XIMB- Two years of real Life...

I took from Abhay's Post but this post has to go far and wide.

The following words are the creation of Kartikeya Mishra,XIMB-2004-06 batch(My Super Super Super Super Super Senior..Perhaps that makes him my Superior Duperior Senior :P)
The text has been taken from Life @XIMB thread on Pagalguy. Quite frankly,I tried writing something similar, but could not dare, since the following account is as precise as it could get. Enjoy reading ...

XST: XIM Standard Time

Normal daily routine of a guy at XIMB

8:45 XST: Wake up time...the alarm goes off....
8:48 XST: The alarm which you conveniently ignored earlier ...goes off
again
8:50 XST: You finally wake up
8:51 XST: A quick trip to the loo
8:55 XST: You wake up ppl...who'r still in a slumber
8:58 XST: You dash to the class.
9:00 XST: If you are lucky you make it to class, JIT (just in time)
9:02 XST: The ones who are not so lucky, make an entry into class, some

would be asked to leave, if you are lucky, you get to attend the

class, but no attendance for u, if you are really really lucky...the
prof

is late!!!
9:05 XST: Attendance done...time to doze off in class
9:10 XST: Man when does this class end
10:25 XST: Yawn....of the class is coming to an end is it???
10:30 XST: Damn c’mon prof....you gotta let us go now
10:31 XST: Hey prof CMON
10:32 XST: Finally...you're out
10:35 XST: Breakfast time
10:59 XST: What time for the next class already...DAMN
11:00 XST: Class 2...more or less the same as class 1
12:30 XST: Time for lunch..or is it time for another nap...
12:45 XST: Lunch!!!
13:15 XST: Do i have to bathe today???
13:20 XST: Do i really need to bathe...
13:30 XST: ok guess its been days since i last bathed...
13:50 XST: Damn another class....what about my nap...
14:00 XST: Class 3..... read what happens in class1
15:30 XST: Class ends....time for a coffee...
15:35 XST: You sip coffee peacefully.....
15:45 XST: Class 4, what a quiz...a surprise quiz....how come the other


section gets to give it in the next class...how come no
"surprise"


for them....
15:46 XST: Damn was this ever discussed in class...i can't seem to recall


anything
15:59 XST: Thank god its over...lets hope..everybody got it wrong..that

way..it really doesn't matter..
16:00 XST: Time to sleep again
17:15 XST: Yawwnnnn...oh the class got over is it..
17:16 XST: Snacks time.....
17:30 XST: Time for football...time for tennis...time for badminton....
18:15 XST: Can't i bunk the next class...how about a proxy...
18:36 XST: You make it class...a whole 6 mins late...
19:15 XST: You need to be excused....you take a loo break...you walk out..
19:16 XST: You change your mind ...you don't wanna go back.....plus ...its


time you've been to sandy square...this is the time..when all the

pretty faces turn up ..there..you head to CCD..
19:20 XST: You get an SMS from a frnd in class "Dude ...why aren't you
back


yet, prof just announced a surprise quiz.....he's bolted the door"

aaarrrrrrrrggggghhhhh..you just lost 15% of your weightage....damn
damn

damn

20:14 XST: You just realise ...thats its a 6 class day....and today’s the


day..
20:15 XST: What another class....when does all this end..
20:30 XST: You turn up 15 mins late...
21:00 XST: Sir, can we end ...the class now...its been a long day...
21:01 XST: Just a few more mins..son...i promise to end the class 5 mins


earlier...(thats still 40 mins away)
21:30 XST: Sir can we end now puhlllllllease....sure sure....just a few
more


mins
21:45 XST: You start getting up to leave...its times the class ended...
21:46 XST: Just a min son, i know i promised ...we'd end early...but i
gotta


explain this....cmon..we'd can start something...new next class
21:50 XST: Finally it ends..
21:51 XST: Thank god the day is over....well is it...
21:52 XST: There's a commotion in the porch area...
21:53 XST: What the hell's happening......WHAT .... assignment......MC

assignment and it NEEDS TO BE SUBMITTED BY 11:59 tonite.....when was
that

announced.....there was nuthing on the notice board...when you chkd at

8pm...it just got announced.........

