on these matters, as per the contract signed.
The 3 teams practiced the whole exercise by making the design of the wooden blocks at 3 different locations. Project Manager co-ordinated the project by constantly updating the progress with the customer and giving tips for execution to the team members. The bridging of communication was apparent in the whole activity. All the 3 teams followed their own methodology for executing the project. After 110 minutes elapsed , all 3 teams were asked to execute the project with combined cycle time of 120 seconds (2 minutes).
Team A performed the act in129 seconds, Team B in 46 seconds and Team C could not execute the project at all.
The customer (Facilitator) was furious and disappointed with the outcome and pulled the Project Manager for its failure. Negotiation skills came to the forte between the Project Manager and the facilitator. Bargaining for no penalties and punishment became the order of TYCO team. The team was adamant in not executing the project, if the conditions were not relaxed. The project was called off after a lot of deliberation between the customer and Project Manager.
Disappointments were lit large on the whole team after the entire exercise. The discussions that followed re-inforced the lessons that we had learnt in the morning session. Special mention was made in “Customer Focus”, “not to follow the least resistant path”, and to demonstrate “Managerial Courage”.
The day ended with dinner served promptly at 8:30pm with hospitality unlimited.
We had a quick walk around the campus, had some pep talk outside the tent and dwindled off the whole day with sound sleep thereafter.
The next morning everyone was up by 5:30 am, played a round of volley ball with team members for 45 minutes and then had breakfast. We all assembled at 7:45 am for another days learning.
It started with an exercise of building tents blindfolded. The team was split in 4. Each team was given 20 – 34 minutes to plan and execute this particular assignment. In this, the team leaders had to give instructions communicating at par…., and there was restriction on the movement of the leader.
This exercise took the maximum out of the participants. The issue was each member had his own way of interpretation of the tent. The team members went about the task with aplomb, but not looking at the “Big Picture”. This should have been done by the team Leaders. As usual the teams failed to execute the promised tent within the stipulated time. Now, it was the turn of the least bidder to execute the mission after watching the other teams perform.
Every team member was having a snapshot of this particular exercise. One team did a very good job. Each member performed their activity with sheer focus and immaculate execution. This team’s leader had nonchalant interpersonal skills, making the task look easy.
After the exercise, the usual interpretations of the whole activity were demystified in the eyes of the beholder, through a vigorous interpretation/discussion among the team members and the team leader. The learnings was chalked out in snippets and put forth across the whole group by each team.
The Learnings
“Customer Focus”, “Look at the big picture”, “Communication across various functions and among collaborative teams”, “Micro – detailing of the project plan”.
The 2nd exercise for the day was immediately chalked out by the facilitator. “Rafting” for sure…..
The team members were asked to change over to shorts and carry over a towel…. Shoes gave way to slippers and for the adventurous types …barefoot trekking…..
We were dumped on billet trucks and Sumo’s … we felt like we were going for merry making… The team traveled for about 4- 5 kms to reach the destinations, the facilitators were promptly making their plans to go ahead with appointing the Project Manager and the team members.
After a short briefing, each team was given the task of designing and quoting for the best raft a customer would ask for, with least lead time and competitive price. 2 NGO rafts (Rescue) had to be built. Each team worked out the details, after a lot of deliberation, the team started actually implementing the same.
The enthusiasm of building the raft was breathtaking the wooden logs(Long and short) were arranged for log work, knots tied across added for stability and balance. In between the customer was updated on the progress by the project Manager to the hilt. The first visit by the customer requested for a Cultural Presentation, the team happily sung “Vande Mataram” in tandem to show their respect towards the customer, here come’s the exciting part….
Off we go into the pond, with the rafts…., Alok – facilitator, gave a brief note on the Do’s and Don’ts how to take a left and right turn, what to do , if the raft overturns and general matters. The first Team’s raft was designed to the perfection and was balanced by the team members accurately. As we moved into the pond, the fears, inhibitions, thrill, joy, excitement, satisfaction, success, pride and youthful exuberance came into forte at various instances. One of the rafts was very adventurous, this raft overturned within a few minutes of embarking into the water.
We all thoroughly enjoyed the scenery- photographs tell the whole picture, and may everyone display this kind of enthusiasm in our day to day life. After the exercise, the “learning part” was jointly conducted by the facilitator; we had brunch session in between for an hour. Food was exemplary … yummy to the tee… got ourselves refreshed and started packing for return journey ahead…
We had the following lessons engraved in our minds
• Customer requirement on time and with correct specifications, adaptability to changing situations, flexibility for change, compatibility with external customers time plan and competition, teamwork and leadership demonstration.
