"Life's lessons learnt" - Murthy

I recently read about N.R.Narayana Murthy's speech at the Precommencement ceremony at the prestigious NYU Stern University. A man of great stature, he mentions in the speech, some of his past experiences acted as turning points in his life.

The first incident he quotes, is in 1968, when during his post-graduation at IIT Kanpur (as a Control Theory student), he met a US-based computer scientist, who discussed new developments in the field. The discussion generated so much interest in Murthy that he went to the library, referred some papers and came out of the library determined to study Computer science. It was just this chance event (as he refers) because of which he chose Computer science as his career (and which gave us one of the finest IT companies in India).
The second experience that he recounts is during his brief stopover at Nis (bordered Yugoslavia and Bulgaria). He boarded a train in the night, with only another boy and a girl as company. The girl started criticizing the communist Bulgarian government, which resulted in the boy summoning the local police. Murthy was held captive in a 8x8 room with no food for more than 72 hours. He was later taken to Istanbul and released "..because he was from a friendly country called India..", he recalls. This incident transformed the young man (who was earlier a leftist by thought) into a compassionate capitalist. He realised that entrepreneurship, resulting in large scale job creation was the only way to eradicate poverty. Infosys was eventually founded with this very motive in mind.

The next significant day that he speaks of is in 1990, when the seven founders of Infosys met in Bangalore to decide upon a possible sale for $1 million! When everyone, except Murthy, almost reached a consensus, Murthy spoke passionately of their 9-year old journey. He offered others to buy out their stakes, if they felt appropriate to sell off. That changed their thinking, and today, we find the company having more than $3 bn in revenues!

The final event that Murthy mentions is when one of his big clients (he has mentioned in another interview earlier that it was GE), talked to multiple vendors regarding a project and put in harsh terms (and unfair price) before them. Given the fact that it accounted for 25% of Infy's revenues then, it would have been difficult to say no. But Murthy took the call and made it clear that it would not be possible for Infy to service them effectively. This, eventually brought about a risk-mitigation strategy into Infosys to stabilize revenues.

Through these examples, Murthy summarises the lessons learnt in his life:
Learning from experience: Be it failure or success, it is important to look back and learn what went wrong and what could have been done better.
Power of chance events: Chance events, as he says, play an important role in one's life. But more importantly, how we respond to them decides the tapping of such opportunities.
Mindset: He distinguishes between a fixed mindset (avoid challenges, learning) and growth mindset (embrace challenges and learn from criticism)
Self-knowledge: Greater awareness about oneself and belief in one's abilities, clubbed with humility.

To end the speech, he reminds that we are all merely temporary custodians of wealth, be it financial, emotional or intellectual, and the ultimate goal is to share it with those less fortunate - "To sow the seeds for trees, whose fruits you may not even be able to see". This message from one of my idols, will not only enlighten the Stern grads, but kindle the thought process in the Indian youth, as well.

It's not just a song - It's a thought

Yesterday being a holiday, I was busy doing my 'usual' task of browsing through all the music channels for some good music. A new song, Sadho Re, from a band called Agnee suddenly caught my attention. From the music, I could make out it was a typical 'Indian Ocean' kind-of song. But then, the video was even more convincing..

The video (MediaPlayer streaming link), shot in an Indian pilgrim city(probably Varanasi) shows, a small girl, touring around a mela, grabbing her father's hand. Suddenly, another poor kid grabs her toy and runs away. The girl runs behind her, but is unable to catch hold of her. Now, she raises her head to look at the diverse kind of people present at the mela. She now starts realizing the fact that she is lost in the crowd. In the next frame, a man throws some food on the ground and four poor kids fight on the road to get hold of it. The girl's expression says it all at this moment. She can't understand, why anyone needs to fight for food. Someone knocks off the ice-cream she held, but she is still motionless. She later starts crying and walks in search of her father. The video ends with the members of the band taking her to her father and an ecstatic smile on her face.

But more than the video, the interpretation that I guessed, disturbed me very much. Did the director/band try to portray the universal truth from the innocent eyes of the young girl. Picture this: Every one of us is smiling and care-free in the happier times of our life. The moment we happen to lose any of our closest possessions, we engage in an endless chase for it. If we fail to find it, we retard, tired and helpless. But then, when we look at the world around us, we find so much pain and suffering; that our loss seems to be miniscule. We start realizing, the ordeals, others have to go through, for even a grain of food. We feel that all our possessions are just namesake and are no more than ornamental. And at this dividing line of the world and the self, we find ourselves helpless. But, most of the time, this realization is momentary, only till we return to the material world. The big divide of the whole world no longer makes sense to us, as we embrace our new-found happiness in objects of desire. And this is what the song probably means, when it says, Ye murdon ka gaanv..

