Don't Quit

The “Don't Quit” presentation is based on a famous poem which was written many years ago. The author of this poem is unknown. Sadly, in recent years a number of people have claimed ownership of the poem and some have even claimed to have written it themselves!



Here is the original poem in it's entirety:



When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.



Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about,

When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don't give up though the pace seems slow--

You may succeed with another blow.



Often the goal is nearer than,

It seems to a faint and faltering man,

Often the struggler has given up,

When he might have captured the victor's cup,

And he learned too late when the night slipped down,

How close he was to the golden crown.



Success is failure turned inside out--

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far,

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--

It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.



- Author unknown

Another new beginning...this time, its the year !!!

Hi guys...I know its been a while since my last post...as its all about thoughts...its now when I got just another one worth sharing...

We have so many new beginnings in our daily life, a new day, a new project, a new friend, etc...this time, its the year 2010 !!!

Its the 1st of January, 2010 and we have bid farewell to 2009, which passes by as a memorable year for some and not so memorable for others...

We've had some significant events in 2009 like Barack Obama becoming the 44th President of the United States, passing away of Michael Jackson, the Swine Flu pandemic, the longest total eclipse of the sun in this century, etc.

I too experienced a series of significant happenings in 2009. To mention a few, I got engaged this year, got a promotion, experienced my first snowfall and this was the forth consecutive year when I was away from my home on Diwali :(

We all have our own ways of spending the last night of year. Some go out partying in a Pub, some spend the time at home with their families, etc. I, like a acchhaa bachhaa (good boy), spend this time of the year at a Gurudwara (Sikh temple). Would like to continue even after I am married, unless my wife influences me more than I do ;)

So, this year was no exception, and I got to be at the this gurudwara in Manchester, UK, where I went with my relatives and I can never thank them enough for taking me there. The experience was simply divine.

Would also like to what were you upto on your last night of 2009, which you can share in your comments below :)

I hope you all too had a very good 2009, and also that 2010 would be even better with some more new beginnings in the chapters of all our lives as the time passes by as we strive to be a better person day by day...cheerzzz :)

INDIA...from a different angle

Well, people...this is something i've always been thinkin of writin about, but never happened....guess its time now...so here it goes...

This is about our very own country, INDIA. No doubt being Indians we do expect more often to listen good and less of not so good about it. But, I guess when it comes to recalling the facts, thats what it is, be it good or bad...and as this is my blog, its obvious that what I put here if solely my personal perception, without any sort of influence or pressure. And any response would be appreciated and welcomed. No offence intended :)

Lets begin with the good ones...

The most striking fact about our country these days is that its one of the very few economies, which has bravely faced the financial turmoil and when other developed nations like the US and UK have suffered badly, India has managed to pull it off very well. Well, the numbers speak for themselves. Some links to make you feel proud :)

Some excerpt from the net...


'When Goldman Sachs speaks, Wall Street listens – this axiom has held true for quite a few years. However, the investment bank's expertise is not limited to financial institutions alone, but encapsulates national and global economies as well. Hence, when the latest report from the exalted institution says that incomes in India will likely be close to the global average by 2030, it surely is time to smile.

A simple way to see this is to look at the list of the seven largest economies (the 'true G7') in 1960, 2007 and 2050. In 1960, the largest economies were all essentially ''developed'' countries from the higher income groups. By 2007, that has already clearly begun to change, with China in the top seven and Brazil, India and Russia not far behind.

In 2050, India would have the 3rd rank on the top seven nations list with an income ranking of 61.' source: www.domain-b.com



'If you are a Chinese or an Indian putting up in the UK, you have a reason to cheer. For Britain is looking up to your native land to pull the country out of recession.

On hand information suggests Prime Minister Gordon Brown is actually looking up to India and China to emerge from recession. Brown has called for Britain to be more outward facing; and has sought stronger commercial links with the two countries to beat the meltdown blues.' source: www.foreignersinuk.co.uk

Well, believe it or not, the developed nations, suffering from the recession, are now very open to learn from the countries like India and China, which have withstood the storms of recession.

Also, it is really appreciable that in spite of so many complications within itself, our country has done its best and made us proud.


Now, not the very good ones...

Even though we are hearing these days about India becoming a super-power in near future, can we assure other facts of Standard of living, Quality of life, Social harmony, etc. Is becoming a super-power, without having these things in place, good enough???

Its understandable that it is very difficult to maintain decorum amongst so many diverse cultures, thinkings, languages, etc. But if we want to feel really proud of our country, we need to seriously look into taking control over these issues as well. I mean, its not that we do not have money, its just that its not ending up in the right hands......this is Corruption !!!