The facilitator profusely thanked the team members for the wonderful participation, which followed by thanks from our team.
We wrote our “professional and personal development goals” to bring about accountability in our team.
We summoned our guts and determination, going forward with renewed vigor and pride to face the challenges ahead…the return journey was smooth and as we traveled back, the memories of the 2 days well spent, are crystal clear in our minds.
Hats off to Pegasus and Jai Hind to Colonel Saab and also Mr. Alok.
It indeed was a truly enthralling experience to cherish all our life.
Thanks
Roohul Haq.
Every single detail of travel and stay was meticulously planned. Two cabs were hired from “Pegasus”, to ferry us to the destination. The journey started with the members playing games in the cab. Slowly, the hustle and bustle of the city traffic gave way to potholed roads on the village outskirts. Lush greenery stared innocently at our faces.
We reached Pegasus at 8:00pm,. The place was calm, quiet and pleasing to the eyes. A lot of planning had been done with reference to the “Learning environment” just like an “Army base” training platform.
We were then introduced to the “Facilitator”, of the programme, Colonel Nagarajan. He made us aware of the institute, do’s and don’ts, history behind the “Learning environment”- all this in a ten point. He put us all at ease and showed us the tents which were essentially our home for the next two days.
The arrangements were excellent, discipline- immaculate, the staff- ever humble, and hospitality – definitely the best! The staff members were employed from nearby 4 villages across the institute.
On 21st July 06, we assembled at “Central Peragola”, where we were introduced to the other facilitator, Mr. Alok Dubey, who played an important role in the two days of our Outbound Learning. The briefing on the morning session went on for an hour or so, with the learning graph exceeding our expectation.
The 13 step formula required to actively participate on the two day programme was successfully spelt out with 3 points standing out.
• Challenge your inhibitions.
• Grapple your fears and learn to manage them.
• Have a lot of fun along the way of learning.
The team members introduced themselves by briefly speaking about their hobbies and passions.
Mr. Alok, kept the whole group entertained with some skits and ten minutes fun sessions in between the regular group exercises and the learning sessions. We did some wonderful skits on social causes like “NO SMOKING” and other mono-acts by the members in between.
The first activity was in the form of group exercise. The name of the game was Dynamic Delivery. In this, the teams had to cross a particular barricade of milestones without the feet or any material touching the ground. The assignment was challenging. The ideas generated during the exercise were stupendous. The team kept on getting innovative inputs at every stage. Few members emerged to be the very enterprising as they were gutsy enough to reach the halfway of the target.
This event helped us unwind, fight our mental blocks and challenge our inhibitions and fears. The team pulled off every idea in the book to surpass the huge responsibility. Although both the teams could not finish the assignment, the learnings were mind boggling. The briefing sessions of 2 hours with both the teams that followed, made us aware of the nitty- gritties of business acumen and values/behaviours to execute it.
The facilitator was pin pointing the micro – details of the event and giving the analogy with reference to the “Tyco 4 Values and 9 Behaviours”. Special appreciation was given to those who made things happen even under adversity. The feelings/emotions of the event was raveled by the discussion that followed. We then had sumptuous lunch. The atmosphere was awesome and hospitality enthralling.
In the post lunch session, we had an exercise which comprised of one Project Manager and 3 teams who had 6 members with them. The new assignment was to build an assortment of “Design of wooden blocks”, to be built and practiced for an execution time of 110 minutes. The whole design had to be built with a cycle time of 120 seconds (2 minutes) by all the 3 teams put together.
The customer (Hypothetical) was very particular about the quality of the product as well as about the delivery time. No leeway, on these matters, as per the contract signed.
The 3 teams practiced the whole exercise by making the design of the wooden blocks at 3 different locations. Project Manager co-ordinated the project by constantly updating the progress with the customer and giving tips for execution to the team members. The bridging of communication was apparent in the whole activity. All the 3 teams followed their own methodology for executing the project. After 110 minutes elapsed , all 3 teams were asked to execute the project with combined cycle time of 120 seconds (2 minutes).
Team A performed the act in129 seconds, Team B in 46 seconds and Team C could not execute the project at all.
