KILL-ONE-AT-A-TIME...

Can you do it? These were the words of my boss ringing in my head with my immediate supervisor looking at me to respond to it. I was silent, dead silent. I was just looking at the paper in the hands of my boss on which department agenda was written. I don’t recall why but 4 months back I had asked my boss to give me more challenging task than taking care of the regions which I already did. Working in Siemens in International Sales for power sector was a big deal for me as I had not been long here and also with no prior sales or marketing specialization or experience. Was comfortable with handling the already acquainted Gulf region and had converted many offers into orders. But this was something new and huge. I thought ‘Why my boss asked me that question?’ But then I asked myself ‘Do I have a plan?  Have I done my homework to live upto the expectations of my management? Am I going to fetch more than what my management is spending on me? Above all, am I going to break the stint of series of contracts being lost over the past 2 years?’ I had no answer but one thing I was sure of that I will find the answer to this question. 

No orders in last 2 years from Brunei, a South-East Asian country near Malaysia. Siemens had lost the winning note which it enjoyed 2 years back and I was asked to make a re-entry into the market. With pressure from HQ, Siemens Germany, and my initiative to do something more challenging had landed me at a juncture where I was given complete freedom to ensure that Siemens makes a re-entry into the market. Where to start from and how do I start? I started thinking and taking one problem at a time.

First question – Where is the lead? To answer this, I found myself standing at the doors of the record room where all the old files are preserved as per the ISO guidelines. Checked some 18 odd box files full of papers and brought about 4 files back to my desk. I checked the files thoroughly and tried to understand the way the orders were acquired and executed some 5 or 6 years back. I checked for the names on the client side and their designation and started making a note. On one side I thought of taking help of seniors who had worked on those projects earlier but now they were transferred to another department and also were at a much better position. But at the same time another tiny thought was troubling me and pushing me to do it all alone and keeping that option last. I checked the internet and tried to find out the existing players in the past 2 years. I tried to understand the key players on the client side and found 3 key people. One of them was the decision maker while other 2 were his subordinates who used to feed their boss with information.  All techies!  I arranged my trip to meet them to pursue them to buy Siemens product over competitors at the price which my boss has told me to.  All the while in the flight to Brunei, I was thinking how my approach would be however nothing clicked. Reached Bander Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei and met my local counter part in Brunei. Suddenly something clicked and I told him to arrange meeting with each of them separately the next day. To this my colleague was surprised and said that it would be better if we meet all of them together as it was hard to get the appointment. I denied.

The next day morning I met one of the subordinates who preferred the competitors’ product more than ours and discussed at length the details of their requirement and also their apprehensions with the current products of all the vendors and expectations from us. Presented the catalogue and the working presentation to him and got him convinced that our product was good and superior to others. I went one step ahead and informed him that their specifications were old and thus should be changed to be in line with the new technology to get the best out of their vendors. He was convinced and floored. One down! I didn’t touch the price issue at all. 

Then I had arranged the meeting with the 2^nd subordinate who apparently knew our product well and he was concentrating more on the issues like delivery time, price and services. I informed him that not only the services but we can package the current product with other small products that we manufacture and are used by them and give a bulk discount. Also informed him that their workers in the substations would be trained and certified by Siemens for which we would send our service representatives to help them out however these would be one time charges but would save them a lot of money in long run. His happy face conveyed that he was convinced too.  Two down!

Then the next day I arranged for an appointment with the main boss which was the main agenda for coming here. Sitting in the conference room, the boss came with both his subordinates and then asked me to proceed. I did the usual blah blah to which the boss asked his subordinates to come up with any apprehensions. Instead both recommended that the product and services provided by Siemens would be preferable and their prices are lower for the product and service they are providing. Their boss had nothing to say but to accept our proposal and include our product in their next tender evaluation. 

All I did was adopted a very simple way which I then called as ‘Kill-One-At-A-Time’ approach. Had I gone directly into the conference meeting, it would have been difficult to convince all the three of them together. I just divided them, heard their apprehensions, addressed them and had their mindset to my tune before the big meeting with their boss. I tried to show them value for their money and helped them have a look at a technologically superior product. A simple approach paid well for me. A couple of weeks later, we received the first order. Carrying its copy to my boss’ cabin I stood silent there, but this time I managed to silence two more people.

