A walk to my birthplace - Day 25 (100 Km covered so far)

I hit the road after a couple of days and finally hit my 100 Km-mark. While walking today my mind went back to something that happened over dinner a few days back.

I was with some people over dinner and when the time came to order my drink, I ordered my usual orange juice. Person sitting next to me asked “So are you off the alcohol these days?” “No, actually I never had alcohol in my life.” “Really, great abstinence!” – I just smiled because to me this was not an issue to discuss at all.

But that comment set me thinking … Actually abstinence assumes a temptation that is avoided … in my case there was never any temptation. I come from a simple middle class family where drinking neither was a part of culture nor socially accepted.  Generally many friends tried a drink or two at 17 and had to do a lot of efforts to hide it from their parents. In my case, my parents had always trusted me right from the childhood.  I don’t remember them ever asking me an account of my time or money spent – ever! Hanging out with friends, I used to return home past midnight like any normal teen-ager but do not remember ever being asked about my whereabouts. Same was true for money .... there were times when I spent money and asked for replenishment pretty fast – no questions were asked. Also, in this relationship there was no room for a lie or a secret! If I had taken a drink, there was no option of keeping it secret and my mother would have been extremely hurt if I had touched alcohol! I guessed that must have settled the issue for me quite early in life!

Do I have any views on alcohol? NO – not at all - I think it’s a matter of personal choice and a lot depends on the rules of engagement in the family. I have seen many cases of parents bonding with their kids over a drink or two. I have seen in these relationships based on openness and trust.

As long as you have congruence with your value system and that of your dear ones,   a drink or two does not matter!

A walk to my birthplace - Day 23 (94 Km covered so far)

Today I came back home in the evening and felt little unwell. I was feeling little feverish and decided to take rest. This meant that I could not go for my walk today. Since “A walk to my birthplace” has started, I really look forward to my walks. Funny, how you get going behind something with a single-minded focus once you make a mission out of it.  I was little disappointed not to add any distance to my walk today but did not want to take risk as tomorrow is a working day!

So, very unlike myself, I settled into a beanbag in the leaving room and dozed off for some time. I got up when I felt someone touching my forehead. I saw Janhavi – my 16 year old daughter checking out anxiously if I had fever. “Are you ok?” she asked. “Of course, I am, just trying to take a bit of rest. Nothing serious”.  Obviously she did not believe me and kept hovering around. She got me some water and asked, “Should I make some tea for you?” “No, thank you. But I will have some food after some time”. “Ok” she said and sat next to me. When I was ready for my supper, Janhavi quickly got up and got me some rice. “You eat here”. Once I finished my food she quickly picked up the plate and went away. “Do you need anything?” “No, I am fine”.

By now I was feeling little funny about the whole situation. I was not that unwell. The way my daughter fussed around me was peculiar! How quickly kids grow up! I was not able to decide whether I prefer my tantrum-throwing, demanding little daughter or this caring young lady.  

I suddenly started feeling much better even without covering any more distance in Kilometers – In little moments like these you realize the distance your kid has traveled!

A walk to my birthplace Day 22 (94 Km covered so far)

What is the most common phenomenon at any tourist spot?  You always see tourists clicking photographs for capturing permanent memories of the place / occasion. One of the most cynical comments I ever heard was – ‘People click the pictures in frenzy and then do site-seeing when they browse their albums at home!’

Nothing wrong with that – the concept of photograph was perhaps invented to capture the memories. My mind drifted to one momentous occasion which is marked by lack of one photograph which should have been taken. In 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbed the world’s tallest peak – Mount Everest. When they reached the top, they spent only 15 minutes at the top. They had limited time as they had to head back safely. They quickly assessed the situation, looked for any evidence whether the earlier expedition by George Mallory had reached the top. Tenzing left a chocolate at the top and Hillary left a cross he carried. And of course Edmund Hillary clicked the photos! He clicked the photos from the top to prove authenticity of their claim and also took photo of Tenzing Norgay unfurling the flags of Nepal, UK, UN and India! But there is no photograph of Edmund Hillary at the top! It is said that Tenzing was not familiar with a camera and hence there is no picture. Tenzing in one of the interviews years later said that he had offered to take a picture of Hillary but he refused – he did not want it.

I wonder what must have been the reason for Hillary to not have a photo? Perhaps he had decided to leave a memory different than a photograph. Sir Edmund Hillary spent significant part of his life to improve the lives of local ‘Sherpa’ community by opening multiple schools, hospitals and providing clean drinking water.  Apart from his legacy of philanthropy, he also left a legacy of adventure – exactly 50 years after his successful Mount Everest expedition, his son climbed Mount Everest along with Tenzing’s son!

Here was a man who had an indomitable spirit of adventure – he was the first (and perhaps only) man to have been on both poles of earth and Mount Everest; to drive a farm tractor to South Pole. In 1977, he also traveled in a jet boat starting from ocean towards the point nearest to the origin of Ganges.

Take a bow Sir Edmund Hillary – you will always remind us that there are better ways of preserving memories than a photograph! 

A walk to my birthplace Day 21 (89 Km covered so far)

Flipping through the channels, I just lingered on National Geographic HD channel. It was a program on wild animals. A female leopard fought with a big female baboon and finally killed it. As the leopard started pulling the carcass up the tree, I decided to change the channel to avoid any further gory details. Just when I was about to change the channel, my fingers froze! A tiny one-day old infant fell off from the belly of the baboon. I was in double mind – I wanted to change the channel but curiosity prevented it. As the tiny baboon infant fell off from the branch the leopard approached it. I held my breath. The leopard gently cuddled the infant baboon. Scared as it was the infant baboon started crawling across. The leopard suddenly saw a hyena lurking around. Instead of protecting its kill, the leopard first gently picked up the infant and put it on the tree. Then it came back to chase away the hyena. The infant baboon, scared and confused, kept crawling across and leopard did its best to keep it on the branch safely. Finally the infant baboon settled with the leopard and cuddled together, they both rested!

