LEAVING THE OFFICE

Planning and persistence has been the key area of my focus when I take up any work, but these areas are related to smooth nature of tasks. Some tasks creep up suddenly demanding quick address and so prioritizing becomes another key area. My profession “Training” pertains to service sector and therefore customer satisfaction becomes more important. My job demands efficient handling of persistence, planning and prioritization.

Heading for the days end, every minute passing by counts and I get more focused in my work, the target that I set at the start of the day needs to be completed. These targets are self-set in anticipation of the work that needs to be finished by a target date.

A white board hang on the wall on which certain statistical data are displayed, these data are updated every day at the time I leave my office. It relieves me from answering anybody who comes looking for them. Someday I am able to complete all set-task and achieve the target. A feeling of joy and satisfaction grips when all of the tasks get done right on time; all days are not same and sometimes a backlog happens which automatically sets the target for the next day. At times I get so much engrossed in work that it takes Abdullah to remind me “Dear it’s TTGH” (Time to go home). Sometimes his flavor of calling off a day would would change and would ask me “Whether I am going home or not?”. That ends the day with laughter. The computers are shut down, air conditioned switched off and the door shut.

Me and Abdullah climb down the staircase and arrive on the road, the sun is bright and comparatively soft, he is gentler now a day. It is a five minute walk to gate # 04. Having crossed the gate, wishing each other good bye (Masalama) we approach our cars.

Though being in the open for more than 08 hours; this lady (Toyota, Yaris) has been waiting patiently till now, she is a bit excited and I need to cool her down. I pull down the glasses to ventilate her anger (the trapped hot air) and slowly joggle the key into the ignition lock. She has been an excellent companion on the road, never ditched me and always made commuting an enjoyable experience. 

Gate 04 is left behind and I am on the verge of taking highway # 218; approximately 800 meters towards Jubail 02, I have to take a left turn to join the Al-Khafji-Dammam highway.   A matter of few minutes can increase the traffic on the highway as employees from the industrial area rush to reach home. Once shouldn’t be surprised if a car behind flashes light asking one to give way even if there isn’t. One needs to get accustomed to the road realities of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia is known for oil, for two holy mosques, for dates and for highest number of road accidents. Driving is a passion for Saudis, I saw a video on car driving, showcasing a dare devil feat which no person of any other nationality can do.  On the highway I could see some tyre marks, may be these are marks of such feats. It has been windy today. A gust of wind at times push my car on one side; I need to be cautious not to dash into the car beside me.

Within few moments I will take the exit and be on the King Faisal West road. The round-about is an accident prone area; having passed it, few minutes of driving takes me to my building. Yes I could see the gate of my building; as she comes to halt again I need to pat her. Once in the home it would be time for a hot cup of ginger tea, news and getting lost in my own world till next morning.

Day in and day out as I commute from home to office and office to home, I find that Saudi men are white (Tope) and women are black (Abaya), whether is hot and the roads are wide, economy is rich and people are generous.

Not to forget Saudi Arabia is a land of opportunities and surprises.

REACHING THE OFFICE

It is darkness all around, can’t see anything but I can feel myself, slowly regaining consciousness, deep sleep has just started phasing out but still I am gripped in its hang over. The alarm set in the mobile blares up cautioning me “time and tide wait for none” and you need to leave your bed. I have been many a time asked in the table topics “Is technology a boon or a bane?” I have always felt it to be a boon and the snooze button comes on friendly. The second time I press the stop button I am fully awake.

The whole night during the sleep the body was busy digesting dinner and working on various systems. The acceptability of a drug and cleansing of toxic is most favored by the body during sleep; perhaps that is why god made sleep and night. An urge to have a ginger flavored tea is intensifying. I let the tea brew on the stove so that the essence of tea and ginger are extracted to make my morning unique. 

Positioned in the chair I wish to make the most of the moment and the tea which has mischievous intentions of tinkling my nostrils by its aroma that emanates from its captivity. Tea sessions used to be joint affairs in the past. It has been years it happens to be a lonely affairs. However she is still there in the realms of my memory but she doesn't talk with me. Living a lonely life for a long time leaves you in a love affair; yes I have started loving my loneliness. As the last sip disappears and the cup turns empty it is time for me to get fresh.   

