Have wrapped up the 'Fitness Reports'.

Today was hectic. I'd set myself a deadline to finish up the 'fitness reports' on three of my boys. The marks that I'd intended to give each of them, based on their performance in the past year and the attendant pen picture had been formulated on my writing pad. It was only their transfer into the appropriate forms that remained.

Once the transcription was over, it was time to show them their reports. They've the right to know as to what  I thought about them. As I'd each of them with me, I held out this refrain, "Look this is what I've written of you. Read through and if you feel that I haven't reflected your qualities correctly, missed out on any aspect that should have rightfully found its place according to you or if you disagree with my observations, do let me know. I'm ready to change the report without hesitation but the onus is on you to convince me".

A dictum that I've followed all these years as I did not want anyone to go away from me with the thought that I said something and had written something else about him! The reactions from the assessees have always been the same - they become speechless and generally, nod in agreement! Is it because an individual gets quite embarrassed to see himself in words and wants to get over the discomfort as quickly as possible, I wonder? I must, however, explain two reactions that stand vividly in my mind even now.

The first was Mohan, my navigator. He was impulsive and showed a tendency to take short cuts in the things that he did and I'd advised him of the importance of being meticulous and deliberate while putting down his thoughts on paper so that he never did have to cringe later. It was his over enthusiasm and the propensity to get instant results that propelled him to doing so and I'd reflected it in his report with the observation that he'd improve upon this trait as he matured further and if guided by his superiors correctly. It was a harsh indictment on his performance but he'd meekly accepted what I'd written and I felt that it was probably because he was resigned to the fact that however much he'd try to convince me I'd be defiant and stick to my point of view! Immediately after, he was transferred on another assignment and I'd forgotten all about the incident when I received a lovely card from him on my birthday, months later, with some real nice words. I was thrilled and realised as to how wrong I was in my perception of his final reaction. Incidentally, he still wishes me, without fail, on every birthday of mine!

The second instance was that of Kumar, my engineer on another ship. He was efficient and sincere in his work and I'd given him a 7.4 out of an aggregate of 10, highlighting all his plus points - which was indeed a 'thumping' report in the assessment parlance! His reaction but zapped me when he said, "You've marked me too low since I've been getting 9s and 10s from my previous captains. I feel sorry for the fact I'd the misfortune of serving under you, sir". And he'd walked off in a huff leaving me stunned or should I say, pained? A month later when his name figured in the list of newly promoted officers, he'd come with his wife to give us sweets and apologise to me for his brusque reaction. Though I'd made the right noises then I sadly realised that something - what I used to feel about him - had snapped from deep within!


Tailpiece.

I must admit the fact that I get a tremendous rush of adrenaline - despite my explanation of the usual reactions from people on being shown their reports - when the protagonists accept my version about them.
Out of genuine satisfaction of having got it right or is it the ego that I can do nothing wrong? I really can't say! 

A hectic but an interesting day.

I'd boarded the 0550 h Intercity for Thiruvananthapuram. The journey was fine except for the friendly and portly gentleman who sat next to me when he fell fast asleep, soon after the train had begun moving. He snored.....and he snored......and he snored, quite oblivious of the scenery whizzing past him except for the brief moment when he'd to show his ticket to the travelling ticket examiner. He smiled at me and went back to sleep again.......almost instantaneously!

I reached the lawns of the Raj Bhavan, well within time and went about helping the team with last minute touches to the dias from where speeches would be made, a memento presented to the honourable President and the way he'd be steered to the podium from where he'd flag off the 'yatra' of the PN Panicker Foundation. In addition, the decking up of the vehicles had also required some redoing - there were glitches galore towards the run up, but the collective will of everyone present made the event a memorable one and devoid of any faux pas whatsoever.

The speeches were, thankfully, short and the President did pay glowing tributes to my grandfather and I was proud that he was being remembered by a grateful nation for his unique contribution to society. And it was time to get back to Kochi to attend another pressing assignment! After a quick and boisterous lunch with the family, I'd to rush to the railway station to catch my train.

This time my fellow traveller was Sheeba, a young lady working in the education sector and to sum up her work - she's a teacher of the teachers. Her dedication to work was evident from the way she managed it deftly through her cellphone and the internet! Here's wishing that she's rewarded for her sincerity and hard work.