I literally had Goosebumps! As I switched off the TV I was extremely disturbed.  We call human beings an evolved species. Regularly one reads in the newspapers the hideous act of what is shamelessly called “Honor killings”. Just because the kids decide to be partners with someone who is not from the caste/creed the council of wise men (!!!!) decide to punish them with brutal murder.

If a predator like leopard makes its best efforts to save the infant of its prey, what gives us right to call ourselves a higher species? As long as hideous events like honor killing continue to happen around us we definitely don’t deserve the description!!!!!!!!

A walk to my birthplace - Day 20 (85 Km covered so far)

I heard this story just yesterday and loved it …. This is story of two monks – one old and another younger one. One day both the monks were walking through a forest. While walking through forest, they came across a flowing river. The river was not very deep but the current was quite strong. While they were searching for an appropriate spot to cross the river, they saw a very beautiful young girl standing on the river bank. She looked worried. As the monks approached her, she bowed to the older monk and said, “O wise one, I need to cross the river but I am scared of the current. I cannot walk through the river”. The old monk quietly held out his hand but she said, “I am so scared, I really cannot walk even holding your hand”. The old monk looked at her and without a word picked he up in his arms and walked across the river. Once they crossed the river, the old monk put her down and she walked away after thanking him.

Both monks crossed the forest. The young monk was deep in his thoughts. Monks had taken oath of celibacy and were not supposed to touch a woman. What old monk just did seem so inappropriate! He kept quiet for a long time but finally could not bear the burden of his thoughts.

He asked the old monk, “Why did you carry that girl across the river?” The old monk turned around and said in a calm voice, “Young man, I left her on the banks of the river long back, why are you still carrying her in your mind?”

It happens to us many a times. We are so bound by rules of the society that we forget the purpose behind those rules. Rules soon become rituals to be blindly followed! There are times when temporarily moving away from rules is necessary as long as it does not hurt anyone! Carrying guilt at those times is purely irrelevant and unnecessary!!!!

A walk to my Birthplace - Day 19 (78 Km covered so far)

In Maharabharata there is a story of Bheema – the mighty pandava and lord Hanuman –  revered as god of strength. Bheema was extremely proud of his strength and that pride had made him arrogant. One day when Bheema was going down the path, he saw an old monkey sitting on the road with its tail spread across. Bheema ordered the monkey to move the tail and the frail monkey said. “I am too old to move. Why don’t you move it?” Bheema, with all his strength could not move the tail even by an inch. Finally he bowed to the monkey and asked for forgiveness. That’s when lord Hanuman who was in the guise of an old monkey came into his own being.

I had heard this story quite a few times but it had not sunk in well…. It did - a few years back-  in a very peculiar way ……

In India long distance driving holidays are not as common as some of the other countries. I was 35 then and had planned a driving holiday all the way up to Nainitaal and Kausani (approximately 2000 Km from Pune where I stay). It was a long drive and we traveled as a big team comprising me, my wife, daughter, parents, in-laws and my brother-in law. Kausani was the farthest point in our trip and after thoroughly enjoying our stopovers at Corbett, Nainitaal, we finally arrived at Kausani. We stayed a small hotel facing the valley. After watching the sunset from the terrace, I strolled down to bonfire lit in hotel’s backyard. I came across an elderly gentleman who must be in his early sixties. We said hi to each other and he asked “where have you come from”. Feeling proud about my long distance driving I told him,” I have come from Pune and I have driven all the way with my family in Innova (MUV manufactured by Totoya)” Excellent” said the old man. Little disappointed that he showed no further curiosity I asked him about himself. “Well, I am 63 and retired. I have come from Bangalore.” “So, how did you come?” The old man quietly said, “I have a santro (small car  by Hundai) and I drove down from Bangalore”. I was speechless! Here was a man almost three decades older than me and had driven down almost 1000 km more than me in a small car and was pretty cool about it!

I blushed and felt extremely foolish about my own pride! I guess god has his own design to quietly put things in perspective. Thank you lord for everything!

A walk to my Birthplace - Day 18 (75 Km covered so far)

I think I have bragged enough about my driving skills multiple times. But, here is a story that is little different than my normal brag stories.

I was driving up the Zoji-La (La=pass) on the way to Leh. Zoji-La is a narrow strip of dirt road that winds up the mountain without any protection on the side of a deep valley. It is  high altitude drive where you drive at around 12000 ft above the sea level (The highest point on the road is Fotu-La which is approximately 14000 Ft).

This was the first time I was driving in such high altitude. I had my family with me and I drove my SUV extremely carefully. At one point I stopped by, to give side to the other vehicles. As I started again up the slope, my vehicle started sliding down. I pushed the paddle to no effect. It was pretty scary to slide back on that slope but finally the vehicle was stopped.

A young Kashmiri driver riding his rickety utility vehicle watched this whole episode. He came to me and said “Sir, drive it with gentle care – don’t press the paddle. Your vehicle will easily climb! If it does not-I will drive it myself. Don’t worry”. I prayed to the god and started again following his instruction – this time driving at ease and pushing the paddle gently – it worked!

At high altitude, there is less oxygen. If you push the paddle, you just flood the engine with not much oxygen available for combustion – you have to push the paddle carefully – just enough for vehicle to climb easily.

There is always less oxygen at the top! This applies to the corporate careers as well. As we climb up, the terrain changes. It is no longer only about pushing the paddle – but to also ensure that you have enough oxygen to go ahead!

As one goes up the corporate ladder, one has to ensure that you maintain your oxygen. This oxygen is your support system in terms of relationships – in and out of workplace, your friends and your hobbies. If you just keep pushing the paddle, you do not give time for the oxygen to act effectively and mind eventually gets flooded with stress. It is the same stress which has kept you on toes and got you to compete and reach certain height. But if it floods your mind – slide may start! Be careful – as the terrain changes – what got you here may not take you further!

A walk to my Birthplace - Day 17 (71 Km covered so far)

I am undergoing a training program to be a coach. It is pretty interesting to attend 10-hours classroom session after ages. Today something interesting happened in the class. We were all asked to describe ourselves using a metaphor. Today’s walk is all about what popped up in my mind instantly.

