Will you marry me?

It is very well understood in many parts of the world that the question above represents the ultimate commitment by one human being to the other. A commitment to a lifelong relationship however does not seem to be a major problem for most Indians (as evident by the number of marriages in a month or the growing population). The problem is with day to day commitments to each other.

Let me illustrate through a recent example. Bangalore has been quite hot (the weather!) in recent weeks and there has been an increase in the population of mosquitoes (if people can do it …. ). A slat in one of our bathroom windows broke a couple of weeks ago and there has been an invasion of mosquitoes through the gap. Mona reported the issue to the Home Care office in our building. This office was established by the developer of the complex and is designed to quickly respond to any issue related to the care and maintenance of the homes in the complex. But turns out that the office does not fully understand any part of the phrase "quick response".

Despite repeated calls and visits to the office, the problem remained unresolved for over a week. And these guys have a full time maintenance staff consisting of a carpenter, electrician and a plumber. It wasn't until Mona and I confronted the manager and virtually had to yell at the top of our voices to finally get heard. The problem finally got resolved yesterday after we went and bought a mosquito net and the carpenter installed it over the bathroom window. We are relieved that this issue has been taken care of but we remain disturbed and disappointed at the lack of commitment of the maintenance staff.

IPL 3.0

The third annual edition of the Indian Premier League cricket tournament is currently underway and cricket fever has once again gripped the country. The tournament is back in India this year after moving to South Africa last year due to security concerns. In three short years, IPL has become one of of the most significant sporting events in the world. It has also become a money making machine for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) - the governing body for cricket in India.

The revised and shorter format of the game along with player auction and the entertainment components have fueled the popularity of this league. The brand value of the IPL is in excess of $300MM and the value of the individual teams are inching close to $50MM. New teams (Pune and Kochi) have sold for over $300MM.

The franchise is set to expand in the fourth edition. Meanwhile, the semi-finals are scheduled to begin this week and most Indians are looking forward to more cricketing action over the next couple of weeks!

My story

Last week the senior management team of 2adpro spent a couple of days at a leadership development boot camp. One of the activities that the team had to engage in required each one of us to write a story in eleven minutes. I used to write short stories when I was a teenager but I don't think I have written one in a couple of decades. But I did come up with one and was quite proud of it and wanted to share:

Love Story

He sat next to her, as she lay comatose on the hospital bed. Her bruised and injured body and her labored breathing filled him with grief. He couldn’t help but reflect back on the decades of togetherness and hundreds of joyous moments they had together. He couldn’t imagine being away from her and living life without her.

The accident was a painful memory in his mind. He couldn’t believe that he missed seeing the truck speeding towards him on the highway. Perhaps they were lost in each other’s eyes and locked in conversation at that time.

His heart leapt as he saw her eyes flutter and he noticed some movement in her limbs. As she started mumbling, he began to lose the sensation of her hands in his. As she started to gain consciousness, his own started fading away. Sadness filled him as his life and soul disappeared.

Trojan Night

Yannis Yortsos, dean of Viterbi school of engineering at USC was in Bangalore this week and a dinner was organized for Viterbi alumni on Wednesday. It was great to attend a USC event in Bangalore and I was amazed to see so many engineering alums living in the city. We were greeted by a group of youngsters who have applied to USC for fall 2010 and have been accepted by the school. There were probably close to 20 alumni at the dinner. There was a fairly large group from USC accompanying the dean. Plus some USC supporters and sponsors were also in attendance.

It was good to see old friends Ashok Das and Ashok Gopinath at the dinner. Ashok Das and I were roommates during our days at USC and now we are living in Bangalore. What a trip! Another old roommate Pradeep Hiremath is somewhere in Bangalore but did not make it to the event.

I was assigned a seat next to the dean by chance. Aanish had coached, coaxed and begged me to put in a good word for him as he is aiming to attend USC in 2011. I hope I didn't hurt his chances too much. Yannis gave a short presentation about USC and it was good to hear that the school was doing well and doing some interesting things in the engineering program.

Hope that this is a beginning of a thriving Trojan network in Bangalore which will definitely grow in the coming years.

Fight On!!