Talking of cleanliness, people in our country just do not take themselves responsible for the dirt that they spread in places. Its not that the government has not imposed rules to take care of this, but they are just not adhered to. One of the most famous statements is 'Yahaan thookna mana hai' (Do not spit) where some mischievous brats wipe out the 'mana' and make the statement read as 'Yahaan thookna hai' (Spit here) :)

Even today, we have more than 1 lakh villages without electricity and our politicians spend 1200 crore of rupees on statues, without a justification, and walk free. On one hand we talk of Indians being the theme for success stories around the globe whereas we also have people who are so desperate to create an awareness of their religion at the cost of adversely affecting the life, property and economy.


A proposed solution...

We need to be in a position to ask our politicians the reason for their unjustifiable actions. We need to be more considerate and obedient of the rules imposed by the government and realise the fact that they are in place for our own good. Many think that, 'It can't be just me who can change the world', when the fact is that if they start taking individual responsibility and behave appropriately, it does and will make a lot of difference which will definitely show once their percentage increases.

So, my friends, I take this opportunity through this blog and make a humble request to start taking things a bit more seriously and try to do out bit towards making this country an inspiration for the world, not only for the economical reasons, but also otherwise. I do agree, there are groups and organisations set up by the government to improve things, but it is just not possible to improve without our individual support. So, always have a positive attitude and believe in the fact that you can make a difference in making this a better country to live in and starting working towards it. Your time start NOW !!!

Tired of being away from home...

Well, I do think at times, it could be the best thing anyone could have, but also the worst...

It has the power to make the most unexpected people behave as really very concerned about you, and at times it is also responsible for sending you near and dear ones, who actually are concerned about you, far far away to gather more of, nothin else but the same damn thing in question...MONEY !!!

The most indecisive question in my mind right now is, whether to extend the stay, or to pray for non-extension of the stay to be back with the near and dear ones, whom I have been missin for a long time now. I mean, come on man, this is my immediate family I am talkin abt, without whom, my life feels like an untrue reality. Hats off to those who are able to stay away from their family for years together, for their own individual reasons, what so ever.

This was the fourth consecutive Diwali that I had to spent away from my family, and I am not very happy about it. For those to whom Diwali sounds Latin, its like Christmas for the Christians. Plus there are many more family functions that i've been missin since about last four years like my sister Suneet's wedding in Delhi.

This reminds me of a very prominent shabad (extract) from the Guru Granth Saaheb Ji (Sikh Holy Book), which goes like, 'Maati ko putra, Kaise nachat hai' (How a human, a puppet of clay is dancing. Peeping all around, he is hearing, speaking and running about continuously, in the search for materialistic wants).

Also, its human nature, that we never value what we have and always value what we don't. Spending time, away from my family, made me realise the true worth of different personalities in my life like my parents, chachu, chachiji, brothers and sisters, etc. Before leavin home, when I had these people around me always, it was never possible to have this realisation. Not that I am not sensitive, we all do that, its called being human.

Add to it, the pain of missin the person with whom I recently got engaged, my beloved fiance. I'm sure she too is missin as much as I am, it shows whenever we talk, and when she is always to eager to hear any news about the date of my return...

I always feel lucky to have these people in my life, who are so concerned about me and always thank God, for givin me such a loving family. Can't thank Waheguru Ji (God) enough !!!

So, just a suggestion to one-n-all, please feel lucky to have your family with you, thank God for it and always cherish the relationship you share with them as not everyone is as lucky as you are, to have them in your life...

Diwali in London :)

Happy Diwali to everyone !!!

Hope you had a good time out there with your family and friends. And for the ones who have the same status as mine, have their fiance, but couldn't meet her.... GET MARRIED SOON !!! ;)

Well, no wonder I was away from family, but still got the chance to be in London with my friends Jimmy, Gagan, Monu, his wife Nidhi, Khillu (who are closer than relatives), Kunal, Vishal, Prashant and had a good time out there. This was one of the most eventful weekends in the UK. Can't thank them enough for the time I got to spend out there.....

When I was invited over to London, all I replied was 'Sorry mate, it won't be possible for me to make it'....as I was planning to just go there and surprise them.....and thats what I did :) Will never forget the reaction I got from them....hehe...

