Bapatla Engineering College, India - First Batch 1981 - 85

Hi friends,

Spare me a few minutes. This is PIDI SRINU. Do not say pidi who? If I say am Jaladi Srinivasa Rao also I do not think you folks recollect me either. So let me call myself like Pidi Srinu of first batch mechanical engineering student in Bapatla Engineering College 1981 - 85.

I was searching for my professor KVK on net and learnt that my prof and his MTech class mates are planning to meet at IIT Khargapur in December 2008. There is a thread in circulation in his classmates circle under the heading "Jab We Met..- not the movie". So I thought why can't I also contact a few of my pals or circulate a thread. My ultimate goal is to do something constructive for the community or for the society.

As such am taking liberty in sending a mail to those people am able to collect their mail ID's. If by chance - this reaches a wrong person ignore it. Otherwise reaches a right person and not interested to be disturbed spare me but not chide me. Why so? Few years back when I was traveling in a railway compartment with my mom I came across a college junior. I tried to talk to her but got a cold reception. later my mom chided me for talking to a lady - usually as all mothers do. Mom am sorry think I did a mistake that time.

So right now also am scared to say Hi. But down under the line 23 years - I think it is safe for me now to say Hi. (Mom believe me this time am not talking to a lady but only mailing to a few oldies. Accept the fun pals). By the way how are you professor? Still bitter about me for talking to you in that compartment two decades back? Learnt you have published so many papers and teaching so much to all young guys and gals. Wish my kid also become a student of yours and unfortunately she got a rank of 6840 this year and do not get a seat in your university. Think she takes after her father who could not get a seat after attempting the entrance twice and later purchased a seat in BEC. Hey do not reveal this secret to me - am most of the times under the impression that I am a great scholar and you people are unable to recognise it.

Unfortunately I could not meet my college friends when an opportunity came my way two years back as Vallabhaneni Satish asked me to attend a get to gather arranged at Vijayawada Bhavani resorts. Am sorry I could not attend it. I was searching the net rather pouring through it and came across a few people of BEC and learnt interesting things. From our college students and that too from the first two batches- there are people from contractors to engineering college owners, College HODs and Professors to Industrialists, Non resident Indians to only resident Indians. As far for me to quote from the words of our then reader Mr. DVR - I set up and ruining a small scale industry. No spelling mistake you have read it correctly. (In my roommate words "a guy working hard for the sake of a work shop to make it and its people sustain ". B ava how dare ? When both of us meet I decided to quote Sri Sri poem "I" from Maha Prasthanam. So any crazy idea of meeting me - drop it now).

My nephew was a student of a famous Engineering college in Vijayawada and I told him that his present head of the department was a classmate of mine. My nephew Teja wondered "How come - my HOD is from electronics and a doctorate and is highly intellectual, a would-be principal of a very big engineering college and .. you". May be his idea is am not big enough to be a classmate to his HOD. What a pity? Well dear professor what shall I say? I advise you to vouch for me yar.

I want to know "the auspicious stone outside our workshop lab" on which I got a sentiment that whoever sit before the exam they will good marks bol ke. Is it still there pals? Am completely nostalgic and trying to go back into the past ........rewind - twenty five years back......Do not wake me up or try to bring me to the present...

Cheers

J S Rao.

PS : Are you interested in joining a net community of BEC, or interested in putting your details and mail id in that? If yes let me have your concurrence. I wish good luck to all of you folks.

"Yeah Dil Mange More..." VS Satisfaction

When an advertisement came in TV years back with the punch line "Yeah Dil mange more.." am not sure what does that mean? It is not because of that caption being in hindi language but my query is how it relates with human life. In economics there is a chapter about human wants. "Human wants are unlimited in number, if one satisfies another one takes it place.." etc. I thought this advertisement is just reiterating the economic explanation of human wants.

But when I started observing things and experiences in life, am able to feel the complete meaning of that punch line. No doubt always for any person "yeah dil mange more...." and it keep on managing time and again. There are so many jokes on human psychology but I want to just mention the one that suits this subject. A guy wanted to purchase an umbrella from a departmental store which offers items on fixed price. Without knowing that he bargained the umbrella for half of the listed price. The salesman wanted to make fun out of our guy. So he said ok take it. No the deal is not struck. The guy again offered half of what newly agreed upon. So the sales guy now offered the umbrella free of cost. Then our guy insisted for two. I do not know what if he were given two..

In my previous job every year at the time of annual increments, I used to negotiate with my boss for increments for my team and myself. I know the easiest task is to ask the sky for me and a fortune for all my team mates. After a lot of discussions with emotional screenplay scenes finally the magic figures are arrived at. Prima facie majority of my team mates are happy. (Let me pray nobody worked under me read this blog and contradict this). Next day morning after the new scales are implemented, I used to get the feed back that an engineer in another department who is junior in duty by ten minutes (even though the time of reporting was a few years back) than an engineer in my team is getting fifty bucks more. My life is being tumbled for a week to ten days concentrating not on any design related issues but how to compensate on the fifty bucks.

Life is always difficult to work at "High Places" because of this Dil mange more. By the way I advised my kid to join the junior most position in the hierarchy in any organisation and stay there only. But this is not possible one day or other at least a few guys or gals reporting to you and you will subjected to the above difficulties. The next best thing is to try in politics to be elected as an independent MLA in a government which stops just with 1 - 2 seats less than the minimum majority. Then there is no limit for your dil mange more.

Most of the times now a days am representing the price negotiations, it is not because I am the perfectionist in that but due to TINA (there is no alternative) factor. In negotiations for a contract or for material supply it is a one man or two men team being put to negotiate with a committee representing purchase, accounts, costing, indentor, designs etc. So many dils mange more. You do not know where to start and what to offer. Even if you strip open (I used to pray every time that no lady members should present there or else the committee members are not capable of reading the lip moments - so that the file is bounced on the table itself) then also not even a single person is happy. I suggest to wear only half sleeve shirts or sleeveless while going for negotiations so that to demonstrate that we do not have any trick figure hidden up above the sleeve. At times to quote my supplier Mr. Subramanayam am happy I got the order and I were more happy had I not got that order because of the result arrived after satisfying a dozen departments.

In China government made it mandatory to have only one kid for a family. I doubt it is not because of the population explosion but due to this Yeah dil mange more theory only. My cousin is having two kids who always love each other. At times am jealous I do not have a brother to feel that kind of affection. Stay there with them for an hour, alas my feelings are changed. All of a sudden you hear a big war cry followed by few thuds... cut the scene the second kid who is almost seven years junior to the elder one is on top of his brother hitting on his face for a toy of 9 years old which is almost useless and that too originally it belongs to his brother and which not attracted him for the past few days. It has got the demand because he saw his bro playing with that. So this dil mange more has got no bars of age, region or religion.

OK - imagine every body is satisfied without manging more... cut the scene again we were living in the caves with leaves as our dresses. So let us pray that " Yeah Dil mange more...".