I spontaneously responded – “Elephant”. Why elephant??

First of all it is an animal with strong affiliation to its family.

 Elephants are known as big animals but elephant’s trunk is the most sensitive muscle combination that can pick up even the pin. Elephant is an odd combination of roughness and sensitivity.

Elephants generally are good when left on their own and actually indulge in themselves in their own way.

Elephants are known to have a great memory – they do not forget and forgive easily.

Generally easy going animals, elephants can be supremely agile once they are behind something.

It is interesting how elephant is tamed. When a wild elephant is captured, it is tied by the chain and firmly tied to the peg so that it cannot move. Later on, whenever elephant has just chain attached to its leg, it remains stationary even though not tied down by anyone! May be due to its memory elephant can also carry a lot of unnecessary baggage and actually can feel bogged down where there is no need!

Most importantly elephant is an extremely private animal when it comes to grief. Elephant does not share grief easily. It is said that when elephant comes to end of life, it goes away on its own and meets the end quietly!

May be this is me or my own perception about me. What is your metaphor?

A walk to my Birthplace - Day 16 (67 Km covered so far)

I dumped my luggage after checking in and set out to walk. After years I walked around the Brigade road and MG Road in Bangalore. I roamed around the busy streets and mind went back a few years.

First visit to Bangalore was during my childhood when my maternal uncle was posted here. First impression of the city was more about the distance to Bangalore. Perhaps that was the longest train journey till then. My uncle really pampered us during that visit and Bangalore to me meant a fairyland - a lovely place but far off.

I visited Bangalore many years after my first visit. In less than a year after our marriage, Pallavi and me came to the city in 1995. Generally fell in love with the Brigade road – it just felt nice. Mind you – we lived in Mumbai and used to spend a lot of time in the upmarket areas there but even then Bangalore had some different charm – A beautiful green city with a touch of modernity. KFC and malls had still not come to Mumbai and Bangalore felt a younger place!

Then somewhere around 2001, we shifted to Bangalore due to my job. Both Pallavi and I had never lived out of our comfort zone in Mumbai. We had to establish a home away from home for the first time. It was a mixed feeling of curiosity about new city to settle and apprehension whether we would be able to adjust to the city. Bangalore floored us! With our week-end drives, authentic south Indian food and of course the whether it was a city to fall in love. But most importantly we made friends here who were to become part of our life – Such friendly, warm, genuine people whom we never thought we will ever meet in an unknown city. We were overwhelmed with emotions leaving this city to which we came as perfect strangers. Bangalore felt such a friendly city!

Fairyland …. Modern city…. Friendly place –as I walked along, the city formed beautiful collage in my mind and I just felt lovely – just like walking around with an old friend!

A walk to my Birthplace - Day 15 (62 Km covered so far)

Today was an interesting day. Left home early morning at 6 AM for Ahmedabad and was tied up with hiring on the campus at one of the reputed management institutes.

Once campus hiring process starts, you hardly get any time to breathe. But suddenly at around 4 PM, I realized I had almost an hour’s gap in my schedule. I got up and decided to go for my daily walk as the morning or evening walk was ruled out today.

While walking, I thought about the meetings I had during the day. It is always a refreshing experience meeting young people with big ambitions. I met quite a few who had given up their stable, well-paying jobs to start education again. Almost all of them were married with kids and had left their families away to study for a year. Apart from ambition, it takes a lot of courage to do such stuff. Also involves sacrifices that they have to make giving up precious moments with the family. I really admired their motivation.

Finally day came to end and it was time to board the flight back home. Once I settled in the flight to Pune, routine started. The cabin crew took up their positions for demonstration of flight safety instructions. As the ritual started, nobody paid attention to this mandatory stuff. I kept looking at the cabin crew member. He was a young boy going about the routine drill with utmost sincerity. He must going through this every day. What a pain it must be to do something which  is mandatory but nobody either appreciates or cares!

There must such tasks in every working organization – I just hoped that none of the young people I met during the day ever get into such stuff!

A walk to my birthplace Day 14 (58 Km covered so far)

Today the walk did not happen due to a bad schedule, but the other part of “A walk to my Birthplace” continues – the journey of thoughts and reflections.

While the nation celebrates illustrious career of a sporting icon who started at 16, my mind went back to another one who started his illustrious career at the age of 16.

When I visited the officers’ Mess at Ladakh Scouts HQ in Leh, I came across a portrait of a local person in Army Uniform. “Who is he?” I asked the commanding officer. “He is Chewang Rinchen – India’s youngest recipient of Maha Vir Chakra (gallantry award give for supreme valor) at the age of 17”. I consider myself fairly well-read but I had no clue about this man. So this is the story of Chewang Rinchen whom we all should not only know but revere!

Chewang, a local ladakhi boy enrolled for Army at the age of 16. He was trained barely for 10 days when Pakistan Army invaded state of Jammu & Kashmir. When the Indian Army sought volunteers to defend Ladakh against Pakistani raiders, Rinchen, then a Class IX student, opted. With the help of band of small volunteers and just 28 rifles, Richen kept enemy at bay for weeks together. Mohammad Yusuf Ahidi, commander of the Pakistani raiders, noted in his book Baltistan Par Ek Nazar: "If Commander Chewang Rinchen had not foiled these attacks, we would have been masters of...Ladakh."

Again at the age of 40 when Rinchen was holding a rank of colonel, he took up his another battle with the enemy. This time  to free the land that was forcefully occupied by Pakistan. Rinchen took a select band of soldiers and traveled with minimum supplies so that they could move fast. He went on capturing Pakistani outposts by using just a few grenades and bayonets. He and his brave hearts used the enemy’s grocery and ammunition rather than carrying heavy loads in those high altitude tough terrains – this was not only valor but also supreme confidence in the strategy. He reclaimed 800 sq Km of land without any casualties from his team! He was decorated with second Maha Vir Chakra. Chewang Rinchen showed an amazing consistency in his valor with a debut on the battle ground  at 16 and scintillating performance at 40!