Few minutes later as I stand in front of my blue lady (Toyota, Yaris) she appears sparkling new and ready to receive me; perhaps Kohinoor gave her a bath late night. I often remember the caution on the cartoon box “Fragile, handle with care”, ladies and cars are alike. If handled with care the live long and they live lively.

Once at the wheels a gentle push on the throttle sets her in motion. I take the Jeddah street up to the four way crossing near Khonaini pharmacy, I need to turn right and take the King Faisal West Street. There are long lines of palm trees in the center and sides of this street. Saudi Arabia is a land of surprises. Within minutes the climate can turn windy, the roads can turn sandy, the air can turn humid and a barren roadside can turn palmy (with palm trees) overnight. The authorities crane-lift big palm trees and plant it on the road sides. There are labors in Saudi Arabia but the main approach remains machine oriented.

I am heading in the opposite direction but once I reach the Anabeeb office I will take the service road and join the main traffic of highway leading to Al-Khafji residential area. It will put me in the right direction.

The dyke of the service road is silted with heaps of sand; a stretch of approximately 700 meters. I am on the verge of joining the main stream traffic of Al-Khafji highway, one needs to be cautious while entering a high speed traffic. I have positioned myself in the middle lane; the odometer indicating between 100 and 110 kms and the rpm around 2500. Jubail one has started appearing. Within minutes I will be taking exit 04 climbing the ramp and on the Highway 218 with joins Jubail 01 and Jubail 02.

I am on the highway # 218;  my office just two signals away; a left turn and then again a left brings me in front of Gate # 04. I pull my foot off the throttle and my lady slows down eventually coming to a halt. I pat her on the steering for keeping company. 

I walk through the gate wishing "Salam (Hello)" to the security guard. It is the receding phase of winter. The whole week it has been cool and pleasant. The mild breeze lifting and dropping the tuft of hair on my forehead; my cheeks going cool, I have reached building # 18, smiles and wishes from my colleagues fill the ambiance. Abdullah is there with his Saaba Al-Kher((Good morning), Kay Falik (How are you?), Tayeeb (OK?); good motivations to start a day, my had stretched and fingers switching the computer on and get lost in the days work. See you later with "Leaving the Office"

THE STORY OF NARESH IYER

I have attended many Toastmasters meetings. In a Toastmasters’ meeting one is expected to speak being focused on the objectives of the project. Seldom would one find so. During one of my visit to Ibn Zhar Toastmasters club I found a person who was analytically focused about what he spoke. I came to know he was a Lean six sigma specialist and his approach of being focused and analytical was a trait he owed to his profession. I learned that he was a well-read man. The club members used to call him Naresh Iyer.

The visits to Ibn Zhar were occasional and they remained at low profile till 2010-11. Come 2011-12 and TM Khalid Matlagaitu emerged as the District-79 Governor. He propagated the idea of language clubs under which Jubail Tamil Toastmasters Club was one of the clubs that came into existence. I was Assistant Area-17 Governor (Education & Training) and JTTC was under jurisdiction of Area-17.

In one of the JTTC meetings Naresh, Uma and myself were present. She came to know that my family name was Patel and it was during the tea break that she came up to me and asked “Are you from Gujarat?” I replied in affirmative; She replied back, that she was born and brought up in Gujarat, particularly Porbander, the city of Mahatma Gandhi and Naresh was born and brought up in Amdavad. She was happy to relate to somebody from her state of residence. She gracefully invited me to be her guest someday.

Three months down the line Saudi Arabia Toastmasters Annual Conference (SATAC) was scheduled to take place at Dammam Sheraton. Waheed Lateef the conference chairman was looking for dedicated and committed Toastmasters who would share his responsibilities. He wanted me to be the chairman of Public relation and media committee, further more Naresh would be supporting me. I expressed a different opinion, why not have it the other way, let Naresh lead and me assist him. Naresh accepted it and then started our team work. Naresh was very clear in his vision, as usual he would analyze things to the finest details. He wanted me to specifically focus on e-magazine. He efficiently managed a conglomeration of diverse team members. The hidden hand behind his apparent personality and success is Uma whom he has narratively described as “Those beautiful eyes” and in response Uma says “I love him for the reason he is a person so open that he never masks himself, the feelings from his heart come out through his words unaltered.”

