The Dream Drive – Day 2

Day-2 was from Udaipur to Gurgaon. This distance is just over 650 Km and very unlike us we started as late as 9.15 in the morning – generally we prefer to leave at latest 730 AM so that we can cover maximum distance before noon.


There are two roads to Gurgaon / Delhi – one via Nathadwara and other via Chitorgargh. I had earlier traveled by the Nathadwara road and would have traveled by that same road. While chatting up with the petrol pump assistant told me about the other road. Thankfully it was a lovely 4-lane highway till Jaipur and I was saved of negotiating on the old road negotiating with trucks loaded with huge marble slabs. Yesterday I talked about beautiful ecosystem on highway and today I met a maniac driving his car as if he was on race track! Thankfully no untoward incident happened though I was quite mad at him. Now-a-days due to promise given to Pallavi, I don’t pick up fights – so just let him go with just a few expletives 

It was terribly hot and the temperature was above 42 most of the time. The Endeavour performed well and we could keep going pretty decently. This is stretch of road which is through barren land and can be boring. I resorted to my childish pleasure to keep my mind away from boredom. This is a trick which I have used for years and it works. I keep calculating the distance travelled each hour and if the next hour can be better than the earlier hour without taking stress. I still enjoy it if I can cover a little more distance than previous hour. There is continuously mental arithmetic going on in mind about how much distance will be covered this hour if I have covered so much distance in so many minutes – this simple childish game keeps your mind alert and helps driving.

The road from Jaipur to Delhi that was a pleasure at a point in time is in terrible condition due to the huge construction work going on. But thankfully reached Gurgaon by 630-645 pm

The music was continuously on and to keep our 6-year old son in good humor we had to play a particular Shah Rukh Khan song after every 45 minutes – I doubt if Shah Rukh Khan himself has also heard it so many times.

Just couple of times when I came out of the vehicle I realized how terrible the weather was. When you see all the people actually walking or working on the way – you can’t help wondering the tenacity that is built in their system.

So far tough we have technically covered almost half the distance, it was a straight road that we had traveled earlier. Now eagerly waiting for the next part of the trip when we enter J&K tomorrow.

Dream Drive - Day 1

Today is the first day of our “dream drive” – drive to Leh starting from Pune. Day-zero was 17th May evening when we drove from Pune to Chinchani – north of Mumbai.


Lot of people asked me “but why drive all the way??” Honestly the simplest answer that comes to my mind is “I have to”! When I think little more, I think there are a few reasons. I come from a middle class family where car itself was a fantasy and my childhood fantasy about cars is still fresh. Another reason is my introvert nature – when I go on the long drive – its almost being left alone in your own private zone.

Today’s drive was up to Udaipur – by now it’s a standard drive as I have done this road twice before. It’s a lovely four-lane highway all the way from Mumbai to Udaipur. I just love driving on the highway as there is an ecosystem that exists on the highways. Apart from a few road maniacs, I just love the way people driving on highway co-exist and collaborate thru simple gestures. Slow moving trucks are always a pain but more often than not these gentle giants guide you about the right time to overtake them. When you travel on Indian roads, you get mixed feelings. While you enjoy the ride, you also see the basic struggle people have to go through. Our pathetic public transport system ensures that people travel hanging outside those private taxis risking their lives. While it can be a funny site to see so many people stuck on a vehicle, deep down I always feel worried about the safety of those unknown people. An incident happened today that almost stopped my heart. A man was riding bike with his kid in the scorching heat. The boy sitting behind the man may be hardly 7-8 years old. As we passed by the duo, I noticed that the little boy was almost dozing off and was on the verge of slipping anytime though he had held the man in front. We all just waived our hands to request the man to stop and told him to make the child sit in front of him rather than back. I guess he also realized the terrible thing that could have happened and thanked us. We moved on. This is what I mean by a lovely ecosystem that exists on our highways. I also have been the recipient of someone’s kindness so many times on the road – it could almost make a set of essays if I decide to write down all the incidents

Driving on the highway for hours is like Test match batting, you have to enjoy the stay on the pitch! There are times when you make up the distance fast, as the road is clear and there are times when you drive in slumber – though the vehicle and you are working in tandem you almost have periods of rest while in motion!