Up in the air

Or at least I wish I was. Is it just me or has air travel in the US becoming more difficult and unpleasant? I am back here doing the usual 10 cities in 10 days bit. So I have the pleasure of experiencing the worst. Thought I would share some of my misery with you.

I was on my way from Raleigh to West Palm Beach via Charlotte. When I arrived into Charlotte, I discovered that the flight from Charlotte to West Palm Beach has been cancelled. The next flight is oversold and so is the one after that - which happens to be the last flight of the day. The US Airways agent suggested that I fly into Fort Lauderdale and take a train to West Palm. It was unlikely that my luggage was going to follow me - but that was ok. I reached Ft. Lauderdale to find out that the last train for the day had already left for West Palm. So I now needed to rent a car ($100+) and drive an hour. Usually this would not be an issue but after you have flown over 24 hours and are still recovering from jet lag, it is not a cool thing.

As expected, my bag did not make it and I asked the airline to deliver it to the hotel, which predictably they did not. I checked out of the hotel in the morning and called the baggage handling call center to request that the bag be sent to the West Palm airport where I would pick it up in the afternoon as I was leaving for Nashville. I arrived at the airport and go to the baggage office. My bag was sitting there but none of the staff was available. I could not track anybody down for 10 minutes and my flight was scheduled to leave in 35 minutes. I simply walked out of the office with my bag and NOBODY STOPPED ME! That should give us a lot of confidence in the security system at our airports.

Of course, my travel blues did not end there. I am now sitting at the Nashville airport where my flight to Atlanta has now been delayed twice. Oh .. how I wish I was up in the air.

Happy Valentines Day

Valentine's day is here again! This is the third valentine's day in Bangalore and I am literally seeing this day of love evolve in front of my eyes. It is fascinating to see new traditions take hold in a culture in real time.

I am not sure when Valentine's day became mainstream in India. Twenty years ago, the concept was non-existent here. Today - it is completely integrated into the traditions and festivals of the country. The collective marketing genius of commercial business was probably the source and catalyst for the introduction, acceptance and adoption of Valentine's Day in India. This is a perfect event to popularize in a country where the population of the young in their late teens and twenties is in the hundreds of millions. Most of these young work in the high growth sectors of industry and can boast of high disposable incomes. Perfect consumers for romantic dinners at Rs. 2000/- ($50) per head, dozen roses starting at Rs. 1000/- ($25) and a host of other gifts ranging from jewelry to chocolates. For those who are willing and able to indulge more, choices range from spa vacations and massages to personal barbeque chefs and vacations to Paris.

In the media, the spotlight is on love. All aspects of love and relationships are being written about in every major newspaper and magazine in the country this week. Interviews with relationship experts and movie stars on the topic of love cover the pages of today's papers.

And of course, you have the anti-Valentine's Day campaign that is also in full swing. This includes the traditionalists who feel that such a commercial and public expression of a private emotion goes against the strong culture and traditions of the country. On the extreme end is the moral police who is ready to find young couples out celebrating love and send them home packing.

Meanwhile, love rules and continues to march on!

Attack of the Clones

No, I am not talking about the next generation of George Lucas's Star Wars series. Rather I am referring to the occupation of Bangalore by the IT worker. Thanks to Thomas Friedman, all of us know about the flat world and the IT services boom in India etc. etc. But when you are on the ground in India's Silicon Valley, you really get to experience this phenomena.

The boom in the information technology sector in the city of Bangalore has brought every IT major around the world to the city. Local players like Infosys, TCS and Wipro vie for space for their sprawling campuses with IBM, Oracle, Microsoft, Accenture etc. With mass recruiting and long orientation periods, these companies are creating armies of IT workers. Employees of these companies have started looking like clones. It struck me one day when I was taking a stroll in my building that there is a distinct profile of these employees.

As the business day starts to wind down, I can see hordes of them coming back home. They have their security badges with photo IDs slung around their neck. A blackberry, iphone or a regular cell phone (for the less fortunate) is hanging on the holster like a revolver ready to be drawn out. ALL of them wear spectacles (the years in engineering and management schools do take their toll) and a majority of them carry the SAME laptop bag. The remaining carry a backpack. And of course they are all wearing a collared t-shirt with the name of their employer embroidered on the chest! Feels like the invasion of the geek squad!