On reaching Kochi, it was a quick dash to the wedding reception of young Sumesh and Kunjumary. The event was the culmination of the last one month's activities on the part of the parents, after they'd come to know that their children had got married without their approval. A great act of maturity on their part and more importantly, what it underlined was their tremendous love towards their children. And the young couple looked happy and free of worry and went out of their way to express their gratitude to your's truly for batting for them. Here's us wishing them both a very happy married life with all that they wish for!


Tailpiece.

As I hit the sack after a late night, I felt contended and happy for no particular reason!    

Assessing another.

Today, I'd planned to write the 'fitness reports' of three of my boys. Each one of them has contributed to the efficient working of the organisation in his own inimmitable way.

At the end of the forenoon session, I'd nothing on my scribble pad except for a few words that I'd made up in my mind to use in each of their pen pictures. But my thoughts did not flow and showed an unusual reluctance to firm up. It remained so even at the end of the afternoon session and a dejected me had carried the pad home to get into the right mood to pen down my thoughts.

The fact that since the three of them are good in their profession and conduct themselves as 'seniors' - worthy of emulation by their subordinates - I do not want to err in any manner in assessing them. The evening walk helped me to reflect upon them and by the end of it, I'd a sketchy script on each. And as I punch in the tabs of my keyboard, my thoughts are getting clearer by the minute. And I shall have the draft pen pictures fine tuned during the train journey to Thiruvananthapuram, tomorrow.

Phew, assessing another is the most difficult task. And I'm gonna show them what I've written and give them the option to correct me if I were wrong, as is my wont on such occasions!


Tailpiece.

 I shall send the completed reports to the reviewing officer on 31 Oct.

A quiet Sunday.

The day had begun with that favourite number of mine, 'Phoolon ke rang se.......' from the Hindi movie 'Prem Pujari' and I knew that the day was going to be fine. Today's programme of 'Rangoli' was dedicated to Sachin Dev Burman and the clutch of songs presented was superb!

The day meandered with me doing nothing serious except for tying up loose ends for the month long 'Yatra', undertaken by the PN Panicker Foundation, that will be flagged off from the Raj Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram at 1200 h on 30 Oct, by the President of India. Its smooth conduct, backed up by logistics support to cover the itinerary, crowd management and follow up actions have been put in place by the dedicated team formed for the purpose. It's my fond hope that we're able to live up to the expectations of the people, especially the youth and have them willingly join our bandwagon! My maman will be leading the caravan and I shall be giving my support from time to time, work permitting!! We hope to instill scientific temper among the youth by showing as to how science can be incorporated in daily life and make things easier.

And it was a wonderful evening at Radhika and Murali Nair's newly done up flat just a stone's throw away from the place we live. The care taken in doing up the house is reflected in the superb elegance that's on display and as Murali, unhesitatingly admits, it's due to the lady's eye for details and her class! Here's wishing that you've happy tidings in your wonderfully crafted nest!!


Tailpiece.

I was impressed by the effective utility of space and the flow of natural lighting. It's a dream home as per my concept.

A kaleidoscope of emotions!

On this day, exactly a year back, Leel kunjamma - my ma'asi - had passed into the mist of time when an angioplasty performed on her had gone horribly wrong. Her absence continues to give pain deep within. I tried to recall many of the wonderful moments spent with her, the things that elated her and the ones that worried her and feel the wonderful person that she was. In the Malayalam calendar, which is based on the lunar transitions, the star on which she passed away falls on 13 Nov - the day Deepavali is going to be celebrated this year. The whole family has promised to be at her house at Paravoor on her remembrance day!

And today happens to be Santhan kochachan's - Vilasini kunjamma's husband - remembrance day as per the Malayalam calendar. He'd passed away nine days after Leel kunjamma. It was prayers in the morning followed by lunch for the needy at Thiruvallam, a sleepy hamlet south of Thiruvananthapuram. It was also an occasion to remember our wonderful association - he and kunjamma, standing in for my mom and dad, as my guests for the school's annual days and athletic meets, our formidable twosome in the game of cards - the list is endless!

How time flies? One year without them and the pain lingers on.............


Tailpiece.

Amrit Gopal Singh and Padma Koijam, alongwith their children, had come to spend the evening with us after what seemed to be a long time. We're together, in the directing staff at the NDA, years back and they'd looked after me then and put up with my idiosynchracies! The handsome couple continue to maintain their charm and grace and the tremendous zest for life.