21:54 XST: WHAT ABOUT THE DINNER THAT WE HAD PLANNED OUTSIDE...
21:55 XST: You rush to the mess...and finish off dinner.......
22:00 XST: What did i have for dinner anyway......well does it really
matter


22:10 XST: You try and understand what the assignment is all about..
22:15 XST: You ping your grp mates....(thank god...they invented instant


messengers )....Guys get your ass down to my room ASAP..
22:40 XST: Your first grp mate arrives..."Man i buzzed you 20 mins
back..."


Sorry man..i just got your ms"..."What about others"...."Well who

elses there in our grp"
22:41 XST: Oh yeah good question...let me chk...
22:45 XST: Hey class rep....who all did you put in my grp...
22:46 XST: Class reps no where to be found....
23:00 XST: Class reps finally found...hey who all in my grp......the reply
"Chk grp listing on the intranet - The grps were made by prof"
23:05 XST: Damn why didn't i think of that...
23:15 XST: Distress call...you send a msg on the LAN mssnger "My grp

mates...whoever you are....please come to my Room ASAP...with regards
to


the MC assign...please please please come..."
23:20 XST: Whats the point...the msngr seems to be flooder with similar

msgs....
23:25 XST: You decide to deal with the assignment ...with just the 3 of
your
grp mates..who decided to turn up...hell with the rest...

23:30 XST: Google.com.... you copy paste...the question as mentioned in
the
assign......you do manage to get some results......download some
relevant stuff
23:40 XST: You start copy pasting.....your doc seems to building up... hey
not bad...i think we can finish it off...Hey Hey add the
names...add
the names of the grp member..ok done..
23:55 XST: You are pleased with your work..... man time to upload...you
gotta hurry....deadline 11:59 sharp...else the intranet won't accept
it.
23:58 XST: You login to the ..intranet//
23:58 XST: Where do i upload...wheres the damn link.....oh yeah found..
23:58:52 XST: NOTICE ON SOME SCREENS ..... UPLOAD COMPLETE....UPLOADED BY
USER U104082 at time 23:58:52..
0000 XST: Notice on some screens
"DEADLINE HAS EXPIRED" You cannot upload .... please contact the
course instructor...

0001 XST: What the f......... i did upload ...i upload well before the
deadline....you finally come to realise that your system clock is not
synchronized with the server lock.....DAAAAAAMMMMMMMMNNNNNNNN...thats
another 15% lost...

0200 XST: You while away time..... happy at completing the assignment (or
cribbing over failing to upload ....in some cases)....you get a
buzz...
0201 XST: You read the msg "Hey....we got a presentation ...at 9 in the
morning....i forgot all about it......didn't realise it was our grps
turn...so what say ...we do that now???? "

0202 XST: what again.......you are too dumbstruck to even think...you
reply...."ok sure....i'd be in your room in a few mins......inform the
girls as well...make sure everybody's there"


0215 XST: You walk into your frnds room...everybodys there... except for
one
girl...where the hell is ...she...

0220 XST: After some frantic calls to girl2, girl1 says..shes taking the
ximb walk...with.. ..you know who....
You scream....."She better be here...or else...shes thrown out of
the grp"

0230 XST: Girl 2 finally shows up "Sorry yaar...was just discussing
...today‘s quiz with......" yeah whatever...

0345 XST: Presentation..doesn't seem to be making sense....2 of your grp
members have dozed off....
0400 XST: Two members leave.....
0415 XST: the three of you who are left.....finish off....the
presentation....pleased with ur work...at least thats what you think
0430 XTS: Its been a horrid day...time to crash..
0845 XTS: Man ..i gotta dress up for the presentation... man i need to
shave....
0905 XTS: You arrive in class..clean shaven, your clothes are unironed
though....never mind...
0910 XTS: The class is waiting for u to start..with your presentation..oh
you've forgotten the pen drive...well never mind...take it off.. your comp
on the network...damn i forgot to share the folder.....ok ok ...never
mind..you can map your drive....don't worry...oh yeah...i can ......but
it
wouldn't access.....DAMN i had turned my comp off..............
...............
..........


and so the saga continues.......

the routine continues....every single day........