You have to see it to believe it!

Aanish on the move!

Aanish took his SAT exam today. I went to drop him off at the exam center, which was packed with over a hundred high school students aspiring for admissions to universities in the US. I watched the kids walk in to the building ready to take the exam and was thinking to myself ... "here go a batch of leaders who will be taking over the world from us". I watched Aanish with some mixed emotions. Proud at his accomplishments, ambition and drive and sad as we move closer to the day that he will set out to create a life of his own.

Earlier this week, Mona and I were attending the investiture ceremony at Indus. Aanish has been elected as the Student Editor and will be part of this year's student council. It was another moment of pride for both of us to see him standing among future leaders - looking smart in their student uniforms and marching with a purpose. I nearly choked when we went up on the stage to pin the badge on him.

Our little boy has grown into a young man and is ready to chase his dreams!

It's not a movie ... it's an experience!

This was the consistent theme in the headlines for the reviews of James Cameron's new movie Avatar. The movie was released a couple of weeks ago and I have already seen it twice. But this post is not about the movie (which was truly awesome!). Rather I wanted to write about our movie watching experience itself.

There is theater chain in Bangalore called PVR, located in the Forum mall. They have a class of seating called Gold Class. Tickets sell for over $25 each. We decided to see Avatar in the Gold Class at PVR - our first such experience. A typical movie ticket in India in a regular theater sells for about $3-$4. So we were curious what $25 would buy us.

It starts to become clear the moment you walk in to the theater. Gold Class is actually a separate mini-theater that seats about 30 people. The theater lobby resembles the lobby of a 5-star hotel with plush couches, reception and courteous staff. Each seat in the theater is a fully reclining lazy-boy couch. A hostess is available to take your food and drink order and bring you pillows and blankets if you need them. The food menu contains the usual fare such as a bucket of popcorn and nachos to a full range of items such as hot pizza, kababs and sandwiches. Food is served in real china and is brought to your seat when you ask for it.

We have been in Bangalore for three years and can't believe that we have not discovered this earlier! Can't imagine watching movies any other way.

End of School Term

Aanish and Ayaana have been busy over the last few weeks with their half-yearly exams.

Aanish made a first attempt at his SAT exam in November. He studied intensely for several weeks and was rewarded with a score of 2090. Pretty decent score, which should give him a decent shot at tier 1 colleges. He is not totally satisfied with his own performance and wants to make another attempt in January. He will be taking special SAT classes starting tomorrow for the next several weeks over the winter break.

This week, I attended the parent-teacher meetings for both of them in school. Both of them have done well in most of their subjects. Big area of focus for Ayaana over the next few months (and years?) will be the avoidance of distractions of the early teen years and remain focused on her academics. It will be a bit of a challenge trying to control the usage of computers, limit TV viewing and staying away from iPod and facebook. But she seems up to the challenge and is determined to improve.

Aanish needs to overcome laziness when it comes to writing and needs to avoid careless mistakes. He seems to know his stuff but if he can address these issues, then he can really excel.

An interesting tidbit ... as we were leaving school after Aanish's PTM meeting, the security guard at school stepped up to the window of my car and mumbled something that I could not understand. I could not understand what he was saying inspite of him repeating it. But Aanish understood the guard's accent and responded!

Building with Celebrities

Many celebrities around the world are connected with Habitat and act as the organization's brand ambassador in every country that Habitat operates in. These celebrities help Habitat in increasing awareness of the global housing crisis, recruit volunteers and raise funds. This week was no exception.

Celebrity-in-Chief was none other than past US president, Jimmy Carter. Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter participate in a Habitat build each year - alternating between the US and an international destination. This is a special build for Habitat and is labeled as the Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter Work Project. The president was building house #40, which happened to be right across the street from our house (#27). Mona and I had the privilege of meeting him at the site. He chided us about the slow progress being made on our house but we countered by comparing the number of volunteers on his house versus ours!

John Abraham (popular Bollywood actor) is a spokesperson for Habitat India. He visited the site for a few hours but was unable to participate in the build due to illness. Another popular actor, Madhavan, spent a day building with us and sweated it out along with the rest of us. There were a couple of other Bollywood actors - Pooja Bedi and Jacqueline Fernandez in attendance.