Back home many would like to listen to me, some student expressed that they came to learn French but the learned many things apart from French, in the Toastmasters many used to ask me, how do you organize your speech? How do you arrive to the climax of your speech? From where do you get thoughts? These were the questions those inclined me towards the thought of writing a book.

It was on our way to Damaam that I expressed my desire of writing a book. He expressed, instead of a book, why not write a blog? I told him I do not know anything about it. One day he invited me to be his guest, opened a blog site for me, loaded five of them and said this is your baby, take care and keep going, when in trouble, call me. When I expressed my thanks, he said it’s nothing; anybody could have done it for you.

For him it might be like igniting a match stick but for me it caused a bonfire and made things visible clear. It has helped me set a benchmark for myself; it has helped me reach you readers across the globe which wouldn't have happened had I opted to write a book. This blog marks the 51^st blog on Emergence and I owe Naresh a big thanks and a big hug.

THE STORY OF NEHA PATEL

One evening the whole family was relaxing after dinner. Our backdoor neighbor dropped in. He was at our place to invite us to a party. He was migrating to Canada. He was hopeful of making a good living in Canada.

Few weeks later my wife came up with a thought. Shouldn't we hope for a better living? Shouldn’t we try for Canada? I told her, I will think over. Aware of my procrastinating attitude she kept reminding me time and on but I on the other hand was thinking, with food in the stomach, grains in the store, cash in the bank and a job on hand, is Canada worth trying for?

She believed in the quote “Persistency pays” not only by words but by spirit also. Her questioning continued, finally to calm her I approved it. The next day we were in Neha’s office. Neha is one of the directors of Marconis Institute. It facilitates immigration and overseas studies. Of all the things I was required to furnish with the application, two things which required personal efforts were English and French. She explained all who aspire to migrate and study in English speaking country should take the IELTS Test. While this is mandatory, a certificate in French would be an added advantage.

I provided all things she needed and asked her to lodge an application. Few weeks later I received a mail asking whether I knew French; I gave a call to Neha informing her about the mail and asked the reason of inquiry. She said I have mentioned in the application form that THE APPLICANT KNOWS FRENCH. I told her but I don’t, she said “Impossible is a word found in the dictionary of fools” and ………  I know you can manage it and you will manage it”. I ended the phone.

“THE APPLICANT KNOWS FRENCH” a statement in the application was to be transformed into reality and the sole responsibility lay on my shoulders.The same day, Friday afternoon, the notice board at the Department of French, M S University read, admissions available in the morning session, the office remains closed on Saturday and Sunday. Monday morning, no sooner did the office opened I entered it and requested for an admission. Quick came the reply “No vacancy”. I pleaded and succeeded. That was not all. 

In my quest for firstly meeting the requirement and later on of learning French through level one, level two and then the Diploma has taken me through different experiences; experiences of being through adverse conditions, being focused, public relations, time management, office and family management.

Sometimes you are pushed to the wall, does it mean the end or an opportunity.

Once a riot torn city lay disturbed for days together, the administration struggled to restore normalcy. Isolated incidence of violence continued to happen. In one of the incidents a boy running to save his life was followed by a violent mob carrying weapons; it was a question of life and death. At a point of time he found himself nearing a dead end. He mustered energy and pole vaulted the wall. Standing safe on the other side of the wall he looked at the wall and then to himself in awe, he wondered,  how could he do it?

Just like that boy, I too was pushed to the wall, the absence of clarity created the wall which did not allow me to see through, the real benefits, it was not only about getting the certificates, it was much more. Thanks Neha for putting me in front of the dead end. The rest was for me to exploit the situation and get at the receiving end. See you next time with THE STORY OF NARESH IYER.

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND-2

Xeroxing escalates, nights turn sleepless and students burn the midnight oil gearing up to face the exams. I had seriously and sincerely prepared for the Level-1 (neveau-1, French) exam, leaving nothing to chance. On the examination day, outside the exam hall, all classmates stood there shaking hands with smiling faces and wishing words exchanging best of luck. A question rose in my mind “Do these wishes work if preparation is not worked upon well?” My logic, before giving me any time to look for a solution, posed another question, if preparation is well worked upon, do we need wishes. These thought abruptly ended as the bell rang, it was time to move into the hall. Inside the hall it was pin drop silence, long rows of benches, housing seventy five to eighty students, three to four supervisor moving up and down the hall. I was fully engrossed, in writing the answers so much so that the fragrance of the lady supervisor walking past me, though alluring, did not think of giving her a look till the end of exams; the reason being if I ran short of time then what? I did not want to lose time. My eye flipped on two things; the wrist watch and the number of questions to be answered; two questions remaining and forty five minutes to go. They were questions on near future (futur proche) and recent past (passé récent). It took me some time but finally I was able to work out successfully; still ten more minutes to go, I checked the answer sheet for any mistakes those might have gone unnoticed. As I handed over the answer sheet the lady supervisor the acceptance occurred with gleaming eyes and smiling face. I left the hall.