Surely, songs like these-though may not be part of popular trend (should I say Himesh!), are very much thought-provoking. Reminds me of the lines from Indian Ocean's Bharam Bhaap Ke - "Jang ka rang sunehra samjha, Lekin baad mein gehra samjha. Janga ka rang toh kaala re..."

Dreams never die

After many days, I took some time off to listen to many songs that I used to cherish last year and earlier. And in my playlist was also the inspiring Aashayen (Iqbal). Those lines are really very inspiring and when Shaan says 'Ab mushkil nahin kuch bhi ..', it sets my mind into the thinking mode. "Can determination really drive a person towards his goals, inspite of the unsurmountable challenges?".

As if to answer my question, the Times of India carried an article today about how Dreams never die. It mentions the story of a paan-wallah Birbal Chaurasia, who fled away from his village 30 years ago with Rs.180 in his pocket and set up shop outside the Indian Express building in Delhi. Earning very little from his paan-shop, he used to prepare pickles and home-made drinks and ensured his daughters got Rs.10 for their bus fare. Last month, his elder daughter became a Chartered Accountant and his younger daughter is about to complete cost accountancy in a year. Surprising? Inspiring? It should be. We have seen many of our friends trying hard for completing the CA exams and cribbing about it being 'one-of-the-most-difficult' exams ever. GIven the fact that we have much of the resources and luxury to help us achieve our ambitions, many of us still falter in our path, and take pride in 'putting up an average show'. Think of all the cases where we hear of physically challenged people earning success in their fields. And still we talk about the many 'challenges', because of which we fail.

When I read of cases like Chaurasia's, I am reassured that determination is the most important thing (and in many cases, the only thing) that will help us out in reaching out to the stars. When you hear him say "I understood (on interacting with women journalists) that progress is linked to education. Which is why I decided to educate my teo daughters along with my son...Without education, women cannot be self-reliant and take independent decisions", you may never realise that this paan-wallah is a class VIII dropout.

Sweet nothings

NO..I am not talking about those sweet nothings that take place between..ahem..a couple [i am the least experienced in that domain :( ], but those which should not be treated as nothings. I am speaking about those words which are left unspoken, under the notion that they should be conveyed without saying -'Thank you', 'Please' and 'Sorry'. One of my friends sent me an article where a management thinker says, "A good leader should not be hesitant in using these three words". I believe, for that matter, no team member should be.

There are very few people, I have found, who 'say' these words when needed. We are generally under the belief that, if you thank a person, you are demeaning his help or distancing himself from you.(The Friends-do-not-thank attitude..). Similarly, we feel that the other person is bound to perform the task given to him and you don't need to 'request' him for that. Or they think, "I will be embarassed if I apologise". Worse still, there are people who can never think of using these words with their juniors (in whatever sense). But we forget one basic point. We ourselves will like to be thanked for our good work. Then why wont others? Yes, these words are motivational, but they shouldn't be used for that purpose. That's just a by-product. The crux is, when in doubt, say it. We should not assume that the other person will 'understand' our feelings.

When I learnt about the importance of the need to express, I tried to cultivate this habit myself. Once, when I was part of the society in my college, we needed some documents to be xeroxed. But then, all of us were busy and I had to ask a (non-organizer) junior to get it done. It was during our break, and I myself knew how boring the task was (given that we were on the 4th floor!!). But then he did the job within 10 mins. When he returned, I said "Thank you for getting it done." He smiled and that expressed everything he felt. It actually worked.

There are also people who take it to the other extreme. They thank people for EVERYTHING, whether appropriate or not. We need not be so generous with our words. Then, the real feelings will get subdued and its importance suppressed. People may not realise, when you mean it and when you do not. It would be the case of the boy who yelled 'Wolf! Wolf!' all the time. When you actually mean it, people will ignore it.

When you feel grateful, Thank. When you are at fault, Apologise. When you want some one to help, request. And by the way, Thank you for reading this post. Sorry, if you felt this was a waste of time. And please, do post your comments.

Where there is a will ..

I know the title sounds cliche, but..it's true! Now that I am done with my vivas, I wanted to tell you stories about how I trembled during all of them, but, then that would have been the same old story. But, one important incident during these was when, during my project demo, the external examiner remarked "You have done only this much of implementation? You could have done more...".And then, I was immersed into thoughts the whole evening. Could I have actually done more? If yes, why didn't I do it in the first place...

We always talk about capability and willingness, going hand-in-hand to achieve any result. And, if we are not able to succeed, we simply say-"I was not capable..". Worse still, I have seen people, who doubt their capability even before they start.(I myself do it sometimes! :) )..So how far does 'will' let us push our capabilities to the limits? Atleast in my life, I have found many experiences where I could have done much better had I pushed myself hard..(I seem to be a loser, don't I?). But the realisation after some very crucial incidents of my life (the IIT-JEE, the GATE, my extra-curriculars..) actually point to the same.