Celebrities from other parts of the world were also in attendance and included Jet Li.

With all the celebrities in attendance, the media wasn't far behind and of course the president had an entourage of secret service and other staff present with him.

The Build

The build was divided into three phases. The pre-build was the phase were the land was acquired, prepped and the foundation was laid for all the homes. We did not participate in this phase. Phase 2 involved the construction of the complete structure of the house. This was the part that got done during last week by us. The final phase would involve patch up work, installation of electricals and final plumbing work, which is expected to take another 2-3 weeks. When we arrived at the site, the foundation was in place along with a wall that was about 8 concrete blocks high.

The Wall

For the first day and a half, we were working on building the wall. The wall was made of interlocking concrete blocks of two sizes - a full block and a half block. There were two types of blocks - a regular block and a channel block. Regular blocks were used to build the entire block and the channel blocks formed the top layer of the wall. Concrete is poured into the channel which allows a structure to be installed on top of the wall. Building of the wall involved creating a section of the wall about 7-8 blocks high by laying the blocks and leveling them both horizontally and vertically as we went along. We had plumb lines and levels to help us measure and correct as we built. Once a section was created, we had to mix concrete and pour it into the holes in the block. The concrete then hardens to form a pole that holds the blocks in place and adds strength to the wall. After a wall has been put up and the concrete poured, a cement and sand paste was used to plaster the walls from the inside and outside. This helps to weatherproof the wall and also provides a smooth finish.

The Doors & Windows

Door and window frames were pre-built and ready for installation as soon as the wall was about 20 blocks high. The edges of the walls were the frames were installed had channel blocks. This created additional space for the frames. Nails had to be hammered on the outside of the frame at an angle about 10 cms apart. After that, the frame was gently lowered into it's designated space on the wall. After the frames were in place, concrete was poured into the channel. This eventually dried up and held the frame in place.

The Roof

Building the roof involved two different processes. First - we had to install the three trusses that would form the base of the roof skeleton. These are three triangular metal structures (extremely heavy) that are bolted on top of the walls. The bolts were installed atop the channel blocks and are held in place by the hardened concrete. Once the trusses are in place, long strips of metal (I forget the technical name) are bolted on top of the trusses. The roof tiles are then bolted to these strips to finish off the roof.

Organizing and Managing the build

Bringing over two thousand volunteers and workers to Chiang Mai for a week long construction project is a complex process. Habitat did a phenomenal job of organizing this event. The event took over a year to plan and organize and you could see the results. One of the reasons that we had such a great time was that a lot of attention was given to details and the Habitat team had gone the extra mile to ensure that all of us were comfortable during our stay here.

The build site was about 30 minutes from the city. Volunteers were staying at several different hotels. Several buses departed from each hotel every few minutes depending on the number of volunteers staying at a hotel. A police escort was available for the buses to ensure that we reached the site within 30 minutes. There was an army of Thai students who were available as a support team for the volunteers. It seemed like they were everywhere and always available when you needed somebody for information or directions.

Habitat went to great lengths to ensure the comfort and safety of the volunteers. For example, they knew that everybody would be dead tired after the first day of the build. Hence, dinner was scheduled at the hotel where we were staying at so that we did not have to travel after a long day of work. For the rest of the week, they had planned different experiences for dining and entertainment. There was something for everyone during each day of our stay in Chiang Mai. Breakfast at each hotel was served beginning at 5:30am in order to accommodate our work schedules. What was amazing was that somebody went to the trouble to make sure that breakfast was served at 5:30am on Saturday as well so that volunteers who were scheduled to depart early in the morning could have their breakfast at the hotel before leaving for the airport.

During the work day, there was an unlimited supply of water, cold drinks, sodas and snacks. A massive dining tent was setup to handle 500-600 diners simultaneously. All of us were assigned a different shift for our lunch breaks. Habitat had even setup a separate tent for social networking to allow volunteers to blog, tweet or update their facebook pages with latest news and photos.

Thanks to Habitat's careful and meticulous planning of the build event, every volunteer had a safe and fun experience.

The Final Day

I really meant to post an entry at the end of each work day. But I was completely beat by the time the day ended and we invariably had some event that we had to attend in the evening. So I will be posting several entries over the next couple of days summarizing our experiences during the week.