Leisure hours and vacations pass away swiftly, silently and stealthily. The same happened with me too, it was time for the announcement of the results. Students attempt the exams in varying capacity but the eagerness to know the result is a thing that every student carries with almost the same intensity. The next day I was at the department’s office. A group of classmates were already there to know the results, I too was eager to know my result. As I made myself ready with a pen and pad to note down the result. A voice from behind called me and said, give it to me, I will write it for you. It sounded to be a familiar voice, but to ascertain myself, as I turned around there she was “my class teacher”. In normal circumstances it is always the student serving the teacher but this was just the reversal. What could have made her act so? I obediently gave her my pen and pad, she noted down the marks and that was it.

We were in Level-2 (neveau-2, French), one more time she was my class teacher. Level-2 had more in roads in to the language; we were enjoying every bit of it. One day I saw her  upset, the usual charm was missing, she left the class twice in between to meet the head of the department. The class ended, the student had left, as she lifted her bag to leave the class, I stopped her and asked, “Is everything OK”, she denied, I insisted. It is then she made clear that the exam data were missing and the head of the department was not happy. I told her “Can I help you?”, she asked me How?. I told her, remember, you wrote it with your own hands and gave it to me. She told “It has been long time, do you still have it?” The next day I handed over her the sheet and the problem was solved. One again the charm was restored and things got normal.

This particular incident left me thinking. I asked myself “Who helped whom?” with a short term perspective the answer would be “madam helped me” and with a long term perspective it would be “madam helped madam”. After all in life “what goes around, comes around”      

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND-1

Cycles, cycles and cycles, it is cycles everywhere. Planetary motion, appearance of the comet, waxing and waning of the moon, ebb and the tide in the oceans, the cycle of seasons, Nitrogen cycle, Carbon dioxide cycle, Water cycle. Life cycle (birth-death-birth or death-birth-death) and in life too, what goes around comes around, forming a cycle.

These cycles function noiselessly, ceaselessly, affecting the intended recipients. Cycles relate to matter and space (space science, environmental science), cycles relate to life, politics, society, behavior and so on. This article is focused on behavioral concern.

Completion of studies ends the classroom phase and directs one towards the field. The theoretical knowledge gathered so far is required to be put in practice. Companies recruit fresh graduates and train them to run their business. A fresh batch of graduates was posted in the field under the guidance of the senior operators. This phase is a unique phase in life; youth, knowledge and eagerness all gathered at one place are sure to influences promptness of the response.  With the slightest blaring of the announcement over the loud-o-phone the trainees would be on their toes. This behavior would irritate the senior operators, once a senior operator stopped a trainee as he approached to attend the loud-o-phone and said, you should reply only after the third announcement. The trainee succumbed to the senior operator and in days to come this statement became a policy put in to practice. Few weeks later the senior operator was promoted to the post of inside operator and transferred to another plant.

Few years later the trainee was now no more a trainee, he had turned into a confident operator and was able to manage his job well. He was transferred to the same plant where the senior operator was transferred. One day he was attending a critical task in the field; it took him, some time to reach the loud-o-phone. The senior operator in an excited tone asked: “Why does it take so long to attend, how many time should I announce?” The operator in the field replied “At least three times, sir”

Often we are not aware whether the thing or the opinion we are suggesting or expressing will in the long run be rewarding or embarrassing. We are always on the look for short term goals and never both about the far reaching effecting of it. It is only when a thing boomerangs on us we sense; oh! We did something wrong. But then lot of time has passed and maybe we have crossed the point of no returns. It is better to be positive and spread positivity.

The junior in the story was my colleague in the office, a co-operative team member of the Integrated Management System project. Working together is now a thing of the past but to date he is a good friend and never misses to visit me when he is in the town.