My last year's desire of visiting the Southall Gurudwara was also fulfilled this year and what an experience...worth waiting a year....believe me. Its a MUST VISIT AT LEAST ONCE kind of a place. On the same day, I went for the Diwali celebrations at night at another friend, Harcharan's place. The dinner was delicious which had Roasted Chicken, Shahi Paneer, Makhani Dal, Rice and Samosas for starters.....wow....samosas in London....yummy :)

Sunday was spent lazying around with Monu, Jimmy, Nidhi, Khillu, Gagan and Vishal, we went to roam around in London, across the London Bridge, a long walk window shopping at the Oxford Street (well, I was lookin for some good offers but couldn't find any.....guess there was still time for Christmas ;) )

Monu had a tradition day at office where he was suppose to pose as a 'Sikh' (had to tie a turban on the head). So Gagan tied him the turban and this was a total transformation.....he looked very handsome as a surd. (Check out the pic)

So yes, thats how I spend my Diwali weekend this year and hope you too had a good time.

Happy Diwali again !!!

United we stand !!!

It’s been more than a year now on the current project and should I say it really has been a mixed bag of some very sweet and memorable moments.

Well, the MTS (Mid Tier Services) offshore team was formed in the month of September, 08 in Mumbai, when my former project manager, Matthew Britton came to me and asked about the setting up of this team which was supposed to work in sync with the onshore team and if I would be interested to lead the same. This sounded really excited as it included a visit to the UK for about two months, for an initial knowledge transfer. So, obviously, I agreed whole heartedly ;)

The initial or should I say, the founder team members, were Umi (Umesh) and DB (Dushyant) from Mumbai and Babu (Chandra), who was already in the UK. Recently, we had two new entrants to the team and they are Babu Junior (Sumit) and Abbu (Mehtab). So basically, today the strength of the offshore MTS team is 6.

Let me give you more information about these guys. Umi, a very very straightforward guy, and quite ziddi (stubborn) ;) too….yes Umi….you can kick me after reading this…but overall, a very good friend of mine (hope this changes his mind ;)) . Last year, we shared the apartment and we both took care of the kitchen, that is, I used to cut and he used to cook. Next is DB the great, let me tell you, I haven’t seen a better thinker than him and thus the name Khayali (Thinker) has been awarded to him by his colleagues. (officially as well, rite DB ;)) . Next is Babu, thorough gentleman (mostly with girls), a fitness freak, and last but not the least, a wonderful cook…..be it roti, paratha or chicken…you name it and its done. This year I am sharing the apartment with Babu, and playing the same role as last year with Babu replacing Umi J

You must be wondering what DB must be doing, well hold on, he is very good singer as well….and sings for us whenever are busy cooking in the kitchen. Wish him all the best with the talent of his.

Through this blog, I also welcome Mehtab and Sumit in the team and also hope that they too enjoy with us going through the journey called MTS.

A peek at the office...

Writing this while travelling in the bus to Radbroke Hall, Knutsford, the place where my client’s office is located. A mammoth place with numerous buildings for individual facilities like the Corporate Office, Development Office, Medical Facilities, Mail Office etc. The sheer number of cars being parked within the vicinity is huge, thus, no use mentioning that the parking take more space than the total office area, talking in terms of the covered ground area.

The office area is quite scenic with lots of greenery around. The leaves have begun to change from green to orange and yellow, leading to a bed of fallen leaves on the ground across, being the month of October.

Its October and that too in a cold country like UK, the temperature seems like a mad dog running undeterred towards the negative as the days pass by. There has to be a way to maintain the temperature while in office or else just imagine people dressed like Eskimos and trying to work…. (alrite alrite, agreed, there was a bit of exaggeration there, but guys, come on…gotta make this atleast sound interesting J )

And yes, the client is rich enough to have the whole office space (obviously, the covered area) under full climate control, I mean why not, its on of the biggest and oldest banks based out of the UK. So, it always feels like heaven to enter the office after getting off the bus, crossing the cold breeze, into the office.

Soon, it’ll be lunch time when we, without an option, have to put in money for so called eatables we can stuff in our mouth thinking that the chef must be a maniac to have prepared this. I mean imagine having food that has everything but basic ingredients like salt….MAN !!! Plus, it feels like seventh heaven when, while eating this, you look at your very close team members who have got home cooked sabji and rotis in their lunch boxes…..and try to suppress that GRAB IT feeling ;) Anyways…when there is no option, the best excuse is to skip it….giving the lame excuse of, “gotta get thinner u see” ;)

Hey hey hey….get a life man….i’m tryin to type somethin here…..not to you readers, it’s the driver tryin to prove his eligibility for the Formula 1. That’s one thing I like about my origin country, at least the speeds are under control (even though, you feel like you are seated in one of the rides from Disneyland), except some crazy drivers zippin past by (husshhhh…..not me).

Okie….reached office now and gotta get back in the routine….catch ya soon…