The customer (Facilitator) was furious and disappointed with the outcome and pulled the Project Manager for its failure. Negotiation skills came to the forte between the Project Manager and the facilitator. Bargaining for no penalties and punishment became the order of TYCO team. The team was adamant in not executing the project, if the conditions were not relaxed. The project was called off after a lot of deliberation between the customer and Project Manager.
Disappointments were lit large on the whole team after the entire exercise. The discussions that followed re-inforced the lessons that we had learnt in the morning session. Special mention was made in “Customer Focus”, “not to follow the least resistant path”, and to demonstrate “Managerial Courage”.
The day ended with dinner served promptly at 8:30pm with hospitality unlimited.
We had a quick walk around the campus, had some pep talk outside the tent and dwindled off the whole day with sound sleep thereafter.
The next morning everyone was up by 5:30 am, played a round of volley ball with team members for 45 minutes and then had breakfast. We all assembled at 7:45 am for another days learning.
It started with an exercise of building tents blindfolded. The team was split in 4. Each team was given 20 – 34 minutes to plan and execute this particular assignment. In this, the team leaders had to give instructions communicating at par…., and there was restriction on the movement of the leader.
This exercise took the maximum out of the participants. The issue was each member had his own way of interpretation of the tent. The team members went about the task with aplomb, but not looking at the “Big Picture”. This should have been done by the team Leaders. As usual the teams failed to execute the promised tent within the stipulated time. Now, it was the turn of the least bidder to execute the mission after watching the other teams perform.
Every team member was having a snapshot of this particular exercise. One team did a very good job. Each member performed their activity with sheer focus and immaculate execution. This team’s leader had nonchalant interpersonal skills, making the task look easy.
After the exercise, the usual interpretations of the whole activity were demystified in the eyes of the beholder, through a vigorous interpretation/discussion among the team members and the team leader. The learnings was chalked out in snippets and put forth across the whole group by each team.
The Learnings
“Customer Focus”, “Look at the big picture”, “Communication across various functions and among collaborative teams”, “Micro – detailing of the project plan”.
The 2nd exercise for the day was immediately chalked out by the facilitator. “Rafting” for sure…..
The team members were asked to change over to shorts and carry over a towel…. Shoes gave way to slippers and for the adventurous types …barefoot trekking…..
We were dumped on billet trucks and Sumo’s … we felt like we were going for merry making… The team traveled for about 4- 5 kms to reach the destinations, the facilitators were promptly making their plans to go ahead with appointing the Project Manager and the team members.
After a short briefing, each team was given the task of designing and quoting for the best raft a customer would ask for, with least lead time and competitive price. 2 NGO rafts (Rescue) had to be built. Each team worked out the details, after a lot of deliberation, the team started actually implementing the same.
The enthusiasm of building the raft was breathtaking the wooden logs(Long and short) were arranged for log work, knots tied across added for stability and balance. In between the customer was updated on the progress by the project Manager to the hilt. The first visit by the customer requested for a Cultural Presentation, the team happily sung “Vande Mataram” in tandem to show their respect towards the customer, here come’s the exciting part….
Off we go into the pond, with the rafts…., Alok – facilitator, gave a brief note on the Do’s and Don’ts how to take a left and right turn, what to do , if the raft overturns and general matters. The first Team’s raft was designed to the perfection and was balanced by the team members accurately. As we moved into the pond, the fears, inhibitions, thrill, joy, excitement, satisfaction, success, pride and youthful exuberance came into forte at various instances. One of the rafts was very adventurous, this raft overturned within a few minutes of embarking into the water.
We all thoroughly enjoyed the scenery- photographs tell the whole picture, and may everyone display this kind of enthusiasm in our day to day life. After the exercise, the “learning part” was jointly conducted by the facilitator; we had brunch session in between for an hour. Food was exemplary … yummy to the tee… got ourselves refreshed and started packing for return journey ahead…
We had the following lessons engraved in our minds
• Customer requirement on time and with correct specifications, adaptability to changing situations, flexibility for change, compatibility with external customers time plan and competition, teamwork and leadership demonstration.
The facilitator profusely thanked the team members for the wonderful participation, which followed by thanks from our team.
We wrote our “professional and personal development goals” to bring about accountability in our team.
We summoned our guts and determination, going forward with renewed vigor and pride to face the challenges ahead…the return journey was smooth and as we traveled back, the memories of the 2 days well spent, are crystal clear in our minds.
Hats off to Pegasus and Jai Hind to Colonel Saab and also Mr. Alok.
It indeed was a truly enthralling experience to cherish all our life.
Thanks
Roohul Haq.
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