Whatever we do leaves an impression on the other person. And it is this impression that provides the basis of action in future at an appropriate time. See you next time with WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND-2

FROM HICCUP TO HA, HA, HA

What happens when a chocolate from a child’s hand disappear, what happens to youngster whose mobile goes missing. What happen to a lady when her shopping trip gets cancelled and what happen to a speaker when a Toastmasters meeting is declared cancelled.

The same thing happened at Saudi Kayan Toastmasters Club. It was not just one meeting but meetings in a row that did not happen. A gasping person can be supported by resuscitation. A gasping person can be moved to intensive care unit, but what to do with a gasping club.

 

Me and Jamaan Al-Ghamdi were asked to revive the club but the modus operandi was not known to anyone of us. In the toastmasters we don’t learn by reading books, we learn by performing. I was reminded of a beautiful saying “If you sincerely decide, the whole universe conspires to get what you aspire” and we aspired to revive the club.

In the initial stage there were no speaker, we would only do the table topics. We would explain the benefits of toastmasters, we would emphasis that there is room for improvement for everyone and anyone who has the will. We stressed that every phase in life is a phase in transition; likewise your shortcoming too is a phase in transition. There are living examples in Saudi Kayan Toastmasters Club who would agree to it.

Proper planning paved the road to success and becoming the President’s Distinguished Club. Few corporate clubs achieve it. Apart from planning we carefully and attentively listened to the person who had the last say; we often thought about how to widen the scope, we though how to bring in people who were not able to attended the meeting. The committee decided to start the customized lunch hour meeting which last for one hour. It catered to two prepared speeches and three table topics. More guests visited our meeting, meeting the target now was a cake walk.

The executive committee was successful in reaching out to the lower half of the organization chart and the next focus was to reach out for the apex of it. The Toastmasters Day conducted on 13.12.2011 served the purpose. Now it has become a regular feature of the club. The management at Saudi Kayan appreciates and supports the Toastmastering Club Activities with open heart.

Toastmasters are able to see the shift, from who he was and what he is. Uncontrolled- stammering, low self-esteem, inefficiency in organizing ideas, fear of speaking without notes are now things of the past. We address it in a structured way.

Now a days neither my name appears in the agenda nor do I have a role in the meeting but I happen to be a part of the audience just like any other person. Can any person feel happy doing nothing? I have an easy answer Yes I do, when I see the new faces on the stage.

It is like the sons who have turned adult and are running the show; the father sits, watches and rejoices thinking his effort are rewarded.

Jamaan has left, I too will leave sometime but the Saudi Kayan Toastmasters Club that has taken shape will continue to reward the youth who patronize it for all time to come.

COPYING-1

Long ago there was a cap seller. He used to travel from one village to another to sell his caps.  The distance between the two villages never used to be the same. Sometimes commuting between two villages would take him less time and sometimes more; also the nature of road would vary. Sometimes it would be through open land, sometimes through the meadows and sometimes though the dense woods. Once he happened to be on a long route, having traveled half way he felt tired, he spotted a shady tree, lowered his basket full of caps, stretched and started relaxing.  Soon he was in deep sleep. It had been sometime when his sleep was disturbed by noises on the tree branches above him. As he opened his eyes he was shocked to see the monkeys on the branches wearing caps; his basket lay there on the ground completely empty.

He felt he was completely ruined. What next? Should he give up and go away or should he act and get his caps back. The first thing that came to his mind was to threaten the monkeys. He threatened the monkeys; the monkeys threatened him in return. He scratched his forehead; the monkeys too scratched their forehead. A glimpsed of joy flashed through his heart there was a chance of getting the caps back. “The monkeys were copying him”. He threw his cap on the ground. The monkeys were not late in responding. This was anticipated to happen. He quickly collected all the caps and went on his way to the next village wearing a smile. (Moral: Wisdom helps one to overcome difficulties)

Indian culture is full of such stories (Panchatantra (Five principals) and Aesop Fables) interwoven with life incidents and wisdom. The stories are narrated by the parents and grandparents to the children in the family.

The entire world is a stage and every person is copying the other person. Observe any person he is copying someone or the other, knowingly or unknowingly.