The difference between the winners and the 'others' (yes,I do hate to call myself a loser!!), is that drive to win. That lack of motivation, that absence of focus-on-the-goal attitude, is what we suffer from. There have been tens of instances where, I know, only because of a person's never-say-die spirit, has he been able to complete his task. Even a highly capable man easily gives up, if he does not set his eyes at the target. And there are always lots of excuses, in terms of short-term objectives, to account for the failure. But then, one who desperately wants to achieve can even learn the most difficult skills in order to win. The only capability then, is the 'desire'. That's why, I feel, companies sometimes openly reject the distinction-holders for the willing first-class-ers when they look out for employees.(the academic %age in no ways determines the skills, but then, it's just an example).

So, does it mean that, even if you are the least skilled but highly 'willed', you can win? Probably not. Because, everything is bound by time. You can, of course, learn the skills, but it will surely take you time, which may prove costlier than the other person's lack of will. Which means, you need 'some' capability, but that's not the only thing. If you are not interested in the task itself, it's obvious that even the best of your capabilities are not useful. I know, there are some who believe, it is easier to instill that willingness in skilled people, than to wait for others to learn. But, I feel the inverse of it to be true. Atleast in my case :). So the next time onwards, I hope my projects be 'completely' completed on time...

Fare (space) Well

As it would have been obvious, when everyone around me has only one thing in their minds - the Farewell; how could it not be a part of my blog.. The day, when we bid each other good-bye. The day where we wish to enjoy every second to the max. The day we wish to be remembered throughout our life. But, typical to my reflective (or call it insane) mind, I have some more thoughts on it.

The farewell at some other places that I observed, had been just a day. A day of blazers and kurtas. Of make-ups and jewellery. Of perfumes and glittering sarees. Of cameras and snapshots. But then, I fear that behind all this glitter, the real essence should not take a backstage. ( I know it does not, but then I just fear...).Speaking of photographs, I still wonder, why do they hold so much significance, when they can't capture memories, emotions, feelings or events. Yes, they are a way to represent all of these, but then it's a snapshot. Even a video is a series of snapshots. More important than these are the actual incidents that take place before this snapshot, and no camera can capture these. I don't deny that photos are associated with valued memories, but then, without remembering the actual memories, the photos, by themselves are nothing. You can't capture, what happened 4 years ago, by taking a pic now. I know again, that I am being too cynical, but life's like that.

This is similar to the debate of whether 'ends justify means', or whether 'a project is more important than the product itself'. And as known universally, both are important. One without the other is useless. Someone remarked the other day that this day marks a celebration of the 4 long years that we have spent together. But then, is this day representative of the 4 yrs? Or is it that if one does not celebrate this day, he wishes to forget those moments of togetherness of the past? Have we ever thought of celebrating when leave this country for 'greener pastures' with EVERY single soul who has been a part of our lives.(yes, you do have a party with selective presence, but, does that mean that you have forgotten those who are not part of it?). Or do we even think of a celebration when we leave this world?

It is also important, as I mentioned, not to be selective in enjoying this moment of 'togetherness'. I distinctly remember the day, when a person remarked this week that 'fortunately, this was the last lecture' of a senior prof. Yes, we did not 'enjoy' his lectures much, but does it mean that all those that we 'celebrate' with, have been 'good' all the times? Or there has been not a single moment of bitterness in the past? But, on this day, we learn to 'forgive and forget', albeit selectively.

These comments may give an impression that I do not appreciate this celebration (and probably this reasons my absence), which is totally untrue. Just that,we must celebrate it in the right spirit, understand the importance of it and most importantly, remember that this does not 'represent' those pleasant memories. It just marks an end of these good (and bad) times, temporarily. And before we bid each other farewell, I wish all of us, in our future endeavours (including the short term target-the exams), 'fare well'.

Opinions. Beliefs. Facts.

( The post references the reader as 'you'; it may seem to be a 'lesson' or a 'lecture', but then I couldn't put it in a better way. )

opinion noun view held as probable.
belief noun what one accepts as true.
fact noun thing known to exist as true or reality.

I know I (as a non-GRE student) can't precisely spell out which one is 'stronger' and things like that, but then I have somewhat undestood how to differentiate between them. Rather, more importantly, we need to know why to differentiate these. Everyone holds an opinion about almost everything; when his opinion grows stronger, he starts believing in it; and if his beliefs are proven (by earlier-know facts, of course), then his belief transforms into a fact. People 'give; opinions, 'express' beliefs and 'state' facts. That's why it is essential not to mix up the three. I have found people being affected by others' opinions or adapting to others' beliefs. I believe (note the verb), that we must accept others' opinions; think over their beliefs; and adapt ourselves to the facts. Remember that facts are universal and do not need an 'adjective' (his/their) even in English usage, which simply proves the difference.

