Trip to McLeodganj

Recently I went on a three-day trip to McLeodganj (in Himachal Pradesh) from 6th to 8th April. Here is a brief info about the place.

Basic Facts:

Delhi to Dharamshala – 520 Kms
Dharamshala to McLeodganj – 10 Kms
McLeodganj to Bhagsu – 2 Kms

Board a Haryana Roadways bus from ISBT @ Rs 290.

Delhi (Dep @ 2210 hrs) - Dharamshala (Arr @ 1000 hrs)
Dharamshala (Dep @ 1815 hrs) - Delhi (Arr @ 0600 hrs)

From Dharamshala, there is regular bus service to McLeodganj every 15-20 minutes. The journey lasts half an hour and costs only Rs 7.

Search for a hotel either in McLeodganj or Bhagsu (15 minutes walking distance from McLeodganj). You can get a good room for anything in the range Rs 250-400. If you are traveling on a shoe-string budget, you can get a room for as cheap as Rs 75 a day (only in upper Bhagsu).

Here is a photographic tour of the place.

1. Dal Lake: If you enjoy walking around and exploring places, this is a good place for a short trek. Anyways, you can also drive upto Dal Lake. There are paddle boats available @ Rs 50 for two rounds in the lake.

2. View Point at Naddi: From Dal Lake, walk upto this place. For lazy visitors, if they want to save themselves from the trouble of trekking up to Bhagsu Falls and Triund, they can get good views of both the places from here.

3. The River coming from Bhagsu Falls: If you have a little adventure in you, trek to Bhagsu Falls alongside this river. Enroute to the river, there is a gurudwara with a small pool. If you want, you can take a dip in the freezing water.

4. Triund: This is a 9.5 km trek from McLeodganj.

McLeodganj to Dharamkot - 1.5 Kms
Dharamkot to Gullu Temple - 2 Kms
Gullu Temple to Triund - 6 Kms

The entire trek took us close to 4 hrs (one-way). It is a back-breaking trek but is worth every bead of sweat once you reach the destination. Triund is at 9325 feet (2840 mts) and the temperature is like 4-5 degree celsius at the top. From here, you get spectacular views of the western edge of the Dhauladhar range. Be also prepared to experience a hail storm at the top as we did. The hail storm had started half-way enroute and had continued until after 30 minutes we had reached the top. The best way to enjoy at Triund is to spend a night at the top but don't forget to take your camping gear along.

5. Dalai Lama Temple: You should also visit the Dalai Lama Complex. It's a 10 mins walk from the main square at McLeodganj.


You can view the entire album at McLeodganj

Au Revoir

The Eternal Quest

I have always refrained from writing on one sensitive issue i.e. GIRLS. But now I think it’s worth it writing about anything on your blog as long as it does away with all the stupid thoughts and makes you feel good :o)

Here I am going to write an inspiring story of Mr. X in his quest to find a girl friend for him.

Mr. X is in school and gets approached by a lovely girl who proposes to him. But since Mr. X is one of the toppers in the class and is very focused towards his studies, he refuses her offer citing the reason that they are too young to get involved in all this and should better concentrate on their studies. They can be friends though. Full stop! Little does Mr. X know that this is going to be the last time when any girl would ever approach him.

Mr. X gets into a college and gets senti on a girl in the third semester. The trouble is that the girl already has a boyfriend and Mr. X thinks he is a descendent of Houdini and would hypnotize the girl into accepting his proposal. The super trouble is that the girl turns out to be a descendent of Sherlock Holmes who fore guesses the poor guy’s motives even before he has a chance to cast a spell on her. Full stop! Mr. X goes back to his studies.

Mr. X gets senti on another girl when he is in final semester. He does some research and finds out that the girl has had a breakup two months back. He takes her out for an expensive dinner and spills the beans on their way back to home. Mr. X thinks he is going to complete his college studies, has a decent job and can easily afford a girl friend; whereas the girl is on a lookout for someone who could afford her for life. Now, how is he supposed to marry a girl when he can barely meet his expenses? Full stop! Mr. X sulks for three days.