I have been a keen observer of children while at play. The boys imitate their father and the girls imitate their mother. It happens naturally. The boy imitate bossing, going to the office, passing orders, the girls imitate cooking, soothing the baby doll, cleaning up their Barbie doll, getting dressed up, dealing with household chores and so on.

As the children march into their teens, they start copying their ideal person in one or the other way. It may be a celebrity, an actor, an actress, a politician, a social worker and why not a world champion of public speaking. They would copy the hairstyle, dress up, mannerism, communication style etcetera.

As we move toward the later part of life we listen to a preachers quote the words of the preacher do what he says, do how he does, advise as he advises and console as he consoles. See you next time with the concluding part COPYING-2

FACEBOOK YOU AND HIM

May 2013 I had been to India to attend the marriage of my brother’s daughter. It was a festive ambiance in the house. Relatives had arrived few days earlier to spend more time with their near and dear ones. Few friends of my niece had also come to stay. The day I reached my village, my niece introduced me to her friend. She was Khusboo (Fragrance), a lively, friendly, ever smiling girl. She was quick on being friendly. In the evening the youngsters had decided to go out for a walk in the meadows. She came up to me and asked “Would you join us?”.  Few moments later as we walked, groups were formed by natural selection. Except few, most of them were new to each other, , Khusboo was walking with me. She kept on asking me questions to quench her curiosity; how often do you visit this village? Do you like village life? How is life in Saudi Arabia? Do you like dancing? Are you going to dance during the music party? I replied coolly and calmly. Her next question was “When will you visit next time?” I told here, after six months but you can get in touch with me through facebook; don’t you have a facebook account? I asked her.  To my surprise her reply turned out to be “NO”.  

A girl in my neighborhood too did not have it, and to date also, she does not have it. She was a student then, she is a mother now. Few ladies and girls whom I know when asked said “we prefer to stay away from it”. Perhaps they do not want to invite troubles.

On the other hand technological advancement has made life fast. Computer and internet have transgressed into every corner of our life. Resources like water, power, shelter have become scare and so is the case with time. Many of us find it difficult to spare time for a one on one talk. Things have started switching from real to virtual. Socializing too has gone virtual to a larger extent. Facebook is one such virtual socializing platform on which people with mala fide intention mingle with people of bona fide intention. 

As I write this article (Sep 04, 2013 05.00 pm), I am simultaneously watching a news channel which reports how a boy (him) met a girl on the facebook, developed intimate relations and fell in love. The boy expressed his desired to meet her. He called her at a hotel where the boy committed a gang rape with the help of his friends.

There are many fake accounts on the facebook, the fake account holder (him) intends to take revenge. He operates it in the name of a girl or a lady, he is aware of. He manipulates her bio-data and befriends a boy. The friendship gets more intimate, scales new heights and transforms into love. Further the trickster asks the boy to come to her house and talk to her parents about their marriage. When the boy reaches the girl’s house he finds that his girlfriend is a married lady and doesn't operate a facebook account. The poor guy needs to be lucky to escape being manhandled by the girl’s family.

Few days back I received a message saying somebody (him) hacked his facebook account and was posting indecent photos and videos. The smartness of the act was the account holder could not see these posting but all his friends could. 

Every person likes expressing oneself, likes being congratulated, likes being liked but emotional, physical or informative exposure calls for caution. Formerly we were threatened by underworld and cyber-world has added up.

GROUNDNUTS HERE AND GROUNDNUTS THERE

Dry salted groundnuts, plain roasted groundnuts, boiled salted groundnuts; oil cakes of groundnuts or toffees made from groundnuts have always been my first choice. While I am out to do some work and lunch, dinner or breakfast seems to be away from near future, groundnuts is a choice which comes handy. Whenever I felt the need of respecting my stomach I would stop at the road side vendor and buy groundnuts worth rupees two. Back on my way I would enjoy munching them up-keeping my efficiency needed to follow the task I am after.

Jubail in Saudi Arabia is a town catering to the needs of industrialization and one finds people of many nationalities thronging its street. The majority of them are from, in and around the Indian sub-continent. During the initial phase of my stay in Jubail I did not have a vehicle and I preferred to walk around for any work that I was required to accomplish; may it be shopping, visiting a friend or taking a print out. Every land has its own customs, food habits, relevant markets and road side hawkers. Here in Jubail the roadside hawkers sold perfumes, wallets, watches, toys, recharge cards and so on. Some of the hawkers were smart enough; over a period of time they have improvised their marketing skills, some of them market, negotiate and close the sale in Hindi language.

