An Evening with Eswar

Really I do not know what made Eswar to ask me to spend that evening with him, so I have accompanied him to his hotel and was with him talking about all and sundry - otherwise I would have missed the other and hidden angle of an efficient Indian. Eswar is my pal and was my class mate during my high school to undergraduation. He used to narrate poems, lots of text and quotes from the novels he was reading - from Sri Sri's Maha Prasthanam, Shadow Madhu Babu to Yendamuri and Malladi were all the writers we used to discuss those days. It was a fascination for me to talk to him and I used to wonder for the knowledge and his dynamic nature. Those days we used to play under the captaincy of Naga Sena my other classmate I do not know where he is now. But Remebering Naga Sena is like reading a short story of Mulk Raj Anand.

We separated during our graduation. I went for Engineering and he has chosen Dairy Technology as his field and did his masters also in that in Karnal, Haryana. We used to write snail mails in 80s and used to meet once in a year or so. Slowly there was a gap. So after two decades of gap, I longed to meet him and poured the internet for his address and searched all the data. Also send mails with eswar and kolli in so many combination's, some returned and some might have reached a wrong person.

Do you believe in miracles happening in real life? One day my auditor Mr. K V Mohana Rao told me that there is an internet site where you can get back your old classmates. I told him casually I was longing to meet one of my class mate. He sat in front of the computer and asked me the full name of my pal. I told him Kolli Eswar Babu. He stopped for a minute and asked what is his profession and I told him - might be working with a Dairy still. Pressto - from his pocket then and there itself, he has taken out a visiting card. Eswar was dealing with my auditor for one of his business affairs at Hyderabad. So that's how I got him back. In life there are certain things under your nose you fail to identify unless somebody guide you.

In my April, 2006 posting I was asking what for people work. What motivates them towards a profession or to work hard for earning a fortune. I am still searching for that. I think spending an evening with Eswar I got a partial answer for my thoughts and questions. He has not changed a bit. Years of rotten work in Indian conditions worned him off or polished him I do not know. May be he is the guy who has to answer that.

So Eswar was talking not only about novels in vernacular language but Indian and English literature as a whole. Fiction to non fiction and quoting Larry Collins and Dominque Lapirre to Mr. Robin Sharma from his famous book "The Monk who sold his Ferrari.." to the movie The Dollar Dreams. So after that evening's discussion with you what shall I say my dear pal? Definitely there is a hidden angle in every person which when surfaces others will be surprised. But with Eswar am not surprised because I know he got that spark in him from his young age and still it is burning inside.

I do not know Eswar has earned a fortune or not but the way he talks about human life and its twists and turns am impressed. I read an article in a business magazine how to run a small business. As a Manager turned into an enterprenuer I contradict with some of its contents. But in my view dynamic people always want to do something their own. If it fetch money and fame - excellent - if not then? Think, think and answer me. Eswar left an excellent job for a unit of his own, so is Satish and so am I. We all have our own dreams. But if dreams do not take a shape?

At times if you travel a long path and half way through, if you stop and look back (I definitely feel) you wonder, is it - you only who traveled all that way? Because the path has so many obstacles and hills and vallies. In half way, to that extent with after every step in our life we keep on thinking for the next step involuntarily. So to make the thinking further easy let me conclude - in so many cases only the first step is in our control (is it also there?) remaining all lead our way like a guided mechanism of a missile. What do you say Eswar? Let me know when we meet again...........

I got an SMS from Eswar quoting the song "Woh teri duniya nahin, woh teri mehafil nahin, uss taraf rastah tho hai par manjil nahin...". What an excellent thought. I also remembered the poem of Robert Frost "The Path less taken..". At a junction when we are not sure which road leads to where - what path shall we take? At least for Eswar he will take the Road less traveled. But my dear Friend in the way we are traveling there are shelters and houses and homes but only thing we are commuting so fast without rest we failed to notice any thing. But the ultimate question is what for we are traveling and where to?

Visit to interiors of Guntur District

I last visited my Alma mater (Bapatla Engineering College at Bapatla) in 1986. Afterwords I have not visited that place or other interiors of Guntur District in the past twenty years other than passing through that area by bus or by train. I attended a ceromony in Pesarlanka village near Repalle. I had been to that place in 1984 last time. So in the span of two decades and that too visiting that place during heavy rains and floods I got strange feelings and thoughts.

I was joking with my colleagues that I used all means of transportation other than ship and plane for this journey. Narsapur Express from Secunderabad to Guntur then Delta Passenger train to Bhatiiprolu, then RTC bus to Vellatoor, rikshaw to near to revu (river over the road) then boat for crossing the flood hit low area of Krishna waters followed by auto rikshaw to my sister's in laws place.