My first employee relations course post

Hope you guys can make out something out of it.

Hi everyone

As themes like “contracted or Connected?" and "At Will, So Will" through Short Stories, Role Plays and Visual Episodes are being brought before us; normally the human mind (at least mine) sometimes starts interrogating itself the decision that would be capable of taking during such situation. As at any point of time we being both employer and employee the view of the situation at hand becomes that much complex.

Here I recall a definition of Theory of constraints which said “A problem precisely defined until it can be presented as a conflict between two necessary conditions”. In accurate sciences what they do whey they face conflict is to negate one option for the other. But in cases related to employment relations the spotlight is not the word “ALTERNATIVE” but on the word “ACCEPTABLE COMPROMISE”. Each situation needs to be dealt in a certain way and there is no pre determined scale of calculation of it. For the Darrell Hair case I would like to see from my perspective as an employer and an employee.

Few of the perspectives through which i would like to view the case keepingthe frame work of non negotiable offer in mind are:

Characteristics of the parties

Situational factors

Trade of business and specialized skill requirement

Market value and brand image of both parties

Now to be precise enough what I mean by the above factors I would like to take the case highlighted below (that of Darrell Hair and ICC)

Characteristics of the parties: When situations of diverse opinion arises each of the employer and employee seems to know the basic characteristics of each other. The employer is faced with a situation of trying to find a common solution for a common problem engulfing different individuals. If an employer has an image of retrenching people who do not clear hurdles few of the employees won’t even try to make a situation out of it as seen in the HCS case. On the other hand there are individuals like Darrell Hair who do take things in their jurisdiction. The employer should have a clear view of the characteristics of people before acting so that they can predict any action coming their way.

Situational Factors: As already pointed out by SRMitra the situational factors including legal terms and sporting bodies and of course the ever growing media punch. In such high prolific cases it becomes very evident to all present the situation and the result taken out of it. The side media takes also plays a function in such cases. If the non negotiable offer by Darrell Hair is put under post mortem it clear states certain points on the external communication that goes to the outside world to create a fear psychosis riding on the back of media on consequences possible if the offer is not met. The points are reiterated below.

"2 - ICC may announce the retirement in any way they wish, but I would prefer a simple 'lifestyle choice' as this was the very reason I moved from Australia to settle in the UK three years ago.

3 - No public comment to be made by me as to possible reasons for the decision."

The above points clearly reiterates the point that how situational factors and media presence can bring a major influence in determining the decision whether it is to save face or gain justice.

For individuals also this opportunity being limited a presigned contract like I faced also helps the employer. My Employment contract clearly stated that after I resign from my job “you are not allowed to work for any competitors in the automobile and auto parts business for a period of three consecutive years”. For an individual looking out for an employer who does not focus on what is written between the lines and have a good image as an employer is the only solution rather than such hassles.

Trade of business and specialized skill requirement: This for me is one factor which bogs all the factors down as this brings in the talk of “bargaining power” and “receiving end”. ICC being a specialized society and a one off organization in its trade has lot of power in its end but; here the individual too has lot of backing. In manufacturing sectors where retrenching is done taking lot of specialized skills held by the individual in concern as against IT sector where they build the skill and they are confident of building the same skill in any joe or sam. The non negotiable offer takes into account all the lost earnings of Darrell Hair considering his skills and if such costs are too high the employer may look at other alternatives rather than sacking. A small retrenchment package or another outplacement offer for an IT professional when he is asked to leave the job may work wonders for both parties. The skill set that the individual holds gives him an opportunity to calculate his worth and take an aggressive position that Darrell Hair took. Similarly for an organization which can build the same skills in any individual won’t take such factors into consideration.