The tragedy is, Rinchen is not very well known in India for some reasons. He should be part of Indian folklore and his stories should told to every child in India. It is important to celebrate our real life heroes  along with those on sports fiend and celluloid. A nation’s character should be built on pride for men like Chewang Rinchen.

Chewang Rinchen – THANK YOU. You were Independent India’s first prodigy and we are proud of you. May be we need to celebrate you more than we have ever done!

A walk to my birthplace Day 13 (58 Km covered so far)

Sachin Tendulkar – the greatest cricketer of our generation received ‘Bharat Ratna’ – the highest civilian award.

Majority of the population was ecstatic but there were some who struck a discordant note! Perhaps they do not understand that Sachin Tendulkar is not just a person but a metaphor! He is a metaphor of abundant goodness for a nation of billions that had only seen paucity of everything not too long ago.

Many sportsmen are adored by their fans but this one was almost worshiped by his fans. Why? The answer lies in what everyone witnessed on the last day of the illustrious career. At the end of it all a simple gesture of touching the 22-yard cricket pitch with reverence said it all.

In our country every artist who performs on the stage does not walk onto  the stage without touching it with reverence – pretty much same way Tendulkar did in the end. To them, stage provides them a platform to live their dreams and hence it has to be respected. They also know the uncertainty in their trade and hence no great performer ever dares to take the stage for granted! Those who do it,  pay for it sooner or later.

So is it superstition? Is it fear of uncertainty – no – I don’t think so. It is based on the philosophy of gratitude - the same philosophy which makes us revere five elements of nature! This sense of gratitude is essence of Indian culture.

Tendulkar throughout his life never threw away what essentially defines Indian culture and still achieved a great success in International sports. In a nation mired in self-doubt, a nation that tried its best to emulate some other materialistically successful nations, stood a man thoroughly Indian. In a nation where not only corrupt win over clean but even TV soaps show victory of evil over good for dramatic effect, stood a man who proved otherwise. Whenever he succeeded on the cricket ground, common man thought – Oh – this also happens and so there is hope! It is the hope that Tendulkar always stood for amidst the ruins of sleaze, corruption and greed. His ‘Bharat Ratna’ will just keep reminding people the victory of Good – always! Well played Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar – we are proud of you!!

A walk to my birthplace Day 12 (55 Km covered so far)

In India cricket is religion and for most people it is rather a sport to talk about than play. As I mentioned earlier I was never a sportsman. For me, I preferred talking about cricket than playing.

We started a cricket tournament in our company and I was part of one of the cricket teams. The boys were gracious enough to accept me as part of team as I am 43 and have never shown any signs of being a sportsman. I brought up the average age of my team which otherwise would have been well below 30!

Today we had our match. My wife and son were to join the audience to watch me play. I had told them to be on time otherwise I was sure that I would be back in the pavilion even if they came 5 minutes after starting the match. After all I had not played the full over-arm cricket on a proper cricket ground for last 20 years!

We were to bat first and my wife and son were nowhere to be seen. I was asked to open the batting. I pleaded to my captain to send me after a wicket or two so that at least my family can see me on the pitch with a bat in hand. My captain told me “I need to shield our better batsmen from their best bowlers who would bowl first” How helpful! I realized that my role was more like a sacrificial goat!

As I walked to the pitch, my wife and son were not in sight. Then something happened. I was determined to play in front of them and decided come what may, I am not going to throw my wicket easily! I focused all my concentration and middled the first ball to take a single! Felt such a joy! It was just a six-over-a-side match. I came to open the batting and remained unbeaten as we scored 67 in six overs! I personally did not score much but did not waste any deliveries and rotated the strike by running like a mad dog between the wickets!

My son and wife could see me play and remain unbeaten. As I walked back, I was really happy and proud. God knows for some reason it meant a lot to me!

I definitely don’t have any sports skill but played on sheer will! I realized that I can go to any extent to impress my family. Family means so much to us and it is good to have them around so that one can stretch beyond normal limits. That’s the role of the family in our lives – family brings our best intent and best behavior!

As I massaged my tired limbs, another thing struck me! My son is just 6 years old but even my wife had never seen me play in our college days as I was never a sportsman!  Well – age no bar for impressing your girlfriend!!

A walk to my birthplace Day 11 (50 Km covered so far)

I hit half century of distance on my path to cover 240 Km – glad that did not miss my walk even during the business travel.

Today the story of SJ came to my mind. Initials are of real person and the reason for not revealing the name will be obvious as you read rest of this piece.

During the initial period of my career in early 90’s I worked with a small software company as a head of HR. Though small, I had an opportunity to work with some great people who were passionate about their work. We had started an Enterprise Applications Group and those were the early days of ERP in India. This division was headed by Mr Mani – one of the finest gentlemen I have ever worked with.

One day Mr Mani called me to his cabin. He looked worried. “Yogesh, do me a favor. I heard SJ is not well. He has come to Mumbai from a remote place and may not know anybody. Can you do something – not as your official duty but could you please look after him?” “Don’t worry Mr Mani. I will take care”. I took a cab and went to Lower Parel (part of old Mumbai) where SJ stayed. When I went there I realized how right Mani was! SJ had rented a room in a dingy two room house and was lying in the inside room. His younger brother who worked as office boy in New Mumbai (far off from Parel) was with him. Doctor had asked SJ not to eat out for some days. Looking at the overall scene, I went out to buy some grocery and gave it to his brother so that he could cook for SJ. “But I can be here only till Sunday: his brother said. “Don’t worry – we will figure out something”.

Monday onwards, my wife made two lunchboxes one for me and other for SJ – she used to cook separate food for SJ so that it can suite him. I cajoled our CFO to send his driver to send the lunchbox to SJ. This went on for a few days and soon SJ was well. While I waited for him to come back one day I got the news that SJ has left the company to join somewhere so that he could go abroad. Gone was he with my lunchbox and I must admit that the incident left me with some bitter feelings. I had not done anything for SJ as an HR person but only as a fellow human being. I felt let down personally. He could have at least informed me and of course might have been courteous enough to return my lunch box!

