A True HONCHO

This blog post is about a person who was once a colleague but now a mentor as well a friend and had a great impact on me since i came to Mumbai. In usual cases, i only boast of myself, and my experiences (told with bit of masala’s) but for a change, i have chosen to do otherwise. I had to show my gratitude to him but was not sure how to. So i decided that to write about him. I am not sure how he would take this (i.e. writing about him in a blog).

There was this guy in my office who was designated as Senior Manager for the Graphics dept when i was given a seat near to the Graphics department when I newly joined. A small team that was initially created for the sake of having a graphics dept, which later on started helping the business development department as well as other department to put their things together and now turns out to be one of the best department in the company.

Initially, i thought any one who stayed in a company for a long time was a useless person. He would be struck with whatever ideas he had, when he joined the organization. He would not grow. He would not be apt and was not capable for another company.

But this guy led by examples and had a way of dealing with people at his will. He was respected as well as feared by his colleagues. He made sure the any work he undertook was completed on time with the highest level of quality standards. I have not heard his juniors say ill of him at any point of time. He supported his juniors to the maximum extent but at the same time made them accountable for the work they did. He knew how to get the work done out of any person. He gelled with juniors as if they were family after work hours and a professional during the work hours. His etiquettes were fabulous. My definition of a good boss suddenly had his image.

There were times when i was really disturbed and my spirits were all low. But this guy with his pep talks really helped me realize that it was best to be my normal self. He gave me live examples and incidents wherein he made me think about life. He is a great person to talk to about any issues during my bad / depressing moments. He always had a wonderful answer to the problems.

He put additional work (i.e. being a part of the editorial team for the company newsletter), which i was happy to accept. He believed that i could bring something afresh for the newsletter but i am not sure that i lived to his expectations; the reason being he was more creative and innovative than me.

He was given a great farewell on the day he left by the top management. The graphic department has a different look after he left. And i am sure the organization and his colleagues would love to have him back.

Oh!!! Did i forget to mention his name???

He is Chandra Shekhar Aher……

P.S: I am adding a image he designed post the terror attacks in Mumbai. This can help to highlight him as graphic designer as well a true humanitarian.

The Essence of YMCA- Inhouse Characters

Everyone would wonder what i mean by " Essence of YMCA". The essence of the YMCA are the people staying in YMCA.

Now for people who have no clue about YMCA:- YMCA is christian non- profit organisation which is run across the world.

I stay in Bombay YMCA Procter / Swimming Pool Branch at Mumbai Central. The hostel is meant for Men's who are working executives. I reached this paradise on Jan 01 2008 after being cheated by the taxiwalla who brought me over to the place from the Dadar railway station. The hostel was far better than what i expected. Nice rooms & clean beds got me interested. It also had a self managed mess. But what was better was the swimming pool and the gymnasium where a quite good number of people (both male & female/ both young & elder) came along to maintain their fitness.

I gelled in quite comfortably. There are around 70 odd guys staying in the hostel and each and everyone having a better job and profile than the other. There were all sort of guys( in term of character)- Extrovert, Introvert, Harami, Bakwas, Nautangi etc etc....

Some of the characters in our hostel:

1) Arun Tirkey (my best friend & my personal assistant in Mathematical calculation.):

The owner of a superb brain and poor employees of Accenture. Passed out from one of premier engineering institutions . Presently in IIM- Kozhikode getting himself murdered by the professors. We had wonderful time together.

2) Chrisbo Le Patric (dont misinterpret from his name. He is not French)

The mastermind behind any system related activities. Would be fully on his mobile. My best booze partner. Left the hostel with lame excuse.

3) Arjun Vasanth (nicknames: {RITU VASANTH, CALICUT, AMBARNATH.........}n)...... goes on)

A cricket crazy bugger who was once the coach of a cricket team. Boasts of leading the team to major victories in their city. A eye opener to anyone who is dirty, untidy. One gets to see his full luggage (professional as well as personal and ultra personal) on his table and under his bed. He has been once to Dubai and very thankful to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for changing his life.

4) Richy D Alexander (nicknames: Police,head constable)

A journalist by profession and a pure optimist who believes he can make it big in his life. Full of hopes and ambitions. Makes a girlfriend wherever he visits. A person who can be any females pet by and through his well said Bakwas. A person who have lot of contact from Vijay Mallya to the future Vijay Mallya ( thats me.)

5) Pranshant Biddappa (No nicknames)

The owner of a beautiful mind and has a joke to crack about Arjun whenever we meet. The main competitor to Arjun in CRICKET 2007 Computer game.