Days sailed by smoothly, months rolled over silently and the streets of Jubail continued to be as ever. One day I saw a Saudi hawker near the Telemoney remittance center. He had a will barrow; a small gas stove stationed in it and was sand-roasting groundnuts. The very sight of this hawker filled me with joy. I went up to him bought one packet for one riyal; the next moment my hands and mouth went busy munching those groundnuts. As my feet fathomed the streets of Jubail my mind relished the memories of the streets of India. Within weeks I could see few groundnut hawkers at the corner of different streets of Jubail. The sale of groundnuts was well accepted on the streets of Jubail.

Recently during my visit to India I stopped by a road side to buy groundnuts. I extended a two rupee note; to my surprise the hawker did not extend his hand to accept it, his confusing look confused me for few moments. To break the impasse I told him ok; make it five rupees. He immediately started weighing the groundnuts.  I took the groundnuts and was on my way. My mind was full of questions, the questions those might have rushed in the mind of that groundnut hawker. Here when I buy a handful of groundnuts for one Saudi riyal it happens to be a normal business transaction but in India when I tried to buy the same quantity of groundnuts it raised many questions in the mind of the groundnut hawker. This article is also an outcome of the feeling that still lingers in my mind.

Life in Jubail followed a straight line graph. The prices of laban and milk have remained unaltered over the years but inflation in India has been creating new peaks. Inflation figure do not make a feel but when a common man feels his pocket emptying out remember that inflation has set in. Life is a cake walk for the rich, a rope walk for middle class and a fire walk for the poor.

When I write this article the $-rupee exchange rate has spiraled to 01$=66.5613 rupees The finance minister tries to hide his face when he sees a journalist; the common man on the other hand tires to hide money thinking a rupee saved is a rupee gained.

TURBULENCE-2

April 24, 2013; on my way from Delhi to Vadodara, I was just air lifted and scaling height. We were scheduled to fly at 37000 ft with a velocity of 900 km/hr. Once above the clouds a glance outside the plane’s window could be a cheating experience if we were to rely only on our eyes. The skyscape outside the plane and the landscape of the dessert had surprising similarity. Here too in the sky were structures like the sand dunes and expanses stretching out limitlessly.

For a moment I felt as if everything had come to a standstill. The only thing I could sense was the purring of the engine and the richness casted by the yellow rays of the sun inside the plane. All of a sudden that richness was lost; as I peeped out of the window I saw black clouds passing by, the smooth motion of the plane disappeared; it took dips and lifts, at time it would sway from left to right and again right to left.  The turbulence outside the plane kick started the turbulence of adrenalin secretion in my body cautioning me of the danger I was passing through. It took several minutes to clear this near miss case. I have handled many near miss cases while serving at IPCL but this was a never-to-be-forgotten experience. First love, first wife, first child, first degree and anything that is first, becomes a memory for ever. This too was first experience of being through turbulence while being airborne.

June 16, 2013 at the hill town of Kedarnath; turbulence of clouds hit the mountain peaks, causing downpour of cats and dogs, swelling the rivers, hitting the banks devastatingly, engulfing everything that stood in its way and then leaving behind, meters of sludge, heaps of debris, numerous boulders and scattered carcasses, which continued for almost two days.

Turbulences are notorious for giving surprises. Surprises are events unexpected; also surprises are events exceeding expectation. Turbulence disrupts normalcy, destructs property and devastates life.

Weather forecast can predict shower, it can predict strong wind but can it say how many inches of rains will fall? Can it say by how much feet will the river level rise?

Such situation occur not only by destiny but also by unabated exploitation of nature, money making spree and turning a deaf ear to cautions raised.

Turbulence mild or wild demands cautions, awareness and alertness. It also demands preparedness to face it, to tackle it or to avert it, it is time not to be emotional but to be rational, to vacate the place and move to a safer location.