This happened years back and somehow I could never forget this story. I felt stupid to repose trust in someone who was not trustworthy. But of late, I have started to see other side of the story. SJ had come from a remote place. He had come to the IT industry by hard work and may be make money by going abroad … He was not communicative. When the opportunity presented to go abroad he could have felt guilty to come to me and leave the company! So must have chosen the easy way of just going away!!

I don’t know which version is true. But realized that it is good t revisit your stories as time passes and you may learn something new. One thing for sure – I don’t feel bitter towards SJ – hope he is doing great wherever he is!!

A walk to my Birthplace - Day 10 (47 Km covered so far)

Today I was on campus of one of the reputed institutes. It’s a big campus and as soon as I finished my work, I wandered around the campus like a nomad. Of course I had my tracking APP on my mobile and walked 7 Km today! As I walked along lovely, shaded walking trails around the campus, randomly remembered some crazy things in the past.

For a short time I worked with a boutique HR consulting firm where I discovered my selling skills. I used to be pretty aggressive and generally a pain in the !@# for my boss who was a thorough gentleman.

We were on one sales call, discussing Organization Structure and senior hiring for a proposed DotCom. The venture had backing of one of the well-known aggressive entrepreneurs who acted as senior partner. He regularly participated in the meetings. I had a strong belief that you terminate a sales call if at least one of the three criteria was not met. Three criteria for me were very simple – the prospect has to either have a brand that helped us, or had money where our brand of work helped him or sometimes you get to interact with some professionals from whom you would learn something. I used to be very selective about the third criteria and this particular case definitely was not the third category!

By the second meeting, I was pretty bored and though I liked their concept I did not know where this was heading! I was sitting silent when the senior partner asked me – “How do you view our challenges?” I was bored and blank! I blurted out “Your challenges are similar to Shivaji – the great maratha warrior who built his empire”. I could see my boss wanting to strangle me to silence but the senior partner looked curious. So I continued my explanation about establishing an enterprise from scratch, choosing the strategy against traditional competition and some basic structure and profiles that would fuel the strategy. It was an inspired piece and honestly I myself don’t remember the exact content!

The senior partner now was smiling and my boss started breathing easy. The senior partner said magnanimously, “Young man (I was about 30 then), your thought process is great. Let’s meet for some more brainstorming.” I was just put off and again blurted out, “Thank you sir, but brainstorming is using consultant’s time for free!” My boss froze again – later he told me that he thought we would be kicked out. But the senior partner said quietly, “I don’t want to hear this excuse, bill your brainstorming!” Who the hell knew how to bill brainstorming. I gathered myself in a moment and said, “I will attend 5 meetings of brainstorming. Today the second is over. If at the end of it I am not convinced about your idea, I will not take up the assignment and we will charge you Rs 5 Lac (Approximately USD 2500 per hour at the prevailing rate) for these five meetings.” “OK, send me the invoice and fix the third one!”

When we came down, my boss kept laughing for 15 minutes till he went red in his face muttering “You are mad!” For me, I had learnt the best lesson of life - Instinct is your best bet when you have to think on the feet. You just have to back yourself!

A walk to my Birthplace - Day 9 (40Km covered so far)

I was supposed to be in Delhi today and end my day in Ahmedabad. I was traveling for an important customer meeting in Delhi and was keenly looking forward to that.

There were only two things I was worried about:

The greatest Indian cricketers of all times – Sachin Tendulkar was to play last match of his illustrious career. I am a die-hard cricket fan and even follow the cricket matches at domestic level. Sachin also stood for everything noble on a sporting ground. I just wanted to witness his walk on the ground – LIVE.

Second was my ‘walk to birthplace’

 

Anyway, there is nothing much I could do. While leaving home, I asked my wife to record the whole day of the test match so that at least I could see it later. I landed in Delhi along with my colleague and we had a great meeting. Once the meeting was over we went over for lunch. As we finished the lunch, I was thinking about the match at the back of my mind. I called up my father to check the score and realized that today could be the day when the great man may walk on the ground for perhaps his last innings. My other meeting was still over two hours away. I desperately connected to the internet using my data card and thankfully could catch the live streaming of the match. Within 15 – 20 minutes couple of wickets went down – I was never so happy for Indian wickets!! And the hero entered! The role model of sportsmanship was given a sporting welcome not only by the audience but also the opponent team! I could finally watch significant part of his innings before going to my next meeting.

 

Happy like a lark, I wondered about my other worry – whether a wish to walk would also be fulfilled! That’s human mind for you- you get one wish granted – you ask for more!

I finished my meeting and reached Terminal 3 of Delhi Airport well ahead of time and a thought suddenly struck me -  I could easily finish at least 2-3 Km walk inside the huge terminal. I set up my APP on the phone and yes!! Did walk my 3 Km today.

I believe that if you yearn for something, it happens. When I had started my day, there was no question of compromising work for any of the two reasons. So, I did what I always do – just sincerely hoped that somehow as the day progresses I will be lucky. I carried on with I had to do and luck was waiting round the corner – at the risk of sounding melodramatic I dare say wish something from the bottom of your heart and go on living normal life- things happen!!

A walk to my birthplace Day 8 (37 Km covered so far)

Just a few days back I had an opportunity to participate in a face to face meeting with a British author. It was a small group of people and a lovely set up for close interactions. He wanted to know more about India and generally seeking an opinion on what’s happening on youth front.

One of the participants went off like a rocket. He was responsible for hiring talent from campus for one of the big companies. “Things have changed and all the young people just look for money – there is not much you can do about it”. Such rhetoric generally puts me off. My mind drifted a few months back while I drove to Leh from Pune along with my family …..

The road from Srinagar to Kargil was a memorable one and also the most difficult terrain to drive once you go past Sonmarg. We stopped over at Captain Batra point. Captain Batra was a brave young Indian army officer who fought fearlessly till the end. He inspired many by his martyrdom during the Kargil war. He was in his twenties …..