Mr. X lands in his first job, starts attending French classes, and goes crazy for a girl from his class. He is absolutely sure that the girl doesn’t have a boy friend and is not looking to marry someone in the foreseeable future. They become great friends. Mr. X has a skewed thinking that a terrific friendship is just one step short of being in a relationship; whereas the girl has a super skewed thinking that friendship is just for morons and good guys. The girl thinks that Mr. X is a good guy. Full stop! Mr. X has already chosen his next target.

Two days after, Mr. X loses his mind on a girl from his office. He leaves no stone unturned and finds out that the girl doesn’t have a boy friend, doesn’t want to marry soon and who thinks that Mr. X is a bad guy. He takes her out on one fine rainy Saturday and they become good friends. The problem is that the girl is going to some other city for her new job and Mr. X believes too much in the power of telecommunications in keeping people together. The damn problem is that the girl has never seen that advertisement featuring Sehwag ki Maa, and cares too much about the mobile bill. Full Stop! Mr. X concentrates on his career instead.

Mr. X lands in a new job. It’s been a year without any excitement. He decides to chase a girl from his office. He gets a crazy idea of writing an email to her inviting her for a walk. The icing on the cake is that he sends this email to her. Full stop! Mr. X is yet to discover the aftereffects of this ;o)

Au Revoir

6 Golden Rules at Your Workplace - Part II

In most of the companies in India, it’s that time of the year again when tempers run high, when everyone tries to show one-upmanship against others and when almost everyone is right and holds an opinion on almost anything related to his company. It is also the time when the management feels that all its decisions have been impartial and they are in the best interests of its employees and when the employees feel that they have been duped into a trap and sweet-talked into accepting something which they didn’t want to or at least which they thought they didn’t want to. If you haven’t guessed by now what I am referring to then maybe you should not read this further. It is only going to blur your sense of injected-satisfaction and could also (in some extreme cases) reverse your thought process leading to bouts of insanity and madness. For all those who have guessed by now, yes I’m referring to EVALUATIONS or PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS.

Everyone just loves gossiping about it. Everyone is eager to know about others’ evaluation more than they are eager to know about theirs’. With the approaching date for the announcement of results, almost everyone exponentially raises their hopes of getting a fat raise or a promotion or both. Unfortunately, the hierarchical structure and the economics of the companies handicap the management in making everyone satisfied and happy. While almost all the employees may get a decent raise (the absolute raise is again a matter of contention), only about 8-10% manage to get a promotion. I have intentionally used the phrase ‘manage to get a promotion’ because no matter how deserving you are, unless you make yourself promotable also, no one is going to give a damn about you. And because 95% of employees lack this quality of promotability, many deserving candidates don’t get promoted and half of those who get promoted are a complete jerk.

A long time ago, I had posted an article 6 Golden Rules at Your Work Place, which was based on my then 11-month of work experience. Here, I am going to elucidate some more golden rules, which can be used as a survival kit especially in the Indian corporate world. This set of rules is based on my latest 11-month of work experience albeit in a different company, 11 times the size of my last employer company.

1. Blow your Trumpets

Unarguably the most crucial tenet to follow in your journey of transmutation to Mr. Promotable is not to work hard but to blow hard your trumpets. You might be Einstein at your work but you are nobody until you also hang a placard around your neck screaming the words ‘I’m Einstein’. You might be regularly working for more than 15 hrs a day but you are perceived as a clumsy guy who doesn’t know how to manage his time well! So, what you should do to make your efforts acknowledged by your seniors? Theoretically nothing except sending a few emails! Every feat you accomplish at your workplace should be documented and sent in an email to every person worth a dime in your company. If you think you have done an amazing job which should come into CEO’s notice, DON’T HESITATE to mark him also in the email. What if you have done a very simple job, which even a 10th pass person could do, but still which made the client happy? Should you still send a self-laudatory mail to everyone? The answer is YES. The point is: at the end of the year, you are not judged by the quality of work but by the number of such emails.