Turbulence are bound to be there, what matters is how prepared are we and how we deal with it. See you next time with the concluding article Turbulance-3

TURBULENCE-1

15,700,000 °K degrees of temperature and pressure ranging from 3.4 × 10⁸ atm to 2.25 × 10¹¹ atm at the core (center) of the sun leaves nothing to chance. The Hydrogen atoms are squeezed into fusion reaction only to be transformed into Helium atoms. This is an exothermic (heat releasing) reaction. The immense energy generated at the core travels towards the corona(outer surface) of the sun and appear in the form of turbulent prominence(solar storm). This solar storm travelling at the speed of 8,000,000 kilometers/hour takes 6 hours to reach the planet mercury. 12 hrs later it reaches the planet Venus and 18 hours later it reaches our planet Earth. This solar storm along with the earth’s orientation causes seasons, these seasons gives rise to turbulence; turbulence on land, turbulence in the air and turbulence at seas.

Fluid dynamics is highly influenced by the variance in temperature and pressure. They cause seasonal changes and set winds in motion. There severity varies from mild to wild. Katrina and Sandy storms Hurricanes are globally notorious for being deadliest, destructive and devastating. The wind velocity reached 280 km/h and the pressure reached 902 mb during the Katrina Hurricane, during the Sandy hurricanes the wind velocity reached to 185 km/h and the pressure to 940 mb. The total fatalities were 1833 and 285 respectively. Eastern coastline of India too faces such storms especially the coastline of Andhra Pradesh. The severity during these storms is at times so high that railway lines, power transmission line and communication lines get stranded and uprooted, damage to life and property is significantly high.

India faces two wind currents from diagonally opposite directions. The South West current starting from the Indian Ocean touches the Western and Northern parts of India during summer. The other current is the North-Eastern current which start from the Gobi desert and touch the Eastern and Southern parts of India.

India and Saudi Arabia both are in the Northern Hemisphere but the summer in India ends up in the month of May where as in Saudi Arabia it ends in the month of October. In Saudi Arabia the first signs of wind storms are when one senses the smell of sand in the air. At the time of writing this article It has been windy for few weeks in Jubail. When I get down to my car for going to my office, I see a thin layer of fine sand settled on the glasses of my car every day. While on my way on the highway I see small streams of sand flowing along with the wind on the road, at times when the wind is strong one can feel the drag. One’s car would sway a bit demanding caution. If the severity increases the vision gets impaired and driving becomes difficult. One has to slow down, if not, there are chances of being a victim of roadside casualties. The size of the sand particles is so fine that it remains suspended in air for two to three day causing throat infection, fever etcetera. See you next time with the article Turbulence-2

MY VILLAGE THEN AND NOW

May 01, 2013 at Dhavat, my native; I and my son Vinayak are walking towards the southern outskirts of the village. Studies have kept both my children busy and away. Sometimes we happen to meet after one year and particularly at this place it is the first time.  

My son Vinayak takes fair amount of interest in places and their history and in particular this place would be more interesting for him as it belongs to his village and his native.

We are standing in front of a landscape, mostly unmanned and deserted. The sun is out of vision but the presence of few silver-lined clouds make the sky scenic. There are few birds noiselessly returning back to their nest.

Down on the ground, time slowly fleeting and darkness stealthily ingressing making visibility weak; we are standing on an elevated backyard of a temple and below us approximately ten meters away is leveled cement concrete ground with a series of taps fitted along a long pipeline. Layers of dust have piled on the ground, rust has significantly corroded the pipe and shrubs have emerged on the concrete work. The stone-made steps to reach this place have eroded.

If we travel back in time around forty four years, I was around fourteen years old and I am the eye witness of the activity that used to happen here, one could see line of women arriving at and quitting this place from early morning till late morning. There is a place for buying vegetables, there is a place for grinding grains and this was the place for washing clothes. Ladies of the whole village would throng this place carrying bucket and cauldron full of clothes to be washed. Rhythmic sound of the bashing of the clothes, running tapes and the sound of the affluent twisting and turning in to the lake below would fill the air.

This activity had many aspects one was of social gathering where, while washing clothes ladies would discuss many things, it would be a summary of the event that happened yesterday, engagement of a boy and a girl, birth or death in a family, attending a marriage, health concern of someone in a family and so on and so forth. It also had the environmental aspect. The affluent would also keep the lake alive together with the trees around it. And green trees are resting places for birds.

I had left this village at an early age of three and since then I have been visiting on need basis and according to availability of time. I am not sure when this activity stopped but now it is a thing of past. Like this activity many activities have become history only to be told by the passing generation to the upcoming generation in the form of stories.