6) Rosh Rajan (eda koppe;Please do the pronounciation with a huge gujarathi accent)

An investment banker who uses both brains as well as brawns to get his business done. A pure genius in terms of Stocks and Markets. A mallu who was brought up in Gujarat, a guy who doesnot have gujarathi blood but has Gujarathi thinking. Desperately looking for a bride globally at a local level.

7) V. C Mathew (popularly known as Mathaii)

A book worm who doesnot know what is written in the books as well in the practical life. Completed his legal studies from Symbiosis Law School in Pune. The Mr. Argue with everyone over everything under the Sun of our hostel.

8) Ashish Sahu

My room- mate and immediate financial advisor. this guy has a wonderful knowledge of the financial world. He is the one who opened my eyes and my demat account to the financial world

There are still characters in the hostel of whom i would like to write about. But i dont want to take the risk of being beaten. So it would be better that i stop.

The Best Time Of My Life- My College Life

It is often said that a person experience the best phase of his life during the college life. It was not different for me also. I did my Post Graduation from Sinhgad Institute in Lonavala, Pune.

In March 2006, when i entered the Maharashtra State, i was in hope of securing an admission to a Management College and my hope soon turned out to be reality. I landed up in SINHGAD INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND COMPUTER APPLICATION (known as SIBACA among the students).

Lonavala is such a place where nature is present in all its splendor. Lonavala has become famous because of nature's gift. Lonavala has been blessed with valleys, hills, Milky Waterfalls, Lush Greenery and pleasant cool winds. This region full of natural beauty. Words are not enough to describe the beauty for this place. Lonavala is an epic poem created by God. Beautiful mountain ranges trying to reach the sky are sites that please the human mind and give an experience of heavenly pleasure. The morning sun rising over here appears as if it is sprinkling rose water all over. Chirping birds gently awaken oneself and all of this makes it a really "Good Morning". The whole place is covered with a thick blanket of fog early in the morning; this is how the day begins here.

The most favourite monsoon picnic spot of Puneits and Mumbaikars.Rey Wood Park, Bhushi Dam, Gambhirnath Caves, Tiger's Leap, Dukes Nose, Khandala Valley, Pavna Lake . Tungarli Lake, Amby Valley.

Soon i reached the college and i was full of energy and extrovertism was pouring out. My lecturers and my class co-coordinator were impressed. I soon became the class representative and i started working for my class mates. I organised Business Quizzes, Seminars in the college. I had three good room mates in Abhishek, Pawan and Sanjay. Four people from four different states and the relation we shared was as if we belonged to a family. Sanjay was more or less on the naughty side. He used to do all sort of nonsense. His favourite past time involved smoking and drinking. Pawan was more on the intellectual side. He was always calm. Abhishek was the Chacha of the room. Calm, reserved and used to keep everything to himself and used to give lots of advise. And the favourite past time of Sanjay and Pawan and myself was to irritate Chacha. Somehow we managed to do it regularly and with lots of fun.

With more interactions with the classmates , there was informal group which was created within ourselves. and we gelled perfectly with each other. It consisted of Abhijeet, Binit, Gaurav, Nimisha, Nitin, Pankaj, Priyanka, Sunny and myself. The three girls became our love of of our lives. They were considered supreme in all that we do. In the first semester, we spent the maximum time after class in our canteen nibbling on snacks and chatting and teasing each other. We often went for hiking in the nearby hills. We went out coffees in town cafe regularly. But most favourite was the road to Amby Valley. It was all foggy and couldn't see anything up there. We would dance in the rain and get wet.

Good times does not last forever. As time went, conflicts started within the group. That's when i realised that there were many friends outside these group who cared for us. I started getting close to Anshuman, Debarghya (Debu), Saswat, Shufyan, Anant, Saurabh, Hemant and the list goes on and on.....

I soon was elected as students placement co-coordinator of the class. With power and popularity came more responsibility. I started inviting companies for placement activities. And i can proudly say that i was really successful in that. I was really stupid in many things. I used to screw up half the things i used to do. But my initiation skills, and my assertiveness was the key to my success in all the things i did.

The amount of Haramippan and Nautanki that we all did during these two years are unbelievable or cant be explained. I do miss all those things terribly . And those 2 years would fall in one of the top positions in THE BEST TIME OF MY LIFE list.

P.S: If i continue writing this post, it would go on for pages and pages, which means you will never enter my blog for a second time. I know this post itself was very depressing for you. I apologize for the same.