2. Turn a Silly Mistake into a Blunder

If the last trait was oxygen then this one is water. You can’t be Mr. Promotable unless you have the right mix of both. You have been doing an amazing job for the last six months in your company but one bad job in the seventh month, or especially in the months towards the end of the appraisal cycle, is going to ruin your painstakingly-built reputation. In such cases Mr. Promotable would escalate the issues. What I mean is at the slightest hint of things going awry, everyone in your team right until the top should be made aware of the situation. By doing this, you are promoting brotherhood and at the same time turning an individual responsibility into a collective responsibility. So, if now anything goes wrong in the end, your neck will not be at the line because everyone had already anticipated the eventuality. The funny thing is: the higher the authority you will be including in the loop, the better the service you will be doing for yourself.

3. Periodic Visits to the Grandmaster

You do fantastic work at your workplace, impress your clients but still you are an egotistical fool who is a loner, doesn’t gel with the team and doesn’t even care about what happens in the team. Yes, this is how your seniors think about you if you don’t pay them regular visits. With all this buzz about leadership quality and team management you also have to make the top persons, who control all the strings, know what you think about your team, about the company policies affecting you and your team, about things to take care of i.e. you have to make the other person look from your eyes. You don’t have to discuss fancy stuff. It could be very simple things like the state of projects in your team, the skill-development of your team members, the general mood in your team etc. Whatever you discuss it should portray your concerns and worries about your team as a whole. The thing is everyone is concerned about his team but very few of us take the initiative to do something about it. So, the mantra is BE VOCAL.

4. Never Ever Lose It

One thing you should never ever lose in your entire corporate life at anywhere in the whole length and breadth of space and time is your temper. If you are at this side of the desk, it only makes the matters more complicated and doesn’t get your point across. If you are at the other side, it demeans your character, makes yourself look silly in front of your juniors, and from here it is an uphill task to re-build your reputation as a jolly superior. The point is no matter how right or correct you are, screaming doesn’t get you anywhere: you should always talk your way out.

5. Eat the Shit but Don’t Digest It

Fundas, fundas and fundas! In India at least (I haven’t been to any other country), everywhere you go you will always find someone who will be ready to give you his fundas. There are three kinds of people who will display such behavior. (1) The Conniving: these kind of people will give you fundas only and only for their benefit. Basically, these people want to get the work done by you and for this they will load you with all the corporate bullshit. Often, these people are found to be suffering from simulduoputomorbus wherein the afflicted person while giving fundas to some person actually thinks about fundas to be given to some other person. (2) The Preacher: these kind of people will give you fundas to establish their superiority and hence to satisfy their egos. These people have climbed the corporate ladder a level or two and now if they don’t give fundas to their juniors they think they are doing a disservice to their ego. No matter how baseless or how trivial their fundas might be the thing is they have to justify their positions at this level and for this matter are ever ready with their two-cents worth of terrible fundas. (3) The Habitual: these kind of people just can’t help it if they don’t offer their fundas. They have grown up giving fundas to others and it is like second nature to them. Having described the three kinds of funda-givers, the most dangerous breed is someone belonging to CATEGORY 1 (the conniving). YOU SHOULD NEVER EVER TRUST THE CONNIVING. Of course, recognizing him is going to take some time but still you should be on the lookout for such persons. The thing is they will act like they are your well-wishers but in reality they are just getting their work done from you.

6. You are Alone

You have a lot of friends at your workplace. You have friends at high positions (I am not talking about relatives). They would all sound very concerned about you and would always seem like doing something about it. Alright! But still it is you who are responsible for your growth and development at your workplace. Your friends might help you in some way or the other but at the end of the day everyone’s got to save his ass.

Au Revoir

P.S.