…. We also visited Dras war memorial on the way. It was an experience I will never ever forget in my life …. The enemy had captured the area around Tiger Hills by deceit …. When you look at the terrain your jaw drops …. Enemy sat on the top of those barren hills and attacked relentlessly. Scores of Indian Army soldiers led by their young officers marched up in face of heavy shelling to capture the area back for the motherland …. Against the backdrop of Tololing hills, stands the memorial - names of scores of martyrs are inscribed on the wall …. It’s a long list and they were mostly in their twenties ……. Memorial has photos of these war heroes where I  came across a quote “When you go back tell them, that we gave up our today for your tomorrow” I wept uncontrollably ……

In the Leh memorial, we came across a letter written by young captain Vijayant Thapar to his family. The first line read – “By the time you get this letter, I will be in the heaven served by Apsaras” He was 22 and he knew his fate ……

We had the honor of having dinner with the brave-heart officers and their wives. These were young smiling lads …. Came across a couple who were married just few months back … there were also a few young boys who were in early twenties … all of them were getting ready to spend one year at glaciers (in -60 C temp) away from their families ……

These are example of young men in modern times. To paint a picture that today’s youth is only bothered with money is callous. There are many young boys and girls who are ready to rise to a purpose higher than materialistic gains – the question is - do the so called seniors have an ability to create an environment where the youth can see a higher purpose! 

A walk to my birthplace Day 7 (33 Km covered so far)

Sometimes when I look back at some incidents in my life, I wonder whether those are real! Today as I walked 4 more kilometers, something from my childhood popped up in mind. So far, my school friends were the only ones who knew this and after a little hesitation, I decided to share it here.

I studied in one of the reputed schools in Mumbai. This school was known for churning out about more than a dozen students in merit list in the state-board exam every year. Couple of divisions used to be looked upon as possible pool for this merit list and we were supposed to study more. Also, there was a certain behavior expected from us. There were also some kids who used to be sports heroes of the school. These two categories mostly used to be mutually exclusive. Some of the sports heroes used to be dressed in a relative rowdy manner by the school standards – actually nothing much – they used to wear a T-shirt inside the shirt (mostly colored!) and handkerchief around the neck on the playground! I was hugely attracted to this dress-code. In that system, I was supposed to be the studious type and even my personality suited that profile. I was short with a lovely paunch during my school days!

After years of resisting the temptation of that dress-code, one day I made up my mind and dressed up for school. I was in 9^th standard that time. I wore a yellow sleeveless thick T-shirt inside the white shirt. That yellow T-shirt also had red borders - even better. My mother looked at me skeptically and said, “Don’t do this; you sweat like an ice-cube (mothers can be so mean!) – you will feel stuffy”. I simply ignored and confidently marched out. I got some weird looks from my classmates which I accepted as compliments – this is a blessing I am born with – whenever there is any ambiguity about anyone’s reaction, I safely take it as a compliment!  

As the time passed by, my mother’s prediction seem to be perfect. I felt stuffy and miserable and could not take it anymore. When the teacher had given us time to study on our own, I slid under the bench, took off my shirt and then the T-shirt. Just as I was getting ready to put on my shirt I realized how priceless friends are in life. Patiently waiting for me to be perfectly topless, someone shouted, ”Teacher, Yogesh is sitting without shirt under the bench.” I put on my shirt with lightening speed and got up to see teacher shell-shocked! I confidently replied, ”No, he is lying!” The bell rang and thankfully the teacher went away muttering something!!

Why did I do it? I don’t know. But I am aware of this streak in me to try out something new. What does it do to me – well, actually this has been quite beneficial sometimes – I am always ready to try out something new, taking myself completely out of my comfort zone. I quite enjoy it and know when to get out of any trouble just in time!  Some mad traits always help and if nothing else it has given me a joy of sitting topless under the bench in midst of discipline!!!!

A walk to my birthplace Day 6 (29 Km covered so far)

As I started walking today, a call that I received the day before kept coming to my mind. This was someone who talked to me after a gap of 15 years. His name is Sunil.  He reached me through a common friend and was glad to know that I not only remembered his name but also parts of our conversation 15 years back.

Sunil went abroad to US and I played a part in his movement. During the late nineties when I was an entrepreneur, I had signed contracts with some boutique firms in US to provide them technical manpower from India. Sunil was one of the early ones to go abroad through me. He remembered me because it was his first travel abroad and for me, his departure was one of the early successful transactions.

Sunil’s call gave me a joy because it took me back in time when I started my own entrepreneurial stint in late nineties. After getting an early break to head HR for a software company, I was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. I was 27 years old with hardly any network of my own. I just got across to a few people through personal network, who indicated that they may do business with me.

My first client was a gem of a person. He had come to India on personal holiday and had earmarked 3 days for me to get some people interviewed in Mumbai and Pune. This was my first assignment and I decided to give it a best shot. I had released an advertisement but the response was minimal as there was a strike by Postal department - yes! Emails were not that common and I started with a character based internet account about which less said the better! I went berserk contacting people on my own through whatever means and carried out the first assignment successfully. Sunil was part of the first few people who were to go abroad through me.

While I was in the euphoria of my first success, my client asked me to send him an invoice.  The amount involved was more than half my annual salary in my earlier job! That was a time when I realized that I do not know how to prepare an invoice! I sheepishly went to my father who was a banker and asked him for help! I still remember format of that invoice and of course the amount of my first invoice!!

Early days in my entrepreneurship taught me certain principles that have become an integral part of my belief system:

·         It is great to start with a heart, from wherever you are and with whatever you have.

·         Logic is great but it generally ends up telling you about limitations.

·         If you have a burning desire to succeed - paths emerge, working models evolve and you definitely pick up technicalities as you go along

If you deal with people in a manner that you would like to be dealt with – you become a part of their cherished memories!!!!!

A walk to my birthplace Day 5 (24 Km covered so far)

I set my new APP on iphone to calculate the exact distance of the route today. It’s a GPS based APP and gives you the route as well as distance you walk. Just to ensure that the APP works alright, I took a route measured accurately earlier and walked 6 Km. The APP turned out to be accurate – such a joy!