It was yet another nostalgic trip down memory lane!

PS.

Kurup kochachan, Leela kunjamma's husband, kept a fast in her remembrance. It just shows as to how much he misses her and when queried as to why he was doing so despite his frail health, his reply was that he'd checked with his doctor who'd cleared him and advised the intake of water at regular intervals. He also wanted to let Leela kunjamma, up there, to know that he was endeavouring to make up for all that he'd not told her during her lifetime!

Just reiterates the fact that in the eagerness of living our lives, one often tends to forget to display small acts of kindness to our near and dear ones, who bear the brunt of one's boorish behaviour!! 

I did a big(?) 'un today!

Santosh, our milk vendor, had always wanted to set up a bakery stall within the premises of our residential area and he'd expressed his desire from day 'one' that he'd met me. Though the youngster is sincere and methodical, I was apprehensive about his success on one count. The only language that he's comfortable with is Malayalam while most of the residents usually use either English or Hindi. The net result(as I thought) would be that, more often than not, he'd have to resort to sign language that might result in unwanted situations and he'd end up being a loser! Communication is essential to run a thriving business, you see!

Anyways, today he'd fixed up the inauguration of his stall in a common room of one of the blocks and insisted upon my inaugurating it. Actually, over the past week he was insistent and I avoided swallowing the bait and told him that I was a Jonah of sorts and that his business was doomed to fail if I were to inaugurate it. But egged on by certain committee members, I was ultimately beaten to submission.

The red tape was cut at 1431 h, this afternoon, with much fanfare and with your's truly thrust into the limelight. I've this funny quality on such occasions - words fail me, I fluff the punchlines and generally, am left grinning, from ear to ear, like an underdeveloped idiot. This afternoon was no exception and I went through the motions like a zombie.

Here's wishing that Santosh thrives in his venture!


PS.

RN and Rajni Parmar came calling this evening, alongwith their children. They're on a tour of Kochi and the Lakshadweep Islands and had kept the evening for being with us - damn sweet of them. RN and me were in a car pool, while commuting to work during my stint at Delhi and we've had a long association.

 It's a nostalgic journey down memory lane!
 

My take.

1. Phenomenal greed.

Rajat K Gupta, the former Goldman Sachs' director, was sentenced to a two year jail term for leaking boardroom secrets to the former hedge fund manager, Raj Rajaratnam. He's also to pay a fine of $5 million. As he seems to have stated on hearing the verdict, a hard earned reputation built through the years lay in tatters.

My take.
He's intelligent enough to have understood the consequences of a wrongdoing. He was professionally well placed, had a dream job and yet, stooped low. Why did he do it? The lure of more money? And how much of it was required to satisfy him? Will his family and friends be able to pardon him ever for having brought in disrepute? I'm sure that his parents had brought him up emphasising upon personal integrity and doing honourable things in life. Hasn't he let them down?

I have no sympathy for people like him. His misdemeanour cannot be pardoned!

2. Will miss him.

Jaspal Bhatti died of a tragic road accident off Jalandhar. The world of stand up comedy will miss him. He'd endeared himself to millions of viewers when he pilloried political and social corruption through comedy!

My take.
I am an ardent fan of his. His comedy was clean and had an earnestness in the manner it was put across to the viewers. And I was amused to see him on a reality dance show in which he'd acquitted himself very well showing that he was capable of taking barbs on himself too. His untimely end is a shocker.

RIP Mr. Jaspal Bhatti. A humble salute to you for making us laugh without inhibitions. Here's wishing the family the strength to tide over these difficult times.

3. Kingfisher grounded.

I am one among the many keen patrons of the Kingfisher Airlines. The airlines had come in like a whiff of fresh air with their businesslike approach in looking after the passenger's needs, in fact the Indian public was thrilled to be addressed as 'guests' with matching hospitality at the counters and good inflight care. And now, the licence for its operations has been cancelled.

My take.
How could  a streamlined system fail so miserably? Or wasn't it streamlined ever, right from the beginning? Arrogance and sloth, right from the top, have been the bane of this airline. Mallya does not have the right to leave his customers in the lurch if he claims to be a responsible businessman!

Sad! The airlines industry would become efficient and exciting only when there are more number of players in it, with each outdoing the other in following the right practices to ensure passenger satisfaction!! Here's hoping that the Kingfisher gets revived at the earliest, perhaps, even with a change in the management if need be?