The journey is wonderful and so are the nostalgic feelings. I was born in Guntur and studied in Krishna and Guntur Districts of Andhra Pradesh. So life at coastal belt, the cyclones and depressions in Bay of Bengal, seasonal changes and once in while floods to river Krishna all - are part of life. Also in my engineering days, my roommate and me were crossing the River Krishna from Mopi Devi to Penumudi and then to Repalle with so many short trips on boats and in between short walks inside River Krsihna bed. The journey is a wonderful trip and at times if we walk slowly it was taking 3 - 4 hours also. That ride finally reaches to Penumudi and then travel by a rikshaw to Repalle. This is followed by a bus trip to Bapatla on a Repalle - Chirala RTC bus via Chandole or by Nagaram. Touching villages like Pittalavani Palem, Cherukupalli etc I feel I visited them the other day,

Now there is a bridge on the River Krsihna Connecting Mopidevi and Repalle. I have not travelled on that may be to keep the fragrance of remembrances of the boat trips and also when the river is in full swing a direct motorised trip from one end of the river to other end. The small huts inside the river bed and people of two districts crossing for their day to day affairs and meeting people. Now I was told that it is only a 15 minutes trip on the bridge. So modern infrastructure is doing a lot of advantages but at what cost? Are we not damaging a lot of natural way of things? Am not saying still we walk across River Krishna even in 2010 also bol ke. (I came to know that in both Godavari Districts also there are villages one can visit only by boat.). At times I like nature in its own wild way.

Life has not much changed in my land or in my roots where I belong and the modern communication revolution is seen with people using their mobiles every where. Roads are not improved much - even for a coming lorry to give way RTC bus has go down the road margins. Journey between Repalle to Tenali is the same or in fact more than it was nearly a decade back. So we are also developing but at what pace is the question and to what extent? Why can't we take the cue from the Chinese in curbing the urbanisation? Why every body have to come to metros and cities leaving all our small townships? (Am also in the same bunch - reached Hyderabad for starting my own business).

It is pleasant to meet people after a gap of nearly a decade and more. So many relatives and all are having a high time with a sorrow note for a relative's loss and at the same time inquiring how is life bol ke. Also in the conversation I heard somebody saying every passing day is good compared to the days that are yet to come. There is a lot of meaning in that statement. When I said living in the past also has advantage. There is no need for you to worry what happens in the future because that is what you are very much aware of.

A mail that I sent to my pals

Friends, Indians and countrymen,

Lend me your ears. I came here to preach you something but not to praise myself... (oops. I am interested in
literature. So I tried to imitate Mark Anthony speech from famous Julius Caesar - but no good so let me be
myself) but on the contrary that will be there as an undercurrent. So ignore that and take the stuff
whatever you feel is useful. (If that is the case to tell you a joke there is nothing worthwhile to learn
from this mail. OK?). But otherwise also spare a few minutes to read the mixed bag of feelings of this guy
and about his pals experiences and working in Indian conditions etc.

As I became an oldie (am over the hill now what the Yankees say) some of my first and second cousins are
asking me what do you suggest for this and for that bol ke. Am I fit to suggest anything at all for those
young and dynamic engineers / future entrepreneurs? So I just mentally scanned my entire career and oops I find
more failures all the way rather than hardly any success. Yes now I accept am fit to be consulted. As
an old saying says ask about success to a failed man because a successful man do not know how he has
succeeded bol ke. So am here to say a few words on the path I have taken. (But in any case am not a person to
travel on "The path less taken.." - Robert Frost).

With all those failures behind me now I do not have any option other than to get success. In an interview
a candidate was asked an imaginary question. You are in a desert and there is a lion in front of you then
what you will do bol ke. He said I run and climb a tree. He was reminded that he was in a desert. But
still he replied I would run till such a time I find a tree in the desert. Ya I have to run till such a time
I get my result. Result need not be money but more than 50% I also say money is required after all for a
living and to lead life. What is a result without money as well?

So where to start? I started my career with a small firm in a private sector and worked on its behalf as a
site engineer In Hindustan Shipyard and Vizag Steel Plant. Then I worked in a public sector undertaking
then moved to a private Limited company, which eventually turned, into a public company. Then I
became a freelance Design consultant and finally ended up (now) as an entrepreneur in a span of two decades.
For what? Prima facia not to earn money only. Some of you know sheet metal do not have fast bucks. But let
me quote Rajeev Gandhi at 42 years of his age here "I am young. I too have dreams..". Strangely am also 42
and I too - too have dreams.

