The Auto Rides

It has been a while since I penned down anything, and my avid readers are complaining. It's not that I didn't have anything to write, nor is it that I was time-tied, I was just too lazy, and, I spent all my time in my own dream space I have carved for myself and my own self, and only my own own own self :-)

Well, it was during the May-June time frame, that I attended a lot of farewell parties - One by one, everyone seems to be moving out to achieve their career ambitions. I felt so glad for a few of my friends, and, at the same time, I did wish I could step into their shoes ! Grass always looks greener on the other side - Yes, I know this, very well, so do many, but, very often we end up thinking of the IFs in life.

I mostly ride to work on my bike, and, once in a while take the bumpy auto-rides too. Its during these auto rides that I let my mind wander into any zone w/o any restrictions, and start philosophizing things around. I'm probably one of those who don't strike conversations with the auto fellows. It's not an aversion towards them - its more of a fear, and a cautionary note that I've heard since my childhood - Don't talk to strangers !

Corruption is rampant everywhere in India - be it Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai or any corner ! And, be it construction workers, the Govt. officials, or, the Collectors, or, even the top notch entrepreneurs - corruption is present at every rung of the social ladder. Its this notion of corruption, in a way, and, the usual don't trust strangers, that makes us wary of talking to strangers, even the auto fellows. I've had experiences where, an auto fellow has cheated me royally, sometimes we fall for it, and, sometimes, we decide not to create a ruckus about it. I've also had experiences where they have been extremely nice to me. One of the auto guys I saw once, didn't want to come till my destination, and, he offered me a ride to (free of cost)the nearest auto station, as he was going that side anyway . And, sometimes, I've had these old drivers strike interesting conversations with me, and, the journey goes so smooth with a conversation flowing by. Recently, I took an auto on one of the bomb scare days, and, the network they have is so amazing - He had every bit of information on which area is safe, and which not, and, what I liked about him, is that, unlike others, he was more worried about getting his customer to her destination safely, than about negotiating for an extra tip !

Somehow, small interesting events like these, make a believe, tat we shouldn't enter an auto with preconceived notions that they're gonna cheat us - Very often, they're much nicer than our notions about them.

Irrational

Work had gotten mundane, and esp after the SIP (hike), there was a lot of dissatisfaction, and, to raise the spirits, the management played the trump card - Threw some money to have fun, to cheer up the sad people :) I dont know if it worked, but, I did have a good time :)

6 teams of my Brand called "Rational", all having around 30-50 people came up with themes for the day (called the Irrational day), and, it was amazing to see the level of participation from all the teams ! Never had I imagined that in a software industry, I could find so much participation in an event. It truely reflected the team spirit, and the awesome bonding b/w the team members.

In particular, my team came up with a "Back to School" theme. Childhood memories became alive when I wore a school uniform, with a tie and shoes, wore ribbons, and sat in a classroom (The work place was converted into a classroom by using Maps, globes, White boards, teachers, princpal,Vice principal, and students). And, add to it, the fact that we added a good cause to the whole story. We asked everyone to buy some classroom materials for our school day, so that after the event we could donate it to some school.

All in all, today was a perfect showcase of team work, dedication, passion, fun, and what not !

Few pics are uploaded at : http://www.orkut.co.in/Album.aspx?uid=7887852890920641923&aid=1215168175