Market value and brand image of both parties: Last but not the least is the external opportunities and brand image. If Darrell Hair felt he had a better opportunity not being in the elite panel and breaking the contract now would make him have access to other opportunities then he may not have put such a non negotiable offer (as what is happening to all cricketers for 20-20 tournaments). ICC on the other hand knows that its bench strength is high and taking Hair out would improve its brand image that it acted for the game and gave the game its needed priority then so be it.

I would like to wrap my ocean of words with the fact that all one time "Non-Negotiable Offer" are the climax of a movie and suitable discussion and relevant steps taken may not allow an employer or employee to come to such a situation only. Also as one senior plant manager of above 20 years experienced said me “Guys the days of employment policies for years and years are over; now you are all machines which depreciates and only the instrument that will rule you are yearly contracts”. What I see is the dawn of non negotiable offers in a large scale.

Annals of a melancholic manufacturer

I was manufactured on a February day and am still in the process of quality inspection. Opened my eyes literally to the world, ten to twelve years after I was accepted to the cradle of life. The focal point of my story would be at this point. Preceding this point was a life of care near to the bosom of my mother and lap of my father. Everything seemed made for me although away from my eyes the specifications were being readied which I had to qualify to be called a successful son, a successful man in life. Who knew that apart from qualifying this specifications, I would also be creating my own set of parameters so that when I see myself in the mirror the mirror would tell “you are the most successful being in this world”. The time I took to learn from one to ten was a miniscule part of the time spent while jumping from this one to ten level of schooling which the society believes is the stepping stone. As I grew the weight of my bag on my back became less, the height increased, eyes deteriorated and so also my dependence on my parents. A sibling became a cause of delight and a subject of benchmarking. Slowly as sun rose and died down for five thousand days the hormones started taking their chances and slowly before I knew they were in charge of me. First hurdle of board exams were passed comfortably and I had to move to the next station for further inspection. As hair started filling all around my body which had already tanned just by carrying a bat and running behind a ball (How did I not know that this was the start and all my life I have to run behind a ball only) I started feeling I am the creator of my destiny and the creators of me are not to be bothered by what I want. Next level- the double digit level of 11 and 12 (Higher secondary) the judging parameters changed. How much I study became dependant on time spent on tuitions to add what I say as optional accessories. The number of books I fill with dreadful symbols of algebra in three hours time was the criteria of judgment.

By this time the world had opened its arm to grasp me into reality. Love, lust and loitering around in blind streets took some amount of time and here I was now trying to realize what my dreams should be. By the time I realized it I found myself in the extreme north eastern corner of the country studying a so called “Engineering”. An engineer is also called a “manipulator” and this is what I had become without even realizing. Manipulating dreams, manipulating parents, manipulating teachers, manipulating friends and last of all myself. The reason- I wanna get what I want. Be it was marks, girls or a pint of stimulant potion. Four years- that was enough to teach me certain words of the dictionary- backstabbing, politics and endangerment. End of the period I came out- the only addition “New worldly values and a fuel to burn my desire”. Also an Er. Before my name. Parents became proud as I fulfilled their initial criteria and they said “go, get lost”-its time you fulfill God’s quality requirements. The only one who was a spectator to all this was my brother who used to curse me because I was the standard creator for him.