Don’t Snooze the alarm, Wake up!

‘Cooooo…‘ (sound of the horn of a train) and then…. ‘khatak khatak, khatak khatak, ..., swoofff…’  Then I heard the announcement ‘Train going to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is expected to arrive shortly on platform no 6.’  Standing at the Dadar station, one of the suburbs in Mumbai, I was waiting for the train to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.  Feeling very sad and low, I got into the train and reached the station.  Standing in the middle of more than 5000 people going in all directions, I started walking, slowly looking at the face of every person I could see and trying to feel the situation when there was a terrorist attack just a couple of weeks back.  Reached the Gateway of India and from there I watched ‘The Taj’, the palatial hotel.  It was all sealed and no one was allowed inside. 

I started walking and with every step I took I started thinking hard.  I have been living in Mumbai for almost 4 years and this city is very special to me.  Though living alone, I never felt alone in the city.  As my work demanded, I was a frequent guest at the Taj and some smiling faces were familiar to me.  The monument itself brings a lot of pride not only to me or the residents of Mumbai but many other Indians.  And what do I see on a morning of 27^th of November 2008, that ‘Taj’ is under attack!  Shocked!  At that time, I was back at home in Baroda and on leave for a couple of weeks.  Then I suddenly recalled that the previous night my client from Qatar had made a sudden visit to Mumbai to meet me and my superiors for a new project discussion and visit of the facilities here in Mumbai.  I had promised them to arrange their stay at the Taj this time and so I called him up immediately.  Then I understood that they were lucky not to get reservation in Taj this time and I could hear the fright on the phone.  Even I felt lucky for not being there but were all others lucky enough?  Perhaps not!  What was their mistake?  What harm they had done who went through this terror being inside these monuments and witnessing it?  We all may say that they were unlucky.  All we have is just sympathy for them and their relatives and friends and nothing more.

For almost 3 days, I was stuck to the television watching every move of the reporters on all the channels.  Everytime I thought of the people who were trapped inside, it ached me, it made me feel angry and it made be think ‘What I can do to see that such time do not fall again on us.’  For three days from 26^th November 2008, about close to 200 people lost their lives and many more injured.  This incident didn’t have effect on only these people but many others in the country.  I certainly do not feel proud of such things happening in our country but I certainly felt proud of the National Security Guards (NSG) commandos and the news channel reporters.  Someone might say that they were just doing their job but if we think hard, perhaps we will realize that we are not even doing that. 

These three days were very disturbing to me and many others and how can we let it go just like that?  Government has to answer us.  They cannot simply keep on playing with the sentiments of the citizens who make them what they are today.  It’s every right of every citizen of India to get justice and not just promises from them.  The anger of the people could be seen yet the spirits were high.  Mumbai had never stopped, nor can anyone ever stop it.  Somewhere I knew that I won’t be able to find the same faces which I used to see earlier in Taj but today I have questions which I am unable to answer.  It’s been almost a year and where is Kasab, the only terrorist caught ?  What has been done to him?  Has this episode made to end here and buried forever?  Is this what we worth the great lives of our citizens?  Do we just need the prayers of other people sitting at home?  Or we do something more?  I want each of us to think on this and do something to make this place worth living and also worth dying.  It’s been rightly said by someone that ‘Our Jackets are not bullet-proof. Our spirit is’.  Long live the spirit of Mumbai!

Birthday Gift!

Searching for my keys to room 411, I was feeling tired. Had a long day and was thinking of taking a nap for a while. Still searching for my keys and my cell phone beeped. A reminder or a message? So much tired that I did not even bother to look at it and just wanted that noise to stop and so I hit it in my pocket and it stopped. Unlocked the door and threw my laptop bag and hit on the bed.

