Sobha Palladian is a wonderful place!
It has a wonderful mix of people across all ages.
Starting from infants and yet-to-be-born infants to 93 year
old veterans!!
And there would be more senior citizens than juniors under
18 years!
And amongst the SrCz’s we have a good number of defense
folks who have seen action in the battlefields, corporate honchos who have played
war games in the boardrooms, and many ‘Pros’ who have fought against market
forces, competition and managed intricate political designs to succeed and get
to where they have reached.
And now all of them are happily settled in Sobha Palladian!!
And if you could compare
what they were in their ‘hey-days’ to what they are today, it would be a very
interesting study.
My life is one such case study.
I crossed 60 four years back.
And I have changed quite a bit.
Between 22 to 59 years, that’s 37 years, I worked in a
corporate.
Chasing numbers, living (surviving) from one quarter to the
next, year after year.
I have seen much action. Been there, Done that! Many times.
It had been a furious rat race. And many times I have been
in the lead pack.
And that meant I was one fat & mean rat!!
And in my eagerness to win and win it all, I have done many
unpleasant things. Some out of sheer desperation and some for that sadistic
pleasure of beating the S%*! out of the adversary!
At times I have been ruthless, arrogant, unforgiving,
impatient and a self important snob!
And my lifestyle played along with this attitude. Working
hard & playing hard.
Smoking more than a pack a day, I have also gone overboard
over my coffee and drinks.. Until the docs found dark patches in my lungs. And
gave me a choice between the red-pill and the green-pill (Matrix style)
By the way have you tried that beer made from Basmati? TOIT
used to serve some years back.
And that does not mean I have not done my bit of good deeds.
I have done more than my share of hiring promising freshmen,
coaching them and nurturing their careers. And I am proud that many of them
today head big companies and country businesses. I have helped out large number
of customers in tight situations, bending company guidelines and relaxing warranty policies and a few of CSR activities as well.
And I have equally taken pleasure in trampling people’s
toes, driving hard bargains, beating the
h@!! out of competition with guerrilla marketing, under-cutting deals, poaching
channel partners etc etc etc..
And now, when I look back at all these misdemeanors, I feel
sad.
What if I had not done those unpleasant things.
I am sure I would have still survived. Maybe I would have missed a couple of opportunities. But that would not have made me any poorer.
Nor would I have gone
hungry any day.
And as I get older, subconsciously I seem to be making
amends to some of those misdirected actions. Maybe to atone myself ? Prayashchit ??
And so I have changed
!!
I am no longer all that important. I am not at the center of
the universe and the world does not rest on my shoulders anymore !
I have stopped bargaining with vegetables & fruits
vendors. A few Rupees more is not going to burn a hole in my pocket but might
mean a lot more to them. But I do bargain for a fair price to bring down the
price of that croton plant and the ceramic pot from the astronomical price
quoted. And I may pay a little more depending on the way these folks behave
& bargain.
I do not insist on getting the odd change from Auto and Tax
drivers. Thankfully Paytm has solved most of this challenge now.
The other day I could not find a five rupee coin nor a ten rupee note. So I gave a 50/- rupee
note to the pathetic & disheveled
beggar woman outside the temple. The surprised look of delight and the shower
of blessings I got in return were priceless!
I stopped telling my 90 year dad that he had already narrated that story many times. After
all, the story makes him walk down the memory lane & re-live his past. And I
am happy for him.
I do not correct people even when I know they are wrong. Why
spoil their fun or their beliefs. If they are happy and it does not hurt me,
its peace!
I give compliments freely & generously. And I give all
feedback ratings a perfect 10!
While I do point out any deficiencies clearly and raise it
up to the managers, my final score is always a 10. I believe detailed and qualitative
feedback are more useful for improvement than numbers for a bar chart.
I do not bother about my clothes combination anymore. Blue
jeans and white shirts/ kurta make up most of my wardrobe. A crease or a stain
on my shirt/pant does not upset me anymore.
And I have happily given away most of my blazers and suits
and my collection of Laptop cum overnight strolley bags. And most of them to
Nepali cowkidaars and security guards from north east, when they go back to
visit their families .
I can never imagine doing this 10 years back !
And my collections watches and pens and those fancy raw silk
& pure cotton ties.
Once upon a time I would meticulously keep track & gloat
over them and lovingly clean/polish/press them every few months. Now they are
just scattered in my closet in some corner and I am not bothered even if a few
are missing.
And I have surprised a few of my relatives’s kids by
presenting them one of my fancy watches or pens . And I would hand then a 500
rupee note telling them to buy a new original refill or a battery cell.
I do not need them
now. I have all the time in the world and all my writing is on my PC MS
Word set to Calibri 16 font size!!
I remain cool when someone jumps the queue at the checkout
counter.
And I no longer throw an abuse or curse at the impatient and
ill-tempered Call-center cab drivers when they sit on their horns and try to
overtake me from the left. ‘Wonder why he Is so eager to reach his FINAL
destination so soon’, is my only observation.
I answer all kids questions patiently. I have been asked
“when is library open ?’ a hundred times. And I am happy to answer in details
each time.
Yes, I am changing.
I've learnt to live each day as if it's the last. And one
day it will be my last. And until that day every hour is a present!!
I am doing what makes me (Jayanthi included) happy. After
all, I am responsible for my happiness, and I owe it to me.
And I must call up all my near and remote relatives and make
time to visit all those ones who are in town and nearby.
Yes, I must make up for all those lost times and opportunities!
Krish..
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