Sowja - you always affectionately inquire, "Bro how do you feel after turning into an entrepreneur leaving
your career as a Manager?" bol ke. What shall I say Sis? So I quote Charles Dickens time and again - "It
was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the ages of wisdom and it was the ages of
foolishness..... A Tale of Two Cities". confused? Let me elaborate below dear young and future Entrepreneur.
I want you to become one Sis and you are in right path now as far as I am concerned. Accepting the bitterness
of working with Indian public sector. Keep going coolly a day will come I look myself in you.

Let me here slightly deviate from the theme (is it there at all?) and tell you a small story. Four blind
people want to to explore an elephant. One guy touched - the trunk, the second one - the tail, the third one
- the foot and the fourth one - the ear. Later everybody defined elephant like this.

a) It is cylindrical but tapered towards down.
b) It is cylindrical and small and has hair at the end.
c) It is cylindrical and uniform from top to bottom.
d) It is big, flat and like a fan and always swinging.

Excellent. All are partly correct on the face of it and absurd if you look at the big picture. Defining
our life and experiences are also similar. All are correct looking from the individual's side but anybody
has seen only a tiny part of the world and feels he/she has seen the entire life. So am also defining
the mammoth life after seeing only a bit of it and that too only from Indian Conditions. Accept it first
and analyze it in your own way afterwords.

Years back I was foolishly asking Satish my class mate and a hard core mechanical engineer and the then
efficient manager in Eicher Group when he left his job to become a business man -"Satti are you going to get
the fat salary you are getting now?" (Hi Satti - in fact I was thinking you are mad yar. Now humbly I am
withdrawing all my words.) You are no doubt - a dreamer. But you got it what our prez has said. Dream
first and try to realise it with a long-term goal and short-term milestones. After all in life money is not
every thing. It took years for me to understand that yar. Satish want to have an empire of his own. A unit with
his ideas and things taking shape and also money what he can earn out of his own ideas and products. (Yes -
you did it Satti. BTW when is your Uttaranchal unit getting commissioned pal? Please speak out and let
these young people learn something). So predictions and estimations are different and realizations are
different. Let me quote Swami Vivekananda here - "...in any case you have to think. So why can't you
think big?". " Never say no, never say not possible. You can do anything and every thing. You are
almighty...".

My college roommate again a Mechanical guy was in a paper Industry in Bangalore for more than 15 years.
(Bava - in our college magazine I told about you "My roommate, cousin, companion and guru". Still I feel
the same way down under the line after two decades. BTW am coming to Bangalore and got some work with you
- Ha ha. So told you like that. Do not pat your back yourself). I was thinking myself what a mechanical
engineer do in publications. So once again my predictions are wrong he rose from a shift engineer
to...(What are you now Srini? Bava have you left any land or stocks for others in Bangalore / India? Now is
it your turn to purchase some from Hyderabad?). Dear Srinu we want to hear about your experinces Pal.

Am not talking about success stories and failures alone but people who are working with a rhythm and
concentrating on the goal in India. May be my idea is to promote that concept. Who said India is not a land
of opportunities? Am not degrading people who left for US nor condemning that as wrong bol ki. Also to earn
money - technology is not required. One of our friends started a marriage consultancy in Hyderabad and
earned a fortune in two years. Am not exaggerating things.

So my wife was complaining - "You go with a Tiffin bucket early in the morning and return around 10 pm
(other than quoting Charles Dickens to Robert Frost and arguing with your nephew, niece and kid in English
to Hindi) with all your so called cutting edge technology (?) and an imported turret punch press
behind you what the hell are you doing in the last two years in your factory?". Yes what the hell am I doing
in the last two years? (I second you Indira - life is not fair - Dear. But you know - I do not know how to
run a marriage consultancy).

Satish and I have got a personality conflict. (Satti agree with me or as usually contradict whatever I
say?) We argue but strangely our ideas coincide on one point. Working in India and fighting with Indian
conditions and excel here one will get kudos. I appreciate and no doubt accept him/she the most
efficient person if one is successful in India. (May be we could not get an opportunity to go to US. May be
we are jealous of them who earned a fortune over there? Am questioning myself). Mr Jaya Prakash Narayana,
IAS is also expressing some views of his own. We all are trying to see a big picture in India.

What is that we are looking at? We have enough manpower here along with enough potential
opportunities. I know lot of obstacles as well. You are challenged to show results overcoming the
obstacles. Once Mr. Digwijai Singh was asked - "You are a crisis buster in Indian politics - how are are getting
results?" bol ke. He snapped back "Politics is management of conflicts." No here I correct life
is nothing but management of contradictions. What is that? You think and answer me pals.