Friday was the last day of the build and we are now on our way to Bangkok. By the end of the week, our backs were aching, fingers were hurting and legs were throbbing with pain. There are blisters on our hands and our bodies are sore. But there is one thing for sure - we will be back on another Habitat project whenever the opportunity comes up!

The past week was one of the most wonderful, fun and memorable week in our lives. It was a week during which we toiled like never before. Mona and I spent over nine hours each day moving and laying heavy cement blocks, mixing concrete and mortar, pouring cement and gravel, grouting walls, installing doors and windows, assisting with the installation of the roof, building walls etc. etc. For somebody who struggles with changing bulbs and hanging picture frames - I would say this was pretty impressive.

During the week, we met some amazing people and have made lifelong friends. On day one, we were a group of strangers from different parts of the world who traveled to Thailand with a common goal. By the last day, we were a tight group of friends who helped each other throughout the week and shared a little bit of ourselves with each other in the process. We came from different cultures and different backgrounds. We spoke in different languages (those who spoke English spoke in different accents!). But we all came together to build and help create a new beginning for a young Thai family. About twenty of us built a new house in five days. Two thousand volunteers created a community of eighty two homes. We can change the world and make a real difference. All we need is the desire and will to do so.

Project Habitat - Day One

Over 2000 volunteers started the build for the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work project - the Mekong Build 2009 at 7am this morning. Buses left from respective hotels between 6 and 6:30am for the site escorted by the police. We arrived at the build site and met the team at house number 27. Our team included members from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and United States. Julie - our team leader, incidentally was from Los Angeles. The partner family (the family that will be the recipient of the house) also joined us for the build along with several volunteers from Thailand. House number 27 was located across the street corner from House number 40 - the house that Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were working on.

It was a fascinating experience! Today, the primary chore was masonry. The task was to build the walls on a foundation that was already in place and install the frames for doors and windows. We worked in intense heat. We were well taken care of in terms of supplies (caps, suntan lotion, tools, snacks, drinks etc.). At the end of the day, we were exhausted but had a sense of exhilaration when we saw the result of our labor. Our team was a bit short on volunteers and we are hoping that additional volunteers will join tomorrow.

We have made lots of new friends from around the world - folks with whom we are sharing a unique and once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Taste of Thailand

We arrived yesterday in Chiang Mai in Thailand. Mona and I are volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity build in this province of Northern Thailand. The project starts on Monday, so we have two days to explore and sight see.

Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand and is another foodie heaven - especially if you are a lover of Thai food. We had a great time eating awesome authentic Thai food. Our Lonely Planet guide had some great references for places to eat at and their recommendations have rarely been a miss for us.

Chiang Mai is a temple city with several old and new temples around the city built to honor and worship Lord Buddha (nearly 80% of the population is Buddhist in Thailand). Most of our sightseeing included visiting various temples.

Commuting is cheap, fun and convenient here with options ranging from regular taxis to tuk-tuks (a larger version of the India autorickshaw) and the red mini-bus (hop-on and hop-off).

This place is a shopper's delight and the Night market in town a must-see. A much larger and better organized version of street markets in India - you can buy practically anything in the Night Market at great deals as long as you have a stomach for bargaining with the locals.

Today was the opening ceremony for the project - a truly amazing experience. Over 2000 volunteers from over 30 countries have descended in Thailand to build 82 homes along the Mekong river. The Habitat for Humanity India contingent is about 20-25 member strong. Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter were present at the ceremony, which was opened by the Governor of the region. The ceremony was held in a beautiful botanical garden and included song and dance performances by local artists. One highlight was a food fair where all attendees could try local Thai delicacies.

Tomorrow - we wake up at 4:30am and set out for the build site by 6am. Stay tuned for live updates!

A tribute to Naweed

My cousin Naweed lost his battle with cancer this week.

Naweed must have been four or five years old when I first moved to the United States in 1986. Their home was my first home in this country. Ever since that time, I have had a very special relationship with Naweed, his parents and his brother. I watched him grow up to be a smart, intelligent and sensitive young man. I was shocked when I heard that he had cancer about two years ago. The first time I met him after that was when he had just finished an intense course of chemo at UCLA. The treatment had taken it's toll on him. He had become weak, he couldn't eat and was unable to walk.