I was having a long tiring days in Doha Qatar where I was on for a meeting and finalization of an order with our client. An evening of 29^th April 2008, when I was pleased to find out that I managed to do the job better than was expecting and could bag the long awaited order and had a good client meet. Siemens Mumbai, where I worked, had sent me to Doha Qatar for negotiation of a big order and for addressing some issues with the previous order. The meeting was a success and I was feeling proud carrying back home the contract copy with me. I looked at the watch and then remembered that I had to go to dinner to celebrate the success of the order. Suddenly at 9:30 pm, the phone rang, and what do I see its my best friend calling and then I suddenly remembered that it was 30^th April already in India, my 25^th birthday had begun. The next day morning I had to go to the client’s office for an hour and when I reached there was a big cake for me with a card. This was perhaps a very rare and unique occasion wherein the client has given a treat to me.

With the entire luggage then I headed off to the Doha International Airport. My flight was at 10 with a halt of about 2 hours at Dubai airport. Searching for the counter of the Emirates, the lady sitting there asked for my tickets and passport to issue the boarding pass. The morning cake and the previous night calls helped me in reviving from the long days I had but at the back of my mind I was thinking that I will be reaching Mumbai not before 9 in the night. So no party and no time to hang out as I was living alone. Moreover most of the times I will have to keep my cell phone switched off as I would be in the flight. So no enjoyment this year on my silver jubilee. With such a lousy feeling I handed over my e-ticket and was searching for my passport. “Where the hell it is!” I cried in my mind. In the mid of all these thoughts, suddenly in a shrill voice the lady spoke “Happy Birthday, Mr. Jambekar. Emirates is privileged to provide you best service on your birthday. Let me see what I can do for you.” I started searching for television in the airport whether they had broadcasted me that it was my birthday then suddenly a frightening feeling run down my spine – did I do something wrong that has made be popular suddenly? What stupid thoughts! She was having my passport which I had kept on the table. Phew! It’s scary to lose your passport in another country. Have heard a lot of such scary stories. I started thinking again as to what she can do, give me a window seat, free Emirates pen, what? “We have upgraded your seat to the Business Class. Hope you have a wonderful flight. Here is your boarding pass upto Dubai and your onward boarding pass which you will have to show at the Dubai airport.” Suddenly her shrill voice sounded sweet.

Thrilled, happy and elated were the exact feelings that anyone at the airport could see on my face. In the flight I was given the best treatment with all sorts of facilities and the best attention. The sight outside the window was looking more beautiful from the business class seat than normal economy class seat. Unfortunately, the flight was only for one hour before I landed in Dubai airport where there was a halt of 2 hours and change of flight. Was hoping to get similar gesture for the on-going flight but the flight from Dubai to Mumbai was full already. Busy shopping at the Dubai airport and answering birthday calls, it was a nice and different kind of birthday that I could have imagined though I was alone celebrating it.

Near Death Experiences

The siren went on. I started thinking as to what it was about. Starting to wrap up the thoughts in my mind to really think what was going on and it took me nearly 5 seconds to really understand it correctly. It was the siren of close of the factory shift and then it stuck me suddenly that it was 15 minutes past 11 in the night. Friday, the 13^th of February 2009, I was in the office working on a new project of analysing the client’s requirements in South East Asian countries for enhancing business there, for an electrical product called as switchboard used in distribution substations. I wanted to stay for a bit longer but then a thought crossed my mind that if I didn’t leave at that very moment then perhaps I will not be able to reach in time to have my dinner in the restaurant where I used to go daily. I hate missing dinners but I hate breaking in my work but something was going to happen as I didn’t have a choice.

I was 25 years old and living alone in Mumbai and working in power sector of a multi-national company Siemens. I closed down my laptop, took out the keys of the motorbike and ready to resume work from home after dinner. Yeah, as it was holiday the next day, and I was so hooked up on this project that I somehow wanted to come to such an analysis that it was 5 days straight that I was working late at office and continued working at home too. It was chilly outside when the motorbike denied starting at first kick which was pretty usual. It was my roommate’s bike and he was out of country on a project and was not going to return for more than a month. I was just trying to keep his bike in running condition by using it everyday to office. What a lame excuse!