Tomorrow is another day as we explore one more day on road!

Joy of Selling - III

I am not a sales professional, but was fortunate to get some exposure to selling profession. The joy of selling was not only about connecting with the customers, but was also about connecting with my own instincts!!

It was during my visit to Bangalore that I came across Venkat. Venkat worked as CTO with one of the companies in Bangalore. There some people you instantly like when you meet them. There was something about Venkat that struck a chord. This was a sales call and I was accompanied by my colleague in Bangalore.

Venkat started as we settled down “Look guys let me first explain what we do and then you can figure out your pitch”. He then elaborately went on to explain the complex product he was developing in the area of capital markets. Once he finished after about 20 minutes, he asked us, “Now I guess you guys know what we are into”. This was THE moment of truth because honestly I had not understood a word what Venkat had explained – it was way above my IQ level! “Well Venkat, honestly I have not understood a word what you said in last 20 minutes but let me tell you what I have understood” I said “You have a strong belief in your idea and the technology you are using. I know a gentleman back in my organization who gets beaten blue for spending time and energy on the same technology. I will introduce him to you and I guess then we can work on something” Venkat looked at me for a moment and said “sure – sounds like a plan!!”

We quickly got my colleague and Venkat together and they hit along well. My colleague collaborated with Venkat to put some stuff together for his internal presentation. When Venkat got his investments approval, like a true gentleman he called us “We have a deal now” and graciously gave us our first order with his company. It is a privilege to have met Venkat and it always gives me a great comfort whenever I talk to him though our domains are different.

There are a few things that I learnt in that moment of truth with Venkat:

1. It is an insult to other person’s intellect if you pretend to understand when you don’t.

2. Rather than pretending to understand what you haven’t, you can still genuinely connect with people if you look out for the things that you understand. In this case though I did not understand the domain, I could easily understand his passion for his domain.

3. When you connect, you complement each other much better even if your domains are different!

Joy of Selling - II

I am not a sales professional, but was fortunate to get some exposure to selling profession. The joy of selling was not only about connecting with the customers, but was also about connecting with my own instincts!!


In the year 2006, I decided to shift from HR to Software Sales. After heading HR for about three years for an IT Company, I requested an opportunity to move into Sales. I guess for me, boredom hits after every three years in career – rather than changing jobs I have always changed career profile and have been fortunate enough to be working for a company who believed in the same philosophy. The reason to shift to Technology sales was three-fold as far as I was concerned. 1) I do not understand Technology 2) I did not have formal sales experience other than some HR Consulting in the past and 3)My knowledge of Finance & Commercial – well less said the better! So effectively when I got my opportunity, I was excited like a Management Trainee once again!

We received a Request For Proposal (RFQ) from one of the multi-billion dollar Pharmaceuticals companies. The excitement died as soon as we realized we had no clue about 3 of the 8 service lines asked for! I and the team working around me huddled together – it could have been too big an opportunity to leave it like that. Everyone talked about strategies to cover all the 8 service lines. There was a lot of talk about tying up with the partners for the opportunity. This opportunity-based partnership was making me nervous – I thought it is almost an insult to the IQ of the customer – any intelligent person will see through the game. So I declared finally, “We will bid only for the 5 service lines and that’s it!” Everyone looked at me – “Are you mad? We would get knocked out in the first round!” one of the veterans said. “You will never get a deal like this if you leave some coverage. ””Maybe” I said “But I am not comfortable proposing the other 3 service lines”. “Your call” was the reaction with a shrug!