If you are wondering about what’s the big deal – there is a little background to it. I bought a simple pedometer when I started my walks and it turned out to be way off in measurements! It was frustrating and I then calculated some couple of routes using my vehicle’s digital odometer and stuck to those routes as I started a walk to my birthplace!

When I narrated the pedometer incident to my senior colleague in office, he was little puzzled – he asked me, ”Why would you buy a pedometer when you have a smartphone! Just download an APP – there must be plenty free APPs”. He then went on to explain me how this can be done even on Google maps which went way over my head! But I noted his suggestion to download the APP and it worked.

I always admire this gentleman – he is in his late fifties but he is fairly updated on technology. This is not only limited to IT or gadgets. He would take a trip of 600 Km just for one night to watch lunar eclipse, he also attends classical music concerts and understands the technology of music. I always wondered what keeps his interest alive in technology, science and knowledge in general. I got my answer a few months back when we traveled together to a place in coastal Maharashtra. On the way, we passed by my birthplace – Kolhapur. I generally took upon myself to talk about the place like an expert guide. I was talking about black soil and the sugarcane crop that defines the land. I have a gift of glib so I talked about the crops as if I have worked on those farms right from my childhood. All of a sudden this colleague of mine asked me – “How do they plant sugarcane?” It was a genuine curious question which I had no answer and it had never troubled me all these years!  While I was stumped searching for answer on sugarcane I instantly got an answer for the other question that always troubled me! I realized that this man keeps his interest in technology alive because he is gifted with a genuine curiosity about everything he comes across. He also does not mind asking knowledge seeking questions and you can see the joy when he gets a new piece of information! There lies the secret of his motivation! He could not have kept his interest alive only with extrinsic motivators like growth in the career!

I generally admire things, explore things and move on but the scientific curiosity never really bothers me. For me it’s a romance with the world as you move along. But my colleague is different – he is a true seeker of knowledge. Rather than trying to be judgmental about which type is better, I have figured a way out for myself.  I naturally make friendship with these knowledge seekers just like the opposite poles attract! Sometimes it is better to make friends with the chef than trying to master the recipe!

A walk to my birthplace Day 4 (18Kms covered so far)

Taking advantage of the Saturday, I walked 6 Km instead of my normal 4 Km. More the merrier. While walking I passed by a “Bolero” (One of the Utility Vehicle brands of Mahindra & Mahindra). My mind raced back in time …..

It was year 2000 and after a 3 years of break from the Industry, I decided to join the Industry back as Head of HR for one of the IT companies in Mumbai. It was during this transition time that I came across the launch Ad of ‘Bolero’ – If you grew up in India with a childhood period of 70’s and 80’s you were always fascinated by two things – any utility vehicle that looked like police jeep and Royal Enfield motorcycle! When I saw the Ad, I was excited with the good old traditional boxy looks of that vehicle and decided to buy one. That time I was using a Van which was the  vehicle most reasonably priced amongst the four-wheelers. In my hurry to ensure that I get an early delivery, I went to the residence of a person who worked with the Mahindra & Mahindra Dealer and gave a cheque of initial payment. It was a holiday and that’s the reason I went to this person’s home rather than waiting for the next day.

I came home happy as a lark. I could see that my wife Pallavi was little pre-occupied. That was strange as generally we always share the excitements in life – big or small! I asked her about it – she was little hesitant – that was odd – generally she speaks out her mind. After persevering with her, she finally told me, “ Look, I don’t want to play spoilsport but I am not very comfortable. Generally, when you get into a new project or an assignment, you go very quiet – all the time thinking about it. But while you are joining a new job, I don’t see the traces of that behavior. The only thing you are talking or thinking about is the new vehicle!” I was little irritated,”But is it not natural? We are finally buying our first big vehicle!” Pallavi explained patiently “I understand that. But there is something else that is bothering me. I may be wrong but somehow I get a feeling that you do not want to join your new job as head of HR while driving your Van. You are desperate to go in a better vehicle. That’s not you. You never bothered about such things – your focus is shifting from what is core to you” I was speechless … After a while I asked her, ”Do you really think so”. She shrugged “ I don’t know for sure but yes I feel so!”.

Half an hour later, I walked back to the same man whom I had given the cheque and took it back on some pretext – being a thorough gentleman he did not probe any further on the matter. I joined my new assignment with full energy and drove my van to the job for the first three months. Once I felt settled, I went for my vehicle again. Our first few long distance drives were with our “Bolero”

Its easy to lose your way and not know about it …. It happens with all of us …. Sometimes you need someone to keep you on the track!

A walk to my birthplace Day 3 (12Kms)

I could not walk in the morning so decided to do my 4 Kms in the evening.  I am so excited with this project (A walk to my birthplace) that while driving back home, I already started thinking about what to write. Couple of things came to my mind and all of a sudden I felt – ‘hey this is cheating. I had decided to write on the thoughts that come to my mind while walking’!!

The idea of linking writing to my daily walk was rooted in spontaneity and the sheer joy associated with it. Then, why am I getting tempted to deviate from it? And that too,  just on the third day? …. The reason seemed obvious – I got some great response on the initial write-ups and the very fact that so many people started reading it, was exciting. I guess I was getting drawn more towards ‘playing for the gallery’. I am pretty sure that if I drift more towards this direction, I will soon lose the joy of writing and maybe there would not be any joy in reading it either.

But what’s wrong in playing to the gallery? Finally, if so many people do not read and comment on my writing, would I still be motivated to keep writing and more importantly keep walking? I am not sure!

Perhaps the competitive world we grow in makes us addicted to the adulation too much too early. We are then in a hurry to take control of setting the direction rather than letting things evolve by focusing on the basic purpose … Letting things evolve does not mean fatalism. It just means living in every moment and getting guided on way forward by the experience of that moment….. I just finished a 7000 Km driving expedition to Leh with my family. Journey took us six days just to reach Leh. We passed through highways, desert, mountains and valleys. Journey itself was a destination as unknown terrains unfolded in front of us. By the time we reached Leh, we were so content that it did not bother us that we could not visit couple of famous tourist spots …. May be the goal I am trying to achieve is getting more and more comfortable with spontaneity and it has got nothing to do with either walking or writing ….. Too many questions without clear answers …. But in the end decided to just stick to the basics and write what was on mind today …. Tomorrow is another day!