Some say that if you don't care for others' opinions, then you are arrogant or egoistic. But then, you should just listen to them, analyse them and then try to find out whether the opinion is valid (even before thinking about their usefulness). Similarly, beliefs are also to be thought about, more rigorously and then taken into consideration. But facts are facts. Beliefs can become facts, only after they are proven, by logically reasoning it out. 'A theorem is a fact, but only after if it has valid proof'. But remember any wrong assumption can prove the whole theorem wrong. If you yourself can reason out others' beliefs/opinions then it becomes a fact for you and NOW you need to think about applying the fact. You need not prove a fact's validity but test their usefulness or relevance.Relevance is very important, because we very easily associate any negative quality of ours with our failure. Any effect is present onky dueto some of the causes not all (80:20 Pareto's principle :)). The software engineers should now understand why a fish-bone diagram is so important in debugging.

During many incidents that have taken place with me or around me, I have found people trying to confuse between the three and that has become the major concern. People take others' opinions to their heart and that affects their life so much that they don't even think twice. The Joshua experience of my friends was one of them. ( for all those in the dark, this is some anon guy posting some nasty things about people on orkut.) It's simple. He can't prove it,that's why he's anon. Which means whatever he says, is just an opinion. Look within yourself. If you feel even a bit of truth in his 'opinions' then worry about it. Else go on with your life. And this is what I feel is extremely essential for any team to work together. But remember, you need objectivity in your thinking for deciding the validity of opinions. Else, you will be one more arrogant guy, who doesnt change himself for anything in this world. And remember, all that I said is just my 'belief'. Yes, ther is some reasoning behind this, but then, unless and until it is universally accepted, you still need to think about this before accepting these comments.

The Silken Thread ...

A silken thread in my hands I hold,
Which keeps me from falling down.
I am hanging from this huge cliff,
The river below waiting for me to drown.

I had come this far with all the ropes,
But none of them are now with me.
Some I threw; they were heavy and worthless,
Some fell themselves; alone they let me be.

I fear, if this thread breaks
I'll have nothing to hold.
Thousands of feet I'll fly down,
My body will lie in this river; Cold!

But I believe in the suppoet I have,
And my hands that grip it tight.
I know it'll take long,
But then, the goal is in sight.

One day I'll conquer this mighty mountain,
Overcome any storm or rain.
Others have either gotten there sooner or left,
But I find pleasure in this enduring pain.

It's almost impossible, but for this thread
I may still tumble down the slope.
But I know the peak is calling out for me,
For I hold this thread of HOPE...

To err is human..To learn divine !!

This is an incident that happened last year during my term as Senior Technical Officer at SFMC,which i a sense 'awakened' me. During the SE quiz that the society conducted, I was responsible for the software which was essentially required to conduct the quiz. I had been working for the whole of previous week(with just 4 hours of sleep, which defines my 'maximum effort'). I had tested everything at home, and it was almost done but, during the break, I found out that some things didn't work as desired, and I continued debugging till the start of the quiz.But typical of me then (and probably even now), my mind couldn't work under so much pressure and the software didn't work for one round of the quiz. We had to do with manual display and scoring, (which was the last thing we wanted to do given that the interactive-thing was the essence of the quiz)..

I was heart-broke. My first big assignment as an STO and I failed! The event had almost failed I thought. I just left the comp to my juniors and left.My senior Sriram prepared some last-minute alternatives and the event concluded with his help. I couldn't stand up or even say a word. I doubted my own capability given that I had Deepan,'the God', as my colleague,but I took the whole job onto myself and failed miserably. Probably I was the least worthy for this job. Probably I shouldn't even have attempted this task. I was being way too over-confident of myself, I thought..I went to the first floor and literally started crying. Setu Gupta, another senior of mine came to me. 'I'm resigning tomorrow, I said'. And the rest of the conversation are those golden minutes of my life...

Setu calmed me down and said..'You have failed, you want to leave. What good had this done? What have you gained as a council member? Have you learnt nothing from this? Do you want to fail again when under a similar situation? Whatever has happened, has happened. The event is over now..You tried your level best, only that you needed to be more disciplined and should have tested everything earlier. The next time, you'll never make such a mistake again and that's what is the positive result of this incident. You'l fail not just because your s/w didn't work, but because you didn't even care to learn from it.'.. I just thought about these words as I returned home..Never in my life have I faced failure with this attitude. Yes..that's how this post will benefit me and the forum. Once you fall into a pit, you don't stay there forever..but stand up and see to it that you don't fall into it again..

It was as if I had got a new life from the next day. From that day onwards, whenever I fail (or for that matter, if anyone around me fails), I stop, analyse, learn, improve and move ahead. This
has helped me improve myself not just technically, but on other fronts too. I am not perfect, but it's good that I come to know of my imperfections early, so that they do not show up in the future. Those golden words from that genius let me see life differently..