We put together a lot of work around the 5 service lines and finally were ready to present our proposal. The evaluation team had come down from US and had given extremely clear instruction about the expectations from presentation – I still remember the first instruction – No sales pitch with the Corporate Presentation please! My opening line of our presentation was - “When we got your RFQ, we could not understand much beyond the spelling of 3 service lines, so we will present only the 5 we know – Is it alright? Should we be presenting at all?” The CIO of that company looked at me for a moment and suddenly burst out laughing “Of course, finally someone admitting something that they don’t know! Go ahead please!” There was a sigh of relief! Our team did a fantastic job of presenting what we knew and defending queries in the months to follow. Finally we were selected for the deal over many bigger and better known competitors. When we were awarded the contract, the CIO told my boss “I am not a fool to think that you know the subject better than other bigger companies but I am awarding this contract looking at the integrity of the team dealing with us. We are doing the offshore work for the first time and it is more important to work with someone whom you can trust!”

It will be naïve to think that we won that deal only because of our honesty – but that definitely was the starting point. I understood one simple principle– “One Company never buys services from other company –people from buying company evaluate whether then can trust the people from selling company!”

Joy of Selling - I

I am not a sales professional, but was fortunate to get some exposure to selling profession. The joy of selling was not only about connecting with the customers, but was also about connecting with my own instincts!!


The year was 2000 and the entire IT industry was buzzing with new Dot Com ideas. Excitement (and of course VC money) was out there for everyone to see. During those days I worked with an HR Consulting firm. Our main focus was Headhunting but we also used to indulge in HR Consulting (yes, that’s the correct way to describe it!).

One day, we had a meeting with a prospect. I was accompanying my Executive Director and we were meeting a gentleman who was well-known for his shrewdness in the hardware industry – someone who had not only founded one of the earliest companies but was also extremely street smart. Lets call him D (He is no more in this world and may his soul rest in peace!)

This gentleman and his partner had a novel idea to set up an e-commerce company and I was excited with the idea. I started talking about their challenges and possible ways to handle them. Their eyes lit up. They called us for another meeting next day and we had an interesting session with theories and stories flowing in all directions. At the end of that meeting, Mr D said “Young man, you have an interesting idea – lets meet again for brainstorming”. Well, by then I was bored! I was sure that they were getting excited with my ideas but nothing was moving forward. In my opinion, there were only two reasons to work on a prospect – BRAND or MONEY – this start-up was clearly the latter! I said, “Sir, Brainstorming is using consultant’s time free!” My Executive Director almost lost a heartbeat when I made that comment and there was a pin-drop silence. Mr D looked at me and said without batting an eyelid, “Well then young man – charge your brainstorming session!” – there was another awkward pause in the room – who the hell knew how to bill brainstorming?? I said with the poise “Sir, I will charge you 5 lacs (Rupees half a million) for five one-hour meetings and today the second meeting is over” I made a conscious attempt not to look at my boss who was shifting in his chair and given half a chance, would have bolted from the room! “Young man, it’s a deal – send me your invoice”. We came out shaking hands as if it was business as usual – once in a car, my boss couldn’t stop laughing till he went completely red in the face! We eventually billed our Brainstorming!

In that flash of a moment I learnt a few things that have always stayed with me:

• If you do not respect your ideas – nobody does!

• If you are convinced that you are creating / adding value for the customer – you must realize the value!

• Social interactions are great but not to mix it with business

I must say that I did not have this clarity when I acted on my instinct at that particular moment. However, when I looked back after the initial euphoria, I learnt a lesson of my life which has stayed with me till date!

School Diaries – 1

When I look back to school years, it is sometimes difficult to believe that it was me! I certainly do not find any logic now about what I used to do; but clearly remember that I used to be fairly sure about being right during these acts. This is a diary of schoolboy - now coloured little-bit with nostalgia but written about the incidents as they actually happened in my life….

At the risk of being immodest, I must admit that I was extremely consistent in setting expectations about my behavior as a child. My mother was always sure that whenever I stepped out of the house, I would walk back with some trouble chasing me (sometimes literally in form of an irate neighbor or someone’s parents….).

Whenever she attended the Parents-Teacher meeting she used to be on guard and extremely watchful. Rather than meeting the teacher, she generally used to keep a close eye on the visiting parents. She was amazingly consistent in identifying the visiting parents who may have a word or two to share with the teacher about me. She would intercept them before they reached the teacher and pacify them with some genuine assurances about my future behavior and quick punishments delivered by her – She believed in quick justice ….. Many a times she used to give me a whack on the back and then ask about the incident! … I don’t remember her ever regretting for her action after understanding the issue!!