The road back home was pretty straight and along the railway tracks and it takes about 15 minutes to reach home. I saw the dark and twinkling night as I put on the helmet after successfully starting the motorbike and rode off. At the company gate the security gate-keeper got up, opened the gate and saluted me as I passed by. He must have been surprised to see me for 5 days straight coming to office at sharp 8 and leaving minutes passed 11. At that time I too realised that I was stretching too much and need to take care that I don’t deteriorate my health due to this. Just I was thinking this when suddenly I missed the bump on the road and I thought to me that I need to be careful as just today in the office one of our colleagues told me and another colleague of mine to drive safely on motorbike as there were two accidents on the same road that he had witnessed. I hardly gave a damn to it.

I was approaching home as I moved along the railway tracks. I was required to move on the other side of the tracks for which there was a road going beneath the railway tracks. It was dark and the road was wet. I never understood as to why that portion of the road is always dark and wet round the year. Just took a turn and was on that road when in the rear view mirror I saw sudden flash of light approaching me at very high speed. That was a car rushing towards me and I was not sure if the driver inside had even noticed me riding the bike. Just when it was close enough for me to understand it will hit me from behind, I accelerated in the wet road just to recall that the rear wheel brakes do not work. The car suddenly realised my existence on that dark wet road and went pass me from my side. There was another car on the same road in the opposite direction heading towards this crazy car while made the driver move away from the centre of the road to the side but this time not noticing that I was on the side. I applied the brakes the front wheel just when the car touched it and made me lose my balance. I was about to dash between the car and wall on the left when I could make out from the viewing window of the helmet that I was about to fall. Very close to the wall, my head banged the wall and then it threw me off it on the road sliding for about 3 meters or so. I could suddenly realize something hurting me on my arm and knees. I didn’t know how to stop that terrifying scene when suddenly my head dashed on the road. Suddenly I heard a horn from behind and then I went into a deep thought. Everything around me grew darker and suddenly I not worrying about the approaching vehicle. Suddenly it appeared like a flash of the light in front of my eyes for a moment and it went away. What was that? I asked myself in terror thinking another oncoming vehicle on the dark road but when I tried to have a convincing look there was nothing of that sort. But something I saw from the viewing window of the helmet, a person next to me, asking me how I was and trying to help me get up. I got up just to know that I had bruises all over my left side. Suddenly I wanted to come out of that helmet and notice the bike. Nothing major happened to the bike but there was a big scar on the helmet. No injuries on my head and I could realise the pain in the knees. I stood there for a minute and I really could not understand what that person was saying. The person informed me to clean up the injury immediately by visiting the doctor.

To my luck I could find a doctor who was just closing his dispensary and I asked him for the dressing of the injured knee. An hour wasted when I returned home with my knee and hand in bandage as the restaurant was also closed. Tried eating stuff which I could find at home but then laying on my bed to sleep I was angry because I hate missing dinners but I hate breaking in my work too.

Happy Diwali Jet Airways

Looked at the watch and it was 6.40 am. On 17^th Oct 2009, at the Chennai airport, it was already time for boarding of my flight to Mumbai and still there was no sign of the crew of Jet Airways announcing the boarding of the passengers. Then I thought ‘Oh! The flight is late by sometime.’ It doesn’t matter as I was going to my home town Baroda for a 10 days stay so a little late will not matter. Suddenly, it stuck me that I have a connecting flight from Mumbai in 55 minutes in between and this situation is not helping.

In the middle of my MBA course, I was going home for 10 days which was very unusual as its difficult to get such a long break. This was due to the electives which I had taken and I was not having any of the electives for this long and further to this, this particular break was coming on a Diwali time. What could I have asked other than a long stay back home after a long time that too during Diwali? But was I going to miss the connecting flight? The connecting flight was luckily of Jet Airways and I had taken the boarding pass at the Chennai airport. Suddenly then a question crossed my mind ‘What was the problem?’ Thinking back I recalled, while taking the boarding passes at the Chennai airport, I had given the luggage and had asked the lady representative to tag it upto Baroda. She said that she tried however due to some system problem she could not. All silly problems are portrayed as system problems only. I was annoyed thinking that I will have to collect the luggage at the Mumbai airport take it again to the Jet Airways counter where boarding pass is issued, give the luggage over there while I would not ask for the boarding pass as it was already issued to me. Wasn’t that weird? All to be done in 55 minutes and how is that going to be possible specially with the current flight getting delayed?