Some of you who have also read 6 Golden Rules at Your Work Place might feel that some of the points in this post are like old wine in a new bottle. If you feel like this, it just shows how crucial these points are and I have included them again just to reinforce their importance in the corporate world.

Some of you might find it unfathomable to even consider doing some of the things suggested in my post or find them outright against your ethics but who said that the corporate world was ever about ethics.

These survival tactics are to be adopted strictly in the Indian corporate world.

How Girlz Rate Guyz!

Girls’ relationship with guys is a bigger mystery than girls themselves. It’s not just about boyfriends, we’re talking about guy friends that girls have. Do you have a girl who is just a friend? Are confused why the frequency of calls increases as exams loom closer? Or why she always hangs around with the moron who isn’t fit to wear Jeetendra’s white shoes? Or why she goes around with a screwball who can’t understand most of the things that she says to him but will still chirp in with dumb replies? Here’s a ready reckoner for you:

% Just A Friend %

Well, you are like a show piece in my house. I will call you whenever I need you. If you call me home the chances are 9 out of 10 times I might say, “Oh Rahul, I am going out can you call me after 2 days??” Rahul: “Where are you going Shilpa??” Shilpa: “None of your business” and bangs the phone (useless fellow! Hmmph!).

% Good Friend %

You are like a TV remote control. I need you and I know that. But I try using you only when I really need you. Rahul calls: “Hi Shilpa”, Shilpa: “Hi Rahul. I am going out with family I will call you back. Bye” (Shilpa calls back after two days) Shilpa: “What do you want Rahul? Why did you call that day?” Rahul: “Generally” Shilpa: “Oh ok. I got to go out. Will call you later. Bye” Will call when she needs lecture notes or some concert tickets.

% Very Good Friend %

Well you are like the pressure cooker safety value for the girl. She will need you when she wants to bring out her pain or anger on someone. Basically, she wants to talk to you. And you are special to her. Shilpa: “You know Rahul, Shekhar is not eating. He doesn’t sleep and is not able to concentrate on his studies. I think he doesn’t like me anymore. And yesterday I saw him with another girl” Rahul: “Who is Shekhar??” Shilpa: “My boyfriend” Rahul: “Oh! Ok” :-(

% Best Friend %

You are like the auto rickshaw driver. She can't live without you. And don't be mistaken. You are not her boyfriend. But you are allowed to take her little doggie around the park so that he (not you!) can have fun. Rahul Shopping. Rahul Movie. Rahul Coffee. Rahul, you pay. I am having fun. Rahul is now sure that he should go ahead and propose. He dares. Shilpa: “But I thought we were just friends. We should remain friends. Rahul, try to understand I don’t see you in that way. Plus, I have a boyfriend you know that” Rahul: “What??” (Rahul drinks all night).

% Best Of The Bestest Friends %

Ok now you are really special. You are dad-cum-boyfriend-cum-brother- cum-everything. Ultimately you are the darling servant of the girl. You take her around. You make her project. You do her assignments. You are allowed to take her doggie around. You can hold hands on the beach. You can see the sun set with her (because she wants to do everything she drags you along). But but but... don't be mistaken. She has a boyfriend who works for a huge software company and earns 3 times the salary you earn and has a flat in PoesGardenor Boat Club or Hiranandani area. Shilpa: “Hi Rahul. I am getting engaged to Shekhar. Shekhar this is Rahul, he is my bestest friend”. Rahul: “Hi Shekhar” (Hand shake. Shekhar breaks Rahul's wrist). Rahul is now heart broken and wrist broken.

% Boyfriend %

Uh... No comments dude. You're already gone.

For all Rahul type guys? Make sure that you tell Shilpa about Mamta. And about Maya? And about Tina also? This will open Shilpa’s eyes!! Send it to boys to improve their Knowledge bank :0) Send it to girls who want to live in reality!!

Au revoir

P.S. This piece of article is doing rounds in my office in the form of much-loved forwarded emails and so I decided to publish it here on my blog.