I was told "the yardstick for the efficiency of a person is the money one has earned." That is the
culture of the society. I am also a member of this society. But I contradict with it and do not accept
money is equal to efficiency. (Still may be even if you think that I have not earned money and defining
like that bol ke). If you have got a will to work and a project to succeed then come on there are 1000 ways
to get it provided if you have got patience to cash the experience and core strengths you have acquired by
toil and hard work of over years. Am not quoting the Principles of Management by Koonz and Odonnel. May be
Vissi my dear young manager - you are the best judge to comment on Indian management at this stage with
your education and experience so far yar - and later can correct based on your further experiences.

Satish in a lighter vein you were telling me "If a man does not know what to do - then he will get marry and
if he knows he can't do anything at all - then he retire". So I already married yar and I do not want to
retire now itself. So I should do something. Years working with the above said organisations at times I
feel I was the odd man out. (Mrs JMK - what do you say on this? Sis - I was fighting with you also in MIC in
our managerial meetings. But I invite you now to join us so that we will fight in our Board meetings bol ki.
What do you say -  the logistics lady in Indian Industry for more than two decades again from public
sector to private sector?. "To keep quite in modern days is a crime .." - once again a quote from Satish.
So speak out Mam).

In all the R&D meetings in my earlier organisations I used to raise my finger and saying that it was not
possible bol ki. But if I look nobody is there to second and support. Others also know it is not
possible but kept quite. Felt bad for this and could not adjust and started my own business. Now my people
are telling me that it is not possible to do this bol ke. History repeats you know. So I met my old boss Dr.
Ramana Rao and told him is there a chance of we going back into the past I want to take back some of my
words and actions.

Like Sowjanya am also asking myself. JS what are you doing yar you quit a job. What for? What is that now
you are doing? Yes I was earning in my own words only - more than I want but less than what I deserve
working in MIC. So I left it and now whatever am earning is what I deserve. Ha ha. Accept the pun.
Earlier I was bitterly complaining for a late salary. But now I have not taken any salary for eighteen
months. Still am not complaining because now it is my baby to feed the company and take care of it. So lil
Vajra is my second daughter. So let me feed her make her comfortable and wait patiently.

Ya I am learning there is a gut feeling inside every person to en cash what he/she has learnt over years. I
know I had behind me two decades of toil and managerial experience. Even if I fumble here and
there, there is every chance of we getting success. But always there is an element of failure attached
with every action. So now for my another project am looking for people with higher caliber and capacity.
At what price? Anybody is ready to accept the challenge? I started discussing with people from
different sections of the industry. Now I realised I have to still learn so much about life, success and
accepting challanges and Insha Allha about our own fate as well. It made me to write this mail.

We all are human beings. So as many crores of them with as many crores of our mentalities. But there is a
law in life. Be patient and sustain. In Indian business sustaining is the key. You know we bring our
kids from tiny toddlers to well educated grown ups. We love them rear them and make them educated. So like
that only we incorporate firms make them self-sufficient and wait patiently till they show
results. But some body has to wait more patiently and for some who are blessed results reap fast. So what
are the results?

Once again I will deviate again and tell you a saying. Mr. D V S Narasa Raju has wrote in his column
"Akshinthalu" - Any person earns money and as long as it meets his/her requirements and 20% more or less
then it is like LAKSHMI and if it is more than that it is DURGA. So am talking about Lakshmi but not Durga.
People with rich experience behind them if they setup something with their core strength you have to know
that they are trying not only to earn money but want to get result in the form of realising their dreams.
Try to see the big Elephant but not individual parts. Try to see the big picture. Satti am now trying to see
the big picture what you tried to explain me years back but I refused to accept. Now I am trying to teach
a thing or two to the co community.

I was patted on my back by all of my well-wishers for the thing whatever I have taken up. I was even
supported by friends and classmates by sending books on Plant Management and lending moral support. (Durga
- thanks for "The Goal" and the mails and seconding my ideas and contradicting on my opinions. Am suggesting
all my future entrepreneurs to read it. Also read The Strong Medicine and In High Places by Arthur Hailey
all young gals and guys).

So my dear countrymen am quoting (Rather repeating what Mr. Anil Inamdar IIT and IIM alumni before I was
born has told us in an old managerial meeting) - You are born with certain qualities and acquired core
strengths by working over years. So concentrate on them and get results with them only. If you are at the
starting point of the career just concentrate and work as hard as you can in diversified working conditions
and try to learn maximum. But once if you feel you have got the strength to work and get results on your
own - come out the world and accept the challenge and fight and fight till you win in INDIA.

Let me close this mail by quoting Robert Frost again.

"The woods are lovely dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep..."

Bye

JS.

Anybody want to contradict on these opinions please do so. You are welcome. We will start arguing. Let the
saga continue...