I had never experienced such a thing and did not know what was going to happen. When my flight landed at Mumbai airport and I looked at my watch. ’20 minutes late! Now my mind started calculating. Only 35 minutes left in which I have to reach the baggage claim, go to the counter, explain the situation, give the luggage for tagging and then head for the security check and then board the flight. Anyone could have seen the confusion on my face while I was slowly moving out of the aircraft. While stepping down the aircraft, I saw a young good looking girl in blue salwaar khameez with a identity of ‘Jet Airways Ground Crew’ holding a mobile phone in left hand and a piece of paper in the other. A very tender yet confident girl with a spark in her eyes was searching for someone. All the ground crew members were dressed traditionally on occasion of Diwali festival. Then suddenly a thought crossed my mind ‘Is it blue or green? Ah! I am never good at recognising colours. But why in this confused state of mind, I am suddenly thinking of the colour of the dress that girl is wearing?’ When I reached the bottom of the flight, suddenly she asked ‘Sir, are you on the flight to Baroda?’ I nodded. She continued, ‘Mr. Jambekar right?’ To this I was even more confused. I was thinking a beautiful looking girl knows my name. Have I suddenly become famous? But then I suddenly remembered about my luggage. What possibly wrong can happen that people are asking for me? She told me not to get on the bus which was taking all the other passengers. She must be there for my help. Then I told her the problem of the tag on my luggage and showed her my boarding passes as well as the luggage tag copies. She quickly dialled a number from her mobile and said “We have a situation over here.” She turned away talking on the phone and then I suddenly looked at the watch. Only 30 minutes remaining for the departure, I am still on the ground next to my earlier flight, my boarding pass is with the girl who is talking on the phone and all my calculations have gone for a toss as this was not accounted for. Suddenly that girl turned to me and said ‘Sir, you will just have to come with us to identify your luggage to directly get it into the flight and not sent out to the baggage claim area.’ A sigh of relief! Now something is going my way. I again nodded. She made another couple of calls and then I found myself in a bus of Jet Airways along with that girl. The bus was moving on the instructions given by that girl. Again calling someone, she told the driver to change the direction and the bus halted near another Jet Airways aircraft. This aircraft was going to Baroda. ‘Oh! Great! Atleast I don’t have to go through the normal check points’ I thought. That girl was standing next to me outside the aircraft looking out for some other ground crew member with whom I guess she had talked last on the phone. She explained to me that I don’t have to worry about my luggage and I will not have to even go to identify it. She could manage to get it identified and things will be taken care. She told me to wait and not board the flight just to get things confirmed. One aged thin person came and she asked about my luggage. That person said that everything is taken care of and I don’t need to worry at all and was told to board the flight. The girl gave me my boarding pass and with a very beautiful smile she said that the luggage will be loaded and I can board the flight. Just when I wanted to know the name of the girl and wanted thank her for all the trouble that she took and get me out of the situation, another crew lady from behind asked for my boarding pass and checked it and wished me ‘A Happy journey’. I was like ‘Yeah! Whatever!’ I turned around to find that girl and she was no where. Vanished! I got on the flight and luckily was having a window seat on the left side of the flight from where I could see a small car came with my luggage and on the tag they made some changes and put it in the flight. Just then from the window I could see that girl talking on the phone next to the aircraft and I thought of going out for a minute when the flight doors closed.

I really could not get a chance to thank that lovely looking girl who was just doing her job by helping me out but I feel that sometime I will definitely come across again. Thank you for all the help and to Jet Airways for taking good care of their passengers! Wish you all a very Happy Diwali!