The paradox of my life was this point where I spent an hour of my life before a computer answering certain queries and then sitting before a group of individuals who was there to understand whether I fit their organisation and become a donkey. I gave my best that one hour and successfully transformed myself into a donkey who would manufacture things that people have evolved so that they do not ride donkeys- Bikes. So here I was a donkey creating replacement for donkeys. The best thing about all this was I was fulfilling the demand side and getting some remuneration in lieu. Never before I knew that a fat wallet can change the entire outlook of life. Here I was dreaming of buying shelter, getting an eve to fulfill my basic necessity of love and lust (where was this necessity for last 18 years?), and the result of which may be creation of another donkey. The sun greeted me at 6 in the morning and the machines at 8. My career started by driving on a set of wheels from one part of this country to another corner so as to test the quality standards of the bike. The roads used to fly past and I in a blue uniform was taking all this in my stride to get eternal success (which I have not tasted yet). Family was miles away and here I was trying to work to gain success. Individuals (actually donkeys) who used to work with me gave endless support so that I receive a paper at the end of the month with certain figures written on it that I learnt on my dad’s lap. Every time I used to come face to face with myself I had to ask what for I was existent and then the worldly potions available at a certain cost used to calm my nerves. The golden fluid used to run in my veins and as its lifetime came to an end, I was again ready to hit the ground again. One year on the job and a so called recession hits- “a global disaster and there was no money”. I failed to understand that did cows start eating money that the money vanished, when a billet fell on my hand. It was unpredictably the grazer who decided to cut down on the amount given to us donkeys.

At that time I realized as bond did “The world is not enough”. Said to the grazer that the grass he is feeding is not enough and I want to be a horse. There was another stratum of mortals who were fighting to be a part of the elite class of donkeys, and I too joined the race. Goodness gracious I kicked and beat some mortals black and blue and got some numbers again on a a piece of paper which was ticket supposedly to the transformation process of me to the elite class. Finally as Bryan Adams said “Here I am” with horses riding around him, I too see myself running behind a ball still trying to fulfill quality standards of an eve, of another donkey and finally of my creators and god. Wish me luck and I may lie down in peace in the arms of an eve with the ball of success in my hand (If the ball is not there, eve will also not be there).

Now time to answer some queries. “Komisar claims that a career is after all what you make it”- but I question who makes me? In this society the career makes me and not me making a career. I run and run for different reasons- by watching others, by being made to run and the day I stop running I may realize I am far from where I want to be. I want to make something but will I be able to transform myself from a donkey to man without a wallet. Passion for what I want may take me to a non career path but will this new born passion pacify my earliest passions- not only of mine but others dependent of me. If yes thank you and I welcome you to this utopian world. Komisar is 1 out of 6,692,030,277 mortals and the standards that he had to meet were very different from what I have to meet. Also what Kartikey had done can only be done when you achieve have already taken some steps and then decide why to reach the top. Why not sit here and keep myself engrossed in activities of my liking. To my liking a clear perspective of a wrong notion has been carried forward by Bagchi. When he says jobs are meant to satisfy us; I differ to say that not only the job but certain other results of it is what has more importance. End of the day the satisfaction comes from within when you can balance all alternatives in life to get a desired result. Kartikey was happy with the position, with the money but for him it was not acceptable after some time that the environment he works in by selling toothpastes and soap was conflicting with his perception of himself and there is where job satisfaction goes for a toss. Even balancing all alternatives is not an easy option and never in my life I believe I will get eternal job satisfaction since “as supply increases, demand too increases”

On the managerial and relational society query-My parents, my friends, my colleagues are also somebody’s manager or bosses and that is why I regard them as a single entity-“The grazers”. They want you to graze around the world, eat green and sweet grass, but whenever you start neglecting their needs-“the grazers turn butchers” (except my creators). The only option is to get rid of a really bad butcher and go in the hands of a butcher who will not give you may be a painful death. Absolutely there cannot be any negation that each and every molecule of organic and inorganic substance influence us. If a golden potion can influence me in an hours time, these mortals stay with me for 10-12 hrs. Also the careers are not only influenced, but certain norms and rules are laid down while you go around that path designed by them and me. Yo u deviate and the “connectedness” as we say is void. The choices for donkeys in our society are so huge that losing a donkey who wants to take a non career path does not cost too much. And what we say “See that donkey what he is doing to his life”.

I say “Introspect and adios”