But Naweed fought back and fought back hard. Within a few months, he was on his feet, back at work, following his favorite sports teams and driving a new car. The cancer would not let go but he fought with determination and a can-do attitude. He researched his condition, explored new treatment options and debated them with his doctors. Throughout his ordeal, he maintained a positive attitude and never gave up his fight. He started writing a blog, became active in his community and became an inspiration for all.

Naweed has taught me many valuable life lessons - never look back, move forward, fight the odds and maintain a positive attitude. He never felt sorry for himself. He realized that he had been dealt a poor hand of cards but figured out a way to play with what he had.

He has lost his battle with cancer but remains a champion for me. He will live in our memories and his story will remain an inspiration for his family and friends for years to come.

Entrepreneurship is alive!

I spent a couple of days last week in Delhi attending the TiECon - the annual TiE summit for the Delhi chapter. For those who are not familiar with this organization, TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) is the largest organization of its kind with a mission to grow and foster entrepreneurship. It was an exciting and intellectually stimulating event. Speakers at the conference included India's home minister, Chidambaram, UK Consul General Richard Staggs, CEO of GenPact Pramod Bhasin and many others. There were nearly a thousand delegates including potential and successful entrepreneurs, investors, students and media.

It was heartening to see so many young and budding entrepreneurs with great ideas for solving real world problems, creating wealth and changing the world. There was unbounded excitement even in these tough economic times. In fact, the general theme at the conference was starting and running new ventures during difficult times. The current global crisis has not dampened the enthusiasm of these young business professionals in this part of the world. On the contrary, it is giving birth to smarter startups that will learn resilience and tenacity and some may grow up to be the next HP or Google.

Another exciting trend was the growth in social entrepreunership. There seems to be a complete eco-system that is coming up to fuel the rise of companies that will solve the problems of the poor and underprivileged around the world. Solutions include innovative and low-cost lighting, clothing and healthcare for those who cannot afford access.

Very energizing two days and I am looking forward to the next summit!

King of Pop

"The ghost of Michael Jackson is here", informed Pushpa, our housekeeper in Bangalore. Michael Jackson had died while we were in Los Angeles. Mona and I belong to the generation that grew up on Thriller and Bad. We experienced the media frenzy following his death. But we never fully understood his global reach and appeal until we were back in India.

Our housekeeper seemed to know every detail about Michael Jackson's life. The Kannada TV channels broadcast every detail about Michael's life, his music, the Neverland ranch, his kids etc. and everybody was watching it with fascination. The employee newsletter at my company featured the King of Pop on the cover. Music stores are featuring his old and newly released albums (which are flying off the shelves). News items about the "ghost" of the king of pop appearing on TV did not go unnoticed in India.

Pop culture knows no boundaries and unites us all from Hollywood to Bangalore!

A proud moment

Aanish completed his IGCSE (Grade 10) exams in June before we left for Hong Kong and Los Angeles. The results were expected in early August. The Grade 10 exams are crucial and the results will be an important consideration for college entrance. He had worked really hard for a couple of months leading up to the exams. Mona and I were feeling very anxious as the day of the results (August 10) approached.

On the day of the results, the scores are available on the internet at 5am IST. Mona was the first one to wake up and check the results. She woke me up within a few minutes. Aanish had done remarkably well. He received an A* in 6 subjects, an A in 2 subjects and a B in 1. The surprise grade was an A in Spanish. Just three months ago, he was struggling in the subject and his teacher had recommended that he take the simpler core curriculum instead of the advanced extended curriculum. He was unable to make that change since the deadline had passed. So he ended up doing his exam in the advanced curriculum and still scored an A.

Students must study a minimum of 7 subjects for IGCSE and must score at least 5 As and 2 Cs to achieve a Distinction level. Aanish completed his IGCSE math in 9th grade and had scored an A. He took Additional Math in 10th grade and scored a B on that. So, he ended taking 10 subjects and scoring 6 A*, 3 A and a B.

It was a happy and proud moment for both of us. We had seen him work very hard for many months and were it was a joy to see his hard work pay off.