A walk to my birthplace Day 2 (8Kms)

I added another 4 Km today as I walked. While walking, I wondered – why does a mere thought of exercise puts me off so much. It’s the same amusement I had about what excites me about walking!

It is not that I am a low energy guy – in fact I love traveling, generally complemented for my high energy. But when it comes to exercise – I behave like a stubborn mule that suddenly refuses to move an inch further.  Every time I think of it, I come to only one conclusion which I myself find hilarious. I have never really dared to share it out in the open for the fear of being laughed at but let me give it a try as I take this journey of reflections about life in general.

It is said that if you develop a deep-rooted belief about something early in your childhood, it is difficult to shake off! As I mentioned earlier my birthplace is Kolhapur. Apart from the footwear that bears the name of the place – Kolhapur is extremely famous for one more thing – wrestling! Yes good old fashioned wrestling! These wrestlers spend hours in the ‘akhada’ (most traditional form of gymnasium) to build their muscles. Way back in the childhood, I heard a random comment that too much exercise affects their brainpower and that’s why most of them are dim-witted!!

Somewhere deep in my mind, I fixed a correlation between exercise and being dim-witted! As I grew up I knew the folly of the argument but it was too overbearing. So even in the phases when I exercised  regularly, I used to avoid exercise around exam time – I guess with some fear of losing part of my intellect along with some calories!! Many a times I had temptation to try out the other way but I used to study just before my exams and never dared to challenge my luck.

Jokes apart – so where does this leave me? Does it weaken me? May be …. If I so clearly know the stupidity around the whole issue – why am I not doing something about it? Well, I don’t have the exact answers but may be such things give me a reason to laugh at myself, may be the stupid apprehensions remind me of being a mere mortal. Whatever it is, I have made a peace with myself …. May be its too hard to give up this stupid apprehension for the fear of losing something to laugh about …. You never know!!!

A Walk to my Birthplace - Day 1 (4 Km)

It is pretty interesting to start this project as I walk a little distance to cover 240 km in the year 2013. I walked my standard route of 4 Kms today. I wondered what is so special about walking that I love it so much. Well, I don’t know the reason but history of my walking dates pretty long back well into my early childhood.

I was around 5 years old and was enrolled in Sr Kindergarten  in one of the reputed schools in Mumbai. Only problem was the distance to that school. My father had bought the house in the suburb of Vile Parle but we were yet to shift there. At that point of time we used to stay in Andheri – a suburb next to Vile Parle. Distance to the school was roughly 2-2 ½ Km. The only mode of travel was walking to the school! My mother used to be busy with my younger brother who was not even 2 years old, so there was a maid appointed to drop me to school. My first clear memories of childhood are about that road to the school which I used to walk every day. It used to be a pure joy walking on that route. For almost half the distance the road used to be a dirt track and then one had to cross the railway-crossing. My mother had given clear instructions to the maid about not walking across the railway-crossing unless the gate was opened to walk. That was an accident zone and quite a few had lost their lives trying to walk across the railway lines without waiting for the gates to open. I always enjoyed standing there – sometimes almost 5-10 minutes and watch the trains go by.

I used to be drenched in sweat by the time I reached school. So, the maid used to carry an extra shirt for me to change once we reached the school. I used get a little irritated with the ritual of changing my shirt on school premises but never had any choice. Years later my mother told me that this ritual was to be followed for her to know that I had reached school safely! The logic of it can be argued but as I look by I can really feel the agony my mother must have felt that time.  It was her own way of calming her mind in those anxious moments as her little son walked to school every day crossing railway line with a maid!

It is strange how un-knowingly you adopt your parent’s behaviors. Today whenever my kids go to school/college I like to stand by and see them off as long as they are in sight! It’s a butt of joke in the family, especially with my wife as she does not get the logic (of course if there is any!).  

As I walked that distance every day in my childhood, my mother used to pray for my well-being and safety. I believe that my mother prays for me and blesses me every time I walk a distance!!

A walk to my birthplace - Day 0

Right from my childhood I have never been very fond of any form of exercise. In fact as a child I was fairly obese and never a sportsman. I was always more into theatre, elocution and anything that took me to the stage!

Life went on and I kept fooling myself that I am tall ( 6Ft 3) and so do not look really obese till one day at the age of 37 the weighing scale showed reading in excess of 100 Kg! That was a wake-up call. I was little disturbed not only because of weight but there was something else. My son was just born. Though I was financially much better off compared to the time when my daughter was born, I felt something amiss. You can bring any number of gifts for your child but what every child deserves is hi-energy parents – that was it! In next 4 months I managed to lose 14 Kgs with help of disciplined regime of diet and lot of walking/jogging.

Some years went by and I realized that I was getting back to my normal. Yes – as I am 43 now, I have started putting on weight again. I also realize that not being an athlete or sports person or even a fitness freak, I always need some external motivation. I am also not much into Gym – all the Gyms in the surrounding area can stand testimony of my generosity of donating money regularly without using any services.

The only form of exercise that I enjoy is walking. My natural inclination being stage, I decided to set a stage for myself to perform. By the way not only with my physical fitness, I am also currently struggling with my writing fitness. I decided to combine the two needs and thus came the idea of “A walk to my birthplace”.  It’s simple – I currently stay in the city of Pune and I was born in Kolhapur. Kolhapur is about 240 Km from where I stay. So I decided that I will walk everyday about 4 to 5 Km and walk 240 Km in the balance of 2013 – gives me around 56 days to do that. “A walk to my birthplace” is also a  metaphor. A rigorous walk is also the time when mind is in the best condition. So, as I walk to my birthplace I will go on discovering myself – bare open all my thoughts, inhibitions, apprehensions and also beliefs! Hopefully as I enjoy my walks, you will enjoy reading “A walk to my birthplace”