Once during a parents-teacher meeting while I was in 4th standard, one lady walked in the class. She was extremely angry and kept asking “Who is Yogesh?” My mother sprang into action and quickly met the lady. “He is my son. Please tell me what happened and I will take care. Lets sort it between us than involving the teacher”. The lady looked at my mother little irritated and said, “Well, everyday he threatens my son that he will kidnap him and my son comes home crying!!” My mother’s jaw dropped – even by the standards of my behavior, a charge regarding attempted kidnapping while I was in 4th standard myself was little too much for her to handle ….. Recovering quickly, she asked the lady ,”Tell me what happened please!”. The lady had calmed down a bit looking at my mother and said, “Every day your son drags my son towards the school-gate and threatens to take him away in taxi! It is good that school has security and they cannot go past the gate!” My mother turned to me and asked, “Do you really do that?” She even forgot to whack me before asking … perhaps hoping for a better result …. “Yes I do!” I said with courage and dignity of a revolutionary who is just about to hear his punishment in the courtroom. “BUT WHY?” she was clearly infuriated with my answer!! I explained, “Well, you see, he is a little weak boy and keeps crying over little things. So I am making him a little tough” …… “WHO HAS ASKED YOU TO DO THAT??” my mother almost screamed dispensing a quick justice on my back – this time with a double bonus. “I warn you if you ever go near him!” Then she turned to the lady and assured her that I would never trouble her son. By that time that lady also was little amused with my answer and walked away.

My mother was really upset and continued scolding me on our way back home ….. I clearly remember thinking “Why does the world not value it when you reach out to help someone from the bottom of your heart!!”

Lesson in discipline

After long hours of working on Friday, my wife and I set out for a leisurely drive along with the kids. During the drive, we came near my office. I work for an IT company in Pune and I head HR for this company. We have one of the best campuses in the Industry. It is always a pride to show the campus to the family. Kids just love it. It was close to 9.00 pm in the night as I reached the gate. I told my family that we will just take a round of the campus in our vehicle but not get down as it was quite late.

As I drove past the gate, I was stopped by the security personnel deployed at the gate. As I rolled down the glass, he politely asked me for my I-Card. I realized the faux pa – I realized that though most of the security men recognized me, I have never entered the campus without my i-card. I will be hypocrite if I deny that I was put off by the security person stopping me at the gate!! As a member of Senior Management team I expected to breeze past the gate…. The man politely told me that I cannot go in without the I-card. Just as I was contemplating to call our Admin Head, my conscience spoke from the back-seat, as if reading my mind “Yogesh, just turn back”. I intuitively trust my wife in such situations and turned back. For me it was a big fiasco in front of my family – especially my teenage daughter – as I never miss even half-a-chance to impress her!!

When we came out, my daughter asked me, “How could he do that to you? What will you do it him now?” I quickly realized the wisdom of my wife’s suggestion to turn back. I could clearly see that my daughter felt that I was insulted! “I will give him a reward when I go to office on Monday” ….. “A reward?? And why is that???” …. “It is simple – he just reminded me of the basic discipline that I shouldn’t have missed in the first place. He just did his job and he was so polite.” ….. she was quiet during rest of journey.

My disappointment quickly turned into satisfaction as I saw a beautiful opportunity. We always keep debating about some of the school rules , which do not make sense according to her (and must say I agree a few times!). Some rules are made to run scalable establishments and can’t really be debated every day. Of course there are ways and forums to register your views and bring in changes. Our views do not give us rights to break the rules. Neither does your position in the establishment give you any rights to break the rules.

I think what I attempted doing (driving past the gate without an I-card at 9 o’clock in the night) was sheer arrogance. Though my ego was hurt initially when I was made to go back, it was a great lesson in discipline for my daughter. God bless that fellow on the duty to help me with a lesson in discipline for my daughter and of course me also!!

The reward I wanted to pay him was just the consulting fee for a great lesson!!!!!